After leaving Jotunheim, Han Shaoqing and Esdeath arrived at a place of absolute stillness.
This was a forbidden zone of Asgard, the ruins of an ancient battlefield. It was dark and silent, with countless massive stone pillars crisscrossing, creating the feeling of a labyrinth.
Thousands of years ago, after Borr, the father of Odin, defeated the Dark Elves, he suppressed the [Aether Particles] here and designated it as a forbidden zone.
As time passed, even within Asgard, few knew of this place's existence.
Han Shaoqing and Esdeath flew on the [Vimana] through the intersecting stone pillars for a moment before hovering over a passageway.
Ahead, a faint, hazy red glow could be seen emanating from the gaps between the giant stones. The dim light constantly shifted and flowed, as if it were alive.
"Is this the Aether Particles you mentioned, Master?"
Esdeath looked at the red light ahead, feeling a sense of curiosity.
*Curiosity is one thing, but is it really necessary to use my head as a pillow?*
*What is this, brainwaves?*
Feeling the softness on top of his head, Han Shaoqing felt that Esdeath was becoming more and more audacious.
But he had to admit, leaning like this was actually quite comfortable.
Han Shaoqing shifted his head, stood up, and in a flash, appeared before the sealed stone pillar.
The pillar before him was about ten meters in diameter, split down the middle by a mysterious force, revealing a half-foot-wide gap.
The upper section of the pillar floated completely in mid-air, its surface etched with complex magic arrays used to seal and suppress the Aether Particles.
Through the gap in the pillar, he could see the Aether Particles churning within.
With a wave of his hand, Han Shaoqing broke the seal. The Aether Particles instantly swarmed out, attempting to possess him.
The Dark Elves called it "Aether Particles," but its other name was the Reality Stone.
Unlike the other five Infinity Gems, the Reality Stone was not a solid. It consisted of countless particles, appearing almost liquid, and could inhabit a living being to absorb its life energy and grow stronger.
If an ordinary person were to be possessed by the Reality Stone, their life force would be drained dry in minutes.
In the original plot, the Dark Elves sought to use the Reality Stone during the Convergence to devour all life across the Nine Realms, plunging the entire universe back into the Dark Ages.
To wield the Reality Stone alone requires an immense amount of energy. If the wielder's own power is insufficient, the Stone will directly drain their life force. Thus, tapping into its power is akin to an equivalent exchange.
Han Shaoqing raised his hand to suppress the Reality Stone, condensing it into the form of a ruby. He then took out the Infinity Gauntlet and embedded the gem into it.
The Infinity Gems—were they precious? Indeed, they were. In the MCU, superheroes and supervillains had fought tooth and nail over them.
Yet, were they common? They could be, too. In the *Loki* series, a mere employee of the Time Variance Authority had a whole pile of them, using them as mere trinkets. This sight had shattered the worldviews of countless Marvel fans.
The Infinity Gems truly contained immense power, but only within the Marvel Universe. In any other world, they were nothing more than pretty, slightly harder-than-average stones.
The [Reality Stone] was originally one of the six singularities of the universe. It is indestructible, and even Skyfather-level beings cannot destroy it.
Even among the [Infinity Gems], it is quite special. Not only can it absorb life force, but it can also materialize into armor and weapons for combat or self-protection.
Most powerfully, the [Reality Stone] can ignore rules, reverse causality, and distort laws, thereby overwriting reality and turning the wielder's thoughts into actual existence.
It can turn any dream in one's heart into reality, from minor modifications to physical and chemical laws to the direct creation or erasure of objects.
Whatever the user deems right becomes right; whatever they deem wrong becomes wrong.
However, the power of the [Infinity Gems] also has its limits. If a wish exceeds the range of the [Reality Stone]'s capabilities, it will not be fulfilled.
According to Han Shaoqing's estimation, even if all the [Infinity Gems] were collected, they would at most reach the Multiversal-level.
In the Marvel Universe, even collecting all the [Infinity Gems] does not make one invincible.
To the truly powerful beings of the cosmos, the [Infinity Gems] were mere toys.
Han Shaoqing had a vast arsenal at his disposal. The enemies he could defeat didn't require the [Reality Stone]. The enemies he couldn't defeat would be immune to it anyway.
Therefore, Han Shaoqing had never intended to use the [Reality Stone] in the first place. He had only come here to satisfy his desire to collect it and to see if he could trigger a "Check-In" reward.
Unfortunately, no notification appeared.
Looking at the [Infinity Gauntlet] now equipped with the [Reality Stone], Han Shaoqing considered his options and attached the [Shapeshifting Bracelet] to it. After a few adjustments, the [Infinity Gauntlet] perfectly fit his right hand, looking quite impressive.
Just as Han Shaoqing broke the seal on the [Reality Stone]...
...in the deepest reaches of the cosmos, within a realm of eternal darkness, a massive, sword-shaped black warship detected the unique signal of the [Infinity Gem] and awakened from its slumber.
The cosmic warship, silent for millennia, gradually began to glow with a crimson light.
Inside the warship, a stasis pod hissed open, and a gaunt Dark Elf stepped out.
The Dark Elves were an ancient race from the dawn of time. Legend has it that when the universe was born, the cosmos was a chaotic void where darkness reigned supreme. Only after the universe evolved did the vibrant, colorful world we know today emerge.
Born of the void, the Dark Elves sought to plunge the universe back into eternal darkness.
Though called elves, they bore no resemblance to the fair and graceful creatures of fairy tales. Malekith's face was a pallid mask, devoid of all color. His blue eyes burned with an unyielding, sinister intensity. He wore ancient, weathered elven armor, his white hair framing pointed ears. An aura of shadow and savagery clung to him.
As an ancient being from the same era as Borr, the father of Odin, Malekith was the first host of the Aether. He possessed a unique, innate connection to its power—a bond that had remained unbroken across the millennia.
"The Aether has finally returned," Malekith hissed. "This time, I will use the Nine Realms as my stepping stones to plunge the universe back into darkness!"
In his slumber, Malekith had lost all sense of time. The humiliation of his defeat felt as fresh as if it had happened yesterday.
After his plan to plunge the universe back into darkness had failed all those years ago, the Dark Elves had been nearly annihilated by the Asgardian warriors led by Bor.
For the thousands of years that followed, Malekith had led the remnants of his kin to endure humiliation and survive in secret. They slept in stasis aboard their ship, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Now, in the control room, Malekith looked down at the Dark Elves as they began to awaken. He declared loudly, "The Aether has reappeared! The celestial bodies will align in a few years' time. We shall reclaim the Aether and plunge the universe back into darkness!"
"Back into darkness!" the awakened Dark Elves roared in unison, having already formed neat, orderly ranks.
Han Shaoqing had no idea he had prematurely awakened the Dark Elves. Even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.
In Han Shaoqing's eyes, a villain like Malekith was nothing but a minor nuisance—hardly a threat worth worrying about.
If Malekith dared to come to him, Han Shaoqing would gladly use his head as a stepping stone to punch in for his shift.
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