Under bloody suppression, Hela finally seized control of Asgard.
To crush the last pockets of resistance among the Asgardian warriors, Ethan Drake, the true winner behind the scenes, even deployed Krypton's symbiote army without hesitation. Their methods were brutal and ruthless, and wherever they passed, rebellion was drowned in blood.
Less than a day later, the fires of war across Asgard were finally extinguished.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on adding another glory to your empire."
Hela wore her crown of black thorns as she knelt on the ground and praised Ethan.
"Your Majesty, I want to contribute to the empire too."
The Venom soldier slapped his chest with great seriousness.
"I'm a brick of the empire. Wherever you need me moved, I'll go there. Please rest assured, Your Majesty. No unpleasant voices will ever reach your ears again."
After only a few days apart, this Venom soldier's talent for flattery had clearly improved a lot.
Ethan sat on Asgard's golden throne and lightly patted the armrest.
"I won't be staying in Asgard."
"Hela, you will rule this land properly for me."
"Do not worry, Your Majesty."
Hela lowered her head respectfully.
"I am the incarnation of Asgard. Anyone who dares disobey will understand exactly how ruthless I can be."
Who could have imagined that in less than two days, Asgard's entire sky would change?
Queen Frigga had fallen.
Odin, the God King, had fallen.
Heimdall had fallen.
Thor had been defeated and exiled.
As for Loki, who had been imprisoned, his situation was rather surprising. That man had somehow escaped and vanished without a trace.
Ethan did not pay much attention to the God of Mischief.
In this war, Loki, who had merely escaped with his life, could not be considered a winner.
The only other true winner was Malekith, king of the Dark Elves.
He had finally obtained the Aether.
The legendary Reality Stone.
As the former owner of the Reality Stone, Malekith knew a little about how to use this Infinity Stone. He had even discovered that the Reality Stone could display a miraculous effect during the astronomical event when the Nine Realms aligned.
"Drag the Nine Realms, and even the universe, into darkness?"
Ethan gave a cold smile.
"Foolish."
"I won't let you waste the Reality Stone like that."
The Reality Stone was something Ethan was determined to obtain.
It would become his fourth Infinity Stone.
"The astronomical event began brewing yesterday. It should be close to forming a straight alignment by now."
Ethan remembered that in the movie, Malekith, carrying the Reality Stone, had rushed to London on Earth to begin the ritual and drag the universe into darkness.
Perhaps going directly to London and waiting for Malekith would be enough.
At that moment, Hela spoke at just the right time.
"Your Majesty, if you are looking for Malekith, I may know where he will go."
Vanaheim.
Known by many as the Dark World, it was one of the Nine Realms.
Black earth stretched beneath a blood-red sky. Volcanoes stood in the distance, while rivers formed from crimson streams wound across the land.
The entire world felt suffocating and bleak, almost like hell itself. No wonder the elegant race that lived there had been given the name Dark Elves.
That was right.
This was the homeland of the Dark Elves.
It was Malekith's realm.
Thousands of years ago, however, it had been defeated by Odin's father.
Its throne had been shattered.
Its territory had been lost.
The Aether had been taken and sealed away.
Having lost everything, Malekith had been forced into a reluctant slumber, waiting for the day he could take revenge.
Now, that chance had finally arrived.
The Dark Elves had successfully invaded Asgard and poured out the pain and fury they had endured for countless years.
It felt wonderful.
Malekith, king of the Dark Elves, looked almost like an excited child as he savored the taste of revenge.
"Pity."
"I cannot share this victory with Algrim."
The only flaw in this perfect moment was that Algrim, who had been responsible for holding the rear, had never returned.
Yet that loss was still acceptable.
After becoming a Cursed Warrior, Algrim's fate had already been sealed. He had sacrificed his own life in exchange for overwhelming power.
"Algrim, I trust Odin must have died miserably by your hands."
Malekith withdrew his thoughts and looked down at the red gem in his hand.
As for Jane Foster, the human woman who had mistakenly been possessed by the Aether, her ending was naturally tragic.
The way Malekith extracted it from her had been extremely brutal.
Thor had lost his human girlfriend forever.
With a soft rumble, the Reality Stone poured out like liquid mercury.
Crystal-red particles drilled directly into Malekith's body.
Boom!!
His heartbeat thundered like a war drum.
His bones crackled like beans frying in a pan.
Malekith's expression changed several times.
With every shift, the aura around his body grew stronger.
"Ah!"
He let out a cry of pure pleasure.
The satisfaction was unlike anything he had felt in ages.
"The power I lost has finally returned."
Malekith's aura rose to its peak.
The Reality Stone granted him incomparable magical power. As its former host, his body fit perfectly with it.
That was an extremely rare thing.
"Very good."
"To fight a strong opponent is always enjoyable."
At that moment, a voice drifted in from the distance.
Malekith's face changed.
He had not noticed that an uninvited guest had entered this land.
His scarlet eyes turned toward the speaker.
Beneath a black cloak was a close-fitting battle suit of the same color. The man's entire body radiated strength, bringing with him an invisible pressure that made the air itself feel heavier.
"It's you."
Malekith narrowed his eyes.
"My subordinates told me that while the Dark Elves invaded Asgard, a man and a woman took advantage of the chaos."
Ethan only smiled.
"That's right."
"We have already taken Asgard."
"The title Lord of the Nine Realms is now one of my many titles."
His gaze fell on Malekith with calm arrogance.
"So why hasn't the leader of the Dark World bowed to me yet?"
Vanaheim was one of the Nine Realms.
By that logic, there was nothing wrong with Ethan's words.
"You..."
A trace of anger appeared beneath Malekith's pale face.
But after the anger came shock.
Damn it.
Had this man truly occupied Asgard?
At the time, once Malekith obtained the Reality Stone, he had left immediately to avoid complications.
Because of that, he did not know what happened afterward.
"What a pity."
Ethan looked at him with amusement.
"You don't even know about something so worth sharing."
"But I suppose that's understandable."
"After all, your Cursed Warrior and the troops you left behind all died by my hand."
"You."
Malekith's eyes widened.
"So it was you."
"No wonder they never returned."
Only now did Malekith finally understand why the troops covering his retreat had failed to come back.
It turned out this young man had been the reason.
The Cursed Warrior Algrim had died at his hands.
But so what?
Malekith suddenly burst into laughter.
"You walked right into my net."
"That's fine."
"I will use your life to honor the dead souls of my subordinates."
....
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