Odin's expression darkened immediately.
He endured the pain silently, his body rigid as he sensed something deeply abnormal happening within him. A strange presence was moving through his bloodstream, rushing rapidly toward his heart. Sharp waves of agony spread through his body, cutting through even the resilience of his divine physique.
Even a god's body could not completely suppress that kind of pain.
However, that did not mean Odin had no way to stop it.
With a sudden shift of focus, he drew upon his divine power. The energy surged through his veins instantly, strengthening the blood vessels and reinforcing the tissues throughout his body. At the same time, glowing runes emerged across his form, sinking beneath his skin as they activated powerful magical effects.
His already radiant golden armor grew even more dazzling as the magic intensified.
Inside his body, the runes formed chains.
Those magical chains spread rapidly through his bloodstream, searching with precise purpose. Within seconds they located the invading liquid metal that had been wreaking havoc inside him.
The chains wrapped around the metal instantly.
A unique magical force activated the moment the runes locked into place. That force severed the invisible connection between Ethan and the metal inside Odin's body.
"Huh?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly.
This was the first time his control over metal had been disrupted so directly. The development surprised him, though not in a negative way.
If anything, it confirmed something he had already suspected.
Odin clearly possessed far more hidden abilities than he had revealed so far.
The next moment, Odin's body trembled violently.
The liquid metal that had invaded his body was forced outward by the overwhelming pressure of his divine magic. It flowed out through the wounds created by the steel needles, dripping onto the floor in silvery streams.
At the same time, the injuries on Odin's body began healing at a remarkable speed.
The torn flesh sealed itself almost instantly, the wounds closing as though they had never existed. The rate of regeneration was astonishing, rivaling the powerful healing factor within Ethan's own body.
"Is that the power of magic?"
Curiosity flickered in Ethan's eyes.
Even though Odin had broken the connection with the metal, Ethan did not stop observing him. Magnetic control might have been severed, but another power remained unaffected.
Telekinesis.
That ability originated directly from Ethan's thoughts, from the deepest foundation of his power. It was not something that could be cut off by simply interfering with metal.
Odin remained standing with the same overwhelming presence as before.
The runes covering his body appeared again, emerging one after another with increasing brightness. Each rune glowed more intensely than the last, and together they formed a terrifying pressure that condensed into a massive force pushing toward Ethan.
The energy swept across the hall like a heavy storm.
Yet Ethan remained exactly where he stood.
Even under that crushing pressure, the corners of his clothes did not move. His posture remained calm and relaxed, as though he were merely watching a demonstration.
That calmness unsettled Odin more than the attack itself.
To the king of Asgard, Ethan's composure was strangely difficult to understand.
"The root of your power comes from those runes, doesn't it?"
Ethan smiled slightly as he spoke.
Odin's eyes narrowed.
He listened silently as Ethan continued speaking.
"So where does the origin of that power actually come from?" Ethan said thoughtfully. "Those runes are simply the outward expression of a system of energy. They gather your power together and shape it into usable forms."
He gestured lightly toward Odin.
"There's another force inside your body that I don't fully understand yet. That force becomes the foundation of these runes, and when the runes combine, they create countless different abilities. Earth, fire, water, wind—every element can be formed through them."
Ethan's eyes gleamed with interest.
"That suggests the real source lies within your race itself. Either in the structure of your body or within your bloodline."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"In other words, the secret of magic may actually be rooted in the biology of the Asgardians."
Odin's expression hardened slightly, but he remained silent.
Ethan lifted his hand calmly.
"Honestly, mastering magic isn't that difficult," he said casually. "Something like this, for example."
A glowing rune appeared in his palm.
The symbol rotated slowly above his hand, radiating a soft green light that illuminated the air around it.
"This represents life."
The rune shifted.
The green color faded and turned into a dull gray shade.
"This represents death."
The gray symbol transformed again, glowing with a faint heat.
"That one represents fire."
The fiery glow suddenly shifted to a deep blue color.
"And this is the flow of water."
The blue hue gradually darkened and became brown.
"That represents earth."
Finally, the brown faded completely until the rune became almost invisible.
"And that one… is wind."
Ethan suddenly clenched his hand.
The rune representing magical energy shattered instantly in his palm, breaking apart into countless fragments of fading light.
He chuckled softly.
"Magic is actually very simple to learn, especially for someone like me," he said calmly. "Once I see something cast even once, I can analyze it easily. After understanding the structure, magic stops being mysterious."
Odin's face turned increasingly grim.
He stared at Ethan as though looking at something unnatural.
"Since you have already mastered the power of magic," Odin said slowly, his voice heavy, "then I hope you will stop here. If you continue any further, you will truly become an enemy of Asgard."
"No, no, no," Ethan replied immediately, shaking his head with a faint smile.
"It seems you misunderstand something."
"I understand magic because that's simply my ability," he continued. "But understanding something doesn't mean I'm satisfied with it."
He glanced around the hall briefly.
"As I said before, give me the magical technology of your people and the Eternal Flame. Once I obtain what I want, I'll leave naturally."
Odin's voice became colder.
"Why do you want those two things?"
"Why?"
Ethan smiled again.
"Curiosity."
He tapped lightly on his own chest.
"I'm a scientist. A researcher. My goal is to study everything that exists in this universe."
His voice carried calm confidence.
"Magic, mystical energy, even the forces described by science—every one of them is part of my research."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"You may not realize this, but this universe is fundamentally unstable. The laws governing reality show signs of extreme distortion, and everything feels as if it's constantly on the verge of collapse."
Ethan's gaze sharpened.
"To me, this universe looks like something that could fall apart at any moment. I don't know how long it can survive in this state."
"That's why I intend to study it."
Odin frowned deeply.
"That is your purpose?" he asked, disbelief clear in his voice.
"No," Ethan replied with a soft laugh.
"Of course that isn't my true purpose."
He clasped his hands behind his back.
"Studying these things simply helps me understand the universe more clearly," he said calmly. "What I actually want is something much greater."
Ethan's voice became steady and deliberate.
"I want a truly stable universe."
"A universe without mutants."
"A universe without magic."
"A universe where nothing exists that contradicts the natural order."
"That kind of universe would be perfect."
He looked directly at Odin.
"But what I see now is something very different. People everywhere recklessly abuse the power they possess, tearing apart the stability of reality itself."
His eyes grew cold.
"That kind of world is unacceptable to me."
Ethan's voice lowered slightly as he finished speaking.
"Since you refuse to preserve this universe properly… then I will."
"I will control it."
"And then I will change it."
.....
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