Arthur raised an eyebrow and sighed helplessly.
On this particular subject, Banner's objections were remarkably strong. The usually mild-mannered genius, the good-natured Hulk, was surprisingly persistent about this; it left Arthur a bit speechless.
Natasha cleared her throat. "I'm afraid I need to talk to Coulson."
Some things simply needed doing; otherwise, Arthur and his group would have to set off back to Earth without a clear schedule. Natasha had a clear, workable excuse. The others quickly followed suit, finding various pretexts to leave. Tony claimed he wanted to look through Xandar's archives and, pointedly, did not invite Banner to join.
In the end, only Arthur and Banner were left in the room.
They looked at each other. Banner started, "So I-"
"What are you doing? Don't go anywhere. Stay here." Arthur sounded genuinely exasperated. "What is going on with you?"
One time could be written off as righteous indignation, but this was becoming a routine. It made Arthur feel there was something genuinely weighing on the mind of the man who held seven doctorates.
Banner was quiet for a moment, then said, "I just feel... this is unfair."
"...Personal feelings, I don't want you all to get too involved," Arthur said, raising a brow, then pulled out a bottle of liquor and two goblets. He poured a glass for Banner, who glanced at the bottle in Arthur's hand.
Arthur gestured to the bottle. "Don't be fooled by the half-empty bottle, it's a collector's edition."
"The other half you and Tony finished off," Banner's mouth twitched. "Did you steal his liquor again? If this keeps up, he'll invent an anti-'Summer' system. The moment you appear in his house, even around his house, every liquor cabinet will hide itself and be heavily guarded underground."
"Where do you think Tony would hide it so I couldn't find it?" Arthur countered with a smile.
Banner smiled, too. After sipping his drink, he continued, his tone turning serious again. "I'm not trying to force your hand. I just think it's truly unfair. I know it's unfair to that girl, too. You disappear day after day; leaving Earth has become routine for you. Sometimes she can't even reach you by phone. Holding onto something so ephemeral is not easy, she's strong. But Natasha is our comrade; her efforts for you have happened right under our noses. I can't stay silent about this forever. Buddy, you need to make a decision!"
"What decision would you make if it were you?" Arthur asked, watching him closely.
Banner froze for a moment, then sighed heavily. "No matter how hard that decision is, I still hope you make it soon. Otherwise, it's too unfair to Natasha... and, well, unfair to that landlady too."
Arthur nodded, then looked at Banner. "Is that all?"
"What else?" Banner asked in confusion. "Why do you seem... odd?"
Arthur nodded again. "Never mind. Since you spoke with goodwill, I'll take it in. Now you can go settle the score with that traitor Tony."
"You're right, leaving me here alone wasn't a good idea. But he did it without a shred of hesitation; I'll make him pay for this." Banner nodded, the distraction taking hold, and turned to leave.
Arthur sat alone in the room. After a while of silence, he shook his head, tangled, messy, an ugly knot of a debt. This one was even more troublesome than the whole Tony–Bucky/Steve situation. But when it came to that matter, he was an outsider. Whatever decision was made, he could accept it. This time, though, he was one of the parties involved.
"The same situation, no matter who it happens to, always..."
Arthur didn't finish his thought. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a cube had appeared in his hand, the Tesseract!
The next instant, energy surged around him, and Arthur's figure vanished from the spot.
When he reappeared, he was almost thrown out by an immense, suffocating force!
Unfurling his Raven God's Wings, hovering in midair, Arthur wiped the sweat from his brow. "This is really exhilarating. Jumping straight here from the cosmos... that definitely counts as a long-haul trip."
As far as his eyes could see, the scene was one of utter devastation. Twisted trees scattered on the ground, a swamp-like terrain, murky pools of blood, and a dark, oppressive sky, each element a separate, morbid note, together composing a uniquely hellish symphony.
How many times had he come here now? Arthur didn't know. But every time, the agenda was the same.
Feeling suddenly irritable, he spoke the words aloud:
"Hela! Come out! I'm gonna f**k you!"
The next second, Hela shot into the air, nearly smashing through a massive tree branch to do so. Without another word, an overwhelming scene appeared before Arthur, a storm of countless swords raining down like a thousand blades returning to their master, crashing toward him.
Arthur laughed loudly. "That's it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he charged headlong into the sword storm. The clang of metal rang out endlessly, the swords couldn't pierce his skin, glancing off him as if they had been nailed to Iron Man's armor. Sparks flew from the friction between blade and body.
"What is this?"
Even Hela was slightly surprised. Hovering in midair, she raised her hand, and suddenly, a torrential rain of lightning condensed into a thick, massive bolt in her palm, stretching skyward and plunging downward, as if Hela herself held up a portion of the heavens!
Arthur's eyes nearly popped out. "This isn't fair!"
This was clearly Thor's signature move, how could Hela also wield it?
Before Arthur could react, the bolt of lightning shot straight at him.
"Disperse!"
With a single shout, a repulsive force erupted around Arthur. Using the inverse method of his self-derived theory, he created a reverse force field in front of himself. Yet it wasn't enough to completely block Hela's lightning, the bolt moved so fast it reached his chest in an instant!
For a brief moment, Arthur felt as if his chest had been seared!
"Too brutal!"
He layered his body with the healing power of Particle Reshaping. "Not going to fight me hand-to-hand? Trying the magic route? Fine!"
He reached out, and the energy in the void instantly condensed around his body. Shaped by his will, it took on a ferocious, writhing form, behind him emerged a massive, mythical serpent with eight heads, baring its teeth and ready to strike.