Malekith was seething.
If looks could kill, everything around him would have been reduced to cinders by now.
Time waited for no one. He knew that. But if he could fully harness the power of the Aether, perhaps he could turn things around.
Unfortunately, controlling an Infinity Stone, especially the Reality Stone, was no simple feat.
Arthur understood this better than anyone.
Even though he possessed the Tesseract, despite his near-unfair advantage in wielding it, he had barely begun to tap into its true potential. He was still only scratching the surface of its vast abilities.
Mastering such power required time. A lot of time.
But who in their right mind would sit around casually contemplating the nature of an Infinity Stone?
One wrong move could spell disaster. And Arthur had no interest in experiencing another head-detaching incident while he was sleeping.
If he truly wanted to unlock the full potential of an Infinity Stone, he'd likely need to upgrade his Disassembler to an absurdly high level, high enough to break down the very nature of the Stones themselves. Only then could he claim complete mastery over them.
If Arthur was feeling the pressure, then the pale-skinned Dark Elf standing across from him was undoubtedly far more desperate.
"You... YOU SEEK DEATH!!!"
Malekith's eyes burned red with fury, his rage swelling like an uncontrollable storm.
Thor's expression darkened. "Well, this isn't good. I think we just made things a whole lot worse."
Their original plan had been simple: stop Malekith before he could merge with the Aether, then head home for a well-earned drink.
Instead, they were now facing Aether combined with Malekith, an Aether Malekith.
And if this had been some nightmarish alternate reality where he had also gained a 'Nul' enhancement, he might have been strong enough to challenge Thanos himself.
Arthur smirked. "We're way past the point of backing down. Now that he's fully merged with the Aether, we can't let him escape. When the fight starts, keep an eye on your girlfriend. In a battle like this, without the Aether's protection, one stray hit could erase her from existence. And I mean that literally, as in wiped from reality."
"You can count on me."
"Oh, I absolutely won't be counting on you." Arthur rolled his eyes.
The moment the words left his mouth, flames erupted from his left hand, flickering violently.
Originally, he had considered summoning a dark-field, a realm of absolute darkness where Malekith and his forces would be truly lost. But then common sense kicked in.
They were Dark Elves.
An environment devoid of light wouldn't weaken them, it might even amplify their abilities. That would be a horrendous miscalculation. People might even mistake him for a traitor.
Instead, fire surged skyward like a dragon unleashed.
The inferno roared toward Malekith, its heat distorting the air.
Aether Malekith raised his hand, dark-red energy swirling around him, preparing to counter. But just as the flames were about to meet his power, they veered.
The fire curved sharply, bypassing him entirely and streaking straight for the Kursed warrior at his side.
At that same instant, the massive figure looming behind Arthur lunged forward, interposing itself between Malekith and the battle. With a thunderous impact, it crossed its arms to form a barrier, absorbing the brunt of Malekith's energy blast.
Aether crackled violently against solid form, while Arthur's redirected flames reached their target.
The Kursed warrior roared.
Both energies, fire and the power of the Aether, were formidable in their own right.
But when it came to raw might, there was no question.
The Aether, an artifact predating the universe itself, was something beyond comprehension. If one were to compare it in terms of mythical power, it was akin to a primordial relic.
By contrast, something like the Ten Rings of the Mandarin? A mere postnatal creation. The two weren't even in the same league.
The real difference, however, Malekith had already consumed the Aether.
It was his to wield, fully under his control.
And now, they would pay for it.
However, Aether Malekith had not even grasped the basics; he could only control the energy impact. The Abomination, with his tough skin and brute strength, only took a step back when the powerful light struck him, but he did not waver again; the ground beneath him crumbled like tofu under his feet.
On the other side, the Kursed Elf did not have such capabilities. Under the impact of the flames, he and the Abomination made the same choice, crossing their arms in front of them, but he was instantly sent flying by the force.
At that moment, a burly man soared into the sky, holding a hammer high above his head, crackling with countless bolts of lightning, and smashed down toward the Kursed Elf. The hammer fell with a thunderous sound, and the Kursed Elf, caught off guard, could only defend himself without any ability to counterattack.
Seeing this, Aether Malekith turned and sent dark-red light rushing toward Thor.
However, before his arm could fully extend, another person appeared beside him, and with a swift motion, an arm was sent spinning away.
"So fast?"
Aether Malekith was dumbfounded. Was this instantaneous movement?
What responded to him was Arthur's sword, and he saw flames rising from the large sword as Arthur infused the flame energy into it.
This was stronger than merely covering it with colorless energy or even energy combat.
The heat contained within could almost reach the boiling point of the sword, so Arthur had to control the size of the flames to prevent the sword from turning into a shower of molten metal mid-battle.
Aether Malekith was about to dodge when suddenly, two strong arms wrapped around him...
Yes, it was a princess carry!
Evidently, Aether Malekith did not expect to be lifted in such a manner during a battle; being embraced by the enemy like this was utterly humiliating!
Then, the flaming great sword came crashing down, and the sword light and fire flashed in an instant, bisecting Aether Malekith right there.
The Abomination grabbed half of the severed body, howling loudly.
But at that moment, Arthur's expression suddenly changed as he turned around sharply, only to see a perfectly intact Aether Malekith standing not far away, pushing forth dark-red light that surged toward him.
In an instant, Arthur was enveloped by this dark-red light.
"Intermediate Steel Body!"
Arthur's face changed, and he quickly covered himself and the Abomination with a protective barrier.
However, the barrier faced the fastest defeat in history; in just two breaths, it shattered with a loud bang!
But at that moment, the Abomination leaped into the air, roaring as he charged toward Aether Malekith!
Aether Malekith's expression turned serious as he extended his arms, dark-red light swirling around his body. Immediately, he began to float, and the violent energy started to spread wildly, transforming the surrounding world into a dark red!
These dark-red energies were filled with corrosiveness and aggression; even Arthur frowned at that moment.
He realized that the Intermediate Steel Body provided almost no defense against such energy!
(Chapter ends here.)
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