Karl placed the enhancement ring of the Woodcutter's Spring on the floor.
He set the Obelisk within it.
Seven-colored light shimmered outward.
Water surged upward from nowhere, forming a luminous spring. From within it rose the familiar goddess — straw hat tilted, expression serene.
Her voice echoed softly:
"Did you drop the flawed relic… or the flawless relic?"
Karl's expression remained calm.
"The flawed one."
There was no longer any mental disturbance, no seductive influence. His will was stable now — refined through repeated use of the artifact.
The goddess smiled faintly.
"Honesty is rewarded."
Light intensified.
A second Obelisk emerged — its surface smoother, its inner Kree lattice stabilized rather than unstable.
It descended into Karl's hand.
The spring receded.
The light vanished.
Only the small enhancement ring remained.
[Obelisk – Enhanced Variant]
Originally a Terrigen-based Kree artifact.
Pre-enhancement: activates dormant Kree-modified genetic sequences.
Post-enhancement: stabilizes activation process and allows safe amplification of compatible genetic or elemental abilities.
Karl examined the system annotation carefully.
It did not "grant power to anyone."
It optimized compatibility.
That was far more reasonable.
He closed his eyes and activated his freezing ability.
The Obelisk responded immediately.
Blue-white energy flowed from it — not raw power, but catalytic refinement.
The room temperature plummeted.
Frost spread across walls, ceiling, floor.
Karl controlled the expansion carefully.
The manor exterior temperature dropped noticeably — but did not spiral out of control.
Inside his room, temperatures descended rapidly toward extreme cryogenic thresholds.
He could feel it.
The difference was not quantity — it was precision.
His control deepened.
Molecular motion slowed at his command.
After several minutes, the Obelisk dimmed.
Its energy had been fully transferred.
Karl exhaled slowly.
The freezing energy inside him had changed.
It was denser.
Sharper.
More refined.
He opened his eyes.
The air shimmered faintly with pale blue distortion.
Outside, Yelena, Juggernaut, and Speed had already evacuated May and the others.
They stood guard without panic.
They trusted him.
Karl extended his awareness outward and gradually normalized the temperature.
Ice receded.
Moisture evaporated.
Within minutes, the manor returned to equilibrium.
He stepped outside.
"I'm fine," he said calmly. "Controlled enhancement."
They relaxed slightly.
But Karl remained thoughtful.
He tested the limit again — carefully.
He approached temperatures near theoretical absolute zero.
-273.15°C.
At that threshold, molecular motion effectively halted.
But something important became clear.
He could not "freeze time."
He could not freeze space.
Photons still moved.
Quantum fields still fluctuated.
Absolute zero did not override cosmology.
It was a boundary — not omnipotence.
And yet…
He sensed something beyond temperature.
A conceptual edge.
The difference between "cold" and "stillness."
Perhaps that was the true path forward.
Not freezing planets.
Not freezing space.
But understanding the boundary between motion and absence.
He let the thought settle.
There was time to explore it later.
Several Days Later
Madam Gao delivered the promised intelligence.
A full list of S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives within a 10-kilometer radius.
Karl reviewed it.
Just under 120 confirmed personnel.
Rotational shifts.
Embedded surveillance roles.
Cover identities in neighboring villas.
Professional.
Discrete.
Nick Fury was cautious — not reckless.
Karl had never bothered scanning every neighbor mentally. That would have been invasive and inefficient.
Now he knew.
He did not react aggressively.
He simply memorized.
If Fury intended escalation, Karl would know.
Captain Marvel would not be recalled over something like this.
More likely Fury would gather enhanced assets already on Earth.
Banner.
Perhaps Barton.
Possibly Rogers.
Karl was mildly curious.
Tony had not contacted him.
That suggested Stark was being careful — or choosing neutrality.
At that moment, Yelena approached.
"We caught someone attempting to enter the perimeter."
Karl raised an eyebrow.
"Describe."
"Elderly male. Blind."
Karl paused.
Then walked outside.
The man restrained on the ground was lean, aged, face hardened by decades of discipline.
Stick.
Leader of the Chaste.
Karl looked down at him calmly.
"What are you doing on my property?"
Stick did not appear frightened.
Only irritated.
"You've been playing with things buried under this city that should not be disturbed."
Dragon Bone.
Of course.
Karl exhaled lightly.
The difference between the Hand and the Chaste was clear.
The Hand calculated and negotiated.
The Chaste confronted.
Blind faith versus pragmatic survival.
Karl tilted his head slightly.
"And you thought sneaking into my estate was wise?"
Stick remained silent.
Karl studied him carefully.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
…
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