"The second round of the competition is now officially over. The contestants who advance to the third round are the sixteen standing in the duel arena."
With the announcement from the God system, the spectators all turned their eyes toward the duel arena. Out of the hundreds of contestants, after two brutal rounds, only sixteen remained, including Kyle.
If the first two rounds were about elimination and selection, the third round would be the true climax of the superpower competition.
It would be a true test of strength, where the contestants would compete for top spots against various superhumans and even Superman...
However, for Kyle, none of this mattered. By this point, his initial goals had already been achieved.
From here on out, he could fight however he pleased, treating it as a practice drill before the real battles with alien forces.
Kyle smiled as he stood in the arena. His eyes briefly met with Ancient One's. Both knew that, sooner or later, their confrontation would come to pass.
That battle...
It should have begun during World War II, but unfortunately, it had been delayed for nearly a century.
In the beginning, Kyle tried everything to avoid Ancient One, and later, Ancient One avoided him. The publicly known Symbol of Peace and the secretly safeguarding Sorcerer Supreme seemed to tacitly prolong this overdue encounter.
Until now.
"Next... the third round of the competition will begin, with sixteen contestants facing off in one-on-one duels for the top eight spots."
As soon as the God system announced the format for the third round, the audience erupted in excited cheers. The first half of the competition had already shattered their expectations countless times, and now, they might witness a true battle between gods.
"Just as expected."
Hearing the crowd cheer his name, Kyle glanced around at the spectators. He shook his head with a wry smile, thinking to himself, 'I still don't like standing in the spotlight.'
Isn't it better to work behind the scenes? With a thought, he could set rules and alter the very fabric of the universe.
Kyle's mindset had grown somewhat weary, unlike the youthful enthusiasm he had during World War II. Now, facing such a passionate scene, he found himself a bit out of place...
Perhaps this superpower competition, aimed at Earth's civilization, would be more suitable for a Superman clone. If it were him, he could probably just bulldoze his way through with his fists.
At this moment, Kyle was unaware that his Superman clone, Caesar, had already gathered god-tier servants. Anything that could be solved with words, wouldn't require much action.
Of course, Caesar's approach wasn't due to a weary mindset, but simply because he was more laid-back...
Kyle was still lost in thought when he suddenly heard the God system's announcement: "The first match of the top eight competition will be: Kyle vs. Vision!"
This announcement caused an uproar, not just in the stands, but also within the duel arena.
"Huh? I'm up first?" Kyle looked up and saw the large portraits of himself and Vision on the screen.
The matchups were randomly drawn by the God system.
Kyle hadn't expected to be called up so quickly.
But that was fine.
Kyle glanced at Vision, who had his back turned. The reason for Vision's earlier loss of control was something Kyle wanted to investigate during this match.
"Boss, good luck."
"Kyle, be careful."
"Boss... good luck."
Lucy, Raina, and Wanda, who had formed teams with him earlier, cheered for Kyle. Wanda, pulled by Lucy, looked a little shy, her usually confident face flushed.
Kyle nodded at them, and then, together with Vision, both disappeared from the duel arena.
The scene shifted.
Kyle opened his eyes and found himself in a magnificent golden palace. Beneath his feet was a vast, hard golden plaza, and the floor stretched out endlessly. In the distance, he could faintly see the Bifrost and a starry lake, flowing with radiant energy.
"A palace?" Kyle murmured. Looking up, he saw Vision hovering twenty meters above the ground.
The virtual space created by the God system is largely constructed from his memories, with the basic framework being formed by them and then refined through secondary construction technology.
As a result, this place is identical to the Asgardian Palace in his memories.
To seemingly confirm Kyle's guess, the God system's explanation appeared in the sky:
''Random Battle Map: Asgardian Palace.''
''Time limit: half an hour. There are no rules or restrictions. The match will end when one side kills the other, or when one side surrenders.''
"Just bombed New York Plaza, and now they're using the Asgardian Palace as a simulation battlefield. God must be doing this on purpose," Kyle muttered under his breath, shaking off his thoughts and focusing on Vision ahead.
Vision appeared to be free from the constraints of gravity, floating half a meter above the ground, his golden cape swaying without wind. His lifeless eyes stared blankly at the stars above Kyle's head.
Kyle felt increasingly uneasy. Since his creation, Vision has always been a figure of careful calculation and logical action before taking any steps.
Kyle spoke up, "Vision, although we're not master and servant, and I have no right to question your actions, shouldn't you explain why you killed Natasha and Quicksilver from our team earlier...?"
Before Kyle could finish, Vision suddenly vanished from his spot.
In the blink of an eye, Vision flew to Kyle's unguarded front. His hands, forged from Vibranium and coated with a special red-silver paint, slammed with the force of a dozen tons of Superman-level strength into Kyle's chest.
It was as if Vision had equipped himself with rocket boosters, propelling Kyle off the ground. Vision continued speeding across the plaza, crashing Kyle through the grand, sacred golden palace behind them.
The battle came so suddenly, it was completely unanticipated!
Boom!!!
Vision propelled Kyle at incredible speed, crashing him through a golden palace. They flew out from the other side, crashing through more palaces and divine domain structures.
The Asgardian Palace made of gold was as fragile as paper to Vision and Kyle's physical strength.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It was unclear how many palaces and houses they had shattered. Only when Vision abruptly stopped in mid-air did Kyle, still propelled by incredible inertia, slam into the Bifrost below, causing several terrifying cracks to appear in the Bifrost.
"Vision, are you serious?"
Kyle stood up without any injury, ignoring the rips in his clothes. He looked up just in time to see Vision hovering in the air, reaching out with an open hand as if summoning something from the Asgardian Palace behind him.
That's right.
Since this was the virtual space of the Asgardian Palace, such items must exist here.
In line with Kyle's thoughts, a small silver hammer shot out of the Asgardian Palace like a meteor, landing in Vision's outstretched hand.
Crackling sparks of electricity danced around Vision's Vibranium body, and a heavy, overwhelming pressure spread through the air.
(End of chapter)
I have finished translating this fanfic, IMUC (I Am In Marvel With Unlimited Cards) and have posted all the advanced chapters on Patreon (Last Chapter -- 706). (https://www.patreon.com/c/marvel6395). You can read all the advanced chapters there.