Chapter 639: Chapter 640: The Skrulls
As the green soul essence of the black-patterned clown emerged, Robert couldn't help but glance at the Martian Hunter beside him. Robert had seen plenty of green-skinned beings by now, but this soul, still marked with black patterns, bore a striking resemblance to the Martian Hunter.
From Robert's perspective, this soul was even more similar to the Martian Hunter than the Hunter was to Piccolo. Even if they weren't from the same species, they certainly seemed to be from related ones...
Being one of the few present who could see the clown's two souls, the Martian Hunter naturally noticed the soul resembling a Martian. However, the Martian Hunter knew this was not a fellow Martian.
It might be Robert's unfamiliarity with different species causing a sort of face-blindness.
At this moment, the Martian Hunter was recalling various data. Unlike Earth, which was relatively isolated from the broader universe, Martian civilization was more advanced and aware of many extraterrestrial species and information...
"Is this truly your kin?" Seeing the Martian Hunter remain silent, Robert was surprised and nodded as he thought of something.
"Ah, right, you previously demonstrated a shapeshifting ability. If he turned into a clown, it wouldn't be too surprising. But why would he do that? And the differences among your species are quite significant. His soul, even with the power of the dark dimension, is quite weak..."
"He's not one of my people!" The Martian Hunter sighed helplessly and began to explain softly, "Based on what I remember, this guy should be a Skrull. This species has the ability to change their appearance at will, disguising themselves as others, even copying their memories!"
"Moreover, there are said to be Super-Skrulls among them who can not only copy memories but also replicate the abilities of the beings they imitate!"
"Copy abilities?" Robert's eyes widened in astonishment as he continued to question the Martian Hunter, "Is there no limit to their copying and disguising? Can they fully replicate abilities without contact? Can they be as powerful as the original?"
"I don't know. My knowledge of their species is limited. There might be restrictions, but such details would be a closely guarded secret, beyond my information..." The Martian Hunter shook his head solemnly.
"Skrulls did visit Earth before, but they were refugees back then. Led by Captain Marvel, they left Earth to find a new home. I don't know why a Skrull would be here now, disguising as a clown..."
"Wait! Carol?!" Robert's eyes widened in realization. He remembered when Carol mentioned her duties in the universe.
Helping the Skrulls find a new home shouldn't have taken so long. Carol also had to help many underdeveloped civilizations resist invasions from more advanced ones and assist in their growth.
Carol briefly mentioned the Skrulls, so Robert hadn't given it much thought until now. Hearing Carol's name again made Robert frown, uncertain if this situation was related to her.
However, knowing Carol, Robert believed she wouldn't do something like this, especially since her family was still on Earth. Carol certainly wouldn't want any accidents to happen on Earth.
Even without contacting Carol or getting more information from this Skrull, Robert could conclude that Carol had been deceived by the Skrulls!
Given the Skrulls' abilities, it would be easy for them to deceive her. Despite the potential power gap between them and Carol, their innate talent for disguise was terrifying.
Without special sensory abilities, Carol might not detect a species full of spies...
"Who is this Skrull disguised as? How can we identify a disguised Skrull?" The Avengers, hearing the conversation, turned pale. Even though they couldn't see the Skrull's soul, the revelation was terrifying. Such disguise abilities were nearly unsolvable for most people!
No! Not just most people! Almost everyone!
Robert could only sense something off with the clown's aura. If a Skrull disguised as someone unfamiliar to Robert, even his keen perception might not detect it!
Especially since the Skrull's soul, even when exposed, still resembled the one they imitated. If the Skrull hadn't reverted due to the dark dimension's power causing unbearable pain, neither Robert nor the Martian Hunter could have identified him!
"It's hard to detect..." The Martian Hunter shook his head solemnly, addressing the Avengers' concerns.
As an expert in disguises himself, the Martian Hunter knew his abilities only matched ordinary Skrulls. He could transform his body to match others and read their memories, but he couldn't replicate their powers...
"No worries. As long as you're not impersonated, I've memorized your auras. If something like this happens, I can confirm if you've been replaced. As for others, it doesn't matter..." Robert reassured the anxious Avengers.
"What if a Skrull impersonates you?" Tony Stark frowned and asked Robert hesitantly.
"From what the Martian Hunter said, ordinary Skrulls can't imitate me. They could only mimic ordinary people or non-superpowered beings like the clown..." Robert shook his head slowly.
"As for Super-Skrulls imitating me, it depends on how much of my abilities they can copy. I don't believe they can fully replicate me. If they could, they would just copy the strongest beings in the universe and be invincible, wouldn't they?
Even if they imitate me, can they transform like I do? Can they perfectly use my ki? Most importantly, can they turn into a Saiyan Great Ape?"
"What if they can?" Peter Parker shrank back, feeling uneasy at the thought of an enemy perfectly imitating Robert.
"Then you don't need to worry. Just let me and the copycat fight it out. I'm curious to see if copying my abilities means they can keep increasing their combat power like me!" Robert's eyes sparkled with excitement at the prospect.
While the Avengers worried about the exposed Skrull, the Skrull, who had reverted to his true form, felt no relief. As Robert and the Martian Hunter observed, even in his true form, the Skrull's soul remained marked by the dark dimension's black patterns.
This meant the Skrull's soul was already claimed by the dark dimension. Upon his death, his soul would be taken. The dark dimension's power still enhanced the Skrull, but he constantly suffered from its agonizing pain as a price.
Unlike the masochistic clown who thrived on pain, this Skrull couldn't bear it. Unable to endure, he exposed himself.
Seeing the dark dimension's power continuing to cause him pain, the Skrull felt despair. He looked towards the partially mad clown, trembling as he moved towards him.
"Buzz!" At that moment, Robert reached out, stopping the Skrull. No matter how the Skrull struggled, he couldn't get closer to the clown's soul. Finally, he calmed down slightly and looked at Robert.
The Skrull had little impression of Robert. When the clown's consciousness mysteriously awakened from the copied memories, he lost control of the body to the clown. Later, his consciousness fell into endless pain.
If Robert hadn't separated the clown's and Skrull's souls, the Skrull wouldn't have reverted.
But now, realizing his situation, the Skrull knew he must protect his species' plans. Enduring unimaginable pain, he decided to end his life to protect their secrets.
"Buzz!" The Skrull's soul began to shrink. He prepared to end his life, ensuring his species' safety and freeing himself from pain.
"Buzz!" However, Robert, watching the Skrull closely, instantly surrounded the Skrull's soul with powerful energy, immobilizing him.
"Martian Hunter, your turn. You're good at reading memories, aren't you?" Robert chose not to use mind-reading himself but left it to the expert.
"His memories are extremely chaotic, likely due to copying many others. I'll try to find his own memories, but it may take some time," the Martian Hunter said, his psychic power enveloping the Skrull's soul.
Amid the chaotic memories, the Martian Hunter focused on finding the Skrull's core memories...
"Yes, I'm already dead. Someone became me, so I survived..." As the Martian Hunter read the Skrull's memories, the clown's crazed expression faded. He grinned at Robert, "I remember you, battle maniac. You killed me many times. You want to know his memories? I won't let you..."
"Poof!" Before finishing his sentence, the clown's soul vanished, his smile frozen.
"A weak soul like that dares to boast here? It's a wonder such a killable being lived so long and took over this Skrull's body. Shows this Skrull wasn't much either!" Robert muttered disdainfully, not considering the clown's soul worth his time.
Robert knew much about the clown's exploits and had dealt with him before. To Robert, killing the clown was easy. How someone with such mental issues caused so much trouble and lived so long baffled him...
"Buzz!" As the clown's soul disappeared, the black patterns on the Skrull's face reacted. The dark dimension's power appeared at the Avengers' base, pulling at the Skrull's soul.
The dark dimension had marked the Skrull's soul, but targeted the clown's life force. Now that the clown's life force was gone, the dark dimension sought to claim the Skrull's soul...
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