"Even without the Infinity Gems, this artifact is extremely rare. Its energy conductivity rivals that of several artifacts in Asgard."
After examining the wand, Eitri, the Dwarf King, said to Kain that it already possessed all the characteristics of a divine weapon. Even when he picked it up for inspection, it resisted him strongly—so much so that he immediately let go.
The moment the wand was released, it automatically returned to Kain's hand.
"Now it's only one step away," Eitri said. "Thor's Hammer and the Eternal Spear are among the most special artifacts, because His Majesty Odin sealed unique energies within them, greatly enhancing their power."
Kain laughed upon hearing that. "Having an Infinity Gem is enough for now. I'll consider upgrading it further in the future."
He could feel the wand's affinity toward him. After all, he had continuously infused it with magical power during the forging process. Naturally, after it was completed, the weapon had grown attuned to its master.
Without hesitation, Kain inserted the Space Stone into the slot on the wand. With a soft click, the gem was instantly enveloped, and a surge of powerful energy flowed through him.
He felt like a true god.
Through the wand, he could channel the Space Stone's energy effortlessly. Now, he could travel anywhere in the universe with ease.
This was the primordial power of the cosmos—one of the six singularities.
"It's a truly remarkable weapon," Kain said. "From now on, I'll call you the Infinity Wand."
The wand shared similarities with Mjölnir. No matter where it was, Kain could summon it back with a gesture. Furthermore, it was inscribed with magical runes; unless someone's strength surpassed Kain's, they would be unable to bypass the runes or remove the Space Stone.
"Thank you, Dwarf King."
Eitri waved his hand. "You're welcome. You had Asgard's permission, and I also got my revenge. Besides, those novel metals you provided are enough for the dwarves to craft several fine weapons."
With the Infinity Wand now in his possession, Kain departed the Dwarven Ring.
Once aboard the spaceship, Betty asked excitedly, "Kain, is that a divine tool? Are you really a god now? Can I use it?"
"It's fair to call it divine. My strength now surpasses that of many gods. The Loki we saw recently is known as the God of Mischief in Earth's mythology. By my classification, I'd say I'm more like a god of thunder and fire."
Kain paused to think. His power came from multiple sources—lightning abilities, the Ten Tails' chakra, magic, and genetic evolution. No single ability stood out above the rest; they were all evenly developed.
In other words, his various power systems were balanced, progressing together—none particularly flashy on their own, but formidable when combined.
As of now, nothing in the universe posed a real threat to Kain—except, perhaps, the other Infinity Stones. But for the time being, he had nothing to fear.
"You could've borrowed my power," kain said, "but there are so few beings on Earth who could even threaten you. And in the universe? There are only a handful stronger than me, so you don't need to worry."
She had only gotten halfway through expressing her joy when it hit her fully—her lover was a god, and one of the most powerful of them all.
Overcome with emotion, Betty wrapped her arms tightly around Kain. The embrace, charged with passion and a little too much force, sparked a few unexpected reactions.
"You never cease to surprise me, Kain," she whispered with a smile.
"It's nothing."
After Kain spoke, he noticed Betty's breathing had grown shallow. Sensing her aroused state, Kain didn't hold back. With a small tug of his hands, a sharp ripping sound followed.
In moments, Betty was completely exposed.
She secretly enjoyed a rougher touch, and ever since their first time, her intimacy with Kain had always been intense and passionate.
After a brief moment of preparation, he entered her with force and heat—like a massive serpent sliding into its den.
Betty bit her lip. She couldn't tell if it was just her imagination, but today, he felt fiercer than ever. The heat radiating from him was almost volcanic, as though he had just emerged from molten magma.
And then there was the electric sensation—like tiny bolts of lightning dancing across her skin. Was this what it meant for him to be the God of Thunder and Flame?
That thought lingered for only a second before her mind dissolved into the rhythm of his movements—deep, powerful, relentless.
The ceiling above revealed a clear view of the starry sky, wrapping her in the endless beauty of space. In such an environment, Betty felt utterly free—body and soul—and soon surrendered herself completely to the experience.
"They're quite something," Fandral muttered with a click of his tongue. Around them, all research equipment and personnel near Thor's Hammer had been cleared out, and the site was now sealed off by the Superhuman Affairs Bureau. No unauthorized personnel could enter.
This had been Sharon's order. Though she wasn't fully aware of Asgard's affairs, she respected Sif, who now held Betty's business card. Recently, the Bureau had been dealing with a major incident. Luckily, the Asgardians didn't seem concerned—so long as no one caused trouble on Earth, they were free to do as they pleased.
Sif sighed and said, "The real issue now is how Thor will regain his power. His Majesty Odin has fallen into a deep sleep. Can we only rely on Thor himself?"
"This is a punishment. My father is disappointed in me," Thor said calmly. Upon hearing that Odin had fallen into the Odinsleep, much of his resentment faded. Asgardians weren't truly immortal—Odin had entered deep slumber before. But this time felt different, sudden, and without proper preparation.
"I still trust Loki. He loves Asgard too. I don't think he'll cause trouble while I'm away."
Before Thor could finish, Fandral interrupted sharply. "Come on, Thor. Loki nearly started a war right before Earth's people even got involved. Even if he's canceled those plans now, who knows what schemes he's thinking up next? I don't trust him."
Sif and the Warriors Three had always held strong prejudices against Loki. Asgard revered strength and combat ability—qualities that surrounded Thor with admiration and loyalty. But Loki preferred cunning and deception, earning his title as the God of Mischief.
While his talents in sorcery were undeniable, his methods were never fully accepted in Asgard—even though he was Odin's son.
As the group continued their discussion, Jane Foster suddenly returned.
After overhearing Sif's words, she asked with keen interest, "Can you tell me more about Kain Pent? How did he end up in Asgard? I didn't think Earth's technology could support long-term space travel."
"If we could reach the stars, we might study celestial bodies up close. That would change everything."
Jane's greatest passion had always been the study of the cosmos. Now, after seeing real aliens and hearing whispers about the mysterious Kain—the richest man on Earth with access to unknown technology—she felt a flicker of frustration.
With such advanced tech... why hasn't it been used to benefit all of humanity?
This kind of thought only flashed through Jane Foster's mind for a moment before disappearing. Ordinary people rarely see tangible benefits from capitalists. Even though the Pent Group had done extensive charity work, it wasn't enough to change public perception. Jane Foster may be a doctor, but she wasn't wealthy.
"Sorry, we can't reveal anything about our Asgardian friends,"
Sif refused without hesitation. Even if they didn't truly see Kain as a friend in their hearts, it was the king's order to treat him with respect. Disclosing anything casually would be a betrayal of Asgard's trust.
Thor added, "Jane, we really can't talk about this."
"Alright. In that case, here's a letter for you. I don't know why it was delivered to my assistant, but it seemed... mysterious. You should read it yourself."
Jane pulled a sealed letter from her coat and handed it to Thor. The sender's identity was unknown, but Jane suspected they weren't ordinary.
Thor looked puzzled. This was his first visit to Earth—he didn't know anyone here. Who would send him a letter?
He opened it and read silently. A frown crept across his face.
"'S.H.I.E.L.D.'? What is this organization? And how do they know about me—or the Tesseract?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. was once a major international agency," Jane explained. "But recently, it fought against a much weaker group and still lost. Now, it's been outlawed by almost every government. All remaining agents are wanted criminals, with high bounties on their heads."
Jane didn't know what the Tesseract was, but she was well-informed about recent global events—especially S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fall from grace.
"Oh, and the Super Personnel Bureau is the official organization that replaced S.H.I.E.L.D.," she added. "And from what I've heard, the Pent Group played a big part in that."
Jane went on to share various details—some facts, some online conspiracy theories—about the Pent Group. After all, it was the strongest corporate backer of the Ross administration.
After listening, Sif asked, "So, do you want to meet this person?"
"I have the time," Thor said with a trace of emotion. "And it involves the Tesseract. If that thing falls into the hands of the wrong people, it could threaten all Nine Realms."
"Thor, we shouldn't get involved in Earth's conflicts. And that Kain Pent... he's not someone to be trifled with. He helped us—we—"
"I understand, Sif," Thor interrupted gently. "I'm just going to listen."
He knew what Sif wanted to say. He was still an Asgardian, and now without his divine power, he would be careful not to stir up trouble.
Elsewhere in America
The battle in Pennsylvania had finally ended—with a decisive victory for the Super Personnel Bureau.
Though Sharon Carter failed to capture the Avengers within the original deadline, she did manage to arrest the Eternals who helped them escape.
The five Eternals who had arrived to rescue Sersi and the others fell directly into the trap Sharon Carter had prepared. Even Ikaris, with his ability to fly and shoot cosmic beams, was bombarded mid-air by a sudden assault.
Fifty high-powered energy laser weapons and twenty stealth fighters overwhelmed him. Ten "Savior-class" missiles finally knocked him unconscious. Wanda then stepped in and mentally shattered Ikaris's resistance, allowing for his capture.
As for the speedster Makkari—second only to Ikaris in threat level—Sharon had a plan. She had extracted valuable intel on the Eternals from Kain, including how to capture them. She had already taken Druig hostage to bait Makkari, and then had Pietro (Quicksilver) keep her occupied long enough for containment units to engage.
The Eternals were far more valuable than the Avengers. When Ross heard of Sharon's success, even he couldn't help but praise her. After all, these so-called "products" of the Celestials could be worth a fortune. Perhaps they could even serve as templates for creating new super-soldiers.
The problem, however, was that the Ross administration lacked the scientific expertise to exploit such potential. The Pent Group, on the other hand, had made the deepest advancements in superhuman research.
For now, all eight captured Eternals were held in special containment designed specifically to counter their powers—thanks to Sharon Carter's ruthless efficiency.
This time, to prevent any chance of prison escape, Sharon Carter resorted to extremely harsh methods. The captured Eternals were rendered completely immobile—unable to do anything except blink. They were kept in an environment saturated with high-concentration hypnosis gas, which was the only way to ensure they stayed subdued.
If anyone attempted to rescue them, they would face the Bureau's heaviest firepower. The Super Personnel Bureau had even applied for authorization to use a nuclear warhead. If the Eternals ever escaped, everything would be wiped out.
With the exception of the Eternal leader and a portly Black man who had managed to evade capture, the remaining eight were imprisoned. Although Sharon regretted missing those two, capturing eight was more than enough for now.
However, further research on them would have to wait until Kain returned. Sharon suspected that Kain had another research facility hidden somewhere, but she didn't know its location.
On Xandar
After Kain and his team arrived on the planet Xandar, they applied for something similar to a tourist visa, which allowed them to stay for up to ten years.
It had taken Kain only a moment to reach Xandar. To show off his strength in front of Betty, he had used the Space Stone to teleport their entire spaceship directly to the planet.
"There are so many aliens here… and they all look so strange,"
Betty whispered in awe. She felt like she had stepped into a childhood fairy tale, especially when she spotted a creature that looked like it was made entirely of snot.
Kain replied casually, "There are countless races in the universe. You'll see more of them in time. It looks like Xandar doesn't have any open slave markets, but there are civilizations and mercenary groups that do trade in slaves. I could take you to see them sometime."
Betty recoiled slightly at the idea. Slavery was hard for her to accept—but she also understood that it was a common practice in some parts of the galaxy.
"Where are we going now?" she asked.
"To find someone who knows about space mercenaries," Kain said. "I want to hire someone for a job."
He recalled that a certain Xandarian merchant had ties to Yondu—the Ravager leader—and he hoped to use that connection to commission a mercenary group to help him locate the Power Stone.
…
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