If Karl had witnessed what happened in Asgard, he would not have called Odin a "Celestial-level expert."
That comparison would have been inaccurate.
The Celestials were cosmic architects — beings operating on a scale far beyond Skyfathers.
Odin, even in his prime and wielding the Odinforce, stood among the most powerful of the Skyfathers — capable of confronting cosmic entities under extreme conditions — but not equal to true Celestials.
Still…
Odin absolutely had the power to save Loki.
Even weakened from the Odinsleep, he could have extended his will and drawn Loki back from the collapsing Bifrost rift.
He chose not to.
Why?
Perhaps he believed imprisonment in Asgard would only deepen Loki's resentment.
Perhaps he foresaw that Loki's fall was not the end.
Or perhaps he understood that some lessons could not be taught by protection.
Regardless, one thing was certain:
Loki would never be heir to Asgard.
Not because of Frost Giant blood — Odin himself had conquered realms and forged alliances across enemies — but because Loki desired the throne for validation, not responsibility.
And Bor, Odin's father, would never have tolerated a ruler who sought kingship from insecurity rather than duty.
Odin had always treated Thor and Loki differently.
Not with less love.
But with different expectations.
Earth — New York
Gwen left happily after Karl accepted the dinner invitation.
Karl didn't dwell on it.
That night, he returned to his room and resumed absorbing the dragon bone.
After fighting the Destroyer, his energy pathways had expanded. He could absorb more safely now.
This time, he focused entirely on enhancing his cryokinesis.
Hours passed.
By dawn, frost coated the walls.
Furniture froze solid.
The air itself crystallized.
Karl opened his eyes.
His uncontrolled emission had dropped the room's temperature dramatically.
With a thought, the ice sublimated and vanished.
He estimated his current output could reduce localized temperature to approximately −200°C.
Still far from absolute zero.
And the closer one approached that boundary, the harder it became.
Thermodynamic resistance increased exponentially.
But progress was progress.
By noon, he left his room.
Tony arrived shortly after — sports car first, truck behind it.
He greeted Juggernaut, Yelena, and Speed casually before entering the living room like he owned the place.
"Alright, buddy," Tony said, grabbing a bun off the table and sitting down. "I'm ready. Let's talk vibranium."
Karl took a bite of his own bun before answering.
"I want modular defensive nanosuits. Rapid deployment. Pure protection priority."
Tony blinked.
"Nanotech? That's a little ahead of us."
True.
Tony's current suits were still modular plate-based systems.
Nanostructured reassembly was theoretical.
Karl nodded.
"That's why you need Dr. Helen Cho."
Tony's watch projected her file instantly.
Dr. Helen Cho — Korean biophysicist.
Specialty: Regenerative Cradle technology.
Her cradle used vibranium-weave lattice structures at the cellular level to accelerate tissue regeneration.
Not true nanotechnology yet.
But a precursor platform.
"If you integrate her cellular reconstruction matrix with vibranium adaptive lattice frameworks, you can begin developing a programmable microstructure armor system," Karl explained calmly.
Tony's eyes sharpened.
Now that was interesting.
"She's underfunded," Karl added. "Approach her properly."
Tony smirked.
"When do I not?"
Karl stood.
"I'm giving you two tons. One suit each for May, Raven, Wanda, Pietro, Peter, and Yelena. After that, the rest is yours."
Tony nearly dropped the bun.
"Two tons? That's—"
"Enough."
They walked outside.
Karl opened the truck remotely.
With a wave, two tons of vibranium transferred into Tony's secured container units.
Tony paused before leaving.
"I couldn't even scratch that thing yesterday."
He didn't say "Destroyer."
He didn't need to.
Karl understood.
Tony wasn't panicking.
He wasn't spiraling into paranoia like in other timelines.
But he had felt helpless.
And Tony Stark hated helplessness.
"You're improving," Karl said simply.
Tony nodded once, then drove off.
Karl later transmitted physical and combat data of the team members to Tony for suit calibration parameters.
Then he returned inside.
May leaned against him on the couch while they watched television.
Raven continued training Wanda, Pietro, and Peter in the adjacent room.
Life felt momentarily stable.
Meanwhile — The Hand
In a dimly lit chamber beneath Manhattan, Madam Gao spoke first.
"I sensed dragon bone energy being activated."
The other Fingers of the Hand present exchanged glances.
Alexandra.
Sowande.
Bakuto.
Murakami was in Japan.
The dragon bones beneath Manhattan were remnants of an ancient K'un-Lun dragon — a creature whose skeletal remains emitted immense mystical energy.
The Hand had used fragments of it for centuries to extend their lifespans.
"Impossible," Sowande said. "The current Iron Fist has barely emerged. No one else should know."
Madam Gao shook her head.
"No. It was not the bone beneath us. It was absorption."
Silence fell.
"Who?" Alexandra asked quietly.
Madam Gao's expression remained calm.
"Karl Auguston Zhang."
She listed the facts.
Shareholder of Stark Industries.
Destroyed Wilson Fisk's criminal empire.
Stormed Xavier's Academy.
Forced military withdrawal.
"And you are certain?" Bakuto asked.
"I felt it directly," Madam Gao replied.
Then she added the part that mattered:
"We are not strong enough to confront him directly."
The chamber grew heavy.
They had gained centuries through the dragon bone.
But this man had taken its source.
"I have gathered you," Madam Gao finished, "to decide whether we negotiate… or retreat."
No one answered immediately.
Because everyone understood:
If he had truly absorbed dragon bone energy at that scale—
The Hand was no longer the predator in Manhattan.
…
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