Three months.
The entire Earth seemed to have been scrubbed clean. HYDRA, that festering sore, was completely excised, and the venomous snakes hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D. and other major global organizations were all rooted out. A covert war that swept across the globe quietly began and ended while most people were still bewildered.
The reconstruction of Sokovia, funded and supported by Stark Industries' money and technology, was gradually progressing. New buildings were sprouting up one after another on the war-torn ruins, more vibrant than before. The reputation of the Avengers also reached its peak during this great purge.
Everything was getting better.
New York, Avengers Tower.
Lin Huai stood before the floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor, gazing at this steel jungle reborn from the flames of war. Some time had passed since that perilous promotion ceremony, and the power within his body had stabilized. In fact, due to his "Erosion" of the World, he could feel that power growing every day, albeit slowly.
This was not a good thing. As long as he, this "anchor point," remained, the rules of this World would become increasingly unstable day by day.
As Lin Huai pondered his future path, a ripple of rainbow-colored light suddenly spread through the space behind him.
A very peculiar energy.
He turned around and looked at the vortex composed of countless points of light. A tall, slender figure emerged from the light, clad in a dark green robe.
The newcomer had black hair, fair skin, and a smile at the corner of his mouth that seemed measured with a ruler, precise to the last detail. Asgard's second prince, Loki.
However, the serpent-like cunning aura about him had diminished considerably. Upon seeing Lin Huai, he even bowed slightly, performing a standard Asgardian noble salute.
"Long time no see, Mentor Lin Huai."
Loki's voice was no longer so flippant; it carried a hint of genuine respect.
After the events in Bayam and Asgard, especially being publicly exposed and then rescued by Lin Huai, the God of Mischief finally stopped looking down on others. He clearly understood that this seemingly young Midgardian before him possessed intelligence and power beyond his imagination. Even his father, the all-father Odin, treated him with courtesy.
"Loki? How did you get here?" Lin Huai raised an eyebrow. "Is the Bifrost Bridge repaired?"
"Yes," Loki nodded, his smile turning peculiar. "Father used something from the treasury to finally return Heimdall to his post. Of course, that also exhausted his last strength... The Odinsleep is not far off."
"So, he's in a hurry to put Thor on the throne?" Lin Huai guessed.
"You truly think of everything," Loki's eyes showed a bit more admiration. "Exactly. Father has set the date for the coronation ceremony—next week. Thor... my brother, he hopes you can personally attend to see him take that seat."
Loki took out an invitation from his robe, made of golden leaves from the World Tree. It had a cool, smooth texture and emitted a faint, strange glow. He handed it over with both hands.
"Additionally, Father has given me a new position, no longer just the second prince," Loki said with a self-deprecating smile. "Asgard's Grand Sorcerer. To help the future new king handle some... less savory matters."
This arrangement was partly Lin Huai's doing. Odin had listened to his advice, not imprisoning Loki but giving him a position where he could be useful while being watched by Thor and all of Asgard.
Lin Huai accepted the invitation; it felt comfortable in his hand. He nodded. "I will attend. Congratulate Thor for me, and congratulations to you as well, for finding a... more suitable position."
Loki's eyes flickered as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, it turned into a sigh.
At that moment, the sky outside the window changed.
Even though it was broad daylight, the light began to distort unnaturally. The distant horizon seemed covered by an invisible black cloth, tinged with a murky yellow hue.
From the highest point of the tower, one could even see that in the distant Cosmos, several unrelated Planets, as if nudged by an unseen hand, began to intersect and overlap, casting bizarre shadows on the cosmic backdrop.
"This is..." Loki's face darkened. "The Convergence?!"
"The time for the Nine Realms to overlap has come," Lin Huai's gaze sharpened.
During his last divination, he had already foreseen this scene. This was the best opportunity for the Dark Elves to attack.
Boom——!!
A muffled roar came from the direction of London, vibrating painfully in the eardrums.
Alarms blared throughout the entire Avengers Tower, piercingly shrill.
"Sir!! A large number of unidentified aircraft have appeared over London!! They are attacking the city!!" Jarvis's voice was urgent.
Before the floor-to-ceiling window, a massive virtual screen popped up.
On the screen, over London, space was torn open by several dark fissures. Blade-like warships, dark and heavy, were brutally forcing their way out.
They made no sound but carried an overwhelming sense of destruction, swarming the sky like locusts.
Beneath the warships, countless small aircraft detached from the mothership, splattering like ink drops, charging toward the Greenwich Observatory. The beams they dropped along the way turned old buildings into dust.
On the streets.
Screams.
Explosions.
The sounds of collapsing buildings mingled together, turning a paradise on Earth into hell in an instant.
"Dark Elves!!"
Seeing those warships and soldiers, Loki's face turned ashen. "How could they come here?! Weren't they sealed away?! Their target is Asgard!!"
"No, their target has always been the 'Aether,'" Lin Huai said coldly. "That thing has always been on Earth."
Lin Huai's gaze was profound.
A few months ago, just after the HYDRA chaos had settled, he had tried to divine the location of this dangerous Reality Stone. The result was a chaotic blood mist—a higher-level force was directly interfering. Forcing the issue would only invite disaster and might even expose the "Aether" prematurely.
He was acutely aware of his identity as an "anchor point." Every time he actively intervened, it could drastically alter the World's rules. So, he could only wait. Wait for the story to follow the script he knew, so he could intervene at the most critical moment and steer the ship back on course with minimal cost.
Now, the Dark Elves' precise strike on London was the opening gong of this grand drama!
"Jarvis!" Lin Huai ordered directly. "Immediately locate Dr. Jane Foster! Confirm her whereabouts and safety!!"
"Contacting now, sir... Unable to connect! Dr. Jane Foster's last signal was near the Greenwich Observatory!!"
"Damn it!"
Lin Huai cursed.
At that moment, a thick, rainbow-colored light pillar, like a divine sword, descended from the sky, landing precisely on the tower's helipad.
The light dissipated, and Thor strode out from within. He wore a red cape, held his hammer, and his face no longer bore its former impetuousness, replaced by the steadiness of a king.
"Mentor Lin Huai!!" Seeing Lin Huai, Thor first bowed respectfully, then urgently pointed at the screen. "Midgard is under attack! I came as soon as Heimdall told me! These are..."
"Dark Elves," Lin Huai finished. "Thor, it seems your coronation will have to be postponed. We have a big problem."
"Why are they attacking Midgard?!" Thor roared, electricity crackling around him.
"For the Aether Particle," Loki walked over, his expression grim. "Father always thought it was sealed in an unknown dimension. It seems the Convergence has exposed its coordinates."
Boom!
Another loud explosion. On the screen, a massive blade-like warship was slowly descending onto the Thames River, seemingly targeting the Tower Bridge.
"No time for explanations!" Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff rushed in, fully geared up.
"Tony is on his way to London," Steve looked at Lin Huai and Thor. "He told us to wait in New York, ready to provide support at any moment."
"No, we need to go now," Lin Huai shook his head, his gaze piercing through the screen as if seeing that dark red liquid flowing in the abandoned factory. "Their target is clear. Once they get the Aether, the entire Universe will revert to Darkness."
Lin Huai looked at Thor and Loki, his voice leaving no room for argument.
"Notify Odin, we need Asgard's help."
"Then," he paused, his eyes sharpening, "prepare for battle."