Chapter 356 S: Brilliant Big Event (Finished)_2

Thor seemed indifferent. Loki, as he watched the glow of the sunset gradually swallowed by darkness, slowly said, "I have witnessed the boundless magnificent scenery and indescribable brilliance. At the same time, I have also seen our inevitable fate of destruction and the bottomless dark end…"

Loki's hair fluttered as he gazed out into the far distance. It was as if he was returning to that momentary glimpse, his voice growing distant and hazy.

"If this is a catastrophe that no one can face alone, then we can only stand together."

"Not because I understand your meaningless sense of honor, nor because I have reconciled with those foolish beings who never know how to repent…"

"But because, this is also my home. No one can expel me from here for any reason. Asgard is my eternal hometown, the same in the past, present, and future."

"No matter who rules this land, regardless of the absurd trends that may arise on this land, no matter what they blindly follow, I will fight for it…"

"For my hometown, for myself, for my parents, and for others who would also fight for this until the last moment…"

Loki turned to Thor. Atop the solitary bell tower of Asgard, in the onset of a starry night, the young prince's voice was carried away by the wind, growing fainter and fainter.

"…the new king."

The stars in the night sky grew brighter. On one of the planets shrouded in darkness, the bustling crowd was celebrating a festival. When the night and starglow descended together, the familiar jingle bells echoed through the streets. The warm light streaming from the shop windows, tonight is Christmas Eve.

"Hey, my Christmas gift is a reindeer sweater!" Peter excitedly lifted the sweater out of the box and held it up against himself, saying, "I like this style, I love this color!"

"A light green reindeer sweater, what on earth are you thinking, Shiller? This is pure heresy! Reindeer sweaters should only come in two colors, red and green. Blue is the limit of what I can tolerate!" Steve said to Shiller.

"Come on, Steve, this color is really trendy recently, my classmates all wear it." Excitedly, Peter ran off to the bathroom to try on the sweater. He was suited to light colors, his youthful and energetic nature rendering the reindeer on the sweater seemingly more vibrant.

He revealed a brilliant smile, then pointed at the box on the coffee table and said, "Doctor, see what I got you, you're going to like it!"

Shiller laid his eyes on that box. Not your typical Christmas packaging, the box was a light blue color reminiscent of ice and snow. Shiller opened it, revealing an unfamiliar component within.

Before he could ask, Peter walked over, picked up the component and explained, "Doctor, I noticed you carry around that umbrella a lot, so I made a custom component for a super umbrella."

"Look. This is mounted on the umbrella tip. It has a cooling system here, which keeps it cool under the umbrella within two meters in summer and generates heat in winter…"

"Most importantly, it features a nanoscale freeze gun. I utilized Mr. Stark's new nanotechnology based on the blueprint created by Doctor Connors and folded it into this component…"

"Once you mount it on the umbrella tip, it will extend a sensor through the umbrella shaft. You just need to gently squeeze the handle to fire a freeze bullet."

"This…" Steve looked at the thing and said, "I can understand adding a climate control feature to an umbrella, but adding a nanoscale super freeze gun might be a bit…"

Before he could finish, Shiller already picked up the umbrella and said, "Come on, let's try it out, Peter, I really like this gift, it's much better than someone who gives apple pies..."

As he spoke, he kept side-eyeing Steve. Just then, the clattering and engine sounds of the mecha were heard. Stark landed outside the balcony, snowflakes still adhering to him. He said, "You could have told me earlier that you wanted to arm your ratty umbrella. I could have turned it into an automatically deploying armored mecha…"

"Why did you only come now? We've already exchanged gifts."

"There was something happening with the Mutants. They set up their own lab and wanted me to provide them with some technical guidance."

"How are they doing?"

"What do you think? They're just like us - celebrating the holidays. They keep saying they're not ordinary humans, but when Christmas comes, they also buy decorations to hang on their Christmas trees, making their classrooms flamboyant…"

In Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Polaris picked up her bag and left the classroom, encountering Charles who was hurrying to the class. Charles greeted her with a smile,"Oh, Lorna, are you leaving? Give my regards to your father."

"Oh, yes. Merry Christmas, Professor." Polaris seemed a little distracted, but Professor Charles didn't mind and wished her a "Merry Christmas, Lorna."

Polaris quickly left school and returned to her room at the Mutant Brotherhood base. She opened her bag and took out a red gift box tied with a dark green ribbon.

Polaris opened a corner of the gift box, revealing a reindeer sweater inside.

She took a deep breath and murmured, "Why would I want to give a gift to Magneto? He is Magneto…"

She cradled the gift box in her hands, pacing around the room, sometimes speaking to the air, other times fussing over the ribbon on the box...

Polaris displayed a very complicated expression, seeming resentful, regretful, fearful, and conflicted. All of a sudden, she seemed thoughtful, as if she had made up her mind.

In another room not far from hers, Magneto Erik had taken off his black light armor. His cape was hanging next to the wardrobe.

He was wearing an ordinary striped sweater, and the electromagnetic forces surrounding him caused every fiber on the sweater to stand on end, making him look like a hedgehog.

Erik sat in the armchair by the piano, leaning back, his eyes squinted as if he was dozing off.

On the piano in front of him, each tiny planet floated above the keys.

As each planet descended, the keys played the familiar tune of 'Jingle Bells.' The solitary tonal sonata sounded a little lonely but it was the best lullaby.

Erik closed his eyes, his breath becoming slower and slower. The magnetic force that was always around him slowly dissipated and the fibers on the sweater smoothened.

After the Christmas Eve bells rang, the tiny celestial bodies floated around him, as if celebrating the festive season with him, or perhaps weaving a cradle for a sleeping child.

When the stars were extinguished, Erik fell asleep.

Therefore, he didn't see it when the window was opened and a red gift box tied with a dark green ribbon flew in. The writing on the note was clearly visible under the moonlight--

"Merry Christmas—Professor X."

22600002-S: Splendid Event (The End)