"A black hole grenade? You mean that thing? Honestly, I think picking it up is no better than grabbing some random shield or sword or axe from the street.
"Our people used this gear to torment the entire cosmos, after all!"
The staff member clearly wasn't aware of the significance of a black hole grenade. After all, the war that wiped out the Dark Elves happened before he was even born. By the time he grew up, the Dark Elves were little more than legend. Everyone assumed they were all dead—why pay any attention to a defeated race? Well, there was one person who still cared about them, but he wasn't in Asgard.
From the perspective of the Aesir, losers aren't worth talking about—just another bedtime legend. Whenever they come up, people just exclaim, "Wow, His Majesty Borr was so incredible! I want to be a warrior like him," and that's the end of it.
Naturally, Odin wouldn't go out of his way to describe the Dark Elves' fearsome power. To him, they really weren't anything major. He'd steamrolled them, right?
"Take this one out," Aaron ignored the staffer. Black hole grenades are well-known pieces of high-tech in the Marvel universe. Powered by Aether particles, the Dark Elves created black hole grenades and dark-matter particle guns. The former can also be called a dark-matter grenade—a standard-issue Dark Elf weapon. Its explosion creates a shockwave and unleashes massive energy that forms a miniature black hole, sucking in everything around it. Whether it's a fully equipped Asgardian warrior or a super-strong "Cursed One" who can knock Mjölnir aside, they cannot resist the black hole's spatial might. They're dragged in and instantly torn apart.
The dark-matter particle gun can easily break thick stone pillars. Even an Asgardian warrior with a mighty physique will die instantly if hit somewhere not protected by armor—it rips biological tissue at the molecular level, leaving an inexplicably lethal puncture wound. Only a Uru-metal shield with enchantments can stop a weapon like that.
These two weapons of mass destruction were the Dark Elves' specialized arsenal five thousand years ago, but even in today's cosmos, they're definitely top-tier divine arms. Aaron had long heard about the black hole grenade's reputation. He initially thought he'd have to wait two more years until the Aether particles reappeared during the Convergence, at which point he'd either grab them from the Dark Elves or simply absorb the Aether himself. By then, he'd have a body strong enough to handle the Infinity Stone's power.
But unexpectedly, the Asgard museum still had some leftovers from that war. A lucky find.
"Do you happen to have a ship that can warp through space without using a jump network?" Aaron tried to describe the kind of vessel he had in mind. But truth be told, he only had a vague notion of it. If possible, he wanted a ship that could generate its own wormholes. But from what he knew of current Marvel tech, that might still be out of reach. Perhaps the Kree had something like that, but it wasn't perfected yet.
The staff member just shook his head. "If you're looking for a regular ship, we have plenty that we seized. But if you mean one that can jump without using any existing wormhole connections, we don't have that.
"Why not ask the all-seeing Heimdall? He'll know if such a thing exists anywhere."
So basically, Heimdall can do everything except blow into a conch shell? Maybe he was a conch in his past life. Hearing this, Aaron gave up on wormhole tech. Actually, it didn't matter. He already had dark-matter teleportation and short-range teleportation, letting him roam the universe freely—plus, there was Heimdall! Aaron definitely wanted to acquire the power of the "all-seeing eye."
His super-vision might see objects from thousands or even tens of thousands of years in the past, but Heimdall sees everything in real time across the Nine Realms—and even beyond in the Milky Way, plus he can share that view remotely, which is one of the strongest ocular abilities in the Marvel universe: amazing support power.
Afterward, Aaron picked out a few more items from the museum. Ignoring the staffer's confused stare, he departed in style. There were still plenty of things left there, but Aaron had no time to sift through them all.
He soon melted down the black hole grenade.
[Dark-Matter Manipulation (Black Hole Control): Similar ability detected; merging with (Gravity Control). Your gravity control advances, and you can now freely manipulate dark matter and create a black hole at will that indiscriminately attacks everything around it (exact size depends on how much energy you pour in).]
So the main gain here was dark-matter manipulation. As for the Frost Beast or the Fire Demon Dragon, neither boosted Aaron's abilities. Things like frost resistance, fire resistance, or flight barely even mattered at this point—not even worth calling "icing on the cake." He merely wanted to expand the Primordial Forge's database to diversify its data.
Still, dark-matter manipulation—now that's interesting. Dark matter constitutes 27% of the universe's total mass and energy. The observable universe's total mass only makes up around 5%.
That means dark matter is abundant. It doesn't emit or reflect light, nor does it interact with electromagnetic forces, so ordinary means can't detect it at all. Yet its gravitational interaction helps form galaxies and keeps them stable. If someone truly mastered dark matter, they'd effectively control 27% of the cosmos!
One thought could destroy the universe… or create galaxies, indirectly creating life. Aaron was excited for what this ability might do in the future, especially since, by combining gravity and dark-matter energy to make a black hole, he could conjure something even larger than the black hole from the grenade.
The power of spatial collapse is terrifying. Even if your armor's supposedly indestructible, can it withstand a faceful of black hole? Unlike the grenade, his version can appear in an instant—touch it, and you're toast. That's how overpowered it is.
"All right, first I'll go have a look at Muspelheim. Let's see… that's in the lower half of the World Tree… not too far from Asgard… Actually, better to find Heimdall first."
Aaron studied the star map again and found the coordinates unreliable. Planets move, so their coordinates aren't static. Teleporting isn't the issue—it's just that if he miscalculated and ended up teleporting somewhere bizarre, that wouldn't be fun.
Gazing toward the Bifrost, he used his super-sight and locked on to his target. Tapping dark energy, Aaron vanished in a flash, reappearing instantly on the Rainbow Bridge. Heimdall, as ever, stood like a statue, gazing straight ahead to watch over the Nine Realms. He sensed the energy behind him and turned around. Seeing Aaron, he froze.
"You… dark-energy teleportation? Did the All-Father grant you that blessing?"
Heimdall felt a subtle bitterness. Clearly, he'd been the only one Odin had ever blessed that way…
"I don't need some blessing for that," Aaron replied. In truth, the dark-energy teleport wasn't given to him through a blessing. Odin had originally taught that to Heimdall, including his all-seeing eye. These aren't purely blessings but inherent potentials awakened by the infusion of power. A simple blessing might give you a slight boost, like the female warriors who get better overall physiques. Or it might be something more specialized, but you still wouldn't get something on the level of the all-seeing eye.
Theoretically, any Asgardian can get stronger from a blessing, but the effects vary. Some might awaken special abilities like the all-seeing eye, but the odds are very slim.
Heimdall wasn't the Guardian God because the blessing made him so, but because he was already born with that potential. Otherwise, why else would Odin entrust him with such responsibility, ignoring countless other Asgardians? Certainly not just because he's good at something trivial.
"Heimdall, can you monitor every corner of the Nine Realms?" Aaron asked a question that had been on his mind.
Heimdall was jarred but remained steady, his face expressionless. "Because of Odin's blessing, I can see the shimmering stars and watch over the Nine Realms."
"Can you watch every location in all Nine Realms at once and guarantee no intruders slip in?"
Heimdall shook his head. "I have only one set of eyes…"
Aaron nodded thoughtfully. "So you can't promise that intruders won't get into the Nine Realms unseen?"
Heimdall's face stiffened, and he answered a bit tensely, "But I can ensure Asgard isn't threatened."
"Then about the last time—"
"…"
You're seriously poking my sore spot? Heimdall wanted to snap back but recalled Odin's instructions. He's loyal to Odin, and Aaron is effectively Odin's equal. So, must he now pledge loyalty to Aaron too? That felt awful.
"That was somebody's deliberate collusion," Heimdall remarked pointedly. It was his life's greatest shame that Loki managed to sneak Frost Giants right under his nose. Odin never blamed him, but the memory still rankled—he felt like he'd failed his duty.
"So, do you see any weaknesses in your all-seeing eye? Anything that needs improving?" Aaron earnestly asked for feedback. After thousands of years on sentry duty, nobody knew the eye's shortcomings better than Heimdall. But Heimdall shook his head.
"It's perfect. Everyone envies these eyes—Thor and Loki included." He lifted his chin with pride. The all-seeing eye represents supreme honor, an expression of Odin's trust. He wields the Guardian Sword, stands watch at the Rainbow Bridge as the Guardian God, and surveys the Nine Realms. He even holds a backup method of dark-energy teleportation just in case. If you asked who Asgard's 'Zeus' trusts most, the answer is obviously Heimdall—neither Thor nor Loki can compare. Nor can Aaron, in Heimdall's eyes.
Seeing him so proud, Aaron thought privately, "Is he actually happy about being a gatekeeper?" Standing guard on the Rainbow Bridge for thousands of years without blinking…
"Speaking of which, don't your eyes get dry from never blinking?" Aaron asked, unable to resist.
Heimdall: ?
I'm the Guardian God, watching the Nine Realms. And you're worried if my eyes get dry? Let me tell you, blinking even once would be dereliction of duty! He shook his head.
Aaron was genuinely impressed. Amazing! Heimdall straightened further, thinking, See? Even Borr's son, Odin's own brother, can't help being jealous of my all-seeing eye! Sure, you're powerful, but you'll never have these eyes!
Aaron patted Heimdall's shoulder. "You're doing great. Keep it up!"
Heimdall reflexively responded, "Yes, sir!"
"…" Well, that was pure habit—Aaron is effectively Odin, so he's top boss. Heimdall didn't notice that, in his moment of satisfaction, Aaron plucked a single hair from him with lightning speed—too fast for Heimdall to detect.
Aaron quickly melted it down. Seeing a familiar glow, he felt relief. So a single hair is enough to perfectly merge? The Primordial Forge is amazing!
[All-Seeing Eye (Super Vision): Similar ability detected; merging with (Super Vision). You've acquired extremely powerful long-range sight. You can clearly see a butterfly flapping its wings billions of light-years away in real time.]
[Super Hearing: Similar ability detected; merging. You now possess even sharper hearing, able to pick up the gentle rush of faraway streams or the bustling clamor of a city, and you're particularly sensitive to certain keywords—like your name. Even if someone calls out to you from light-years away, you can instantly hear it!]
[Sensory Sharing: You can share whatever you see, hear, or feel with others in real time, even across billions of light-years (the other party must open their mind or be drastically weaker than you).]
[Enhanced Perception: Similar ability detected; merging. Your sensing abilities have grown even stronger. Used together with the All-Seeing Eye and Super Hearing, you can instantly lock onto whatever you want to see. Still, certain abilities can shield themselves from your perception and vision (for instance, Loki's magic).]
[Freeze-Tag Champion (Statue Mode): Congrats, you've become the master of freeze-tag—nobody can beat you at the "don't move" game. You're the god of standing still!]
[Eyes That Never Dry: Your eyes are extraordinarily developed. Even if you never blink, they won't become fatigued.]
[Night Owl: You have formidable stamina and can forgo sleep indefinitely, staying perpetually alert without getting tired. (The internet café is your home!)]
Wow. Aaron realized he'd underestimated Heimdall—no wonder Odin valued him so much. That was seven new, highly practical traits. Thanks to Heimdall, Aaron was even more versatile.
Golden light flared from Aaron's eyes. Checking the star map in his mind, he thought about Muspelheim and Surtur. Soon, his gaze pierced countless light-years and glimpsed the blazing world of fire and lava—Muspelheim. He saw Surtur, nearly three meters tall and slumped on his throne, gripping a black iron sword.
In the next moment, dark energy shimmered, and Aaron vanished. Heimdall finally blinked, wearing a look of deep uncertainty. He could have sworn he saw golden light in Aaron's eyes. Mulling it over, he was stunned—Aaron has his eyes! Just what can't this guy do?
Heimdall fell silent. After a pause, he searched for Aaron's location—then he saw Muspelheim, where a huge mob of Fire Giants swarmed toward Aaron, who had just appeared before Surtur.
"Damn Asgardian, you're too presumptuous!"
On his throne, the severely weakened Surtur glared, furious at Aaron. Following Surtur's command, Fire Giants who lived among lava cliffs sprang down from dozens of meters above, their powerful bodies almost ignoring gravity as they charged the intruder in droves.
"Sorry, you've got it wrong," Aaron said, shaking his head. "I'm not an Asgardian."
"Don't even try that! Your body reeks of those damned Asgardians—I'll never forget that stench!" Surtur raged, hurling a projection device at Aaron's feet. A moment later, a familiar voice rang out—Frigga's:
"Esteemed Surtur, King of the Fire Giants, we cordially invite you to tomorrow's—…"
At the end of the recording, there was a clear 3D image, identical to Surtur himself. Listening to Frigga's invitation, seeing that carved runic circle on the ground not far away, the same shape as the 3D projection, Aaron was momentarily speechless. Well, guess they sent an invitation all the way to Muspelheim.
"At least until tomorrow, I'm no Asgardian."
"I don't care who you are. Now that you're here, don't even think about leaving!" Surtur hefted his sword, prepared for battle. Even though he was in a severely weakened state—nowhere close to a thousandth of his peak—his rage made him fearless.
~~~
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