"Odin, that guy... I was just being polite, and he left without saying anything." Leaving Odin, Daniel Davis couldn't help but grumble inwardly. Originally, if Odin had mentioned a reward, he would have taken the opportunity to ask for a cosmic star map or a trip to the Void or the capital of the Nova Empire, Xandar.
Given his current strength, just visiting these places once would allow him to travel freely without needing a spaceship. In this respect, dimensional magic is incredibly powerful.
However, since Odin didn't bring it up, Daniel also couldn't mention it himself. Though he felt a bit regretful, there was nothing to be done now.
Perhaps because Daniel had saved Queen Frigga, Odin never again mentioned sending Daniel and Stark back to Midgard.
After Stark woke up and heard what had happened, he felt very remorseful. When the Asgardians invited him to drink again, he immediately refused, clearly frightened by the experience.
As time passed, Jane's condition worsened. Concerned, Thor suggested taking Jane back to Earth to see if there were any ways to save her, but Odin refused and ordered Heimdall to close the Bifrost to prevent Thor from using it secretly.
Thor was very upset about Odin's decision, but no matter how much he pleaded, Odin remained unmoved, even when Frigga tried to persuade him.
For Odin, the Aether was related to the safety of the Nine Realms and the entire universe. With the Dark Elves reappearing, he would never allow them to get their hands on the Aether.
If Jane returned to Earth, the Aether's danger aside, if the Dark Elves learned of it and invaded Earth to obtain the Aether, the entire Nine Realms would be in danger.
Odin was very clear about the importance of personal safety versus the safety of the entire world. Although such decisions were very unpleasant, as the king of Asgard and the Nine Realms, Odin had to consider his people.
Moreover, if Asgard couldn't solve Jane's problem, Midgard certainly couldn't. At this time, Odin conveniently forgot about a certain bald-headed figure that always frustrated him.
Daniel had also examined Jane's condition using the powers of the Operation Fruit and concluded that he had no way to help her. The power of the Aether was beyond what he could handle at this moment.
Thor, of course, wouldn't give up easily. Seeing that Odin was immovable, he went to Frigga. After much pleading, Frigga finally softened and gave Thor a suggestion.
Asgard couldn't solve Jane's problem, but the Dark Elves might. Thor was very happy to hear this. However, with the Bifrost sealed, he had no way to take Jane to the Dark Elves' world.
Frigga then suggested that Thor seek out Loki, who had other ways to travel between the Nine Realms.
Frigga also mentioned that if Loki helped deal with the Dark Elves, this achievement might lead Odin to lift his imprisonment.
Concerned about Jane's life and his brother's freedom, Thor agreed after some consideration.
Seeing Thor agree, Frigga secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although Loki was only an adopted son, Frigga's affection for him over the years was no less than for Thor. Loki had been very attached to Frigga as a child, and he learned all his magical abilities from her.
However, the crime Loki committed this time was too great—colluding with Thanos, which was a major crime in the universe. Even Frigga couldn't plead for him.
The appearance of the Aether presented an opportunity. If the brothers could work together to solve the Dark Elves problem, even Odin, as stubborn as he was, would recognize their achievement and likely release Loki. This achievement would also reduce opposition within Asgard.
"Help deal with the Dark Elves?" Frigga found Daniel while Thor was consulting Loki. Hearing her words, Daniel couldn't believe it.
"That's right. We cannot let the Dark Elves obtain the Aether. With your strength and the magic from Kamar-Taj, it wouldn't be difficult to steal the Aether if you hide and act stealthily."
Frigga indeed wanted to help her son, but she also didn't want the Aether to fall into the hands of the Dark Elves.
"But I don't know invisibility magic. I can't follow them quietly." Daniel's words were a lie. The Invisibility Charm from the Harry Potter world was indeed invisibility magic.
"I know. I can teach you this." To help her son, Frigga was willing to go all out. She directly taught him the illusion magic that Loki often used.
"Alright, I understand. I will do my best to help them." Previously, Daniel had been worried about what would happen if Frigga didn't die. Hearing Frigga's words, he understood the situation. This outcome was ideal for Daniel since Jane wouldn't have to die due to his intervention.
"Illusion magic is…" After Daniel agreed, Frigga immediately taught him the magic. Asgard's illusion magic was far more magical than that of the Harry Potter world and much harder to learn. Fortunately, Daniel was a disciple of Kamar-Taj, and Frigga was a very skilled witch. He mastered it in a short time.
"Loki, this is your only chance. I hope you and your brother will cooperate well and not have any ulterior motives. If you fail and the Dark Elves obtain the Aether, Asgard will be finished." In the prison, Frigga sternly instructed Loki upon seeing him.
"Then why not just kill the woman? Isn't that the simplest way?"
"Shut up." Loki's words made Frigga very angry.
Under Frigga's stern gaze, Loki reluctantly lowered his head. If anyone in Asgard could make Loki fully obedient, it was undoubtedly Frigga.
"He will cooperate with you to avoid any problems. Remember, if you pull any tricks again, I will never forgive you." Under Frigga's gaze, Daniel and Loki reached an agreement. Daniel learned from Loki the location to travel to the other Nine Realms.
To ensure smooth cooperation, Daniel went ahead to wait there. To facilitate Daniel's actions, Frigga specifically allowed Asgard's researchers to assist Stark, thus keeping him occupied.
"Hitting so hard… Is Odin too old?" Hiding in the place Loki had indicated, Daniel watched as Thor, Loki, and Jane were attacked by several aircraft. He immediately used illusion magic to conceal himself.
Taking Loki out of the dungeon was no simple task, especially after a recent jailbreak incident. Fortunately, Thor had four loyal followers. With Sif and others acting as decoys, they attracted a large number of Asgardian guards, giving Thor a chance to take Loki and Jane away.
The reason Frigga had Daniel cooperate with Loki was simple. Though illusion magic was powerful, Loki could also use it, making it hard to hide from him. In fact, even Thor could detect abnormalities if he focused, having been tricked by Loki's illusions many times.
"A secret passage… It turns out it's magic." Loki's secret passage was actually a spell, given to him by Frigga due to his playful nature.
Daniel didn't expect to learn this magic, as it was based entirely on Asgardian magic systems. Unless Asgard allowed him to start from scratch, he had no chance of learning it.
Svartalfheim, the realm of the Dark Elves, was perpetually dark. When Bor eradicated the Dark Elves, he left the planet in darkness.
Although it was perpetually dark, it wasn't pitch-black. It was more like twilight, allowing visibility over a certain distance.
On their journey, Loki was very restless, causing trouble and angering Thor. Jane, terrified by Loki, the mastermind behind the Battle of New York, clung to Thor.
"Asgardians, you are bold to bring the Aether here." Soon, Thor and his group encountered the Dark Elves. Perhaps sensing the Aether's approach, Malekith appeared directly with the Kursed by his side.
"This is bad. That's my fully-powered Death Blade." Watching the Kursed quietly standing by Malekith, Daniel was shocked.
What Daniel didn't know was that the Kursed appeared unscathed only because Malekith had expended great effort to restore him. If it were the past, Malekith wouldn't have gone to such lengths. However, with only one last Kursed Stone remaining, he had no choice.
"I am Thor, the God of Thunder. I am here to…" Thor stepped forward, but before he could finish, Loki suddenly pulled out a dagger and stabbed him from behind.
Thor roared in pain and fought Loki. During the battle, Loki severed Thor's right hand, causing Mjölnir to fall to the ground.
Finally, Loki stabbed Thor in the chest, and Thor fell to the ground of Svartalfheim, looking unwilling.
"Loki, you…" Jane, watching in horror, couldn't believe the brothers, who seemed to be cooperating, were now killing each other.
"I am Loki, a prince of Asgard, but not an Asgardian, rather a Jotun. By the way, I saw this guy in prison before." Loki revealed his true form, with blue skin, and grabbed Jane, walking towards Malekith.
"What do you want?" Malekith looked at Thor's fallen body, then at the Kursed, who nodded, and asked.
"My purpose is simple. The woman is yours, and I don't need the Aether. However, Asgard is mine, and you must not attack Asgard."
"Agreed." Malekith didn't doubt Loki's words. The whole Nine Realms knew of the blood feud between Asgard and the Frost Giants. The recent death of the Frost Giant king had only led
to a ceasefire between them.
Malekith signaled his Dark Elf warriors to take Jane from Loki. Seeing no trickery, he looked at Jane, or rather at the Aether within her.
As the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith could sense the Aether. That's why he had sent the Kursed to Asgard. If Jane hadn't gone to Asgard, Malekith would have targeted Earth immediately. Asgard required spies, but he didn't care as much about Earth, which inadvertently avoided another alien invasion.
Compared to the Chitauri, the Dark Elves, though fewer in number, were much stronger.
As Malekith raised his hands, Jane floated in the air. Black Aether slowly emerged from her body and moved towards Malekith's hands.
"Such a convincing act. Loki is truly impressive; even I almost believed it." Loki and Thor's fight was so realistic that Daniel might have believed Loki's betrayal if he hadn't seen the real Thor hiding with him.
Watching the movie, he had genuinely thought Loki had betrayed Thor.
"Ha ha, our era has finally arrived." With the Aether in hand, Malekith was ecstatic, completely ignoring the fallen Jane.
Jane was now weak after the Aether was suddenly extracted from her.
"The Dark Elves can indeed wield the true power of the Reality Stone. It's a pity I can't learn about the Reality Stone from this race." With Thor and Loki involved, Daniel couldn't interfere. Moreover, the Dark Elves weren't weaklings. Without full effort, he could end up in trouble.
Besides, everything happening here might be under Heimdall's watchful eyes. Whether Odin knew Frigga's plan, Daniel wasn't sure.
"Kill them." With the Aether in hand, Malekith disregarded his promise to Loki. To him, a mere Frost Giant was not qualified to negotiate. He ordered the Kursed to kill them and prepared to leave.
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter
"Now!" Just as Malekith gave the order and turned to leave, and the Kursed warrior stepped forward to kill Jane before moving on to Loki, Loki suddenly shouted.
Before Loki finished speaking, a hammer flew directly over, hitting and sending the Kursed warrior flying—it was Thor's Mjolnir.
As Mjolnir struck the Kursed warrior, Thor appeared and immediately rushed towards Jane on the ground. To Thor, Jane was more important than the Aether at that moment.
Malekith, still holding the Aether and not far away, noticed the commotion behind him. He turned to see Thor appear again and frowned. He then waved his hand, signaling two Dark Elves to stay behind while he continued forward.
Malekith didn't care about the lives of his subordinates. As long as he completed his plan, even if all his men died, it would be a victory for the Dark Elves.
"Room, slaughterhouse." As Malekith continued moving forward, he suddenly felt something wrong in his hand. Looking down, he discovered that the Aether had turned into a fist-sized stone.
Malekith scanned his surroundings and immediately spotted Daniel Davis holding a small glass container with the Aether inside.
Although the Reality Stone was immensely powerful, before it was activated, Daniel could swap it using the powers of the Operation Fruit. The glass container was given to him by Queen Frigga to store the Aether, preventing it from attaching to someone else's body again.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm just following orders." Seeing Malekith's fierce expression as he charged toward him, Daniel rolled his eyes and ran.
Daniel didn't know Malekith's true strength. Although he could have tried to fight him, he had to be cautious since he was carrying the Aether. If it got stolen again during the fight, things would get really bad.
Daniel ran towards Thor and the Kursed warrior, firing fireballs at the pursuing Malekith. As the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith was unfazed by the fireballs. Even when hit, he only paused slightly without taking any real damage.
"The Aether is secured. I'll leave the rest to you guys." Reaching Thor, Daniel saw him angrily hammering away at the Kursed warrior.
Loki lay on the ground nearby, a short sword embedded in his chest, looking gravely injured.
Not far from Loki's body were several dead Dark Elves.
Loki's death had triggered Thor's rage. Normally, Thor couldn't defeat the Kursed warrior. Although Thor was powerful, he was still young and couldn't fully utilize his divine power. Without Mjolnir, he wouldn't even be the God of Thunder.
Thor regarded Mjolnir as a symbol of his identity, not realizing that his own divine power was the key. As Odin once said, he was the God of Thunder, not the God of Hammers.
But for now, Thor was indeed a God of Hammers.
"This guy is faking his death again." Seeing Loki's body, Daniel's first reaction was that Loki was pretending. Except for the one time with Thanos, Loki's deaths were always fake. Even falling from the Bifrost didn't kill him.
"Troublesome." Seeing Malekith approaching, Daniel quickly drew a golden portal with his right hand and threw Jane and the glass container with the Aether into it. The other side of the portal led to Asgard's palace.
Seeing the Aether disappear, Malekith screamed in rage and charged at Daniel. The timing for using the Aether was crucial. Missing this window meant he couldn't use the Aether, even if he got it back, until the next alignment of the Nine Realms.
With his existence now exposed, Malekith didn't believe he could wait for the next alignment. Thus, he harbored a deep hatred for Daniel, who had ruined his plan.
Facing the charging Malekith, Daniel met him head-on.
"Hmm, he's strong but weaker than the Kursed warrior. Is this guy really the leader of the Dark Elves?" Watching Malekith, whom he had just kicked away, Daniel pondered. The powers of the Operation Fruit didn't work on Malekith, making it impossible to simply cut him.
Daniel didn't know that Malekith's weakened state was due to severe injuries sustained in the past. Years of hiding hadn't allowed him to recover. Additionally, the Dark Elves' power was fully unleashed only in darkness, making him easier to handle now.
Boom.
While Daniel and Malekith were evenly matched, Thor was kicked over by the Kursed warrior. Thor had been suppressing the Kursed warrior with a burst of strength, but he couldn't maintain that state and was quickly overpowered.
"Damn, Thor." Seeing Malekith join forces with the Kursed warrior, Daniel noticed a grenade-like object on the warrior's belt.
"Hold them off for a moment. I need to think of a way to defeat them." Daniel stepped back, pushing Thor to the front.
"Hurry up." Thor, wielding Mjolnir, charged at the fierce Kursed warrior and Malekith.
"Perfect opportunity." As Thor fought the Kursed warrior, Daniel found his chance and quietly opened a small portal, snatching the grenade from the warrior's belt.
Kamar-Taj's portal magic, the Secret Door, could vary in size. Just like Doctor Strange grabbing books from the library, Daniel could perform similar feats.
"Goodbye." Holding the grenade, Daniel sprinted away using Soru. Once at a safe distance, he activated the Operation Fruit and swapped the grenade with Thor.
Seeing the grenade appear before them, Malekith and the Kursed warrior were momentarily stunned before being sucked into the black hole created by the grenade.
The black hole grenade left a deep impression on Daniel, similar to a certain idiot's gravity grenade. Gravity grenades were common in the universe, but black hole grenades seemed unique to the Dark Elves.
If the Kursed warrior weren't so tough and Odin's support hadn't arrived, Daniel would have kept the grenade as a trump card.
Especially since he could use the Operation Fruit's abilities to maximize its potential.
But he had to use it now. Malekith's hatred for Daniel was evident. Compared to Asgard, Malekith hated Daniel more.
"It's over." With the enemies defeated, Thor, visibly saddened, rushed to Loki's body and held him.
Seeing Thor's sorrowful expression, Daniel silently opened a portal to Asgard.
What followed was simple: Malekith and the remaining Dark Elves were exterminated, finally eradicating their race. Asgard immediately used the Bifrost to secure Svartalfheim and check for any surviving Dark Elves.
Asgard's actions frustrated Daniel. He had planned to claim Malekith's spaceship, but Asgard took everything, leaving him empty-handed.
Due to Loki's heroic fight and sacrifice, Odin pardoned him and granted him a grand burial. Thor, feeling guilty for endangering the universe and causing Loki's death, requested self-exile, deeming himself unworthy of Asgard's throne.
Daniel interpreted Thor's plea as a desire to live a peaceful life on Earth with Jane now that the crisis was resolved.
Odin, after a long silence, agreed to Thor's request.
But before that, Thor had to deliver the Aether to the Collector in the Void.
Daniel found this decision odd. In the original story, the Aether was sent away because Asgard already had the Space Stone, and keeping two Infinity Stones close was unwise. Now, Asgard didn't have the Space Stone.
Regardless of his confusion, Daniel couldn't argue with Odin's decision. It was a good opportunity for Daniel to visit the Void.
Stark, eager for an off-world adventure, joined the group, which included Jane and Sif. The five of them boarded a spaceship bound for the Void.
The Bifrost was powerful but limited to the Nine Realms, and the Void lay beyond that.
Through this journey, Daniel and Stark were exposed to cosmic knowledge. To navigate the universe, a spaceship and star maps were essential. Without them, one could easily get lost in the vast cosmos.
This wasn't an issue for Daniel. Once he visited a place, he could freely travel there using dimensional magic.
Daniel's interest in the Void stemmed not from the Collector but from the fact that it was once the severed head of an ancient celestial being.
A head the size of a planet implied an enormous body. Even Ego hadn't reached this level, though he might with continued growth.
The Marvel universe was vast and complex. Thanos, currently prominent, was just the tip of the iceberg. Fortunately, those ancient beings rarely appeared and had no interest in the Infinity Stones.
The Void was the domain of the Collector, Tivan, whose wealth came from the resources provided by this former celestial head.
As a celestial being's head, the Void contained rare resources like celestial cells, tissues, and organic matter, all highly sought after on the black market.
Only a few cosmic overlords, like Thanos, dared to confront Tivan, which might be why Odin chose to store the Aether there.
More importantly, the Aether could fetch a huge sum of money. The Collector would undoubtedly be interested in one of the six Infinity Stones.
"This is an alien planet." Upon landing in the Void, Stark seemed disappointed. It didn't match his expectations of an alien world.
"This is a chaotic place. Don't wander off." Daniel, knowing Stark's character, kept a close watch on him to prevent trouble. As for his own tasks, they could wait for another visit.
"The Aether." The Collector, Tivan, rubbed his hands eagerly. He had heard of the Infinity Stones but had never seen one until now.
"The Collector is not a good person. Luckily, this isn't the Power Stone,
or there'd be chaos." Tivan was harsh with his slaves, leading to a rebellion when the Power Stone appeared. Though Tivan wasn't harmed, he suffered significant losses.
The universe operated under a brutal law of the jungle. Compared to that, Earth was peaceful and fortunate.
For civilizations that hadn't ventured into space, the first encounter was often one of plunder. Slave trade thrived in the universe, even in the Nova Empire.
Stark, upon learning the harsh realities of the universe, fell silent, seemingly making a decision. He uncharacteristically refrained from wandering around.
By selling the Aether, Asgard gained immense wealth. Daniel and Stark also benefited. Despite the chaos, the Void had its rules.
Moreover, Asgard's reputation deterred troublemakers. Odin's past exploits had earned him a fearsome reputation, comparable to Thanos in some ways.
"He dared to deceive me." Reading the information in his hands, Stark was furious. Excited by alien technology, Stark had pooled their money to buy tech from a merchant.
But most of it was useless, some even inferior to Earth's technology. Despite his anger, Stark could do nothing as the merchant had disappeared, leaving him truly deceived.
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT