Normally, the Dark Elf leading them would not have minded taking some time to play with the little cutie in front of him.
But right now, he was carrying out a mission of great importance. Time was short, and every second mattered. There was no way he would waste even a moment on something so irrelevant.
His gaze sharpened as he swept a cold look over the subordinates behind him and gave the order in a low voice,
"Kill him."
With that, he charged onward.
He needed to find the Aether as quickly as possible, and he could already feel that he was getting close.
After the lead Dark Elf left, the few Dark Elves who remained slowly approached Harry, cruel looks on their faces.
Yet as they drew closer, they were astonished to find that this Asgardian's reaction was completely different from what they had expected.
Not only was he not panicking in the slightest, he was calmly staring after their leader.
What surprised them even more was that, after noticing they had already come up beside him, Harry showed no fear at all. Instead, he calmly raised a hand, pointed in the direction their leader had gone, and leisurely said,
"That Dark Elf from just now seems a lot stronger than the rest of you, so strong it's like he isn't even the same species anymore.
The power he's displaying right now seems to have been gained by burning away his own life.
Power obtained that way may erupt with shocking force for a short time, but it's like a house built on sand. It can't last."
The moment they heard Harry say that, the Dark Elves' expressions changed dramatically.
They never would have imagined that this seemingly ordinary Asgardian could expose the secret of Kurse with a single glance.
None of these Dark Elves were simple soldiers. Every one of them was a battle-hardened operative within their race.
Now that they sensed something was wrong, none of them had the leisure to wonder whether Harry was telling the truth. Almost in the very same instant, they all pulled out their energy rifles, aimed them at Harry, and fired without hesitation.
A stream of deadly laser blasts shot toward him.
But just as they moved, they heard the crisp sound of a finger snap.
An invisible yet overwhelming force immediately swept over them.
The Dark Elves felt their minds go hazy, their consciousness vanish in an instant, and all support leave their bodies as they turned into drifting ash and disappeared without a trace.
After dealing with most of the Dark Elves in the blink of an eye, Harry strolled over to the largest one among them.
He bent slightly and gently placed a hand atop the Dark Elf's head, slowly probing through the memories in his mind.
"So that's how it is. A Kurse... interesting," Harry murmured to himself. "Maybe I can use the principles behind creating a Kurse to work out a method of physical enhancement without side effects."
Once he had gotten the information he wanted, Harry lightly clenched his hand, and the last Dark Elf's body broke apart just like the others, crumbling into dust and scattering cleanly in the breeze.
Harry brushed off his hands as though dusting away grime that was never there, then leisurely walked in the direction Kurse had gone.
He needed to keep things under control. He could not let the plan go off the rails and turn Jane's rescue mission into an Asgardian blood-soaked meat grinder.
...
At that moment, the atmosphere inside Thor's palace was tense enough to cut with a knife.
Like a demon god crawling out of hell, Kurse stretched out one thick arm and locked his hand tightly around Jane's throat.
Jane's face was flushed red, her eyes full of terror. Her feet kicked helplessly in midair while both hands desperately clawed at the iron grip imprisoning her, but she could not break free in the slightest.
Just then, Thor, Odin, and a host of Asgardian warriors arrived at speed and confronted Kurse's group.
Thor roared furiously,
"No! You damned Dark Elf, let her go!"
But to anyone who knew the truth, the anger in Thor's voice also carried a faint trace of deliberate performance.
Unlike Loki, who was full of tricks and schemes, Thor had never been good at weaving lies.
At the side, after noticing Thor's acting, Odin's face filled with black lines.
This useless rebellious son truly could not be relied upon at a critical moment. It seemed the old man would have to step in himself.
Compared with Thor's immaturity, Odin, a god-king tempered by countless years, was naturally far steadier and more seasoned.
His eyes held three parts anger, three parts gravity, three parts caution, and one part arrogance as he stared at the Dark Elves ahead. After a moment, he spoke in a calm voice,
"Malekith, since you're already here, stop hiding yourself. I may be old, but I haven't yet grown so senile that my eyesight has failed."
The instant Odin finished speaking, a corner of the palace where the shadows were thick as ink slowly stirred.
A moment later, a tall Dark Elf with an icy, imposing presence stepped out from it.
The moment he appeared, he strode quickly to Jane's side and impatiently extended an arm, curling his hand slightly.
At once, large amounts of crimson Aether streamed continuously out of Jane's body and into his own.
Only after the Aether had returned and he had gradually regained his former power did Malekith finally let out a breath, look past Jane, and coldly confront Odin.
Completely unlike Odin's mountain-like steadiness, Malekith's eyes were sharp and freezing. A mocking smile rose at the corner of his lips as he sneered,
"So what if I've appeared? Odin, you're old now. Do you really dare fight us with everything you have at the risk of your own death?
Once you die, Asgard will no longer have any real defenses. And when that happens, the Asgard once feared across the universe will be torn apart by every major power out there!"
Odin's expression darkened slightly. He did not fear death. What worried him most was Asgard and his family.
He had to admit that Malekith was not exaggerating. If he were to fall, Asgard would likely be doomed.
Hela, the eldest daughter he had kept sealed away for so long, was full of hatred toward both him and Asgard. The moment she learned of his death, she would certainly return.
And all the other powers lurking hungrily in the dark would never pass up such a perfect chance to carve up Asgard and strengthen themselves.
As for Thor, he was still too immature. Whether in mental maturity, control over power, or political strategy, he was nowhere near ready to bear the burden of the throne.
If the fate of Asgard were placed in Thor's hands at a moment this unstable, the outcome was impossible to predict.
But clearly, now was not the time to drown in those worries.
Odin forcibly pressed down the countless thoughts in his heart. A trace of sorrow appeared on his face as he slowly said,
"Malekith, stop this. Our era has already passed. Peace has lasted for thousands of years. There is no need to drag the Nine Realms back into war."
"Pah!" Malekith spat without hesitation, making his contempt for Odin perfectly clear.
"Despicable Asgardian. That may be your peace, but it was the doom of the Dark Elves!
Now that our people have reclaimed the Aether, we are destined to destroy Asgard and drag the Nine Realms back into eternal night!"
At that moment, the final drop of Aether was pulled from Jane's body.
Having gathered all of it and reclaimed the Reality Stone, Malekith let out a breath of relief. Just as he was about to crush Jane to death in one hand, the space beside him suddenly twisted.
Then a hand shot out, seized Jane by the collar, and yanked her into the Mirror Dimension.
The next moment, Harry appeared beside Odin and handed Jane over to a Thor whose face was full of tension.
"Mission accomplished. She's safe."
Thor held Jane tightly in his arms, so relieved he was almost in tears, and repeatedly said,
"Thank you, Harry, thank you!"
The instant he heard that, Malekith realized something. His expression turned ugly as he gritted his teeth and snarled,
"Odin, so this was all your scheme. You actually returned the Aether to me just to save one woman.
Do you really think that even with the Aether in my hands, I'm still not a threat?"
Odin's arrogance may have benefited the Dark Elves, but being looked down on like this still infuriated Malekith.
Odin spread his hands helplessly.
"Of course not. Don't slander me. I'm old. You people are the deadliest threat imaginable to me.
And that plan from earlier was not my idea. It was the idea of the young man standing beside me."
Only then did Malekith look toward Harry. When he saw Harry's youthful face, disdain immediately appeared in his eyes, and he mocked,
"You actually trusted the words of a child. That spell just now was Kamar-Taj's Mirror Dimension magic, so he must be from Kamar-Taj.
But aside from that little girl the Ancient One, Kamar-Taj has no threat left. And even she would be no match for me!
So in the end, Odin, you truly have grown senile, to come up with such a foolish plan."
Odin showed no anger at Malekith's mockery. Instead, he took a step back with the air of someone waiting to enjoy a show, leaving the stage to Harry and Malekith.
Smiling, he said,
"Malekith, I've been active in the Nine Realms for so long that I, too, am an old relic as far as this world is concerned. And you, who've had no contact with the Nine Realms for ages, are no different.
Old men like us should step aside and leave the stage to the younger generation.
Setting aside whether the Ancient One is stronger than you now or not, at least for the moment, the gap between this young man and you is already beyond comparison. You are not his opponent."
"Heh." Malekith remained utterly unconvinced. Looking down at Harry from above, he smoothly manipulated the Aether within his body, making it twist and dance like quick little snakes.
"Weakling, I permit you to state your name, and in return I shall grant you a cruel death."
Harry shook his head and laughed.
Why did this always happen?
Was being young-looking, handsome, graceful, and refined really enough to make people think he was easy prey?
Why did everyone always assume he was weak?
Harry smiled, then slowly and clearly began to recite the many titles that were enough to shake the entire Multiverse.
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