Chapter 484: IMUC Chapter 481 The Twilight of the Gods, Future Captain America
The Queen of the Asgard.
She was Odin's wife, Thor's mother, called "Frigga".
Kyle had met this queen a few times before. Her hair was elegantly styled, her eyes shone with wisdom, and her every movement exuded an indescribable grace and elegance.
But this time, the queen lay silent in her coffin, her face expressionless. Even in death, slain by the dark elves, she seemed to have passed peacefully, without feeling pain.
However, the queen's departure brought endless sorrow to the living in Asgard.
In the main hall of the palace, after temporary cleanup by the guards, the golden floor was as clean as new, with only faint traces of blood and smoke lingering in the air.
Thor knelt beside the queen's wooden coffin, his hands clenched into fists, his body shaking uncontrollably.
He bit his lip hard, barely managing to keep from making a sound.
Jane, who had somehow regained consciousness, stood behind Thor, her hands resting on his broad shoulders, her pale face also showing signs of grief.
Odin sat alone on the throne of the Asgard, his remaining left eye staring at the coffin in the hall. His wrinkled face was as calm as ever, but his shoulders trembled subtly with restrained grief.
At that moment, the king who had ruled the Nine Realms for countless years seemed to age another decade.
The palace guards and Sorcerers in the hall all wore expressions of sorrow, casting a somber and mournful atmosphere over the great hall.
Kyle stood apart from the others with his arms folded, leaning against a pillar in the corner of the hall. Watching the scene of silent mourning, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
From that moment on.
As one of the most powerful forces in the Marvel Universe, the Asgard would inevitably begin to decline. Or rather, from the moment the second prince, Loki, defected, the once glorious Asgardian palace had been on a path of decline.
The god-king Odin was growing old and decrepit, the queen was dead, Loki continued his sabotage in secret, and Thor had yet to fully assume the responsibilities of a king...
The decline of the Asgardian royal family foreshadowed Asgard's impending doom. There would soon be no more stories of the Bifrost and the Golden Palace.
This was someone else's family and national affair, and had nothing to do with Kyle. He had done all that was required of him as a Guardian, and that was enough.
Right now, the only thing Kyle really cared about was the Aether lurking inside Jane.
"Wait, the Aether..."
Kyle's expression changed as he suddenly realized that something was wrong. His eyes quickly fell to Jane in the hallway. The familiar feeling of closeness and the destructive aura from her body were gone.
The Aether was no longer in Jane's body.
What had happened?
If the dark elves had succeeded, Jane wouldn't be standing safely in the hall. Could it be that another force had secretly intervened during the recent events at the palace?
Kyle's brain worked like a supercomputer, his thoughts racing as he wondered if he had missed some important clue. At the same time, he expanded his extraordinary perception and senses to cover the entire palace hall, gradually expanding outward.
At that moment.
Kyle sensed something and turned sharply to look outside the hall. From the depths of the palace, he perceived two familiar auras, their familiarity creating a strong sense of discord.
The guards and Sorcerors in the hall, including Thor and Odin, were still in mourning, apparently unaware of any intruders in the palace.
Kyle retreated quietly. Already in a corner, he took a few steps and slipped out of the hall unnoticed.
Inside the palace, near the Asgardian living quarters.
A group of burly guards in golden armor patrolled the corridor. As they passed, a tall young man stealthily emerged from the shadows behind a pillar.
The tall young man was dressed in a sleek, white, form-fitting suit with a high-tech feel. Carrying a silver briefcase in his left hand and a hammer identical to Thor's in his right, he crept down the corridor, hugging the walls.
"The timing is right. According to Thor's hint, I just have to place the Aether in his room."
The tall young man muttered to himself. He quickly located his target among the many rooms in the corridor and approached the door without hesitation. He slipped inside and managed to close the door just before a patrolling guard returned.
"Phew, everything went smoothly."
The tall young man patted his chest and exhaled in relief, but when he turned around, he froze.
Kyle was sitting on a chair in the room with his legs crossed and his chin resting on his hand. His golden eyes narrowed as he studied the young man. "What kind of explanation are you going to give me, my friend Steve?" he said calmly.
Indeed, the one who had mysteriously infiltrated the realm was none other than Captain America, Steve Rogers.
Before Steve could respond, Kyle stroked his chin and remarked, "You're not the Steve I know. Wait, are you holding Thor's hammer?"
Realizing his identity was easily exposed, Steve sighed and put down Thor's hammer and briefcase. He found a seat and sat down casually. "Kyle, to be honest, you were my biggest concern during the time travel. No matter how careful I was, I couldn't hide from you."
Kyle looked at him in surprise. "Time travel? So you're from another timeline?"
Steve nodded. "Yes, I'm from a few years into the future. Last time, someone from our timeline came to this point in time and took the Aether from Jane's body. Now I've come specifically to return the stone."
As he spoke, Steve opened the briefcase and took out a glass vial containing swirling red mist, the extracted Aether.
Kyle's eyes briefly flashed with greed before he quickly composed himself. He stood up from his chair, took the vial containing the Aether from Steve, and casually asked, "You took the stone from this timeline and are now returning it. What are you trying to achieve?"
Steve hesitated but finally shook his head and said softly, "Sorry, Kyle. I can't tell you. Knowing too much might not be good for your timeline."
"Not even for me?"
Kyle stroked the glass vial containing the Aether and then put it in his pocket. "Alright then. Sit tight. I'll get us some drinks; it's been a while since we had a drink together."
With that, Kyle headed toward the door.
Watching Kyle's back, Steve suddenly had a bad premonition. He felt that letting Kyle leave the room might lead to something disastrous.
"Wait! Kyle."
Steve got up, trying to stop Kyle.
Kyle's hand was already on the door handle. He turned around, and upon seeing the unease on Steve's face, a sly smile crept onto his lips.
Steve felt as if he had been struck by lightning. "You're not Kyle."
After deceiving so many times, he had finally been deceived in return.
(End of chapter)
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