More and more mosaic patterns appeared across the biological force field, which also meant more and more gaps were opening in it.
Normally, once gaps appeared in the biological force field, the Aether particles should have taken the chance to break free.
But in reality, the Aether particles did not leave. They seemed drawn to Alex by the energy originating from the Mind Stone.
They continued tangling around Alex in the form of a particle storm, and they began affecting him.
Even though Alex existed in a spiritual entity state, he still could not escape their influence.
As a result, Alex's body kept changing.
Sometimes part of him would suddenly disappear. Sometimes extra limbs would grow out of him.
Very soon, an eyeball started growing from his forehead.
The reality of Alex's existence was being rewritten. If this continued, he might disappear, or turn into some kind of monster.
Alex did not want to disappear, and he did not want to become a monster either.
He raised his palm, now growing seven or eight fingers, and used the tough will born from the Mind Stone to try controlling the Aether particles, controlling this Reality Stone.
This was the only option now.
Only by controlling the Reality Stone could he rewrite the reality affecting him.
His powerful mental strength gradually gained control over the Aether particles. Following Alex's will, countless particles roared together and finally formed an oval-shaped gem.
The Reality Stone!
Alex loosely held the Reality Stone and sent a powerful intent into it.
The palm with seven or eight fingers immediately returned to normal.
Alex felt relieved. Sure enough, he could reverse the effects on himself through the Reality Stone.
But at that moment, another mouth grew out from his cheek.
He still had not completely controlled the Reality Stone.
And so, Alex used the Reality Stone to modify his body's condition, while the Reality Stone in turn continued rewriting his state of existence.
During this repeated cycle of changing and correcting, the power of the Reality Stone slowly seeped into Alex's body.
———
Outside the Frost Giants' royal palace, Thor raised his hammer high and smashed it toward the giant king Laufey.
Laufey lifted a hand and blocked the hammer, while his other hand grabbed Thor's shoulder.
From the spot Laufey touched, frost rapidly spread across Thor's body. The frost formed ice, and the ice quickly expanded.
In the blink of an eye, nearly half of Thor's body had frozen solid.
Thor roared and slammed his forehead hard into Laufey's nose.
The giant king staggered backward from the hit. Thor seized the chance to spin his hammer, then swung upward and smashed it into Laufey's chin, sending ripples through the air.
Bang!
Laufey was blasted backward. Thor then raised his hammer and summoned lightning before striking his frozen body.
The electric current carried intense heat through him, cracking the ice apart with sharp snaps. Thor broke free from the freezing effect, though that side of his body had gone numb from the cold.
At this moment, a dark red light suddenly exploded from deep within the Frost Giants' palace.
Where the light passed, the palace pillars, statues, and everything else turned into mosaic-like particles.
Then they collapsed and scattered across the ground.
Giant King Laufey crawled out from the pile of mosaic particles. Looking behind him, he discovered in shock that his palace had turned into ruins.
Within those ruins, a man's figure flickered before finally stabilizing.
Floating before him was a red gem, shining with dazzling light.
Inside the area illuminated by that red glow, space itself became strange, constantly shifting between different states.
For a moment, neither Giant King Laufey nor the brothers Thor and Loki understood what had happened.
Alex raised his head and slowly let out a long breath.
He had finally gained the upper hand, for now, in the struggle for control over the Reality Stone.
He had already used the Reality Stone to restore himself to normal. At the same time, he sensed that the Reality Stone had already altered him to some extent.
As a result, he gained an ability: Reality Warping
Reality Warping allowed Alex to temporarily change reality. He could turn non-living objects into living beings, recreate any scene he imagined, and even reproduce all kinds of abilities he had experienced, seen, or encountered before, including the abilities of enemies.
However, Reality Warping only changed reality temporarily. The duration depended on Alex's energy output.
Also, it could not alter established reality.
For a simple example, Alex could not revive someone who was already dead.
Because "death" was already an established fact. It was the result created in the present by causes that existed in the past. It was something that had already happened, a reality where the state of "death" already existed.
That was beyond the range Reality Warping could affect.
Not even Alex's Reality Warping could do it. Even the Reality Stone's Reality Modification ability could not achieve that.
Or rather, the Reality Stone alone could not. But together with other Infinity Stones, that would not be a problem.
Besides Reality Warping, the Reality Stone also enhanced Alex's physique, energy, and other abilities to a certain extent.
This enhancement came from Alex's strong belief. He transmitted that belief into the Reality Stone, which then modified Alex accordingly and ultimately fulfilled his belief.
At this moment, Alex pinched the Reality Stone between his fingers. After thinking for a moment, he placed it onto the Hercules Bracer on his right hand.
Several lines on the bracer shifted and twisted, forming an oval-shaped recessed pattern.
Alex placed the Reality Stone into it, and it immediately fused with the Hercules Bracer.
A wave of bright red light burst from the gem at once and flowed through Alex's entire body.
Alex let out a muffled grunt as he endured the power of the Reality Stone.
Until he left the Marvel universe, he would be able to use this Reality Stone.
At that moment, a point of light appeared beneath the dim sky in the distance.
Alex smiled faintly.
Looks like Odin had noticed the problem and was rushing back.
With a thought, Alex dismissed the clone.
He glanced at the sky.
Alex smiled, "Let there be light."
Instantly, light appeared in Jotunheim's eternally dim sky.
Beams of light pierced through the thick clouds and shone onto the ground, creating patches of brightness across the land.
Alex floated in midair among countless pillars of light, like a god.
'I want light, and there will be light.'
Reality Modification!
Thor and the others all drew in cold breaths. Especially Giant King Laufey. He knew very well that Jotunheim could not possibly have this kind of daylight.
He looked toward Alex, "What exactly did you do?"
"I just made this cold, dark world become warm and bright."
As Alex spoke, the dark clouds in the sky gradually scattered under the beams of light.
In only a short while, Jotunheim was illuminated. The dim heavens turned blue.
Golden sunlight spread across the land. Many Frost Giants felt uncomfortable and retreated into dark corners.
Feeling the warmth within the light, Laufey roared, "Turn it back!"
"I will."
Alex answered casually, "But not now!"
At this moment, a huge, dazzling spear of light flew from the distant sky and landed before the Frost Giants' palace.
Odin stepped out from the light and looked toward Alex in the air, seeing the red gem set into the Hercules Bracer.
Even though its form had changed, Odin still recognized it immediately.
'The Aether.'
He immediately stretched out a large hand, "Give me the Aether."
Alex crossed his arms and looked down at the Allfather, "I already said before, lend it to me for research."
"Once I was finished, I would hand it back to you."
"If you had listened to my suggestion back then, I'd gladly return it now."
"However…"
Alex deliberately dragged out the word before spreading his hands, "Clearly, you didn't accept my suggestion."
"So now, why should I give it to you?"
"If you want to 'ask' me for it, then you should learn how to speak when asking for favors."
"At the very least, your sentences should include words like 'please' and 'sir.'"
Beside them, Giant King Laufey said with amusement, "For the great Odin, that's probably impossible."
Odin's expression did not change, "If you don't want to hand it over, that's fine."
"I never expected this matter to be resolved easily."
"I'll destroy you, then take the Aether from your corpse."
Thor could not help looking toward his father.
This was the first time he had ever felt the dominance and killing intent within Odin's words.
Perhaps this was what he had been like when he conquered the Nine Realms?
"Is that so?"
"What a pity. You won't get the chance."
As soon as Alex finished speaking, he immediately sent a strong thought into the Traveler's Ring: Return.
But at that moment, a line of information appeared across his retina.
[Unable to return!]
[You have been locked onto by the Gungnir. Until this state is removed, you cannot leave the Marvel universe.]
Alex was genuinely stunned.
'Locked onto by the Gungnir?'
'When did I get locked onto?'
'Wait, the Gungnir can lock onto a target and prevent them from leaving the battlefield?'
"Looks like you've realized it."
Odin tapped the Gungnir once and said, "It has an ability. Guaranteed hit."
"To ensure it always strikes the target, it can lock onto them and prevent them from using teleportation-type abilities to escape."
"I already used that ability on you just now."
"So you cannot leave."
"Unless I lose consciousness, or voluntarily undo it."
"Otherwise, you're not going anywhere."
Alex's gaze immediately shifted toward the Reality Stone on the Hercules Bracer.
The gem instantly activated its Reality Modification ability. But after a flash of red light, Alex still remained in the locked state.
Which meant, a state like "locked on" counted as an established fact and could not be modified.
In Alex's hands, the Reality Stone could currently only modify events that were still happening, but not events that already had a result.
Alex shook his head and raised one finger, "Listen. I sincerely suggest you remove this state."
"It'll benefit both of us."
The corners of Odin's mouth lifted slightly, "Even if you hand over the Aether now, I still won't spare you."
"Conqueror, based on everything you've done, I'm certain you'll become a threat to the entire universe."
"So, as the guardian of the Nine Realms, in order to protect this universe from your destruction—"
"I must eliminate you here! Destroy you!"
Alex let out a short laugh, "Like I said before, if possible, I really don't want to fight an old man."
"Even if I win, it won't feel honorable."
"But since you refuse to accept it, then no matter how much I dislike it, I can only do this once."
Odin immediately tightened his grip on the Gungnir.
At that moment, Thor suddenly passed by Odin and shouted, "Father, let me handle him!"
Behind him, Loki raised a hand as if wanting to stop him, but eventually gave up.
Thor spun his hammer and flew toward Alex, crashing straight at him.
Alex raised one hand and pressed forward, his five fingers landing on the hammer.
Suddenly, the Reality Stone flashed red, and Mjolnir turned into a swarm of squeaking bats that flew past Thor.
Thor stared blankly in disbelief. His hammer had actually turned into a group of bats.
Then, Alex's fist rapidly enlarged in his vision.
At the same time, he heard Alex say, "Stop getting in the way ant."
Bang!
Thor took Alex's punch head-on across the face. As a result, the figure of the man in the sky rapidly grew farther away in his vision.
The next second, Thor felt the hard ground beneath him. The world spun around him, and when everything stopped, he saw Jotunheim's brightly lit sky.
A sense of defeat rose inside Thor.
'Is the gap between me and the Conqueror really that huge?'
Then he saw Loki's face.
"You okay, brother?"
As he spoke, Loki extended a hand.
Thor hesitated briefly, then grabbed Loki's hand and stood up.
At that moment, they saw the bats land on the ground and circle together before turning back into Mjolnir.
"Thor!"
"Loki!"
"Do not interfere!"
"You're not his opponents!"
"I'll deal with him myself."
Odin's voice continuously rang out, the sound waves massive enough that Thor found it hard to believe such a voice could come from an old man nearing the end of his life.
Covering his ears, he saw his father walking forward step by step.
The divine might around Odin kept rising, stirring violent winds that sent his golden hair flying like flames.
Holding the Gungnir, he stepped through empty space, walking higher and higher toward the Conqueror in the sky.
Watching his father rise step by step, Thor frowned, "Even if the Conqueror is dangerous, there's no need to kill him here."
"And why choose Jotunheim as the battlefield?"
"Has Father forgotten there's still an enemy here?"
He looked toward the Frost Giant King.
Loki quietly said, "I think I understand why he chose this place as the battlefield."
Thor immediately looked toward him.
But Loki said nothing more.
He did not tell his brother that the Allfather's current state came from burning through his own lifespan.
At this moment, Odin had already risen to the same height as Alex.
The two looked directly at each other.
Alex smiled, and then his figure blurred as another body quickly split off from him.
Self-Replication!
He created a clone.
A clone that also possessed the power of Reality Warping.
Then, both he and the clone erupted with power simultaneously.
Dark red energy surged around both figures. An indescribable sense of power appeared around them, and cracking sounds came from inside their bodies.
Their muscles bulged one after another. Their bodies expanded by a full size. They released power so great that even the world trembled.
Dark red light flowed across their bodies, outlining every clear muscle line.
Divine Power! 80% Output!
Bzzzz!
The mountain ranges shook!
Snow on distant peaks trembled before crashing downward in avalanches.
As a result, Thor and the others saw waves of snow rushing down the distant mountains like white carpets.
Then cracks spread across the ground beneath their feet due to the impact.
Thor's expression became extremely serious.
Just the overflow of the Conqueror's power had already caused this kind of phenomenon.
'Is this really power a mortal could possess?"
"Do you think… Father will win?", Thor asked softly.
For the first time, his confidence in his father, the guardian of the Nine Realms, the Allfather, had started to waver.
Loki tightly gripped his dagger. For the first time, the usual mocking smile was absent from his face, "I don't know."
"I only know one thing."
"If Odin loses, we're in trouble."
Thor glanced at him.
Loki did not explain.
At that moment, the Allfather in the sky suddenly transformed into a giant spear of light and shot away.
Alex curled his lips upward, "Worried the battle here might hurt your precious son?"
"Fine. Let's count it as respecting the elderly and caring for the young."
He and the clone immediately chased after him.
With the boost of first cosmic velocity, he and the clone instantly overtook Odin and shot toward the eternal frozen plains of Jotunheim.
Moments later, Alex and the clone arrived above the eternal frostlands.
Looking at Odin arriving shortly after, Alex shouted, "There's no life here. You can relax now, right?"
Odin nodded once, then roared and hurled the Gungnir at Alex.
The spear instantly turned into a streak of golden light.
The clone suddenly darted forward, passing beside the golden streak without wasting strength trying to stop the spear with its guaranteed-hit ability.
Instead, it went straight for Odin.
Meanwhile, Alex used 80% Divine Power and grabbed toward the Gungnir with one hand.
He caught it.
However, the tremendous kinetic force pushed his entire body backward uncontrollably, dragging him into the distance along with the streak of golden light.
On the other side, the clone instantly rushed before Odin, clenched its fist, gathered a little strength, and smashed toward Odin's face.
Odin's beard and hair stood on end as he roared.
He tilted his head slightly, avoiding the clone's iron fist. At the same time, he grabbed the opponent's arm, spun once, and slammed the clone toward the frozen plains below.
With a sharp whistle, the clone crashed into the ground.
The eternal frostlands violently shook, and a shallow crater immediately appeared across the ice field.
Before the clone could get up, Odin descended from the sky and punched the clone directly in the face.
Driving its head into the ice.
Boom!
A ring of impact exploded outward, and a tornado rose across the ice field.
Within the violent wind, fragments flew everywhere.
And at this moment, that streak of golden light finally landed on the horizon.
Then behind Odin, heaven and earth suddenly dimmed.
A blazing and brilliant light exploded on the horizon. The light continuously rose upward, forming an enormous fireball that nearly covered the entire horizon.
The fireball expanded and rose higher. Finally, flames burst upward violently, turning into a gigantic pillar of fire.
The pillar shot tens of thousands of meters into the sky before finally losing momentum. Then it turned into rolling black smoke that spread outward and gradually formed a terrifying mushroom cloud high in the sky.
With his back facing the mushroom cloud, Odin expressionlessly raised one hand and made a grasping motion in the air.