Marvel's Shendu: Dominating the Multiverse

Chapter 111 Solidified Aether Particles

“There’s one more thing,” Wanda continued. “The envoy from the Dwarf Kingdom has arrived and is now waiting outside the Golden Palace.”

Loki couldn't help but ask, "Dwarves? What are they doing here?"

The Holy Lord said calmly, "They want to confirm the truth about Odin's death. As Odin's allies, they will never believe your explanation that Odin died of natural causes."

The Lord instructed Loki, "Let them in."

The envoy from the Dwarven Kingdom was a burly dwarf with a thick beard named Etri, one of the Dwarven Kingdom's most famous blacksmiths and a friend of Thor. In the movie, Thor's axe was later forged by him.

"Loki," Eitel's voice was rough, "Where is Odin?"

Loki leaned back on the throne, his signature smile on his face: "My father is dead. I am now the new king of Asgard."

Eitel's voice was filled with anger: "You are not a king, you are a patricide, a traitor, a fraud, you are not worthy to sit on that throne."

Loki's smile remained unchanged, but his fingers involuntarily tightened their grip on the throne.

"Aetre," the Lord's voice came from behind the throne, "have you come to confirm the truth of Odin's death, or to insult the new King of Asgard?"

Eitel turned his gaze to the Holy Lord, his eyes filled with wariness: "You may call me the Holy Lord, an ally of Asgard."

"An ally?" Eitel sneered. "I heard you were in the Golden Palace the night Odin died, and some say you helped Loki usurp the throne."

The Holy Lord neither denied nor admitted it; he simply looked at Etri calmly, his eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

It was the Holy Lord's emotionless gaze that made him uneasy. He had seen many powerful figures, but he had never seen any who could instill fear in him with such calm eyes.

"Odin died of natural causes." The Lord's voice echoed in the hall: "His body had deteriorated severely in recent years, and the Spear of Eternity had gradually dimmed in his hands. You dwarves should know better than anyone that the power of the Spear of Eternity is closely related to Odin's life force."

Aetry fell silent. He knew the Holy Lord was telling the truth. Dwarves, whose primary crafting skill was blacksmithing, naturally understood what it meant for an artifact like the Spear of Eternity to become dull.

But this absolutely does not mean that he believed Odin died of natural causes.

"I want to see Odin's body." Etrigue did not give up on his goal.

"Impossible," Loki said calmly. "My father's body has been cremated, and according to Asgardian custom, his ashes have been scattered under the World Tree."

Estelle frowned. "Cremated so soon?"

"It's tradition," Loki said, his tone unchanged. "My father said that he didn't want to be worshipped after his death; he wanted to return to the World Tree as soon as possible."

Etrigue stared at Loki, trying to find a flaw in his face, but Loki was the god of trickery, and Etrigue couldn't have done it if he hadn't wanted to.

"Alright." Etrigue finally nodded. "I will go back and report to the King, but I warn you, Loki, if we find out that you killed Odin, the Dwarves will do everything in their power to avenge him."

Loki's smile remained unchanged: "You won't find out."

Ettriel snorted coldly, turned around, and walked towards the exit of the main hall. After taking a few steps, he stopped again: "There's one more thing."

Aetry didn't turn around: "The King asked me to ask you, how does the new King of Asgard intend to treat the other races? Elves, giants, dwarves, dark elves—we were allies while Odin was still in power. What do you intend to do with the other races?"

The Holy Lord spoke: "That is exactly what I wanted to say."

The Holy Lord paused, and Echo turned to look at the Holy Lord, waiting for him to continue.

"From this day forward, Asgard will no longer suppress any race. Elves, giants, dark elves, dwarves, and all inhabitants will live equally in the Nine Realms."

Ai Cui's pupils contracted slightly: "What did you say?"

The Holy Lord raised the Spear of Eternity, its tip illuminating the entire hall: "Asgard's new policy is equality. Any race willing to submit to Asgard will receive the same rights and obligations as the Asgardians."

Eitel fell silent, and after a while he lowered his voice and said, "Do you know what you're saying? The giants and dark elves have had a hatred for Asgard for thousands of years. They can't possibly put aside their hatred for a single sentence."

The Holy Lord said dismissively, "They don't need to let go of their hatred; they only need to obey."

Aitre stared into the Holy Lord's eyes and saw something that terrified him in those golden vertical pupils. It wasn't madness, but arrogance, the disdain of a superior for an inferior.

"I will take your message back." Etri turned and walked out of the hall, "but I advise you not to get your hopes up too high."

Aitrey's figure disappeared at the entrance of the hall, and the hall fell silent once more.

Loki leaned back on his throne and let out a long sigh of relief: "Equality? You really believe in equality?"

The Holy Lord laid down the Spear of Eternity: "I don't believe it. Only the weak would believe such a thing. But it's a good fig leaf. It's more effective than swords in conquering people."

The Holy Lord looked at the sky outside the hall: "I will use my strength to make the entire Nine Realms submit to me."

Late that night, the Holy Lord stood on the terrace of the Golden Palace, with etheric particles surging within him.

Since the celestial convergence ended, the state of the ether particles has been changing. It is no longer a flowing liquid, but has begun to solidify and irreversibly become a solid.

Shendu closed his eyes to sense the state of the Aether particles within his body. In the movie, Thanos solidified the Aether particles into the Reality Stone and placed it on the Infinity Gauntlet.

Deep within the soul, beside the Mind Stone, several runes lingered, and now, at the center of the runes' radiance, a ball of liquid energy was slowly rotating.

The ether particle is now like an embryo deep within the soul of the Lord, awaiting the moment of its birth.

The Holy Lord infused his primordial power into the ether particles. The dark golden light intertwined with the ether particles, emitting low hums. The rotation speed of the ether particles suddenly increased, and the energy began to collapse and condense towards the center, forming a small sphere. The density increased, and the light became more and more intense.

The Holy Lord sensed that power, that more fundamental and primal power, that power capable of rewriting reality.

"Owner."

Wanda's voice came from behind him. Shendu opened his eyes but didn't turn around: "What's wrong?"

"You are... glowing."

The Holy Lord looked down at his hands, where a dark red light was seeping from beneath his skin.

"The ether particles are solidifying; it's almost complete," the Holy Lord said calmly.

Wanda approached the Holy Lord, her eyes filled with worry and awe: "Will this affect you?"

The Holy Lord chuckled lightly: "No, my things have no power to resist me."