The quinjet tore through London's somber sky at supersonic speeds. Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt like it could condense into water.
"Jarvis, scan for any anomalous energy signatures. Focus on unknown spatial fluctuations and reality distortion characteristics," Tony Stark's voice came from within his Iron Man armor, tinged with impatience. He hovered in mid-air like a circling metallic falcon, looking down at the war-torn city below.
On the ground, Thor paced back and forth restlessly, mjolnir spinning in his hand with a whistling wind. "We can't wait any longer! Jane could be in danger at any moment!"
"Calm down, muscle-head," Tony shot back unceremoniously over the comms channel. "London is huge. Do you plan on smashing everything until you find your little girlfriend? Trust in science. Jarvis will find her. That 'Reality Stone' you mentioned should have a very distinct energy signature."
"Science?" Thor snorted, looking up at the tin can in the sky. "I only trust my hammer."
Amidst their bickering, Clint Barton's figure landed silently on the spire of a building like a hawk. He raised his longbow, Hawkeye's sharp gaze scanning every corner below, sharing the real-time feed with Tony through his tactical eyepiece.
"London, Greenwich, Old Royal Observatory," Jarvis's cold electronic voice suddenly broke the deadlock. "Sir, I've detected an extremely powerful and unstable reality distortion field. Energy readings are climbing exponentially. It has a 99% match with the Aether Particle characteristics described by Mr. Lin Huai."
Just as he finished speaking, a thick bolt of lightning tore through the sky.
Thor's figure turned into a streak of light. Ignoring Tony's warning of "Wait, something's not right," he charged toward Greenwich.
"Damn brute!" Tony cursed under his breath, thrusters at full power as he followed behind.
When they arrived at the ancient observatory, they were all stunned by the sight before them. The entire observatory was enveloped in a visible energy membrane resembling a red aurora. The surrounding air was distorting irregularly, like melting glass.
The three of them cautiously entered the main observation hall. Jane Foster was floating in mid-air, her eyes hollow and vacant. The crimson Aether Particles, like living ribbons, circled her body in a slow, eerie dance.
"Jane!" Thor let out a heartbroken cry and took a step forward.
That single step triggered the energy on site.
Jane's hollow eyes snapped toward them. The Aether Particles surrounding her body instantly transformed into countless crimson tentacles, striking with unimaginable speed.
Thor instinctively raised his hammer to block, but the tentacles eerily decomposed into countless smaller energy streams just before contact. They bypassed the hammer and slammed heavily into his chest plate. Thor groaned as if hit by a train, his body flying backward and shattering a large section of precision observation instruments.
"Her attacks defy physical logic!" Jarvis's warning was filled with urgent static. Tony's palm cannons and shoulder missiles fired simultaneously, but as they flew toward Jane, some missiles turned into colorful butterflies out of thin air, while others turned around and blasted back at Tony at even higher speeds.
Tony dodged frantically in the air, his armor's alarms blaring in unison.
On the other side, an explosive arrow fired by Clint blossomed into a bunch of delicate roses in mid-air, drifting lightly to the ground.
"She's altering reality!" Tony shouted in horror.
The out-of-control Jane had become an unsolvable bug. By simply standing there, the entire observatory became her domain. The ceiling dripped like liquid, crashing toward everyone, while the floor turned into a viscous swamp, restricting their movement.
Thor summoned his courage again, trying to get close to her while constantly calling her name. But he was met with an even more violent energy storm. With a gentle point from Jane, the massive astronomical telescope twisted into a pretzel and was launched at Thor like a javelin.
Ultimately, at the cost of multiple breaches in the armor, a dislocated arm for Clint, and Thor spitting out golden blood after being hit in the chest by his own hammer, the three were forced to retreat from the observatory.
They stood outside, looking at the building shrouded in a red glow, their faces etched with frustration and helplessness.
"How... how do we defeat physics itself?" Tony removed his faceplate, seeing his bare scalp reflected in a puddle, feeling lost regarding his science for the first time.
Thor didn't speak, just stared fixedly at the observatory, the fire, worry, and heartache in his eyes nearly solidifying... Meanwhile, another front was unfolding in a completely different manner.
Inside the quinjet, which had been upgraded after the Battle of New York, Lin Huai, Loki, Natasha, Wanda, and Pietro were gathered around a holographic star map projected remotely by Jarvis.
"Right here." Loki's finger stopped on a flickering coordinate. A smirk played on his lips. "A sub-space attached to a spatial fold. Truly a rat's favorite trick."
Working together with Jarvis, he utilized Asgardian magical perception and Stark Industries' supercomputing power. In less than ten minutes, they had locked onto the hiding place of the 'Ark of Sorrow.'
Lin Huai kept his eyes closed, the surface of Arrodes in his hand as calm as water. Ripples representing 'confirmation' spread across the mirror's surface, validating Loki's results.
"Good job, Loki," Lin Huai said, opening his eyes and offering praise.
"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, 'Mentor'," Loki bowed slightly, his posture humble, though a flash of cunning crossed his eyes.
Lin Huai turned to the group: "Natasha, Wanda, Pietro, prepare for action. Remember, our goal is a decapitation strike. Head straight for the bridge and take out Malekith. Don't get bogged down in combat."
Loki walked to the center of the cabin, his hands chanting ancient Asgardian incantations. As his magic surged, an unstable spatial rift shimmering with green runes was forcibly torn open.
"Only thirty seconds. Go!"
Without a moment's hesitation, the five entered one after another.
A second later, they appeared in the internal corridor of a massive warship. Cold black metal walls surrounded them, and the air was thick with the scent of decay.
The operation had begun.
The entire process was incredibly smooth. Pietro turned into a streak of silver lightning, flashing through the corridors. The patrolling Dark Elf guards didn't even have time to sound an alarm before feeling a pain in their necks and collapsing unconscious. Wanda's Chaos Magic spread silently, altering the surveillance footage so their actions were completely invisible to the enemy. Natasha, like the deadliest venomous spider, moved through the shadows, using her Widows Bite to silently paralyze several key defensive nodes.
Lin Huai and Loki brought up the rear, handling magical traps and cursed runes that technological means couldn't solve.
Soon, they reached the massive alloy doors of the bridge.
Loki and Wanda shared a look. Two powerful magical energies intertwined, silently dismantling the multiple magical locks on the door.
Lin Huai took a deep breath and made a gesture to advance.
"Move!"
The alloy doors slid open to both sides.
However, the sight behind the doors caused everyone to freeze instantly.
Malekith and his personal guard were nowhere to be seen. Standing in the massive bridge were twelve—perhaps even more—giant figures. Each was over three meters tall, their black armor fused with twisted flesh. Their bodies were covered in hideous bone spikes and fur, their forms resembling upright hounds, with pure destructive desire burning in their crimson eyes.
Cursed Warriors!
An entire reinforced company of Cursed Warriors!
The composure on Lin Huai's face vanished instantly, turning deathly pale.
His mouth twitched stiffly. Facing the Monsters that were slowly turning their heads toward them, he squeezed out a dry sentence:
"Sorry, wrong room."
With that, he spun around and let out the most lung-bursting roar since his transmigration to his stunned companions behind him:
"RUN—!!!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he was the first to turn, sprinting back the way they came at the fastest speed of his life.
"Roar—!!!"
A deafening roar exploded behind them as over a dozen War Machines took heavy strides and charged, making the entire warship tremble beneath their feet.
A battle royale had begun.
"Pietro! Take them! Run toward the hangar!" Lin Huai roared while sprinting.
A silver light flashed, and Pietro had already hoisted Wanda and Natasha onto his shoulders, vanishing around the corridor corner as a blur. Lin Huai and Loki followed close behind.
What followed was like a scene straight out of a disaster movie. They were chased all over the ship by these invulnerable, super-strong Monsters.
Pietro's speed became their only lifeline. Like an annoying fly, he constantly darted through the group of Monsters, leading one away here and provoking another there, successfully scattering the Cursed Warriors who had been clustered together.
"Wanda! The one on the left—lure it into the maintenance tunnel!" Lin Huai commanded through their Mental Link.
Understanding the plan, Pietro flickered in front of a Cursed Warrior, made a face at it, and then dove into a narrow maintenance tunnel nearby. The Cursed Warrior roared and gave chase.
"Now!"
Wanda's eyes glowed intensely red as she slammed her hands together. The alloy blast doors at both ends of the hundred-meter-long maintenance tunnel instantly slammed shut, twisted, and welded themselves tight. Immediately after, a visible surge of violent, scarlet Chaos Energy flooded the entire tunnel.
The Cursed Warrior trapped inside let out a shrill roar. His cursed body rapidly disintegrated under the Erosion of the Chaos Magic; his sturdy armor peeled off like rusted scrap metal, and his body turned to ash inch by inch.
The first one!
"Nice job!" Lin Huai had just finished shouting when he saw another Cursed Warrior punch through the wall beside them.
"Loki! The engine room! Create an illusion of me and lure it there!"
With a wave of his scepter, Loki conjured a lifelike illusion of "Lin Huai" next to the core energy conduit of the engine room, which even gave an arrogant wave to the pursuing Cursed Warrior.
The Monster fell for it immediately, roaring as it charged toward the illusion.
"Wanda! Blow it up!"
Wanda extended her slender fingers and made a crushing motion toward the massive energy conduit. Countless cracks instantly appeared on the conduit's casing. A second later, a torrent of highly unstable energy surged out, completely engulfing the Cursed Warrior. In the violent explosion, the Cursed Warrior was blown to pieces, and the residual cursed energy annihilated with the ship's energy, forming a brief energy black hole.
The second one!
"Even though these things have ridiculously high physical and energy resistance, they aren't very bright," Natasha analyzed calmly while running. "They only have pure rage; perhaps their minds are their weakness!"
"No, I've tried; their soul resistance is also very strong!" Hearing this, Lin Huai suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Wait! Wanda, for the next one, try injecting some non-destructive memories into its mind. Let's see if we can cause a mental conflict!"
Pietro successfully lured another lone Cursed Warrior into a sealed cargo bay. This time, Wanda's scarlet energy wasn't a violent attack but transformed into countless fine threads that burrowed into the Monster's head.
The Cursed Warrior's massive frame suddenly stiffened. Memories belonging to Algrim were forced into its mind—warm sunlight, the smiles of family, the entrustment of comrades... These warm memories clashed violently with the pure desire for destruction granted by the Cursed Stone.
For the first time, a look of struggle and pain appeared in the Monster's scarlet eyes. Clutching its head, it let out suppressed roars, sometimes attacking the surrounding walls in a frenzy and sometimes kneeling on the ground, calling out something unintelligibly in the ancient tongue of the Dark Elves.
Ultimately, the two polar opposite wills ignited an energy storm deep within its soul. The Cursed Warrior's body began to swell violently, and cracks spread from where the armor met the flesh, with a dark red light glowing from within the fissures.
"Boom!"
There was no violent explosion, only a dull implosion. In an instant, the Cursed Warrior's body turned into countless bits of flying black dust, leaving only a dim Cursed Stone to drop to the ground before it, too, shattered into powder.
The third one!
"This tactic works! But... the cost is too high." Wanda's face was pale as she leaned against the wall, panting. Directly attacking a soul strengthened by a curse placed an immense burden on her mind.
"Don't push yourself!" Lin Huai said immediately. "Pietro, lure the next one to the C-Zone Hangar where the fighters are docked! Natasha, take control of the cranes and docking clamps there!"
By now, the battle had turned into a display of seamless cooperation under Lin Huai's command.
A few minutes later, C-Zone Hangar.
A Cursed Warrior roared as it charged into the massive hangar, while Pietro's figure became streaks of silver lightning around it. He constantly struck its knees and back with a metal pipe, making a clanging sound that, while harmless, was highly insulting.
The Cursed Warrior was completely infuriated by this "fly," swinging its fists wildly but failing to even touch Pietro's shadow.
Just as its attention was fully occupied by Pietro, Loki created an illusion of a massive, slowly starting Chitauri Leviathan at the other end of the hangar. The loud engine roar and unsettling screeches immediately drew the Cursed Warrior's attention.
"Now!"
In the moment the Cursed Warrior dithered, Natasha had already hacked into the hangar's control system. Over a dozen massive alloy crane arms used for securing warships whistled in from all directions like giant pythons, tightly binding the Cursed Warrior's limbs and torso and pinning it firmly in place.
"Roar!" The Cursed Warrior erupted with terrifying strength, and several crane arms began to groan under the strain.
"Wanda!"
Wanda's eyes blazed red as her long-prepared Chaos Magic transformed into two giant scarlet palms. They gripped both sides of the Cursed Warrior's helmet and tore outward with a savage wrench!
Accompanied by the screeching sound of twisting metal, the sturdy helmet and part of the Cursed Warrior's skull were torn away, revealing a face beneath that was disfigured beyond recognition by cursed energy.
A second later, Lin Huai's figure appeared above the Monster like a phantom, a deck of tarot cards having appeared in his hand at some unknown moment.
[Paper to Blade]!
Swish, swish, swish! Over a dozen playing cards infused with spirituality transformed into streaks of black lightning, shooting with pinpoint accuracy through the gap in the helmet and embedding themselves deep into the Cursed Warrior's brain.
The Cursed Warrior's massive body shuddered violently, the light in its scarlet eyes fading rapidly until it was completely devoid of life.
The fourth one!
With that one resolved, the roars echoing through the ship's cabins had grown significantly sparser.
Over the ensuing time, the group followed the same pattern, using Pietro's harassment, Loki's illusions, Wanda's crowd control, and Lin Huai's precision strikes to pick off the remaining Cursed Warriors one by one. Some were lured into trash disposal chutes and crushed into cubes; others were led into ammunition depots to be vaporized in spectacular explosions.
When the final roar faded into silence, the interior of the massive "Ark of Sorrow" became eerily quiet.
Dragging their exhausted bodies, the five of them returned to the bridge, which was now littered with the remains of Cursed Warriors.
"Damn... this isn't an assassination; it's a hell-mode parkour game," Pietro said, plopping onto the floor and gasping for air.
Natasha leaned against the wall, checking the Widows Bite on her wrist, which was smoking from an overload. Supported by Loki, Wanda sat down with a pale face, feeling unsteady from the excessive mental strain.
Lin Huai looked around at the messy battlefield, and the lingering fear finally began to well up in his heart.
"I'm an idiot. Next time I go out, I'm going to divine which foot to step with first. I've been getting a bit too cocky lately."