The ancient gods are not gods.
At least, not according to Thor's account.
They are beings greater than the gods of Asgard.
They were the first deities at the dawn of the universe.
Of course, here "gods" refers to those from Asgard, the Vanir, and Olympus.
Not abstract entities like Eternity, Infinity, Oblivion, and Death.
"The ancient gods who dwell in darkness, they planned every Ragnarok."
"They are armed with knives and forks."
"They greedily draw upon the vast energy of the gods in their downfall."
"That's right, they feed on it!"
Thor spoke shockingly.
After listening, Aron looked at the Ancient One.
"Ancient One, do you know what kind of ancient gods these are?"
"The ancient beings I know of are those before Gaia, Mother Earth, Chthon, the god of dark magic, the serpent god Set, and Oshtur and Hoggoth among the Vishanti Three."
After the Ancient One finished speaking, she added: "But the ancient gods Odinson speaks of clearly aren't the ones I just mentioned."
"That's right."
Thor nodded.
"These beings were born at the beginning of the universe."
"But the problem is that since their birth, they've been hidden beyond reality, in a place even time cannot reach."
"They exist in no universe."
"But they can reach into all parallel worlds, absorbing the immense energy of each universe and every Ragnarok."
"My father, Odin, discovered their hiding place."
"He went there to try to reverse the fate of the gods."
"And then… he never returned."
At that,
Thor, the iron-willed warrior, couldn't help but shed tears.
But he quickly gathered himself and buried all sorrow in his heart.
"I believe Odin died as a king!"
"I'm proud of that!"
Thor struck his chest with his fist.
Remembering Odin's departure.
"I can't imagine that old man… The old god-king was so bold!"
"Yes, to face the ancient gods alone."
"It must have been a magnificent, epic battle."
Perhaps because Odin's act, risking his life to change the fate of his children, was truly admirable,
after hearing this, everyone present expressed their respect.
And upon hearing it,
Aron finally understood Thor's experiences during this period.
It must be said, quite thrilling.
"So that's how you became Rune King?"
Aron sensed the energy within Thor's body.
By its magnitude…
Thor had reached the peak Heavenly Father level.
Almost on par with the original Odin and the Ancient One.
"Yes, but it's not enough."
"I feel that the power of the runes is far greater than this."
"But for some reason, here I can only exert this much."
Said Thor, as if something were limiting him.
Of course, Aron understood what it was.
Cosmic level!
The same Rune King Thor.
The comic version of Rune King is at least multiversal level.
But in the cinematic universe, Rune King Thor can only reach the peak Heavenly Father level.
And in terms of expression…
That peak Heavenly Father might not even be as strong as a regular Heavenly Father in the comic version.
"In front of me stands a powerful opponent beyond the universe."
"I know the gap between us."
"That's why, my friend, this time I truly need your help!"
Thor looked at Aron sincerely.
To be honest,
Thor could still hardly believe it.
You know, the last time he fought Gorr the God Butcher, Aron was only at the Heavenly Father level.
"I thought I could catch up after obtaining the power of the runes."
"But I didn't expect the gap between us to grow even wider."
"Odin is my witness…"
"My friend, I didn't expect that you've already reached the single-universe level!"
Thor was sincerely happy because of that.
For the power of the ancient gods he had to face was unknown.
The stronger the allies,
the better!
The only question now was whether Aron was willing to help.
"Well, that depends…"
Aron took out his phone and checked the time.
A trace of hesitation appeared on his face.
"Tell me, can this be settled before noon tomorrow?"
At that question, Thor was stunned.
Then he answered:
"I'm not sure when."
"But one thing I do know."
"And that is, at the hiding place of the ancient gods, the concept of time doesn't exist."
"No matter how long we stay there, a week, a month, a year, or even a decade, for the outside world it will only be a moment."
Upon hearing that, Aron exhaled in relief.
"Then no problem, let's go."
"Let's go to hell first, and bring your sister Hela along."
Aron opened a portal.
Gestured for Thor to follow him.
"My friend, do you have something important tomorrow at noon?"
"Do you need my help?"
Thor asked as he followed.
"Help? No need!"
Aron refused firmly.
Tomorrow I have a date with Gal Gadot, what help would I need from you?
...
With the figures of Aron and Thor, they disappeared into the portal.
Inside the Temple in New York,
several girls turned their eyes to the Ancient One.
They hadn't even opened their mouths yet,
but the Ancient One guessed what they were thinking.
"Don't worry, even if the sky falls, that kid won't lose a single hair."
As the Ancient One said that, she herself felt it sounded unbelievable.
What kind of blessings did that kid accumulate in his past life?
To actually be protected by Eternity!
However…
The Ancient One could never have imagined.
The real situation was even more unbelievable than she knew!
The greatest possibility the Ancient One could imagine was that Aron had somehow caught Eternity's attention, and Eternity had given him a small blessing.
But in reality…
Eternity was like a subordinate!
Aron summoned him! Come and go!
"In short, that kid has protection, so you don't have to worry too much!"
The Ancient One's assurance could be considered a calming pill for the women.
It slightly eased the worry in their hearts.
"Your Holiness, I'm going to continue practicing magic."
Wanda also breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she turned and entered the training room inside the temple.
The Ancient One furrowed her brow as she watched Wanda's back but said nothing more.
During this period, Wanda's training time had nearly doubled.
Aside from eating, drinking, and resting as necessary,
she spent almost twenty-four hours in the training room.
"Could it be that this girl has suffered something?"
The Ancient One wondered.
...…
Training room.
As soon as Wanda entered, she sat cross-legged.
Earlier, when she and Aron had found the Darkhold, Wanda had learned that she was the Scarlet Witch, and that her chaotic magic had infinite potential.
Since then…
Wanda had thrown herself into penance!
Hoping to grow stronger quickly and at least be able to help Aron.
However.
Not long after Wanda sat cross-legged,
a very familiar voice suddenly echoed in her ears.
"Do you have a baby?"
"!?"
Wanda's eyes snapped open.
The female voice echoing in her ears was clearly her own.
"I'm asking you, do you have a baby?"
The voice spoke again.
Wanda listened carefully, yes, it was definitely her own voice!
But children?
Wanda looked down at her flat stomach.
"No, the usual precautions work just fine."
"…"
At that,
the other Wanda's voice in her ear went silent.
"Then you're not my target, I'll find the next one, bye."
Marvel — Earth-199999 Cinematic Universe.
Wanda, whose will was being eroded by the Darkhold, said that, and severed the magical connection.