Asgard Royal Palace
In the golden halls of the palace, Odin suddenly looked up as he heard Marcus's voice echoing across the realm.
Of course, more than Marcus's voice itself, Odin was intimately familiar with the aura of void energy that emanated from Marcus's being.
"Why is this guy here?" Odin muttered, feeling the beginning of a headache.
Odin had always found Marcus to be... problematic. The first time he had encountered Marcus, he'd immediately felt the threat that the man represented.
The aura of void energy emanating from Marcus was a fundamentally dangerous force—so dangerous that even the Ancient One, the Supreme Sorcerer of Earth, used it only as a last resort weapon.
Odin had witnessed a trace of void power that the Ancient One had unleashed during her battles against dimensional demons. That power was extremely contagious and corrosive, and even someone like the Ancient One, who wielded various dimensional energies with masterful ease, had used it very reluctantly.
The dimensional demon that had fought against the Ancient One had also been repelled by the void power and had been forced to sever the parts of itself that had been infected by the void rather than risk total contamination.
With the existence of void power, the Ancient One's battles had become much easier to win, but the pressure brought by that power was also enormous.
If the Ancient One hadn't been incredibly skilled in borrowing dimensional power, the void energy would have taken over and infected the Supreme Sorcerer herself.
Because of this knowledge, Odin had always maintained a careful distance from void energy. He didn't want Asgard to be contaminated by void power—even a small amount represented a huge threat to his realm.
Gripping Gungnir tightly in one hand, Odin stood up and walked toward the direction from which Marcus's voice had come.
That was the direction of Asgard's gate. He remembered that his son Thor had gone to Midgard through the Rainbow Bridge not long ago.
"Could it be that Thor brought Marcus here?" Odin wondered with growing unease.
If that was the case, then Thor had brought back significant trouble. After all, even if Marcus had no ill will toward them, the void power was still extremely threatening to Asgard's continued existence.
As soon as he walked to the palace gates, Odin saw Marcus walking alongside Thor, with several other individuals in tow.
"This guy is really here," Odin thought grimly. "Now I can only hope that he won't act rashly."
Odin was genuinely welcoming toward Marcus as a person, but Marcus's power was too threatening. It could easily pollute the surroundings and transform them into void territory. He didn't want to see Asgard become part of Marcus's void domain.
"Haha, Marcus," Odin said with a somewhat forced laugh, "what brings you here?"
Odin looked at Marcus with obvious tension, trying to understand what circumstances had led Marcus to choose to follow Thor to Asgard.
"Can't I visit if there's nothing urgent?" Marcus replied lightly, noting Odin's defensive posture. "The Asgard I know doesn't seem to be closed off to this extent, right?"
Thor, who was standing nearby, was shocked by the familiarity evident in their exchange. He looked back and forth between the two powerful figures.
"When did you two... meet?" Thor asked, clearly confused.
In his memory, Marcus and Odin had never encountered each other before, but now both were acting as if they were well-acquainted.
"Well... we've known each other for a while," Marcus said dismissively. "Now let's solve the problem with your girlfriend. I need that thing."
At Marcus's suggestion, Thor hurriedly took Jane toward the palace infirmary. Although he didn't understand why Marcus was so interested in whatever was in Jane's arm, as Jane's boyfriend, he was more concerned about her physical condition.
After watching the couple leave, Tony opened the faceplate of his Iron Man suit and looked up and down at the God-King Odin with obvious curiosity.
"There's no difference from humans," Tony observed. "It seems that aliens are like this after all."
Before meeting Odin, Tony had imagined that he would be a domineering and cruel monarch, but now it seemed that this guy was just a stubborn old man with divine power.
Glancing at Tony briefly, Marcus looked at Odin again.
"Shall we talk? It just so happens that my nephew needs some things from Asgard."
"Hey, bastard, who's your nephew?" Tony protested loudly.
Tony's objection was completely ignored by Marcus, and Odin behaved in the same way. He was genuinely concerned about Marcus and his intentions. As for Tony, while the man was certainly intelligent, he wasn't significant enough to warrant serious attention.
"Come with me," Odin said to Marcus. "We really do need to talk."
The group followed Odin as he walked through the palace corridors. The exquisite decorations around them left Tony in awe.
The murals on the walls were actually moving, displaying scenes of Asgardian history and mythology. Although Tony could achieve similar effects through advanced technology, he couldn't make the images appear so genuinely alive.
"It seems I still have a lot of things to study," Tony murmured to himself. "Even if there's no mineral trade this time, this trip is already worth it."
Asgard was providing Tony with tremendous inspiration. On Earth, he was considered the top scientist and a super genius, but he was limited by the development of Earth's technology. He could only develop things within known frameworks.
If he hadn't received the crystallized Chitauri army technology that Marcus had given him, he might not have been able to research more powerful equipment so quickly.
Now, all the various technologies and magical systems in Asgard were giving him numerous new ideas. After returning to Earth, he would be able to develop products with truly revolutionary significance.
When observing Tony's reactions, Marcus was obviously much calmer.
Although the scenery of Asgard was different from that of Earth, for Marcus, these were just interesting sights. He had seen many wonders across multiple dimensions.
The group came to a balcony overlooking the entire realm of Asgard. Odin gestured toward the vast golden city spread out below them.
"How do you feel about Asgard?" Odin asked.
"It's impressive enough," Marcus replied with casual appreciation. "But no matter how beautiful the scenery is, it will eventually disappear."
As he spoke, Marcus slowly extended his hand. "How about lending me some divine power?"
A vortex appeared in Marcus's palm, and the divine power that flowed freely throughout Asgard quickly condensed in his hand.
Within moments, a golden ball of light had formed in his palm.
Casually absorbing the divine power into his own energy reserves, Marcus smiled and looked at Odin.
"I know what you're worried about. Don't worry—I don't have the habit of destroying worlds."
Marcus felt compelled to explain because when he had gathered Asgard's divine power, Odin had immediately looked defensive.
It wasn't that Odin was guarding against Marcus personally, but rather that he was guarding against the void energy that typically surrounded Marcus.
"I think you should understand the threat your power represents," Odin said carefully. "I must remain vigilant."
"Well, you're the same as the Ancient One," Marcus observed, glancing at the scenery of Asgard. "But the Ancient One isn't as defensive as you are."
Marcus paused, seeming to come to a realization. "Ah... I roughly understand now. Don't worry—I have no interest in conquering Asgard."
He understood why Odin was so defensive. If this were somewhere else, Odin would naturally not be so cautious.
But this was Asgard, where divine power flowed freely everywhere. Once it was polluted by void energy, Asgard would suffer enormous losses.
As soon as Marcus finished speaking, the void energy surrounding his body disappeared instantly, replaced by the divine power of Asgard.
He had absorbed and integrated Asgard's divine power, allowing him to use divine energy freely. This would help avoid problems for the elderly God-King caused by excessive worry about void contamination.
However, this transformation made Odin raise his eyebrows slightly. He hadn't expected Marcus to be able to transform void energy into Asgard's divine power so easily.