I quickly approached Malekith and delivered a powerful kick to his abdon. Caught off guard by my sudden speed, Malekith took the hit.
Thud!!!
"Gwaah!!"
Malekith was sent flying backward by the powerful kick, crashing into a boulder.
Crash!!
Without giving Malekith a chance to recover, I threw a series of explosive cards at him as I ran toward him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Tch!"
When I got close enough, I jumped, spun in the air, and brought my kick down on Malekith's head.
Crunch!!
"Guaaah!!!"
I said to the fallen Malekith,
"So you admit you were hiding your strength and didn't know there were strong warriors here. Next ti, maybe be a little more nervous. Are you going to end it like this?"
Malekith shook his head to clear it and stood up.
"Grr... I underestimated you."
My attacks and taunts had changed the look in Malekith's eyes. This was clearly the real fight now. I was also disappointed that it might end this way. Honestly, I had beco so strong that it had been a long ti since I'd felt the thrill of a good fight.
I attacked again, this ti targeting Malekith's thigh with a kick, but he slightly raised his leg to deflect it and imdiately threw a counterpunch. I blocked that punch by deflecting it with my forearm.
"Nice. You've finally co to your senses."
"What a monster! To think you're evenly matched with , a cursed being."
Malekith frowned as he spoke. While fighting , he seed to have gauged my strength to so degree.
"Sorry to say, but in this universe, there are plenty of monsters stronger than you. Don't be so arrogant."
"Damn!"
Malekith seed to realize that his plan to quickly dispatch and drive out Asgard wasn't working because I was too strong.
We clashed again, exchanging blow after blow. I was thoroughly enjoying this intense battle, having not had one in a long ti. Although Malekith wasn't quite on the level of a life-or-death opponent for , he was still strong enough to make the fight thrilling.
"You're not even using your full power yet, are you!"
As we continued to fight, he was growing weary while I showed no signs of fatigue. He seed to finally understand the gap between us.
"That's right. Honestly, you're not on that level."
"Damn you~~!!!"
Hearing that, Malekith let out a roar and charged at . Whether from anger or despair, he seed to have lost his reason. He swung wildly with pure brute force, trying to land even a single blow. But fighting like that only made him easier to dodge.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~!!
It seed I couldn't expect anything more from him. I decided to end it.
"I would have liked to play a little longer. Too bad. It was fun."
I took out my cane sword from my inventory and cleanly beheaded Malekith. It was a clean cut, so he probably didn't feel any pain.
Thud.
Ding~!
[You have acquired the ability (SSS) Cursed.]
(SSS) Cursed – Continuously consus mana to increase strength and stamina by 10 tis.
'Wow... This is like the Kaioken.'
When [Cursed] was active, my mana was draining steadily. It didn't seem like sothing I could maintain constantly, so I turned it off. Still, a 10x boost was enormous; it would be useful in dangerous situations.
With Malekith dealt with, I looked over to where Thor was fighting. It seed they were finishing up over there too. I quickly searched the pockets of the fallen, non-cursed Dark Elves nearby and found several cursed stones, which I stored in my inventory.
Then I moved to where the others were fighting. There, I saw the lifeless Algrim, Thor and Captain Arica preparing to fight again, and Jessica sitting down, exhausted. The Hulk Striker was also sowhat damaged, showing Banner had been helping out as well.
When I appeared, the mbers looked at with very surprised faces.
"What happened? You won?"
Thor asked, looking surprised, so I gave a sowhat evasive answer.
"Yeah, I won. He was big, but fortunately he was weaker than that one."
"I see... That's a relief."
At my words, Thor and Captain Arica also collapsed to the ground. They seed quite exhausted from fighting Algrim. Jessica, who had been resting, looked at us and said,
"I'm so glad... Honestly, I didn't even have the strength to move. I didn't know what we were going to do against soone stronger than him."
Banner agreed.
"Tell about it... I was really relieved."
As we were resting, the Warriors Three ca over and spoke to Thor.
"Thor, you should tell the soldiers of our victory."
"Sigh... you're right."
Thor stood up, went to a place where all the soldiers could see him, raised Mjolnir high, and shouted.
"We have won!!"
Wooo~~~~!!!!
The Asgardian soldiers and all of us cheered, savoring the victory. Then the Warriors Three and the soldiers suddenly grabbed Pietro and tossed him into the air.
"Hero! Pietro~~~!!!"
Woo~!! Woo~!! Pietro~!! Pietro~!!
Everyone knew what a huge role Pietro had played in this battle. Pietro was also overjoyed as they tossed him into the air. Wanda and the rest of us smiled.
After helping to recover the dead and wounded and cleaning up, we returned to Asgard via the Bifrost. As we moved toward the palace, the citizens showered us with flower petals and cheered. Seeing the countless petals falling and the people waving and cheering, I felt a swell of emotion. This must be what triumphant generals in the Middle Ages felt like.
We entered the palace and stood before Odin. Thor stepped forward and announced the victory to Odin.
"King Odin! We have returned victorious from the war against the Dark Elves."
"Everyone has worked hard! Well done! After the funeral for the fallen soldiers, we will hold a three-day festival to honor your deeds!"
We rested for a day, and the next day we held the funeral for the fallen soldiers. An Asgardian funeral involved placing the body on a small boat and setting it adrift, where it would leave the city and enter a sea connected to space. Archers would then light the boat with flaming arrows. We watched the ceremony in solemn silence.
Another day passed, and then the festival began. For three days, we did nothing but drink. I don't rember much except Fandral trying to hit on Jessica again and getting slapped. After the festival ended, we went to the Bifrost to return to Earth. Thor decided to co with us this ti, and the Warriors Three ca to see us off.
"Farewell, comrades! I will never forget fighting alongside you."
Captain Arica stepped forward.
"Likewise. May peace co to Asgard."
We shook hands with the Warriors Three and finally returned to Earth. Wanda had already said her goodbyes to Queen Frigga and ca back with us. As we arrived in England via the Bifrost, the other mbers were waiting aboard the Odyssey-class ship. They already knew, as I had been sending them updates.
"Welco back! Everyone, you did great!"
Director Fury was the first to get off the ship to greet us. Captain Arica shook hands with him. We returned to the US aboard the ship, chatting along the way. Occasionally, monsters and beings from other realms had appeared on Earth, but the mbers who stayed behind had used Dr. Selvig's gravity control device to send them back.
Everyone stayed at my house for the night. But the next day, trouble arose. Jane, blaming herself for the war and the many Asgardian soldiers who had died, said goodbye to Thor. Thor tried to convince her it wasn't her fault, but Jane felt that her reckless actions had caused many deaths in London and dragged Asgard into the war. She felt she could no longer face Thor.
"Jane... please reconsider. It's not your fault. Even if it wasn't you, the Dark Elves would have attacked the other realms anyway."
"No... If I had been more careful, maybe I could have prevented the disaster in London. This is definitely my fault. I'm sorry, Thor..."
Thor sighed deeply.
"Sigh... Jane, I'll wait for you."
Thinking about it, it was true that Jane was the reason the Convergence connected Earth to the Dark Elves' howorld, leading to the invasion and these casualties. But in a way, it was also my fault for changing history. So I decided to give Jane a chance later. With my Project Zero-Nix. Specifically, with the Zero-Nix serum.
Project Zero-Nix was a project to create a serum that combined the Super Soldier Serum, Extremis, and the cursed stones (though I hadn't studied them yet), to create superhumans. I had been thinking about this for a long ti. The MCU had so many drugs that caused dramatic changes, and I wondered, 'What if I could minimize the drawbacks and combine their strengths?'
If this succeeds, I could mass-produce heroes who could protect themselves even without .
Anyway, the atmosphere in the house was a bit down because of Thor and Jane's issue. That evening, Captain Arica and Thor went out for a drink and ca back.
The next day, as promised, everyone went to Disney World on my private jet. There was a change in personnel: besides those who had gone to war, Deadpool and Natasha ca along. They just ca because they were bored.
Natasha would share a room with , so that wasn't a problem, and since Thor wasn't going, Deadpool got his room. The interesting thing was that Deadpool ca without his mask. Everyone was surprised, especially Captain Arica.
"Wow~ I didn't know Deadpool was such a handso guy..."
"Hahaha, I'm just full of surprises."
Deadpool wouldn't be saying that if I hadn't fixed his face; he'd still be looking like a rotten avocado. It was a bit ridiculous, but I let it slide.
We arrived at Disney World and had a great ti.
Being VVIPs, we got in without waiting. Sa for the rides. We even had two guides, but the guides seed more surprised to see us. With bodyguards around, we could reduce autograph requests, but Captain Arica signed every single one. We did so too.
As we were having fun and eating, Captain Arica said,
"The world really has beco a better place. They've made it so kids can really enjoy it. I feel like I've gone back to my childhood."
"That's true."
But I wondered what Captain Arica would say when, in a few years, political correctness swept the US and he saw n in dresses and make-up serving and guiding people at Disney World.
Anyway, after a fun-filled week, we returned ho. Natasha ca back wearing a Minnie Mouse headband and clothes; she had clearly enjoyed Disney World to the fullest. Wanda had also worn one at Natasha's urging, but she seed eager to take it off.
The next day, I went to Asgard with Wanda. Starting today, Wanda was to learn magic from Frigga. But Wanda looked a bit nervous.
"Don't be so nervous. The culture is a bit different, but the Queen is a good person. She'll treat you well."
"I see."
I reassured Wanda and delivered her to Frigga. Frigga welcod her warmly.
"Welco. Your na is Wanda, isn't it?"
"Yes, Queen Frigga. I'm Wanda Maximoff."
"I see. First, let show you your quarters and the facilities."
Frigga showed Wanda around. They agreed that she would co to Earth once a week. After that, I left the palace. I still had so business in Asgard. I needed to ask Heimdall to take to Xandar. I needed to acquire Units, the universal currency, in advance.
I planned to trade minerals, but I didn't know which were valuable. I needed to survey the market first. I talked to the Warriors Three and asked Heimdall, but they didn't seem to know much.
Instead, Asgard quickly made a dal. It was like a certificate from Asgard. They said that as long as I had it with , I would be respected anywhere, except by lowlifes.
After expressing my thanks, I asked Heimdall to take to Xandar.
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