Marvel Magic Event Book

Chapter 1754 (Chapter 1750) Landing in Asgard
Tony Stark is a scholar with a strong sense of curiosity.

Although he has always denied using the word "scholar" to describe himself, after all, compared to glamorous playboys and tycoons, the public's stereotype of scholars is still based on high hairlines and nearsightedness, an image that has nothing to do with a youthful and charming cheerleader captain.

But regardless, he possessed an inquisitive mind. When Sofia opened up some materials to him, he eagerly dug into the data archives, and then he found a document that could answer his long-standing questions. It was a document about Peter Parker, Wanda Maximov, and Pietro Maximov.

He was a scientist, so he found it hard to understand why Peter Parker possessed such abilities beyond the realm of scientific common sense, as did Wanda Maximoff and Pietro Maximoff, whose abilities were similarly beyond the explanation of science as he knew them. This document provided part of the answer. Several days had passed since their last conversation. When Steve Rogers re-entered Tony Stark's cramped compartment, he saw Stark with bloodshot eyes, a stubble beard, and disheveled hair; unfinished compressed food lay scattered on the table.

"What happened, Tony?"

“The answer.” Tony Stark rubbed his eyes. “If I told you that all superpowers in the world originated from experiments conducted on primitive life by gods who descended to Earth hundreds of millions of years ago, what would you think? Well, I know you don’t have that concept…”

Taking the tablet, Steve Rogers saw the review page Tony Stark had selected for him. "A study on the relationship between the X-gene, the Wild Gods, and the Second Advent of the Celestials, first author: anonymous," Steve Rogers read aloud the only thing he could understand. "What is this?"

“About hundreds of millions of years ago, a group of gods from the physical universe descended upon this planet to experiment on the primitive life forms on Earth at that time. They did this because one of the gods was corrupted by some kind of magic and died on Earth, polluting the entire ecosystem. Therefore, his companions chose Earth as their testing ground.” Tony Stark grinned. “This is the most direct source of superpowers. We all possess this gene; the Maximoff siblings are like that. Steve, do you remember Peter Parker, the pajama baby?”

"I've seen the news."

"Page 1065. In the bottom right corner, you can enter the page number to see the section I've underlined... This research file suggests that Peter Parker was a chosen one of the Wild Goddesses." Following Stark's directions, Steve Rogers found that page. It described Peter Parker's abilities, followed by speculation and testing about their origins: the Spider Goddess, the Goddess of Fate's Web.

This was a hyperlink, and Steve Rogers knew what a hyperlink was. He clicked on the Spider Goddess's entry, entering a file webpage. Because Tony Stark's permissions weren't high enough, many parts of this file were digitally blacked out or deleted, making it impossible to view. Steve Rogers only saw this line—Status: Confirmed Kill; Kill Time: 5284 BC; Resurrection Risk Rating: High. He clicked on the next page, which read something like, "Wilderness Goddess - Wasp Goddess—Status: Confirmed Kill; Kill Time: 5284 BC; Resurrection Risk Rating: Low."

It's as if this is a thick, heavy archive of deaths.

Tony Stark stood up, tapping his fingers across the tablet, and opened another entry. "Genetic Soul Science, paper author, Dr. Nathaniel Essex. I brought the S.H.I.E.L.D. files and found this person's information. In 1996, he opened a small clinic in Egypt, which seemed completely unrelated to this kind of research—by the way, this doctor is also dead, probably murdered—I never imagined that the words 'genes' and 'soul' could be connected. However, I briefly looked at this doctor's theory; he believed that special abilities could be transferred through memory and consciousness, which could also explain how Peter Parker, as a chosen one of the Spider Goddess, acquired his superpowers."

Tony Stark sighed. He studied Peter Parker's blood sample, but apart from some unusual genes, he found nothing and couldn't explain why those genes were working. "Clearly, these superpowered individuals have nothing to do with the Avengers. The UN believes the Avengers caused the superpower explosion, as if those superpowered individuals were mass-produced on Stark Industries' assembly line."

Steve Rogers knew what Stark was mocking.

Before the Sokovia Agreement was signed, there was a saying circulating online.

The Avengers' power attracted challenges, challenges sparked conflict, and conflict led to disaster, so the Avengers had to be kept in check. This argument certainly holds true, as the Iron Man suit itself sparked an arms race. But now they know that with or without the Avengers, the world will always have many superhumans, and the arms race sparked by the Iron Man suit is nothing compared to that.

"All superpowers are essentially magic; that's the answer I found in these files." Tony Stark chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Have you ever wondered who killed that Spider Goddess?"

After a moment's thought, Steve Rogers came to a terrifying conclusion.

"That's right, it's him. He traveled to the past, established the timeline, and then killed the Wild God. Peter Parker's ability means that what he killed has returned, and not just one. More importantly, he started his research on humanity itself a long time ago. Would you like to see the information about the Super Soldier Serum? I've seen it; here's detailed information on the Super Soldier Serum. The serum itself has many aspects that are beyond science. You know what I'm talking about—why Dr. Erkins chose you—perhaps you're interested in Dr. Erkins' information."

Steve Rogers took a deep breath.

"No, there's no need for that anymore. Those things mean nothing to me."

“You’re braver than me. When I found out my father was one of them… to be honest, I was a little proud when I learned Howard was also a member of the Brotherhood of the Shield!” Tony Stark said. “An ancient conspiracy, an organization that’s been around for millennia, it all sounds like a third-rate comic book plot. Strictly speaking, the Brotherhood of the Shield is the superior organization of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury doesn’t know that the magical advisors he recruited are actually the real bosses behind S.H.I.E.L.D. I really hope I can tell Nick Fury this joke when I see him again; that would be hilarious!”

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The bridge of the HMS Cross Rose is the ship's space command center.

Under normal circumstances, the crew members working here would be under the greatest mental pressure, because they would be going to a distant space region that had never been reached before. The condition of the ship would directly determine their life or death. Moreover, each air carrier carries nearly 7000 soldiers and a large number of vehicles. In addition, there are the crew members who operate the air carrier. It can be said that every bridge operator is carrying the lives of tens of thousands of people.

They were like a shooting star floating in space, speeding towards their predetermined goal.

Aside from the other two air carriers and the automated unmanned supply vessel that had been drifting behind them, they had no way to call for help. Under such pressure, it wouldn't be surprising if humans did anything. But the bridge commanders were all in high spirits, showing no signs of fatigue from the immense mental stress. After their days off, they were enjoying perfect sleep, and some of their annoying old ailments had disappeared.

Rumors began circulating among the crew, claiming it was a blessing from the Emperor. Sophia had been monitoring the crew's mental state and speech, as well as the problems within the soldiers' committee—she was quite certain these rumors were true, and the Emperor was indeed using his methods to resolve the crew's issues—at least one officer proclaimed that after a trip to the bridge, his sore throat, a frequent smoker, was no longer bothered.

However, this also led to officers and soldiers of all ranks constantly finding excuses to come to the bridge and bask in the sunlight, much to Sofia's annoyance, as she couldn't stop those officers and soldiers with legitimate reasons from entering the bridge. After a brief working meeting, all officers received the same message: they were less than a week away from their target location for the hyperspace jump. Sofia then approached Tita, the Sisterhood's chief commander, after the meeting.

In fact, she and Dita had a very good relationship, and the Sorority was very skilled at winemaking and was happy to share their own special wines. As an organization favored by the Emperor, the Sorority enjoyed many privileges, such as an unrestricted supply of wine during space voyages, which led Sofia to frequently seek out the Sorority to get some fermented grape juice.

According to Tita's private conversation with Sofia, the limiting factor for the speed of the Sky Carrier is not the engine, but the humans on board. The current Sky Carrier is completely different from the Sky Carrier of Project Insight; even the keel has been doubled in length to accommodate that terrifying engine. The Sisterhood once carried out a mission at the edge of the solar system, and at that time, the Cross Rose did not need to take this long to sail.

Approximately 157 hours later, the operators on the three air carriers began to slow the ships down. After 10 hours of deceleration, the ships finally reached their target location. The Martian technicians, dressed in red robes, and the Guardians entered a compartment on the mid-deck, located in the center of the hull and protected by triple airtight doors. After another two hours of preparation, 30% of the ship's energy was channeled into that compartment.

The alarm blared abruptly, and officers of all ranks, following the instructions in the training manual, ordered the soldiers to remain silent. The outer armored portholes of the Skycarrier slowly closed, leaving not a single gap. Tony Stark was somewhat frustrated; he was eager to see what true faster-than-light travel was like, but he couldn't scratch open the armored plates outside the glass with his fingernails. Before he could continue complaining to Steve Rogers, a strong sense of unease swept over the entire ship—an extreme mental pressure, as if ten severely depressed patients had suddenly been stuffed into his brain.

The feeling quickly subsided, replaced by a warm, tranquil afternoon, like spending a quiet autumn afternoon in a backyard garden. At least that's what Tony Stark thought; he remembered his country house, with its huge garden, which Pepper loved… But the pleasant thought vanished quickly, replaced by a chill, as if a huge block of ice was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

Steve Rogers didn't perform that badly, but he still had a gloomy face.

Tita looked out the closed armor plating through the bridge porthole, feeling no panic. She was very close to the captain's throne, the emperor's radiance shining upon her without obstruction, "sanctifying" her body and soul. She knew that beyond the porthole was a spatial rift forcibly torn open, through which surging extradimensional energy and the ancient enemies of intelligent beings tried to emerge, but they feared the emperor's radiance.

With everything ready and all bridge operators reporting, Tita signed the list and stood beside the Emperor, holding the data board for signing. After reviewing the list, the Emperor gave the order: the engines, which had been operating at minimum power, gradually increased their power again, propelling the steel bridge into non-existent space. His power protected the three sky carriers and the unmanned supply ship, ensuring that the fleet would not be separated or swallowed by the sudden outer dimensional wave.

The outer dimensions have no concept of time and space, but the humans on the ship do.

As the shift clock ticked to its eighth strike, and the alarm blared once more throughout the ship, all the humans felt the immense pressure that had been weighing on their souls vanish. Then, the armor plates outside the portholes slowly rose, and filtered starlight once again bathed their skin.

All the soldiers cheered. Some sharp-eyed soldiers saw that the starlight was shining on a huge floating island in space. It seemed that endless water was falling from the edge of the island, and then countless tiny droplets floated up in the weightless environment, forming a huge rainbow that stretched across the island in the sunlight. Behind the floating island, countless twinkling stars shone.

All the mortal soldiers were stunned by the beautiful scenery before them. Even Tony Stark was speechless, simply pressing his face against the porthole, greedily gazing at everything before him. "It's real! Hyperspace travel is actually real!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "We've arrived in Asgard. He'll definitely be cooperating with Thor to fight that Black Order... Do you think we should ask Thor for a drink later?"

As the sky carrier approached the Gravity Well port of the Asgardian floating island, the soldiers discovered that the paradise on earth was not as beautiful as they had imagined. The light illuminating the Asgardian floating island did not appear to come from a star, but from a giant sphere of light. As this sphere disappeared behind the mountains, night fell on the floating island—the streets the soldiers had seen during the day were deserted, and the enormous golden statue was ablaze—because sound cannot travel in a vacuum, the soldiers could only observe the fire on the floating island through telescopes. They did not see a single person near the port.

"Soldiers, we have arrived in Asgard. This will be the first battlefield for humanity to resist alien invaders!"

Ideological work is a long and gradual process, and it certainly cannot be accomplished by them saying a few words. The soldiers will have their own judgment about what is about to happen, and they will understand that the emperor is right.

"The Dark Order intends to destroy half of all life in the universe. Before that, its Mad Titan seeks to seize an Asgardian treasure. That treasure would grant his fleet the ability to travel at great speeds. If we fail, Earth will face not only the Chitauri vanguard, but all the greedy pirates in the galaxy. Humanity on Earth doesn't trust us because they cannot see the threats in the universe—but we can. We not only see them, but we will confront them head-on! We must defeat them and bring the news back to Earth. This is our mission; we are the shield of humanity!"

“It’s been 30 minutes since we arrived at the port, and we haven’t seen a single Asgardian.” One sergeant hesitated for a moment, then said to another sergeant of the same rank, “I have to go relay the orders. I was told to have the soldiers ready to land on Asgard in ten minutes. Are we going to have to fight the Asgardians?”

"Of course not, Iron Man and Captain America are still on the ship! They're friends with Thor, that's what the news says." Another sergeant rolled his eyes. "And do you think we can beat Thor?"

"Perhaps the emperor could."

"That's true."

The Emperor, accompanied by the Sisters of the Clyde and the Royal Guard, had already arrived at the spaceport. The once-dark port was gradually filled with light, the Emperor's radiance dispelling the darkness that had clung to the land. At least half of the Asgardian floating islands, shrouded in night, were once again bathed in daylight. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, wearing a respirator, followed the Emperor and his entourage out of the Cross Rose. The Emperor's light allowed them to see the half-rotten corpses and collapsed buildings on the streets.

Thor often told them that Asgard was a beautiful paradise, with a pleasant climate, stunning scenery, and a place where war would never break out. But the Asgard they knew now seemed nothing like what Thor had described. They certainly didn't think Thor was lying; something must have happened to Asgard.

Steve Rogers was convinced the Emperor must know something, otherwise he wouldn't have brought his troops to Asgard, but he couldn't approach to ask; the Royal Guard would prevent him from getting close. He saw the Emperor standing at the port exit, seemingly waiting for someone. A moment later, a red-haired woman dressed in Asgardian attire rushed over in a panic and plunged headlong into the Emperor's ranks.

The Royal Guard did not stop the beautiful redhead, but allowed her to approach the Emperor. Then the woman spoke. Although he couldn't hear what she was saying, Steve Rogers keenly sensed something was wrong. He turned his head and saw Tony Stark seemingly standing there in a daze.

“Hey, Tony!” He patted Tony Stark on the shoulder armor, which snapped the latter back to reality.

"Shit! What happened? I heard that woman speak, and then I don't remember anything! Friday, analyze that woman's audio, then filter it... You have to believe me, I'm not the kind of guy who loses his mind when he sees a woman!"

“I know.” Steve Rogers knew there was nothing they could do right now.

Before long, the warships behind them began to spit out rows of neatly arranged soldiers and armored vehicles.

Under the guidance of the Guardian Order, two thousand soldiers dressed in outer space combat suits entered the streets near the port in an orderly fashion and began constructing fortifications. From Steve Rogers' perspective, this was the right choice. Although they didn't know who the enemy was or where they were, protecting their own escape route was definitely the right thing to do. In particular, the appearance of close-in weapon systems, mid-range air defense missile vehicles, and reconnaissance and strike drones made Steve Rogers feel somewhat relieved.

It seems the emperor is well-prepared.

More soldiers emerged from the sky carrier, taking control of more roads leading to the Golden Palace. Genetically modified warriors joined the ordinary soldiers in setting up defensive lines, preparing to meet any enemy that might arrive at any moment.

Dinah spent some time tearing Lorelei off the Emperor's arm armor, then ordered the Sisterhood to keep an eye on this destabilizing element. Although Lorelei had provided the blueprints for the entire throne and the location of Odin's Treasury, Dinah didn't trust this Asgardian witch at all. The homunculus handmaiden wanted to order Lorelei to be imprisoned back in the Immortal City's basement for torture, but now was not the time; she could only send Lorelei aboard the Cross Rose.

A sudden clap of thunder drew everyone's attention, followed by a bolt of lightning that ripped through the night sky and struck in front of his ranks. A squad of royal guards immediately rushed forward, their spears aimed at the figure enveloped in lightning. Thor, his expression grim, looked at the emperor in the center of the ranks and strode forward, until he was stopped by the spears.

"What are you doing here!" Thor didn't give the emperor a friendly look. Although the duel between Odin and the emperor was justified, it didn't mean he would be grateful to the emperor. "This is Asgard's war."

The emperor waved his hand, letting Saul in.

“Odin once promised me the throne of Asgard, but I had no interest in the struggle for Asgardian rule, and even less interest in your sister. But Asgard is now incapable of withstanding the war to come.” The Emperor showed Thor the army behind him. “So I came, with soldiers and weapons. They are here to fight against the Dark Order, which is about to attack Asgard.”

"What are they going to do?"

“The Dark Titan Thanos wants the Tesseract,” the Emperor said calmly, but his voice carried an undeniable weight. “I cannot let him have it.”

“This is Ragnarok, Asgard will cease to exist, and the contents of the vault will be meaningless.” Thor sighed. “I can give you the Tesseract, if you can provide assistance.”

“I want the technology and prototype of the throne, which is what Odin promised me. In exchange, I can help you evacuate some of the Asgardians, and most of the vehicles and supplies I brought will remain in Asgard, giving up my transport capacity.”

“Those things are in the Golden Palace, and Hela and her undead have taken control of it. If you want to get them, you have to attack with me,” Thor said. “You know Hela will never agree to your terms.”

The Emperor knew that even if the Dark Order descended upon Asgard now, Hela would not give up her enmity with Thor—although she would also fight against the Dark Order, Hela's arrogance would absolutely prevent her from taking those things from him; she regarded everything as her own, including the lives of the Asgardians.

"How many soldiers do you have?"

“Not a single one,” Thor said matter-of-factly. “The Valhalla soldiers have either submitted to Hela or been killed by her. The remaining Valhalla soldiers are protecting the civilians evacuating the city with Heimdall. They won’t participate in the offensive until they have completed their evacuation mission. So I need you to clear a path to coordinate with the Valhalla soldiers’ actions.”

“Two hundred genetically modified warriors and three thousand ordinary soldiers are enough to complete this mission. I need you to provide a city map and a detailed map of all the mountain roads.”

"Heimdall will cooperate with you, using your... uh, magical communication."

The war council was brief, and Tony Stark and Steve Rogers finally met with Thor. "My friends, you've come at a bad time," Thor said, much warmer than usual, opening his arms for a big hug. "If this hadn't happened, I could have taken you to a tavern for some fun."

“Don’t worry, we’re all here, we’ll fix it soon,” Tony Stark said cheerfully. “Where’s your hammer?”

“What’s going on here?” Steve Rogers looked around anxiously. “How can we help?”

"Help Heimdall evacuate the civilians. Leave the fighting to me. Only he and I can fight Hela."

Thor watched the unmanned supply ships unloading cargo. These ships were rudimentary, completely incapable of hyperspace travel, only able to jump around following the ships in front. But he had no choice; the ships currently docked in Asgard's harbor were simply insufficient to hold all the surviving civilians.

Faced with a still somewhat unconvinced Tony Stark, Thor had no choice but to recount all of Hela's recent actions. He wouldn't have had this kind of patience in the past, but Odin's death made him instantly understand what he had to do. Upon hearing that the enemy was a witch practicing dark magic, Tony Stark, who considered himself allergic to magic, had no choice but to accept the mission of evacuating the civilians. Steve Rogers never objected to Thor's arrangements from beginning to end.

“Hela will soon be attacking here with her undead army.” Thor looked at the radiant Emperor. In Asgard today, such an undisguised display of power was undoubtedly a provocation, and Hela would never tolerate it. “We’d better act quickly.”