The dense rain of energy bullets didn't cause much damage. It wasn't because the bullets were weak, but because there were more Dark Elves than expected, and they weren't foolish enough to just stand there and take the hits.
However, the attack did disrupt the Dark Elves' formation, allowing the Asgardian soldiers to charge in and immediately gain the upper hand.
Then... the battle devolved into chaos.
"So-called advanced civilization... is this what their combat looks like? A chaotic brawl?"
They charged in formation at first, but it all turned into a mess. The battlefield was a chaotic tangle, making it impossible to distinguish enemies from allies. All one could do was strike down anyone who attacked them.
"Perhaps. After all, those powerhouses from Asgard possess overwhelmingly destructive strength. At this level, formations and tactics lose their meaning. The outcome of the battle depends purely on power, so it's not surprising they're used to fighting in chaotic melees."
Tony could only grumble helplessly about the situation as he maneuvered agilely above the battlefield. With the Iron Man suit's mobility, he could freely move around, launch sudden strikes on enemies he didn't like the look of, then quickly retreat before he was surrounded.
The weapons in the Dark Elves' hands weren't just for show; they unleashed concentrated fire toward the Iron Man suit zipping through the air.
If this were the original version of Iron Man from the movie, he wouldn't have had many options against this kind of attack. He would've had to land quickly and blend into the crowd to avoid becoming the focus of their fire.
But the current Iron Man was different. His suit was no longer purely technological. The Arc Reactor had undergone numerous modifications, greatly enhancing both its endurance and output. Combined with magic stones and mystical knowledge, Tony had learned how to better utilize that powerful, pure energy.
Putting everything else aside, just the defensive energy layer on the exterior of the Iron Man suit was enough to withstand the concentrated firepower of the Dark Elves.
"Oh, my dear darlings, let me show you what real firepower looks like!"
As Tony's voice, amplified by loudspeakers, echoed across the battlefield, the mobile logistics station that had been hovering in the distance finally revealed its purpose.
Several components detached from the station and flew toward Tony, attaching directly to the exterior of his suit.
The originally sleek Iron Man suit suddenly bulked up significantly. These heavy external components were all kinds of weapons Stark had developed and modified during his downtime.
Missiles, incendiary bombs, and continuous autocannon fire rained down, directly clearing out large numbers of Dark Elves who had been standing in the back focusing on ranged attacks.
Watching Tony's performance, Ethan knew he didn't need to worry about him. This Iron Man suit was no longer the one he used to know. With just the energy shield, the Dark Elves couldn't do anything to Tony. As for the black hole grenades that could potentially threaten him... they'd have to actually manage to land one near Tony, who was constantly flying around in the sky.
As for the other companions, since they had accepted Loki's payment, Logan and the others weren't going to just sit in the back and wait for the battle to end. They were genuinely contributing to the fight.
There was no need to mention Logan—his fighting style was as direct and brutal as ever. Wearing a combat suit and extending his adamantium claws, Logan charged straight into the Dark Elves. Almost none of them could stop him.
He ignored all attacks, walking forward relentlessly. When the Dark Elves saw this and fired at him frantically, thinking he was crazy, he would suddenly lunge forward and stab them to death while they were still in shock: "How is this guy not dead?"
Selene's fighting style was even more "Dark Elf" than the Dark Elves themselves. She was like a shadow—unseen, untouchable—appearing suddenly to kill a target before vanishing again.
The ongoing battle had damaged much of the surrounding lighting, plunging large areas of the battlefield into darkness. This environment should have given the Dark Elves a significant advantage, but they never expected someone even more adept at fighting in the dark to join the fray.
Not a single Dark Elf died clearly under Selene's hands—they didn't even know how they died. With her style, if Malekith hadn't been standing in a relatively well-lit area, he probably would have been stabbed to death by her in the very first moment.
Ethan wasn't surprised by the combat strength of these two. Even Laura, who displayed strength on par with Logan's, wasn't unexpected.
What truly surprised Ethan was Auriel.
The little guy he had casually named, who looked exactly like a kitten, jumped from Laura's head onto her arm when she extended it toward the enemy. Then it dashed along her slender arm and leaped into the air.
At the highest point of its jump, a strange beastly roar erupted from Auriel's rapidly growing body. As it descended, it transformed into a massive creature nearly three meters long.
From the outside, it looked like a large leopard or tiger. Its once soft fur had become sleek, oily, and emitted a faint reddish glow.
With one paw, it flattened a Dark Elf into a meat patty. As it roared, two orbs of fire appeared around it, quickly launching at nearby Dark Elves and detonating with violent explosions.
"This guy can actually fight?"
That was the only thing that truly surprised Ethan. He had always assumed Auriel hadn't grown up yet. It turned out the little guy had combat capabilities all along, but had just been acting cute to get free food and drinks, never revealing its strength.
If Laura didn't have some druidic talent that allowed her to communicate with animals and fully understand them, this little guy probably would have kept hiding its power. Why fight to the death when acting cute got you all the snacks you wanted?
Although Ethan didn't question it, he was quite certain that was exactly what Auriel had been thinking.
"I didn't expect there really would be six powerhouses."
Loki hadn't expected to actually get a good deal. Watching the battle steadily tip in their favor, he even had the luxury to stand beside Ethan and chat.
At first, he had been concerned the Dark Elves' strength would cause heavy casualties among the Asgardian soldiers. That wouldn't reflect well on him as their commander. So after the battle started, he personally charged into the front lines, cutting down many Dark Elves.
With his terrifying frost power and the strong support of Tony and the others, the forces Malekith had brought quickly suffered massive losses. Now, only the final group of enemies remained.
As the battle continued and the number of enemies decreased, Selene no longer stayed hidden in the shadows. She would appear behind the Dark Elves to strike. Even if she didn't have time to retreat and got surrounded, her strength allowed her to handle the situation calmly. If things looked bad, she would immediately release a flash of Holy Light to blind them temporarily, then take the opportunity to retreat.
Her fighting style was driving Malekith insane. He had no time to deal with Loki, which was why Loki could casually stand there chatting with Ethan.
"Your companions are performing so well. Aren't you going to do something too?"
"If I accidentally destroy this entire stretch of coastline, Asgard had better not come looking for compensation."
"Go ahead. Maybe I'll build a water park here or something."
Since Loki didn't object, Ethan didn't hold back. Ever since obtaining the Tesseract, he hadn't truly used its power in combat.
The Tesseract wasn't just a source of nearly infinite energy. The Space Stone hidden inside didn't just allow him to teleport freely across the universe.
It was also an extremely powerful force in its own right. Now that he had the chance to use the power of the Space Stone in actual combat, Ethan didn't want to waste it.
As the Tesseract appeared, radiating blue light in his left hand, Ethan extended his right hand to control the power within it.
The energy of an Infinity Stone is incomparably powerful. Even in cube form, it wasn't something just anyone could wield through brute strength alone.
If it were the old Ethan, he wouldn't have been able to use it at all.
But now, after mastering the Tesseract, he wielded strength that even Loki was amazed by.
With just a gentle wave of his hand, the space in front of him was completely sealed. Although Malekith sensed something was wrong and tried to flee, even if he returned to his ship now, he still couldn't escape this enclosed area.
The moment Ethan agreed to help, Malekith's escape route had already been cut off.
As Ethan slowly walked forward holding the Tesseract, the Dark Elves concentrated their fire on him once again.
Unlike before, where he deflected the attacks with magic, Ethan didn't bother this time. The dense energy bullets passed through him as if he were an illusion.
"Cheap trick."
Malekith assumed the approaching Ethan was just a decoy illusion meant to draw fire, so he turned away, uninterested. He was now focused on finding a way to escape.
But just as that thought crossed his mind, the "illusion" suddenly reached out and grabbed Malekith by the neck, lifting him off the ground.
"This is impossible!"
No illusion, no matter how realistic, could grab someone. What's more, the Dark Elves' firing hadn't stopped, and there was no opening for Ethan to have switched in physically.
So how could this illusion touch him?
Malekith, now caught by the throat, didn't even have time to ask the question. In the next instant, he and all the Dark Elves found themselves in outer space.
"Perfect time to test this move on you."
(To be continued.)
***
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