"Arise!" Lucci called, his Path Flame Sword pointing down. In an instant, golden energy threads, thinner than a spider's silk and inscribed with glowing runes, burst from the tip—it was barely visible to the naked eye.
The strands didn't linger in the air. They melted instantly into the void, connecting with the World Tree's branches and crossing all of Asgard. Centered on Lucci, an invisible, enormous web rapidly spread across the sky.
Asgard, unlike desert-like Earth, was filled with people born sensitive to magic. As the net unfolded, the entire realm erupted in wonder. Countless denizens froze in awe, gazing skyward as a vast net took shape above.
In the Hall of the God-King, Hela and Loki were mid-debate over whether to launch a new military campaign against the Muspelheim Flame Giants.
"I told you! For fools with fire in their brains, the best communication is a knife to the throat!" Hela's voice was cold as steel.
"Sister, times have changed," Loki replied coolly. "Besides, Lucci's best at handling fire. Muspelheim's threats are trivial. What we need now is stability! Trade agreements benefit more than pointless war!"
Mid-argument, both siblings stiffened, looking up and exchanging shocked glances. They felt the power forming above the clouds. Wordless, they rushed to the square outside, looking up to see Lucci weaving miracles in the sky.
Their faces were a tangle of shock, awe, and even a little fear.
"That's… Lucci…" Loki murmured. "This power… this feeling…"
Hela was stunned as well.
The mysterious energy she'd once detected on Earth—now she realized, it had always been Lucci's MagicNet! From the very first day they arrived on Earth, Lucci had already known their every move, each scheme a childish play in his eyes.
They met eyes again—this time, all hesitation gone, replaced by wry, helpless smiles.
They finally understood, from the bottom of their hearts:
They had lost.
…
Asgard, Battle Arena
"Bang!"
Thor knocked the valiant Volstagg aside with his hammer, wiping sweat away with a laugh.
"Volstagg! You're losing your edge!"
Of the Warriors Three, Fandral and Hogun also laughed beside Thor. But at that moment, all of them felt a strange power overhead and looked up.
"What… what is that?"
Volstagg pointed at the forming net, bewildered. Fandral and Hogun were speechless as well.
But the moment Thor saw the net, his eyes flashed with excitement.
"I know that! That's the MagicNet! Lucci's masterpiece! I saw it on Earth and Nidavellir—it'll keep Asgard safe forever!"
Hearing Thor's explanation, the Warriors Three stared blankly, then looked up in awe at Lucci's godlike figure. Their eyes were filled with worship.
"As expected of Prince Lucci!"
"It's incredible! Defending the world with a skywide net—this is a miracle!"
…
Lucci watched the net grow, nodding in satisfaction. With its core structure completed, now only time was needed for it to close and fully blend into Asgard.
He quietly returned to the God-King's palace.
Even Odin, accustomed to miracles, was shocked; Frigga—with her profound magical achievements—was utterly shaken. No one sensed the vastness of the net's energy more clearly than she.
Overwhelmed, Frigga stared at Lucci.
"How did you create such a massive MagicNet? Where does the energy come from? Why does it feel as if your net connects countless worlds?"
Lucci nodded, approving of her keen insight.
"Mother, you're right. The net's energy source isn't Asgard—or even our universe. It draws from the infinite multiverse itself. I've embedded the principles of multidimensional energy channeling into its core laws. This opens invisible energy windows between universes, drawing pure energy from other dimensions to sustain itself. As such, the net's energy will never run dry—a feat impossible if Asgard alone had to support it."
Frigga's eyes immediately blazed at the name of the technique.
"Multidimensional energy channeling?"
She looked at Lucci with the awe of a scholar discovering the ultimate truth.
Indeed, to cross dimensional boundaries and draw infinite energy straight from the higher-dimensional cosmos—this was no longer just magic, but the road to the origin of magic itself!
Overcome, she asked,
"Can I learn it?"
"Of course." Lucci smiled, tapping her brow.
A river of pure knowledge flooded into Frigga's consciousness, from fundamental theory to core runes, up to the crucial rules for linking with the multiverse.
At that moment, her spiritual world surged like a storm. Her years of magical training gave immediate comprehension. In a flash, a faint experiment—summoning a basic sphere of light—exploded into a glowing orb several times its usual size, filled with purer, more magnificent light than ever, surprising even Odin.
Frigga stared at her spell in rapture and disbelief.
This… this isn't magic anymore—it's practically divine!
Her spellcasting had multiplied in speed and power. With each use, energy came as if self-mobilized—her world changed forever.
From then, Frigga fully devoted herself to exploring the "Multiversal Energy Conduction" technique, blending it into every spell she knew. Whether she summoned frost lotuses—each petal emanating absolute zero cold—or conjured dimensional tears in her palm, every spell's power soared beyond all precedent.
Witnessing her delight, Odin and Lucci both smiled with deep relief.
Then Lucci turned to Odin, serious:
"Father, my spell caused quite a stir. The people of Asgard certainly saw it. May I announce, in your name, a divine proclamation to avoid confusion or panic?"
Odin agreed. Moments later, his mighty voice thundered across the whole of Asgard.
"People of Asgard! I am your king, Odin! Do not fear the great net now hanging above. This is the MagicNet, created by your Crown Prince Lucci to protect our home! From now on, the net will safeguard us all, withstanding any evil—even the mightiest foes! It is Asgard's ultimate shield!"
At the sound of the God-King's decree, all at once—from Heimdall at the Bifrost to citizens in every corner—every worry and doubt melted away.
Instead, an unprecedented sense of security, faith, and worship for Lucci swept the entire realm.
…
But almost at the same moment that Asgard rejoiced in their new magical shield, a world away, on a dead, desolate planet—Vormir.
There, atop a bottomless cliff, stood a tall, hulking purple figure.
Thanos.
Crystal tears of pain and struggle slid from his stoic, ravine-like face. And before him, emerging from the void with a strange spatial fluctuation and a mysterious orange glow, floated the Soul Stone—the most enigmatic of all the Infinity Stones.
Thanos looked at the gem earned by sacrificing his own daughter. For a fleeting moment, his gaze reflected grief and agony—but then, that expression was replaced by burning ambition.
"So this… is the power of the Soul Stone?"
He reached out, embedding it into the Infinity Gauntlet.
With a clicking sound like destiny's gears locking into place, the Soul Stone merged with the gauntlet.
A surge of indescribable might flooded his body—as if he could now grasp the soul of every living thing in the universe.