Original Sin knelt on one knee, her eyes filled with fanaticism.
"Father!"
"HYDRA is always ready. I'm willing to lead our soldiers and spread immense fear in your name!"
A trace of cruelty flickered at the corners of the Serpent's mouth. He smiled faintly.
"Of course, my daughter—Skadi."
"But you won't need any soldiers. You alone are enough."
"You are the most important harbinger of winter. Go—bring a soul-freezing chill to those humans basking in warmth and comfort!"
"The All-Father will be watching over you."
Original Sin lowered her head reverently.
"Yes, Father!"
Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier — Main Command Bridge.
A sphere of roiling flames suddenly appeared in mid-air.
Before the stunned eyes of everyone present, it collapsed inward—transforming into a figure that landed with a sharp impact on the bridge.
It was Russell.
His presence instantly made the surrounding S.H.I.E.L.D. agents lower their heads in fear and awe—none dared to make eye contact.
They had just watched the surveillance footage from Manhattan.
Even through a screen high above the ground, that golden-red energy had made their hearts tremble.
The stone man wielding the war hammer had looked invincible—until he was vaporized in a single second like a chicken!
It was beyond comprehension.
Nick Fury took a deep breath and quickly approached.
"Mr. Russell, thank you for saving this city from disaster."
He was different from the others.
He wasn't merely shocked by the fact that Russell had slain the mutated stone man—he was more shaken by how Russell had descended in response to humanity calling out the name of God.
This wasn't just superheroic.
This was mythology made real.
No—Russell didn't step out of a myth. He was the myth, becoming more and more like a true divine being.
But how could a god exist in this world?
At that moment, Fury's worldview was being seriously challenged.
Russell glanced around.
"Where's Thor?"
He scanned the ship—but couldn't sense him anywhere.
Nick Fury immediately replied, "Thor went to Arizona. His girlfriend Daisy is there—he said he wanted to bring her over."
Russell froze.
"…Who did you say?"
Nick Fury frowned, a little confused by Russell's reaction.
"Daisy. Daisy Lewis. The woman he met when he was exiled to New Mexico."
(This detail was widely known—why was this man so surprised?)
Agent Hill also nodded, confirming Fury's words.
Russell's face darkened.
"Thor's girlfriend… is Jane Foster."
Nick Fury and Hill looked at each other in confusion.
How could they both remember it wrong?
Nick Fury spoke with certainty:
"No, no, no, Sir Russell. I'm quite sure. In both my memory—and the memories of everyone here—Thor's girlfriend is Daisy Lewis."
He turned toward the agents below. All of them nodded in agreement.
Russell frowned deeply.
He wasn't saying this because Jane Foster was Thor's girlfriend in the sacred timeline… but because back in Asgard, Thor himself had said—
"If I ever have to sacrifice myself, give my relics to Jane Foster—my beloved."
Russell didn't think Thor was lying back then.
After pondering for a moment, Russell raised his hand and opened a golden portal.
On the other side stood the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York.
Inside, Tony Stark stood with his back to the crowd, tinkering with something in front of his waist.
Agent Hill silently turned away.
Nick Fury looked slightly embarrassed.
At that moment, Tony seemed to sense a strange presence behind him and slowly turned his head.
Seeing the contemptuous gaze through the portal, he immediately seemed to recall something. He quickly raised his hands and shouted anxiously:
"I'm practicing seals! It's not what you think!"
Russell rolled his eyes.
"You don't need to explain. I'm not here for that—I need to ask you something."
"Do you know who Thor's girlfriend is? And don't tell me you haven't been keeping up with the Avengers' personal affairs."
Tony pretended like nothing had happened, turned around, and flew back into the cabin.
Nick Fury's pupils narrowed. He silently committed the face of this unknown man to memory.
Just then, Tony asked curiously:
"Why do you care about Thor's girlfriend? Wait… do you like him?"
"You can't do that, man. You're like his uncle. Not cool. But if you're serious, I can introduce a female werewolf to Thor—he'll definitely cheat."
Russell barely held back the urge to punch this clown and said coldly:
"I'm helping you right now. If you're not interested, I can just go take a nap."
"No, no, no!"
Tony quickly waved his hands and got serious.
"I was just joking. Of course, Thor's girlfriend is Jane Foster."
"But why ask something so obvious?"
However, as soon as he said it, he noticed that both Nick Fury and Hill's faces had changed drastically.
He immediately had a bad feeling.
"…What's going on?"
Nick Fury's expression darkened.
"In my memory, Thor's girlfriend is Daisy—Jane's friend."
"If what you're saying is true, then someone has tampered with all of our memories!"
Tony's face finally turned serious. He looked straight at Russell.
"What do you think?"
Russell stared at him blankly and said in disbelief:
"You're the Sorcerer Supreme—and you're asking me about Earth matters?"
"You talk like you're not from this timeline yourself…"
Tony whispered to himself, "Rack my brains…"
Nick Fury silently noted that phrase—and the mysterious man standing before him.
After more than ten seconds of thought, Tony suddenly looked up.
Russell asked expectantly, "So? What did you figure out?"
Tony scratched his head, smiling awkwardly.
"Uh… nothing."
"If it was a large-scale memory-altering spell, I should've noticed."
"And if all of them were affected, but not the two of us—it doesn't add up."
Russell nearly kicked him, but stopped when something occurred to him.
He muttered thoughtfully, "The only thing we have in common… is that we've both left this timeline. We exist outside the boundaries of fate to some extent."
"I get it now. Their memories haven't been altered."
Nick Fury didn't quite understand, but felt a chill run down his spine.
Tony's expression changed instantly.
He was a genius—he wouldn't have become Sorcerer Supreme otherwise. He understood right away.
"You mean… Jane Foster's fate was stolen?!"
"This is bad!"
"Thor could be in danger!"
Russell nodded. He couldn't think of any other explanation.
After a moment's thought, he said:
"We need to return to Asgard. Heimdall—the gatekeeper—can see Thor and help us pinpoint his location."
Tony's face turned grim.
"Then I'll leave it to you. I have to stay and protect the Sanctum."
"Demons like Mephista and alien entities love to take advantage of situations like this."
Russell was just about to nod when an ear-piercing alarm suddenly blared through the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.
[High-energy fluctuations detected in outer space!]
As the voice rang out, satellite images appeared and split into five separate feeds on the big screen.
They showed five meteor-like objects breaking through Earth's atmosphere at incredible speed!
Each one contained a massive warhammer engraved with glowing runes of different colors.
The hammers fell toward various parts of the planet.
But the alarm wasn't finished yet!
[Abnormal energy reaction detected in the Hawaiian Islands.]
A new satellite feed appeared.
It showed the surface of the ocean around Hawaii freezing rapidly, and the frost was spreading quickly toward the coastline!
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