TN: There is no Chapter 111, I don't know why. Don't worry, this chapter is the continuation of Chapter 110. There is no leap.
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"Son of Thanos, from this moment on, you shall drown in the whirlpool of regret."
Under the engulfing darkness, countless black tendrils, crackling with lightning, lashed out from the mist, whipping at everyone—Lothar, Hela, and all others alike.
The scent of the Dreamblossom drifted across the plains of Svartalfheim. Chitauri soldiers, having inhaled the hallucinogenic gas, turned their weapons on each other, plunging into a frenzy of mutual slaughter. In less than two minutes, the battlefield was awash in blood and shattered mechanical parts.
"Regret?"
"I never regret."
Lothar grunted as he ruthlessly tore apart the massive tendril that tried to coil around his arm, ignoring the black blood splattered across his lips.
"Is that so?"
Malekith's figure was nowhere to be seen within the boundless darkness. Lothar could only rely on Woz's biosignature readings on his wrist display and his honed battle instincts to fend off the Dark Elf King's attacks.
As the seals weakened, Malekith's bond with the Aether grew stronger, and the energy swelling within him became increasingly oppressive—a pressure so heavy that it was enough to snuff out life.
"Lord Lothar, please disengage and retreat from this area immediately!"
"Lord Lothar, please disengage and retreat from this area immediately!"
"Lord Lothar, please—"
Woz's urgent alarms rang incessantly in Lothar's ears, its usual mechanical calm replaced with rare, intense emotion.
"Woz has detected a large accumulation of Reality Stone isotopes converging here. Based on analysis, it matches the energy signature used by Di Elrod at the Asgardian outpost. If you don't retreat immediately, your life will be in grave danger!"
"It's just an Infinity Stone."
Lothar's heart rate accelerated, his eyes brimming with an almost feral excitement. He had faced Shafrin on Planet U40, who wielded a fragment of the Mind Stone's power—this situation, even with Malekith unseen, didn't rattle him. It was merely another Reality Stone wielder.
"Lord Lothar, I urge you—Malekith's energy has surpassed Woz's scanning threshold. It's extremely dangerous now."
As Lothar's combat assistant, Woz presented the growing energy readings bluntly, even pulling data from the battle with Shafrin for comparison, highlighting how much more overwhelming Malekith had become after merging with the Aether.
"Trying to run?"
"It's too late."
Without warning, Malekith materialized at Lothar's side. His hoarse voice slithered like a devil's whisper, and with it, a surge of gem-infused energy struck straight at Lothar's chest!
"In fact, I should thank you," Malekith breathed, arms spread wide to embrace the air of Svartalfheim, intoxicated by the Aether's power.
"If not for you, I would have had to fight Odin on Midgard before harvesting the life energy of their soldiers."
"Now, as thanks, I'll let you fully experience the true terror of the Aether you've been so desperate to claim."
As his words fell, Malekith clenched his right hand into a fist. The terrain around Lothar twisted violently—an instant later, the very plains of Svartalfheim buried him beneath the earth, the soil dense and fragrant.
"Prince Lothar!!!"
The Other, having barely escaped the lashing tendrils, was flung toward Malekith by the shifting ground. Seeing Lothar swallowed by the earth, he cried out in horror.
"Meow~"
A ginger cat leapt from The Other's arms, tilting its head curiously as it sniffed toward Malekith, as if detecting an intriguing scent.
"Lothar!"
With a roar, a silver war hammer descended from the heavens.
Hela, brandishing Mjolnir—the weapon once given to her by Odin—rushed to Lothar's side.
BOOM!!!
A shockwave of silvery-white energy exploded outward, shattering the black mist-cloaked surface. Lothar, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, roared as a thunderous aura burst from him, charging straight toward Malekith!
CRACK!
A furious punch slammed into the dense dark energy shielded around Malekith—only to be stopped effortlessly.
"Is this all?"
"It hardly matches the bold claims you made earlier."
Malekith, arms behind his back, smiled coldly as reality bent to his will once again. Black tendrils erupted from the gloom, wrapping tightly around Lothar's body.
Tiny, razor-sharp appendages pierced his skin, greedily siphoning his life force.
A chilling dread seized Lothar's heart.
"Ahhh~~~"
"Yes, that's it~"
Malekith's voice trembled with ecstasy, his eyes shut as he savored the unique vitality within Lothar—life energy unlike anything in this universe.
"You bastard..."
Lothar, fully aware of the changes in his own body, watched helplessly as warning screens flooded Woz's interface. Bound tightly by the materialized Aether, he couldn't move as the tendrils continued draining him.
SHNK!
The sound of a blade slicing into flesh echoed sharply.
Suddenly freed, Lothar reacted immediately, shattering the tendrils ensnaring him.
"Hela?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. Honestly, I'd rather see you dead," Hela said coolly, withdrawing her magic sword from her left hand while standing guard before him, "but if you die here, it'll only cause me more trouble."
Facing the Aether-empowered Malekith alone would be a fool's errand.
"Tch."
Lothar clicked his tongue in annoyance but said nothing. Malekith's strength had far exceeded his expectations—this was nothing like Shafrin of U40.
But that only made the fight more exhilarating.
Rather than fear, endless fighting spirit blazed in Lothar's eyes.
Despite the partial loss of life force, the nutritional serum he had been steeped in since childhood kept him lively and agile, as though unscathed.
"Daughter of Odin?"
Malekith frowned, and immediately redirected all his tendrils to avoid Hela, targeting Lothar exclusively. He had no intention of tangling with an Asgardian—especially knowing that the older they grew, the stronger they became.
Still—
"Just the two of you?"
Malekith sneered, and at his will, the entire dark world trembled.
Lightning raged like demonic serpents, crashing down with deafening roars.
Mountains twisted into monstrous shapes, and ancient, massive trees whipped about, their branches thrashing violently against the hearts of all.
"Lord Lothar! Please follow the retreat route Woz has calculated!"
"Lord Lothar! Please follow the retreat route Woz has calculated!"
Lothar's breath came in harsh, rasping gasps, his sweat mixing with his blood as it splattered onto the ground. Under the endless assault of lightning and tendrils, visible signs of aging appeared across his body; his physical functions were rapidly deteriorating.
Meanwhile, Malekith, steadily breaking the final seals binding the Aether, leisurely watched Lothar and Hela's desperate struggle.
"Lord Lothar! Please—"
"Shut up, Woz."
Panting heavily, Lothar cut Woz off and raised his hand, summoning two vials of green nutrient fluid. He drank one himself and tossed the other to Hela, who had landed nearby.
Though Hela had no life force depletion, her wounds were very real.
"Hey, you dead yet?"
Hela, back-to-back with Lothar, smashed another conjured monster with Mjolnir and asked grimly.
"Even if you die, I won't," Lothar retorted, his voice steady as the nutrient serum restored his battered body.
It was the same answer he had given her back on the plains bordering Jotunheim, when they had first met.
"I could keep fighting like this all day."
"Funny. So can I."
...
Meanwhile,
Centaurian System, Black Quadrant, inside Thanos's base—
Ebony Maw stood respectfully at the foot of the throne, reporting Lothar's abnormal vitals to the titan seated above.
"Life force depletion?"
"Yes, Lord Thanos. Lothar may be in serious danger this time," Ebony Maw said, revealing that they had also lost connection with Woz.
"I understand. You may leave."
To Ebony Maw's surprise, Thanos did not react with the same urgency he had shown during the U40 incident.
"As you command, Lord Thanos."
After Maw left, Thanos remained seated in silence for a long while before rising. His gaze turned toward the barren landscape outside the base—as if he could see across star systems to where Lothar now fought for his life.
"This is the path you must walk, Lothar."
"Years of smooth sailing have dulled your body's edge, causing you to stagnate..."
"Only by standing on the brink of death can you truly grasp the essence of life."
"Lothar, what will you choose to do?"
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