Krakoa.
"Alex, we're planning to establish a launch station on Krakoa. This is the proposal."
"And the United Nations intends to raise Krakoa's international rating by another level, but there are still a few benchmarks we need to complete."
"Also, Wakanda wants to sign a new vibranium trade order with us."
…
Inside the royal hall.
Charles was reporting a series of important matters to Alex.
Alex didn't interrupt. He simply listened.
He understood his own strengths very clearly.
When it came to governing a nation, he was absolutely not cut out for it.
The reason he could become the King of Krakoa—its very soul—was simple.
Power.
Nothing more.
That was why Alex never interfered with Krakoa's day-to-day governance.
But not interfering didn't mean not knowing.
Otherwise, he really would be an unqualified king.
This time, Alex hadn't been away for long, and there weren't many critical issues.
In half an hour, Charles had finished his report.
"I understand, Charles. Handle everything as you see fit," Alex said, nodding once.
After the formal matters were settled, Charles shifted into a more casual tone.
"This time you're back… you won't be leaving again anytime soon, will you?"
Alex thought for a moment and gave a vague answer.
"If nothing special comes up, I'll stay for a while."
What counted as something special?
Naturally, events in the neighboring world that might trigger a mission.
Or some other opportunity.
Those things were never predictable.
Just as Alex and Charles were chatting idly—
Whoosh!
Through the window, Alex caught sight of a flash of multicolored light.
A familiar one.
The light of the Bifrost.
Alex immediately knew who it was.
"Alex, Thor has arrived. He's waiting for you in the reception hall."
Sure enough, moments later, Mystique appeared to deliver the report.
"Let's go, Charles. Let's see what Thor's here for," Alex said, standing up and gesturing.
The two of them didn't delay and headed straight to the reception hall.
There, they saw Thor.
He looked travel-worn—his hair slightly disheveled, his expression tense and haggard.
"Alex!"
The moment Thor saw him, he stood up at once and strode over.
"If I had any other choice, I wouldn't have come to you."
"I truly hoped things wouldn't deteriorate to this point."
Thor skipped all pleasantries and went straight to the point.
Clearly, something serious had happened.
Alex was genuinely curious now.
What kind of disaster could push Asgard to this state?
This wasn't the Asgard of the movies.
Aside from Odin's death, Asgard was otherwise intact and powerful.
Frigga was alive.
Heimdall was alive.
Loki was alive.
The Asgardian army still stood strong.
This was still one of the most powerful civilizations in the cosmos.
Unless…
Alex quickly ran through the timeline and his memories.
A possibility surfaced.
"Tell me, Thor," Alex said, suppressing his thoughts and fixing his gaze on him.
"What happened?"
"My mother… was taken."
Thor's voice was heavy.
With that single sentence, Mystique and Charles were both jolted.
Frigga—captured?
That was the Queen of Asgard!
Who could possibly do such a thing?
"What happened, Thor? Who did this?" Mystique asked urgently.
Thor then recounted Gorr's invasion of Asgard in detail.
"Although we eventually drove him back and defeated those monsters, Asgard paid a terrible price."
"Many, many warriors died."
"This was not a true victory—it was a pyrrhic one."
"No… it can't even be called a victory."
"He retreated, yes—but he took my mother with him."
So it really was Gorr the God Butcher.
Alex understood immediately.
But Charles and Mystique were completely shaken.
Someone who could summon countless monsters—and personally overpower Thor.
On a galactic scale, that was unquestionably a top-tier menace.
From Thor's description, Gorr possessed the terrifying capability to invade and devastate a planet on his own.
"I don't know exactly who he is," Thor continued gravely,
"But he wields the Necrosword."
"The Necrosword?" Charles asked. "What kind of weapon is that?"
Just the name alone sounded ominous.
"It's an ancient weapon that has existed since the birth of the universe," Thor explained.
"It possesses the power to slay gods."
"But it also corrupts its wielder over time. It is extremely dangerous."
Born with the universe.
A weapon made to kill gods.
Charles and Mystique both frowned deeply.
That sword was utterly monstrous.
"Alex," Thor said solemnly, looking straight at him,
"I must rescue my mother. That's why I've come to ask for your help."
"The Necrosword grants the God Butcher overwhelming power."
"Without you, I can't do this."
Ever since Odin was still alive, Asgard and Alex had maintained a strong strategic alliance.
Over the years, Asgard had continuously supported Krakoa and Alex in many ways.
Now that Asgard faced such a calamity, Alex had no intention of standing aside.
Besides—
Given Gorr's nature, who could say whether Alex himself would be considered a "god" in Gorr's eyes?
In Marvel's universe, gods were often little more than extremely powerful beings.
And there was another, even more important reason.
The Necrosword.
That thing was almost certainly a top-tier energy source.
If it could be absorbed and extracted…
The amount of Origin Points would be enormous.
That weapon was simply too broken.
Taking everything into account, Alex made his decision without hesitation.
"Don't worry, Thor," Alex said firmly.
"We'll rescue Frigga."
Only then did Thor finally let out a long breath of relief.
With Alex's help, the odds of defeating the God Butcher and saving his mother had increased dramatically.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 60 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~