Inside the Destroyer armor,
Loki stared in terror at Aaron, who was hovering in the air.
He looked past him, at the wild gusts and swirling snow, at the thunder pool formed by lightning and now frozen in the sky.
He watched as the cold froze over the entire small town.
He saw the brilliant red glow in Aaron's eyes, drilling straight into one's soul.
In the end, Loki lowered his proud head.
He had never seen such a frightening sight—like a world-ending demon god.
That pillar of light rising into the clouds churned the sky.
That unrestrained tide of power dispersed the wind and snow.
Those solid, coiled muscles already held the force to destroy everything.
In that moment, Loki was forced to admit that he felt the fear of imminent death.
As though if he failed to respond, the world would collapse in the next instant.
Even he, the so-called God of Trickery and Lies, stood no chance of surviving before such absolute might!
Granted,
The Destroyer armor was the strongest suit Odin had ever forged. It was famed for being indestructible, powered by near-infinite energy, enough to annihilate any foe.
But now Loki believed the Destroyer might not withstand a single punch from Aaron.
He had no intention of testing it with his life.
Just as he'd said before,
Wearing the Destroyer armor, Loki offered up the treasures in both hands.
And he knelt on one knee, much like Thor had once done to Odin during a coronation.
He—Asgard's acting King—was displaying the highest courtesy to present Odin's vault treasures to Aaron.
Loki bowed his head deeply, avoiding the contemptuous looks from Thor and the others.
Yet Loki failed to notice that compared to him, Thor and Sif were faring no better.
"Thor…is this really a god of Midgard?"
"Why do I feel he's stronger than you?"
Sif tugged on Thor's arm guard and whispered.
Fandral nodded in agreement. "You might not believe me, but I feel his aura surpasses even…"
He left the latter part unsaid, but everyone understood. They were all die-hard Odin loyalists, blindly worshipping him. Yet at this moment, they couldn't help admitting that in their thousand-plus years of life—long after Asgard had set aside warfare for a life of revelry—they had never seen Odin unleash such overwhelming might.
Perhaps only in earlier days against Laufey or Surtur could the old Odin match this. Who was truly more terrifying, the Odin of the past or Aaron now, might be a question for them.
Deep down, Thor also felt a flicker of acknowledgment, but he insisted, "My thunder is definitely no weaker than his!"
"Damn it, that's the Warlock's Eye and the Tablet of Life and Time, isn't it?"
"They're trophies Father seized from his enemies—glorious treasures of Asgard's palace!"
Seeing the two artifacts that appeared in Loki's hands, Thor's fury spiked.
"Loki, even if you are the King of Asgard—acting king—should you really be taking Father's treasures and giving them away?"
Loki raised his head and shot him a sidelong glance. Oh, my foolish brother—maybe I can't do anything about Aaron, but do you think I can't handle you?
"Enough, Thor. I am the King of the Gods!"
That single statement left Thor speechless.
Then Loki forced a smile. "Here are the treasures I'm offering: the Warlock's Eye, which holds powers of the mind and the ability to dispel illusions, and the Tablet of Life and Time, containing the mystery of attaining godhood and making one stronger.
"These were kept for many years by Odin, the previous King of the Gods. Surely that's enough to fulfill my promise."
Hearing that, Aaron glanced down at the two objects.
With a mere thought,
Loki—who had been kneeling—suddenly found he could no longer control the Destroyer armor!
His body—or rather, the armor—was walking forward, dragging him with it.
"Wh-what's happening?!"
Loki summoned the Gungnir, but that still did nothing to help him seize back command of the Destroyer.
Telekinesis?
No, that wasn't it!
Another power was controlling the Destroyer armor from within, causing it to move on its own.
Loki's face stiffened with fear. Step by step, he was pulled beneath Aaron.
Descending slowly, Aaron looked down at Loki from above.
Right then, Loki realized: Aaron was manipulating the Destroyer armor!
Asgard's pride and joy, the Destroyer, had actually been hacked by an outsider's power!
Even with the Gungnir in hand, Loki couldn't move it.
"How are you doing this?"
"The Destroyer armor is supposedly controlled only by the Gungnir! It shouldn't be swayed by electromagnetic powers, and it absolutely shouldn't be controlled by an outsider. This is the King of Asgard's absolute weapon!"
Loki sounded almost incoherent. Every time he crossed paths with Aaron, it felt like staring into an abyss of mystery and dread.
He thought he understood Aaron well enough, yet each time Aaron gave him a whole new—and terrifying—surprise.
"Who knows? Maybe…I'm also a King of Asgard?"
"Everyone knows the throne can hold three kings at once. Perfectly normal!"
Instead of answering, Aaron went on,
"Not enough!"
"What?"
"I'm indeed pleased you brought the treasures as promised. But you still had the nerve to treat me like a mere guard dog. I'm not very happy."
"Loki, how should one go about calming a god's anger?"
Aaron's eyes bore into Loki with an icy stare. The faint red tinge in them felt like a direct assault on Loki's mind.
"I—I remembered something!"
"I brought one more item!"
Green light flared around Loki's right hand, and he retrieved yet another object from his private stash.
"This is a Tuning Fork, capable of summoning extra-dimensional beings. According to legend, Father once used it to call…things…as a trial for Asgardian warriors. It's been gathering dust in the palace vault for the last thousand years.
"That's honestly all I can afford. If I take anything else, Father's bound to wake up…"
Loki's face was filled with bitterness.
Aaron knew Loki was lying. A chronic liar like him would have at least seven out of ten statements be false. But Aaron didn't bother pushing further, even though he suspected Loki had the Casket of Ancient Winters. There'd be time to deal with that.
"Good!"
Aaron's response was succinct. With a single gesture, he used invisible telekinetic force to lift the three treasures away.
"Now you can have a nice chat with your brother. I won't interfere."
Aaron turned, stepped forward, and disappeared into a blue portal.
Loki felt a strange sense of déjà vu. It looked like…short-range teleportation magic?
But wait, Aaron was half-god and no sorcerer—how could he possibly do that?
Even Loki himself hadn't learned it yet!
"But it sure seems convenient… I recall it might be done like this or that? I'll try next time I have a chance."
Loki had seen Frigga use that kind of magic before and had read some corresponding spellbooks, but he'd never systematically practiced. After all, he could just ride a horse, right?
"Oh, my foolish brother, now let's talk about our little problem!"
With Aaron gone, Loki's confidence resurged.
Straightening his back, he showed the commanding side of a King, aided by the Destroyer armor. He felt invincible.
"Loki, even if you have Father's armor, you're still not Father!"
"Try my new power for size!"
Thor raised his golden and silver hammers. The thunder that had calmed was summoned again at his call.
"See? I'm also a God of Thunder!"
It was unclear whether Thor was speaking to Loki or reaffirming it to himself—perhaps a remark meant for Aaron, who had already left.
Sif and the others brightened. They recognized the Thor they knew—invincible, commanding lightning.
"What the—?"
Sif and the others, who had been fired up to fight at Thor's side, stared in shock as Loki casually pulled out two golden hammers from somewhere—identical, as if cast from the same mold.
"Oh, foolish brother—did you think you were the only Thunder God?"
"Now, I, Loki, am also a God of Thunder!"
Wearing the Destroyer armor and holding twin Thor's hammers, Loki looked more like the Thunder God than Thor did!
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Thor cried in disbelief.
"Yet here it is, plain as day!"
"Come on, let's see who's truly Asgard's strongest warrior and who's the real champion!"
Laughing maniacally, Loki brandished both gold hammers and pounded forward in the heavy Destroyer armor, launching himself at Thor!
Forget the dream of becoming some mighty sorcerer, or even Asgard's King. At this moment, he was the flashiest being on the field—no one would stop him from showing off!
Off in the distance,
Aaron watched Thor and Loki's brotherly brawl unfold. As the inadvertent orchestrator of this chaos, he felt zero responsibility.
"Watermelon or sunflower seeds?" he asked Jane and Darcy, holding a small stool.
"They…" Jane gazed at the raging thunder in the distance.
"Don't worry. They're just playing around."
Aaron wasn't concerned. He began absorbing and fusing the newly obtained items.
[Super Intelligence (Tablet of Life and Time): A similar ability has been detected and fused (Super Brain). Your mind is strengthened further, surpassing human limits and reaching a plane mortals cannot comprehend. Whenever you choose, you can acquire infinite knowledge, becoming the most brilliant being in the universe!]
[Ultimate Lifeform (Tablet of Life and Time): A similar ability has been detected and fused (Super Vitality, Super Immunity, Survival Adaptation, Super Healing…). Your level of life has risen further. You have become a legendary ultimate lifeform, pulsing with boundless vitality, immune to over 99.9999% of viruses, bacteria, and curses in the infinite multiverse, with astonishing regenerative powers, easily adapting to extreme environments!]
[Infinite Evolution (Tablet of Life and Time): A similar ability has been detected and fused (Adaptive Survival, Asgardian Physique, Pseudo-Celestial Body…). You possess unlimited capacity for evolution. As long as you absorb energy, you will continue evolving without end. Each time you die and revive, you'll develop targeted adaptations. Over time, you will become truly invincible!]
[Mind Power (Warlock's Eye): You have gained formidable psychic abilities and exceptionally strong mental resistance. None below a Skyfather's level can withstand you!]
[True Sight (Warlock's Eye): Your eyes can now pierce illusions and falsehoods, revealing the truth. No hidden being can hide from your divine gaze!]
[Extra-Dimensional Summoning (Tuning Fork): You can reach into outer-dimensional realms and open a portal, summoning beings into this universe. Be warned: unless you have a contract with them, they recognize no master (these beings' power is random; over 99.9999% are below Skyfather level. There is a tiny chance of summoning a dimensional demon. With certain artifacts, you can do a targeted summoning).]
Impressive—another big haul!
Loki was practically Aaron's good-luck charm, successively delivering such remarkable powers.
Super Intelligence instantly made Aaron possess the universe's number-one brain. If he chose to devote himself to studying, gathering the entire cosmos's knowledge, he might follow a watcher-like path, using technology to become a god, even ranking among the most crucial deities in the multiverse.
And Infinite Evolution meant that, like Kryptonians or Doomsday, he had limitless potential. So long as he wasn't thoroughly obliterated, he would inevitably grow unstoppable. Now, with the regeneration of an Ultimate Lifeform formed by multiple powers, only a total erasure on a physical level could end him—and that sort of blow would likely wipe out the entire universe.
He overlooked the extra-dimensional summoning for now and focused on the "True Sight."
"Huh, maybe it has other uses?"
He thought for a moment, coming up with a plan:
He expended energy and used matter reassembly to create something resembling a "lightning rod." Then he used the primordial furnace to imbue that new item with the powers of True Sight.
In the blink of an eye,
He had a super radar that could see through illusions, reveal the invisible, and run 24 hours a day!
"Come on, let's head back," Aaron said, turning to Jane and Darcy.
Darcy was reluctant to leave, cracking seeds while watching Thor and Loki's scuffle. "But it's so exciting right now!"
"That's no different from shipping a BL drama—too much can't be healthy," Aaron teased, pulling Jane and Darcy along as he opened a green portal. Immediately, they returned from New Mexico to Osborn Group headquarters—thousands of kilometers in an instant!
Had Loki witnessed it, he'd have deemed it impossible. Though Aaron had gained short-range teleportation, once it became part of his abilities, as long as he had sufficient energy, he could move freely anywhere on the planet. Going to other planets or universes wasn't as easy, of course.
"Boss?!"
Norman, dark circles under his eyes, saw Aaron appear out of nowhere. He rubbed at them, unsure if he was hallucinating.
"Quit staring. I need you to handle something."
"Yes, Boss!"
Norman responded by reflex.
"Get this installed at every Osborn Group headquarters and branch, especially where key research is conducted. Each location needs one!"
Aaron handed him the "lightning rod."
"What is this…?" Norman was puzzled. "We already have lightning rods on the rooftops."
"Think of it as a surveillance radar. If anyone trespasses into the company, I'll know immediately."
"It can also detect invisible intruders. Nothing's happened yet, but it's best to be prepared."
"New Life" was no longer a secret among the world's major powers, meaning many would covet it. People willing to risk it all certainly existed. They'd do anything, even lay down their lives, for a shot at those billions—just like how folks only see Tony Stark's glory but not the numerous attacks Stark Industries endures in secret. Whether it's Iron Man armor or the Arc Reactor, both are incredibly valuable. Aaron's "New Life" experiment was even more so. Though production was still far off, it never hurt to be safe.
Besides, this world had mutants. Someone might use their powers to infiltrate and steal data. And speaking of infiltration, Aaron realized he needed a way to protect against psychic prying. He himself wasn't afraid of mind powers, but others were defenseless. Plenty of mental-ability users existed: Professor X, the Phoenix, hidden Skrulls…all experts at mental manipulation. Unless Aaron gave everyone an ability to block such attacks, they were vulnerable. He considered getting Magneto's helmet or replicating it for all employees—a new perk.
Though Norman doubted how effective this "little device" could really be, he never questioned Aaron's orders. He soon sent people to see it done, personally flying a helicopter around to supervise installation. Whenever Aaron assigned a task, Norman took it very seriously.
After issuing those instructions, Aaron told Darcy and Jane to get some rest, then departed for New Mexico again.
If possible, he still intended to visit Asgard. There were likely far more goodies there—like the Casket of Ancient Winters. He didn't believe Loki would rely solely on the Destroyer armor, the Gungnir, and a couple of gold hammers. Knowing Loki, he might have cleared out the entire vault. Besides, Aaron found it hard to believe that, with just those items, Loki had the nerve to show up in person.
But the moment Aaron returned,
He heard Thor's anguished cry:
"Oh no, my Mjölnir!"
Followed by Loki's furious, disbelieving roar:
"My hammer! You destroyed my hammer!"
~~~
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