Chapter 181 We Have Never Been Enemies
On the Planet's surface, a stone structure resembling an ancient Roman gladiatorial arena rose from the ground.
However, compared to the ancient Roman Colosseum, this building had no spectator stands; instead, there was a grandstand.
After all, there were only seven spectators.
And the arena was not oval-shaped, but a circle with a diameter of one kilometer.
Out of concern, Thor chose a ring battle format and wanted to add a rule—as long as one left the ring area, it counted as a loss.
But Loki refused.
With their power, it would be easy to be sent flying out with just two hits.
If going out of bounds ended the fight, it wouldn't have much meaning.
In the center of the plaza, Thor and Loki stood facing each other.
After losing mjolnir, thors hammer, Thor chose new weapons.
He held a shield in his left hand, a mace in his right, and had two battle axes strapped to his back.
As for Loki, he chose a sword and shield combination, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other.
His small dagger was good for sneak attacks, but not for direct combat.
"Thor, my brother, do you know why I proposed a fight to the death to you?" Loki looked at Thor opposite him and suddenly said.
"Why, brother?" Thor was puzzled.
The two brothers grew up together and had sparred many times.
But a full-power, life-or-death struggle like this was a first.
"Because..." Loki paused, and while Thor's attention was focused on him, his true body quietly cloaked and left, leaving an illusion in its place.
"The thought of being able to beat you up excites me."
Swoosh~
Just as Thor was distracted, Loki's true body lurked behind him and stabbed him in the kidney.
"Oh!"
Thor cried out in pain, swinging his left hand back, trying to swat Loki away with his shield, but Loki abandoned his dagger and quickly retreated to dodge.
"Loki, you are too despicable."
"Thor, I am the God of Mischief."
While Thor had a dagger in his waist and was temporarily inconvenienced, Loki conjured two longswords in his hands and rushed towards Thor like an arrow leaving the bowstring.
Loki intended to fight Thor with a fast-paced, quick-strike approach.
Earlier, Loki had discussed with Russell how to defeat Thor.
After their discussion, they found that Thor's weakness lay in his speed.
Of course, normally, even if Thor's speed was a weakness, his speed was still superior to Loki's.
But with the augmentation of time magic, Loki was able to surpass him in speed.
In the center of the arena, a real Loki and many fake Lokis, all glowing green, surrounded Thor, engaging in high-speed offense and defense.
During attacks, the real and fake bodies moved at similar speeds, making it difficult to distinguish them.
But when dodging, the fake bodies' reactions and speed were much slower, often being easily dispersed by Thorwith either his shield or mace.
However, under Loki's fierce assault, Thor had no time to pull out the dagger stuck in his waist.
His power was obstructed, and his strength advantage could not be fully utilized, making him appear somewhat disheveled for a time.
Another important reason was that after losing mjolnir, thors hammer, Thor was still unaccustomed and unable to channel the Thunder God Power within him to release it for active attack or defense.
Without the Thunder God Power, Thor was currently just a small-scale Hulk. Although he had decent stats, when encountering a mechanism monster that countered him, he would struggle when his numerical advantage couldn't be brought to bear.
And Loki, as the Nine Realms' top mage after excluding a few individuals, had studied magic since childhood and was skilled in controlling his own energy. In battle, various spells were readily used.
"Hey, is that Point Break guy going to lose? He looks like he can't beat his brother." Tony looked at the battle below and couldn't help but wonder, voicing everyone's thoughts.
"Doesn't he emit electricity? Why isn't he?"
The battle below completely exceeded everyone's expectations.
Leaving aside distant events, they had all seen Thor in action during the recent battle with the Great Serpent.
They also had some understanding of Thor's abilities.
They knew his primary ability was to release and manipulate the power of thunder for attacks.
But now, in his battle with Loki, Thor had not used it even once, despite the unfavorable situation.
"Thor cannot use the power of thunder at will; he needs mjolnir, thors hammer to channel the power within him," Russell explained to everyone.
"However, when he truly encounters danger, he will naturally unleash his potential and release the power within him."
"So, Russell, you still favor Thor?" Tony asked.
"That's right. Not only that, I believe Thor can win even without activating the Thunder God Power within him. Thor has an advantage in all physical aspects; only his speed is a slight disadvantage."
"How about a bet?" Tony suggested, "$50. I think Lokiwill win."
"Alright." Russell readily agreed and added,
"If Thor wins without activating the Thunder God Powerwithin him, I win.
If Thor activates the Thunder God Power within him to defeat Loki, it's a draw.
If Loki wins, you win."
"Count me in, I think Thor will win," Dr. Bannerinterjected.
"Count me in too, I think Loki will win. Speed is king," Pietro also joined in.
In the center of the battlefield, the situation changed.
After Thor realized the impact of the dagger stuck in his waist, he decisively chose to abandon the mace in his right hand, switching to holding the shield with his right hand for full defense.
Seizing the opportunity, he pulled out the dagger with his left hand.
Without the dagger hindering him, Thor's movements became smoother, and his body much more agile.
Discarding the shield, Thor drew the two battle swords from his back and engaged Loki in an offense-for-offense battle.
For a time, their battle escalated, seemingly transforming from a mere spar into a true life-and-death struggle, with every move aiming for a fatal blow, leaving no room for mercy.
Both of them began to sustain injuries.
However, having taken a similar sword strike, Thor's injuries were much shallower than Loki's.
Firstly, Thor's physical defense was stronger, while Loki's was weaker.
Secondly, Thor's strength was greater, and his sword strikes had more lethality. Loki's strength was less, and his lethality was also less.
As injuries accumulated, Thor's advantage became increasingly apparent.
However, even though his advantage continued to grow, Thor had yet to convert it into a decisive victory.
After all, this was a battle to determine both superiority and life or death.
Although Russell guaranteed that he had cast time magicand could restore both of them to their initial state after death,
Thor still found it difficult to deliver a killing blow to Loki.
Bang!
Thor seized an opportunity and kicked Loki, whose speed had continuously decreased after being injured, out of the battle circle.
"Brother, this is enough. You have lost."
Loki rolled clumsily on the ground a few times before regaining his footing.
"Brother, it's not over yet. This is a fight to the death."
"Brother, we don't have to be like this. We have never been enemies!"
Thor tried to persuade Loki to stop fighting, but his response was Loki's thrusting longsword.
Chapter 182: Round Two
The longsword in Loki's hand was unstoppable, piercing through a heart.
But it wasn't Thor's heart.
It was Loki's own.
The longsword pierced through his heart, bringing forth a spray of blood, which seemed to also drain Loki of his strength. His legs gave out, and Loki fell to the ground.
"Brother!"
"Loki!"
The sudden turn of events shocked Thor and the six people on the spectator stand, excluding Russell.
After his surprise, a strange look flashed in Thor's eyes. He put down his weapon and quickly stepped forward, moving to help Loki up and check his injuries.
"Now!"
Another Loki silently appeared behind Thor, raising a small knife in his hand, ready to stab Thor in the back.
An old trick is still good if it works. This was Loki's second sneak attack.
However, Thor indicated that Thor would not be defeated by the same move twice—with the qualifier: in a short period of time.
At the critical moment, Thor grabbed Loki's ankle, yanked hard, and flipped Loki to the ground.
Just as Thor was about to press his advantage, Loki raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, saying helplessly,
"Alright, Thor. I give up this round."
"Don't try to trick me again, Loki!"
As he spoke, Thor picked up the longsword from the ground and plunged it into Loki's shoulder, pinning Loki to the ground.
"What a cruel brother you are."
Loki laughed and teased Thor, as if it wasn't his own shoulder that had been pierced by the sharp blade.
Although not as battle-hardened as Thor, Loki, having grown up in Asgard, had experienced his fair share of battles.
The pain caused by a mere weapon piercing his body was bearable with a bit of endurance.
"However, I'm not lying to you this time."
"Loki, you lie too much. I won't believe you."
"Is that so?" Loki activated the green runes wrapped around his wrist, and waves of green light emanated, enveloping Loki.
As the green light flickered, Loki's figure rapidly reversed, as if time was playing backward.
His wounds disappeared one by one.
Finally, he returned to his state at the beginning of the battle; all his injuries, expended stamina, and divine power were fully restored.
The same scene quickly replayed itself on Thor.
A moment later, both returned to the center of the arena completely unscathed, their conditions restored to peak, and even their clothes hadn't a speck of dust.
It was as if the fierce battle that had just occurred had never happened.
But the battle marks all over the arena floor gave a different answer.
"Is this Time Magic? It's truly miraculous, worthy of being forbidden magic. All the wounds on my body have been reversed and disappeared. I believe what Russell said now—even death can be reversed."
Thor clenched his fist, feeling his stamina and divine power restored to full, his face filled with wonder.
"Perhaps mjolnir can also be repaired with Time Magic," Thor thought to himself.
In the past few days, he had tried several methods, but none could repair mjolnir.
He had already prepared to go to the Planet Nidavellir to seek the help of Dwarf King Eitri after finishing his current affairs.
If Dwarf King Eitri could repair mjolnir, then all would be well.
If it couldn't be repaired, then he would just have to forge a new weapon.
Loki, who also wielded Time Magic, was much calmer. He knew that Time Magic could accomplish such things; otherwise, he wouldn't have fought Thor so freely.
Concentrating, Loki carefully observed the changes when the green runes were activated, trying to learn the spell.
If he learned this spell, then in the current stage, his battle with Thor would be an unbeatable one.
However, Russell's magic, for masters, pointed directly to the essence and was extremely easy to learn and understand.
But for beginners, it was like an inscrutable text, obscure and difficult to comprehend.
And while Loki had considerable talent in Time Magic, he was undoubtedly still a beginner.
After meditating for a moment with his eyes closed, Lokiopened his eyes, a look of helplessness flashing within them.
He couldn't learn Russell's magic.
"Russell, let's start the second round. The battleground will be like this."
Loki waved his hand, projecting an image.
In the image, there was mainly a maze, a large maze made entirely of ice.
But faintly, in the distant starry sky, countless small meteorites were visible, moving at high speed in circular orbits around the Planet below.
This was Loki's ideal battleground.
The gigantic maze made entirely of ice on the ground could maximize the effectiveness of his illusion magic, confusing Thor.
The high-speed meteorites in the starry sky were his secret weapon against Thor.
"As you wish, Loki."
As Russell's words fell, a large Ice Maze rose from the ground, enclosing Loki and Thor within it, and separating them.
Under the light, the walls inside the maze reflected numerous figures of Thor and Loki. To the naked eye, it was hard to distinguish between real and fake.
"Hey, brother, didn't we agree to challenge me? Why are you playing hide-and-seek with me?"
Thor used his sword and shield combination, carefully on guard while provoking him.
Having experienced the effects of Russell's Time Magicand knowing that this battle carried no risk, Thor let loose, ready to thoroughly enjoy this long-awaited fight with his brother, Loki.
Hmm. In Thor's eyes, this was no longer a battle, but a game.
Loki responded to Thor: "Thor, be careful, don't lose too easily."
He formed hand seals, casting the spell: Ekron Form.
An identical clone walked out from behind Loki, staying in the maze to create illusions. Loki's true body, meanwhile, opened a portal and went to the starry sky to find external assistance.
A moment later, Loki's true body arrived in the starry sky, and looking at the whistling meteorites in the distance, a slight smile appeared on his face.
And the illusions created by Loki's clone, using the mirror reflections within the Ice Maze, filled the entire maze.
"Hey, can you tell which ones are reflections and which are the actual Thor and Loki?"
Dr. Banner asked.
So many Lokis, he couldn't tell, he really couldn't tell!
After all, when Hulk wasn't out, Dr. Banner had the physique of an ordinary person.
"It's fine, I can tell," Gwen said.
With her superhuman perception and Spider-Sense, she could easily distinguish between reflections and actual bodies.
"Dr. Banner, distinguishing these reflections and actual bodies, don't you just need eyes? Or, why don't you let Hulk come out and play? He should be able to tell."
Tony teased, then silently put on his mask, activated infrared vision, and used thermal imaging to locate Thorand Loki.
With just his naked eye, he would also have a headache trying to distinguish between reflections and actual bodies.
"Huh?! Where's Loki? Why does the infrared thermal image only show one person?"
Looking at the thermal image feedback, Tony was puzzled.
Russell pointed to the sky: "Loki is in the sky."
"The sky? But isn't that out of bounds?" Gwen asked.
"Gwen, it seems the rules didn't say anything about going out of bounds, did they?" Russell countered with a smile.
Chapter 183: Heavenly Shock Obstructs the Star
"First rule, let there be light."
"Second rule, not only distinguish between superior and inferior, but also decide life and death."
"Third rule, each person chooses the battlefield once."
Russell repeated the three rules, then smiled and said, "Actually, apart from the third rule where each person chooses the battlefield once, there are no additional rules for this battle.
This is an unrestricted fight, not a contest of strength within a framework. Otherwise, Loki wouldn't have needed to issue a challenge."
"Why did Loki challenge Thor? Aren't they brothers?"
Gwen asked, puzzled.
Tony, Dr. Banner, Pietro, Wanda, and Gaya also perked up their ears to listen in.
They had come to join the fun after hearing that Loki was going to challenge Thor.
But they didn't know why Loki would challenge Thor.
Russell thought seriously for a moment, then casually fabricated, "Perhaps it's to usurp the throne.
Thor is Odin's eldest son, the Crown Prince of Asgard, and the future God-King of Asgard.
Loki is the second son; to contend for the succession, he must prove he is more excellent than Thor, or take the opportunity to assassinate Thor."
The real reason, of course, was not for power or usurpation.
Instead, Loki wanted to receive the same treatment as Thor, to prove he was as excellent as Thor, and not just live in Thor's Shadow.
Russell knew, but he didn't plan to say it.
After all, this was Odin, Thor, and Loki's family matter.
"A power struggle among royal family members? How terrifying." Gaya, the Skrull princess, sighed, expressing her empathy.
"It definitely isn't that reason. I think if Loki wanted to usurp the throne, he could just use some schemes and tricks to make Thor spin in circles. There's no need to challenge Thor at all."
Tony shook his head, disagreeing with Russell's explanation.
While the group chatted, the battle in the Ice Mazechanged. If Thor had been chasing Loki's illusions and calling it a battle,
Inside the Ice Maze, Loki used his Ekron Form to create clones. While Thor was scurrying around in the Ice Maze, he silently replaced the sky of the Ice Maze with an illusion.
The purpose was to conceal the meteorites that were about to fall from the sky.
"Loki, come out! Stop playing hide-and-seek, come out and fight me!"
Thor swung his sword, the blade cutting through the ice wall, sending ice shards flying towards the Loki in front of him. The ice shards passed through Loki's body and hit the wall behind him.
Clearly, this Loki was an illusion.
Inside the Ice Maze, Thor was starting to get annoyed with this game.
He had originally thought that Loki would hide among mirrors and illusions, waiting for an opportunity to ambush him.
And he would need to discern which were Loki's mirror images, which were illusions, and which was his true body.
That way, the game would be exciting and fun.
Unexpectedly, all that appeared were Loki's illusions and the mirror images of the illusions reflected on the ice walls, while Loki's true body never appeared once.
The game is only fun with a mix of real and fake.
If it's all fake, the game isn't fun anymore.
"Loki, come out!"
Thor swung his sword again, the blade cutting through the ice wall, sending ice shards flying towards the Loki in front of him.
Bang!
This time, the ice shards hit Loki.
This Loki was corporeal.
"You finally came out, Loki."
Finding Loki at last, Thor was overjoyed.
With a sudden thunderous boom, Thor stomped his feet, his body slightly lowered. From a standstill, he achieved full acceleration, rushing towards Loki like a flash of lightning.
The longsword in his hand slashed diagonally downwards, aiming directly at Loki's vital neck.
The sword's edge stirred up gusts of wind, and the surging air currents tore at the surrounding ice walls and ground, leaving crisscrossing cut marks.
After confirming that time magic could restore injuries, and even revive him,
Thor no longer held back, fighting with all his might.
Facing Thor, who no longer held back and whose speed and strength had reached a new level, a hint of panic flashed in Loki's eyes.
Thor's strength exceeded his expectations, and he wasn't sure if this Ekron Form clone could stall for enough time.
In a hurry, Loki raised his hands with a shield, lowered his shoulders, and exerted force to parry Thor's downward diagonal slash.
Clang~~
A crisp sound echoed, its reverberations lingering.
Loki flew straight backward, like a rubber ball, tumbling several times on the ground and falling dozens of meters.
Then he crashed heavily against an ice wall.
Shattered ice splattered, like tiny mirrors, reflecting Loki's dishevelled appearance at that moment.
But.
The dishevelled Loki, at this moment, wore a smile.
He blocked it!
He didn't reveal himself!
"Cough cough~ Thor, I didn't expect you to have been hiding your strength before."
Loki shook his head, climbed up from the ground, and lightly coughed twice, intending to use words to stall for time.
Thor let out a long breath, exhaling the frustration in his heart.
After a fierce sword strike on Loki's shield, which sent Loki retreating dozens of meters, he forgave Loki's previous hide-and-seek behavior.
"Brother, you are not my opponent, give up."
"Give up? No, no, no~ Thor, you can hide your strength, why can't I?"
Loki smiled at Thor and said:
"Look up at the sky, Thor."
Thor looked up at the sky, his pupils suddenly contracting.
"The moment of decision has arrived. If even this move cannot defeat Thor, then Loki won't be able to defeat Thor for a while."
In the stands, Russell looked at the opened portal in the sky and made his judgment.
"Hmm?" The six were puzzled.
In their eyes, there was no change in the sky.
Or rather, any changes in the sky were concealed by Loki's illusions.
They couldn't see it.
Until a meteorite shot out from the portal.
The meteorite, hurtling at dozens of times the speed of sound, tore through the illusion created by Loki.
At this moment, everyone finally saw the true face of the battlefield.
"How… can… there… be… meteorites?!"
Before their words had even finished, the meteorite had already struck Thor.
Looking up, Thor saw the meteorite hurtling towards him, and his heart leaped.
This meteorite was only a few hundred meters away from him; in a fraction of a second, it would hit him.
Without time for any superfluous reaction, Thor raised his shield, curling up as much as possible behind it.
At the same time, he tried his best to protect his head.
Boom!!!
A meteorite, dozens of times the speed of sound and over ten meters in diameter, slammed into Thor's shield, erupting in an earth-shattering roar.
Fortunately, the shield Thor carried, although merely a standard issue, was made to Asgard's highest industrial standards, guaranteeing its hardness.
Facing the precise impact of the meteorite, although it was covered in cracks, it fortunately did not shatter on the spot, remaining intact and protecting Thor behind it.
But…
It wasn't one, it wasn't two, it wasn't three.
Nor was it four, five, or six.
It was seven.
Seven meteorites successively passed through the portal, smashing towards Thor's location.
An endless amount of kinetic energy poured down on Thor and his shield.
Chapter 184 Thor, do you want to be the real God of Thunder?
From a distance, only blinding flames could be seen erupting.
The next moment, a roar exploded, and a giant mushroom cloud rose from the ground, soaring towards the sky.
Rumble!!!
Seven consecutive Impacts swept through, hitting the giant Ice Maze.
The walls made of ice shattered like fragile glass, easily torn apart and broken.
After the Impact swept through, the air was heated, and the remnants of the Ice Maze melted, turning into flowing water that streamed down into the deep crater formed by the meteorite Impact.
As the smoke dissipated, the formerly flat Ice Mazedisappeared. In its place was a lake.
On the lake, Thor and Loki were nowhere to be seen.
"What was the outcome? Who won, Thor or Loki?" Gwenasked.
The mushroom cloud generated by the earlier meteorite Impact had blocked her view.
Gwen couldn't see what happened next—whether Thorhad withstood the Impact of the seven meteorites or managed to dodge them in time.
Not just Gwen, but Tony, Dr. Banner, Pietro, Wanda, and Gaya also hadn't seen clearly.
So, they all turned their questioning gazes to Russell.
"Let Thor tell you," Russell said, gesturing for them to look beside him.
An unharmed Thor was sitting in the spectator area, looking at the distant battlefield with a helpless expression.
If mjolnir, thors hammer were still around, he wouldn't have been defeated so easily.
When the first meteorite fell, he took the Impact head-on. Under the terrifying force, he and his shield were smashed into a deep pit, his shield on the verge of breaking.
When the second meteorite fell, his shield completely shattered. He could only curl up, shielding himself with his arms, choosing to endure the Impact with his body's strength.
When the third meteorite fell, he lost consciousness. In a daze, he seemed to see his father, Odin. But after explaining the situation to his father Odin, he was kicked by Odin.
After that, he appeared in the spectator area.
Thor shook his head, clearing his mind of jumbled thoughts, and smiled freely: "This round, Loki won."
"I know Loki won. I knew it the moment I saw you, Thor, appear here."
Gwen paused, then added, "What I want to know is how you lost, Thor. You were also within the meteorite's Impact range, so why did your resurrection aura trigger, but Loki's didn't?"
The resurrection aura Gwen referred to was the time magic inscribed on Thor's wrist.
Thor's smile froze, a bit embarrassed: "I don't know either. I only remember being hit three or four times, then losing consciousness. When I woke up again, I was here."
"Let the great God of Mischief, Loki, tell you!" magicsparks shimmered, and Loki stepped out of a portal.
Having just experienced a battle, Loki was unharmed, only a bit of dust on him.
From this subtle difference, it was clear that Loki hadn't triggered the time magic inscribed by Russell.
He had achieved a complete victory in this round.
Therefore, Loki was in an excellent mood at the moment.
He proudly explained his tactics to them.
"I used Ekron Form and illusions to play hide-and-seek with Thor in the Ice Maze, distracting him. My real body went to the asteroid belt in space to find meteorites suitable for a coordinated portal attack.
Once found, I used the Ekron Form clone to lure Thor to a suitable location, then used illusions to mask the anomaly of the sky portal opening.
And so, Thor fell into my trap and was hit by my seven-star barrage attack."
The entire tactic, though not overly complex, utilized timing, terrain, and Thor's playful nature.
Russell would give Loki's tactics a nine out of ten, with the remaining point deducted for raw power.
If the raw power were sufficient, the tactics could be even simpler.
"Brother, what a perfect tactic, truly worthy of being my brother!"
Although he was the one who fell for the trap and lost, Thor didn't hesitate to praise Loki, showering him with compliments.
Not only did he praise him verbally, but his hands were also busy, repeatedly patting Loki's back forcefully.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Thor's palms landed on Loki's back, producing muffled thuds, making Loki wince.
Loki was sure Thor was doing it on purpose!
He gave Thor a resentful glance, then let him be.
A moment later, Thor, finding it uninteresting, stopped his actions.
Seeing the two stop their horseplay, Russell suggested, "Thor and Loki's battle is over. Let's return to Earth. It's empty here, nothing to do, so it's boring to stay."
A glowing white energy emerged from thin air, swirling and expanding to form a white halo. On the other side of the halo was New York on Earth-404.
"Alright," they all nodded.
They had been away from Earth for almost a week, and their families were probably starting to worry. It was time to go back.
Tony led the way, followed closely by Wanda and Pietro. They passed through the white halo one by one, teleporting back to Earth.
However, at this time, Tony and the others had not yet realized that a storm of public opinion was sweeping across Earth.
Tony was the first to be affected.
After all, he was the only publicly known superhero and the superhero with the greatest overall fame.
Russell, he was not considered a superhero.
After the Sakura Island incident, he had already become a god.
Soon, everyone else had passed through the white halo and returned to Earth, leaving only Russell and Thorbehind.
"Thor, do you need something from me?" Russell asked directly. Thor had been standing still, seemingly deep in thought, his eyes gradually lighting up, which Russellsaw clearly.
"Russell, do you have a way to repair mjolnir? Using your time magic."
"Although I haven haven't tried, it should be possible."
The light in Thor's eyes grew even more dazzling: "Can you help me repair mjolnir? Russell, whatever the condition, just name it."
Join my Sorcerer Supreme Team, or become an external aid?
Russell narrowed his eyes slightly, considering Thor.
Thor's combat power, at this stage, was undoubtedly the second strongest among many superheroes.
The first was Hulk. Thor without Mjolnir and without awakened Thunder God Power was slightly weaker than Hulk.
This had been verified in the movie Thor 3's Grandmaster's arena. In that gladiatorial match, Hulkbrought out Thor's 'missing daddy' state, helping Thorawaken his Thunder God Power.
It could be said that Hulk was indispensable for Thor's awakening of Thunder God Power.
"Thor, repairing mjolnir is actually not as difficult as you imagine; it can be done even without using time magic.
However, Thor, if I may ask you a question, are you Thor, the Thunder God, or Thor, the Hammer God?"
"I am certainly Thor, the Thunder God!"
"Then why are you so fixated on a hammer?" Russellsmiled: "Thor, do you want to become the true Thunder God?
Being able to wield lightning at will, without any medium, that is the true Thunder God!"
Chapter 185 Thor: I became bald and stronger
Before Thor could reply, Russell's fingers sparked with lightning, shooting directly at the unprepared Thor.
Zzzzt~
Caught off guard, Thor trembled from the shock.
"Russell, what are you doing?"
Thor cried out in pain.
Soon, Thor reacted and exclaimed again:
"Why can you also use Thunder God Power?"
"Because..." Russell feigned deep thought, "Come with me."
The white glow rapidly spun, changing its destination.
Passing through the white glow, Russell and Thor arrived on a solitary reef in the middle of the ocean.
At this moment, the sky was covered in dark clouds, with silver snake-like electric currents weaving through them, forming a dense electrical net.
"Thor, you asked me why I can control thunder; I'll tell you now."
Russell extended his hand towards the sky, activating his talent, Energy Absorption.
The silver snakes in the clouds seemed to find a target; countless bolts of lightning roared, twisted, and rushed down from the sky.
In the blink of an eye, they struck the unprepared Russell.
Boom!
The thunder followed, but Thor seemed not to hear it.
He saw bolts of lightning wildly moving across Russell's body, constantly releasing their power, yet these lightning bolts could not harm Russell in the slightest.
Thor stared at Russell, lost in a daze.
Even he, without any defense, could not be completely immune to lightning damage.
And a scene that made Thor even more terrified soon appeared.
Russell took a deep breath, and the lightning snakes on his body poured into his mouth and nose, disappearing inside him.
It seemed as if Russell's body had directly absorbed them.
Who exactly was Thor!
"Russell, how did you do that?!" Thor asked again.
"Practice makes perfect!" Russell said, solemnly spouting nonsense.
"As long as you get struck by lightning enough times, you'll naturally master it. To become familiar with the power of thunder, I get struck by natural lightning for a hundred hours every day without any protection, and by artificial high-voltage electricity for another hundred hours."
"Russell, there are only 24 hours in a day."
"That's not important; what's important is that you need to be familiar with thunder to control it." Russellinterrupted Thor. He almost blurted out a modified version of Saitama's training method.
"Getting struck by lightning won't make you Thor."
Thor whispered.
Getting struck by lightning wouldn't make him Thor; the countless enemies he had eliminated with his Thunder God Power could attest to that.
Russell looked directly into Thor's eyes: "Thor, ordinary people won't become Thor by getting struck by lightning because they don't inherently possess the potential to be Thor.
But you are different; you are Thor, the Asgardian Thor! Within you, there is a vast amount of Asgardian Thunder God Power. Getting struck by lightning can better guide the power within you."
"Really?" Thor was skeptical.
He could indeed feel a surging power within him, but after losing his hammer, he didn't know how to unleash it.
"Thor, practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Whether it's true or false, we'll know with one try!"
Russell grabbed Thor's shoulder and once again activated his talent, drawing down the lightning from the sky.
This time, under Russell's control, all the lightning struck Thor.
And Russell was like an insulator; not a single trace of electrical power was transmitted to Russell through his hand that held Thor's shoulder.
Crackling!
Electric arcs wildly moved and burst on Thor's body; his lion-like golden hair instantly turned into an afro, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
After a moment, he recovered.
Russell was not surprised that Thor was afraid of electricity. He had just shocked Thor.
He was now only concerned if Thor had made any progress in controlling the Thunder God Power within him.
"How is it, Thor? Do you feel the Thunder God Powerwithin you starting to stir, as if it's eagerly waiting to burst forth from your body?"
Whoosh~
Thor exhaled a puff of black smoke, shaking his head with a somewhat bewildered expression.
Although he looked a bit disheveled from the lightning strikes, with his divine power protecting him, he hadn't sustained any actual harm.
However, he also didn't feel any movement from the Thunder God Power within him, only a slight tingling sensation in his body.
"That shouldn't be?"
Russell frowned. He hadn't grabbed Thor's shoulder for no reason.
When the lightning struck, he had also sensed the flow of divine power within Thor through his contact with him.
In Russell's perception, the Thunder God Power within Thor had been activated by the external lightning.
Thor had even absorbed a portion of the lightning energy and stored it within his body.
"Come, let's try again."
Before Thor could react, Russell once again drew down the lightning.
He believed that quantitative change could lead to qualitative change. As long as Thor was struck by lightning enough times, he would surely awaken his Thunder God Power.
For a time, countless bolts of lightning continuously struck this solitary rock in the sea. From a distance, it looked as if a cultivator was undergoing tribulation.
And to ensure Thor's cooperation and persistence,
Russell occasionally used his talent, Energy Absorption, to activate the divine power within him, giving him an illusion.
An illusion that the Thunder God Power within him was becoming increasingly active, ready to roar forth at any moment.
Without this enticing illusion, Russell worried that Thorwould give up.
After all, although the lightning had caused no substantial harm under the protection of the Thunder God Power within him, the pain was unavoidable.
Of course, the most important thing was that Thor's originally handsome and domineering, lion-like golden hair gradually turned to charcoal and fell out under the continuous bombardment of lightning.
In other words, Thor became bald.
And Thor's long persistence finally paid off.
After an unknown amount of time, the Thunder God Power bursting from within gradually climbed into Thor's pupils, dyeing his eyes a bright silver color.
Thor raised his right hand, gathering the lightning descending from the sky into his hand, and struck the reef below his feet.
Boom!
Thunder roared, and lightning snakes danced wildly.
The reef below shattered in response, and the lightning spread out, extending for dozens of miles.
Fortunately, due to the stormy weather, nearby fish had already left this sea area or dived deeper.
Otherwise, after Thor's fish-frying spree, he would likely leave behind a terrifying legend among the fish folk.
"On a certain date, a fishing immortal, displeased with our fish tribe's offerings, sent down thunder, causing heavy losses to our fish tribe."
"Thor, congratulations. You have finally succeeded in unleashing the Thunder God Power within you."
Russell said with a smile. Thor, having awakened his Thunder God Power, was now qualified to be a good tool.
"Thank you, Russell. Without your help, I wouldn't have awakened my Thunder God Power so quickly."
Thor reined in his aura, put away his battle armor, and changed back into ordinary clothes.
Earlier, to avoid indecent exposure, he had no choice but to put on his battle armor.
"You're welcome." Looking at Thor's bald head, Russellsuppressed a laugh and said, "Anyway, my help to you also comes with conditions."
Chapter 186 Public Pressure, Tony's Plan
"Manhattan Attacked by Superpowered Individuals, Death Toll Reaches 443. Uncontrolled Superpowered Individuals Are Destroying This Nation!"
— New York Times
"Who Can Protect Us? Iron Man? Counting the 12 Ways to Die Because of Iron Man!"
— New York Morning Post
"Superpowered Individuals Must Be Regulated, National Sovereignty Cannot Be Undermined!"
— New York Weekly
"In the Manhattan Attack, Ghost-Spider and Her Team Rescued 327 People. She Is the Good Neighbor of New York City!"
— Daily Bugle
"Captain America Steve Rogers Said: We Save as Many People as We Can. Sometimes We Can't Save Everyone. But If We Can't Accept That, Next Time, Maybe We Won't Be Able to Save Anyone."
— Brooklyn Daily
Of course, there were also newspapers that supported the Avengers.
In terms of public opinion, those who supported the Avengers even outnumbered those who opposed them.
However, the severely affected New York City residents needed an outlet to vent all their fear, sorrow, and pain.
They were no longer able to rationally view the rights and wrongs of this incident.
Therefore, all negative emotions were vented on the Guardians.
Meanwhile, media professionals in other regions, because the war had not reached them, were much more rational.
Among them, the U.S. West Coast media, particularly the Los Angeles Times, which was at odds with New York, ran several consecutive front-page stories supporting the Avengers.
"Should Good People Be Held at Gunpoint? If Superpowered Individuals Hadn't Stepped Forward, New York's Losses Would Be Even More Tragic!"
— Los Angeles Times
"Look at Paris, France and Wakanda. New Yorkers Should Be Grateful!"
— Los Angeles Times
"43966 vs. 433: Comparing Two Death Tolls, New Yorkers Should Thank the Righteous Superpowered Individuals"
— Los Angeles Times
Outside New York, Avengers Tower.
Tony Stark and the others, who had returned to Earthfrom the dimensional fragment, all gathered in the conference room, except for Loki.
Quickly browsing the newspapers that had been criticizing them for the past few days, Tony and the others' good mood from the celebration in Asgardvanished.
Although many newspapers also defended them and supported them.
But the joy brought by good reviews was like eating a bite of honey, sweet but fleeting.
The pain brought by bad reviews was like being cut by a sharp blade, requiring time to heal.
Inside the conference room, everyone fell into a long silence.
Tony sat alone, far from the conference table, looking down at the New York Morning Post, at the pictures of the 12 people who died in the Manhattan attack because he hadn't noticed or hadn't been able to rescue them in time, remaining silent.
This silent atmosphere made Gwen, Wanda, and Gaya, who were not official members, very uncomfortable.
Seeing this, Commander Maria Hill broke the silence:
"No matter what, our operation plan this time was successful. We thwarted the plan of the god of fear Kurse Borson. We protected New York, and even the entire Earth."
"I still stand by my point. We did our best. We risked our lives to protect people. We shouldn't be blamed any further. If anyone is dissatisfied, they should condemn those who harmed them." The silence was broken, and Steve also spoke up to reiterate his opinion.
Gwen, Wanda, and Gaya nodded in agreement.
The killers were the apostles of the god of fear, those Worthys, not them.
They would mourn for the dead and feel guilty for those they couldn't save in time, but they shouldn't be blamed.
"If we could have done better, could we have prevented all of this from happening?" Tony put down the New YorkMorning Post and looked up at everyone in the conference room.
"We had no intelligence sources. We could only act after things happened.
On March 12th, on Arbor Day, when I returned to New York, I found that damn hammer falling from the sky.
On March 14th, Steve and Bucky were attacked. Oh, sorry, Steve, I didn't mean to bring up your painful memories.
On March 15th, Wakanda was attacked, and on March 16th, Paris, France was attacked. On March 20th, Manhattan was attacked."
Tony stood up and projected his phone onto the wall.
"Let me count how many days passed from March 12th to March 20th. Nine days! For nine whole days, we did nothing but wait for things to happen.
If we had taken effective action on the 12th, after I discovered the hammer, Bucky wouldn't have died! If we had taken action on the 14th, after Steve and Bucky were attacked, tens of thousands wouldn't have died or been injured in Wakanda!
If we—"
"Enough, Tony!" Steve stopped the increasingly agitated Tony. "Tell us what you plan to do, Tony."
Tony was silent for a moment before slowly saying:
"I plan to develop a more powerful artificial intelligence, combined with satellites and various electronic devices around the World, to achieve global surveillance.
And I can pair this AI with the Stark Iron Legion. That way, if an enemy appears again, we can detect them immediately and defeat them before they cause any damage.
We can be 'Preventers' instead of 'Avengers.'"
Tony looked at Dr. Banner: "Dr. Banner, I need your help. I believe this artificial intelligence can help us better protect Earth's peace."
"Um. Tony, if you're going to discuss internal Avengersmatters, then I'll take my leave," Gaya said softly.
She was not interested in Tony's plan.
Although she came to Earth at a young age, she was not an Earthling, but a Skrull.
In her plan, the Skrull would not stay on Earth long, but would go to other Universes to find another suitable Planet to live on.
"Alright, protecting the Earth is indeed too far-fetched for a young girl who is underage."
Tony shrugged, not stopping Gaya from leaving.
This was a beautiful misunderstanding.
In Tony's eyes, the thin and small Gaya was an underage girl.
Unless absolutely necessary, Tony would not employ child labor.
"Tony, if you don't need me, then I'll also leave first."
Seeing her good friend leave, Wanda also bid farewell. In this World, she was a sorceress of Kamar-Taj, not an Avengers member.
"Alright." Tony also didn't stop Wanda from leaving, but looked at Gwen, "What about you, Gwen? Are you leaving too, or staying to hear my plan?"
"I haven't shown up for several days. My partners must be worried. I won't stay and disturb your internal Avengersmeeting. Goodbye."
Gwen opened the conference room window and leaped out.
For a moment, only the Avengers members remained in the conference room; the others had all left.
Tony collected his thoughts and continued to explain his plan.
Chapter 187: Mage Helping Mage
Asgard, Golden Hall.
Odin, as always, stood at the edge of the great hall, surveying the kingdom below with his single eye.
However, if one looked closely, they would notice that Odin's single eye was slightly closed, not open.
After a long time, Odin opened his eyes and murmured:
"Time magic? Restoring Thor to a certain state after his death. This kind of magic feels familiar to me."
Tap, tap, tap ~
Behind Odin, a series of hurried footsteps approached, and the person walked right up to Odin before stopping.
Only three people in Asgard would stand this close to Odin.
Thor, Loki, and Frigga.
Among them, Thor and Loki were not in Asgard.
The identity of the person was self-evident.
"Odin, I just discovered that Valhalla was summoning Thor. But a moment later, it stopped the summoning. What's going on? What happened?"
"Frigga, rest assured, Thor is fine." Odin turned to his wife, Frigga, and comforted her: "Thor and Loki were fighting in a dimensional shard. Thor was just killed by Loki. But under the effect of time magic, he was resurrected."
"Are Thor and Loki injured? If the two brothers want to fight, why not in Asgard, but hide in a dimensional shard?"
Frigga was puzzled.
"If they fought in Asgard, they could be treated immediately if injured."
Odin's tone was meaningful: "Because this time, Loki was serious. He was aiming to defeat Thor. If he defeated Thor in Asgard, it would affect Thor's prestige."
Not just in Asgard, but in any corner of the Universe, Thorand Loki could not escape Heimdall's gaze.
This was also why Loki suggested putting the battlefield in a dimensional shard.
Only outside the Universe could they avoid Heimdall.
Only then would the outcome of this battle not affect Thor's prestige.
Although Thor didn't care about this, Loki did.
Frigga was silent for a long time.
"We are sorry for Loki. He could have been king, but we couldn't give him a fair chance to contend for it."
Odin sighed, not daring to look at Frigga anymore, and turned to look at Asgard below.
Loki was good in every way, especially in the past two years, he had become even more mature.
It was just a pity that he was a Frost Giant, not an Asgardian.
In Russell's New York reading room lounge, Loki was casually flipping through a collection of Norse mythology stories.
After leaving the dimensional shard, he came to Russell's bookstore, wanting to discuss time magic with Russell.
He could also use time magic to restore things.
But that required things to be damaged first, meaning after the event had occurred.
However, the magic Russell inscribed on Loki and Thor's wrists could record their state at the time and automatically restore them to that state once certain conditions were met.
It was like a game save.
This was something Loki couldn't do, and something Lokiwanted to learn and understand.
However, Loki came up empty-handed.
He waited for a long time but didn't see Russell.
He was about to leave to find Thor when he realized Thorwasn't there either.
So, Loki could only continue to stay in the bookstore, finding a random book to pass the time.
After a long while again.
Glowing white magic sparks flickered, and a portal appeared.
Russell walked out of it with Thor.
The two were chatting and laughing.
"Russell, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I don't know when I would have been able to guide out the Thunder God Power within me."
"Thor, you should thank yourself. If it weren't for your persistence, enduring the baptism of thunder, you wouldn't have been able to awaken the Thunder God Power so quickly."
Thunder God Power? Thor awakened the Thunder God Power, could he control thunder without a hammer now?
Loki, who had been casually slumped and relaxed, stiffened.
He had just defeated Thor, and Russell was already giving Thor special training, helping Thor strengthen himself?
Shouldn't he and Russell be on the same side?
The two main spells in his strategy to defeat Thor.
The 'Heavenly Obstacle Tremor Star' formed by portals combined with meteorites, and the time magic, both came from Russell.
"Hey, brother, why are you here too?"
Thor only then saw Loki and greeted him with a smile.
Loki responded to Thor with a stiff smile.
Seeing this, Russell's lips curved upwards.
"Thor, the thing I want to ask of you is to guard that dimensional shard for me. Afterwards, I will store some energy within that dimensional shard to trade with other dimensional beings, and arrange for guards to protect it.
What you need to do is to support the guards when enemies they cannot handle appear.
Simply put, you are my trump card!"
"Trump card?" Thor's eyes lit up; he was very satisfied with this title.
Loki's eyes flickered, and he pretended to say casually: "Thor, Russell, have you made some kind of deal? Can you tell me about it?"
Thor, in a few words, recounted how he awakened the Thunder God Power with Russell's help.
Sure enough! Thor awakened the Thunder God Powerwith Russell's help!
Loki gave Russell a resentful look: "Russell, I thought we were on the same side."
Russell smiled at Loki: "Loki, of course we are on the same side, a magic user helps a magic user." However, Thor and I are also on the same side, a Thor helps a Thor.
Although Russell had never used lightning as an attack method before.
But with his talent, he could easily control lightning.
What was wrong with calling himself Thor?
Thor looked at Russell and Loki, expressing his confusion.
What did Russell helping him awaken the Thunder God Power have to do with Loki? Did Loki not want him to awaken the Thunder God Power?
Loki explained: "Thor, the method to defeat you was told to me by Russell."
Thor: "?"
"On the spaceship heading to find Thanos, Russell and I discussed how to defeat you. The final conclusion was to use time magic to make up for the lack of speed, and use portals combined with meteorite attacks to supplement the lack of attack power. And both of these spells were given to me by Russell."
Thor scratched his head: "But why would you discuss how to defeat me?"
"Of course, Loki wanted to punch you. Brothers who grew up together always have some friction and disagreements. Thor, don't tell me you've never thought about punching Loki." Russell provoked.
However, Thor didn't pay attention to Russell's provocation, he just nodded in agreement:
"Sometimes I really want to punch Loki. Like when he cut off Sif's golden hair; or when he turned into a snake to tease me, and then, when I was about to grab him, he stabbed me in the kidney."
As he spoke, Thor also gestured.
Finally, he couldn't help but laugh first.
"Hahaha ~"
Loki and Russell exchanged glances, expressing helplessness at Thor's low threshold for laughter.
"Alright, let's get to the point. Loki, you were waiting for me here, was there something?"
"Russell, I want to ask you for guidance..."
Hearing that Loki's purpose was to inquire about the mysteries of time magic, Russell decisively sent him away, telling him to consult the Sorcerer Ancient One.
A magic user helps a magic user, Russell helps Loki.
The Sorcerer Ancient One is also a magic user, so Ancient One will then help Russell guide Loki.
No problem.
Chapter 188 Russell Seathorn: I am very satisfied with this transaction
After sending Thor and Loki away, Russell first went to the neighboring Maximoff Tea Shop to buy a one-liter bucket of burnt grass jelly, then returned to the bookstore's lounge to continue what he had left unfinished before his trip to Asgard.
He was searching for Mephistos Hell by sensing the attribute point energy he had proactively distributed.
During Russell's Battle of New York with Thanos, he had proactively dispersed energy to protect innocent people in the vicinity whose souls weren't particularly dark.
After the battle, some of these people died for various reasons, and their souls entered the Hell where Mephistoresided.
The souls of these individuals had been infused with Russell's attribute point energy, making them natural coordinate markers for Russell.
As long as he could sense the souls of these people, Russell would be able to find the new coordinates of Mephistos Hell.
Then, he would give Mephisto a surprise!
After a while, the milk tea was finished, and Russell had completed a round of sensing.
There were three areas where the markers were relatively dense: Kamar-Taj in Nepal, the Dimension of Blood, and the Dream Dimension.
The dimensional beings and magicians in these three places had basically started using Russell's energy for enhancement, making them Russell's primary customer base at present.
Besides these three places and Earth-404, there were also three other locations, each with one or several isolated markers.
These were Earth-65, Earth-120703 (Amazing Spider-Man Universe), and Earth-14512 (Peni Parker Universe), which Russell had not visited before.
However, Mephisto's Flame Hell remained undetected.
"Is Mephisto too far away, or has he still not unlocked the dimensional blockade, which is why I haven't sensed him?"
Russell was a bit unsure about this question.
Because he also didn't know how large the range of his attribute point energy sensing was; he could sense all the attribute point energy he had dispersed, except for those in Mephistos Hell.
But it didn't matter.
If it was the former, then he would continue to strengthen himself and increase his sensing range.
If it was the latter, then he would also continue to strengthen himself, improve his sensing sensitivity, and strive to break through Mephisto's blockade.
deep blue, add points!
[Attribute Points: 3,1557,4396]
[Sacred Body: 5133]
He invested almost all of the 4 billion energy extorted from the Watcher, increasing his Sacred Body by 1333 points.
Russell only felt that he had become stronger, but he quickly found it uninteresting.
Above invincible, still invincible.
Lacking a reference, he only knew that he was now invincibly strong, but it was difficult to clearly understand his destructive power.
After all, in the Real Universe, destroying a Planet or detonating a star system was his limit.
Expanding the scope further would harm countless innocent beings.
This was not what Russell wanted to see.
It had nothing to do with him being a nail.
"Should I try my hand against other Old Gods? If I remember correctly, Pluto, still owes me a favor. I wonder how much energy that can be exchanged for."
Chthon, to force the Inheritors family to eliminate Spider-Man, cursed the Inheritors family to be eliminated by Spider-Man.
And Russell, as Magician Spider-Man, fulfilled this curse for him.
A grudge was thus formed between the two.
If Russell wanted to claim this favor from Chthon, a fierce battle would be inevitable.
Thinking of this, Russell took out the darkhold.
If he remembered correctly, the darkhold contained magicfor borrowing energy from Chthon.
And the transmission of energy required a channel; Russell could follow the energy transmission channel upstream to find Chthon's dimension.
Wundagore Mountain.
As Russell was attempting to borrow energy from Chthon through the darkhold, Chthon immediately sensed it.
During this time, he had learned a lot about this Earththrough the perspective of the Witch Agatha, the holder of another darkhold on Earth-404.
The most important piece of information was that this Earth also had a Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff.
And coincidentally, Wanda's residence, the Maximoff Tea Shop, was right next to Russell's Bookstore.
The coordinates of the two, in Chthon's view, were the same.
This misled Chthon.
Now, in Chthon's eyes, the holder of the darkhold was Wanda!
The new Scarlet Witch, his best vessel for returning to the Real Universe!
This was something Chthon had to take seriously.
Therefore, when Russell tried to borrow energy from Chthon through the darkhold, Chthon readily agreed.
He didn't even set any conditions, fearing that he might scare 'Wanda' away.
In the bookstore lounge, Russell sat cross-legged, with the open darkhold resting on his knees.
The darkhold flickered constantly, its light uncertain.
Suddenly, a crimson energy beam erupted from the darkhold, shooting towards Russell's face, about to enter through his mouth, nose, and eyes.
Russell did not have this ungraceful bad habit of consuming energy with his mouth.
The talent [Energy Absorption] activated, and as the crimson energy beam approached Russell's body, it silently disappeared.
Because there was no price to pay, Russell was not in a hurry to follow the energy channel to find Chthon.
He couldn't refuse something for free; he would absorb the free energy first.
Time passed by, minute by minute, and after about ten minutes, the crimson energy beam disappeared.
Attribute points increased by thirty million.
Russell: Very good, I got thirty million attribute points for free in one go. Chthon is truly generous. Keep up the good work; there aren't many people this generous.
Chthon: She absorbed thirty million energy in one go. It seems this World's 'Wanda' is quite strong. However, after absorbing so much dark energy, her mind should be affected. A few more times, and I'll find an opportunity to hide in the energy, invade her mental World, and seize her body.
Both of them expressed great satisfaction with this transaction.
Since that's the case, how about another round?
Just as Russell was about to activate the darkhold to 'borrow' energy from Chthon again, someone interrupted him.
The person who arrived was the genuine Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff.
"Russell, I suddenly had a very bad feeling just now."
Golden magic sparks flickered, a portal rotated open, and Wanda stepped out of it.
Wanda didn't go to class today; instead, she stayed at home. She had already skipped a week, so one more day wouldn't make a difference.
But even though her home and Russell's Bookstore were only a few tens of meters apart.
The strong sense of unease still made Wanda choose to use a portal directly instead of slowly walking over.
"Wanda, don't be afraid. What happened? Tell me slowly."
"I..."
Wanda's gaze fell on Russell.
To be precise, it was on the darkhold on Russell's knees.
Pointing at the darkhold on Russell's knees, Wanda said:
"I just felt a strong sense of unease, and it should be coming from this book."
Russell looked down and instantly understood.
The darkhold still had a strong, lingering aura of Chthon.
Chapter 189 I am the Scarlet Wizard
Because Russell borrowed energy from Pluto through the darkhold, Chthon's aura was transmitted to this World.
At such a close distance, Wanda sensed Chthon's aura and had an instinctive reaction.
Wanda mistakenly interpreted this reaction as a feeling of unease.
As a Sorcerer with mental power far exceeding ordinary people, Wanda was very confident in her feelings.
After feeling a strong sense of unease, she decisively sought help from the person she knew to be the strongest and most reliable, which was Russell.
Pointing at the darkhold, Wanda asked again, "Russell, what is it? Why do I feel such a strong sense of unease from it, yet I can't help but want to read it?"
"This is the darkhold, it originates from Pluto. And Pluto, might be the source of Chaos Magic. Though, most likely not."
Russell didn't have a God's perspective; when he was weaker, he wasn't sure which version was the true source of Chaos Magic.
But when his panel advanced to the fourth stage, the Ancient God level, Russell could feel that the essence of Chaos Magic was higher than the Ancient God level.
If so, the source of Chaos Magic should not be the Ancient God level Chthon.
However, the two are still inextricably linked.
The darkhold even has a separate chapter dedicated to the Scarlet Witch and Chaos Magic.
Russell slightly modified the information he knew and his upcoming plans, then informed Wanda.
In Russell's modified version, he changed his reason for actively using the darkhold to find Chthon from wanting to test his strength against Chthon to eliminating the threat from Chthon as much as possible for Wanda's safety.
"Russell, won't this be too dangerous?"
"Wanda, this is for you."
Just as Wanda was moved, Russell added:
"So, you must work hard to cultivate in the future, take over from me as Sorcerer Supreme, and protect the Real Universe."
That way, I can roam freely in the Multiverse.
After settling Wanda, Russell once again activated the darkhold, borrowing energy from Chthon.
Although Chthon was confused, not understanding why the 'Wanda' on the other side borrowed energy again in such a short time, he still generously agreed again.
Anyway, the more energy 'Wanda' borrowed, the easier she would be corrupted, and the easier it would be for him to possess 'Wanda's body as a vessel to return to the Real Universe.
After three or five times, Chthon began to mix private goods into the energy—he mixed fragments of his soul into the energy and transmitted them together.
Chthon's little trick was discovered by Russellimmediately.
However, in order to freeload more energy, Russellpretended not to notice and did not immediately erase Chthon's soul fragments.
On the contrary, in order not to be detected by Chthon, Russell deliberately retained some of Chthon's energy without absorbing it, using it as a container to store Chthon's soul fragments.
As Russell used the darkhold to borrow energy again and again, Chthon secretly transmitted soul fragments over and over again.
In a dimensional space, within a pool of scarlet energy, fragments of Chthon's soul continuously accumulated.
When the number of soul fragments reached a certain level, stirring restlessly and about to begin piecing together to form a relatively complete sub-soul of Chthon,
Russell opened another energy pool to serve as a container for Chthon's soul fragments.
Russell had been keeping an eye on the number of Chthon's soul fragments, so he naturally wouldn't let Chthon succeed in piecing them together easily.
He planned to extract a few more times.
Ideally, he could keep extracting like this indefinitely.
However, good times don't last.
When Russell opened a new energy pool, Chthonbecame suspicious.
After transmitting energy a few more times, Chthonconfirmed his suspicion.
He had been discovered!
But even if he was discovered, so what?
All that dark energy he provided wasn't given for nothing!
The Scarlet Witch, who had absorbed so much dark energy, her body was no longer hers to command!
Within the dimensional space, Chthon's soul fragments rapidly gathered, forming a whole.
And the scarlet energy in the space also moved according to Chthon's will, forming an energy body.
Tear!
Breaking through the dimensional space, Chthonappeared in the bookstore, looking towards the darkhold.
A young man in a plain white robe, with a face like jade, was sitting cross-legged.
On his knees lay the open darkhold.
This scene was somewhat different from Chthon's imagination.
In his imagination, this young man in the plain white robe should have been replaced by a young woman in red clothes.
Although the Multiverse is full of wonders, and a male version of the Scarlet Witch is not impossible.
But the information he got from Agatha was that the Scarlet Witch of this World was Wanda Maximoff, a young woman.
Was Agatha's intelligence wrong?
No!
The person in front of him had no aura of Chaos Magic at all.
Moreover, there was no sign of being corrupted by his dark energy.
"Who are you?"
Coming back to his senses, Chthon asked in a deep voice.
Russell looked at Chthon and smiled, "I am the Scarlet Witch of this World, Wanhu Maximoff."
Chthon's face turned ugly; he naturally wouldn't believe the nonsense of the person in front of him.
Scarlet Witch?
Bah!
You have no aura of Chaos Magic on you at all, who would believe that?
"Since you don't want to say, then I'll find out myself."
Chthon leaped, his energy body transforming into a scarlet stream of light, pouncing towards Russell.
The extremely fast speed should have stirred up a strong wind, causing turbulent airflow that would destroy many pieces of furniture in the lounge.
But the reality was that it was calm.
Only faint sounds of space shattering, 'crackle, crackle,' could be heard.
When Chthon emerged from the dimensional space, Russell had already pulled him into the Mirror Dimension.
Charging in front of Russell, Chthon raised his right hand, and as scarlet energy flowed, his right hand transformed into a hideous, terrifying, and sharp claw, slashing towards Russell's head.
From the start, Chthon's attack was a fatal blow with no room for mercy.
He seemed to have no intention of sparing Russell's life to inquire about his identity or purpose.
Or rather, for an existence like him, an attack that didn't touch the soul wasn't a fatal attack.
Facing Chthon's sudden outburst, Russell seemed to be stunned, making no reaction, allowing Chthon's scarlet sharp claw to strike.
Crackle, crackle~
Chthon's sharp claw slashed across Russell's head, and sounds of the Mirror Dimension shattering rang out.
But apart from these sounds of the Mirror Dimensionshattering, nothing happened.
No!
It wasn't that nothing happened!
Chthon's claw disappeared into thin air after touching Russell's head.
Even his energy body became a bit dimmer.
"Who are you?"
Chthon's face was grim as he asked again.
"Russell."
Chapter 190 Spell: Palm Buddha Kingdom
In the Mirror Dimension, Russell and Chthon confronted each other from a distance.
Chthon was searching his memories, trying to find the deeds corresponding to the name Russell, and analyzing Russell's abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.
But unfortunately, Russell had no counterpart in the Multiverse.
No matter how much he thought, he found nothing.
Russell, on the other hand, quietly observed Chthon in front of him.
Chthon, one of the four most ancient Old Gods, the first Dark magic master, the author of the darkhold, also known as the source of Black magic. Among the Old Gods, he was also among the top tier.
It's just that he was driven out of the Real Universe and could no longer descend in his true form. He could only project part of his energy through a vessel.
And without a vessel, the Real Universe was constantly repelling his energy body.
Such an incomplete Chthon posed no threat to Russell.
This was also why Russell dared to directly borrow his energy in the bustling streets of New York, without worrying about him taking the opportunity to descend.
If the two were to fight, Russell was 98% confident he could control him, and it wouldn't cause too much impact on the surrounding environment.
As for why it was 98% and not 100%?
The Great Dao has fifty, Heavenly Dao has forty-nine, one is escaped.
"You know Wanda Maximoff. You should have guessed my purpose for descending, but you still chose to let me descend."
After searching his memory in vain, Chthon chose to get straight to the point and directly asked Russell:
"Although I don't know who you are, I know that you must have your own plans for seeking me out. Tell me about them, perhaps we can cooperate."
In Chthon's view, an unknown entity of considerable strength, willing to risk being corrupted by actively borrowing energy from him, must have an agenda.
And coincidentally, he also needed a capable servant to do some things for him.
For example, capturing the Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoff of this World and bringing her to Wundagore Mountain.
"As expected of Pluto, he saw through my intentions at a glance."
Russell feigned flattery towards Chthon. Anyway, he could suppress Chthon's descending energy body at any time, so he didn't mind playing along and seeing if he could get more benefits for himself.
Just now, Chthon had lent Russell a total of 630 million energy.
Russell didn't want to let such a fat sheep go easily.
"I need energy, endless energy. I wonder if the great God of Black Magic, Chthon, can fulfill this humble being's small wish."
Endless energy?
Hearing Russell's request, Chthon was delighted instead of angry.
Only if Russell had needs could he compel Russell to work for him.
"Mere energy, of course, I have as much as you want. But why should I give it to you? Or rather, what price will you pay for this endless energy?"
"Faith and loyalty." Russell's expression became serious, and he said righteously: "I am willing to exchange faith and loyalty for the favor of the great God of Black Magic, Chthon, and for him to bestow upon me endless energy."
Chthon scoffed dismissively. He wouldn't believe Russell's empty words.
"Russell, your faith and loyalty are useless to me. If you want to exchange for energy, you'd better offer something practical. How about your hair, for example?"
Russell refused.
His goal was to get something for nothing, not to trade.
Moreover, fundamentally speaking, his hair was no different from other parts of him; it was all part of his Sacred Body.
Russell would never do something like trading his Sacred Body for energy.
"Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoff. Chthon, she is your goal, isn't she? You want to return to the Real Universethrough her. How much energy can she be exchanged for?"
Chthon's eyes narrowed slightly.
Indeed, this Russell knew his purpose.
"That's right, she is my goal. If you can capture her for me, I can give you another portion of the energy I just gave you."
"Not enough, far from enough."
"Kid, don't be too greedy. Now that I have descended, I don't need you; I can capture Wanda Maximoff myself. The energy I gave you was just hoping you wouldn't get in my way."
In reality, Chthon, without a suitable vessel, was constantly facing the repulsion of the Real Universe. He was not confident that he could capture Wanda and bring her to Wundagore Mountain to complete the process of occupying her body and descending, all before being repelled from the Real Universe.
Even with a vessel, Chthon's confidence was not high.
After all, in the Multiverse, there were still many who did not wish for Chthon to return to the Real Universe, and these people would certainly intervene to stop Chthon if they had the chance.
However, in negotiations, one must always try to gain the upper hand and not easily show weakness.
It's just that Chthon might not have known that Russellwas not a negotiation expert.
Or rather, compared to negotiating with words, he preferred action.
Russell slowly shook his head, extending his palm into a cupped shape.
Faintly visible, a miniature space existed in his palm, and the scene within this miniature space was identical to the bookstore lounge where Russell and Chthon were located.
Looking closer, the Russell in the miniature space was making the same gesture, and his palm also contained an identical miniature space.
"Chthon, since you have no sincerity at all, there's no need for a transaction."
As he spoke, Russell's palm slowly closed.
Crack, crack ~
A sound of space being squeezed and shattered came.
Chthon looked up and found that the space around him began to shatter continuously. Black spatial cracks appeared one after another, and from within these cracks, a suction force struck, combining with the repulsion of the Real Universe, causing Chthon's energy body to sway and tremble.
Chthon suddenly erupted, transforming into a stream of energy and fleeing into the distance.
If he couldn't fight, could he at least not run away?
Moreover, contrary to Russell's expectation, Chthonactually had another vessel on Earth-404.
The Witch Agatha!
Agatha, who wielded another darkhold, although not completely corrupted, Chthon could not fully invade her body.
But that was when Chthon had not descended.
After Chthon, with Russell's help, descended as an energy body, it was a different situation.
However, when Chthon rushed out of the bookstore and into the air, he suddenly realized.
He had already fallen into a hand!
The ground was the palm, and the distant horizon was five fingers like towering pillars.
Without daring to delay, Chthon flew towards the sky.
Well, it wasn't that he didn't want to use teleportation magic; he had just tried, and it didn't work.
A crimson streak of light shot up into the sky, quickly piercing through the clouds, leaving a White trail.
Then came the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.
In just an instant, Chthon burst out of the atmosphere and into the cosmic starry sky.
However, he was still within Russell's palm.
And this palm was still continuously closing.