Chapter 43

Twenty-five Days!

Just twenty-five days!

In that short time, Russell's mastery of illusion magic had skyrocketed—from basic entry-level spells to advanced techniques like controlling shadows, instant phantom teleportation, and even creating large-scale illusions far more intricate and realistic than Old Loki's.

At this moment, Old Loki sat frozen in disbelief, his mind refusing to accept what he was seeing.

"This has to be Cassandra's trick! I must still be under her control," he thought.

But no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, the harsh truth stared him in the face.

"It's fake! It has to be fake!"

"Hahahaha!" Old Loki's laugh was strained, bordering on hysteria.

"It's real, Loki. You have to face reality," Russell said, placing a comforting hand on Old Loki's shoulder. His voice carried an infuriating sincerity as he added, "I just have a better talent for magic."

The words hit like a hammer.

Old Loki felt his chest tighten, and for a moment, he thought he might pass out from sheer frustration.

"Better talent? If you're just 'better,' then what am I? A 2,600-year-old fool who's been wasting his life?!"

The thought was almost too much to bear.

Russell, noticing Loki's state, blinked innocently and refrained from further teasing. He decided not to provoke the old man any further.

In truth, Russell's progress could have been even faster if he hadn't prioritized perfecting his skills. With his stacked magic talents, he felt his ability was approaching that of a baseline Doctor Strange.

But even with his talents, Russell hit a wall.

If the difficulty of creating convincing illusions was a 10, the difficulty of making those illusions real was a 1000. The gap was astronomical.

Lacking sufficient magical knowledge and deeper insights into the mystical arts only made the challenge harder. Continuing to practice blindly was pointless.

Russell began to think deeply about his next move.

With the Time Tablet now cracked, Russell had a potential plan. Perhaps Kamar-Taj was the next logical stop.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. While Kamar-Taj was important, there were more pressing priorities.

In the days that followed, Russell relocated with the wolf-girl to the Moss Plains, a safer area where the local Loki was relatively harmless. Survival supplies weren't an issue; Russell simply brought them back from alternate timelines.

One disappointment lingered: when he tracked down Cassandra's base the day after her death, it was already abandoned. Even Ant-Man's shell suit was gone.

"Luck must favor the Red Devil," Russell muttered. Otherwise, he'd have been next on Russell's hit list—for teleportation alone was an invaluable ability.

The First Time Walk

After ensuring everything was in place, Russell embarked on his first journey through time.

Time Coordinates:

2017-09-26

Location: Asgard

In a quiet corner of Asgard, an orange portal shimmered into existence, and Russell stepped through. A faint green light enveloped him, transforming his appearance into that of a nondescript Asgardian.

After ensuring his disguise was perfect, Russell waited.

Ten minutes later, he checked the Time Tablet. The timeline remained stable, with no deviations or branching.

"The Doomsday Line is such a convenient playground," he muttered before activating invisibility.

Though he couldn't recall the exact timeline of events, Old Loki had mentioned that Asgard would be destroyed by the Fire Giant within five hours. Russell had no intention of confronting either Hela or Surtur head-on.

Hela was effectively immortal in Asgard, and Surtur, in his Doomsday Messenger form, was capable of obliterating the realm with a single blow.

No, stealth was the key. He planned to quietly pick up the spoils after the chaos unfolded.

Russell theorized that if he actively participated in a character's death, his system might trigger a loot event. It had worked before, with Iron Man.

So, Russell resisted the urge to raid Asgard's treasury, fearing it might disrupt the timeline and prevent Ragnarok. Instead, he waited at a high vantage point for the show to begin.

Soon, Russell witnessed the dramatic events unfold:

Thor, Valkyrie, and Dr. Banner returned to Asgard aboard a spaceship.Thor faced Hela and lost an eye during the battle.Banner transformed into Hulk, and Loki made a heroic save.Surtur rose from the Eternal Flame, transforming into a towering, thousand-meter-high harbinger of destruction.

As the Fire Giant raised his colossal sword to deliver the final blow, Russell made his move.

Hands raised like pistols, Russell fired two micro blood arrows.

One arrow struck the Fire Giant's thigh, leaving nothing but a faint black mark. Surtur didn't even notice.

The second arrow flew toward Hela's head. But just as it was about to strike, she tilted her head, avoiding it with uncanny precision. Her gaze snapped toward Russell's hidden position.

"Damn little bug!" she hissed. But with Surtur's sword already descending, she had no time to retaliate.

Russell didn't wait for repercussions. He teleported directly to a room aboard the Leader spaceship, blending seamlessly with the fleeing crowd.

By the porthole, Loki noticed the "refugee" and frowned. His royal status made it clear that commoners should know their place.

Still, he forced a polite smile and stepped aside, expecting gratitude.

Instead, Russell ignored him entirely, leaving Loki bristling with indignation.

Moments later, Asgard exploded in a brilliant flash of light, its final moments immortalized in cosmic glory.

Thor stood solemnly by the window, murmuring, "Asgard is gone…"

Loki, prepared to offer some comforting words, paused when he heard a muttered complaint from Russell.

"Something feels off. Why isn't there any feedback? Did it not explode completely? Fire Giant, did you miss the mark?"

Both Thor and Loki turned, stunned by the audacity of the remark.

Thor frowned but chose to remain silent. Loki, however, was livid.

"What's your name?" Loki demanded, his voice sharp and commanding. "What's your intention in saying this now?"

Russell, irritated and already on edge, turned to face him.

"I gave you face, didn't I?" he snapped.

"Unlucky."

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Added 'All the Powers Russell has Till Ch 45' Auxiliary chapter do check it out.