Loki had imagined many possibilities, but this Midgardian kept surpassing every expectation.
Even now, despite his unprecedented fury over Thor's wretched state, the God of Mischief remained a trickster at heart. Even on the verge of losing his mind, his natural cunning never fully disappeared.
When he moved against Adam, he instinctively analyzed what kind of backing would allow the man to do something so insane. He weighed Adam's Xenomorph army against the strength Adam had displayed so far.
The truly powerful Xenomorphs were limited to the Queen, the Abomination strain, and the enhanced ones. Loki found them troublesome but not enough to change the final outcome of killing Adam.
Adam himself had never shown any exceptional personal power.
Most importantly, Loki had sensed Thor's condition up close. His brother was merely parasitized and in a temporary coma. The brutal wound in his chest was horrific and seemed to be missing some organs, but Asgardians had terrifying vitality. As long as Thor hadn't died on the spot, he could still be saved.
After all, even the lowliest Asgardian civilians possessed physical qualities three times greater than Earth humans... basically super-soldiers on average. And Thor was the son of the king.
Loki stayed angry and confident... until he saw Adam raise his hand toward a certain direction. Then his composure cracked, anxiety flashing across his face.
In an instant, Loki understood. And precisely because he guessed what card Adam was about to play, the shock and disbelief hit even harder. Logic told him this was absurd, ridiculous, a suicidal fantasy. But instinct said Adam wasn't crazy. He had gone to such great lengths specifically to target Mjolnir.
"Xenomorphs… parasitism… genetics…"
Loki instantly connected the keywords. His powerful mind filtered through every Xenomorph he had seen in less than a hundredth of a second.
They belonged to the same species yet had different forms and varying levels of strength. And then there was the new Xenomorph that had just burst from the enhanced mutated creature…
Loki glanced over. In such a short time, the freshly emerged Xenomorph had already grown five times larger. That accelerated development was ridiculous.
"I see. So that's what this bastard is thinking… this madman…" Loki's shock mixed with a sudden flash of insight... the feeling of a mental blind spot being ripped open.
So it could be done this way. The parasitic Xenomorph race could actually be used like that!
"You absolutely cannot lift Mjolnir! That is a divine weapon even I have no right to claim. Don't overestimate yourself!!" Loki's eyes burned red with killing intent. Powerful divine energy flowed across his body as terrifying magic gathered.
Just give him a little more time, and he could erase this human from Midgard entirely.
BOOM!
In that instant, the wind stopped. The rain froze. The roiling storm clouds seemed locked in place by an invisible force.
Crackle!
A faint sound of electricity rose from Mjolnir. The weapon that had been inert in Magneto's hands suddenly sparked with thin arcs of lightning.
Hum!
Mjolnir erupted with a powerful surge of current. It spun around, broke free from Magneto's control, and flew straight toward Adam!
Everything happened so suddenly and so fast. Adam's actions flowed seamlessly from start to finish without the slightest hesitation, as if he had always known exactly what to do.
Loki watched with bloodshot eyes as the unreachable Mjolnir flew past him and was caught firmly in Adam's outstretched hand.
Adam felt the weight of the hammer and slowly raised his head. "Then we can begin the second round, God of Mischief. From now on, you may address me as… the God of Thunder."
Countless arcs of electricity paused briefly before exploding across Adam's body in a frenzy.
Dense, visible bolts of lightning surged from the hammer like living things, carrying astonishing divine power that Adam now commanded.
The divine energy was so obedient that Adam, who had prepared to spend several seconds adapting, was surprised to find it responded to his will perfectly.
The power flooded his body, rapidly activating and nourishing every cell. With the Xenomorph larva in his chest as the core, it quickly elevated his life level.
Massive storm clouds coalesced into a heart-stopping tornado that spun around Mjolnir. From a distance, it looked like a newborn black hole.
"How… is this possible…"
Loki stood frozen, his mind blank, face full of disbelief.
Kaecilius was stunned too, before Magneto seized the opening and blasted him tumbling through the air. Even then, his eyes remained wide and burning with fervor.
Magneto was the calmest of all. After the initial surprise, he simply looked away with a blank expression. It was only a hammer that he himself could wield. This only proved Adam's excellence... or perhaps the excellence of the Xenomorphs. Nothing else mattered.
As for strength, Magneto was confident he could win even against a full-powered Thor!
The utterly chaotic battlefield, where every side fought each other, sent tremors across the globe. Even Black Bolt on the Moon noticed the disturbance. He stood up and gazed toward Earth.
Adam, firmly wielding Mjolnir and bathed in endless lightning, had become the center of attention... like a god descended among mortals.
The lightning tore through the darkness, stretching Adam's shadow long and vast across the land, as if it might cover the entire planet.
Deep satisfaction shone in Adam's eyes. It had gone exactly as he had estimated. He had taken a gamble... if it failed, he would have withdrawn with his Xenomorph forces. Fortunately, it had worked.
"When you think about it, many people have lifted Mjolnir: Thor, Hela, Vision, Captain America, Jane Foster, Black Widow, Deadpool, Magneto, Loki, Frog Thor, Horse-Thor, Bor, Captain Hydra, Wonder Woman, Superman…"
Most people believed the standard for lifting the hammer was a "worthy heart." That was undoubtedly wrong. Hela was anything but just... she was filled with ambition, bloodlust, and cruelty.
Adam tended to believe that those with a "pure" divine nature or godhood-like qualities could lift it.
Of course, that was for lifting it normally. Modifying Odin's enchantment to let someone else wield it was an entirely different kind of cheat.
"So, was the hammer rejecting me for lacking purity, or for not having enough worth?" Adam examined the weapon in his hand with genuine interest.
The hammer's judgment of the same person could shift depending on circumstances and changes of heart.
Clearly, in this crisis, even Loki didn't meet its standards.
But Adam, who had taken Thor's genes and bloodline and obtained the key to ascending to "godhood," could now command Mjolnir.
He even suspected the hammer's intelligence was too low and had been fooled by the larva in his chest, mistaking him for a "enlightened" Thor with a renewed spirit.
Regardless, the result was real: by swapping the Xenomorph larva, Adam had ascended to become the God of Thunder.
He truly possessed divine power. Raising Mjolnir high, surrounded by Xenomorphs bathed in lightning, this scene was destined to become a legendary image etched into the world's history.
Even countless years later, as long as Earth survived and history endured, people would know that a man who commanded a powerful race had once lifted Mjolnir and wielded the power of the Thunder God.
This image wasn't limited to Earth.
In the halls of Asgard.
Odin, who had been "sleeping" while using his immense power to observe Earth, was shaken by the sight.
When the Eternals appeared, he had stayed vigilant against Arishem and held back. When Thor accepted the facehugger under Adam's influence, Odin remained confident he could remove the creature as long as Thor didn't die immediately, so he stayed silent. But when he sensed that Adam had taken the larva from Thor and could now lift Mjolnir, he was truly alarmed.
"What exactly is the origin of these creatures? To bypass my enchantment... even through such a loophole... is remarkable. A species like this shouldn't be unknown."
Odin's thoughts centered on the Xenomorph that had been inside Thor, leading him to investigate the entire race's origins and finally settling on Adam.
Truthfully, the God-King had never taken Adam seriously. Having lived for millions of years, he had witnessed countless rises and falls and slain so-called powerhouses from many worlds.
But in this moment, nearing the end of his life, he finally grew interested. A "mortal" from the mortal world had captured his full attention.
Odin considered extending his sight to review the timeline. It wouldn't be difficult for him. A Celestial-level being, if he went all out without regard for cost, could interfere with the entire galaxy's operations or even destroy it completely.
Observing past events briefly was nothing compared to reversing time... that was the domain of the Time Stone.
In the end, Odin chose not to. His remaining time was short. His aging body could no longer bear the full weight of his accumulated power. Even using a portion would greatly hasten his death.
"According to the future the Ancient One and I discussed, darkness lies ahead. I originally suspected the Eternals and Celestials would target Thor, but this outcome… Arishem never appeared, and Thor only suffered some losses…"
Honestly, if this was the result, it was already the best possible outcome.
Thor was still alive. Even without Mjolnir, he lived. Yet the anxiety the Ancient One had expressed during their conversation was genuine… What future had she seen with the Time Stone?
Because of Adam? The young man was indeed impressive. He commanded a strange race with astonishing potential, even if their origins were unknown.
And now, through an ingenious method, he had lifted Mjolnir and gained a portion of the Thunder God's power.
But even that level shouldn't be enough to make the Ancient One so deeply worried.
With no answers, Odin decided to keep watching. His body could still last a few more years and allow at least one full exertion. He needed to wait for the enemy that even the Ancient One feared to appear.
At that time, if Thor was still alive, Odin could pass on the Odinforce with peace of mind and let his son ascend the throne.
If Thor died… against an enemy the Ancient One couldn't even describe, dying in battle would be normal. Even if they survived that, Ragnarok would still come.
He could only hope Thor would live. On Earth, with the Ancient One's protection and his connection to this Adam who could lift Mjolnir, his survival chances were the highest they could be... even if it dealt a heavy blow to Thor's pride.
…
Adam officially clashed with Loki, beginning the second round as he had declared.
He had guessed that Odin and others would be watching Earth's variables, and that Thor's situation would draw significant attention, but he wasn't overly worried.
Even in Earth-199999, when Loki nearly beat Thor to death, Odin simply lay sleeping in Asgard and did not intervene. Only when Thor himself had a change of heart and suddenly lifted Mjolnir again did he recover fully.
As long as Thor wasn't killed outright with no chance of survival, Odin wouldn't act... even if Thor came close to death.
The All-Father, who had waged countless wars, possessed a far colder heart than most imagined.
Besides, Thor was still far from actual death right now.
Adam moved like a true God of Thunder, wielding Mjolnir as he soared through the sky and across the land. He unleashed divine power without restraint, commanding the weather at will. From space, one could see terrifying lightning gathering from all over the globe toward the New Mexico desert, growing stronger by the moment.
The Queen had also gone all out. On Adam's orders, she led the Xenomorph forces charging toward…
The Eternals!
In this situation, killing Loki or Kaecilius was unrealistic. Both were among the top sorcerers of the Nine Realms. If they truly wanted to escape, Adam couldn't stop them.
Capturing some Eternals instead would be far more worthwhile. It would prepare him for the inevitable large-scale war between Jotunheim and Asgard that was coming.
That would be a conflict where even Celestial-level beings took the field personally. Adam was someone who liked to take risks. Without several powerful subordinates, he wouldn't reap any benefits.
BOOM!
The Abomination Xenomorph leaped hundreds of meters, crashing down like a cannonball as it tried to stomp on Makkari. Among all the Eternals, the most troublesome wasn't Ikaris or Gilgamesh, but the super-speedster Makkari.
Unfortunately for her, Makkari always prioritized Ajak's safety over combat itself. She spent more energy monitoring her own condition. The instant she sensed the Abomination Xenomorph's sudden attack, she abandoned Magneto and retreated rapidly, trying to return to Ajak's side.
"What are you doing?! Sending your creatures after us at a time like this?!" Ajak couldn't help shouting.
Adam ignored her. Bathed in endless thunder, his divine power surging as he traded blows with Loki. At the same time, through the eyes of his many Xenomorphs, he rapidly calculated. With a single command, more than a dozen Xenomorphs moved in unison, blocking every possible escape route Makkari might take.
Under normal circumstances it wouldn't work, but in this zone where space itself was in chaos and rampant energies ran wild, it became the perfect cage to restrict her.
Snap!
One Xenomorph suddenly thrust out a claw. After countless calculations by Adam, it struck at the precise moment and blocked the only path forward Makkari had left.
With a tremendous crash, Makkari tumbled forward like an out-of-control vehicle, torn by several chaotic energy waves and left covered in wounds.
Ajak and Gilgamesh cried out in alarm and turned to protect her.
But it was already too late.
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