After the incident involving Ruby Crystal secretly taking Morgan away, Howard and Maria became exceptionally vigilant whenever the little goddess appeared.
Originally, they had been delighted that a divine being was so fond of their granddaughter.
Now, however, they had learned an important lesson.
Ruby Crystal was definitely not a well-behaved child.
Tony and Pepper, on the other hand, were far less concerned.
After learning the various power classifications from Vastness, they finally understood just how terrifying Ruby Crystal's strength truly was.
A Skyfather-level existence protecting a child?
Morgan was probably safer with Ruby Crystal than anywhere else in the universe.
As a result, Tony and Pepper completely relaxed.
Instead of worrying, they focused on enjoying themselves.
Using the advanced simulation technology aboard the Skyblade VII, they recreated countless romantic environments.
Sunny beaches.
Luxury yachts.
Ocean sunsets.
Candlelit dinners.
Fine wine.
Mountain resorts.
They experienced all of them.
This behavior naturally earned numerous complaints from Howard and Maria.
The two elders felt that Tony and Pepper were being far too carefree.
...
Meanwhile, the Olympian camp selected its second representative.
Ares.
The God of War.
One of Olympus's most powerful warriors.
Thor immediately stepped forward.
Wearing his Asgardian armor and carrying both Mjolnir and Stormbreaker, he strode toward the battlefield.
Ares met him halfway.
The Olympian war god wore crimson armor stained with the aura of countless battles.
His flaming spear rested firmly in his hand.
The battlefield fell silent.
Karl glanced toward the place where the bell-ringer had been standing earlier.
The soldier had long since disappeared.
Without much thought, Karl casually used his psychic power.
Clang!
The massive bell rang once more.
The second match officially began.
...
The instant the bell sounded, Thor launched forward.
Lightning exploded around him.
Mjolnir shot through the air first.
At the same time, Thor gripped Stormbreaker and charged directly toward Ares.
The God of War showed no fear.
Dark crimson energy erupted from his body.
The aura carried the concepts of war, slaughter, bloodshed, and endless conflict.
It felt as though countless battlefields were condensed into a single power.
Ares immediately charged as well.
Snap!
A pillar of blue lightning descended from the heavens.
Thor's attack landed directly in Ares's path.
Yet Ares didn't even attempt to dodge.
Instead, he pushed forward through the lightning itself.
At the same moment, he hurled his flaming spear.
The weapon became a streak of crimson destruction.
It shot directly toward Thor.
...
Thor's expression immediately became serious.
His opponent had resisted divine lightning head-on.
Not only that—
Ares had simultaneously avoided Mjolnir and launched a counterattack.
This alone demonstrated extraordinary combat ability.
Watching the incoming spear, Thor planted one foot firmly behind him.
Golden light appeared within his eyes.
Both hands tightened around Stormbreaker.
Divine power surged through the weapon.
Combined with its own innate energy and Thor's lightning, the axe unleashed a devastating strike.
Boom!
Stormbreaker collided with the flaming spear.
The resulting explosion shook the battlefield.
Blue lightning and crimson war energy exploded outward.
The shockwave spread in every direction.
Mountains cracked.
The earth fractured.
The battlefield was nearly flattened.
Both weapons were thrown backward by the impact before returning to their respective owners.
...
Whoosh!
The next moment, both warriors closed the distance simultaneously.
Close-quarters combat began.
Thor wielded Stormbreaker as his primary weapon.
Meanwhile, Mjolnir constantly circled the battlefield, striking from unexpected angles.
The combination should have given him an advantage.
Unfortunately, Ares was not an ordinary opponent.
As the Olympian God of War, combat was his very existence.
His spear techniques were incredibly refined.
Every movement was efficient.
Every strike was deadly.
Thor quickly found himself under pressure.
...
Boom!
Bang!
Every swing of Stormbreaker resonated with the storm clouds above.
Bolts of lightning continuously descended toward Ares.
Yet the God of War displayed astonishing adaptability.
His flaming spear repeatedly intercepted the lightning.
More than that—
The spear absorbed portions of the electrical energy.
Then redirected it back toward Thor.
Seeing this, Thor immediately abandoned large-scale lightning bombardment.
Continuing would only strengthen his opponent.
Instead, he focused entirely on direct combat.
The battle became even more intense.
Thousands of years of combat experience clashed against thousands of years of combat experience.
Neither side could gain an immediate advantage.
...
Unfortunately for Thor, Ares possessed one major edge.
Speed.
His spear moved like a venomous serpent.
Fast.
Precise.
Relentless.
Every tiny opening was exploited immediately.
Thor repeatedly found himself forced onto the defensive.
Boom!
Bang!
The battlefield became covered in craters.
Weapons collided thousands of times.
The sound echoed across Asgard.
...
Watching from the sidelines, Frigga's expression gradually became worried.
She could clearly see the problem.
Thor was being pressured.
Not overwhelmingly.
But consistently.
That was dangerous.
Then—
Ares suddenly found an opening.
The flaming spear shot forward.
Sizzle!
The weapon pierced directly through Thor's body.
Blood splattered across the battlefield.
Worse still, the spear possessed vicious barbs.
When Ares pulled it free, it tore additional flesh from the wound.
Thor staggered backward.
His face paled slightly.
Dark crimson energy immediately began spreading through his body.
Every Single-Universe powerhouse present noticed it.
The energy wasn't merely physical.
It carried conceptual properties tied to war and destruction.
It was actively damaging Thor from within.
...
Karl observed quietly.
He had no intention of interfering.
Unless Thor's life was truly endangered, Karl would not break the rules.
After all, Zeus had remained silent when Wanda completely erased Hercules.
Karl had no reason to act differently now.
Besides—
Thor wasn't finished yet.
...
Thor pressed a hand against the wound.
Sweat appeared on his forehead.
He could clearly feel the foreign energy destroying his body from the inside.
For a moment, the battlefield grew quiet.
Then Thor slowly closed his eyes.
Everyone who knew him immediately felt something familiar.
Especially Loki.
A look of recognition appeared on his face.
Thor had entered a special state.
One that only appeared at critical moments.
...
In simple terms—
Thor was thinking about Odin.
Again.
...
The moment that thought surfaced, golden energy erupted from his body.
Boom!
Golden lightning exploded across the battlefield.
The sky itself responded.
Countless bolts descended from the heavens.
Thor's aura surged upward.
Higher.
And higher.
The power of the God of Thunder underwent another transformation.
At this moment, Thor had completely stepped into the Celestial tier through his own strength.
Not through borrowed power.
Not through Asgard's amplification.
His own power.
Boom!
...
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