Inside the divine realm, Ethan Voss carefully extracted the power of the Blood God from Deacon Frost.
The energy was astonishingly powerful.
More importantly, it could be integrated directly into the divine kingdom's Origin. Once absorbed, it would significantly increase the realm's total essence.
After carefully measuring the energy, Ethan made a rough estimate.
The amount of essence contained in the Blood God's power was equivalent to the increase produced by adding several thousand new inhabitants to the divine kingdom.
To understand the scale more clearly, Ethan compared it with other abilities he had previously analyzed.
If Wolverine's regenerative immortality were stripped away and converted into origin energy, it would likely increase the kingdom's essence by roughly the equivalent of several hundred people.
Which meant that the Blood God's power was equal to the value of at least ten Wolverines.
Despite the enormous benefit, Ethan did not immediately absorb it.
He was still thinking carefully about how to use such a powerful energy source.
The situation reminded him of Jean Grey.
More specifically, the fragment of the Phoenix Force inside her.
Even if it was only a fragment, that power was probably worth the equivalent of several hundred Wolverines at minimum.
Yet since their previous conversation, Jean had not contacted him again.
For now, the Justice League still relied heavily on mutant members to maintain its overall strength. Because of that, Ethan temporarily set the matter aside.
Sometimes Ethan thought about something else as well.
Within the divine kingdom, he actually had the ability to completely brainwash anyone who entered the realm.
But strangely, he had never chosen to use that ability indiscriminately.
Perhaps it was because in his previous life he had been raised as a disciplined and principled person.
Or perhaps it was because he believed he was destined to become a god someday.
And if that was the case, he did not want his hands to become stained with unnecessary blood.
Scheming, manipulation, killing.
The more someone relied on those methods, the more their heart changed.
Eventually, they might become someone they no longer recognized.
For now, Ethan preferred to remain patient.
He would wait for Jean to come to him voluntarily.
…
The next time Ethan saw the Ancient One, he was asleep.
The first sign of her arrival was the faint spark that flickered in the air inside his bedroom. When the sparks slowly began forming a circular portal, Ethan immediately knew who was coming.
He looked around the room.
On the large bed—so large it could easily fit several people—several soft, pale bodies lay completely naked.
Only then did Ethan realize that he himself was also completely uncovered.
The portal was almost finished forming.
There was absolutely no way he was going to let a thousand-year-old sorcerer watch him standing there naked.
Without hesitation, he pulled two of the women into his arms and buried most of his body beneath the pile of blankets and limbs, leaving only his face exposed.
A moment later, the Ancient One stepped through the portal.
The bald sorcerer in white robes glanced calmly toward the bed. Her eyes lingered on the scene for barely a second before she looked away again without comment.
Ethan felt slightly irritated.
"Your timing is terrible," he said sarcastically. "You should have come last night. It's a little late now."
The Ancient One remained completely composed.
"You don't need to feel embarrassed," she replied calmly. "Beautiful women are merely skeletons beneath their skin."
"In my eyes, your appearance is not very different from the ancient demon gods."
Ethan glared at her.
"I'm not letting you off that easily."
He leaned back slightly against the pillows.
"So what brings you here so early in the morning?"
The Ancient One walked across the room and sat down in a chair beside the bed.
"Odin's sons," she said calmly. "When do you plan to return them?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"Odin himself isn't worried, but you're already nervous?"
As far as he knew, Odin was still deep in his Odinsleep. There was no sign that the All-Father had awakened yet.
The reason the events of Thor's story unfolded so quickly might simply be because Ethan had interfered with both princes.
The Ancient One spoke evenly.
"Odin may appear calm now that he is old, but when he was young the blood on his hands could drown the entire city of New York."
Her eyes rested on Ethan.
"And you abducted the son of a man like that."
"Who said I abducted Loki?" Ethan replied immediately.
He raised his voice slightly.
"Odin failed to educate his sons properly. I simply couldn't stand watching them end up killing each other, so I helped out a little."
He began counting on his fingers.
"I helped his simple-minded eldest son learn how to become a proper ruler."
"And I taught his scheming younger son a valuable lesson."
He shrugged.
"Shouldn't Odin be thanking me?"
The Ancient One blinked slowly.
"He is a king," she said quietly. "Whether his decisions are right or wrong is not for others to correct."
Ethan paused.
Then he sighed.
"Are all rulers this contradictory?"
How could the world ever develop the way Odin imagined?
Thor was clearly not suited to be an emperor.
As for Loki, he was arrogant and mischievous, but he still cared deeply about his father.
Had Odin ever considered that forcing them down a predetermined path might actually push them further away from the future he wanted?
In the end, Loki might leave and Thor might refuse the throne.
And Odin would be left completely alone.
"People are like that," the Ancient One said calmly. "They only learn after pain and regret."
She stood up.
"I didn't come here to discuss philosophy."
"You need to explain how you plan to deal with Odin's sons."
Ethan shifted slightly under the blankets as a faint ray of sunlight leaked through the curtains. One of the women beside him stirred softly and let out a quiet sigh.
He pulled the covers tighter before answering.
"That's simple."
"As for Thor, I'll help him regain the ability to lift Mjolnir."
He paused briefly.
"And Loki?"
"That's Thor's responsibility."
"I'm not getting involved."
The Ancient One nodded slowly.
"Release him from your special space."
"Odin may be asleep, but even in slumber he senses disturbances."
Ethan shrugged.
"Letting him go isn't a problem."
"But I'm worried he might sneak away."
He glanced at her seriously.
"What if Odin hasn't awakened yet and Loki pretends to carry a divine decree?"
"What if he leads the Asgardian army to invade Earth?"
The Ancient One studied him quietly.
Then she raised her hand.
A strip of cloth covered in intricate magical patterns appeared in her palm.
"This cursed cloth will limit his divine power," she explained. "You may use it."
She handed it over.
"But remember one thing."
"Ensure his safety."
Ethan nodded.
"Understood."
Moments later, the Ancient One disappeared through another portal.
Ethan sat silently on the bed for a while after she left.
Finally, he reached for his phone.
"Felicia," he said, "where's Thor?"
"Prepare a car."
…
The Royal Atlantis Restaurant near Central Park was one of the most famous rooftop restaurants in New York.
When Ethan arrived, he shook his head helplessly.
Thor had definitely not been saving money.
For the past few days, the Asgardian prince had been taking Jane Foster across the city for food, drinks, and sightseeing.
They had visited nearly every famous location in New York.
This was exactly what people meant by a carefree, charming musclehead.
Fortunately, Ethan told himself that the pain of paying the bill would only last for a moment.
When he entered the restaurant, he quickly spotted Thor and Jane sitting together near the window.
They were leaning close to each other and laughing like a couple deeply immersed in romance.
"Hahaha…"
"Hehe…"
Ethan walked over and tapped lightly on the table.
"Miss Foster," he said calmly, "isn't this supposed to be working hours?"
Thor reacted first.
"Hey, my friend!" he said enthusiastically. "What are you doing here?"
He pointed toward the table.
"The baked snails here are excellent. You must try them."
Jane suddenly realized the situation and immediately stood up.
"Boss, I'm sorry. I… I…"
Thor quickly stepped in.
"Ethan, this isn't her fault," he said seriously. "I insisted that she come with me. If you're going to blame someone, blame me."
"Thor!" Jane exclaimed emotionally. "This isn't your responsibility either. I chose to come out myself."
She looked at Ethan nervously.
"Boss, if punishment is necessary, I'll accept it."
Ethan stared at them.
So now I'm being force-fed romance?
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Forget it. I came here to talk to Thor about something important."
He pulled out a chair and sat down with them.
"Thor," he said calmly, "you've been here for a while now."
"It's time to begin learning what it truly means to become a king."
Thor frowned.
"How do I do that?"
"A king must possess many qualities," Ethan replied. "Responsibility. Compassion. Perseverance."
He shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I can't simply give those qualities to you."
"But I can show you something."
He leaned forward slightly.
"The consequences of war."
"This planet has experienced plenty of it."
"If you truly want to become a king, you should see what war does to a country, to a nation… and to its people."
.....
Join my p@treon and read ahead by more than 60+ chapters.
Link : [email protected]/InfinityWeaver
Free members can read the next two chapters for free on my p@treon