Chapter 171 Defeat
When the Great Serpent left Earth for Asgard, Russelland the Watcher, who had been watching from the moon, discovered it immediately.
However, neither of them made a sound; they just quietly followed to continue watching the show.
"Watcher, do you know what's going on? Why would the Great Serpent from another Universe come to Earth-404?"
In a void, Russell sat on a silver-white throne, asking the Watcher, who stood beside him, slightly lower.
This was a position Russell had deliberately adjusted.
From a distance, the Watcher looked like his subordinate.
"I don't know."
The Watcher's tone was flat, and he unconsciously reverted to his aloof, indifferent posture, looking down on everything.
Russell shook his head with a helpless smile.
The Watcher was his biggest client now, so he forgave him.
However, his plan to get information from the Watcherhad fallen through, so he would have to ask the Great Serpent himself later.
Still, when it was time to be playful, he had to be playful.
"Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?"
The Watcher was speechless and silent, ignoring Russell's humor.
"Boring."
Seeing that the Watcher didn't respond, Russell pouted and refocused his attention on the battlefield in Asgard.
Because the plan to flood Asgard failed, the Water monsters gathered by the Great Serpent could not breach the Asgardian army's defenses, but the Great Serpent was not discouraged.
If the first wave of giant waves didn't achieve anything, then another wave would come.
Soon, a White line appeared on the horizon, growing larger as it approached.
By the time the White line reached the shores of Asgard, it had transformed into a hundred-meter-tall giant wave.
This time, the Great Serpent attacked with the giant wave, intending to prevent Loki, Tony, Wanda, Gwen, and others from calming the wave.
Thor, naturally, would not stand by idly and intercepted the Great Serpent head-on.
The instant they clashed, the enormous aftershocks generated by the collision of divine power interfered with Loki, Tony, and the others.
The giant wave, as the Great Serpent wished, crashed down.
The giant wave could not shake Asgard's defenses, but the Water monsters in the ocean took the opportunity to surge onto the land with the giant wave, engaging in battle with the Asgardian soldiers.
Seeing this, Loki, Tony, and the others stopped trying to stop the giant wave and joined the fray.
Loki, Tony, and Wanda prioritized supporting Thor, attacking the Great Serpent together.
The other few, meanwhile, first cooperated with the Asgardian warriors to clear out the Water monsters.
Facing the encirclement of four, the Great Serpent was unfazed.
Or rather, after a period of observation, the Great Serpent discovered that apart from Thor's Mjolnir and Loki's Gungnir, the other attacks did not cause much damage to his divine body.
And for minor wounds, being in Asgard, the Great Serpent could recover quickly.
At this point, the disadvantage of Tony and Wandalacking highly destructive means was once again evident.
The Great Serpent discovered this drawback, and Tonyand Wanda did as well.
"Wanda, let's switch to support, focusing on restricting the Great Serpent's movements."
Tony instructed Wanda, no longer using energy cannons or miniature missiles to attack.
Instead, he changed his form, creating clones through Ekron Form, with each clone holding a magic whip.
The next moment, dozens of magic whips lashed out from all directions, trying to bind the Great Serpent.
Wanda's Chaos magic also shifted from offense to restraint, cooperating with Tony to limit the Great Serpent's movements.
Facing Tony and Wanda, who suddenly changed their fighting style, the Great Serpent was caught off guard for a moment and was firmly bound.
Seizing this opportunity, Thor threw Mjolnir, aiming directly at the Great Serpent's immobile face.
Loki quietly circled to the Great Serpent's side and behind, thrusting the Eternal Spear at the Great Serpent's kidney area.
Left with no choice, the Great Serpent erupted with full power.
A terrifying wave of energy swept out, spreading outwards from him as its center.
The first to bear the brunt was Loki, who had rushed to the Great Serpent's side and rear.
Loki was directly hit by the Great Serpent's sudden energy burst and flew backward.
Next was Tony; the clones Tony created using Ekron Formall dissipated under the Great Serpent's energy impact, and his main body also flew backward. However, protected by his armor, Tony was not injured.
Wanda and Thor, who were further away, each used their methods to easily block it.
"Wanda, be careful!"
Tony exclaimed a warning to Wanda; his suit scanned a figure using the cover of the wave to ambush Wanda.
However, the Great Serpent's speed was even faster than the speed of sound.
Getting close, the Great Serpent raised his warhammer and smashed it down on Wanda's head. He believed in picking the softest target, and in the Great Serpent's eyes, Wanda was the softest target among the four.
Her physical condition was not as good as Thor's or Loki's, and she had no armor protection.
Her defense was undoubtedly the weakest of the four.
Seraphim Shield.
This time, the prepared Wanda reacted in time, using a more advanced magic shield.
The Great Serpent's warhammer struck the Seraphim Shield, sending Wanda flying backward. The energy shield also became incredibly illusory.
But in the end, it was not broken.
The Great Serpent, whose ambush had failed, stopped in place, looking at the warhammer in his hand with some confusion.
In the Great Serpent's estimation, he should have shattered the energy shield with one hammer blow and killed the person in front of him.
It shouldn't have been blocked, only knocking her back.
"His power is weakening!"
Loki, who had returned to the battlefield, discovered the problem.
The Great Serpent's power, while standing on Asgard, would be continuously replenished.
But this required a process, it required time.
And just now, the Great Serpent's full power burst had almost depleted his energy, and it hadn't recovered in a short time.
This was the reason for his weakening power.
The more fundamental reason was his lack of fear energy, preventing him from recovering to his peak.
In high-intensity combat, even when in Asgard, there would be issues with energy supply not being timely enough.
After discovering the Great Serpent's weakness, Thor and Loki didn't hesitate and immediately launched a fierce offensive.
Tony and Wanda also joined in, adding insult to injury.
The Great Serpent, already low on energy, found it even harder to parry and suffered frequent injuries.
And recovering from injuries required energy.
Insufficient energy, getting injured, recovering from injuries, even more insufficient energy.
Trapped in a vicious cycle, the Great Serpent's situation became increasingly unfavorable.
It seemed defeat was inevitable.
Flame Hell.
Mephisto was watching this battle through the Great Serpent's perspective.
He was very frustrated; he had gone to great lengths to bring the Great Serpent to Earth-404, hoping the Great Serpent and Sorcerer Ancient One and Russell would fight to a mutual destruction.
Then he would reap the benefits.
But he didn't expect that before Ancient One and Russelleven showed up, the Great Serpent was about to be beaten to death by the combined assault of Thor, Loki, Tony, and Wanda.
He knew this wasn't the Great Serpent's true strength.
The reason the Great Serpent had fallen to such a state was that he hadn't absorbed fear energy.
If the Great Serpent absorbed enough fear energy and recovered to his peak state, defeating the four in front of him would be easy.
However, where did the fear energy on Earth go?
Mephisto had a guess in his mind.
But that wasn't important now; what was important was
Chapter 172: Mephisto raises the stakes, Russell takes action
"The Great Serpent cannot be defeated just like that! Besides him, I can't find another brute of this combat level to utilize. Moreover, the Great Serpent still owes me one move."
In the Flame Hell, Mephisto made up his mind.
He would raise the stakes!
If the Great Serpent couldn't acquire enough fear energy on Earth-404 to restore his strength, then Mephistowould make a sacrifice and provide it himself.
As for where this fear energy came from, it stemmed from the major event on Earth-616, "Fear Itself."
In short, Mephisto had it.
Asgard.
The Great Serpent realized the situation was dire and changed his tactics, focusing on evasion and stalling for time.
But as the Water monsters on the battlefield were mostly cleared, other Super Heroes and Asgardian elites joined the siege against the Great Serpent.
For a time, the Great Serpent's situation grew even more precarious.
Just then, a spatial rift was forcibly torn open above Asgard.
Immediately following, an endless torrent of fear energy surged out from it, heading towards the Great Serpent.
Bathed in the fear energy, the Great Serpent's injuries rapidly healed, and his aura continuously ascended.
Compared to Asgard's blessings, this fear energy was more suitable for the Great Serpent.
The Great Serpent transformed into a colossal serpent, roaring up at the sky, unleashing the frustration he had just endured.
Immediately after, divine power erupted, and endless energy condensed in the giant serpent's mouth, ultimately forming a breath attack.
Roar!
Wherever the energy breath passed, people and horses were sent flying.
Seeing this, Thor's Mjolnir crackled with lightning, and he hurled it.
Mjolnir flew towards the giant serpent, meeting its breath attack.
However, it was caught mid-air by the giant serpent's claw.
Yes, claws. The giant serpent that the Great Serpent transformed into had claws and wings.
Facing Thor's disbelieving gaze, the giant serpent gripped Mjolnir with a single claw, continuously applying force.
Crack, crack, crack~
Cracks began to appear on Mjolnir.
"No!"
Thor roared, sensing a very ominous outcome.
Crack, crack, crack~
On Mjolnir, the cracks continued to spread.
Finally, it was crushed by the giant serpent's single claw.
"This is my true power! I am an omnipotent god!"
The giant serpent spoke in human tongue.
"Feel fear, you ants! Feel that irrational, irresistible fear!"
Bang!
Loki's Eternal Spear shot out a beam of energy, interrupting the Great Serpent's speech.
At this moment, the strongest combatant, Thor, had his Mjolnir destroyed and was temporarily out of commission; Loki had to step up.
With a thought, an invisible figure emerged from behind Loki, heading towards Odin's vault.
The Great Serpent, whose speech had been interrupted, did not get angry, merely giving Loki a cold glance.
The next second, the enormous Great Serpent attacked Loki with terrifying speed.
Loki's eyes glowed green, and he stood ready with the Eternal Spear. As long as the Great Serpent dared to open its mouth, he would give it a harsh blow.
However, at close quarters, the Great Serpent suddenly reverted to human form. He swung his war hammer, smashing it towards Loki.
Even though the Great Serpent had recovered to his peak, he still didn't want to easily test the sharpness of the Eternal Spear.
Loki reacted, taking two steps back to dodge, while simultaneously thrusting the Eternal Spear, piercing a bloody hole in the Great Serpent's shoulder.
Although his physical strength, speed, and reaction were inferior to the Great Serpent's, Loki had an advantage.
He had more time to compensate for his disadvantages in reaction and speed.
Loki had already incorporated time magic into his combat.
And this time, its successful use yielded results.
However, before Loki could retract his spear, the Great Serpent's war hammer swept horizontally.
Loki ducked, narrowly dodging the Great Serpent's war hammer in the nick of time. At the same time, he pulled down hard on the Eternal Spear, widening the wound.
Rip!
A large chunk of flesh was torn off by Loki, but the Great Serpent seemed unfazed.
He lifted his leg and kicked the crouching Loki.
Bang!
This time, Loki couldn't dodge in time and took a direct kick from the Great Serpent, flying backward and knocking over several rows of Asgardian warriors.
In mid-air, a trail of blood splattered.
Loki was essentially a Frost Giant, and his body's toughness was not bad.
But compared to the Great Serpent at this moment, it was somewhat insufficient.
Even more critically, a green light flashed on the Great Serpent's shoulder, and his injury rapidly healed. Immediately after, he pursued the fallen Loki, pressing his advantage.
Just then, Hulk lunged from the flank, knocking the Great Serpent off balance.
Grabbing the Great Serpent's shoulder, Hulk was about to perform an over-the-shoulder throw.
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One throw wasn't enough, so Hulk directly grabbed the Great Serpent's arm and threw him several more times.
However, just as Hulk was about to continue, he felt a tremendous force on his arm.
A tremendous force that even Hulk couldn't resist.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The tables turned, and it was the Great Serpent who grabbed Hulk's arm and slammed him to the ground.
Tony, Wanda, and Gwen, seeing this, rushed to support Hulk.
However, whether it was Tony's magic whip or Gwen's web-slinging, they were easily torn under the Great Serpent's immense strength.
But fortunately, Wanda's Chaos Magic worked, successfully hindering the Great Serpent's arm from exerting force and continuing to smash Hulk.
The moment Wanda gained slight control over the Great Serpent, a burst of ice energy suddenly shot out from among the scattered Asgardian warriors.
Looking closely, it was the Ekron Form clone Loki had created with magic earlier and then left behind.
This Loki clone had retrieved the casket of ancient winters from Odin's vault.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle~
Frost quickly appeared on the Great Serpent's body, rapidly freezing him and forming an ice sculpture.
Is it over?
No!
Cracks appeared from inside the ice sculpture, rapidly spreading to the surface.
Seeing this, Loki intensified his efforts, channeling the casket of ancient winters in his hand.
Pure ice energy shot out from the casket of ancient winters, reinforcing the ice layer on the Great Serpent's body.
However, the inside of the ice layer was being destroyed by the surging energy of the Great Serpent.
The casket of ancient winters could not completely freeze the Great Serpent!
The moment this thought crossed Loki's mind, the ice sculpture encasing the Great Serpent exploded.
Immediately after, surging energy fluctuations swept out from within, engulfing everyone.
Under the energy impact, everyone was sent flying, sustaining injuries of varying severity.
In the Golden Hall, Odin's expression was solemn.
Although his body was no longer suitable for battle, with Thor and Loki defeated, he had to step up!
This was his responsibility as king!
Seeing the energy channel suddenly appear above Asgard, Russell looked thoughtful.
He sensed a familiar aura.
Mephisto's aura.
"Watcher, the mastermind behind this incident is Mephisto, right?"
The Watcher remained silent.
"If you don't speak, I'll take that as a default yes."
The Watcher still didn't speak.
He, the Watcher, remembered his original intention and did not forget his mission.
To not participate in any affairs of any life in the Universe, only to observe silently and record.
Seeing that the Watcher remained silent, Russell stopped teasing him.
He took a step, directly arriving at the Asgardian battlefield.
The Great Serpent, restored to his peak, was somewhat overpowered for the current Super Heroes.
But it didn't matter; Russell could still easily handle him.
Chapter 173 Russell: How is it? Is it worth the money?
It wasn't just Odin.
Seeing Thor and Loki successively defeated, the other Asgardians' hearts plummeted.
But Asgardian warriors do not fear death!
At worst, they would take a trip to Valhalla!
After the energy impact, the Asgardian warriors stood up again, forming a battle array and surrounding the Great Serpent.
Thor also recovered, picked up a longsword, and prepared to fight again.
Without mjolnir, he could still defeat the Great Serpent!
Hulk shook his head, encouraged by the Asgardianwarriors, and also stood up again.
He was tough-skinned and thick-fleshed; he wouldn't be injured by such a small energy impact.
As for Tony, he lay down.
Asgard's environment was not suitable for him to fight.
In Asgard, space had restrictions, so portal magic couldn't be used.
For Tony, this greatly affected his mobility.
And, it directly led to his ultimate move, Chibaku Tensei, being unusable.
Although, his ultimate move would be difficult to hit the Great Serpent.
Even if it hit the Great Serpent, it wouldn't cause much damage.
Of course, the most important point was this.
Because he was lying down, he saw the person in the sky — Russell.
At this moment, Russell had arrived above the Asgardianbattlefield.
Tony zoomed in on the image and saw Russell seemingly extending a finger, pointing it towards the Great Serpent below.
What was Russell doing?
Tony was very confused.
However, the people on the battlefield did not share Tony's confusion.
Tony was observing with his suit's visual sensors and had magnified the image, only seeing Russell and his immediate surroundings.
Others were not; they had all five senses.
The first thing they felt was a powerful airflow descending from the sky.
Everyone looked up and saw a finger, spanning endless space, coming towards them.
"Russell!"
Gwen, Wanda, and Gaya, who had participated in the battle but previously didn't even deserve a name, exclaimed.
They had seen this scene before in the Nightmare Dimension.
However, back then it was a palm; now it was a finger.
Rumble!
As the finger moved, the air erupted with roars.
As the finger continued to press down, Gwen and the others finally understood why it was a finger this time and not a palm.
Even a single finger had a cross-sectional area far exceeding the battlefield.
If it were the entire palm, its size would probably exceed all of Asgard.
A moment later, as the finger continued to press down.
Gwen and the others overturned their previous conclusion.
Even the finger's cross-sectional area exceeded Asgard!
However, in that case, even if Russell killed the Great Serpent, Asgard would be buried with it, wouldn't it?
Tony, at this moment, finally understood what Russellwas doing.
Russell's finger obscured the entire sky.
Through the camera lens on his suit, Tony could clearly see the fingerprints on Russell's finger, the keratinocytes within the fingerprint grooves, and the nuclei and mitochondria within the keratinocytes.
"Jarvis, cancel zoom."
"Sir, it has been canceled."
Silence!
Looking at the finger in the sky, which was larger than all of Asgard and too massive to see its full extent, the entire battlefield fell silent.
"Playing God!"
Everyone else was scared, but the Great Serpent was not.
With his power, fully unleashed, he was enough to destroy Asgard.
Naturally, he was also enough to destroy the giant finger before him.
Holding an unyielding belief in victory, the Great Serpent's divine power fully erupted, his aura pressing down on everyone in the field, making it almost impossible for them to lift their heads.
At this moment, Thor, Loki, and the others realized that the Great Serpent had been far from his peak state before.
Stomping heavily on the ground, the Great Serpent flew into the sky.
His warhammer, imbued with divine light, condensed and smashed towards the finger.
The warhammer struck the giant finger in the sky, silently, without any movement.
This was completely different from what the Great Serpent and everyone else had expected.
In their view, this should have been a collision of heavenly thunder and earthly fire, a clash that shook heaven and Earth.
The next moment, the giant finger moved.
From the pad of the giant finger, an arm grew out.
The arm extended a finger, then pointed at the Great Serpent.
And from the pad of this finger, another finger grew out.
Again and again, the pad of the giant finger continuously grew arms, becoming smaller.
After an unknown number of times shrinking, this finger finally became the size of a normal person.
Or rather, Russell's original size.
It gently pointed towards the Great Serpent's forehead.
The Great Serpent erupted with all his power, his aura shaking heaven and Earth.
The Great Serpent swung the warhammer in his hand at the finger, but just like before, it failed to create any ripple.
The finger still slowly moved towards his forehead.
The Great Serpent's figure dodged, moving quickly.
But upon closer inspection, the relative distance between the finger and him was already decreasing at a steady rate.
The Great Serpent tore through Asgard's space and teleported away.
Looking up, he saw that the finger was still following.
Finally, it gently touched his forehead.
At this moment, the Great Serpent understood.
The owner of the finger was far above him in strength.
Before, he had merely been toying with him.
"Who are you?"
These were the Great Serpent's last words.
He was the most supreme God of Asgard, the most supreme God after the many ancient gods of Earth.
Only those standing at the pinnacle of the Multiversecould kill him without him being able to resist.
The finger touched the Great Serpent's forehead, and the Great Serpent's consciousness was instantly erased by Russell.
Although his soul was not completely annihilated, it completely deprived him of any hope of resurrection.
Then, a suction force emanated from the finger, devouring the Great Serpent, leaving not even a speck behind.
Those who fell into Russell's hands had no chance of going to hell!
Withdrawing his finger, Russell looked at the Watcherwho had followed, and asked with a smile:
"How about it, 2 billion units of energy to watch once, isn't it worth it?"
Russell was not toying with the Great Serpent, but rather flexing his muscles at the Watcher.
The Watcher, facing Russell's question, was speechless and only felt a wave of lingering fear.
The Great Serpent, restored to his peak, had reached the level of a powerful Dimensional Lord, with frontal combat power not inferior to his own.
And such a Great Serpent was easily crushed by Russellwith a single finger.
In other words, if he hadn't decisively backed down earlier and paid to save his life.
He would have already been crushed to death by Russell.
"God Russell's strength is formidable; 2 billion units of energy to watch you make a move once is indeed worth it."
The Watcher said against his conscience.
2 billion energy just to watch Russell make a move once, that was definitely a loss, a huge loss.
If it was to ask Russell to make a move once, it would be about right.
However, the Watcher proved with his actions that.
If needed, he could also read "EQ."
"Then do you want to watch again?" Russell asked.
"God Russell, what do you mean?" The Watcher's expression shifted.
He wanted to ask if Russell was going to take action against Mephisto, but he didn't know if Russell already knew that Mephisto was the mastermind.
If Russell didn't know, then by asking directly, he would expose Mephisto, violating his oath.
After all, they, the Watchers, were 'absolutely neutral'!
"That's right, I'm going to take action against Mephisto. Watcher, are you interested in witnessing it?"
The Watcher nodded without hesitation.
Mephisto was no ordinary Dimensional Lord.
2 billion energy to watch a powerful God trouble him was worth it.
Chapter 174 Reactions from all parties
"What a loss!"
This was Mephisto's first reaction when he saw the Great Serpent being instantly obliterated by a single finger descending from the sky.
Not only did his plan to use the Great Serpent to deal with Sorcerer Ancient One and Russell fall through,
the fear energy he had added to the Great Serpent, and the promise of a single strike he received for releasing it,
were also gone.
"Who is he? Who is the Master of that glowing white finger that killed the Great Serpent?"
This was Mephisto's second reaction.
Although the Multiverse is infinitely vast and holds countless possibilities, Gods like the Great Serpent are considered strong within the Multiverse. They can move freely within the Multiverse.
Gods of a higher level rarely involve themselves in worldly affairs, seldom personally intervening in matters within the Multiverse.
Typically, they dispatch apostles to carry out their will.
Vishanti, for example, allows the Sorcerer Supreme under her to guard the Real Universe.
But that finger just now clearly indicated that a higher-level God had personally taken action.
"He won't come looking for trouble with me, will he?"
This was Mephisto's third reaction.
He had made some disguises when he was transmitting energy to the Great Serpent.
Normally, ordinary methods wouldn't be able to track him. Even if they did, he wouldn't be afraid.
But the appearance of that finger clearly made things extraordinary.
"No, I must prepare for the worst."
Without hesitation, Mephisto immediately activated the Flame Hell's defensive array, sealing all entry and exit passages of the entire dimension, temporarily severing the Hell Dimension's connection with other Real Universes, and placing the entire Hell Dimension in a silent state.
This way, those outside the Flame Hell would lose the Flame Hell's coordinates and would be unable to arrive directly by teleportation, only by flying through the Super Vortex.
But Mephisto still felt it wasn't safe enough. After a moment of hesitation, Mephisto gritted his teeth.
"Strategic relocation!"
He wasn't afraid of the Master of the finger; he was merely trying to preserve the Flame Hell's vital forces.
As for the loss of the right to guide souls from these Real Universe life Planets, Mephisto no longer cared.
"Where there's life, there's hope!"
Having made up his mind, Mephisto no longer hesitated. His scarlet divine power surged, communicating with the Flame Hell.
Rumble!
The Flame Hell trembled, and a moment later, like a spaceship, it slowly began to accelerate and move.
Finally, it headed in one direction towards the Super Vortex.
"You guys said that was Russell? The Master of that finger is Russell?"
Seeing the Great Serpent flee, Thor, who was about to help Loki up, heard Gwen and Wanda muttering to themselves and couldn't help but ask.
"It should be Russell," Gwen said, somewhat unsure. "Not long ago in the Nightmare Dimension, I saw him use a similar move, also a very large thing descending from the sky. But that time it wasn't a finger, but a palm."
"It was Russell, I saw him." The battle over, Tony stepped out of his armor. "When we were fighting just now, he should have been watching from the sky the whole time. When I fell, Jarvis just happened to capture a shot of him extending a finger and poking downwards.
Moreover, he told me before that he would only act when we encountered an opponent we couldn't handle."
Clap!
"That makes sense then." Thor clapped his hands, suddenly enlightened. "No wonder Russell didn't appear when we were fighting earlier."
Thor accidentally let go of his hand, and Loki was unlucky, falling to the ground again.
"Thor, if you don't want to help me, you can find someone else," Loki said faintly.
"Oh, sorry, brother."
Thor bent down and helped Loki up again, handing the weakened Loki to a nearby guard and instructing the guard to take Loki away for treatment.
In the battle against the Great Serpent just now, only Lokiand Hulk suffered direct attacks from the Great Serpent in its full glory.
Loki took a kick and was severely injured.
Hulk was slammed a few times, but then he was fine as if nothing had happened.
Perhaps, this is the difference between a mage and a tank.
"It seems the battle should be over."
Seeing the surrounding sea monsters suddenly lose their combat power and retreat chaotically into the ocean,
Thor knew that the Great Serpent had lost control of these sea monsters.
Although he didn't know if the Great Serpent had escaped, or been killed or captured by Russell.
But at least, Asgard's battle had come to an end.
"Everyone, go back and rest for a while. Afterwards, Asgard will hold a celebration ceremony for you."
Thor greeted the Earth Super Heroes who had come to assist, instructed the guards to take them to rest, and made sure they were well taken care of.
Afterwards, he went alone to the Golden Hall to report the results of the battle to his Father Odin and MotherFrigga.
Although, most likely, they themselves had been following the war and were well aware of the outcome.
Golden Hall.
Odin still stood by the window, overlooking Asgardbelow.
His single eye constantly moved, taking in the panoramic view of Asgard, observing carefully.
Below, the dense golden buildings were not affected by the coastline battlefield.
In fact, most Asgardians were unaware of the battle that had just taken place on the coast.
While the coastline battlefield was in full swing, it was still a scene of peace and prosperity.
Odin was very satisfied with this.
As King of Asgard, he had once again protected the peace of Asgard.
The only flaw was that the huge finger descending from the sky was too ostentatious and obvious, causing some commotion.
And, who was the Master of this giant finger?
The Celestials?
Although their bodies are huge, they are not so exaggerated that one finger is comparable to the entire Asgard.
Or, other unspeakable ancient Gods?
It seemed to be a friend, not an enemy.
Thump thump thump ~
Without turning around, Odin could hear that these were the footsteps of his eldest son, Thor.
"Thor, this time, you and Loki did very well. You protected the peace of the Nine Realms, and you protected the peace of the Kingdom."
"Father, this is what we should do."
Thor's voice was flat, even a little dejected.
Normally, Odin's praise would excite him.
But now, he had just lost his mjolnir and was in grief.
"Thor, you just repelled a powerful enemy, why are you so dejected?"
Odin heard the dejection in Thor's voice and asked directly.
"Father, mjolnir is broken."
Mentioning the shattered mjolnir, Thor's dejection could no longer be suppressed in his tone.
"What kind of God are you? The God of Hammers, or Thor? That hammer only helps you control your power, gathering it onto the hammer. It was never the source of your power."
Odin withdrew his gaze from overlooking Asgard below and looked at Thor.
"Thor, my son. You faced a powerful enemy invasion, fought bravely, and protected Asgard. I am proud of you. But seeing you so dejected now, I am very unhappy."
Chapter 175 Mephisto ran away?
In the golden hall, Odin and Thor's conversation continued.
"Thor, mjolnir is important. It is a weapon suited for you, capable of increasing your attack power, making you invincible.
But it is not that important. It is merely your weapon, not the source of your power.
If a weapon breaks, you can repair it, or forge a new one."
Thor nodded with a solemn expression.
"I understand, Father. It's just that mjolnir is not only my weapon; it is also my brother, my son."
Upon hearing this, Odin was speechless and could only skip the topic.
Looking at the sky, which had returned to its calm, azure state, Odin asked,
"Thor, do you know the Master of that giant finger in the sky?"
Just now, after Thor and Loki were defeated, Odin had prepared to enter the fray himself.
He was ready to risk his old life and fight a decisive battle with the Great Serpent.
Anyway, he didn't have much time left to live.
However, he was old, and his body was increasingly unable to withstand his gradually growing power.
He was not confident that he could kill the Great Serpent and then proceed to Valhalla.
Fortunately, the Master of this giant finger easily rewrote the battle with a single point.
"Russell. I heard Tony and the others say that the Masterof the finger is Russell."
"Sorcerer Russell?" Odin's tone was filled with doubt.
He remembered Russell, that young and powerful sorcerer.
In his perception, this young sorcerer possessed power comparable to his own in his youth.
He was indeed very powerful.
However, compared to the Master of the finger in the sky just now, he was far inferior.
Moreover, their sizes did not match.
"Thor, is the Master of the giant finger in the sky Sorcerer Russell? Or is the giant finger in the sky a spell cast by Sorcerer Russell?"
Odin thought of a possibility.
That is, the giant finger in the sky was not a part of some god's body, but a spell.
Although this was still incredibly exaggerated, it was barely plausible.
For a sorcerer, sacrificing certain things to borrow the power of an ancient god to unleash an astonishingly powerful move was not impossible.
"I don't know." Thor shook his head.
"Never mind." Odin sighed, signaling Thor to withdraw.
Prying into another's power could easily cause misunderstandings.
In these troubled times, Odin did not want to create new complications and push away his former allies.
Big means strong.
Besides Thor and Odin, several superheroes on Earthwere also shocked by Russell's descending giant finger and were discussing it animatedly.
"Was that finger in the sky really Russell's? It was so big, how heavy must it have been? Dr. Banner, do you think Hulk could lift it?"
Pietro looked at Dr. Banner, who had returned to his normal human form, and asked.
In his understanding, Hulk was the strongest being in existence.
"Hmm, that depends on what material the finger is made of and its density. Only then can we calculate its mass.
And after getting the mass, we also need to consider the gravity coefficient of the environment to calculate how much force is needed to lift that finger."
Considering Pietro's education, Dr. Banner explained in the simplest possible language.
"So, can Hulk lift it or not?"
"Unclear."
Dr. Banner stroked his chin, giving his conclusion.
He was somewhat confused now.
Actually, given the volume of that finger, if it were a living organism, its density should be far greater than that of an ordinary human body, and its mass would reach a terrifying degree.
At least, it would far exceed that of an ordinary planet.
But that finger was so close to them just now, yet he didn't feel any force from it acting on him.
This was not normal!
"The material making up that finger must be very special.
I suspect its density might be 0, or close to 0.
Otherwise, we should have felt the gravitational pull between that finger and us just now."
Dr. Banner boldly stated his conjecture, and Tony nodded in agreement.
"Now that Dr. Banner mentions it, this material is indeed very strange, somewhat defying the laws of physics. I really hope we can study it."
A new type of material held an attraction for researchers like Tony and Dr. Banner.
It was no different from...
"Russell? The next time we see Russell, we'll ask him for a bit to study."
Where did Russell go?
Russell was currently in the Super Vortex.
Originally, he planned to directly teleport into Mephistos Hell.
Previously, Sorcerer Ancient One had already given Russell the coordinates for Mephistos Hell, and Russellhad done it once before.
But unexpectedly, he failed this time.
Mephistos Hell was sealed; he couldn't sense it.
With no other option, Russell could only fly there with Watcher through the Super Vortex.
Anyway, with his speed, it wouldn't take long.
However, this time, Watcher held him back.
As is well known, when several people run together, the speed is determined by the slowest person.
Watcher's flying speed was, of course, far inferior to Russell's.
And he adhered to his principles, unwilling to accept Russell's help.
In Watcher's words, they were absolutely neutral, merely recorders and witnesses.
They would neither offer help to any party nor accept help from any party.
Their main principle was fairness and justice, with no interference whatsoever.
As for why he paid Russell observation fees...
Whether the energy paid to Russell had already interfered with the development of Universe affairs...
Russell didn't ask, just to save face for the patron.
Watcher's hypocrisy was no longer a secret.
Looking at the empty area before him, Russell fell into a daze.
Mephisto ran away?
He took such a large Hell Dimension and ran away with it?
What about the saying, "The monk may run away, but the temple cannot"?
Concentrating, Russell's divine power surged, emitting faint green luminescence.
He wanted to try to reverse time and space in the Super Vortex to see where Mephisto and his Flame Hell had gone.
The green luminescence enveloped a large surrounding area, attempting to flow backward along the direction of time, reversing time and space.
However, there was no reaction.
The area covered by the green light showed no response whatsoever.
It was as if no concept of time or space existed here.
Russell withdrew his divine ability, sensing carefully, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
Trouble!
There was no concept of time or space in the Super Vortex.
Time magic could not be used here.
This was a World of information.
Many actions that would leave obvious traces in the Real Universe or dimension Worlds would be submerged in the ocean of information here, making them difficult to discover.
What's more...
Because Watcher held him back, Russell arrived too late.
The traces of Mephisto's departure with his Hell were already submerged in the ocean of information.
Sighing deeply, Russell looked at Watcher, his expression displeased.
He had suffered a great loss this time.
On one hand, he lost the opportunity to extort more money from Mephisto;
On the other hand, since he hadn't found Mephisto, he didn't know if Watcher would still be willing to pay the viewing fees.
Chapter 176 Russell God, please listen to my explanation
As Russell's gaze grew increasingly dangerous, the Watcher felt a prickling sensation on his back.
At this moment, he profoundly understood what it meant to serve a king as if accompanying a tiger.
Fortunately, he did not sense any killing intent.
Remaining silent, the Watcher tried his best to minimize his presence, hoping Russell would treat him as an invisible entity.
However, things did not go as he wished, and Russell still spoke to him.
Moreover, he emphasized the word 'late'.
"Watcher, we were late; Mephisto escaped, and the clues are gone. What do you think we should do now?"
The Watcher sighed inwardly.
Although Russell's words hinted at shifting blame, what could he do?
He couldn't win in a fight, nor could he escape.
"God Russell, Mephisto directly sealed off his Hell and fled with it. In the vast Multiverse, it's almost impossible to find him again.
We can only wait for him to resurface. How about we go back first and quietly await news?"
The Watcher suggested, explaining to Russell.
In the Watcher's opinion, waiting was the best solution.
When Mephisto seals his Hell, it's almost impossible to find him.
But Mephisto cannot keep his Hell sealed forever.
He will eventually have to open Hell, ferry souls, and acquire energy.
Otherwise, he would eventually run at a deficit.
Russell shook his head, not favoring the Watcher's suggestion.
Given Mephisto's cautious behavior just now, he would surely flee very far before reopening Hell.
Over such a long distance, news would be difficult to transmit.
Even if by chance some news did arrive, who knows how many years would have passed.
Russell now lacked the patience to quietly await the passage of countless years, just for a low-probability event to occur.
"Watcher, your species is spread throughout the Multiverse. Do you normally share information, and how is it transmitted?"
The Watcher remained silent, contemplating how to refuse Russell.
On the surface, Russell was asking about the Watchers' affairs.
In reality, he was asking if he could use the power of his species to help Russell find Mephisto.
The answer was obvious: no.
In principle, Watchers do not participate in universal affairs and are absolutely neutral beings.
Naturally, he could not take sides, be used by Russell, and help him find Mephisto.
But he worried that if he answered directly like that, Russell would beat him up on the spot.
At this point, the art of language was needed.
"God Russell, Watchers usually share the images they record with each other. If God Russell is interested, I can also share some of the images I've collected with you."
Just images, no coordinates included.
"Then, Watcher, if you see any images related to Mephisto, could you share a copy with me?"
"No problem."
"Hmm?" Russell was surprised. He had only asked casually, yet the Watcher readily agreed.
Could the Watcher really help him find Mephisto?
But this didn't fit the Watcher species'set up.
Is he trying to trick me?
Thinking this, Russell's tone turned unfriendly:
"Big-headed dolls, are these images of yours problematic?"
Seeing cold sweat seep from the Big-headed dolls' forehead, Russell became even more convinced of his guess.
"Was I too gentle just now, making you think you could deceive me at will?"
The Big-headed dolls' body trembled slightly, and he began to regret his cleverness just now.
"God Russell, listen to my explanation. The images are absolutely fine, it's just that these images might not be able to help you."
The Big-headed dolls quickly explained.
"These images are merely what the Watchers have seen and heard, and do not include specific Universecoordinates. Relying solely on images, it's difficult to pinpoint which Universe and which Planet an event occurred in."
Russell questioned, "I don't believe you don't know the Universe numbering rules and don't number these Universes."
"God Russell, not all Universes have numbers. Moreover, a Universe number is not equal to a Universe coordinate.
Various Real Universes and magic dimensions are constantly in motion; their coordinates are not fixed.
It's just that usually, this change is very slow, and the deviation is very small in a short time, which can be ignored."
"Is that so?"
Seeing Russell nod thoughtfully, the Big-headed dollsslowly relaxed.
However, Russell's next sentence made him nervous again.
"If I hadn't asked just now, Big-headed dolls, were you not going to say anything? So, were you trying to deliberately mislead me just now?"
Big-headed dolls:...
Bang!
The Big-headed dolls transformed into a streak of light and flew backward into the distance.
"Forget it, I won't bother with you anymore. Let's part ways here."
Shaking his head uninterestingly, Russell also transformed into a streak of light and left.
Russell didn't like this Big-headed dolls.
It was one thing not to want to help, but he also tried to deceive.
Since that was the case, there was naturally no need to waste words with him.
With this time, he might as well go back and think of a way to track down Mephisto himself.
Queens, New York, Russell's reading room.
As soon as Russell returned to the bookstore, brewed himself a pot of tea, and took a couple of sips, someone came knocking.
"Good afternoon, Coulson. Congratulations on your promotion to Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Seeing a familiar face, Russell greeted him politely.
"Please sit, and have a taste."
With that, Russell poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of Coulson.
Coulson thanked him, picked up the teacup, carefully sniffed the aroma, and then slowly savored it with a calm mind.
This was tea personally poured for him by the strongest combatant on Earth, Master Russell.
"Excellent tea." Coulson praised with a thumbs-up.
As for what made it excellent, those who knew, knew.
"Then this cup of tea will be my promotion gift to you."
"Uh~"
Coulson laughed wryly.
"That won't be necessary, Russell. S.H.I.E.L.D. will be disbanded soon."
Russell was surprised.
On Earth-199999, in the timeline of "Captain America 2."
Because HYDRA infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and completely overturned it, S.H.I.E.L.D. lost public trust worldwide.
Therefore, S.H.I.E.L.D. was declared no longer a national agency and formally disbanded.
But on Earth-404, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s cleanup of HYDRA was relatively easy this time, and the chaos caused was not significant.
It wouldn't lead to its dissolution by the World Security Council.
"Why? Is it because of the HYDRA incident that S.H.I.E.L.D. is falling apart? But I remember your actions were quite swift, and the commotion wasn't that big, was it?"
Coulson shook his head with a bitter smile:
"The HYDRA incident was only a small part.
More importantly, with the emergence of extraordinary powers, various countries have begun to establish their own extraordinary organizations, taking responsibility for handling supernatural events themselves.
This directly led to S.H.I.E.L.D. being stripped of its law enforcement powers within various countries.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is already defunct in name."
"I see." Russell patted Coulson's shoulder comfortingly, "I believe that even outside S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson, you'll find a good job."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. was originally a special product born in a special historical era. If it's disbanded, then so be it."
Coulson said with a smile, seemingly not at all saddened by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s dissolution.
Chapter 177 This is what the bard revealed, it must be true
"Russell, I'm here this time to carry out S.H.I.E.L.D.'s last mission."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s last mission?"
Russell quipped, "Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D. is about to be disbanded. Are your superiors still assigning you missions?"
Coulson shook his head and smiled:
"This mission isn't just S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mission.
All agencies responsible for supernatural affairs in various countries have received this mission.
That is to investigate the seven hammers that fell from the sky a few days ago.
You know, these hammers caused a lot of chaos.
Paris and New York Manhattan Island have already reported nearly a thousand casualties.
There's also an underwater kingdom and an African country whose casualties haven't been announced.
The total casualties in these two countries are immeasurable, estimated to be around 400,000 to 500,000.
The authorities urgently want to know the origin of these seven hammers.
And whether similar items will fall from the sky in the future."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to be disbanded anyway, so why are you still so dedicated? Wouldn't it be better to just slack off?" Russell asked.
Coulson explained:
"I originally thought the same, but seeing those young, energetic Agents, I changed my mind.
Their Agent careers have just begun. After leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., they can still join S.W.O.R.D., the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or the CIA.
I hope S.H.I.E.L.D. can leave a good impression on these young Agents.
At least let them know that S.H.I.E.L.D. is not a place to muddle through, not a fraudster for funds."
Fund fraudster?
Russell suspected Coulson was implicitly referring to Nick Fury.
Although there was no evidence, Russell trusted his intuition.
Coulson continued:
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s last field mission is to investigate the hammer that fell from the sky and was obtained by Tony. I hope this mission can have a proper beginning and end.
Russell, can you tell me the origin of those seven hammers?"
Russell pondered for a moment:
"It's not seven, it's eight. One hammer didn't fall from the sky; it was directly teleported to Earth.
These eight hammers are also known as the Hammers of the Serpent. They originated from Kurse Borson, the god of fear of Asgard in another Real Universe.
Wielding a hammer means being chosen and brainwashed to become Kurse Borson's Worthy, serving him and spreading fear.
For ordinary people and ordinary superhumans, it's almost impossible to resist this kind of brainwashing."
After thinking, Russell added, "However, Kurse Borsonhas already been killed by me, and these eight hammers have lost their source of power, so they should be temporarily ineffective.
Unless Odin, the Asgardian King of this Universe, re-injects power into them."
"So, these Hammers of the Serpent have lost their power now. And they are no longer dangerous, right, Russell?" Coulson inquired.
He wanted to reconfirm the danger of the Hammers of the Serpent.
As high-end creations of Asgard, a civilization combining magic and technology, the Hammers of the Serpent are a concentrated embodiment of Asgardian knowledge and technology.
They have great research value.
There are eight Hammers of the Serpent in total, six of which have already been collected by Kamar-Taj.
Now there are two more in the hands of the Council.
If it is confirmed that these two Hammers of the Serpent are no longer dangerous and will not brainwash their wielder, the Council can begin research.
"Coulson, I can't give you any guarantees. I'm just telling you my judgment; I'm not responsible for any accidents."
"Alright, thank you, Russell."
Coulson thanked him and then hurried out of the bookstore.
With S.H.I.E.L.D. disbanding, he still had a lot of handover work to do.
Slacking off?
That was something only ordinary Agents could enjoy.
After Coulson left, Russell started thinking again, pondering how to track down Mephisto.
This time, Mephisto had delivered himself into Russell's hands, and Russell was determined to make him pay dearly.
And the VIP seating tickets for the Big-headed dolls.
Neither of these could be missed.
Otherwise, Russell wouldn't be able to sleep well for several days.
So, Russell couldn't sleep, pondering for several days and nights, but gained nothing.
But fortunately, not sleeping didn't affect his spirits.
Asgard.
After several days of preparation, a grand celebration was held.
In these days, news about the coastline war and the giant finger that suddenly appeared in the sky spread like wildfire.
The news was a mix of truth and falsehood.
But generally, one thing was clear.
Asgard had defeated the invading enemy, successfully defended the peace of the Nine Realms, and defended the peace of Asgard.
As for who the invading enemy was, there wasn't much news.
But that wasn't important; what was important was who the greatest contributor was.
To put it simply, who was the MVP.
"I have secret information: the greatest contributor is Your Highness Loki," said a young man dressed in green robes, like a bard.
"You're talking nonsense. The greatest contributor must be Your Highness Thor; he defeated the invading enemy.
The lightning and thunder that day, even Asgardians far from the battlefield, in residential areas, could see it." Someone retorted.
The young man in green robes scoffed:
"Thor was defeated. His mjolnir, thors hammer was crushed by the invader with one hand.
It was Your Highness Loki who turned the tide, fighting the invader for a long time, only then delaying until reinforcements (the giant finger in the sky) arrived.
Ultimately, Your Highness Loki, at the cost of severe injuries, defeated the invader along with the reinforcements."
"Impossible, how could Your Highness Thor fail? And Mjolnir, it's even more impossible for it to be crushed by someone."
The surrounding Asgardians didn't believe this news and refuted it one after another.
Facing everyone's refutation, the young man in green robes wasn't annoyed at all, merely guiding the crowd:
"Think carefully, haven't you not seen Thor holding Mjolnir these past few days? And after the battle, didn't Your Highness Loki enter the medical bay?"
The surrounding Asgardians discussed animatedly, verifying the news with each other.
"It seems to be true! I haven't seen mjolnir for days."
"Have you seen Your Highness Thor holding mjolnir these past few days?"
"No."
"No."
"I have a friend who also participated in the coastline defense battle at the time. According to him, Your Highness Thor's mjolnir was indeed shattered."
Soon, everyone discovered that the situation seemed to be exactly as the young man in green robes had said.
"Could it be that Your Highness Loki really led the warriors to defeat the invaders?"
The surrounding Asgardians were half-believing, half-doubting.
At first, they only thought this news was fabricated out of thin air.
The valiant and skilled Your Highness Thor was defeated, while Your Highness Loki, who was not known for his martial prowess, turned the tide and defeated a powerful enemy.
How could this be!
But the more they checked the details, the more real they found the news to be.
Moreover, a bard said this!
Then it must be true.
The Asgardians hadn't forgotten that in the previous battle of Jotunheim, a bard also accurately broke the news.
Chapter 178 Victory Celebration Banquet
Chapter 178: Celebration Feast
Similar scenes unfolded in various places across Asgard.
But this time, the bard wasn't Russell, but Loki.
After the Jotunheim war, Russell's act of transforming into a bard and blowing his own horn inspired Loki.
Instead of letting false information spread everywhere, he might as well take the stage himself, using his Ekron Form clones to spread some half-truths.
Asgard.
In the central cluster of towering buildings, there was a golden palace.
The interior of the palace was vast and cold, with rows of massive stone pillars silently supporting the heavy roof.
Tap, tap, tap~
A series of footsteps broke the silence.
Thor walked through a long corridor and arrived in front of a room.
He pushed the door open with force and walked straight in.
"Brother, I've come to visit you."
This palace was Loki's residence in Asgard.
After being injured in the battle with the Great Serpent, Loki was first sent to the medical bay to treat his wounds.
Once his condition was stable, Loki returned to his palace to rest.
At this moment, Loki was sitting on a huge, throne-like chair, eyes closed in a doze.
He dismissed the Ekron Form clones and brought his attention back.
Loki slowly opened his eyes, looked at Thor, and showed a helpless expression.
"I'm fine now."
"Really? I haven't seen you leave the palace for days, so I thought your injuries hadn't healed yet." Thor waved to Loki, "Loki, if you're fine, then come out and join the party. Don't let everyone worry, they're all waiting for you."
"Alright." Loki shrugged, jumped off the chair, and walked towards Thor.
"It's good to see you safe and sound, brother." Thor put his arm around Loki and patted his shoulder heavily.
Loki's mouth twitched: "I'm also glad to see you've recovered, brother."
Loki was referring to Thor's low spirits after mjolnir, thors hammer, was crushed.
"I am Thor, not the God of Hammers." Thor retorted stubbornly.
"Thor, I remember you've always liked snakes since you were little, and you also liked mjolnir. Now, a Great Serpent crushed your mjolnir, do you still like snakes?" Loki continued to twist the knife in Thor's heart.
"He's not a snake. Where do you see a snake with wings and claws?"
Bickering, the two walked side by side out of the palace.
They walked through the long corridor, exited Loki's residence, and arrived at the square.
Night fell, and the lights came on, illuminating the square brightly.
At this time, the square had been set up as a huge banquet venue.
To match the banquet atmosphere, Asgard's time had been artificially fixed to night.
Thor led Loki through the crowd, heading towards a corner on the other side of the square.
"Your Highness Thor."
"Your Highness Loki."
Along the way, people frequently greeted Thor and Lokiwith smiles.
From their tone and gaze, Loki felt respected.
Very good, his hard work over the past few days, spreading word of his role in this war through his alter ego, was not in vain.
"Hey, Thor, Loki, you're here!"
In a low building in the corner of the square, Tony and his group of six were gathered, enjoying Asgardiandelicacies.
The six were Tony, Dr. Banner, Pietro, Wanda, Gwen, and Gaya.
As for Hawkeye Barton and Black Widow Natasha, who also participated in the Battle of New York, Manhattan, they did not come.
When the Bifrost Bridge appeared, they were quite far away and hadn't arrived yet when Loki left with his people.
"To celebrate the defeat of the Great Serpent, cheers!" Thor raised his cup, gesturing to everyone.
"Cheers!" Everyone raised their cups in response.
After draining their drinks,
Bang!
Eight sounds of cups being smashed rang out one after another.
Tony and his group had been in Asgard for several days, and they were already accustomed to the Asgardiancustom of smashing cups.
Asgardians were wealthy and didn't care about a few cups, so Tony and the others naturally didn't hold back.
After a hearty drink of mead, Loki's gaze swept around the room.
The six people in the room were all those he had brought to Asgard for support.
But why wasn't Russell here?
"Where's Russell? Why didn't he come?" Loki asked.
In Loki's version of the story, the biggest heroes in the victory of this war were him and Russell.
How could the main character not be at this celebration feast?
Facing Loki's question, Thor gave an awkward laugh.
He had been trying to repair mjolnir for the past few days, and after realizing it was impossible, he had been in low spirits.
He hadn't paid attention to this issue.
But it didn't matter, he had an excuse.
"Loki, you know. Heimdall can't locate Russell, he can't find him."
Tony shrugged: "After receiving Asgard's invitation to the celebration feast, we've been in Asgard these past few days."
"You can go to the teleportation platform to find Heimdall, use the power of the Bifrost Bridge to teleport back to Earth, and then teleport back when the banquet starts. You don't have to stay in Asgard all the time," said the belatedly aware Thor.
The physical distance between Asgard and Earth in the Universe was extremely vast.
Moreover, as the ruler of the Nine Realms and a major power in the Universe, Asgard had a very complete defense system.
Tony and the others had no way to freely enter and exit Asgard.
If they wanted to return to Earth, they could only find Heimdall and use the power of the Bifrost Bridge to teleport back.
But...
"Who is Heimdall? We're not familiar with him." Tonyquipped.
"Heimdall is the Guardian of the Heavenly Palace, he is stationed there year-round—"
Loki glanced at Thor, signaling him with his eyes.
Thor, knowing he was at fault, stopped defending himself and proactively said: "I'll go find Russell. I'm familiar with Heimdall."
"Did I hear you were looking for me?"
A voice sounded, and a radiant white energy surged as Russell emerged from it.
These past few days, he had been racking his brain in the bookstore, trying to figure out how to find Mephisto.
And he really did come up with a method.
During the first Battle of New York, in order to protect innocent non-villains from being harmed by the aftermath of his and Thanos's battle, he proactively released some radiant white energy to shield them.
In this process, these people had been infused with Russell's energy, but there were no side effects, so no abnormalities were visible in their daily lives.
During this time, a small number of these people had passed away for various reasons.
Some of their souls also entered Mephisto's Flame Hell.
Thus, Russell began to try and sense the energy he had proactively released, attempting to find Mephisto's Flame Hell through this method.
And both Gwen and Gaya had a large amount of Russell's energy within them, and they were also not far from Earth (relatively speaking, for Russell).
When Russell attempted to sense, their positions were exceptionally clear.
And because of this, the conversations happening around them were also heard by Russell.
"Hey, Russell, when did you come to Asgard? Why didn't you say hello to us?"
Seeing Russell suddenly appear, Thor said with a smile.
He thought Russell had arrived in Asgard much earlier, only appearing just now.
Chapter 179 Loki Challenges Thor
Oh, I just heard someone call me over here, so I came from the bookstore, Russell said casually.
Asgard's defense system in its normal state couldn't stop him.
Then, he walked towards the golden long table piled with fine wine and delicacies — in Asgard, gold was the main color.
He took a glass of wine with his left hand, drank it all, and quietly savored the spicy stimulation of the Heavenly Palace brew, which instantly enveloped his throat and tongue.
He took a piece of meat with his right hand, tore at it a few times, and swallowed it.
Before he knew it, Russell hadn't eaten for several days.
Although he wasn't hungry, not being hungry didn't mean he wasn't craving.
"It's been a while since I came to Heavenly Palace, and I feel like the food here is even better," Russell praised after eating a little to satisfy his craving.
"If Russell you like it, you can often visit Asgard. I believe Father and Mother will welcome you," Loki said with a smile.
In this battle with the Great Serpent, he deeply realized the effect of time magic.
With the help of time magic, he successfully compensated for the speed difference between him and the Great Serpent.
Unfortunately, his mastery of time magic was not yet sufficient.
Otherwise, he could have defeated the Great Serpent by himself.
Russell nodded politely in agreement.
Everyone knows how to make small talk.
After the pleasantries, Thor asked about the Great Serpent's whereabouts, whether it was alive or dead.
And what was with the giant finger in the sky.
"Russell, is that giant finger in the sky your magic? Or, is it your finger?" Thor asked.
Odin had asked him this question before, and now that he had the chance to ask Russell directly, he naturally wouldn't miss it.
"Of course it's my magic, do you see my finger, is it that big?" Russell gestured with his finger, showing it to a few people.
"Wow, that magic is so cool, what's its name?" Loki asked.
Tony's attention was also drawn over.
Big is strong, big is beautiful.
Regardless of its power, its sky-obscuring appearance was full of grandeur and prestige.
"Hmm," Russell pondered for a while.
He suddenly remembered a novel he had heard of before he transmigrated, "Wu Dong Qian Kun," in which the protagonist Lin Dong had a unique skill called the Great Desolate Sky Imprisoning Finger.
"Let's call it God Russell's Finger, it just matches the previous move, God Russell's Palm."
Although the name was a bit common, no one reacted.
There were many similar names, Raggadorr Red Bands, Winds of Watoomb, Vishanti Holy Sword, all followed this naming format.
"God Russell's Finger, is this a spell you created, Russell?" Loki asked.
"That's right," Russell nodded.
He certainly wouldn't tell Loki that this wasn't magic.
Of course, saying it was a spell unique to Russell was also fine.
Anyway, the right of interpretation was in Russell's hands.
"That's amazing," Loki praised, "Russell, can you teach me?"
"No, Loki, you can't learn it," Russell refused, and briefly explained to Loki.
This was his ordinary attack after using the White matter in the White space for mimicry.
It was fundamentally different from other spells.
Russell couldn't teach it, and Loki couldn't learn it.
The 重點 wasn't the magic, it was the White matter.
"So that's how it is," Loki understood, he indeed couldn't learn this extravagant fighting style.
"Russell, what about the Great Serpent? I saw him seem to have run away," Thor continued to ask.
"He didn't run away, he's dead."
After thinking for a moment, Russell still explained the clues he had obtained to everyone in detail.
"Kaecilius summoned the Great Serpent, obtained the first Great Serpent's Hammer, and the other seven Great Serpent's Hammers were summoned and came through the void."
This clue came from Sorcerer Ancient One.
The question was, how did Kaecilius get the incantation to summon the Great Serpent.
"When the Great Serpent was about to be defeated, Mephisto provided him with energy to restore him to his peak." "After the Great Serpent was defeated, Mephistocarried his hell and fled overnight."
These two clues came from Russell.
After discussion, everyone pieced together an answer.
Mephisto instructed Kaecilius to summon the Great Serpent, the purpose unknown.
In the central golden hall, Odin quietly overlooked the square where the celebration banquet was being held below.
He watched the Asgardians move through it, laughing and smiling, and his mood couldn't help but become pleasant.
When Thor brought Loki into the hall, his gaze began to follow the two brothers.
Watching the Asgardian citizens greet the two brothers kindly along the way, his mood became even more pleasant.
He no longer pursued making Loki the King of the Jotunheim Frost Giants.
As long as the two brothers worked together to protect Asgard, that was enough.
Of course, the God King had to be Thor.
Suddenly, Odin received a voice through the Asgardiandefense system.
The owner of the voice was the young man he remembered deeply — Russell.
"God King Odin, please allow me to enter Asgard."
Odin nodded gently: "Good. Asgard welcomes Sorcerer Russell."
After opening Asgard's access permissions, Odinimmediately saw Russell suddenly teleport in.
His single eye couldn't help but contract violently.
The feeling Russell gave him this time was different from before.
Before, Russell would give him a faint sense of danger, and this sense of crisis indicated that they were opponents of similar level.
Therefore, he would tell Thor that Russell possessed the strength of his youth.
But now, he felt nothing from Russell.
'Sorcerer Russell, has his strength improved again? No wonder he could kill the Great Serpent.'
From a long distance, Odin greeted Russell and then withdrew his gaze.
Happy times always fly by quickly.
Asgard feasted for three days.
After that, Russell took Thor, Loki, and Tony's group, and left Asgard.
They arrived at the dimensional fragment Russell had obtained not long ago after killing the Primeval Demon Beast.
Upon realizing that Thor had lost mjolnir and was temporarily unable to use Thunder God Power, Lokidecisively challenged Thor.
To show fairness, Loki also voluntarily gave up using the Eternal Spear.
The reason for choosing the dimensional fragment as the battleground was because this battle would determine both victory and defeat, and life and death.
And within the dimensional fragment, one could easily reverse time and space to revive, without worrying about causing temporal disorder.
"Loki, didn't you say before that defeating Thor without mjolnir was meaningless?" Russell secretly intercepted a period of time on the way and chatted privately with Loki.
"I did say that before," Loki smiled, "But at that time Thorstill had mjolnir, and mjolnir was part of his strength.
Now mjolnir is broken, so without mjolnir, that is his strength. Moreover, I voluntarily gave up the Eternal Spear, so neither of us uses divine artifacts, which is very fair."
After thinking for a moment, Loki suddenly whispered, "However, Russell, can you put some fast-moving meteorites in the dimensional fragment?"
"No problem. You can divide into home and away, each choosing a terrain once."
Russell had already gained control of that dimensional fragment, and changing the environment within the dimension was easy.
Chapter 180: Let There Be Light
Inside the dimensional fragment, there was endless darkness, silent and profound. At the heart of the darkness, a Planet floated solitarily.
Without the light and heat from a burning star, this Planet was stripped of the colors and warmth of life, leaving only coldness and silence.
A sudden flash of White light broke the darkness.
A moment later, the light dissipated, and nine figures emerged from it.
It was Russell and his group.
Using the White light that had just appeared, Thor and Loki surveyed their surroundings.
This was a desolate, cold, and dangerous place. The land was covered in glaciers, with jagged rocks and towering, rugged mountains.
With just a glance, Thor and Loki made their judgment.
Because they had been to a similar place—Jotunheim, the home of the Frost Giants. That place was also perpetually covered in ice and snow.
However, compared to Jotunheim, it was even darker here. Especially when the White light receded, it became pitch black.
"Hey, Russell, is this Jotunheim, or Svartalfheim? It's so cold and dark," Thor grumbled. "I think this place is perfect for the Dark Elves. Next time the Dark Elves cause trouble, we should banish them here."
Svartalfheim, the realm of the Dark Elves, had already been destroyed by the Bifrost Bridge.
Five thousand years ago, during the reign of Bor, Thor's grandfather, the war between the Dark Elves and the Asgardians had already begun.
Even though the Dark Elves were defeated and the Aether Particle (Reality Stone) was sealed by the former god-king Bor, the Dark Elves never surrendered.
The two nations fought for many years, with countless battles of varying sizes, resulting in innumerable casualties among Asgardian warriors.
As Thor grew older, he also participated in these conflicts. Naturally, he held no good feelings towards the Dark Elves.
His suggestion to banish the Dark Elves here was just an offhand remark.
The environment suitable for Dark Elves to survive, besides darkness, also required other material conditions.
And within this dimensional fragment, there was almost nothing but darkness and cold.
"This place isn't suitable for life, it's too cold," Dr. Bannercouldn't help but shiver, trembling as he leaned closer to Russell.
Among the nine people here, he had the weakest physique. If it weren't for Russell's built-in constant temperature field, he would have been forced into his Hulk form by the surrounding cold environment.
Not just Dr. Banner, Tony, Pietro, Wanda, and Gaya also found it hard to withstand the surrounding cold, and had no choice but to use magic to block out the cold air.
Gwen, Thor, and Loki, possessing superhuman physiques, were able to avoid the effects of the low temperature.
Seeing this, Russell expanded his constant temperature field, enveloping everyone.
"Oh, Jarvis, remind me to add a thermal module to my suit when we get back. Damn it, how can there be such a cold place in this World?"
"Yes, sir."
Jarvis responded to Tony.
Since there was no need for combat, Tony was not in his suit at the moment, but had entrusted it to Jarvis.
"Thor, Loki, are you going to fight in a place like this? It's so dark here. Do you want Jarvis to light you up? Like a big star stepping onto a stage, otherwise, we won't be able to see your fight clearly."
After instructing Jarvis, Tony teased Thor and Loki.
Jarvis manipulated the suit to fly into the air, extending its hands and shooting out two beams of strong light, shining them on Thor and Loki's heads.
"Oh, sh*t. Tony, stop."
Thor and Loki were caught off guard, their eyes flashed by the strong light, feeling a sharp pain in their eyes, and couldn't help but shield their foreheads with their hands.
"You do this, and we can't fight."
"Haha, alright. Jarvis, dim the lights. Our Point Break male lead and Bambi can't handle such intensity."
Tony chuckled twice, celebrating the success of his prank.
"Tony, this kind of bad taste is unacceptable," Russell said with distaste, moving a little further away from Tony.
"I didn't expect you to be like this, Tony," Gwen and Gayamurmured with emotion.
In the past few days, Gaya had also become familiar with the others and knew that Tony was someone who could take a joke.
"Tony's bad taste isn't just this; he also deliberately made the tutor assign us more homework," Wanda and Pietroalso took the opportunity to denounce Tony.
"Hey, Wanda, Pietro, that's not bad taste, that's to help you catch up on your studies as quickly as possible, it's my supplement to you," Tony argued defensively.
"And Russell, you have no right to criticize me. Have you forgotten what you did?
Last time in California, I just gave you a very valuable suggestion, and you suddenly 'had an idea' and ambushed Steve and me."
Dr. Banner: "Then Tony, how do you explain sometimes secretly shocking me with an electric pen?"
"Oh, I just wanted to help you get used to some small stimuli, Dr. Banner. Besides, don't you think it's cool when you turn into the Hulk?" Tony continued to be stubborn.
While the group was bickering, Thor and Loki had already flown into the distance.
"Hey, stop arguing for a moment, let me tell Thor and Loki the rules."
Russell interrupted them.
"The first rule: Let there be light! Otherwise, the audience won't see anything."
Snap!
With a snap of his fingers, several bright lights appeared from the dark space in the distance, illuminating the Planet beneath their feet from all directions in the next moment.
Under the illumination of light from all angles, there were no Shadows even beneath their feet.
And the light beams from the flashlight on the suit controlled by Jarvis also merged into the light beams shining from all directions, as if they had disappeared.
"The second rule: Not only determine superiority, but also decide life and death!"
Russell formed a hand seal, and two green runes appeared, then transformed into streaks of light that wrapped around Thor and Loki's wrists respectively, forming a magical ring.
"This is a Time Magic that allows you to return to your current state after death, or when you actively activate it. So, there's no need to hold back or worry about killing the other person; just fight with all your might."
"The third rule: Home and away, divided into two battles. Each person can choose the terrain once."
"Any other questions can be raised now."
"Can this mark really bring someone back to life?" Thorraised his wrist, looking at the constantly rotating green ring on it, confirming.
Russell gestured to Loki, asking him to demonstrate to alleviate Thor's concerns.
Thor was unfamiliar with Time Magic, so it was inevitable that he had doubts. He didn't want to accidentally kill his brother.
Although adopted, they had a brotherhood of over a thousand years.
Loki pretended not to see Russell's gesture. He wanted to use Thor's concerns to create an advantage for himself and win the first round.
Then, using his understanding of the terrain, he would win the second round.
"Thor, stop dawdling. For the first round, you can choose the terrain first. If you're worried about accidentally being killed by me, then you can surrender in time. Don't worry, I'll definitely stop in time."