Malekith had never imagined that this trip to Earth would turn into nothing but a desperate escape.
It was his misfortune to cross paths with that Ice Goddess from Storybrooke.
But why, after barely teleporting and landing, did he immediately run into another humanoid monster, entirely red?
And from the monster's eyes, Malekith felt disdain. Scrutiny.
That meant this wasn't some mindless beast. This was an intelligent creature.
Malekith gritted his teeth, ignoring the blood spilling from the corners of his mouth.
As the monarch of the Dark Elves, he was cunning, despicable, vile.
But not a coward.
Fleeing from Elsa earlier had been reasonable. Only overly kind fools, those so-called superheroes, rushed headlong into certain death.
Now, though? He had not started by running. He had raised a long sword in his right hand, Black Magic in his left.
The result wasn't pretty.
Red Hulk's ceiling might not reach Hulk's, but as one of the stronger members of the Hulk family, his base stats matched a standard Savage Hulk.
And a Savage Hulk against a normal Malekith…
That was a one-sided beating.
Malekith's Black Magic struck Red Hulk, but aside from scratches, it did nothing to halt his advance.
And when Malekith slashed with his sword, Red Hulk turned his head, grinned, and said:
"My friend, your attack feels like you're trying to act cute with me."
That sentence broke Malekith completely. And once again, he found himself in a cat-and-mouse game: him fleeing, the monster chasing.
But Red Hulk—General Ross—could have killed him at any moment. Instead, Ross deliberately left him an escape route.
A "path of escape" leading straight to the air base.
Because as the base's nominal commander, Ross wasn't eager to get tangled with the FBI.
But reality was cruel. Within minutes, all external defenses had been taken over by Bureau personnel.
Even though he could transform into a Gamma monster, he still had to obey the orders of the one-eyed man called Fury.
Ross, still in Hulk form, venting his rage in a nearby lake, heard the order come through his communicator.
"Dear General Ross, how have you been recently?"
"Fury. What do you want?"
"I regret to inform you that Area 51's external defenses have been temporarily taken over by the FBI. I won't ask why you're not in your office during working hours. Now here's your assignment: patrol the outskirts of Area 51 and search for a pale-skinned Dark Elf leader."
Ross froze.
What the hell?
Defenses taken over?
And he was supposed to hunt down a pale-skinned Dark Elf leader?
"What the hell did you do now? And what are Dark Elves?"
"Hahaha. As for 'terrible things,' I'd say Amanda Waller deserves that adjective more." Fury chuckled. "Although you were captured by HYDRA and brainwashed, you also got a blessing in disguise and became Red Hulk. It's just that you don't fully understand what's happened with A.R.G.U.S. and Area 51 these past two years. That 'unknown entity' you excavated back then, what we call the Aether Particle, is the Dark Elves' supreme treasure. And they're here for it."
"I heard Waller mention that. The Storybrooke Town incident was caused by the Aether Particle… But wasn't it already contained by that—Dante! Yeah, him! Wasn't it contained by your Bureau?"
"That's true. But the Dark Elves are tracking the Aether's residual aura. And this base happens to have the strongest lingering aura."
"…Alright. I get it. So we're the bait."
"Good luck. Reel this big fish in quickly." Fury lowered his voice. "After all, you don't want Amanda Waller stepping on your head forever, do you?"
Under Fury's layered hints, Ross took the bait.
Compared to Fury, his hatred for Waller burned brighter.
She was Commander of A.R.G.U.S. He had to obey her.
But if he bagged credit for capturing an alien invader, combined with his Red Hulk strength, he could prove his value to the government.
And Waller? She'd just be harmless.
That's why Red Hulk was now chasing Malekith with a big grin.
"Hahaha! Dark Elf! Why keep running? How about you just surrender?"
"Lunatic! You Earthlings are lunatics!" Malekith finally snapped. He spun and shouted, "It's bad enough there's a God in Storybrooke Town! But what the hell are you supposed to be?!"
Realizing they shared a language, Red Hulk didn't slow. Shared words meant he could interrogate for intel later.
And Fury hadn't said the Dark Elf had to be captured alive.
So Ross paused, letting Malekith run farther and farther.
Malekith, puzzled why Red Hulk stopped, didn't get time to wonder.
The next instant, ice, fire, storms, and thunder crashed down on him all at once.
In desperation, Malekith conjured a Black Magic shield to protect himself.
But the combined elemental assault shattered it instantly.
And he was crushed beneath the onslaught.
"Cease fire!"
Fury waved, signaling the X-Men to stop.
Pyro, Storm, and Iceman halted.
"I thought this mission would be tough. Turns out we just had to play long-range cannons." Iceman shrugged at Pyro. "Though this Dark Elf guy is sturdy. Survived that and isn't fully dead yet."
"You only think it's easy because we had perfect timing and support. Face him alone and you'd be dead." Storm rolled her eyes. Iceman was powerful, but too arrogant, always leaning on his Omega status.
And she was right. Malekith's defeat was thanks to enemy terrain and ambush. In a fair fight, most of the X-Men here would have fallen.
"Alright, enough chatter." White Queen's voice cut in, her eyes narrowing on Iceman. "Drake, I'm not scolding you, but could you be steadier?"
"I was just saying… why are you lecturing me now?" Iceman muttered.
Emma Frost—ever since taking on the extra role of Dean at the FBI Academy, her demeanor had shifted. Her wild edge was tempered. Her speech polished.
Anyone who didn't know better might think she was Professor X's sister.
But she was still a master telepath, one of the strongest mutants alive.
Iceman only grumbled, but followed along obediently.
Fury ignored the side drama. He waved the team forward, leading them toward Malekith's half-dead body.
"…Is this guy still alive?" Pyro whispered. "This better not be one of those horror flick moments where the boss plays dead, then wakes up and starts slaughtering everyone—"
And right then, Malekith's eyes snapped open.
"Holy crap! It's real?!"
Malekith sneered, drove his hand into the ground, and pulled out a strange black sword.
He drank in its power, his condition rapidly recovering.
With one swing, a lead soldier was bisected.
Then blood, screams, severed limbs everywhere. Red Hulk included, beheaded in the frenzy.
Malekith, ferocity on full display, walked deeper into the base.
That eerie red light lured him on, until finally…
The Aether Particle.
"Hahaha! The Aether!"
"I finally have it! Asgard! Nine Realms! All will crumble into dust at my hands!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Malekith laughed madly, pocketing the Aether.
The Legend of Malekith! A grand serialization!
…What nonsense.
White Queen lifted her hand from his forehead.
There was no comeback. No Aether. No victory.
It was only a dream. A perfect illusion woven into his dying mind.
"Aah… getting old. I can't stand seeing someone die with their eyes open," she sighed.
Fury wiped cold sweat.
Good grief. She killed him with a dream and called it mercy?
A generation's Dark Elf monarch, after two brutal beatings… drowned in a dream.
If Dante had seen this, he might've given Malekith a thumbs up. At least it was more stylish than Laufey's end.
"Buzz! Buzz!"
Fury's terminal vibrated. A message.
Fairytale Town field agents had completed cleanup.
"Alright. Storybrooke Town's done. This invasion is officially over." Fury nodded, then muttered, "And Dante even warned me to be careful. In the end… that's it?"
He glanced at the X-Men, then thought of the Star Team fighting in Asgard.
Suddenly, his spine straightened. Confidence surged.
Meanwhile, Dante, unaware Malekith was already dead, was still in Asgard.
Waiting for Odin to figure out a way to reconnect the Tenth Realm to the World Tree.
The Nine Realms convergence was random. The Angel Kingdom only had a small passage open.
That was why the Dark Elves and Frost Giants had been the main force, while Angels were less than one-twentieth of the army.
But that didn't stop Odin from preparing revenge.
Did they really think Old Odin was soft?
Kidnap his daughter? Brainwash her to fight him?
If he didn't kill Haven, he wasn't worthy of the throne.
"…Um, my lord, I don't know if I should say something?"
"…Who the hell is your lord?" Odin snapped, glaring at Dante. "Spit it out!"
"Hehe, it's like this." Dante draped an arm over Odin's shoulder. "The optimal solution now is for Angela to guide us back the way she came."
"Of course I know that. I've fought thousands of years. Do I need you to teach me?" Odin rolled his eye. "But I want more than killing that damn woman. I want the entire Angel Kingdom reintegrated into the Nine Realms."
Dante agreed immediately.
He truly was an old fox. Even after a family reunion, still keeping rational, maximizing benefits.
The Angel Kingdom meant resources. An entire dimension of underdeveloped wealth.
And nearly all its people were soldiers.
Odin, still guilty over the Valkyries Hela had annihilated, probably intended to use Angels to fill the void.
Revenge and profit. Multi-layered gain.
No wonder he was the Nine Realms' number one warmonger.
"Brilliant! Old geezer, truly brilliant!"
"…Call me old geezer again, and I'll stab you with Gungnir."
(To be continued.)
***
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