Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]-Chapter 205: Asgard

No one stayed long at Stark Tower. After some drinking and chatting, Captain America's departure marked the end of the gathering.

Thor and Loki went to the room Tony arranged for them to rest. They had already agreed to return to Asgard early the next morning.

Ethan, who had agreed to accompany them, would be going as well.

"So eager? Can't you stay a little longer?"

"Tony, I know what you're thinking." Ethan patted Tony on the shoulder. "The Mind Stone contains a power of mental manipulation. Even a powerful mage can be affected if they're not careful. It's not suitable for your research. Once I negotiate terms with the All-Father, you'll have plenty of time to study the Cosmic Cube."

Ethan hadn't known Tony for too long, but it wasn't a short acquaintance either. He knew this man well enough to understand his thoughts. Tony was full of curiosity about everything. With the Mind Stone so close, it was only natural for him to be interested.

But Ethan had no intention of handing the Mind Stone to Tony. In the original plot, Tony was influenced by the hallucinations induced by the Mind Stone and ultimately created Ultron with Bruce Banner, triggering the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Ethan couldn't help but wonder if Tony would still make that decision without the trauma of the Battle of New York or the influence of the Mind Stone.

"Probably... maybe... he'd still go down that road."

The creation of Ultron wasn't solely due to those two things. As long as there were superheroes and powerful villains in this world, Tony would eventually make that choice. It fit perfectly with his identity as a 'smart man'.

It was just that, without the Mind Stone's influence, maybe Tony would wait until a late night to start tinkering with Ultron?

Ethan wasn't sure either. The only thing he was certain about was that, without the Mind Scepter, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't be able to hand it over to Hydra. Without that, how would they continue experimenting on superhumans? Would Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver still gain their powers through other means, or remain ordinary people in this version of events?

"Maybe they already had some unique talent to survive those bizarre experiments?"

He wasn't going to worry about those things for now. When he returned from Asgard and had nothing else to do, he might look into it. Right now, his focus was entirely on the trip to Asgard.

Logan wanted to stay behind to accompany Laura. There was enough on Earth to keep her entertained. She was still too young to be exposed to too much all at once. Logan wasn't particularly interested in alien civilizations either. Even though he looked younger now, his mindset still carried that of an older man—less enthusiasm for new things and a preference for familiar surroundings.

So only Diana would be accompanying Ethan. Tony thought it over and decided to stay and continue his research. Ethan had already left him plenty of material to study. There was no shortage of research topics for the time being. He wanted to use this opportunity to solve all the outstanding issues so that once Ethan returned, they could focus on studying the Cosmic Cube. That was the truly important objective.

When they arrived at Stark Tower's rooftop helipad, Ethan looked down at his feet.

Because the Battle of New York had been avoided, the Stark Tower hadn't been transformed into the Avengers headquarters. The Avengers Initiative still only existed on paper. No one knew when it would be made public.

"I really messed up a lot of the plot."

Looking out at the still-thriving New York and the ordinary people busy in the streets, he felt a sense of relief. Avoiding a war in the city and saving countless innocent lives so they could continue their normal lives, rather than having their homes and families destroyed, wasn't such a bad outcome.

"It's a pity I can't publicize any of this. Otherwise, I could've gathered a lot of faith."

Thor took a small device Tony had made overnight. Since the Bifrost had yet to be repaired after its destruction, Thor had used Odin's magic to come to Earth. To return, he needed the power of the Cosmic Cube. Unfortunately, Thor had zero aptitude for magic, and Loki couldn't be trusted to handle the Cube either. So Tony had helped create a device to activate a space teleportation and send them back to Asgard.

Thor and Loki each held one side of a special box, while Ethan and Diana placed their hands on the device. Then Thor turned the switch, and the four of them vanished in a beam of blue light, disappearing before Tony and the others.

Ethan temporarily set aside everything on Earth and began focusing on what he hoped to gain from this trip to Asgard.

Thor used the Cosmic Cube to teleport them directly to the gates of Odin's palace. Because Heimdall had been notified in advance, Odin had already sent soldiers to greet them.

Don't misunderstand—Odin wasn't sending soldiers to capture Ethan, but to use Asgard's special chains to restrain Loki and prevent the trickster god from causing more trouble.

"Wait here a moment. I'll explain the situation to my father."

Without permission, Ethan and the others couldn't simply barge into Odin's palace. Thor was Odin's son, so it wasn't an issue for him. But if Ethan dared to rush in, the elaborately armored soldiers nearby would not just stand there like decoration.

"There's a lot of power in their armor."

Asgardian armor and weapons were imbued with energy, making them exceptional in both offense and defense. Ethan had noticed this in the films. Now that he could observe them up close, he could sense even more.

"Excellent forging techniques."

He knew that Asgardian forging wasn't the best in the universe. The best weapons were forged by the dwarves—giants in size, despite their name. These dwarves were the most powerful craftsmen in the universe.

Even Thanos' Infinity Gauntlet was forged by them. The Stormbreaker, which gave Thor nearly godlike strength, second only to Thanos, was also their work.

But Ethan didn't have access to the dwarves or their star-forges. Learning even basic Asgardian techniques would make this trip worthwhile.

Ethan kept observing the guards, which made them uncomfortable. One of them even took a small step back, as if trying to avoid his gaze.

Realizing he was being impolite, Ethan awkwardly smiled and shifted his attention to Asgard's architecture and natural scenery.

"This is Asgard."

Diana had been observing quietly for a while. She was curious about this other godly realm and found it much as she'd imagined.

The people lived in peace and beauty. The environment was picturesque, and even regular soldiers possessed incredible strength. It all aligned with Diana's impression of what a divine kingdom should be.

"You like it here?"

"I hope my homeland can become like this one day." Diana shook her head. She liked Asgard, but not in a way that made her want to stay forever.

"That... will be a bit difficult."

If Paradise Island remained on Earth, turning it into another Asgard would only be possible if it remained isolated from the rest of the world.

But Ethan, Diana, and even Hippolyta knew that the barrier protecting Paradise Island was weakening. Eventually, the island would no longer be hidden and would have to reconnect with the outside world.

The two stopped talking. Although Diana had matured early, she was still young and had yet to broaden her horizons fully. She was still in the learning phase.

Ethan had some ideas, but none that he could act on yet. Talking about them now would feel like empty boasting, so he held his tongue. He didn't want to be the kind of person who made promises he couldn't keep.

Luckily, Asgard's scenery was beautiful, and they shifted topics easily, keeping the atmosphere light. Then, Thor appeared just in time.

"My father wants to see you, Ethan."

The audience with Odin had come sooner than expected. Ethan wondered whether Odin simply wanted to reject him in person or if he intended to judge him before deciding.

When they met, Ethan discovered all his assumptions were wrong. Odin was simply curious. He had heard about Ethan not from Thor, but from someone else.

"Welcome to Asgard, mage from another universe. I heard about you from the Ancient One."

It wasn't surprising that Odin knew the Ancient One. But Ethan hadn't expected that when those two great beings chatted, he would be a topic of conversation.

"I hope the Ancient One didn't say anything bad about me."

"She said you're a young man with great potential." Odin was very cordial. He came across like an elderly neighbor chatting casually. He even got up from the throne and walked over to Ethan to speak with him face-to-face.

This behavior surprised Thor and Loki. Why would the mighty king of Asgard be so respectful to a young mage? Did this friend of theirs have some extraordinary background?

Ethan was equally curious, but Odin's next words addressed the very thing he cared about most, so he set those thoughts aside.

"I heard from Thor, you wish to keep the Cosmic Cube?"

(To be continued.)

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