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*****
Because of the celestial convergence, the boundaries of the Nine Realms blurred, and spatial anomalies began appearing everywhere. That's why the spatial portal where Selvig and Darcy had just emerged had shifted to an unknown location.
Fortunately, they had their own methods for detecting such anomalies.
During the convergence, the intermingling of space, gravity, light, and even matter would always produce irregularities at portal sites—distortions, overlapping objects, warped light, or gravitational disruptions.
So, all they needed to do was locate one of these anomalies, and they could step through.
Half an hour later, Darcy Lewis suddenly cried out, "Look over there!"
Following her finger, Jane and Selvig saw sand and gravel floating gently in midair.
A gravity anomaly!
Their eyes lit up. Grabbing Darcy, who was still squealing, they rushed forward.
Moments later, the three of them vanished, their vision blurred, and when it cleared, they stood in a strange new space.
Though they had crossed via a spatial rift, it was obvious this was not Earth.
A dim sky and sand whipped up by icy winds gave the place a hellish appearance.
"Where… where are we?"
Darcy shivered and instinctively hugged Jane Foster for warmth.
"It should be one of the Nine Realms. I can't say which, but… why don't we stay and study it?" Selvig's eyes blazed with excitement, rubbing his hands together as adrenaline suppressed the biting cold.
Jane and Darcy immediately retorted in unison: "No way!"
If they lingered, they'd freeze or starve long before solving any mysteries.
"Quick, find another portal!" Jane said through chattering teeth.
Selvig sighed. "Relax. As the convergence continues, more and more realms will overlap. Portals will only grow more frequent, and easier to find."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's move!" Darcy urged, immediately beginning her search.
The three resumed their hunt. But even as they searched for a portal, someone else was searching for them—or more precisely, for Jane Foster.
The Dark Elves.
When Jane had stumbled into that underground chamber, something had slipped inside her body—
The Aether.
The Dark Elves' long-sought secret weapon.
They intended to reclaim it and use its power to return the universe to eternal darkness.
Now that Jane had become its host, the Dark Elves—who had once wielded the Aether—felt its call.
And with Jane's escape from its sealed chamber, Malekith, their leader, could sense it more clearly than ever. Soon he pinpointed its location.
Svartalfheim.
Their quarry had wandered right into their own realm.
"The Aether has delivered its host to me. Seize her!"
Pale-skinned Dark Elves with sharp ears moved at once.
A massive, T-shaped mothership opened its hatches, releasing several small axe-like fighters that spread out to hunt Jane Foster.
Meanwhile, on Earth, in New York—
Halloween parade chaos reigned on the streets.
Mike and his group had blended into the costumed crowds.
Dressed in cheap knockoff superhero outfits, they passed for just another set of revelers among the monsters and ghouls.
After all, plenty of others were wearing superhero costumes. Who would believe these ones were real?
Tony Stark, disguised as the Hulk, wore an inflatable suit of bulging "muscles." His oversized green frame looked laughably fake.
Luckily, the hood covered his face. Otherwise, tomorrow's papers would've had a field day.
"Hey, man! Nice costume. Frankenstein's monster?" asked a Dracula carrying a pumpkin bucket.
Tony's face twitched beneath the hood. "It's Hulk. Hulk!"
The vampire gave him a dubious look as Tony strutted past, flexing his bouncy foam muscles.
Nearby, Steve and Barton, dressed as Black Widow—complete with wigs—shambled along stiffly among a pack of zombies, looking more undead than the zombies themselves.
"Captain America" Natasha and "Hawkeye" Wanda exchanged a wicked grin, slipped behind them, and smacked both squarely on the butt.
Smack! Smack!
Steve's mouth twitched, while Barton let out a startled yelp.
"F—!"
"Hahaha!"
The two women doubled over in laughter, blew them mocking kisses, and teased, "Shake it, girls!"
Steve and Barton looked at each other, their faces twitching uncontrollably, before roaring: "Stop right there!"
"Let Black Widow show you some love!"
Like switches had been flipped, they began swaying their hips, chasing after Natasha and Wanda.
The two women shrieked and bolted, faces pale with panic.
Watching the chaotic foursome, "Superman" Pietro and "Thor" Bruce shook their heads.
"No sense of dignity," Bruce muttered.
"+1," Pietro agreed.
But then Pietro's eyes lit up. Pointing at a man in a saggy Hulk costume half-heartedly waving a cardboard "car," he laughed: "Haha, that Hulk looks so stupid!"
Bruce's mouth twitched, and the fake Hulk froze before turning to glare coldly at Pietro.
Hulk #2—Thor.
A chill ran down Pietro's spine. He took a step back.
"Say that again?"
Thor cracked his knuckles, stalking forward.
"I didn't say anything!" Pietro blurted, bolting—
Only to be yanked back.
"Bruce!" he squealed.
Bruce shouted, "Hurry, Thor! I've got him!"
"No! Let me go!" Pietro wailed, dropping into a crouch as Thor loomed closer. "Not the face!"
Thor sneered and lunged.
Mike, watching Pietro pinned beneath a red cape, sighed. This was murder on Superman's public image.
Clark's jaw twitched as he turned away coldly. Thor, Hulk… I'll make you fight for real later.
"Gwen! Why are you hanging back?" Clark suddenly called.
Gwen had fallen behind, pulling her cape up to hide her face. "Being seen with you is too embarrassing. Let's pretend we don't know each other."
She shot them a disgusted look—their black-and-yellow X-Men suits looked especially pathetic.
Mike and Clark glanced at each other, then each grabbed one of Gwen's arms and lifted her up.
"Put me down!" Gwen shrieked.
Truly, Superman was having a rough night.
The parade continued down Sixth Avenue, crowds packed on either side.
But then, commotion erupted. Cheers and screams rang out—
Cheers? With screams?
Mike frowned. Normally, screaming meant fear. But this sounded different.
Scanning the crowd, his eyes widened.
People were floating in midair, swimming like fish, laughing and shrieking with delight. More spectators tried joining in.
Mike's brow furrowed. This wasn't acrobatics or magic—there were no wires or tricks.
Which meant…
"Gravity anomaly?" Bruce muttered, grabbing Tony. "What do you think?"
Tony stroked his chin. "Looks like it. But how could it happen here?"
The group stopped.
"I have a bad feeling," Pietro said.
Even as he spoke, armored figures appeared among the crowd—dark masks, black-and-white armor, weapons in hand.
The Dark Elves.
They scanned the crowd, until one, startled by the "monsters," panicked and fired an energy blast.
Clark vanished from Mike's side, appearing in front of the beam.
Zzzzt!
The blast scattered harmlessly against his chest.
The crowd erupted in applause, assuming it was all part of the show. Some even rushed forward shouting, "Shoot me next!"
Mike's lips twitched. Idiots…
But from the Dark Elves' perspective—
What the hell? Our attack didn't work? Are these Earthlings all this strong?
Confused and unnerved, they tightened their grips on their guns and unleashed a barrage.
But Clark moved faster, blocking every shot aimed at civilians. Those that missed struck the pavement, leaving smoking holes.
Some onlookers finally realized the danger, their smiles fading into horror.
In an instant, Clark blurred into the Elves' midst, his fists hammering them into walls, lampposts, even a fire hydrant that exploded into a geyser.
Cracks in the walls, bent steel, and shattered hydrants left no doubt—
This wasn't a performance.
The crowd screamed and scattered.
The Avengers regrouped around Clark, staring at the pale-skinned attackers.
"Who are these guys?"
"They're… Dark Elves?" Thor muttered uncertainly. The resemblance to the figures in Asgardian texts was undeniable, but their kind was thought long extinct.
Before he could process it further, a colossal T-shaped warship tore through distorted space, its tail slamming into the street.
Thor's eyes widened.
The Dark Elves' mothership—here?
He tore off his disguise.
"Thor!" cried two disheveled figures pushing through the crowd—Darcy and Selvig.
They'd been the ones chased by the Elves.
"What's going on? Weren't you studying the convergence? Why are you here? Where's Jane?"
"Jane was taken!" Darcy pointed at the fallen Elves.
Thor's gaze darkened.
Selvig added breathlessly, "We stumbled into an overlapping spatial zone. Then these things appeared and hunted us down."
"They said they needed to extract something from Jane!" Darcy blurted. "She lured them away so we could escape!"
Their hurried words gave Thor the picture. Only one thought remained in his mind—
His beloved Jane had been captured.
Stretching out his hand, he summoned Mjolnir with a shriek of wind. Leaping into the sky, thunder crackled around him.
With lightning coursing through his body, he rocketed toward the Dark Elves' ship.
The crowd roared.
"Look! Hulk can fly!"
"Hulk stole Thor's hammer!"
But before the Avengers could react, Thor was struck down, blasted from the ship and sent careening through walls, skidding across the ground, and smashing into a car.
The team's hearts clenched.
That was Thor. Who could possibly hit him that hard?
(End of Chapter)