◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 50 chapter ahead on P@treon of which 10 are free Chapters. if you're interested: patreon.com/Heroicverse
------------------------------------------------
"Ding! Asgard Popularity +21,520!"
"Ding! Asgard Popularity +15,115!"
"Ding! Gaining…"
Anthony's heart exploded with joy.
"Holy crap! That much?!"
This was Asgard. The population was small, yet every citizen carried the blood of the Aesir; even commoners lived on a level far above Earthlings.
"I'm rich…"
The red in Anthony's eyes glowed brighter.
He spun around and locked onto a squad of Dark-Elf scythe-ships wreaking havoc at the street's far end.
"Hey! You black-skins!" he roared.
"Grand-daddy's here!!"
Anthony's eyes burned red—this time from sheer excitement.
Like a blue bolt of lightning he wove across the battlefield.
Wherever danger loomed, Homelander appeared.
Wherever enemies stood, he charged.
He even found a moment to help an old lady back to her feet.
"Are you all right, ma'am?"
"Oh, thank you, young man. You're even handsomer than Thor."
"You've got good taste."
"Ding! Popularity +1,000!"
The Asgardian warriors were struggling—until a strange new ally appeared.
He carried neither sword nor shield.
With his fists he punched Dark-Elf heads into their ribcages.
With beams from his eyes he sliced enemy ships like cakes.
"W-who is that?" an Asgardian guard gasped.
"Looks like… the Midgardian Thor brought?"
"Midgardians are this strong?!"
"Watch out—grenade!"
A black-hole grenade rolled to the guard's boots.
The guard closed his eyes in despair.
Whoosh—!
A gust of wind swept past.
Anthony flickered in, punted the grenade sky-high like a football.
"Woom—!"
It detonated mid-air, forming a miniature black hole that swallowed the surrounding air.
Anthony flashed the stunned guard a thumbs-up.
"Brave warrior—YOU are the real heroes!"
The guard-Captain's eyes brimmed with tears; he raised his spear and roared, "For Homelander!!"
"Ding! Asgard Popularity +24,520!"
"Ding! Asgard Popularity +32,115!"
"Ding! Gaining…"
"Current Asgard Popularity: 1,202,524!"
"Ding! Popularity tier up! Current tier: Rising Star."
"Ding! Power boost: Steel Body (planetary MAX), Super Speed (Mach 155), Super Strength (3,500 tons)… Awesome! So damn awesome!!"
Anthony felt like he was playing a rogue-like—every wave he cut down rang out the sweet clink of gold.
"Ding! Popularity +1,000!"
In less than an hour,
Anthony's fame in Asgard rivalled that of the crown prince, Thor.
"If saving a few civilians gives this much clout…"
"What if I rescue their beloved Queen…?"
A greedy grin tugged at Anthony's lips.
"Sorry, Your Majesty."
"Your script? I'm rewriting it."
…Meanwhile, while Anthony farmed popularity like crazy,
deep inside the Heavenly Palace, Frigga stood alone with a short sword, blocking Malekith's path.
Malekith drew his blade, not even deigning to look at her.
He underestimated her—Frigga was far more than mere magic.
Blades flashed; her moves were clean, lethal.
In a few exchanges she sent Malekith's weapon flying in a silver arc.
The next second Malekith knelt, her sword pressed to his throat.
Yet she failed to notice the Cursed Warrior in the shadows.
The monster clamped an arm around Frigga's neck and hoisted her into the air.
"Ugh…"
Frigga's sword clanged to the floor.
She thrashed, but against the Cursed Warrior's might her struggles were futile.
Malekith rose and walked to "Jane Foster" in the corner, reaching out.
"You have taken what does not belong to you."
But the instant he touched her,
light and shadow rippled.
The "Jane" burst like a soap bubble.
An illusion.
"Witch!!"
Malekith howled, rage stripping away reason.
The shame of being duped by a woman drove him mad.
He spun and passed the death sentence to the Cursed Warrior.
"Kill her!!"
Without hesitation the monster raised his sword and drove it toward Frigga's heart.
An execution without suspense.
Frigga closed her eyes, long prepared.
"Zzzzzzz—!!"
A deep-red energy beam lanced through the hall without warning.
The shot was surgically precise.
Anthony didn't aim for the Cursed Warrior's thick skull—he'd seen the movies; the monster could 1-v-2 Thor and Loki and mop the floor with them—
instead his Heat Vision drilled straight through the beast's sword-wrist.
"Ssshh!"
The searing beam burned through armor and scorched tendon.
"Ngh—!"
The Cursed Warrior grunted; his blade skewed.
"Shrrk!"
Instead of piercing Frigga's heart the sword sliced along her ribs, carving a deep but non-fatal gash.
For an Asgardian, the blood-soaked gown was serious yet survivable.
"Who?!" Malekith whirled.
"Is that how you treat a lady, pointy-eared gray goblin?"
A cold voice rang from the doorway.
Anthony hovered at the entrance, star-striped cape billowing, eyes still glowing with lethal red light.
"Who is that?" Malekith frowned; he'd never faced a warrior like this.
At that moment—
"Nooo—!!!"
A thunderous roar rolled in with crackling lightning.
Thor had finally arrived.
Seeing his mother's blood and the monster throttling her, the Thunder God lost all reason.
"Boom—!!"
A massive bolt of lightning blasted Malekith square in the face.
"Arrghh!"
Half of Malekith's face charred black, skin splitting.
Sensing doom, the Cursed Warrior hurled Frigga aside and hauled the wounded Malekith up.
"Move!!"
With a final glare Malekith leapt—enduring a Mjolnir strike—smashed through the balcony rail, boarded an escape ship and vanished into the mothership…
"No!!"
Thor dropped his hammer and rushed to cradle Frigga in the pooling blood.
"No… no… you'll be fine… you'll be fine!"
The fearless war-god wept like a two-hundred-pound child.
Frigga, pale and bleeding, weakly reached up to stroke his face.
"Don't cry… my son… I'm all right…"
"Any tighter and I won't be."