Chapter Eleven: The Third Great Battle of London

"Lightning Barrier!"

Just as the four spears formed from aether particles were about to strike, Haoyun suddenly leaped out from the subway exit, blocking the group and unleashing the full power of his Electromaster abilities.

A wall of blue lightning flickered into existence, forming a towering barrier that instantly shattered the incoming spears.

Malekith looked down in mild surprise—someone was actually able to block the Reality Stone’s attack? Coupled with the performance of Captain America, Angel, and the others... When did Midgard, the weakest of the Nine Realms, become so formidable?

"Who are you?"

"Thunder Knight—Haoyun Potts!"

Haoyun manipulated the Electromaster’s power, directing his nanobots to form a thin membrane under his feet, lifting himself into the air to stand face-to-face with Malekith.

With his actions, he made his message clear: he was not to be underestimated.

"You would stand in my way as well?"

A hint of contempt flickered in Malekith’s eyes. Here on Midgard, was any random nobody now bold enough to challenge him? In truth, he regarded the people of Midgard as little more than brainless swine—unworthy even as slaves.

"Fancy that—wielding a single Reality Stone and you think you can end the world? Malekith, do you really believe being so ugly gives you the right to dream so beautifully?"

Haoyun didn’t hesitate to fire back with biting sarcasm; to him, Malekith was just a minor boss from Thor 2, hardly worth the fuss.

"Then come and see for yourself!"

Malekith, stung by the insult, waved his right hand. Instantly, countless particles transformed into blades, spears, swords, and halberds, all surging toward Haoyun.

"Thunderfall!"

Haoyun raised both arms and brought them down with force. The full might of LV7 Electromaster erupted, manipulating the positive and negative ions in the air to summon a massive bolt of lightning from the heavens.

Billions of volts of electricity raged across the battlefield. No matter how fierce or numerous the aether-forged weapons, they disintegrated under the dense electric grid.

On the ground, Tony nudged Thor with a mischievous grin.

"Thor, you got this?"

"Uh..." Thor shot Tony an exasperated look. With the sky practically collapsing, as it seemed now, how could even an Asgardian God of Thunder match such a spectacle? If he could do that, Malekith would have been dealt with long ago—maybe his father could manage it, but not him.

Truth be told, seeing Haoyun’s mastery over thunder, Thor himself began to wonder: who was the real God of Thunder—himself, or Haoyun?

Of course, if Haoyun overheard, he’d sternly retort, "No, you’re the Hammer God!"

"You cannot stop me! This universe will fall into darkness!"

Malekith glanced up at the portals connecting the realms, nearly aligned. He no longer cared to tangle with Haoyun—perhaps also because he realized he couldn’t defeat him in a single blow.

So he set part of his mind to continually producing weapons to keep Haoyun at bay, while raising both hands toward the sky, channeling all his will to direct the aether particles into the void linking the Nine Realms.

The aether—one of the six Infinity Stones, the Reality Stone—had the power to alter reality itself. Under its influence, the Nine Realms began to corrode, their landscapes slowly turning black under the overwhelming power. Even the sunlight of the Nine Realms began to fade.

Haoyun frowned. Damn it, breaking free of the distractions was simple enough, but the full power of the aether was simply not something he could shatter.

He recalled the first Avengers film—the device containing the Space Stone... Right now, Malekith was essentially like that machine, shielded by the stone’s power.

Without a similar source of power, it was impossible to pierce the stone’s defensive layer.

"Railgun!"

"Thunderfall!"

"Lightning Pierce!"

Unwilling to give up, Haoyun unleashed his deadliest attacks in quick succession. But none of them could break through the shield, not even disturb the black mist spawned by the aether’s corrosion.

"Kid, why don’t you let me have a go?"

Angel stepped forward, her hand seals complete, Wood Release technique ready to be unleashed.

"Together!"

Haoyun’s expression turned resolute as he looked to the many heroes who had arrived.

"Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, Top Transcendent Buddha!"—times two!

Two colossal wooden Buddhas, each towering a thousand meters high, rose from the ground. Under the mother and son’s control, a thousand arms pummeled the shield formed by the aether.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After a series of explosions, the barrier remained completely unscathed—not a ripple, not a tremor.

"Thunderstorm Strike!"—times two!

Next, the two Thunder Gods—one man, one dog—hurled their Mjolnirs... Well, if even the LV7 Electromaster’s power couldn’t break through, there was little hope for the hammers.

"Pepper, let’s hit it with the energy cannons!"

Tony and Pepper shot into the sky in their suits, five-pointed star-shaped disks forming behind them, each point firing a laser.

Zzzzzt!

This time, there was a slight improvement. Under the impact of ten energy cannons, the spatial element of the stone’s power finally showed a reaction—a ripple shimmered across the surface of the shield.

But the ripple barely lasted a second before vanishing, the barrier resuming its aloof, impenetrable state.

As for War Machine and the other less powerful fighters, or the Hulk and other physical types, they couldn’t even get close.

"So, did you find a weakness?"

After landing with Pepper, Tony was immediately greeted by Captain America and the others.

"No," Tony shook his head. "The shield’s energy flow is seamless—there’s not a single gap."

"Then we attack head-on!"

Captain America glared at Malekith, now encased in particles, gritting his teeth.

"Attack? How? You fight one, I fight ten, is that it?!"

Tony retorted immediately, "You fight one, I fight ten, sure!"

"Enough! The priority is breaking the shield!"

Angel shouted at the two. Captain America and Tony offered embarrassed smiles.

One specialized in defense, the other in melee—neither had a way to break through the aether barrier. At least, not until Tony’s suit underwent some major functional upgrade; there was simply nothing they could do against Malekith.

"I have an idea!"

Suddenly, Jane, with Selvig and Darcy’s help, ran up to them.

"What are you doing here? This is a battlefield!"

Thor rushed to shield his girlfriend, his eyes wary of Malekith, who was actively corroding the world in the distance. Jane, touched by his protectiveness, gave him a quick kiss before turning to explain to the others.

"This device, if modified, can transport objects away!"

"You mean..."

Tony’s eyes lit up—he and Selvig had invented this thing, after all! He immediately understood Jane’s meaning.

"Reverse the program!" Jane confirmed Tony’s guess. "Space is the second law of the universe. No matter how strong Malekith is or how formidable the aether, it can’t withstand spatial separation!"

At this, Haoyun suddenly recalled how Malekith was defeated in the original Thor 2.

"Do it!"

He nodded forcefully, agreeing with Jane Foster’s plan. "Get ready—this time, we’re going to finish off the Dark Elves for good!"