"Malekith!"
Algrim's thunderous and violent roar could not rouse the Dark Elf leader from his immersion in the Aether...
Malekith took a few steps forward, his pale skin bathed in the dark red glow. His eyes were intoxicated, and he instinctively reached out, as if trying to touch the Aether that had suddenly appeared in the void.
The liquid substance that resembled tiny droplets twisted and transformed like a living creature, creeping up Malekith's arm and gradually seeping into his body.
In the night sky, the celestial convergence slowly took shape, aligning the Nine Realms into a single line. A massive vortex formed a spatial rift, through which glimpses of Asgard's Bifrost, the frost-covered Jotunheim, and the lava-filled realm of Muspelheim could faintly be seen...
Malekith laughed heartily. As he channeled the Aether, he envisioned the chaos and darkness swallowing the Nine Realms, reducing all existence to nothingness. From then on, there would be no more light, only the reign of the Dark Elves restored at last!
At this pivotal moment of celestial convergence, the Aether rapidly expanded and multiplied, transforming into a dark red tidal wave, like the world-serpent Jörmungandr encircling the cosmos, eager to devour all light!
Malekith's pale complexion gradually darkened, as if scorched by flames. The leader of the Dark Elves remained oblivious as his body began to disintegrate, crumbling like a weathered stone statue.
"No!" The Kursed (Algrim) roared, trying to snap him out of it.
The moment his thick arm touched Malekith, it was immediately corroded by the Aether...
The Reality Stone bent the rules, and the hulking warrior instantly transformed into a giant bubble, floating uncontrollably into the sky.
Nearby, the superheroes watched in stunned silence...
As the Aether's power spread, the entire block suddenly changed. Flashing colored lights, drifting balloons, and a cacophony of lively noise filled the air.
'Is this... a circus?' Spider-Man looked down to find himself in a tailcoat, with a comical fake mustache stuck to his face and a top hat perched on his head.
He stood on a stage cluttered with props, facing an audience of enthusiastic clapping spectators.
Spider-Man spotted the Human Torch, Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four.
The handsome young man was now dressed in a black-and-white striped bodysuit, wobbling unsteadily on a bouncing ball while juggling bright red apples.
The hulking Thing, Ben Grimm, had become a strongman, performing a clumsy high-wire act that sent the audience into fits of laughter.
The mighty Thor, god of thunder, carefully balanced on a tightrope, executing a flawless backflip that earned thunderous applause...
The superheroes had been reduced to circus performers... such was the terrifying power of the Aether, which was capable of distorting reality, rewriting the rules, and blurring the line between illusion and truth in an instant.
Standing atop a nearby skyscraper, Sean wore a satisfied smile. Now that he had mastered the power of the Aether, the combined might of three Infinity Stones meant that even without going all-out or entering his Void state, he could face Thanos without fear.
"How... how could this be... the Aether..."
Malekith abruptly snapped out of his trance, only to realize that the Aether was completely beyond his control and was recklessly draining his life force.
The dark red substance consumed the Dark Elf leader. He opened his mouth, trying desperately to scream, but no sound emerged. Like the world-serpent Jörmungandr, the tidal wave of energy mercilessly devoured his body, unleashing its terrifying power to warp reality and bend the laws of physics.
"Darkness... am I returning to the embrace of chaos?" Malekith's eyes dimmed.
Until his dying breath, he could not understand why the Aether, now in the hands of the Dark Elves, refused to obey him... why it had instead turned on him and consumed him.
The dark red crystals within the Kursed's body shattered and dissipated. Molten flames erupted from within, and the giant bubble floating in the sky burst apart with a resounding pop.
A rain of blood fell...
With Malekith gone and no longer fueling its power, the Aether's dark red glow gradually faded, condensing back into a dim unremarkable red crystal before returning to Sean's hand.
The superheroes who had unwittingly performed in this absurd circus suddenly froze. As they looked around at the ruined streets and the armed helicopters roaring overhead, the truth dawned on them.
What had they just been doing?
Facing the gathering crowd of reporters and the incessant flashing of cameras, the heroes stood in stunned confusion...
...
Far away in Asgard, Odin let out a quiet sigh...
It seemed Thor had missed his last chance to prove himself a hero. The Allfather had not expected the Dark Elves' elite warrior, the Kursed, to possess such formidable strength, nor had he anticipated that the Aether had already fallen into another's hands.
Odin, who had planned to make a grand entrance as the savior in the final desperate moments, now saw his scheme collapse entirely.
His gaze shifted toward the skyscraper in Manhattan...
Standing on the observation deck, Sean looked up, calmly meeting the scrutinizing gaze of the King of Asgard. The two most powerful beings of their respective worlds locked eyes, sending invisible ripples through the void.
"The Sentinel," Odin murmured, recognizing the young man's true identity.
He couldn't help but sigh. This was a rising star of the new generation, while he himself was already waning, his life force ebbing away. Soon, he would return to the embrace of the World Tree.
Azure ripples shimmered like water as a spatial rift slowly opened. Sean now stood in Asgard's palace, beneath grand murals depicting Odin's heroic conquests across the Nine Realms.
Thick pillars supported the majestic hall where the one-eyed elder sat high upon his throne, gripping the Eternal Scepter, with ravens perched on his shoulders. He exuded an aura of solemn authority.
"Your Majesty, did you wish to speak with me?" Sean bowed slightly, showing basic respect to the mightiest of the Nine Realms, the King of Asgard.
"Thanos will return sooner or later. You have taken the Infinity Stones he has spent his life pursuing," Odin said softly, "Last time, his arrogance and underestimation cost him dearly. But next time... it will not be so easy."
"...From what I know, Thanos has already reached out to the Kree Empire. Ronan the Accuser, their fanatical warlord, is eager for war... Thanos will not let this go. He will return with an army at his back and descend upon the Nine Realms. You cannot stand against them alone." Odin panted slightly as he studied Sean, who radiated immense power.
A trace of envy flickered in his eyes. Once, he too had been like this, a rising star, fearless and mighty.
"So Asgard intends to form an alliance with Earth?" Sean's expression remained unchanged.
Odin's words which revealed Thanos's latest movements were nothing more than an attempt to bind him firmly to Asgard's cause.
As one of the Nine Realms' top-tier warriors, the Sentinel would naturally be the strongest shield against the Mad Titan.
"No. All Nine Realms must unite as one. Everyone must stand together," Odin declared solemnly.
"And who will lead? The King of Asgard... or Thor?" Sean asked with interest.
Odin sighed, then replied, "For the peace of the Nine Realms, I am willing to compromise."
He had known this young man would not be easily persuaded. For the sake of Asgard's future, he did not mind yielding... for now.
This was the undeniable truth... The King of Asgard's time was running out. The prophesied Ragnarök was approaching, and Thor alone would not be enough to hold the line.
"Then... a pleasure doing business," Sean said with a faint smile.
He knew exactly what Odin was planning. But when the time came, what he chose to do would be entirely up to him, not the King of Asgard...