Chapter 151 When Russell Enjoyed Peaceful Times
Chapter 152: When Russell Enjoyed a Peaceful Life
After returning to Earth-404, the group went their separate ways, each returning home to their mothers.
Russell and Gaya were exceptions; they had no such place to go.
Gaya chose to stay at Wanda's house, diligently studying meditation to accelerate her absorption of the White energy.
She aimed to reach Russell's required strength standard as soon as possible, so she could embark on the journey to find the Hell Dimension.
Gaya's enthusiasm for learning was high; in her heart, she was striving to save the Skrull race.
She was the savior of the Skrull race!
She was definitely not Russell's subordinate.
Meanwhile, Russell returned to the bookstore and quietly began to read.
However, this time, he was not reading children's animal novels, but...
The darkhold!
The darkhold, written billions of years ago by the fallen ancient god, Chthon, the source of black magic.
It was both a book of spells and a dark artifact.
Through the darkhold, one could influence reality, open energy channels, and borrow the power of Pluto, allowing an ordinary black magic sorcerer to achieve immense power instantly.
Of course, the price was also very steep.
At best, one's sanity would be affected, leading to an unaware obsession;
At worst, Pluto would project himself, seize the body, and usurp it.
But Russell was not an ordinary black magic sorcerer.
Russell opened the darkhold, and blank pages gradually filled with text.
This was a language Russell had never seen before and did not recognize at all, but it did not prevent him from understanding the information contained within the text.
It was as if these words were not carriers of information; they were the information itself.
As Russell flipped through, powerful black magic spells unveiled their mysteries to him.
The ocean of black magic was vast, and the darkholdseemed endless; every page Russell turned revealed a new one.
For a time, Russell was immersed in the sea of books, unable to extricate himself.
Just as Russell opened the darkhold,
On Wundagore Mountain, in the sealed Dark Temple, a humanoid stone statue, over ten meters tall, trembled slightly.
A moment later, a small portion of consciousness from a mysterious dimension descended upon it.
It was Pluto.
He sensed that someone in this reality Universe was reading the darkhold.
And they were reading it continuously, without interruption.
This was a sign of being drawn to the darkhold.
He believed that it would not be long before that person's mind would be corrupted by the darkhold, and they would be unable to resist borrowing his power.
At that time, he could collect that person's soul, occupy their body, and return to the reality Universe.
Ten days and ten nights passed quietly.
Chthon noticed that the person had closed the darkhold.
But Chthon was not in a hurry; he was very patient.
In the reading room, Russell closed the darkhold and stored it in the Mirror Dimension.
"Russell, oh Russell! How can you be so depraved!"
"Have you forgotten the schedule you set earlier?"
"Confucius said: I reflect on myself three times a day."
"I can't keep indulging in reading like this, day and night!"
Russell secretly scolded himself.
His Sacred Body made him tireless, hunger-free, and constantly full of energy.
Without realizing it, he had read for ten days and ten nights straight, not at all like a human, and almost forgot about his important matters.
After scolding himself for a moment, Russell got up, opened a portal, and went to Earth-65.
When they had returned from Earth-120703 earlier, Gwen had also returned to Earth-65 to visit friends and family during the school break.
Before leaving, Gwen reminded Russell to pick her up when school was about to resume.
And after this period of hard work by construction workers, plus some black technology assistance,
New York had initially completed its repairs, and the entire city was back in operation.
Schools for all grades were also about to resume.
After picking up Gwen and bringing her back to Earth-404, three days and three nights passed.
On the fourth day, Gwen, looking listless, went to school with Wanda and Gaya.
Russell also resumed his healthy routine of guarding the store and reading during the day, and exercising and resting at night.
As for why four people were at the same school, but Pietro went to school alone?
He was too fast.
While Russell enjoyed a peaceful life, undercurrents surged in various places.
On Wundagore Mountain, Chthon had begun to question his existence.
He could feel that the person was reading his darkholdevery day.
And he was reading at an extremely fast pace, absorbing a large amount of information from the darkhold.
But he did not understand why that person had never used any of the magic from the darkhold.
Shouldn't a normal sorcerer practice after learning spell knowledge?
At a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. Base.
The new S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D.General Commander Hill, Captain America Steve, Hawkeye Barton, and Black Widow Natasha gathered for a secret meeting.
Also present were the rumored deceased former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Nick Fury, and the second-generation Wasp, Hope Van Dyne.
After Barton expressed surprise and joy upon first seeing Nick Fury alive, the meeting quickly got down to business.
The reason for this secret meeting was that Hope, during an operation to apprehend HYDRA, had obtained important intelligence using her special ability to shrink her body with Pym Particles.
After deciphering it and following the clues, Nick Furyrealized how severely S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to eliminate these HYDRA members on its own, the operation would surely be leaked.
At that point, the situation would escalate and become uncontrollable.
To keep the operation secret, Nick Fury needed to call upon another group of Agents not officially part of S.H.I.E.L.D. to arrest the HYDRA members within S.H.I.E.L.D.
But this could easily cause suspicion and resistance from original S.H.I.E.L.D. members.
"So, I need Steve, Barton, and Natasha to lead teams and execute this plan together."
"With Steve's influence, we can minimize the rebellious sentiment among other S.H.I.E.L.D. members."
"At the same time, Agent Coulson and Agent Hill will also assist you."
Nick Fury explained to everyone the purpose of gathering the Avengers.
Steve pondered for a moment, then nodded, agreeing to Nick Fury's arrangement.
After discussing the operational details, the meeting concluded.
Steve, Barton, and Natasha went to coordinate with the Agents to prepare for the operation.
Coulson and Hill returned to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion Headquarters to oversee things.
Hope, meanwhile, rushed back to her room to open another meeting.
A one-on-one debriefing with the Hell Lord Mephisto.
Completing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mission and discovering HYDRA's secret intelligence was merely an accident.
Hope's true work during this period was to search for Agatha the Witch for Mephisto.
And now, she had finally found a clue.
Agatha had taken on the guise of a private tutor, living in seclusion in New York, tutoring twins from a milk tea shop.
In the room, Hope outwardly sat in front of a computer, writing her monthly work report.
In reality, she was conversing with Mephisto within her mind.
"My apostle, Hope Van Dyne. If your intelligence is accurate, I will fulfill my promise." But if there are any errors or omissions, do not blame me for being untrustworthy.
Chapter 152 Mephisto's Scheme: Using One Tiger to Devour Another?
Chapter 153: Mephisto's Scheme, Driving a Tiger to Devour a Wolf?
After his first collision with Russell, White-Bearded Ancient One, and Bald Ancient One, where he was extorted for two billion units of energy, Mephisto had been looking for an opportunity to get even.
But for him to personally intervene, that was impossible.
Even within his own Hell Dimension, he barely dared to confront the trio of Russell and the two Ancient Ones, let alone outside his dimension, in the real Universe.
So, Mephisto thought of a strategy: driving a tiger to devour a wolf.
First, use Hope, the second-generation Wasp, to find Agatha the Witch.
Then, use Agatha to open an interdimensional portal and release Kurse Borson, who was sealed and came from Earth.
Kurse Borson, Odin's elder brother.
Also known as the Great Serpent, the god of fear, he can enhance his abilities by feeding on the fear of others.
As long as the Great Serpent comes to this Earth, he will inevitably clash with Russell, Ancient One, and others.
The former will certainly slaughter everywhere to spread fear.
The latter, to protect the real World, will surely have to stop the Great Serpent.
At that time, Mephisto would be able to watch the tigers fight from the mountain, and after both sides were severely wounded, he would reap the benefits.
Not only could he recover his energy, but if he was lucky, he could also acquire several powerful sorcerer souls.
This was Mephisto's plan.
Queens, New York, in an ordinary apartment.
Agatha, going by the alias Agnes, was preparing her evening lesson materials.
Since school resumed, tutoring hours had shifted from daytime to evening.
Suddenly, a scarlet mist surged in the room.
An old man, dressed in an expensive suit and looking like a British gentleman, emerged from the mist.
"Agatha Harkness, long time no see."
Agatha looked at the old man warily and asked, "Mephisto, what do you want with me? Our contract is over."
Agatha had once borrowed dark magic energy from Mephisto.
And signed a contract to become Mephisto's apostle.
But when Mephisto fell from the position of Satan, many dark magic sorcerers like Agatha united to force Mephistoto terminate the contract.
Theoretically, Agatha now had no subordinate relationship with Mephisto.
In reality, in this real Dimension, Mephisto's reach was also limited.
As long as Agatha didn't actively borrow power from Mephisto and sign a contract, Mephisto couldn't do anything to her.
"Agatha the Witch, one deal ends. Naturally, the next deal will begin."
Compared to the wary Agatha, Mephisto appeared composed.
"I know you've always sought more powerful magic. And I can provide you with that power. Why not make a deal?"
"Heh ~"
Agatha scoffed.
She also realized at this moment that in this real Dimension, Mephisto couldn't do anything to her.
"It's true that I want to seek more powerful strength, but I won't be foolish enough to make a deal with the king of devils again.
"Mephisto, in this World, no fool will make a second deal with a swindler like you."
Mephisto smiled calmly.
He also knew that his reputation wasn't very good.
But in this World, some deals require reputation. But more often, what is needed is profit.
Agatha was wrong; in this World, many people would make multiple deals with Mephisto.
For example, Russell.
First deal, earning two billion units of energy from Mephisto.
Second deal, taking three souls from Mephisto's Hell.
He wouldn't mind making a few more deals with Mephisto.
"Agatha, why don't you listen to my demands and rewards first?"
"No matter how tempting your reward is, I won't agree to it, Mephisto.
"Because I know you won't pay the reward at all."
Agatha scoffed coldly.
Mephisto ignored Agatha's taunts.
He came to Agatha, naturally, having made ample preparations.
"You are approaching a girl, trying to seize the magicpower within her, aren't you?
"But you won't succeed. Want to know why?"
Agatha's expression changed: "Are you going to stop me?"
"No."
Mephisto shook his head, turning his body to look in the direction of the Masikmov Milk Tea Shop, which was also the direction of Russell Bookstore.
"Agatha, haven't you noticed? There's a powerful sorcerer next to that girl.
"His power far exceeds your imagination. Once you reveal your intentions, he can kill you instantly.
"Even if you devour that girl's magic, Chaos Magic."
Agatha's face grew even uglier: "You can't scare me, Mephisto."
"You must have noticed that the area near the Masikmov Milk Tea Shop and the bookstore next to it has been subjected to mind-suggestion magic, right?" Mephistoasked.
"Of course, I know. Wasn't that cast by that girl? Her awakened abilities include mind control." Agatharetorted.
"No, that magic was cast by the bookstore owner.
"Agatha, if you observe carefully, you should be able to find that the essence of this magic is different from Chaos Magic."
Mephisto explained.
"Even so, it doesn't prove how powerful this sorcerer is, does it?" Agatha questioned.
At this point, she was already beginning to believe Mephisto a little.
Mephisto: Please watch the VCR.
The scarlet mist flickered, forming a phantom screen.
On the screen was a scene of Russell fighting Mephisto in the Quantum Realm.
Moreover, it was the latter half, showing Russell beating him up.
Bald Ancient One, who was observing from the side, was also in the picture.
"Agatha, even if you are lucky enough to successfully absorb that girl's energy.
"But facing Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One and this Sorcerer Russell, I'm afraid you won't have any chance of winning."
Mephisto's voice carried a seductive tone.
"But if we cooperate, we can kill both of them.
"Then, no one will stop you from trying to absorb that girl's energy."
Agatha stared at the phantom screen, carefully observing Russell and Sorcerer Ancient One in the distance.
She recognized who Russell was!
The harbinger of death who sank Sakura Island and annihilated the Sakura Pantheon.
After a long while, Agatha asked, "What do I need to do?"
Mephisto's lips curved into a smile. He knew Agatha had taken the bait.
"You just need to open a breach in this real World's defensive magic array, and I'll take care of the rest.
"That shouldn't be too difficult for you, should it?"
"How do I guarantee my safety?" Agatha explained, "Mephisto, you might not be aware.
"In this World, someone previously opened the defensive magic array and let a demon in.
"After that, an entire pantheon was annihilated.
"It was done by the Sorcerer Russell you mentioned."
Mephisto was secretly startled, but remained calm.
He really hadn't paid attention to that news.
After all, he wouldn't be staring at this World all day.
"Agatha, if you want to absorb that girl, you will inevitably have to take risks.
"Unless you abandon your plan."
Chapter 153 If all three shots jam, I'll let you go.
Chapter 154 If These Three Shots Misfire, I'll Let You Go
Night fell.
In the bookstore lounge, Russell put away the darkhold.
It wasn't because he had finished reading it, nor because he was tired of it.
It was because Wanda had arrived.
It was fine if others accidentally glimpsed the darkhold, but Wanda was an exception.
"Wanda, why do you have time to come here? Shouldn't you be in tutoring right now?"
Ignoring the "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging in the lounge, Wanda pushed the door open and chirped:
"One of my tutors took a leave today, so class ended early."
Russell understood Wanda's excitement; he had been a student for over a decade before transmigrating.
But understanding was one thing; those who had been rained on often enjoyed tearing up others' umbrellas.
It was like how sophomores and juniors liked to eat iced watermelon while watching freshmen during military training.
"Oh, you get to skip a class. That's truly good news, Wanda.
"To celebrate this good news, let's begin our delightful and pleasant magic study."
Wanda's smile froze, and she gave Russell a resentful look.
"Russell, I have something else to do, so I'll be leaving first."
Russell chuckled, walking out of the bookstore for the first time in a while.
Ever since he started reading the darkhold, he had become a homebody, staying in the bookstore to read every day.
Aside from going to Earth-65 to pick up Gwen, he hadn't left the house for nearly a month.
On the streets of New York, Russell suppressed his perception abilities, walking aimlessly like an ordinary person.
Only then was there joy in strolling.
The rebuilt New York felt somewhat unfamiliar and novel to Russell.
So, he got lost.
"Hey, kid, this isn't where you should be. Get out of here."
A middle-aged White man in work clothes suddenly called out to Russell, waving his hand to signal him to leave.
Russell looked over; the leader and the people behind him all had bulging waistlines, indicating they were carrying firearms.
And on the truck behind them were some technological devices that did not belong to Earth.
"I'm sorry, I got lost and accidentally walked here. I'll leave right away."
Russell smiled at the White man and turned to leave.
Click~
Behind him, the sound of a bullet being chambered rang out.
But the gunshot was delayed.
The middle-aged White man stopped his subordinate from drawing his gun and firing.
"Toomes, why did you stop me? What if this guy tells the New York Police Department? We'll be in big trouble."
The middle-aged man named Toomes looked conflicted, and after a long time, he let out a sigh.
"Let's return this shipment."
Steve and his team had already begun their operations, and they were moving fast.
The changes in S.H.I.E.L.D. affected the work of processing alien warship wreckage near New York.
Take the transportation of warship wreckage as an example.
Orders previously handled by HYDRA members that had been completed needed to be re-audited.
Unfinished ones were directly canceled.
And Toomes' order was canceled.
Even worse, the truck was bought with a loan, the workers were newly recruited, and this was his first order.
"Toomes, you'll go bankrupt like this."
Hearing his companion's persuasion, a look of struggle reappeared on Toomes' face.
"The government unilaterally tore up the agreement first; it's not our fault," his companion continued to persuade.
Finally, Toomes was convinced, and he said in a deep voice, "Give me the gun!"
Taking the gun from his companion, Toomes strode after Russell in the direction he had disappeared.
The gears of destiny began to turn.
Russell saw Toomes, or rather, Vulture's destiny.
His original destiny was to intercept the warship wreckage that was accidentally transported out tonight and discover that he could use this wreckage to create many excellent gadgets.
From then on, he would begin to use this warship wreckage to research and illegally sell weapons, earning money.
He would become a qualified Spider-Man villain, codenamed Vulture.
Finally, he would be defeated by this World's Spider-Man.
This was the destiny arranged for him by the web of life and destiny.
Toomes quickly caught up, finding Russell leaning against the wall at the corner, watching him with a composed expression.
"Perhaps, you shouldn't have followed me."
If Toomes hadn't followed him, intending to silence him.
Whether he followed his predetermined destiny or defied it by choosing to stop.
Russell would not interfere too much.
"No, you shouldn't have come here."
Toomes took a deep breath, made up his mind, raised his gun, and fired.
"Sorry."
Click!
The bullet misfired.
Toomes pulled the slide, ejecting the casing.
The trigger was pulled.
Click!
It misfired again.
Toomes looked at Russell, who was still watching him with a composed expression, and his face filled with horror.
With two consecutive misfires, he couldn't help but suspect that the person in front of him had tampered with it.
Especially now, with extraordinary individuals emerging.
"I didn't do anything to your gun."
Russell shrugged indifferently.
It wasn't him who stopped Toomes, but the web of life and destiny.
If a gunshot rang out, the one who fell would definitely be Toomes.
Toomes hesitated, unsure if this was a divine sign.
Ultimately, Toomes pulled the slide again, ejecting the casing.
Trembling, he pulled the trigger.
If it was a divine sign, he believed it would misfire this time too.
Bang!
Things don't happen in threes; a gunshot rang out.
However, the pistol was kicked away.
The bullet also veered off course.
Toomes (Vulture) temporarily saved his life.
The one who kicked Toomes' pistol away was a girl in a White spider suit.
The girl flipped in the air, struck a pose, and landed gracefully.
She first looked warily at Toomes, who was clutching his wrist with a pained expression, then turned to comfort Russell.
"Don't be scared, Mage Spider-Man will protect Russell, wait, it's you?"
The person who arrived was none other than the bootleg Mage Spider-Man, Erin.
Russell looked at Erin in front of him with some helplessness.
He was now a bit confused whether Erin's appearance was a coincidence or an arrangement by the web of life and destiny.
"Why can't it be me, Erin?"
"Russell, how could you…"
Erin gestured, meaning how could Russell be held at gunpoint and seem to have no way out.
Russell shook his head, offering no explanation.
He walked forward, picked up the pistol Erin had kicked away, and looked at Toomes.
"You just fired three shots at me; I'll fire three shots at you.
"If all three shots misfire, then I'll let you go."
After speaking, without waiting for Toomes to react.
He quickly drew the gun and fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Two shots to the chest, one to the head—even immortals would shake their heads!
Toomes' (Vulture's) destiny ended.
The web of life and destiny could not affect Russell.
"Russell, you…"
At this moment, Erin finally reacted, looking at Russell, hesitating to speak.
Russell looked at Erin, saying seriously:
"Erin, he shot three times at me, and I shot three times at him. That's very fair.
"You can't take his side just because I'm a tiny, tiny bit stronger.
"In this World, it's not whoever is weaker is right."
What an unlucky villain, running into me before even leaving the Beginner Village (newbie village).
However, New York City is indeed a place of outstanding people; you can encounter a villain just by strolling around.
Ignoring Erin's reaction, Russell turned and left, continuing his stroll.
Chapter 154 Tony's Bachelor Party
Chapter 155 Tony's Bachelor Party
Russell continued to wander aimlessly, soaking in the atmosphere of human life, until he passed a coffee shop.
Inside the coffee shop, a couple, intimately close, were whispering and laughing.
The man had a thick, light golden long hair like a lion's mane.
The woman also had golden hair.
Noticing Russell's gaze, the blond man turned his head and looked at Russell.
He stood up, smiled, opened his arms, and walked towards Russell.
"Good evening, Russell."
"Good evening, Thor."
Russell also smiled and exchanged a polite hug with the enthusiastic Thor.
"Russell, let me introduce you." Thor pulled Russell's arm and walked into the shop, "This is Jane. Jane Foster, my girlfriend."
After introducing Jane Foster to Russell, Thor then introduced Russell to Jane Foster.
"Jane, this is Russell, my brother."
"Hello, Jane." Russell smiled and greeted Jane Foster.
After the pleasantries, Russell asked curiously, "Thor, Jane, can you tell me how you two met?"
In the original plot of the movie Thor, Thor would be stripped of his divine power by Odin and banished to Earth for instigating a war between the Frost Giants and the Asgardians, where he would meet and fall in love with Jane Foster, an astrophysicist.
But in the Earth-404 Universe, Russell alone intimidated Jotunheim and suppressed the Frost Giants. Thor also escaped Odin's punishment.
Although, Thor eventually still came to Earth.
But how did Thor, who never lost his divine power, meet and fall in love with the mortal Jane Foster?
Russell was very curious about this.
Jane Foster's gaze turned to Thor.
Her process of meeting Thor involved some S.H.I.E.L.D.confidentiality clauses, and she wasn't sure if she could talk about it.
Thor, on the other hand, didn't consider any of this and answered directly.
Because of the series of things Russell did on Sakura Island, other countries on Earth and S.H.I.E.L.D. were provoked.
They began to secretly research the Tesseract, attempting to use it to create high-tech weapons.
The commotion caused by the Tesseract attracted Thanos's attention.
Thanos sent Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf to raid the S.H.I.E.L.D. Base, snatching the Tesseract and slaughtering half the people at the Base, using the coordinates sent when the Tesseract was activated.
Dr. Erik, the chief engineer of the project, unfortunately died, and the surviving assistant, Jane Foster, replaced Dr. Erik and was brought to S.H.I.E.L.D. to attend an emergency meeting.
At the meeting, Jane Foster and Thor met.
"You two really are destined, as if chosen by fate."
After listening, Russell couldn't help but sigh.
The plot had changed so much, yet the two could still meet and fall in love.
It was as if an invisible force was secretly influencing all of this.
Thor and Jane Foster exchanged a smile and said in unison, "Yes, I think so too."
Russell smiled. What he understood and what Thor and Jane Foster understood were clearly somewhat different.
Russell was focused on fate, the similar fates across the Multiverse.
Thor and Jane Foster were focused on destiny, the destiny of two people who were originally unrelated to meet and fall in love by chance.
However, if the web of life and destiny wrote Spider-Man's fate, what wrote Thor's fate?
The gods behind the World Tree?
After greeting Thor and Jane Foster, Russell continued his wandering journey.
He suddenly had a premonition that something unusual would happen tonight.
"Thor, who is he?"
After Russell had walked away, Jane Foster asked in a low voice. She felt Russell was a bit eccentric.
"He is Russell. Jane, haven't you heard that name?"
"Russell? That's a common name, I've heard it in many places."
She remembered, she had heard that name at the emergency meeting on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier.
The research into weapons using the Tesseract was to guard against the Master of that name and Thor.
And the two who easily dismantled the entire S.H.I.E.L.D.Base's defenses, their leader, and the entire fleet.
Similarly, they were easily destroyed by the man named Russell.
"He's that Russell?"
"Yes."
"Oh my God~"
Jane Foster couldn't help but gasp.
Soon after, Russell's wandering journey was interrupted.
As he was strolling down the street, a flashy sports car suddenly stopped beside him.
The window rolled down, revealing Tony in a suit and sunglasses.
"Get in."
"Where to?" Russell walked to the other side, opened the car door, got in, and buckled his seatbelt.
"You'll know when we get there."
The car launched, speeding away.
"Slow down." Russell reminded, "This is the city."
"With Jarvis's assistance, even if we double the speed, nothing will happen."
"It's not about whether something will happen, it's mainly about getting a ticket."
Tony smiled proudly, "The New York Police Departmentwon't give me a ticket, I'm their big patron."
A moment later, the car stopped at a port, where a private yacht was already docked, ready to set sail at any moment.
"Oh, a yacht party?" Russell raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Heh." Tony chuckled, not explaining, just leading the way.
Boarding the yacht, several people were already waiting.
"Tony, why are you so slow?"
"Russell's phone was unreachable again, and I didn't find him when I went to his bookstore. It was only with Jarvis's help that I found him from street surveillance."
Tony explained, then told the Captain to depart for a nearby isolated island.
Contrary to Russell's expectation, this was not a yacht party, but an isolated island party.
However.
Russell scanned the surroundings.
Happy, Rhodes, Banner, Steve, Pietro, Loki. On the yacht, all the guests Tony invited were, without exception, male.
"Hey, Tony, what's going on? Why are they all men? This isn't some shady party, is it?"
Hearing Russell's words, the others' gazes towards Tonyalso became strange.
"Get out of here." Tony laughed and scolded, "This is my bachelor party."
"Tony, you've decided to get married? Who's the bride, Pepper?" Rhodes asked.
"Yes."
Arriving at the isolated island, the Villa in the night was brightly lit, illuminating half the night sky, very conspicuous.
Before they could enter, the blasting music began to assault their eardrums.
The door opened.
Only colorful lights flashed, and young, beautiful girls danced.
"Welcome to my bachelor party, gentlemen and ladies."
Tony stood on the stage, picked up the microphone, and said wildly, "Let's enjoy tonight to the fullest."
Steve frowned and shook his head, he didn't like this kind of occasion.
Pietro was a little awkward, he was still young and not quite used to such occasions.
Dr. Banner quickly took several deep breaths, he needed to control himself, to control the Hulk.
Happy, Rhodes, and Loki were in their element, walking towards the crowd.
Russell, on the other hand, smiled meaningfully.
He had a premonition that something unusual would happen tonight.
Chapter 155 That Year I Was Eighteen, Standing Like a Scoundrel
Chapter 156: Eighteen That Year, Standing Like a Lackey
Russell approached Dr. Banner, patted his shoulder, and a silver light flashed and disappeared.
"Dr. Banner, go have fun if you want. Hulk won't be coming out tonight."
Dr. Banner's expression shifted. He felt as if his connection with Hulk had been severed.
Dr. Banner looked at Russell's retreating figure, his eyes flickering.
During this time, Dr. Banner had been researching how to eliminate or control Hulk.
But there had been no progress.
He never expected that the problem that had troubled him for so long would be solved with a casual pat from Russell.
On the other side, Russell walked to a relatively quiet corner and found a woman who seemed out of place.
"I thought Tony's bachelor party, besides us few, would only have young and pretty girls."
The woman raised an eyebrow, her tone unfriendly.
"What, am I not pretty?"
Russell replied without hesitation: "You're not young."
"Sir, you are truly impolite."
"Hm? Is it impolite to compliment your beauty?" Russellasked with an innocent expression.
"I don't have time to babble with you. I'm not like those groupies; go find someone else."
After saying this, the woman got up and walked towards Tony, trying to push through the crowd.
Russell smiled indifferently, picked up a coconut juice he had seemingly acquired from nowhere, and started drinking it.
He recognized the woman—Maya Hansen.
A botanist who had a one-night stand with Tony at a tech conference more than a decade ago.
Of course, that wasn't the point.
The point was, she was one of the main researchers of Extremis.
The other was Killian.
He was also at that tech conference.
Like Maya Hansen, he also had his sights on Tony.
However, he was stood up, waiting all night on the rooftop.
"Tony, I have something important to discuss with you."
Maya Hansen couldn't push past the young girls.
Helpless, she could only keep shouting from the periphery, trying to attract Tony's attention.
Unfortunately, the music was loud, and countless girls were shouting Tony's name.
A moment later, Maya Hansen returned to Russell's side, anxiously saying:
"I have something important to tell Tony. Help me get him out here."
Russell looked up, glanced at Maya Hansen, and ignored her.
Maya Hansen took a deep breath and said seriously:
"I'm serious. I received news that someone is going to attack here. We must inform Tony and evacuate the crowd as soon as possible."
"I know, but so what?"
"Everyone here will die, including you."
Russell smiled.
Seeing Russell still unmoved, Maya Hansen stamped her foot in frustration, unable to help but curse.
"Fuck! I'm not lying to you!"
"I believe you. However, I don't care." Russell shrugged indifferently and suggested, "If I were you, I'd go to that person for help."
Russell pointed in Steve's direction.
Even though Steve had also picked a secluded corner to sit in, a group of girls still gathered around him.
"Who is he?"
"Steve Rogers."
"Captain America? Didn't he disappear seventy years ago?"
"He disappeared, he didn't die, did he?" Russell retorted, "Anyway, it's up to you whether to believe it or not."
Maya Hansen was skeptical but walked towards Steve.
This time, she finally managed to push through and strike up a conversation with Steve.
But it was too late.
Somewhere, a man with a slicked-back hairstyle, tall and dressed in a suit, was looking down at a stopwatch in his hand, counting down.
The curve of his lips grew wider and wider.
More than a decade ago, Tony Stark made him wait all night in the cold wind.
Tonight, he would make Tony Stark die in a fiery explosion.
"Five, four, three, two, one, bong!"
The countdown ended, and a blinding flash of fire suddenly erupted.
Extremis, after injection, can comprehensively enhance a person's body, with self-healing ability being particularly prominent.
But there is a major side effect: instability.
It can easily turn the injectee into a living bomb.
And among the girls in the Villa, several were human bombs injected with Extremis by Killian.
The moment the fire erupted, time seemed to stand still in the eyes of three people.
Loki first looked at Russell, saw Russell smile at him, and then did nothing.
Shifting his gaze, Loki looked towards the source of the fire, only to see a pile of minced meat gathering together, slowly shooting outwards.
At the same time, a person wanted to grab this pile of minced meat and run towards the open space outside the Villa.
That person noticed Loki looking at him, turned back, and smiled at Loki.
It was Pietro!
Loki formed hand seals, and a burst of cold air sprayed onto the minced meat, temporarily freezing it into an ice block, making it easier for Pietro to grab.
Pietro nodded gratefully at Loki.
The next instant, time resumed its normal flow.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
A roar sounded outside the Villa.
The Impact hit the Villa wall, sending debris flying.
After the roar, there was a brief silence.
Then, screams rose one after another, and the crowd instantly became chaotic.
Dr. Banner, with a soft, fragrant woman in his arms, stiffened.
Oh no, Hulk can't come out now.
"Quiet! Everyone get down!" Steve and Colonel Rhodestried to calm the crowd and restore order, but with little effect.
"Jarvis!"
Tony opened a portal, and from the other side, a suit of armor flew in, quickly completing its donning.
"There's more than one human bomb, Pietro. I'll point them out to you, and you take them away."
After putting on the armor, Tony regained his composure.
Through infrared scanning, he pointed out the several individuals with abnormal body temperatures to Pietroone by one.
Pietro cooperated well, taking the individuals away from the party and away from the Villa.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Three more roars, the crisis was resolved, and the party was declared over.
"Jarvis, alert mode."
Tony stepped out of his armor, looking at the chaotic scene, his face grim.
His bachelor party being ruined was a minor issue; the main thing was to catch the mastermind.
Tony considered himself to have some self-preservation abilities, but Pepper did not.
Soon, he would be a man with a family.
"Tony, this female Dr. says she has a lead."
Steve led Maya Hansen to Tony and said.
This time, no one was jostling with Maya Hansen.
Looking at Maya Hansen, whom Steve had brought over, Tony said coolly:
"Hello, madam. What lead do you have?"
Maya Hansen looked at Tony with a pained expression. She hadn't expected Tony to have forgotten her.
"Don't you remember me, Tony?"
Tony frowned.
"Sir. Her name is Maya Hansen. On New Year's Eve in 1999, at the Bern Technology Conference in Switzerland, you had a one-night stand with her."
Jarvis's voice sounded in his earpiece, reminding Tony.
"I remember now, you're Dr. Hansen. Dr. Hansen, please tell me what leads you have regarding this attack."
Chapter 156 Loki, is magic really such an inconvenient thing?
Chapter 157: Loki, How Can magic Be So Inconvenient?
Maya Hansen gestured to the surroundings: "I need to talk to you alone, not here. And, we'd better move quickly and hide."
"That's right, Tony." Steve agreed, "This place has been exposed; we can't stay here anymore."
"I know. But if we leave directly, what about the others here? Jarvis, arrange a cruise ship to send these girls back first."
Although the situation was urgent, Tony's sense of responsibility prevented him from abandoning these ordinary people and leaving.
Steve nodded, agreeing with Tony's arrangement, but loudly reminded everyone to stay alert.
Tony led Maya Hansen to a room and suddenly asked in a low voice:
"Do you really have a lead? Don't tell me I have an eleven-year-old child out there I've never seen. I already have an official girlfriend and am engaged."
"He's already twelve."
Tony:!!!
"Just kidding."
Maya Hansen couldn't help but laugh when she saw Tony's startled expression.
"I really have a lead. I know who the mastermind of this attack is, Aldrich Killian.
"The weapon he used for this attack is Extremis."
"Extremis?!" Tony asked, "The Extremis I perfected the formula for back then?"
"Yes." Maya Hansen nodded.
"Why did he attack me?" Tony wondered, "According to what you said, he should be thanking me, right?"
"Because you stood him up."
"Oh, where's Russell?"
Steve suddenly remembered that there was still a God Russell here.
"Russell? I just saw him leave with Loki." Pietro said.
After those human bombs were identified, Russell left with Loki.
He could pretty much guess what would happen next.
After the first wave failed to use the information advantage to sneak attack and instantly kill Tony, Killianhad no more chances.
Tony would not give him a second such opportunity.
And in a head-on battle, an enhanced Tony could easily beat Killian, who had injected Extremis.
Back in the bookstore lounge, Russell invited Loki to sit down and poured him a cup of tea.
"Have a taste."
Loki said thank you, first picked up the teacup to smell the aroma, then rotated the teacup one and a half turns, taking small sips.
After drinking, he cleaned the area where his lips touched and then rotated the teacup back to the front.
The entire etiquette was impeccable.
As expected of Asgard's second prince.
However, this was not the point.
Russell lightly tapped the table, and tea emerged from the bottom of the teacup, filling it up again.
"Loki, how is your Time Magic study coming along?"
Loki raised an eyebrow, understanding Russell's meaning.
He picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.
Then placed it back on the table.
The next moment, tea continuously emerged from the bottom of the teacup and then disappeared.
However, the speed at which the tea emerged was noticeably faster than the speed at which it disappeared.
A moment later, it was full again.
"Not bad, Loki." Russell praised.
Just now, they competed with Time Magic.
Russell made the teacup's time flow backward, while Lokitried to stop Russell.
Although Loki still lost, he showed a remarkably good level of proficiency.
Considering that Loki hadn't had Sorcerer Ancient One's library for long and didn't have the Time Stone to assist him.
It could be said that his talent for Time Magic was extremely high.
Facing Russell's praise, Loki just smiled and didn't take it seriously.
He simply accepted his loss, picked up the teacup, drank it all again, and then placed the cup on the table.
"Again."
The tea in the teacup repeated the process of appearing and disappearing.
This time, the time it took for the teacup to become full was a little longer.
"Again."
"Again."
Loki picked up the teacup and drank it all, then placed it on the table, waiting for the teacup to become full, then picked it up and drank it all again.
After a long while, Loki was getting a bit overwhelmed.
Although they both controlled the energy output intensity, limited to one cup of tea, competing on skill.
But after many times, Loki still couldn't withstand the consumption of Time Magic.
"Russell, why is your proficiency so much higher than mine?" Loki couldn't help but ask curiously.
Towards the end, he had reached a limit.
Logically speaking, he should be almost on par with Russell. Even if there was a difference, it should be very small.
It was like a test paper; he was already above ninety points, at most ten points short of a perfect score.
But in reality, the speed at which the tea disappeared was still much slower than the speed at which the tea appeared.
This gap was greater than ten points.
Russell smiled mysteriously: "Loki, do you feel like you've drunk too much and need to go to the bathroom?"
Loki's face darkened; he understood Russell's meaning.
"Sorcerer Russell, you cheated."
When competing in Time Magic skills, Russell also used space magic to shift a portion of the tea over.
In other words, the perfect score for his test paper was not one hundred points!
Facing Loki's accusation, Russell was righteous:
"Loki, how can magic be so inconvenient!
"Specific problems require specific analysis. When solving problems, different combinations of magic should be adopted according to the different circumstances of the matter, and generalizations should not be made."
Loki stared at Russell for a moment, then smiled with relief.
This at least showed that his Time Magic skill proficiency was already very close to Russell's.
And Russell's proficiency was almost perfect.
Thanks to the accompanying talent of his first talent, Energy Absorption, Russell was very sensitive to the flow of energy during spellcasting.
Every time the panel leveled up, this sensitivity would receive a qualitative improvement.
This allowed him not only to learn various spells at a glance but also to quickly reach a very high level of proficiency.
Loki stood up, took a new cup, poured some tea, and pushed it in front of Russell.
He wanted to try again with Russell.
However, this time it was the other way around.
Russell picked up the teacup, taking small sips, savoring the sweetness of the tea.
He was confident he only needed to drink it once.
After finishing the tea, Russell placed the cup on the table.
The next moment, the teacup instantly became full.
Russell raised an eyebrow.
This was not Time Magic, nor Space magic, but an illusion.
An illusion created by Loki's magic.
However, it was now Russell's.
The tea in the cup also instantly emptied.
"Loki, your illusion isn't working; I saw through it."
Next, the cup continuously alternated between full and empty.
Loki kept stacking layers of full cup illusions.
Russell simply didn't bother to break them, but instead, after Loki stacked a layer of full cup illusion, he stacked a layer of empty cup illusion.
Finally, Loki voluntarily stopped.
In fact, Loki lost the moment the illusion was seen through.
He only decided to compete when he saw that Russellwas breaking it with his own spells.
If Russell hadn't realized it was an illusion, then neither Time Magic nor Space magic could have emptied the cup.
Because it was already empty.
But once it was seen through as an illusion, the illusion lost its meaning.
"That's enough, Loki. I need to rest."
Russell started to send him away.
He saw that Gwen had returned.
Chapter 157 Russell's Divine Book
Chapter 158: russells divine book
However, Loki seemed not to notice Russell's intention to send him away.
Or rather, he understood, but he pretended not to.
He really wanted to know why Russell could use his magic, and even better than him.
"Russell, why do you know my magic?"
"All magic is inseparable from energy, and I can discern the flow of energy.
"Therefore, all magic holds no secrets before me. As long as I see it once, I can learn it. At the very least, I can replicate it."
"How do you do that?" Loki asked in disbelief.
"I don't know either, but I just can. This is my talent. Loki, don't be envious, because envy is useless. I can't teach you, and you can't learn it."
Russell shrugged.
"Loki, actually, you don't need to be envious. The potential hidden within you is beyond your imagination.
"Continue to delve into Time Magic, and you will have unexpected gains. If you encounter problems while studying Time Magic..."
Russell paused.
Just as Loki and Gwen thought Russell was about to say that they could ask him for guidance if they encountered problems, Russell changed the subject.
"If you encounter problems, first ponder them yourself. If you can't figure it out yourself, you can consult the Sorcerer Ancient One. The Sorcerer Ancient One has wielded the Time Stone for hundreds of years and has profound attainments in Time Magic.
"In short, don't come to me. I can't teach you for now."
Russell's method of casting spells was different from other sorcerers.
His method directly pointed to the essence of energy utilization, while other sorcerers required mediums such as incantations, hand seals, and runes.
Therefore, Russell said he couldn't teach Loki.
But this was only temporary; Russell had already found a way.
After sending Loki away, Russell and Gwen chatted about what they had each encountered that day.
There was nothing much to say about school.
Gwen mainly told Russell about the daily work of the superhero team she had formed.
And that the team was preparing to choose a name to officially debut as superheroes and street performers.
But they didn't know what name would be good.
Russell said that he was also terrible at naming things and couldn't help.
He could only help Gwen clear her mind and find some inspiration.
He was best at that.
The next day.
A refreshed Russell began a new day's work.
Work content: open the reading room door, then return to the lounge to read a book—the darkhold.
Russell had recently become somewhat engrossed in the darkhold.
He could quickly absorb the information contained in every word on the darkhold.
He could quickly learn every spell in the darkhold, no longer needing someone to demonstrate it to him.
Reading the darkhold, on the one hand, could increase Russell's magical reserves.
On the other hand, Russell was also learning the darkhold's way of expressing information.
If he learned this method, he could solve the problem of being unable to communicate magical knowledge with other sorcerers.
He, the dignified Sorcerer Supreme, couldn't possibly be unable to even enlighten an Apprentice Sorcerer, could he?
Vishanti was the ancestor of white magic and had the book of vishanti.
Chthon was the ancestor of black magic and had the darkhold.
Russell felt that his pure White energy could also establish a school of magic.
He also wanted to write a russells divine book.
By then, his apostles would each have a russells divine book.
This would not only quickly form combat power but also advertise the trade of pure White energy.
On Wundagore Mountain, Chthon's thoughts stirred.
It was about to begin.
During this time, the person's reading of the darkholdwas very regular, and Chthon had already summarized the pattern.
It started around two in the afternoon every day (time zone difference).
The next moment, Chthon felt someone open his darkhold.
However, judging by the speed of reading, it was not that person.
Just as Chthon was puzzled, he felt someone else open his darkhold again.
This time, the reading speed matched the pattern Chthonhad summarized during this period.
There were two darkholds in this World!
After a brief thought, Chthon understood what was happening.
The second person to open the darkhold was Agatha the Witch.
Unlike Russell, she could not resist the darkhold's corruption.
However, she had not yet completely fallen.
Chthon could not directly devour her soul or possess her body.
But Chthon still extended his gaze beyond Wundagore Mountain through Agatha.
Unlike Russell, who aimlessly flipped from beginning to end, Agatha quickly turned the darkhold to a specific page, ignoring the content of other pages.
This was an important reason why she hadn't completely fallen.
And the title on that page of the darkhold was—Scarlet Witch!
The darkhold dedicated an entire chapter to recording and describing the Scarlet Witch.
In the darkhold's records, the Scarlet Witch was completely different from other Witches.
She didn't need a Witch's head to assist her in casting spells, nor did she need incantations.
She possessed more powerful strength than other Witches, yet the restrictions on using this strength were even smaller.
Looking at the records of the Scarlet Witch in the darkhold, Agatha's eyes grew hotter.
She was determined to become the Scarlet Witch!
And Chthon, looking through Agatha's perspective, was also very puzzled.
He wondered why Agatha was only focused on the chapter about the Scarlet Witch.
Moreover, it seemed she had read it more than once or twice.
Could it be that someone in this World had become the Scarlet Witch?
A flash of inspiration struck Chthon.
Could it be that the other person reading the darkholdwas the Scarlet Witch?!
Thinking of this, Chthon's heart also burned with excitement.
The limit of power he could hold in an ordinary body versus the body of the Scarlet Witch was vastly different.
Slap!
Agatha closed the darkhold, preparing to move.
After Mephisto revealed his plan, she agreed to cooperate with Mephisto, but not entirely.
Simply put, she would help Mephisto open the teleportation channel, but she wouldn't do it herself.
If she did it herself, she was afraid Mephisto would mess up and the so-called god of fear, the Great Serpent, released would be no match for Sorcerer Russell and the Sorcerer Ancient One.
Or, Russell and Ancient One wouldn't stop the Great Serpent immediately, but would come after her instead.
She found someone to do it for her.
And this person was named Kaecilius.
Kaecilius, once a student of the Sorcerer Ancient One, became a Mystic Master.
Later, he was consumed by inner demons, fell into an endless pursuit of power, and brazenly betrayed Kamar-Taj.
He tried to contact the Master of dark energy, sacrificing the entire real Universe in exchange for power.
In Agatha's opinion, Kaecilius was the most suitable person to take the blame for her.
Firstly, he understood Kamar-Taj's defenses in the three Sanctums, making it easier to find weak points in the defense.
Secondly, he was already a traitor to Kamar-Taj, pursued by Kamar-Taj, and was not afraid of offending Kamar-Taj.
Most importantly, by using the power of the god of fearas bait, it would be very easy to lure him in.
To charge into battle for herself and Mephisto.
Chapter 158 The one chosen to summon the Great Serpent, Casillas
Chapter 159: The Candidate to Summon the Great Serpent, Kaecilius
In a mysterious palace, a middle-aged man with a dark red rune on his forehead was performing a summoning ritual with several subordinates.
The middle-aged man's finger traced through the air in front of him, drawing a crimson rune identical to the one on his forehead.
He chanted, "We now accept the energies that can destroy us, and the entire World."
His subordinates followed, shouting in unison:
"We summon you, Demon King. Hear our call, and come to our side. Let us see your true face. We are summoning."
As the incantation ended, a mysterious magic circle appeared beneath their feet.
The ground seemed to begin to twist and deform.
Not only the ground, but the surrounding walls and ceiling also twisted and deformed.
The entire World seemed to roll like a gear.
However, the Demon King did not respond to them.
Although the commotion was significant, it was undeniable.
The summoning ritual had failed once again.
A moment later, the palace returned to its original state.
The middle-aged man and his subordinates dejectedly packed up the spellcasting materials.
"Kaecilius, your Demon King doesn't seem to want to respond to you."
"Perhaps he is dead, or has been banished."
A genderless, featureless voice suddenly echoed in the palace.
The owner of the voice was Agatha.
Leveraging the connections she had cultivated over hundreds of years, she successfully located Kaecilius after some time.
As for why she didn't use her own voice, it was naturally to conceal her identity.
The middle-aged man, no, it was Kaecilius.
Kaecilius looked in the direction of the voice, seeing only a tall, stout figure completely shrouded in a black robe.
"A hidden, cowardly wretch dares to speak so boldly here."
As Kaecilius's cold voice fell, the space within the palace twisted and deformed again.
Especially the area where Agatha stood; to describe it as the sky and earth spinning would be no exaggeration.
But no matter how the surrounding space changed, Agatha remained standing steadily, her figure not shaking in the slightest.
If one looked closely, they would notice her feet were slightly off the ground, floating in the air.
"Kaecilius, I have no ill intentions, nor do I wish to fight you."
"Otherwise, it wouldn't be just me appearing here."
"But Sorcerer Supreme Gu Yi, or the Master Russell who gained prominence on Sakura Island."
Agatha's voice remained devoid of emotion or inflection, like a Robot.
But her tone did not diminish the persuasiveness of her words.
Kaecilius snorted, pressing his hands down, and the surrounding space returned to calm.
"Looking at your secretive appearance, if you were to go to the Sorcerer Supreme, I'm afraid you'd be taken down before you even accused me, wouldn't you?"
Agatha was noncommittal, ignoring Kaecilius's mockery, and instead directly produced a parchment scroll.
"This parchment scroll records the method to summon another Demon King. Since the previous Demon King doesn't respond to your summons, why not switch to another Demon King?"
"Switch to another Demon King?" Kaecilius was somewhat moved. "Which Demon King?"
"The god of fear, Father of All, Asgardian King, Kurse Borson."
Agatha's tone rarely fluctuated, sounding impassioned, as if chanting and praising some extraordinary deity.
In fact, Agatha didn't know who Kurse Borson was; she only knew he came from another Universe.
"The god of fear? Father of All? Asgardian King?"
Kaecilius repeated the titles of this Demon King.
He had never heard the name Kurse Borson.
But he knew that the current Asgardian King's name was Odin Borson.
According to the naming conventions of the Asgardian, Borson meant Bor's son.
So this god of fear, Kurse, should be Odin's brother.
"I haven't heard of him, who is this Kurse Borson? I only know that the Asgardian King is Odin. Odin Borson."
"Kaecilius, you are too ignorant," Agatha feigned disdain.
"As a Master, you should understand the concept of the Multiverse, right? You should know that besides our current reality Universe, there are other reality Universes."
"And this one is from another reality Universe. He is the Asgardian King there."
Kaecilius was even more intrigued: "What about his abilities, is he powerful enough?"
Agatha still maintained a disdainful tone:
"Kaecilius, you should know what a Dimensional Lord is, right? The Demon King you summon is the Lord of the Dark Dimension."
"And this great god of fear, Father of All, Asgardian King, once defeated and killed countless Dimensional Lords."
"Your Demon King wouldn't even dare to face him. Otherwise, there would only be death."
Kaecilius was half-convinced, taking the parchment scroll from Agatha's hand.
On the parchment scroll, a green rune was etched, along with a summoning circle and incantations.
"I will try to communicate with this god of fear and summon him to descend. If he can grant me sufficiently powerful strength."
Kaecilius clutched the parchment scroll in his hand.
With his mastery of magic, he recognized the function of this magic circle at a glance.
And the characteristics of this green rune.
Fear!
An unspeakable, maddening, and irrational fear!
Truly worthy of being the god of fear!
Just before Agatha persuaded Kaecilius, Mephisto had already begun to persuade the Great Serpent, Kurse Borson.
"Great Serpent, being imprisoned can't be easy. I have a way to release you, but you must act for me once."
Through the seal, Mephisto called out to the Great Serpent.
"Alright," a deep voice replied, agreeing directly.
The owner of the voice was undoubtedly the Great Serpent, Kurse Borson.
Hearing the Great Serpent agree directly, Mephisto was slightly stunned.
This simpleton, wouldn't he set a time, or put a limit on the action?
Otherwise, if Mephisto did nothing, when the Great Serpent came out, he would still have to act for Mephistoonce.
Although he grumbled inwardly, Mephisto quickly drafted an agreement.
The Great Serpent glanced at the agreement, found nothing unusual, and signed it directly.
This time, Mephisto was truly speechless.
Are these Asgardian gods' brains full of muscles?
"Oh, right, Mephisto, aren't you afraid of Odin and Thorfinding out? I heard that Thor has become very powerful now."
As if remembering something, the Great Serpent asked belatedly.
It wasn't his first time being sealed.
The last time he emerged from the seal, he fought Thor to a mutual destruction, both falling into Hell.
However, with their strength, death was not the end.
They both fought their way back from Hell to the human World.
Mephisto explained: "Great Serpent, I will send you to another reality Universe, Earth-404."
"The Odin and Thor of that Universe are not as powerful as the Odin and Thor of Earth-616."
"You can first create fear on Earth-404 to recover your strength."
"Then, return to Earth-616."
Chapter 159 This Hammer of Winter, Kamar-Taj wants it.
Chapter 160: Kamar-Taj Wants This winter gods hammer
Another mysterious palace.
After Kaecilius obtained the parchment and checked it for any issues, he decisively held a summoning ritual with the other rogue sorcerers.
These sorcerers, corrupted by dark energy, only wanted power and to destroy the World.
As for from whom they gained power, or who would destroy the World, that was not important.
Unlike Dormammu, the Great Serpent responded to them.
Moreover, the Great Serpent was extremely generous.
"My apostle, take up my weapon and spread fear for me. When fear blankets this Planet, I shall descend."
A green portal opened, and a long-handled hammer exuding a cold aura passed through the portal, landing in front of Kaecilius.
Just by looking at the hammer, Kaecilius felt a chill run through his body.
Undoubtedly, this was a divine artifact. It could provide immense power to its user.
With fanaticism, Kaecilius humbly picked up the hammer before him.
A name appeared in his mind.
Skadi's Hammer, also known as the winter gods hammer.
Holding it granted the power of Skadi, the winter god.
Just as Kaecilius picked up the winter gods hammer, seven hammers descended from the sky like meteors, scattering across various parts of the World.
Although these seven hammers were not as powerful as the winter gods hammer, they were all potent magical artifacts that could bestow extraordinary power upon their holders.
More importantly, they could control their holders, turning them into apostles of the Great Serpent, to spread fear for the Great Serpent.
In the night sky, Tony, who had just dealt with Killian, was flying in his armor towards a newly built mansion in the suburbs of New York, taking a detour to enjoy the ride.
Although he couldn't feel the wind, he could feel the exhilaration of flight brought by the thrusters.
This was something portal magic couldn't compare to.
"Hmm, Jarvis, is that a meteor up ahead?"
"Sir, according to the high-definition camera footage, that is a hammer."
"A hammer? Thor's hammer?"
"No, it's not Thor's hammer." Jarvis denied, and after restoring the image, projected it before Tony's eyes.
"Oh, how interesting, a hammer falling from the sky. Let's go, Jarvis, we'll go check it out."
Tony changed direction, flying towards where the hammer had fallen.
And Tony wasn't the only one who noticed these abnormal meteors.
"Director Coulson, abnormal energy fluctuations detected."
At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, a young Agent knocked on Coulson's office door to report.
"Report the news to the World Security Council." Coulsonsaid weakly.
"Director Coulson, don't we need to send someone to investigate?" The young Agent asked, puzzled.
"No need. S.H.I.E.L.D. is about to be disbanded."
After a brief silence, the young Agent replied reluctantly:
"Yes, Director Coulson."
Watching the young Agent's retreating back, a flicker of confusion passed through Coulson's eyes.
Once upon a time, he too was a young Agent with full work enthusiasm, a positive work attitude, and a proactive sense of responsibility.
He was very dissatisfied with those leaders who occupied positions without doing any work, but...
Now, he had become the very thing he disliked in his youth.
"Agent Skye, come back."
After hesitating, Coulson called out to the young Agentwho had just left.
"Have a plane prepared. We'll go check the abnormal energy reaction point in the New York suburbs first."
"But, Director Coulson. Isn't S.H.I.E.L.D. going to be disbanded?" Skye asked.
Her previous silence wasn't due to unwillingness to give up this mission, but rather unwillingness for S.H.I.E.L.D. to be disbanded.
Joining S.H.I.E.L.D. as an internal Agent meant access to more databases, which was very important to her.
She needed to use the information in these databases to uncover the truth about her past.
Everything she had previously known about her background was merely a file edited by S.H.I.E.L.D..
Coulson didn't know Skye's inner thoughts; he still thought the young Agent before him was like himself in his youth.
So, Coulson smiled, and said gently yet dominantly:
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is only *about* to be disbanded, it hasn't been disbanded yet. As long as S.H.I.E.L.D. is not disbanded for a single day, it will continue to fulfill its duty to protect the people of Earth from supernatural forces. This is the duty and power bestowed upon us by the World Security Council."
Skye was silent.
She didn't care about these duties or powers.
She only knew that dealing with these supernatural events must be very dangerous.
And she was just an internal Agent; she absolutely did not want to go on field missions.
"Alright, Director Coulson. I'll go contact the action team for you now."
New York suburbs.
Tony was standing at the center of a crater, dozens of meters in diameter, looking at the hammer at his feet, his expression not looking too good.
He was guarding the area, preventing others from touching the hammer.
Just moments ago, when he tried to pick up the hammer, his mind was strongly corroded.
Fortunately, his mind, strengthened by day-after-day of diligent magic cultivation, was much more powerful than that of ordinary people.
Coupled with the slightest enhancement from the White energy given by Russell, he wasn't directly controlled by the hammer.
Realizing something was wrong, Tony immediately dropped the hammer.
But his mental World was still slightly infected.
At this moment, in Tony's mental World, the White energy was currently strangling the green energy.
A moment later, a fighter jet arrived.
But the insignia on the jet was not S.H.I.E.L.D.'s.
As soon as several Agents got off the jet, they spoke to Tony without ceremony:
"Hello, Mr. Stark. We are taking over the scene, please leave."
"Who are you?"
"S.W.O.R.D.." The Agent replied.
"Jarvis, has this organization been registered with Congress?" Tony ignored the Agent and asked Jarvisinstead.
"Sir. The name of this organization was not found in publicly available Congressional records."
"Which means, this is an illegal organization."
As Jarvis's voice sounded, the expressions of the Agents on site turned ugly.
To put it on the table, a secret organization like theirs, which wasn't registered, was indeed an illegal organization.
It's just that normally no one dared to bring it up to them.
An illegal organization naturally had no law enforcement authority, let alone the right to take over the scene and tell Tony to leave.
Just as the two sides were at a stalemate, another fighter jet arrived—
—a S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet.
However, strictly speaking, S.H.I.E.L.D. was also an illegal organization.
Getting out of the Quinjet, Coulson ignored the S.W.O.R.D. Agents and greeted Tony first.
"Tony, what are you doing here? Did you find anything?"
"I have the right to appear in any non-private area of this World."
Tony first made a sarcastic remark to the S.W.O.R.D.Agents, then explained.
"What fell was a hammer. This hammer is very dangerous; it can control the mind of its wielder.
"I suggest that if you want to take it away, it's best to use mechanical transport and not let anyone get close."
"Thank you for your suggestion, Tony." Coulson nodded gratefully, then gave an order, "Take the item back to S.H.I.E.L.D.."
"Director Coulson, this area has already been taken over by S.W.O.R.D.." The S.W.O.R.D. Agent quickly stopped the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel.
For a moment, the situation was once again at a stalemate.
"Sorry, Kamar-Taj wants this hammer."
Tony indicated, no more pretending, I'm laying my cards on the table.
I'm not just a playboy, billionaire, Iron Man; I'm also a sorcerer!
A sorcerer who is a candidate for the next Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj!
Golden magic sparks flickered, and a distinctive Kamar-Taj portal opened.
Tony had Jarvis control his armor's arm to directly pass through the portal and bring the hammer back to the New York Sanctum.
The S.W.O.R.D. Agent wanted to stop him but was held back by his Officer.
Power is authority.
And the controller of the most powerful force on Earthwas Sorcerer Russell of Kamar-Taj.
Chapter 160 Thor's Crisis, The Observer Reappears
Chapter 161 Thor's Crisis, the Watcher Reappears
After Tony left, the S.W.O.R.D. Commander's eyes flickered.
He had overheard Tony and Coulson's conversation.
This hammer, which could control people's minds, was extremely dangerous.
But while dangerous, extraordinary items often also meant great power.
This was exactly what various countries urgently needed at present.
According to the S.W.O.R.D.'s outer space monitoring data, a total of seven hammers had fallen to Earth.
Tony Stark had taken one, leaving six more.
The S.W.O.R.D. Commander immediately withdrew his team and reported the information.
They needed to act quickly to secure as many of the remaining six hammers as possible.
Compared to S.W.O.R.D., S.H.I.E.L.D. had fewer ambitions; after reporting the intelligence to the World Security Council, it withdrew its team and left.
After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. had already been marginalized and was on the verge of disbanding.
New York Sanctum Sanctorum.
Tony looked at the hammer on the ground, a hint of lingering fear in his eyes.
After some time, he successfully analyzed the properties of the green energy in the mental World.
Fear.
An unspeakable, irrational, mind-numbing fear.
And once a mind was twisted by this power of fear, it would become an emissary of fear, spreading destruction and terror everywhere.
Tony was well aware of his own destructive power when unleashed.
By combining portal magic, satellite monitoring equipment, and the artificial intelligence Jarvis, he could easily transport meteorites from Earth-404's outer space to near-Earth orbit.
Without the triple weakening effects of atmospheric obstruction, mass loss due to burning within the atmosphere, and speed loss due to air resistance, the destructive power of these meteorites would be no less than that of nuclear bombs.
Unexpectedly, he possessed the ability to destroy major super city clusters on Earth in a short time, thereby triggering a Third World War.
After a moment of hesitation, Tony had Jarvis control his suit to pick up the hammer, then opened another portal and went to Kamar-Taj.
Such a dangerous artifact would be safer at Kamar-Taj.
There, it was guarded by the Sorcerer Ancient One and many other sorcerers.
When these seven hammers streaked across the Universe, descending from outer space to Earth, not only did monitoring equipment in various countries on Earthdetect them.
Heimdall, the Guardian of Asgard, also saw them.
Furthermore, Odin, the All-Father, and Frigga, the Queen, also sensed something.
In the magnificent golden hall, Odin, clad in golden armor, looked down.
This was his daily routine as a nearly retired God King.
Also known as, spacing out.
Behind Odin, Frigga gracefully approached, standing beside Odin and gazing with him at the prosperous scene of the Asgardian people living in peace and stability below.
"Odin, I witnessed a terrifying scene: our son, Thor, died in battle on Midgard."
Hearing Frigga's worried words, Odin's brows furrowed.
Before Frigga arrived, he had already had an ominous premonition.
And Frigga's words undoubtedly confirmed his premonition.
Odin suppressed the tremor in his heart and asked:
"Did you see what the enemy looked like?"
"I only saw a giant serpent, stretching like a mountain range, where Thor fell."
"A great serpent?"
Odin's heart grew more puzzled.
"God King, Queen."
Another voice interrupted Odin's thoughts; it was Heimdall.
"Heimdall, have you noticed anything unusual on Midgardrecently?" Odin asked.
"I have come precisely for that, God King," Heimdallreplied, "Seven divine hammers suddenly appeared in Midgard's outer space, bearing the aura of an AsgardianGod.
"But strangely, I have never felt this aura anywhere else."
It had the aura of an Asgardian God, but Heimdall had never seen it before.
Odin pondered, and suddenly a thought flashed.
The owner of the divine aura on these seven hammers was very likely a God from another Asgard in the Multiverse.
And what Frigga saw might not be a glimpse of the future, but something happening in another Universe.
Thinking of this, Odin had Frigga project the scene of Thor's death that she had witnessed.
After careful comparison, the Thor in the projection indeed had some differences from their son, Thor.
"Odin, although this is something happening in another Universe, I worry that if we are not vigilant, it could also happen in this Universe."
Odin nodded, leading Frigga to the Bifrost Bridge, and then through the Bifrost Bridge to Midgard.
They would personally go to warn Thor.
In a manor outside New York, a seven-colored rainbow light descended from the sky.
When the light dissipated, Odin and Frigga gracefully emerged.
Thor and Loki, having been notified by Heimdall, were already waiting there.
After exchanging greetings, Odin informed Thor of his and Frigga's discovery and asked for Thor's opinion.
Should he continue to stay on Earth, preparing to face the possible appearance of the great serpent, or return to Asgard to avoid its sharpness?
Thor's choice, naturally, was the former.
As the Thor of Asgard, the future King, he never shied away from battle.
Odin and Frigga had already anticipated this.
After once again cautioning Thor and Loki to be vigilant, Odin left in a hurry.
His purpose in coming to Earth, besides warning Thor, was also to ask the Sorcerer Ancient One some questions.
Regarding the Multiverse, the Sorcerer Ancient One, backed by the Vishanti, knew more than he did.
Frigga, on the other hand, stayed behind to catch up with her two sons and visit her elder son's girlfriend, Jane Foster.
"Thor, does your father not like me?" Jane Foster asked.
Just after coming out of the Bifrost Bridge, Odin hadn't even looked at her properly.
"Uh, Father he just—"
Thor was about to explain when Loki interrupted him.
Incidentally, Loki spoke sarcastically about Odin for a while.
"Yes. He's always like that; he's just a stubborn old man. He likes to stick to old ways and cares a lot about status.
"He doesn't like you, not because you're not good enough, but because you're not Asgardian.
"However, I quite like you, Jane."
Facing Loki's goodwill, Jane Foster smiled and playfully joked with Loki: "Thank you, Loki. But you'd better just like me, and not fall in love with me."
"Jane, don't worry about it, we all support you and Thor." Frigga said gently, comforting her.
After Odin left, the four began to have a family atmosphere.
Nepal, Kamar-Taj.
Emerging from the portal, Odin suddenly felt someone observing him.
Following the sensation, he saw a Big-headed dolls—the Watcher.
"You cold-eyed, giant baby, you hypocrite who always likes to silently watch others' misfortunes! Is it your cruel curiosity that led you to watch my misfortune?"
Seeing the Watcher, Odin, who was already in a bad mood, became even more upset and immediately burst into curses.
This Big-headed dolls never appeared without bringing trouble.
The Big-headed dolls just watched quietly, showing no reaction to Odin's scolding.
He was a Watcher, not an intervener.