Ch: 271-280
Chapter 271 The End of the Game
Banner shook his head: "This is different… Tony, is your face injured?"
Tony had a bandage on his left cheek.
"You mean this?"
Tony casually tore off the bandage, the wound had already healed: "It was grazed by an energy sword from a sorcerer."
He complained: "Just a graze like that, and Lyon and Jarvis actually ruled me dead once, and forcibly put a bandage on me. This competition is truly unfair."
"It means they care about you, doesn't it… Or maybe it's because other sorcerers don't have super self-healing abilities, so it's more reasonable to directly rule you out?" Banner helped to smooth things over.
"Reasonable? Then shouldn't you also be directly eliminated after transforming into the big guy?" Tonyretorted, shutting Banner down.
Banner scratched his cheek, finding it very reasonable: "So Tony, you're saying they really do care about you, right?"
"What?… I would never say such a thing."
Tony's gaze drifted, and he suddenly saw Lyon flying to the center of the platform again: "Look, Lyon is probably going to announce the results."
Everyone's eyes once again converged on Lyon in the center, and the lively discussions quieted down.
"The first round of preliminaries has ended. Twenty-five sorcerers have advanced to the second round. The list is as follows…"
After Lyon finished reading the names, he waved his hand, sending all the sorcerers to the edge of the platform.
The projection equipment started up again, dividing the venue into twelve arenas in the center.
"Next, we will begin the second round of one-on-one round-robin battles. All advanced sorcerers, please come forward to draw lots. Others can stay and continue to watch, or leave early."
The second round of preliminaries quickly began.
None of the sorcerers present chose to leave; they all gathered around the arenas to watch the matches.
In this segment, the most boring matches were probably Wanda's.
Almost every sorcerer who faced her chose to surrender.
Even the stubborn Tony, after witnessing Wanda and Cassandra's exchange, had little confidence in defeating this girl.
But he was stubborn and talked tough after all.
So when he drew Wanda for his third round-robin battle, he went up directly in his armor.
And then, his full Vibranium armor was turned into bread armor by Wanda, and he came down eating it.
"Unbelievable, her ability could completely solve the food crisis of the entire Universe, I guarantee it." Tony broke off a piece of the bread that his armor had become and shared it with Banner.
"Let me taste… it tastes pretty good, like strawberries. Did Wanda make this based on bread she had eaten?" Banner commented while eating.
"It's not just strawberry flavor, my helmet turned into a cream puff, and my repulsor rays turned into donuts."
Tony chewed with an unexpressive face.
He even turned his head to ask other sorcerers: "Does anyone want some bread?"
"Me! Me!"
"Let me try too!"
"Vishanti! Is this the legendary Midas Touch magic?"
A group of sorcerers gathered around Tony, and in a few minutes, they had completely divided up his bread armor.
Tony wiped the cream from his face, put on a new suit of armor, and used the liquid circulation and air-drying functions to take a shower directly inside the armor.
The competition continued.
In the later battles.
The most exciting one was the match between Tony and Hulk.
After the two drew each other.
Tony specifically instructed Banner to release Hulk.
And he himself changed into his Vibranium armor.
Hulk still remembered how Tony had relentlessly poked his head with the Fungus God Armor's fingers on the streets of New York a few months ago.
Tony also remembered that he hadn't yet regained his dignity from that time.
So, both of them, by unspoken agreement, used their full strength.
This fist-to-fist battle made the sorcerers' blood boil.
They seemed to have witnessed the highest realm of magic—look at that beautiful left hook!
The battle finally ended with Tony's rocket-propelled left hook.
Hulk was hit squarely on the chin, flying far out of the arena area, losing consciousness.
And the armor on Tony's left hand was largely collapsed.
As the nano-material reformed, it revealed his rapidly healing, bloodied left hand beneath the armor.
"This time you don't have a chance to roar at me again, big guy."
Tony looked at Banner, who had returned to his normal size, and raised an eyebrow, "A punch accelerated by a starship's thruster isn't easy to take."
That punch, even if it were Lyon, who had just returned to Earth in June, he would have been knocked off balance on the spot.
Tony had this confidence.
…
The competition continued until the afternoon.
"The second round of competition has ended!"
When the final battle between Mordo and Grandmaster Daniel concluded.
Lyon announced the end of the preliminaries.
"Based on the performance of the advanced sorcerers in the round-robin matches."
"The five sorcerers who will participate are—"
"Mordo, Banner, Tony, Pietro, and Wanda."
"The two reserve sorcerers are Wong and Grandmaster Hamir."
"If everyone has no other opinions, you may leave now."
"For the remaining nine days, the seven participating sorcerers should prepare themselves."
"Everyone else, return to your respective posts, and guard the Sanctum and Earth well, awaiting our good news."
Lyon retracted the projection equipment and watched the sorcerers, with their expressions of anticipation and excitement, leave.
The magical performances of Tony, Banner, and Wanda had already won over these sorcerers.
They no longer believed that the three new sorcerers were external reinforcements invited by Lyon.
As for Pietro.
Pietro's only weapon was a magical dagger from Kamar-Taj.
So he was also half a Kamar-Taj person.
The performance of the four gave the sorcerers a sense of confidence.
Although they still didn't believe they could win the challenge.
But with their main players so strong, even if Asgard was ancient and full of gods, they couldn't possibly be completely swept, right?
"Venerable Liang!"
Lyon had originally intended to leave immediately after the preliminaries ended.
But the seven people whose names he had just called gathered around him again.
"Venerable Liang, may we ask if we need to prepare anything in advance to show the etiquette of Kamar-Taj?" Grandmaster Hamir asked somewhat nervously, bowing while adjusting his robe.
Traditional Eastern sorcerers tend to care more about etiquette.
Wong also agreed: "That's right, Lyon, last time we just opened a portal directly in front of Odin, which was a bit too hasty. Should we prepare some gifts this time?"
Mordo had a different opinion: "Instead of thinking about what kind of gifts to prepare, it's better to think about how to win. Only by winning can we not lose the face of Kamar-Taj!"
Wong held up his magic staff and said: "Grandmaster Hamir and I are only reserves, so of course, we need to make multi-faceted plans, but you five really need to think carefully about how to prepare these next few days."
Old Wong was a bit dejected for not being a "main player" earlier.
But now, looking at the five people in front of him, four of whom already showed nervous expressions, he suddenly felt that being a reserve was quite good too.
There were still nine days until the challenge.
Pietro and Banner were already starting to get nervous.
By the last day, wouldn't they become so anxious they couldn't even sleep?
Chapter 272 Christmas Day
Speaking of preparation, the five main team members all looked at Leon.
"Leon, how should we prepare these next few days? Do you have any suggestions?" Banner asked.
The young and impetuous Pietro rubbed his hands and said, "How about you give us another special training, Boss? The opponent is a god, but Wanda and I have only recently gained superpowers…"
Wanda, who was beside him, was stunned when she heard this.
Wanda had already witnessed the power of the Asgard in her dreams.
Logically speaking, those gods who fought in close combat with artifacts.
How many of them could be Pietro's match?
However, as soon as Wanda thought that the special training would take place in Leon's inner World, she didn't refute but nodded.
Tony was genuinely interested: "Special training? Is it the special training Pietro mentioned when you were crying and clinging to my pant leg, where two hours outside equals one month inside?"
Tony talked about Pietro's embarrassing past.
As he looked at Leon: "I think that's a good idea. Give us some special training, Leon!"
"Nine days are enough for ten years of special training. By then, even a god from norse mythologywon't be able to defeat my Mark Armor!"
"You said ten years of special training?" Leon showed the expression of a subway elder looking at his phone.
"Aren't we just dealing with an Asgard? Do you want to prepare directly from 38 to 48 years old?"
He realized that, except for Wanda, these people in front of him had all taken Asgard as truly mythical.
Although on Marvel's Earth, the Asgard are indeed the gods from norse mythology.
But their strength is not as exaggerated as described in the myths.
"Special training is impossible," Leon shook his head.
He waved his hand, "Don't be nervous. Except for a few individuals, the strength of the Asgard is about the same as Captain America's."
"Their body density is three times that of Earthlings, and their strength mainly comes from divine power."
"As long as you eat well, sleep well, and maintain a good mental state these next few days, you will definitely win."
Leon's casual demeanor infected the few people present.
"It's good that we can win…"
Mordo's tightly furrowed brows relaxed a bit, and Banner's restless hands clasped together.
Pietro also breathed a sigh of relief; he now absolutely believed Leon.
His level of belief was such that even if Leon told him he could take him to the DC Universe and turn him into Flash, he would believe it 70% of the way.
Only Tony was still suspicious: "You're comforting us, aren't you, Leon, just like a prison prepares a gourmet meal for a death row inmate before execution."
"You're anxious again. I'm serious."
Leon opened a portal and walked in, "Everyone relax, just treat it as a trip to an alien World and a friendly spar with the locals."
"If you have any questions these next few days, contact me online. Although I might not always be online, you can still contact me."
"Also, remember to gather here on the morning of the 25th."
Leon said, then closed the portal.
The remaining Tony and the others looked at each other.
"So… we'll go home first, eat and sleep well, and then see each other on Christmas Day?" Pietro broke the silence.
Tony glanced at him, put on his Sling Ring, and also opened a portal and walked through it.
"Nine days. I still need to refine some Mark Armor functions. I'm leaving first."
"By the way."
He didn't forget to leave his warning.
"It's best not to believe what Leon said and truly think Asgard isn't strong. Can someone who isn't strong be called a god?"
"The energy in Leon's body is as vast as a walking Sun. An enemy he considers insignificant doesn't mean we also consider them insignificant."
After he finished speaking, the portal Tony opened also disappeared.
But his words scared the others.
"A Sun? Isn't that too exaggerated?" Wang subconsciously looked up at the Sun, squinting his eyes from the glare.
Wanda gave an affirmative answer: "Mr. Stark is telling the truth."
When Leon appeared today, Wanda noticed the difference.
She found that Leon's aura was different from before.
Even with his Bio-field concealment, it gave her a feeling of having reached some kind of limit.
Under the observation of Chaos Magic.
The energy contained within Leon's body now.
It could be said to be no less than that of a smaller Sun.
If it were to fully erupt.
Even destroying the Sun above everyone's heads.
It would probably be effortless.
One must know that 99.8% of the Solar System's mass is within the Sun.
Destroying the Sun.
To some extent.
It means destroying the Solar System.
Wanda opened a portal and also left: "Leon is indeed very strong, but Asgard shouldn't be as terrifying as Mr. Stark thinks. I'm leaving too."
Pietro followed Wanda out: "See you all in nine days! If Boss Leon says there's no problem, then there definitely isn't! Bye-bye!"
The main team members left one after another.
Mordo and Banner looked at each other hesitantly.
They both saw tension in each other's eyes.
Although Leon said it was fine.
But the opponents are the Norse gods! Their age could be their Grandpa's Grandpa. How could they not be nervous?
"Want to train together, Master Mordo?" Banner invited.
Mordo subconsciously almost agreed, but then suddenly remembered the Hulk from the previous roaring arena, and immediately shook his head repeatedly.
"No, no, you're a Beast Master, and I'm a Battle Mage. Our types are different," Mordo politely declined.
Then he turned around and picked a few from the other mages still on the platform to be his sparring partners.
Banner could only look at Wang and Hamir again.
The two Archmages simultaneously took a step back and shook their heads in unison: "We still need to prepare gifts."
Banner dejectedly picked up his briefcase: "Then I'll go back and continue reinforcing the Undetectable Extension Charm on the briefcase."
...
Time slowly passed as the seven contestants made their preparations.
These past few days, Tony, to specifically refine his Mark Armor functions.
He even memorized all the norse mythology storybooks Jarvis had previously prepared for Leon.
Based on the mythological stories, he added no less than ten new, highly targeted functions to the Mark Armor.
So, on Christmas Day.
Tony put on his new clothes—the MK15 Mark Armor.
Also known as the "Anti-Asgard Mark Armor."
Then, with a nervous and expectant mood, he brought Pepper to Kamar-Taj.
When the two walked through the portal, almost everyone was already there.
Because of the special occasion today.
Everyone would bring their family members.
While participating in the arranged fight in Asgard, they could also celebrate the holiday there.
Tony brought Pepper, and Leon brought Natasha, her sister, and Shirley.
Banner had his Betty, and Wang also brought his Black girlfriend, Sara.
Only Mordo and Master Hamir were alone.
Chapter 273 Odin and his son
On the floating platform.
Leon stood at the forefront, looking at everyone, and asked one last question before departing:
"Are you ready to go to Asgard? Although you might not be used to celebrating Christmas on a different Planet, trying something new once in a while might not be bad."
Honestly, Leon didn't feel much about Christmas.
Even though he grew up in the Stark family in this life.
But to him, Christmas was just a long holiday, a day to rest.
However, for others, this holiday might hold more significant meaning.
But Pietro unexpectedly spread his hands and said, "Speaking of which, Wanda and I haven't celebrated this holiday in years."
Then Wanda nodded in agreement: "Life in Sokovia wasn't easy; we didn't have the energy to care about Christmas."
"As for when we were with HYDRA, it was even harder; we didn't even have personal space."
Natasha also chimed in: "Yelena and I are pretty much the same; the Red Room wouldn't let people celebrate Christmas."
"Me too…" Shirley held Yelena's hand, "Dad and Mom also spent Christmas in the lab, they wouldn't come home, and last Christmas, everyone was busy eliminating zombies."
Unexpectedly, Banner also interjected: "Now that you mention it, I haven't celebrated this holiday for about two years either. After being exposed to gamma rays, I've been constantly pursued by the Military."
After Leon started the conversation.
He realized that no one present really celebrated Christmas.
Because everyone's lives were just too miserable…
Wang and Hamir also joined in the fun, saying, "We two Easterners don't celebrate Christmas either."
Seeing the topic drift further and further.
Leon quickly stopped them: "Since none of you celebrate this holiday, it's easy. After we defeat Asgard, we'll just have a big meal there before coming back."
"Yay! That's great! I've lived for so many years, and today I can actually eat the food of Gods!" Yelenawas already drooling.
"Yelena, we only get the big meal if we win. If we lose and still stay there to eat, wouldn't that be embarrassing?" Shirley said.
"It seems so… Um, Mr. Stark, you can win, right?" Yelena asked Tony.
When Leon was nearby, Tony never lost a word: "We will win!"
"We will win! See, see! Shirley, we can have a big meal!"
"Yay!"
Yelena and Shirley hugged and cheered.
The two sisters' anticipation for good food also stirred the same anticipation in the hearts of others.
The five main team members looked at the jumping Shirley.
They all silently told themselves that even if the opponent was the legendary powerful and divine Asgard, their own match had to be won.
Their pressure grew even greater.
"It looks like you're all ready?"
Leon saw everyone's reactions.
"Then let's go!"
He turned his head and said to the air, "Heimdall, no need to bring us over; we'll come ourselves."
After saying that, Leon drew a circle in the air, conjuring a massive Mystic Art of Portals.
On the other side of the gate were the solemn Allfather Odin, the Asgard soldiers lined up in welcome, and two wide-eyed Princes.
…
The day before the agreed battle.
That is, on December 24th, Odin confirmed the schedule with Leon.
Generally speaking, such matters should be communicated by the diplomatic representatives of both sides.
Such as Mordo of Kamar-Taj, and Heimdall of Asgard.
But this challenge was, after all, a bit special.
Odin had signed a Vishanti-witnessed contract just by shaking Leon's hand.
And Leon had also written down the penalties for breach of contract in great detail.
To ensure no accidents occurred.
Odin could only start contacting Leon a month ago, reminding the Sorcerer Supreme to arrive on time.
After all, his aging body truly couldn't withstand any more trouble.
As he aged, his increasingly powerful divine power made him stronger, but it also gradually became a burden.
His last brief exchange with Leon in the spiritual realm almost sent him into the Odin Sleep.
If he were to violate the contract again and have Vishanti come knocking.
Odin felt that he might truly go to Valhalla a few years early.
So, on Earth's Christmas Day.
After communicating with Leon, he brought Asgard's two Princes and the army to the Bifrost Bridgeentrance.
Although both Loki and Thor expressed dissatisfaction with such a grand ceremony.
But Odin's attitude was very firm.
He ordered Heimdall: "When the Sorcerer Supreme of Midgard calls your name, bring him and those Sorcerers over."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Heimdall stood at the Bifrost Bridge's control console, holding the Guardian Sword in both hands.
Thor stood beside Odin, surveying the army arrayed on both sides of the Bifrost Bridge.
Every soldier was armored, holding longswords, their gaze fixed on the distance, undoubtedly elite warriors.
But at this moment, they were all an honor guard, and it was no exaggeration to say they were the most magnificent honor guard in the entire Nine Realms.
Thor had never seen Odin welcome anyone with such a display.
No, let alone setting up an honor guard.
Even if the Asgard from Vanaheim came.
Odin might not even show his face.
But this time.
To welcome a few Sorcerers from Midgard, such a backward place.
How could his father, Odin, make such a grand display of these unnecessary things?
Thor felt both dissatisfaction and curiosity in his heart.
Since childhood, he had aspired to conquer the Nine Realms, eliminate every enemy of Asgard, and maintain peace in the Nine Realms.
Why now did he have to specially wait for a few Sorcerers from Midgard?
Could those Sorcerers really have some extraordinary abilities?
"Since we are going to challenge those Sorcerers, why do we have to come here to welcome them, Father?"
Thor weighed Mjolnir in his hand: "I think the best way to welcome them is for me to stand in the arena, and then they come up one by one to be knocked flying by me!"
Loki, on Thor's other side, glanced at him and followed up:
"Midgard is a very backward place. The last time I went, they were still offering me precious fruits with iron tools."
"Father, challenging them might not even be as good as us all going to Vanaheim for a picnic."
If it were any other time, Loki would definitely refute his brother Thor's words to appear different.
But today, he couldn't support Thor more.
Midgard, the most inconspicuous place in the Nine Realms, what was worth him, Asgard's God of Mischief, personally welcoming?
Odin's sharp gaze from his single eye fell upon his two children.
Both Thor and Loki were still very, very far from his expectations.
On the contrary, Kamar-Taj, two consecutive Sorcerer Supremes were so strong… sigh.
"We are not welcoming those Sorcerers."
Not until he made his two children feel guilty.
Did Odin speak: "We are only welcoming one of them."
"One person? Father, is he my opponent later? Haha, I promise, I will definitely win a glorious victory for Asgard!"
Thor completely missed the meaning of Odin's words, patting his chest and swearing confidently.
Loki, beside him, seemed thoughtful, but likewise couldn't take anyone from Midgard seriously.
Odin looked at their reactions and sighed softly in his heart.
"He will not participate in today's challenge. You two… work hard and win a few more matches."
In fact, it wasn't just Thor and Loki.
Odin didn't really put the strength of the Kamar-Taj Sorcerers in his eyes either.
He only cared about one person: Leon.
"Your Majesty." At this moment, Heimdall spoke, "That Sorcerer Supreme refused the Bifrost Bridge's pull."
"Hmm?" Odin's eyes narrowed slightly.
"They're not using the Bifrost Bridge? Could it be that they are afraid of losing, so they forfeit? Are the people of Midgard such cowards?" Thor was a bit angry.
Unless provoked very severely, he rarely got angry.
But he had always had no good feelings for cowards and those who surrendered without a fight.
Loki also gave a cold laugh: "Father, it seems our guests are so afraid they don't even dare to step into Asgard's gate. I think this ridiculous challenge should be canceled."
Chapter 274 Loki is knocked unconscious
Loki looked out at the starry sky beyond the Bifrost Bridge.
His contemptuous gaze seemed to pierce through the deep Universe, seeing the scene on the distant Earth.
He thought that with Asgard's prestige, those mages from backward places must have been terrified, right?
Although that Sorcerer Supreme could be valued by his father,
to dare propose a challenge between the weak mages of Midgard and Asgard...
She was just an ignorant commoner who didn't know her place.
"Father, how about this: let me go to Midgard again. I will, as the Nine Realms' foremost mage, let those people know their arrogance," Loki said.
He was hailed as the Nine Realms' foremost mage.
Wouldn't mages from small places prostrate themselves immediately like beggars seeing an emperor when they met him?
As Loki thought, a smile appeared on his face.
He felt this would be a perfect opportunity for him to prove his worth to his father.
However, Odin merely glanced at Loki, then raised gungnir and took a step forward.
"They're here."
Odin's single eye looked towards the end of the Bifrost Bridge.
At the end of the Bifrost Bridge, in front of the spherical control room,
a golden-yellow spark suddenly shot out from the void.
That spark seemed to ignite some invisible kindling, growing more and more numerous.
The brilliant sparks finally formed a circular portal.
On the other side of the portal, fourteen human-like figures from Midgard looked over.
Most of them wore yellowish-brown mage battle robes, while the others wore casual clothes of varying styles.
As soon as the portal opened, those people showed curious expressions.
They observed Odin, his son, and the Asgardian honor guard with surprise, then looked around the Bifrost Bridge.
There was absolutely no restraint whatsoever in facing superiors.
Instead, they were like a group of friends and family on a holiday trip to an ancient imperial palace ruin open to the public.
Moreover, each member of this group was expressing their opinions about the palace, saying that the emperor's throne didn't look as comfortable as their own workstations.
Thor and Loki were both severely shaken.
Were these people really the Kamar-Taj mages coming for the challenge, and not some Universe tour group that took a wrong turn?
How did they open a portal from Midgard to Asgard?
Loki had never heard of such a long-distance portal, other than the Bifrost Bridge.
And, didn't they think their whispers were too loud!
"OMG, don't tell me that the bloated old man in front, and the hot male lead next to him, and Bambi, are the mythical Odin, Thor, and... uh, the last one isn't holding a weapon, so I can't tell," a man with a strange beard said.
"Tony, why do they look like they're glaring at us? They're all so serious. Should we bow?" a man wearing glasses said.
"Wow! Look over there, Shirley, those waterfalls are falling into the Universe! So cool!" a blonde woman said.
"It's true, it's so beautiful, just like the floating islands in the Small World!" a little girl exclaimed.
Loki didn't know what his father and brother beside him were thinking.
But he was already struggling to control his expression.
How could these people from Midgard not even have the most basic respect for deities?
You, the one with glasses! You said you should bow, so why aren't you hurrying over to kneel and prostrate yourself! Why is your herd mentality so strong!
And those women in casual clothes, making a fuss over the river, are even more ignorant!
The behavior of these people was exactly as he had imagined: a group of disorganized rabble.
No, that's not right, they were even worse than he had thought.
They were completely a bunch of bumpkins who had never seen the World!
If Odin hadn't been by his side,
Loki would have definitely been unable to resist shouting "Kneel!" at this group of people in front of him.
But at this moment, he could only glare hatefully at these disrespectful individuals.
Loki was secretly holding a grudge when suddenly the only person among the dozen wearing a long robe looked over.
Seeing Odin again, Leon greeted him familiarly: "Long time no see, Your Majesty Odin."
He raised an eyebrow at Odin, then, as he had done during their last meeting, he removed the Bio-field's concealment of his strength from himself in front of Odin.
The aura of a Realm Lord-level peak and the pressure of an Immortal-level willpower pressed upon them.
Immediately, the white-haired Odin's eyes widened in astonishment.
In just a few months,
Leon's strength had undergone Earth-shattering improvement.
He had to properly surprise his old acquaintance Odin, with whom he had only met once.
Just from Odin's uncontrolled expression,
Leon could tell that the old God King's heart was churning, probably as shocked as if he had seen Borrun out of Valhalla.
Only then was he satisfied and re-enveloped himself with the Bio-field.
Although Leon had only targeted Odin from beginning to end,
Loki, who was beside Odin, was still affected—he looked directly into Leon's eyes.
With just one glance,
a massive willpower pressure, like a star, surged into Loki's mind and exploded.
Loki's consciousness was instantly dispersed, and his eyes rolled back as he fainted on the spot.
"Loki, Loki!" Thor rushed over and hugged him the moment Loki fell to the ground.
"Loki, what's wrong? What happened!?"
Thor shook Loki's shoulders and found that his brother's aura seemed to be rapidly weakening.
"Father! Father! Come quickly and look at Loki!"
He had no idea what was happening, looking at Odin in a panic, then pointing at Leon and the others with shock and anger.
"You! Did you do something!"
"Thor, calm down! Loki is just unconscious," Odin immediately saw Loki's condition.
Leon's willpower was so strong that even he felt immense pressure.
Looking into his eyes felt as if one's soul was being cut by swords.
It was normal for Loki to faint from the impact after looking directly into Leon's eyes.
Fortunately, this was only a pressure at the willpower level, not an attack.
So Loki would temporarily lose consciousness and become weak, but he would not suffer a fatal injury.
"Take him, let's go back to the Heavenly Palace first, and let Frigga take care of Loki."
After Odin finished speaking, he turned his head to look at Leon, who had already flown behind him: "Lord Leon, our challenge will probably have to be postponed for a few hours."
Leon looked at the pale-faced Loki in Thor's arms, feeling a bit awkward.
"I was presumptuous just now, Your Majesty Odin. I know some methods to heal souls. Let me come along and take a look."
Odin nodded: "Then I'll trouble you, Lord Leon."
Thor's eyes widened as he looked at Leon: "Did you really hurt Loki!?"
"Thor, Loki brought this trouble upon himself!" Odin said sharply as he flew towards the Heavenly Palace with Thor and Loki.
He did not believe that it was the other party's responsibility to look directly at a strong person and then get injured because one was too weak.
Leon followed: "Speaking of which, the last time we met, Your Majesty Odin, you tested me in the same way, but there were no other people around then."
Thor was stunned; it sounded like it was indeed Loki's fault?
Chapter 275 Opening
Before leaving, Odin did not forget to have Heimdall take the other guests from Kamar-Taj to visit Asgard.
The honor guard that had come to greet everyone didn't even have time to play music before the welcoming ceremony was hastily concluded.
Tony and the others followed Heimdall, bewildered, walking along the Bifrost Bridge into Asgard.
"What just happened… It seemed like Leon took out one of the opposing contestants first?" Tonywhispered.
He complained, "Does he really not trust our strength that much?"
"I don't know, but I remember the last time I came to Asgard, it was also after Leon and Odin looked at each other for a few minutes that they shook hands and made peace," Mordo said.
Wang said knowingly, "That should be a clash in the soul domain. The deer-horned man who fell just now might have been affected."
"Really? So Bambi was quite innocent then," Tony mused, stroking his chin, pondering that his own armor didn't seem to have a way to counter such an attack.
While the few of them were whispering, the family members also pricked up their ears, listening to their conversation.
Suddenly, Heimdall, who was acting as a tour guide, turned around and said, "He is not Bambi; he is a Prince of Asgard, one of His Majesty's two sons, Loki."
"He's your Prince?" Tony was a little surprised.
He quickened his steps to walk alongside Heimdall: "I haven't introduced myself yet, I'm…"
"Tony Stark, I know you," Heimdall looked straight ahead, "I know all of you."
Tony paused, "Wow, the chubby old… His Majesty the God-King said you were Heimdall, right? You really are… not quite like what the fairy tales say."
Heimdall remained silent, looking straight ahead, his eyes devoid of emotion, as if he were merely a guiding robot.
"Not speaking? Good, truly the demeanor of a deity."
Tony observed his surroundings, "So how about you introduce your Asgard? The gravity here seems a bit stronger than on Earth, and is that Water flowing into the Universe?"
The Bifrost Bridge where they stood was a bridge seemingly solidified from seven-colored light beams.
It stood above the sea of Asgard.
Connecting Asgard and the control terminal located at the edge of the World.
Endless Water flowed along the Bifrost Bridge, cascading like a silver waterfall into deep space at the World's edge.
At this moment, their position was right at this edge, and they could see millions of tons of Water falling below the World at every moment.
"Asgard is no different from the other Star Realms of the Nine Realms."
"This is a celestial body similar to a Planet."
Heimdall finally spoke, "But it is not a Planet; it has no rotation or revolution, but rather a World of circular heaven and square Earth as in your myths…"
As the "gatekeeper" of Asgard.
Heimdall was undoubtedly a qualified guide.
He spoke endlessly and captivatingly about his homeland.
Everyone listened with great interest.
After walking a distance along the Bifrost Bridge.
Heimdall led them to mount horses and head towards Asgard.
"Why is your Bifrost Bridge such high-tech, like an Einstein-Rosen bridge, with enough energy to destroy a Planet, but you have to ride horses to travel?" Tony complained.
He was really fed up with this combination of primitive and technology.
No, in Asgard, perhaps divine power and magic also had to be added.
Upon entering Asgard, the first thing that caught their eyes were golden buildings everywhere.
All the buildings in Asgard were golden, like golden longswords soaring into the sky.
The Heavenly Palace in the center of Asgard was even more like a combination of thousands of golden swords.
Brilliant golden light shone one after another, as if it could blind people's eyes.
Even before getting close, everyone seemed to feel the martial spirit and noble aura of the Asgard.
Riding horses to tour among the buildings.
The passing Asgard all cast curious glances at Tony and the others.
There were not many people in Asgard.
The news of the scheduled battle with another realm had already spread throughout Asgard.
They scrutinized the group following Heimdall.
Except for Tony and Pietro, who had obvious muscles.
The others were either women or middle-aged people who were not considered strong.
This caused the onlookers to shake their heads, unreservedly saying—this group of people are all weaklings, they cannot be a match for Thor and The Warriors Three.
"They seem to be looking down on us?" Tony overheard some passersby's discussions.
"You probably heard right; the people of Asgard seem to have a muscle fetish."
Banner said weakly, "I heard someone say my muscles were flabby and I had flab on my belly."
"It's not just muscle worship, and they completely ignored women!" Betty, who was riding with Banner, sulked.
Natasha said, "It's clear that the people here advocate for might makes right. Women's strength is generally not as good as men's, so it's normal for them not to be as valued in Asgard."
"And did you notice, they only mentioned Thor when referring to the Prince, not Loki? Perhaps it's because Loki isn't considered strong." Natasha's insight was as sharp as ever.
"You are right," Heimdall said at this point.
"In Asgard, only with great strength can one gain the recognition of others."
"If you want to prove yourselves, then perform well in today's scheduled battle."
Tony raised an eyebrow: "Then they're in for a big surprise."
He glanced at Wanda.
Although he still didn't know how strong the Asgard were.
But Wanda's power, no matter where it was placed, should be of the strongest type.
"We have an ace up our sleeve here," Tony said.
Heimdall smiled for once: "I have seen your battles; all of you are extraordinary. I look forward to you teaching the two Princes a lesson in battle."
…
Tony and his group toured Asgard for three hours.
They even ran into The Warriors Three in the Heavenly Palace.
The Warriors Three left after uttering some harsh words.
But their physical condition, which Jarvis scanned and found no stronger than Pietro's, suddenly greatly increased Tony's confidence in winning the scheduled battle.
At the brightest time of the day.
Everyone was finally led into the Asgardian gladiatorial arena.
This was a building similar to an ancient Roman Colosseum.
The circular arena was surrounded by spectator stands, which were already filled with watching Asgard.
Odin and Leon stood side by side on the main platform.
Behind them were several warriors participating from the Asgard side.
It seemed to be the two Princes and The Warriors Three from before, and an unfamiliar female warrior.
Prince Loki, who had fainted, was now awake and seemed to be in good condition, though his face was very gloomy.
Leon waved to Tony and the others, using telekinesis to lift them onto the main platform.
This scene caused the Asgard in the audience to erupt in thunderous cheers.
The Kamar-Taj side more deeply felt how much these Asgard revered martial power.
All warriors from both sides were present.
Odin began to explain the origin of Kamar-Taj to the Asgard in the arena, as well as the significance of this scheduled battle.
He specifically introduced Leon, emphasizing that Asgard and Kamar-Taj were the strongest allies.
Then Leon took over from Odin to speak.
The opening remarks concluded.
Both sides' warriors entered their respective Living Area to prepare for battle.
The first battle would begin in half an hour.
Chapter 276 The Strongest vs. the Weakest
"Leon, how do we decide our order of appearance?"
Inside the lounge, the team members surrounded Leon, and Tony was the first to ask.
"Since it's Asgard's home game, they will first decide which contestant to send out for the first match, and then we will decide who to send based on the situation."
"When it comes to the second match, we will decide the contestant first, and so on, until one side achieves three victories."
Leon waved his hand, "Their first contestant is the Great Prince, Thunder God Thor. I think all of you can give it a try."
The current Thunder God Thor hasn't even awakened his Thunder God Power yet; he's just a God of Mjolnir.
Even if Mordo goes up, there's still a chance of victory.
But upon hearing that their opponent was Thor, the main team members immediately became serious.
"Thunder God Thor, he's the protagonist of that blockbuster movie, right? He must be the strongest among their people."
Tony analyzed, "The Second Prince, Loki, just made a fool of himself at the welcoming ceremony. They need to ensure they win the first match to boost morale, which is why they arranged for the Great Prince to go first."
His big eyes were full of seriousness as his gaze swept over the other four.
"That means, as long as we defeat him, we can severely hit Asgard's morale, and the subsequent battles will be much easier!"
Banner nodded in agreement, "Then should we also send our strongest person?"
The others instinctively looked at Wanda upon hearing this.
"I have no problem," Wanda nodded.
"No! Not right!" Tony, however, denied it.
He walked a few steps with his arms crossed, "Using the strongest against the strongest is a foolish method. We don't know much about these Asgard. Wanda should only go up when she's absolutely sure of victory!"
Wanda opened her mouth; she wanted to say that she was actually quite confident.
However, a thunderous cheer suddenly erupted outside the lounge.
Tens of thousands of voices converged, shouting Thunder God Thor's name, the cheers deafening.
Everyone walked to the lounge door and looked out through the several-centimeter-wide gap in the thick wooden door.
Thunder God Thor had already walked into the arena.
He held Mjolnir, raised both hands, and showed a sunny smile, greeting the audience around him.
The audience responded with frenzied shouts and screams.
"Is this guy Asgard's popular star? Incredible, he's even more popular than I am when I hold press conferences on Earth," Tony said.
"Everyone below is his subject, so this is normal, right? You don't hand out checks to the audience when you hold a press conference," Pietro said.
"How do you know I don't?" Tony looked at him strangely.
"Ah? You really hand out money to the audience at press conferences?"
"In fact, no, I don't."
Tony shivered, then clapped his hands, "Alright, you've seen how popular that guy is now. We're under a lot of pressure fighting away from home, and it'll be even greater when fighting this guy."
"So I think…"
Tony looked around at everyone present, "I should go first in the first match."
The sudden turn of events caught everyone by surprise.
"Why you, Tony?"
Banner couldn't understand, "I thought you would say that since the opponent sent out their strongest person, we should send out our weakest person. That's the best strategy."
Tony patted Banner's shoulder hard and gave a thumbs up, "Smart, Banner, that's exactly what I was thinking."
"Then shouldn't I go up? I'm the weakest here," Banner said.
Tony waved his hand, "No, no, I'm the weakest. I'll go fight that blockbuster protagonist. Regardless of winning or losing, your winning rate in the other matches will be higher."
Banner was very puzzled, "But even Hulk was defeated by you yesterday. I'm the weakest."
The two suddenly began to argue about who was the weakest.
This made Pietro and Mordo look at each other, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes.
If Tony and Banner were the weakest of the five.
Then could it be that the two of them… are actually stronger than they imagined?
While Tony and Banner argued incessantly.
Leon, however, directly decided, "Then Tony will go."
Everyone looked at him, and he spread his hands, "Thunder God Thor's power is all in Mjolnir, and Tony's combat power is mostly in his armor. Their fight should be very exciting."
Everyone's faces darkened. How could the Sorcerer Supreme still be looking for excitement at a time like this?
"Leon, I think it might be better if I go," Mordo suggested, "I'm the weakest, so it doesn't matter if I lose."
Tony immediately interrupted, "How are you weak, Mordo? You're a Great Sorcerer! You can open the Mirror Dimension with a few hand seals. You are definitely our trump card!"
He took out an Ark Reactor and placed it on his chest, one hand on the door, ready to push it open.
"And the Sorcerer Supreme has already made a decision, how can it be changed?"
Tony pulled out the huge bolt of the wooden door, "Everyone wait for my news. Jarvis will send you the analysis data."
"Tony!" As Tony pushed the door open, Pepper suddenly walked out from the family section.
She walked a few steps to Tony, tidied the collar of his sorcerer's robe, and smoothed out the wrinkles.
Then she whispered, "Don't get hurt, or you won't be able to get out of bed for the next week."
It was unclear whether Pepper meant for Tony to rest in bed for a week to recover from injuries, or if there was some other meaning.
But upon hearing Pepper's words, Tony's pupils constricted, and his face seemed to turn a few shades paler.
"Are you concerned about me, or are you scaring me?" Tony didn't take the bait, "Isn't this a better time for you to give me a hug?"
"Of course I'm concerned about you," golden photon energy surged from Pepper, and she gently hugged Tony.
But those brilliant and dazzling energies, instead, seemed to evoke a certain Shadow in Tony's heart.
As he pushed the door open, Tony's steps were somewhat unsteady.
This made Leon unable to help but laugh.
When other warriors went to battle, their girlfriends' gentle hands tidying their clothes and their tender embraces would only make the warriors more heroic and more willing to face death.
But for Tony, there was only a sense of sorrow, like the wind sighing over the Yi Water, cold and desolate.
Everyone watched Tony walk out of the lounge, step into the sunlight, and ascend the arena stage amidst the cheers of the Asgard for Thor.
Looking at that back.
Banner couldn't help but ask Leon, "Why did Tony want to go first and face the strongest Thor? He clearly knows he's not the weakest!"
"That's because you don't understand him yet, Banner," Leon put his hands behind his back like Ancient One.
The Sorcerer Supreme just has to put her hands behind her back to have the profound Riddler aura (mistake).
Leon explained, "It's precisely because Tony knows he's not the weakest that he wants to go."
"He feels that sending the strongest, Wanda, might not guarantee a win."
"And sending the weakest person might result in being eliminated without even probing anything."
"So he plans to go himself, use all his strength to probe the opponent's power level, and thereby assess the strength of Asgard's other contestants."
"Also, Tony hates it when others show off more than him."
"This is also an important reason," Leon concluded simply and clearly.
Actually, it didn't matter who went first.
He had already brought four foreign aids to Kamar-Taj.
Both Scarlet Witch and Hulk.
If they still managed to lose.
Then he would tie Tony up tomorrow, fill his belly with zeus spring water, and then throw him onto Pepper's bed.
Chapter 277 Tony, Thor
Every corner of the gladiator arena cheered Thor's name.
As Tony walked onto the platform, he even had the illusion that he was fighting against a crowd of people.
It wasn't until he walked up to Thor.
Only then did Thunder God Thor slowly lower his raised arm, pressing his palm down towards his surroundings.
The boiling gladiator arena quickly quieted down, like boiling water suddenly encountering liquid nitrogen.
Tony once again witnessed the popular appeal of this big golden retriever in front of him—
He had already labeled Thor as a big golden retriever in his mind.
Because this guy was covered in fur and had a very special sense of simplicity when he smiled.
"Hey, Midgardian sorcerer, I am Thor, Son of Odin. To be honest, your Sorcerer Supreme is very powerful, a strong individual even my father respects."
Thor clasped his hands on his hips, laughing heartily, "But why is my opponent you?"
"I thought the bald sorcerer would come up, named… Wong or Mordo?"
"My father said he came to Asgard with your Sorcerer Supreme last time, so he should be a strong individual too, right?"
Thor said, thinking he was being friendly, "The battle hasn't officially begun yet. How about you go call him up? Otherwise, you might get hurt in a fight with me."
He raised Mjolnir and gestured to Tony, "After all, it's too strong."
Although Thor didn't say it explicitly.
His words were full of disdain for Tony's strength.
This was another person, like Captain America, who stepped on Tony's landmine.
"Oh, really?" Tony nodded as if nothing had happened, "You mean call him up?"
"Exactly, exactly, haha, you go get that sorcerer, I'll wait for him here." Thor was very happy that Tonyaccepted his suggestion.
However, Tony walked a few steps towards the lounge, then suddenly stopped and turned around.
He tilted his head, "I suddenly remembered something."
"Hmm? What?" Thor looked innocent.
"You know, on Earth, to deal with someone like you, a simple-minded golden retriever who grew up sunbathing on the beaches of Los Angeles, we generally don't deploy strong individuals."
Tony pointed to his chest, "I alone am enough. I can handle those always-smiling golden retrievers."
"Oh, right, I don't really like the Point Break protagonist, so I won't hold back when I punch."
Tony's words made the smile on Thunder God Thor's face gradually disappear.
He narrowed his eyes, "Midgardian sorcerer, I'm sorry, did you just provoke me?"
"You call this provocation?" Tony shook his head, "This is a pre-battle declaration of victory, every WWE match has one."
Thor gripped Mjolnir tightly, "So, you're going to fight me."
"We're already fighting!" Tony charged at Thor empty-handed.
After fighting Captain America last time, he secretly practiced martial arts for another two months.
Now was a good time to use it and test Thunder God's physical strength.
Thunder God Thor saw Tony coming empty-handed, actually put Mjolnir on the ground, and also charged at Tony empty-handed.
The audience in the arena simultaneously began to shout and scream again at this moment.
They desperately cheered for Thor, believing their great prince was the best warrior.
The two men's fists collided fiercely on the arena platform.
Then.
Thor actually staggered back three steps!
He widened his eyes in disbelief.
The current Thor could wield Mjolnir at any time, so he could use his divine power to fight at any time.
But ninety percent of his strength was in Mjolnir.
Without Mjolnir, he was actually weaker in strength than Tony, whose single-arm strength was over a hundred tons!
These few steps back by Thunder God Thor.
Not only astonished him, but also dumbfounded the surrounding Asgard. All the cheers were stuck like fishbones.
Even Tony was stunned.
He was ready to be punched away—
Just like when he punched Hulk.
He would let the armor attach to him when he was knocked away, starting the second round.
But this time, why was this Thunder God from mythology so weak, even unable to bring out his second form?
Tony was full of doubts, but his actions didn't stop.
After all, his martial arts training these past few months hadn't been in vain.
Tony stepped forward, grabbed Thunder God's wrist, and closed in, continuously striking Thunder God's body with short and long punches.
With every punch, Thunder God Thor was forced backward.
These punches didn't cause much harm to Thor, but they filled him with shame and anger.
There were so many Asgard watching around!
"Ah!! Mjolnir!" Thor roared, reaching out to summon Mjolnir from the ground into his hand.
The moment he gripped the hammer handle, his divine power surged, his physical strength surged, and he unleashed his true full power.
Tony charged again with short and long punches.
Thunder God Thor jumped back to dodge.
He swung Mjolnir in a full circle and smashed it towards Tony.
"What?" Tony threw dozens of punches without a counterattack, almost thinking that deities were only at this level, and was close to doubting life.
Fortunately, Thunder God Thor smashed Mjolnir onto his chest.
Amidst the sound of bone cracking.
He was directly smashed high into the air, and also knocked out of his self-doubt.
Tony's mouth curled open in pain, but his eyes lit up with brilliance, "Jarvis, start collecting data!"
"It has already started collecting before you even moved, Sir."
"That's really good news." A large amount of nano-materials surged from the Ark Reactor in Tony's chest, covering him and forming a golden-red battlesuit.
This Mark 15 battlesuit.
Its main body was gold-titanium alloy nano-material.
Key parts had magical metal from Kamar-Taj to conduct magic.
And it also stored nano-Vibranium internally, capable of synthesizing external weapons or protective gear at any time.
It could be said to be a collection of the previous battlesuits.
Thunder God Thor swung Mjolnir and quickly chased after him from below.
Tony controlled the battlesuit's thrusters to activate, hovering in the air, not dodging, but instead forming a Vibranium shield with his right hand, blocking in front.
"Jarvis, cooperate with me!"
"Yes, Sir!"
The thrusters on the battlesuit's back greatly increased their power.
Mjolnir fiercely crashed into the Vibranium shield.
After a clear collision sound.
Tony remained motionless in the air, but Thunder God Thor was bounced back by the Anti-shockpower, landing heavily on the arena platform.
A chorus of gasps from the Asgard immediately erupted around the gladiator arena.
There was both disbelief and concern for Thor.
"Point Break protagonist, is this what you call powerful strength?"
Tony descended, landing in front of Thunder God Thor.
Thor gazed at the person shrouded in the iron battlesuit in front of him.
After a few gasps, he suddenly revealed a smile full of fighting spirit, "You're not a sorcerer? Actually, I don't really like fighting sorcerers, someone like you is the best."
He swung Mjolnir in a full circle, then suddenly pointed it towards the sky.
A bolt of lightning shot straight up from Mjolnir into the sky.
Immediately, the entire gladiator arena's sky became covered in dark clouds, with lightning and thunder.
"Try this! Midgardian warrior!" Thor roared, swinging Mjolnir at Tony from a distance.
Lightning snakes filled the sky, as if alive, gathering into thunder under his control and striking down directly at Tony.
"Sir, the Vibranium shield is not expected to completely offset this lightning bolt."
"Then don't block it, use the exclusive function I specially designed for Thunder God before! Haha, I didn't expect to actually use it!"
Tony's "Anti-Asgard Battlesuit" was not misnamed!
The nano-materials on the battlesuit suddenly combined to form a four-legged energy absorption device.
The device began to slowly rotate in front of Tony, facing the lightning, constantly accelerating.
When the lightning from the sky struck down.
The energy absorption device operated at overload.
The entire battlesuit glowed with electricity.
"Energy reached 200%, Sir."
"Wow, this is truly… how about you try this!"
Tony's arm reconfigured into a laser cannon, focusing energy towards Thor.
Chapter 278 The Resurrection of Thor
The moment the Fungus God Armor's energy reached 200%, Tony knew he had made the right decision by adding new, targeted functions to it.
The Ark Reactor in the Fungus God Armor still used the new element (badass metal element).
According to Leon, this element was a Tesseract isotope.
Its structure was the most perfect in the entire Universe.
However, the element was still the same, but the structure of the Ark Reactor was different.
Tony upgraded the structure of the Ark Reactor based on the warship energy technology from the alien World's optical computer.
Now, one Ark Reactor could do the work of ten previous ones.
Its maximum output per second could reach nearly 100 billion joules.
Yet, the lightning generated by the big golden-haired guy opposite, who was charging up, could actually reverse-charge the Ark Reactor to 200%.
Tony thought to himself,'Such powerful lightning, if it were the Fungus God Armor, it might not even have time to absorb the electricity before being charred.'
Fortunately, he had prepared in advance.
"Jarvis, gather all the overloaded energy into the laser cannon, and let the Point Break protagonist taste his own lightning!" Tony was ready to counterattack.
Every component of the nano-Fungus God Armor began to operate precisely.
With Jarvis's help, the enormous energy quickly converged on the laser cannon.
The muzzle, which usually took several minutes to charge, instantly lit up.
The golden light grew brighter and brighter, like a small Sun rising in the arena.
The Asgardian people in the surrounding stands could feel the terror of the laser cannon.
If this shot were successfully fired, its power would absolutely be able to destroy a small comet!
Everyone's hearts jumped, and they nervously watched their prince, with shouts for him to quickly dodge rising and falling.
But the more they shouted, the more Thor refused to dodge.
Thor at this time was a stubborn mule, a complete brute.
Facing the muzzle directly, he felt a dangerous sensation that made his hair stand on end.
But he did not dodge, nor did he stop Tony from accumulating energy.
Instead, he swung Mjolnir, waiting for Tony to complete the energy accumulation, and as the scorching laser cannon, with its power to penetrate everything, tore through the distance between them, he roared and threw Mjolnir, following the Mjolnir himself, charging towards the laser beam.
"Ah!!"
Thor charged forward!
Mjolnir and the beam collided violently!
The Impact of the collision spread, and countless Gravel Fly splashed onto the energy shield covering the arena, falling to the ground with a rustle.
Then a Mjolnir flew out, followed by a Thor flying out.
The laser cannon hit the energy shield and gradually extinguished after a few seconds.
And Thor also slammed into the shield, sliding slowly to the ground like a slice of meat stuck to a wall, then lay motionless.
The Asgardian people in the stands lost their voices again.
Tony was stunned in the arena.
Everyone in the lounge was stunned.
On the main stage, Odin sighed and turned his head away, no longer looking at his foolish son.
In the lounge.
Everyone was DiDi.
Mordo stared wide-eyed at Thor, who was lying motionless in the arena, and asked blankly, "That Thor, why did he go head-to-head?"
Wang shook his head, puzzled: "Maybe he didn't bring his glasses today, his myopia is too high, and he wanted to dodge but ran right into it."
In the arena.
Tony was also briefly silent.
"Is this guy overconfident or did he not bring his brain?" He complained.
"Jarvis, did we win?"
"It seems so, sir. After scanning, the probability of Thor being unconscious is very high."
"...Damn it, I still have so many Fungus God Armor functions I haven't tried, and I haven't even used the Ten Rings, and I won?"
"Is this Asgard's strongest warrior? His strength is indeed good, but his brain isn't quite there."
"I seem to have overestimated them before."
The Fungus God Armor on Tony's arm reverted from laser cannon mode to normal mode.
He looked at the main stage and waited for a few seconds, but everyone around him remained silent.
"Excuse me, does no one count here? Does this competition not even have a referee?"
Tony looked at Odin.
Before Odin could respond, on the other side of the arena, the wooden door of the Asgardian warrior's lounge was pushed open.
Loki, wearing a horned helmet, walked out.
He glanced at Thor, then looked at Tony: "Foolish Midgardian, look clearly at the god before you, do you think you have won? No, you have awakened a god's wrath!"
"What?" Tony frowned.
One brainless guy just fell, and now another short-sighted one came out?
At this moment, Jarvis reminded: "Sir, Thor seems to have woken up."
"It's only been less than half a minute, and he's awake?" Tony was surprised.
He looked down and saw Thor still closing his eyes, but his fingers moved as if unconsciously.
"This counts as awake... Holy moly!"
A soft hum of metal tearing through the air came from his side.
Tony subconsciously took a step back, and Mjolnir brushed past him, landing in Thor's hand.
The next moment, Thor was enveloped in electric light and rose with a roar.
Electricity coiled around him from his hair to his eyes, like a leaking cable wrapped around him.
As he rose, Thor swung Mjolnir at Tony.
The heavy Mjolnir struck Tony's chest like a small mountain.
The nano-Fungus God Armor on his chest shattered directly, and Tony was sent flying backward.
This time, Thor did not give him a chance to breathe and immediately pursued him.
"Mjolnir!" He shouted, hammering Tony again and again.
The nanobots quickly gathered to the damaged parts, but were immediately destroyed again.
Pieces of the Fungus God Armor flew everywhere.
Thor seemed serious and ready to finish Tony off in one go.
Tony was continuously hammered into the air by him, and he raised Mjolnir, charging up again for another swing.
However, this time the nanobots on Tony's chest were replaced with Vibranium.
With one swing, Thor was repelled backward by the rebound.
Tony also seized the opportunity to activate his thrusters and quickly pulled away.
"This guy became a different person after getting Mjolnir." Tony became serious.
"It seems that Mjolnir is his true form?"
"Very good, it looks like I can try the remaining functions."
"Jarvis, activate Ten Rings mode!"
Tony took out the Ten Rings as he flew.
With Jarvis's cooperation, the Ten Rings quickly embedded into various joints of the Fungus God Armor, lighting up.
A vast amount of energy instantly overflowed, and the entire Fungus God Armor seemed to be draped in a layer of energy gauze.
"Hey, my friend who came back from the dead, we can continue!"
Tony stopped fleeing and turned to charge at Thor.
Thor, who had been chasing Tony, swung Mjolnir in a wide arc: "Good timing!"
The two collided again in the air.
Tony used no weapons, only his fists and feet.
Thor, realizing that the lightning he used would be absorbed by certain devices on the opponent's Fungus God Armor, also gave up on lightning and attacked directly with Mjolnir.
This time, the two fought evenly, from the sky to the arena, and then from the arena back to the sky.
The cheers in the stands resumed, and the Asgardian people desperately cheered for Thor.
Tony only pulled away again when he felt completely exhilarated.
"Haha, this feeling is great! Now I know how Leon felt when he punched Dormammu!"
"Time to try magic, Jarvis! Switch to magic mode, and activate my magic-powered palm cannon!"
Chapter 279 Thunder God Muzan
Jarvis was as efficient as ever.
He did whatever Tony told him, even if the command was problematic.
What's more, he understood the function of Tony's magic-Powered Palm Cannon.
This thing was simply a weapon of mass destruction to Thor.
Jarvis helped Tony quickly switch the armor's mode.
The nano-materials on the armor's arms and chest rippled like waves.
They were replaced by magical metals within one second.
Some parts shimmered with an agate-like luster, which were all highly efficient magic-conducting materials.
"magic-Powered Palm Cannon ready, sir."
"Excellent!" Tony's retreating figure suddenly stopped.
He raised his right hand towards Thor, and the magic power within him connected with the Ten Rings, illuminating the Palm Cannon.
This time, the light glowing from the muzzle was red, possessing a mysterious beauty, unlike the previous technological beam.
But to Thor, there was no difference.
"Another one of those laser weapons," he said, his expression grave.
But then he suddenly grinned with great confidence: "The same thing can't defeat Thor twice, Midgardian."
He swung Mjolnir again.
The electric light from the thunderclouds high in the sky continuously converged on him.
He was enveloped in lightning, like a human-shaped electrical leak.
It also made every Asgardian below scream with excitement.
What the martial Asgardians loved to see the most was this kind of scenario: being defeated, then rising again, crushing the enemy's proud methods, and finally turning defeat into victory.
Amidst their hoarse shouts,
Thor charged at Tony with all his might: "Come! Release all your power!"
Thor thought the Iron Man opposite him was repeating his trick, intending to use the laser cannon again.
So he used Mjolnir to accumulate thunder, intending to forcefully tear apart the energy beam that had previously made him so disheveled.
But Tony's plan was not what Thor imagined.
He looked at the charging Thor, and question marks popped up in his head like cars rear-ending each other on a one-way street.
He couldn't understand Thor's actions at all.
"Is he serious? Why is he trying to brute force it again? Is he special, or do all these gods only have one circuit in their brains?"
Tony complained while channeling power.
"Forget it, since he wants it, then I'll give it to him, Jarvis, prepare..."
With Jarvis's assistance, Tony aimed at the charging Thor and then shouted:
"Expelliarmus!!"
Boom!
A crimson beam burst from the Palm Cannon's muzzle, instantly piercing the sky and heading straight for Thor.
The beam, thicker than Tony's arm, directly struck Thor's Mjolnir.
At this moment, Thor's face was still beaming with a heroic smile, as if even if there was a mountain in front of him, he would flatten it with Mjolnir in his hand.
It was clear he loved to smile and was very confident in himself.
The red beam struck Mjolnir,
but it was not shattered by Mjolnir,
instead, it severed Thor's connection with Mjolnir,
causing his divine power to plummet.
Then it knocked Mjolnir away,
and continued to Impact Thor's chest,
sending him flying back into the arena's energy shield, where he lost consciousness and slowly slid to the ground.
Even then, the smile on Thor's face had not faded.
He smiled so heroically, so spiritedly.
However, combined with his rolling eyes, he looked like a silly roe deer.
"..."
The scene was silent once again.
The Asgardian spectators, who had been cheering for Prince Thor's invincibility just a second ago, all stood frozen with their arms raised.
They looked at Mjolnir, which landed with a thud,
then at Thor, who slid to the ground with a splat,
and suddenly wondered if they had gone insane today, otherwise, how could they be hallucinating and witnessing such an unbelievable scene?
Tony shrugged in the sky: "I didn't expect the 'Expelliarmus Cannon' to be more useful than I thought; it not only knocked away his weapon but also severed his source of power."
"But this big golden retriever is indeed a bit silly."
"So silly that I suddenly feel it's not worth it."
He complained to Jarvis: "To deal with a guy like this, I actually nervously prepared for several months; this is truly..."
"It proves, sir, that your preparations were useful," Jarvis comforted.
"And your judgment was also correct."
"Thor's power mostly comes from his Mjolnir; by using Expelliarmus to sever his connection with Mjolnir, you can easily defeat him."
"Ha, that's not just correct judgment, Jarvis."
Tony put his hands on his hips proudly: "The 'Expelliarmus' enhanced by the magic armor is enough even if it's only used as an Impact!"
"Didn't Lyon used to say that Harry Potter's Expelliarmus was as powerful as an Unforgivable Curse?"
"Now my Expelliarmus is definitely much stronger than Harry Potter's!"
Tony used the Palm Cannon to cast spells; just from the thickness of the beam, the style was already far beyond that of Hogwarts wizards.
"You are right, sir, but I suggest you press the advantage, otherwise Thor will likely wake up again within a minute," Jarvis reminded.
"Oh, is that so? The protagonist of Point Break indeed has strong vitality." Tony descended to a spot not far from Thor.
He observed Thor and found that, besides rolling his eyes and spitting blood from his mouth, he had no obvious injuries.
It looked very likely that he would wake up soon, just like before, then summon Mjolnir again and be fully revived.
"We need to eliminate him completely, Jarvis."
Tony's left palm glowed red again, and the 'Expelliarmus Cannon' fired once more.
As the red beam pushed Thor back to the energy shield's boundary and continuously dismantled his armor,
Tony raised his right hand, and the other Palm Cannon also lit up brightly.
However, this hand emitted a blue-silver electrical light.
"He's unconscious now, and he's lost his lightning ability, so I'll let him taste the damage of lightning too!"
The new version of the bloodline potion Tony made a while ago contained the bloodline of a Thunderbird.
Thunderbirds can control weather and create lightning.
Tony, with added Thunderbird bloodline factors, can now crudely create lightning with magic power.
This magic power, combined with the power of the Ten Rings, was conducted along the magical materials and released through the armor.
Boom!
A lightning pillar several tens of centimeters thick shot from the Palm Cannon, striking the unconscious Thor.
"Ooh-loo-wee-loo...!"
Thor's body twitched unconsciously in the lightning.
His mouth twitched from the electricity, and the whites of his eyes rolled even higher.
Moreover, his armor had been shattered by the 'Expelliarmus Cannon'.
He was practically a naked bar of soap.
And a violently shaking one at that.
"My God... I was just trying it out, but Thor can really be hurt by lightning?"
Tony increased the magic power in his right hand in surprise.
Immediately, Thor twitched even more violently, his entire body like a vibrator.
On the arena, Tony occasionally adjusted the lightning frequency, greatly amused by Thor's reaction.
In the stands, the Asgardians' feelings were very complex and indescribable.
Their expressions were either as if they had lost a parent or as ugly as if they had eaten excrement.
Odin, on the main platform, became completely gloomy.
"Enough!" He held gungnir in his right hand and suddenly struck it hard on the ground.
An invisible wave spread out, and everyone affected along the way swayed and fell to the ground.
Before the wave reached Tony, Lyon appeared in the arena.
He casually broke the energy shield and then casually dispersed Odin's power emanating from gungnir.
"Excuse me, everyone, it's just that Prince Thor's vitality is too tenacious, and there are no rules limiting this battle, so Tony had no choice but to continue the attack."
Lyon picked up Thor and tossed him towards the main platform: "This round, we win, right?"
Odin took Thor with a dark face: "Kamar-Taj wins... The second match will begin in half an hour."
He could accept Thor losing the match.
But he absolutely could not accept Thor being held down and electrocuted like a high-frequency vibrator in front of everyone.
This was practically rubbing the entire face of Asgard into the ground.
He had thought wrong before.
These Midgardian mages were not weak.
They were not only strong but also flashily strong.
Chapter 280: The Third Round
With Tony's previous example, Odin put aside all his disdain for the Kamar-Taj sorcerers.
The second battle began with Kamar-Taj sending out their contestant first.
After an analysis from Tony, who had returned victorious, Kamar-Taj sent Wanda into the arena.
This time, Odin specifically used his divine power to observe for a few seconds.
After a few seconds, he fell silent.
Finally, he sighed, looked up at the starry sky outside Asgard, his gaze distant, and said nothing.
No one knew if he was doubting life or regretting to the distant Valhalla why he hadn't died in battle sooner, as then perhaps it would be Thor, not him, who stood here disgraced.
This Kamar-Taj doesn't play fair; they even sent out a contestant like Wanda.
Odin now understood.
No wonder Leon proposed a challenge half a year ago; he came prepared.
He simply stopped interfering with the arrangement of the contestants in Asgard's lounge.
Instead, he spoke to Leon from a distance, inviting the Sorcerer Supreme back to the main platform.
A few minutes later, Sif entered the arena.
Given that the opponent was a female sorcerer, Asgard sent out the female warrior Sif.
The now-sober Thor pulled Loki, hiding behind the wooden door of their lounge, watching the two confront each other through the crack in the door.
"Why don't we just go out and watch?" Loki asked Thor.
"I just lost a match, Loki! And I was eliminated by that iron man, spitting White foam!"
"How can I go out and watch at a time like this? Aren't you afraid everyone will stare at us with strange eyes?" Thor looked utterly dejected.
"Will they? You are Thor, the Prince of Asgard." Loki spread his hands.
He, of course, knew the reason.
He deliberately asked the question just to irritate his brother.
"Besides, Sif will surely hope to get your cheer, so she will perform better, and we can win back the first match you lost." Loki said with a feigned benevolent expression.
"But…" Thor wavered.
But in the end, he gritted his teeth and refused: "Sif is one of the strongest warriors in this star region."
"She has proven herself to be a strong person through her own excellence to everyone; she will not lose!"
"And that iron man before must have been the strongest among Midgard's contestants; no one else is stronger than him!"
"That's right, that's how it is!"
Thor seemed to be emphasizing to Loki, and also comforting himself.
"But even you lost, and you lost very badly, like a drunk dwarf, brother, how can you be sure Sif won't lose?"
Loki, with his hands behind his back, quietly twisted the knife in Thor's heart.
Thor recalled the previous scene and immediately became even sadder, turning completely pale.
When he first heard his father mention this competition, he was disdainful, thinking it was just bullying some powerless weaklings.
Unexpectedly, as the first to enter, to demonstrate Asgard's strength, he became the most disheveled person.
Thor didn't know there was a character called Joker on Earth, otherwise he would definitely feel that he looked exactly like a Joker at this moment.
"No, Loki, that wasn't a dwarf…" Thor weakly retorted.
"What was it then, an eel electrocuted and floating to the surface of the Water?" Loki's smile grew even brighter.
"Oh, no…" Thor covered his face with his hand and leaned against the door.
Seeing this, Loki's eyes lit up, and he quietly reached out, attempting to cast a spell to make the wooden door fall outward.
He wanted Thor to fall out the door, exposing his disheveled appearance to everyone.
What Loki loved to see most was his brother looking defeated!
However, at this moment, the cheers and shouts that had formed a sea outside the lounge suddenly turned into gasps of surprise.
After the gasps, the entire World fell silent.
Just like a few minutes ago, when Thor was electrocuted by the iron man and rolled his eyes.
The sudden silence made the few people in the lounge stunned for a moment.
"What's wrong? Did Sif win so quickly?"
Thor and Loki exchanged glances, a sense of unease rising in their hearts, and they hastily looked out through the door crack at the same time.
On the arena, a thin, veil-like crimson energy permeated everywhere.
The energy coiled around Sif, lifting her into the air.
Sif roared, every muscle in her body straining, trying to break free from the restraints.
But no matter how much she struggled, her powerful and beautiful body remained completely motionless.
And her opponent, the female sorcerer from Midgard, was also floating in the air.
But the female sorcerer merely looked at Sif casually, her expression so relaxed as if she had only subdued a feather.
Sif, the renowned female warrior of the Heavenly Palace, famous throughout the Nine Realms, lost her ability to resist in just a few words in front of that Kamar-Taj female sorcerer.
This was no longer incredible; this was simply madness!
"Lost, Sif… she lost too!?" Thor's eyes widened in disbelief.
Loki, who had just been thinking about how to make his brother look foolish, also frowned.
He would play pranks on Thor even when their comrades were fighting because he looked down on those people from Midgard.
In his opinion, the iron man defeating Thor was merely because Thor himself was not smart enough.
The result of this challenge, he believed, would definitely still be a victory for Asgard, without any doubt.
But now it seemed the situation was different.
Even that barbaric woman, Sif, had been defeated.
Those sorcerers from Midgard seemed to indeed be formidable.
"Second match, Kamar-Taj wins. The third battle will begin in half an hour, with Asgard sending out their contestant first."
Odin's voice announcing the result came from outside.
Loki and Thor exchanged glances: "Lost, really lost… If we lose the third match, we're completely defeated! Who are we sending this time?"
The Warriors Three standing nearby looked at each other.
They had just been boasting and joking, acting as if it didn't matter, that they could easily dispatch those sorcerers from the barren lands with a casual move.
But now, none of them dared to guarantee a victory or step forward and say they would go.
After all, if they really lost this third match, they would be nailed to the pillar of shame in Asgard!
The three looked at each other, and finally their gaze fell on Loki.
"?" Loki was startled, "What do you mean?"
…
On the main platform, Leon and Odin stood side by side.
"I didn't expect that after so many years, Kamar-Taj has cultivated so many excellent sorcerers."
Odin said, looking at Sif, whose face was ashen in the arena, and Wanda, who was flying back to the lounge with a smile.
"This is all thanks to your efforts, Lord Leon, the Sorcerer Ancient One didn't seem to have it as easy as you when she was Sorcerer Supreme."
Leon shook his head and said, "Actually, Earth simply has many talented people, but Ancient Onealways let nature take its course and didn't specifically seek them out."
"I'm afraid that's not the only reason. I heard that you repelled Dormammu a while ago?"
"Who told you that?"
"In the fringe dimensions and Hell, this matter is widely spread. Demons tell tales, and I heard that even Mephisto sent reparations to Kamar-Taj."
"He just sent a useless magic weapon. Compared to that, I'm actually more interested in the Casket of Ancient Winters and the Eternal Flame," Leon said.
A few months ago, apart from the Eye Demon, several Hell Lords who had attacked Earth's dimension all sent reparations.
Those reparations were useless, just to maintain a superficial harmony between the two sides, and Leon had thrown them all into the New York Sanctum's vault.
…Leon's obsession with his own artifacts made Odin close his mouth.
At this moment, on the arena, Loki, wearing a horned crown and magnificent robes, walked up.
"You're sending Loki for the third match!" Leon said with interest.
Odin looked at Leon suspiciously as he turned his head and mentally transmitted some information to the lounge.
Then, from Kamar-Taj's side, a middle-aged man wearing glasses and carrying a leather briefcase walked out of the lounge.
"I think you should prepare your artifacts in advance, Your Majesty Odin," Leon said cheerfully.