Alex Ray stood at a distance, his eyes filled with indifference and detachment.
This desolate desert was already sparsely populated. Now, it was even more barren, silent and devoid of life.
The few civilians who had been present were rescued in time by Tony Stark, leaving behind only emptiness and stillness.
Alex had no intention of intervening in the fight between the Asgardian warriors and the Destroyer.
They weren't his allies. Their survival had nothing to do with him.
More importantly, they weren't even from Earth. This was simply an interstellar conflict that had spilled onto Earth's soil.
If the Destroyer had been dropped into Hell's Kitchen, it would have been dismantled by Alex, Magneto, and the others before it had a chance to fully materialize.
Alex even mused to himself that maybe after Thor lost a few companions, he'd undergo the usual pain and character development arc—like the male leads in TV dramas—and then explode with divine power. He'd seen this type of plot far too many times to be surprised anymore.
As long as Thor didn't die, Alex wasn't going to step in.
He felt more like the silent guardian behind the protagonist in a novel, waiting for the inevitable turning point.
And he was glad—glad that he was strong enough to watch from the sidelines. Otherwise, with the number of protagonists around him—Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff, Peter Parker—he'd have died a dozen times by now.
Being Spider-Man's friend was a death sentence. Most of them ended up either dead or turning into villains.
And then there was Deadpool—an R-rated wildcard.
Alex could only be thankful that he had his system protecting him.
While he was lost in thought, a loud war cry suddenly shattered the silence: "For Asgard!"
He looked up to see a burly warrior charging forward, swinging a large axe at the five-meter-tall Destroyer.
In the next second, the man was swatted away by the Destroyer like a fly, landing five feet back with a thud.
Alex shook his head.
The people of Asgard might be physically strong, but their strategic thinking was questionable at best.
Across the entire realm of Asgard, only a handful were actually intelligent: the Queen, Odin, Loki, and Hela.
The Queen, though—Alex suspected she was married in from elsewhere. Probably not even Asgardian by birth.
Loki? Not truly Asgardian at all. He was from Jotunheim—the realm of Asgard's sworn enemies.
Hela was brilliant and ruthless, but Odin had sealed her away.
And Odin himself? Probably playing dead at this point.
Alex mentally tallied it up and concluded: Asgard's IQ average had taken a steep nosedive.
Well—maybe one or two still had functioning brains...
As Thor was nearly knocked to the ground by the Destroyer, Alex considered helping. But before he could move, a female warrior in light armor sprinted forward and, with remarkable agility, stabbed the Destroyer in the knee.
Its attack paused momentarily.
Alex couldn't help but murmur in approval, "She's not bad."
But the compliment barely left his lips when the Destroyer bent down and delivered a crushing punch that sent her flying. She vanished into the dust cloud like a ragdoll.
Alex sighed. Asgardians really didn't have it easy.
He hadn't memorized the names of Thor's companions, and at this point, it didn't matter.
In this chaotic battlefield, their glory was gone. Now, they were just scattered survivors clinging to a shred of hope.
Tony Stark returned, having evacuated the civilians. He opened his helmet as he landed beside Alex.
"You really not gonna help them?" Tony asked.
"No need. No one's dead yet. Besides, this is S.H.I.E.L.D. territory. If they're not taking action, why should we rush it?" Alex replied casually, watching Thor and the others scramble for cover from the Destroyer.
Plus, with S.H.I.E.L.D. present and Thor still depowered, if Alex were to destroy the Destroyer now, it could disrupt whatever plan Odin had in place. Then Odin might decide to make Thor Alex's problem.
And Alex had no interest in babysitting that overgrown child.
"Asgard? So they're aliens?" Tony asked, blinking in surprise. "This is the first time I've heard that name."
Even though he already suspected they weren't from Earth, hearing the name for the first time piqued his curiosity.
Alex gave Tony a sidelong glance. "Really? I'm sure I mentioned that before."
He distinctly remembered explaining it. Maybe Tony's brain was fried from too many arc reactor tests.
Tony ignored the jab. "If they die, can I take their bodies back for research? I want to compare alien biology to ours."
He pointed toward the Destroyer. "And that robot—its material composition looks extraterrestrial. Might help me design a new armor."
Alex smirked. "So you're planning to loot the battlefield in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s backyard? You've gotten bold."
Everyone knew S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents would kill for tech like that. There was no way they'd let Tony just walk off with an alien mecha.
Tony waved him off with a grin. "Relax. You're here, aren't you? I know you won't let them steal my loot."
Alex rolled his eyes.
The arrogance was palpable. As if no one else could take what wasn't theirs, but Tony could.
Tony shrugged. "Come on, I dumped a fortune into Hell's Kitchen. A big-ass robot like that? I could use some of its parts to upgrade the Iron Man suits. The leftovers can go to the Hell's Kitchen defense teams—it's all for the greater good."
This time, he wasn't trying to haggle for more funds. Even a billionaire couldn't keep up with Alex's brand of "partnership." Tony had already poured over ten billion into Hell's Kitchen and the X-Corporation.
At this rate, his billionaire status was on the endangered list.
But Tony felt that his relationship with Alex had evolved beyond money.
This was a friendship forged in over a billion dollars of shared blood, sweat, and tech.
To Tony, there was nothing money couldn't buy. If something seemed out of reach—it just meant the budget wasn't big enough yet.
While the two of them calmly chatted about dividing spoils, things on Thor's side were going downhill fast.
The mighty prince of Asgard, god of thunder, was now reduced to dodging attacks and barely staying on his feet.
His expression was etched with exhaustion and desperation.
His four companions were all seriously wounded.
At this rate, they were going to die—because of him.
Thor knew there was only one option left.
He had to reclaim Mjolnir.
He had to reclaim his divine power.
"I must get my hammer back!"
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🎇🎇 Check out new Fanfiction 🎇🎇
🎊 Naruto : Tsunade You're Really Drunk 🎊
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As the plot unfolds, it dives deep into the Spider-Verse, Avengers War and the Marvel Multiverse, weaving in epic elements from Endgame, God of Stories Loki, Kang the Conqueror, the Council of Kangs, the Council of Reeds, and even Franklin Richards.
Expect mind-bending twists with Deadpool breaking the fourth wall, going on a rampage that includes killing everyone... even the authors themselves.
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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