A thousand miles of frozen earth, snow sweeping across the sky.
The otherworldly demon god from a parallel dimension was ultimately sealed by the young man's formidable sorcery, his body crushed within the shattered altar. The ancient bronze cauldron, etched with mysterious runes, was reduced to fragments and dissolved into nothingness.
Woz, who arrived hurriedly with The Other, each lugging a sound system on their back, switched off the melody designed to break the Outer God's mental control spell. Blinking his large eyes, Woz scanned the white-robed youth standing amidst the ruins.
This was an instinctive reaction, but…
"Unable to construct a combat profile???"
Woz froze.
That was extremely rare. Even back in Svartalfheim, it hadn't encountered this issue, not even when facing Malekith with the Aether in his grasp.
"Peeking into another's secrets without permission… that's a bad habit, little kitten."
The young man's smile was serene, but it instantly unsettled Woz, who had been intensifying its scan.
"Who are you?!"
"Why are you here?!"
Hela, hair pulled back into a combed, warrior's crown, remained on guard despite the Outer God's departure. The youth who had suddenly emerged from the magic circle unnerved her in a way few could.
He lacked the vast mana reserves typical of such powerful spellwork, and yet he had performed a high-grade sealing spell with ease?
Since when had Midgard harbored someone like this?
She made a mental note: this needed to be reported to Father, Odin, immediately.
"My name is Cuba, disciple of the Sorcerer Supreme. I hail from Midgard."
The young man, Cuba, spoke with warmth, dark curls tousled by the wind. His youthful face radiated an easygoing, sunlit charm.
"Sorcerer Supreme?"
Hela frowned. She'd never heard of such a person.
Was there really someone like that on Midgard?
She had always focused her conquests on other realms. Midgard was beneath her attention, save for the curiosity Odin showed in it, he was always setting up defenses and wards throughout the realm.
"Meow~"
Having narrowly escaped danger, the Flerken washed its paws by the river, then used its own energy to fluff-dry its orange fur. With a light leap, its slender form landed squarely on Lothar's shoulder. Its round head nudged against his exposed skin, tongue lapping affectionately in a clear display of endearment.
"I've been tracking that Flerken for days," Cuba said with a note of regret, his gaze falling upon the little feline currently charming food from Lothar.
"Didn't expect… it had an owner."
"Meow~"
The Flerken blinked, happily nibbling the energy dumpling Lothar handed it. Its orange tail swayed contentedly, occasionally brushing against the red tail behind Lothar—clearly a gesture of friendship.
"That magic you used just now… it didn't come from your own power, did it?"
Lothar's sensitivity to cosmic energy had been sharpened since childhood due to enhancement serums.
He had watched Cuba's sealing spell in detail. That energy, it wasn't of this universe. Like the outer god, it came from a parallel dimension.
Which is why he hadn't powered down his Super Saiyan form.
His wariness remained.
Who was to say this man wasn't allied with the outer god that the Midgardians had nearly summoned?
"Forgive me, but our methods of channeling power are… proprietary."
Cuba brushed the snow from his white robes and gave Lothar a courteous smile. Then he pulled up his hood, hiding his face completely.
"Outlander, take your pet and leave Midgard. If you remain, you'll both be in grave danger."
"An outer god from a parallel dimension has set its sights on your Flerken. It seeks to harness the creature's strange powers to bypass the wards my master placed—wards that keep it from descending into Midgard."
"So for your safety, I suggest you leave. Even going back to Asgard with her would be safer than staying here."
"What did you just say?!"
Before Lothar could respond, the white-robed sorcerer vanished completely from sight.
"He-he's gone?!"
The Other, finally catching his breath after sprinting with Woz, gawked in disbelief.
Where'd he go?
That man… he was just standing there a second ago!
"No detectable energy signature, Prince Lothar," Woz reported. Despite its best efforts, it had failed to construct a viable profile for Guba in its system.
Absolutely nothing.
"Disciple of the Sorcerer Supreme…?"
Hela's brow furrowed tightly.
She now felt a strong need to reconsider everything she believed about Midgard.
Among the Nine Realms, she had always deemed Midgard the weakest. Even the dwarves, who did little more than forge weapons, possessed far greater might.
Her past campaigns on Midgard had only reinforced that belief. The natives worshiped Asgardians as gods, wrote myths in their honor, even built religions around their pantheon.
Take Odin, for example. As a child, she had found multiple copies of The Odin Myths penned by Midgardians in his private library.
But what had just happened today completely shattered that impression.
She knew just how terrifying Outer Gods could be. Some were powerful enough to rival even her father.
While a few might be overhyped, they were still far beyond what Midgard's natives could handle, supposedly.
"Seems you've yet to truly unify the Nine Realms."
As Cuba disappeared, Lothar finally deactivated his Super Saiyan transformation. The golden glow faded, his hair returning to its natural black.
That crooked smirk at the corner of his lips irritated Hela more than it should have.
Lothar looked down, gently scratching the Flerken's head as it nibbled the rest of its treat, his eyes gleaming coldly.
He was curious.
Who had dared target his pet?
And more importantly, just how strong were these so-called Outer Gods from other dimensions?
But above all else…
His fists were itching.
As a Saiyan, what thrilled him the most?
A worthy opponent. One who could deliver a satisfying, no-holds-barred battle.
"I can't wait."
That grin of his grew wider, more feral.
But just then, his musing was cut short by a furious shout echoing from the ruins of the shattered altar—
"What the hell did you people just do?!"
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