Ethan's words echoed in Odin's ears, and the king's hands trembled slightly.
In that moment, Odin came to a realization that unsettled him deeply. The man standing before him was most likely insane. Not the madness of confusion or instability, but the far more dangerous kind—the madness of someone who genuinely believed he should control the entire universe.
If a person like that lacked power, he would merely become a conspirator whispering dangerous ideas in the shadows. But if he possessed overwhelming strength, he would transform into something far worse.
A conqueror.
And in Odin's eyes, Ethan was precisely that kind of ambitious figure.
What Odin did not realize, however, was that Ethan's ambition extended far beyond what he imagined.
Across the countless parallel universes of the Marvel multiverse, the structure of reality varied wildly. Each universe possessed its own distortions and irregularities, some far more unstable than others.
Certain physical constants still resembled the natural laws Ethan had known in his previous life. Gravity, time, and energy behaved similarly enough to create a recognizable framework.
But beneath that surface lay something else.
An ancient, primordial force existed within these universes, a chaotic foundation that boiled with uncontrollable energy. That force acted as the cornerstone supporting every parallel reality.
At the same time, it was also the greatest threat to them.
Because of it, every universe existed in a state of dangerous instability.
In other words, all life across the multiverse lived atop a massive powder keg.
Any individual who gained sufficient power—whether through magic, mutation, or cosmic energy—could disrupt the balance of reality itself. With enough influence, a single person could distort the operation of an entire universe.
And if the distortion went too far, the result was inevitable.
Collapse.
The universe would unravel, leaving only one final fate for everything within it.
Total annihilation.
Ethan had understood this for a long time.
In a normal world, such absurd conditions would never exist. Yet here they were, embedded into the fundamental structure of reality.
That knowledge placed a pressure on him greater than anything he had experienced before.
From the moment he discovered it, his objective had been clear.
He would become the being standing at the very apex of the multiverse.
Only then could he impose rules strong enough to stabilize everything.
Perhaps the starting point of that goal was not entirely wrong. However, to anyone else, his vision looked exactly like the ambitions of a villain.
No one would understand him.
No one would support him.
Fortunately, Ethan never felt any deep attachment to this world anyway. As far as he was concerned, the Marvel universe was merely a chaotic environment he happened to inhabit.
To grow stronger, he would use any method necessary.
Even methods others might consider cruel or evil meant nothing to him.
Meanwhile, the battle on the other side of the hall had almost come to an end.
Jean Grey had nearly finished dealing with the remaining Asgardian warriors.
Most of the soldiers who had rushed into the hall earlier were no longer recognizable as human figures. Some had been torn apart by the devastating power of the Phoenix Force. Others had been completely annihilated, leaving behind only scattered fragments of limbs and broken armor.
Blood covered the floor.
The destructive impulse inside her had been released without restraint.
Moments later, Jean calmly walked back to Ethan's side. Her dark eyes stared directly at Odin, her expression carrying the cold indifference of something far beyond mortal emotion.
Seeing the horrific scene around him, Odin's face twitched.
Pain stabbed through his heart as he looked upon the fallen warriors.
Every soldier who had died here was an elite of Asgard. Each of them had fought through countless battles before reaching their current level of strength.
Watching so many of them perish in such a short time was almost unbearable.
"People of Earth!" Odin roared, his voice filled with fury.
"One day you will regret provoking my anger. You have placed yourselves on the opposite side of peace, and what awaits you now is war—a war that will not end!"
His thunderous voice spread throughout the entire realm of Asgard.
However, Ethan simply loosened his control over Odin and showed no concern for the warning at all.
He smiled faintly.
"In that case," he said calmly, "are you willing to hand over what I need?"
"You—!"
Odin clenched his fists.
Facing two enemies of such terrifying power, every instinct in him urged him to fight until the very end.
But he was no longer the reckless warrior he had been in his youth.
Now he carried the responsibility of an entire people.
The fate of Asgard rested on his decisions.
And he knew that if he refused again, the two individuals standing before him would likely unleash their anger upon the entire realm.
That was a consequence he simply could not afford.
Forcing himself to endure the fury burning in his chest, Odin slowly raised his trembling hands.
Golden runes appeared in the air as he began tracing a complex magical pattern. The runes gathered together, weaving into a portal formed from powerful spatial magic.
A swirling gateway appeared before them.
"Come with me," Odin said in a deep voice, suppressing the rage in his tone.
Without waiting for a response, he stepped forward and entered the portal first.
Ethan showed no hesitation at all.
He simply reached out, took Jean's hand lightly, and stepped through the gateway with her.
On the other side lay a vast and solemn chamber.
The hall was enormous, constructed from massive ancient stone blocks that radiated an aura of age and authority. The atmosphere carried a sense of ancient grandeur, as though countless eras had passed within those walls.
This was the treasure vault of Asgard.
Within it were stored many priceless relics collected over thousands of years.
Ethan's eyes quickly swept across the chamber.
One artifact immediately caught his attention.
The Infinity Gauntlet.
However, the version stored here did not contain any Infinity Stones. Ethan instantly recognized it as nothing more than a decorative imitation.
His gaze moved onward.
Nearby hung the enchanted restraint used with Thor's hammer, another powerful artifact from Asgard's history.
Further inside the chamber stood a massive object radiating cold energy.
The Casket of Ancient Winters.
This relic once belonged to the Frost Giants and contained endless power of ice and snow. If unleashed fully, its freezing energy could cover an entire planet in eternal winter.
It was undoubtedly a formidable treasure.
But to Ethan, it was not particularly valuable.
What he truly wanted was something else.
The Eternal Flame.
This was a primordial fire that had existed since the earliest moments after the universe was born. It was a flame that had never extinguished and likely never would.
More importantly, it carried within it profound information about the deepest structure of the cosmos.
For Ethan's research into the underlying laws of the universe, it was absolutely essential.
Odin led them deeper into the vault until they reached the farthest section of the chamber.
There he stopped in front of a stone platform.
On top of the platform rested a golden disc.
At the center of the disc burned a small flame.
At first glance, the fire appeared completely ordinary. Its temperature was not especially high—barely reaching a thousand degrees—and it burned quietly without any dramatic display.
Yet the flame hovered in the air without fuel.
It had burned there for countless years.
No one knew how long it had existed, nor how long it would continue to burn.
"That's it," Ethan said with a satisfied smile.
.....
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