Chapter 175: Dark Elves (Part 2)

Daniel's words made Stark ponder deeply. After a while, Stark sighed heavily, looking frustrated. Tony Stark, the richest man in the USA and a constant top name on the Forbes list, often considered the richest individual on Earth, had never worried about money before. But now, he realized he was essentially a pauper.

While Stark is considered Earth's wealthiest person, this is under the condition that it is on an individual basis. There are many entities richer than Stark when considering corporate or family wealth, but Stark Industries' wealth is solely his. Comparatively, other wealthy entities are often family-owned or corporately held assets.

Black Panther, for instance, is richer than Stark, but that wealth belongs to his nation, not him personally. Individual wealth, no matter how substantial, pales compared to a country's resources.

Afterwards, Daniel and Stark began wandering around Asgard, taking pictures at some scenic spots with Odin's permission. In terms of technology, as newcomers, they couldn't access Asgard's advanced technologies. They did, however, see some equipment like berserker staffs and starships but couldn't delve deeper into understanding them. This left Stark quite frustrated. Even though Daniel had told him that Asgardian technology wasn't compatible with his, it felt disappointing to leave an alien planet empty-handed.

If Thor had been with them, they might have been able to discuss this with him, but Thor was entirely focused on Jane and had no time for Daniel and Stark. Jane, on the other hand, was enjoying preferential treatment. Thor granted her every request, showing her Asgard's research facilities and the Soul Forge.

"Behave yourselves; this isn't a place for your antics." Daniel stood in front of the palace hall, watching as Asgardian soldiers escorted a group of captives to Asgard's dungeon.

"The cursed warrior must have infiltrated," Daniel mused, recalling parts of "Thor: The Dark World." Malekith, the Dark Elf leader, would use the cursed stone to transform one of his soldiers into a cursed warrior, infiltrate Asgard's dungeons, break out the prisoners, and create chaos to capture Jane, who was infused with the Aether. Frigga, Thor's mother, would die protecting Jane.

"It's a pity I can't warn Odin ahead of time to raise the alert." Without concrete evidence, Odin wouldn't believe in the Dark Elves' return, let alone Daniel's source of information.

"Tony has some guts, challenging Asgardians to a drinking contest. Impressive." Stark wasn't with Daniel because he was still unconscious. The Asgardians' drinking prowess, though not personally witnessed by Daniel, was well-known. Sif had invited Daniel for a drink, which he declined, despite being looked down upon. To Asgardians, being able to drink heavily was a sign of true manhood and heroism. Thor's popularity in Asgard, apart from being a prince, also stemmed from his ability to drink with his men. Loki, unable to match this, never gained the same acceptance.

Stark, goaded into the challenge, soon found himself knocked out. To Asgardians, who could drink for weeks on end, Stark's drinking capacity was laughable.

"It's starting." One evening, after dinner, alarms sounded, indicating an invasion. Odin and Thor appeared quickly. Despite Thor's concerns for Jane, he had a duty to protect Asgard.

"The dungeons have been breached, and all prisoners have escaped. Unknown enemies are invading." A guard reported to Odin and Thor. Thor decided to inspect the dungeons, knowing that many dangerous criminals were imprisoned there, including his brother Loki, whose safety he still cared about despite their differences. Odin, meanwhile, went to confront the invaders.

"Such a hassle." Looking at the still-unconscious Stark, Daniel hesitated before creating a golden portal to his base on another planet, safely relocating Stark there.

"Now I can act." With prisoners now battling Asgardian guards in the palace, Daniel moved quickly towards Frigga's quarters.

"Hand over the Aether." Inside Frigga's palace, the cursed warrior coldly demanded the Aether after defeating the guards. As Odin's queen, Frigga was powerful, one of Asgard's few sorceresses who had taught Loki his magic. But the cursed warrior, immune to most magic and physically stronger, was a formidable opponent.

The cursed warriors, created with the cursed stone, were formidable. Only Odin could defeat one in a one-on-one fight. The cursed stone, supposedly made from the Aether, gave its user immense strength at the cost of burning their life force. Even the long-lived Dark Elves had short lifespans after using it. For humans, using the cursed stone would result in death before fully utilizing its power.

"Never." Despite being at a disadvantage, Frigga refused to surrender the Aether, knowing the catastrophe it would bring if it fell into the Dark Elves' hands.

"Then die." The cursed warrior aimed to kill Frigga, but Daniel, having arrived just in time, used his Ope Ope no Mi powers to swap Frigga with a nearby stool.

Bang.

The cursed warrior's strike hit the stool instead.

"Your Majesty, please leave." Daniel, using "Shave," appeared in front of the cursed warrior, his right fist glowing black as he punched the cursed warrior's head.

Bang.

The powerful blow echoed through the palace, but it only pushed the cursed warrior back a few steps.

"What a tough body." Daniel realized the cursed warrior was even stronger than he anticipated. He used his "Room" ability to try to slice the warrior, but it was ineffective.

Seeing the warrior ready to counterattack, Daniel used the spatial swap ability again, replacing the warrior with another stool, causing the warrior to punch the wall instead.

"Room, Death Blade." Taking advantage of the moment, Daniel used his newly developed ability, forming a golden blade in his right hand and stabbing the warrior in the head.

Roar.

The cursed warrior roared in fury, swinging wildly and causing massive destruction.

"He still isn't dead?" Daniel, panting, watched the rampaging warrior in disbelief. The Death Blade was powerful but also exhausting, and Daniel could only use it once in a short period.

The Ope Ope no Mi's powers weren't incapable of killing, with techniques like Gamma Knife and Heart Shock having lethal effects.

"He's not dead but seems insane. Room, slaughterhouse." Watching the palace crumble, Daniel used his powers again, kicking the cursed warrior's dropped sword outside and swapping it with the warrior, throwing him out of the palace.

Frigga's palace, located high above Asgard, offered a view of the city below. The cursed warrior, now outside, couldn't return easily.

After tossing the warrior out, Daniel considered repairing the palace but decided against it. Just then, Thor arrived, landing with his hammer ready to fight, only to find Daniel alone.

"Are you okay?" Thor asked, seeing Daniel panting heavily.

"I'm fine. I threw the enemy out. Go check if he's still there." Daniel pointed below.

"Got it." Thor leaped down with his hammer.

"As my strength grows, so does the power of the Ope Ope no Mi." While Apparition from Harry Potter could teleport, it was slower compared to the Ope Ope no Mi's instantaneous spatial swaps, which could also target enemies.

"This ability is like a certain second pillar's eye powers, but without any limitations." As long as he had enough stamina, Daniel could swap as many times as needed.

Moreover, with his growing power, Daniel discovered a new aspect of the spatial swap—it could handle multiple targets at once. If Robin and Ida were within the "Room" area, he could swap them both to his side in a single exchange, as long as he treated them as a single entity.

The same applied to more people, with the only difference being the increased stamina consumption. This was a feat even Kamar-Taj's dimensional magic couldn't achieve.

With proper coordination, it was perfect for ambushes—an enemy surrounded by allies instantly.

"That guy." After the cursed warrior disappeared, Daniel used Apparition to return to the room where Stark had been, reopened the portal, and brought Stark back.

Seeing the area was safe, Daniel left. The palace chaos was nearly over, with only sporadic fights remaining. Most escaped prisoners had been recaptured or killed.

Outside, the battle also wound down. The Dark Elves' ships had created chaos to distract from the cursed warrior's mission. Initially, they had the upper hand, but Asgard's anti-aircraft fire eventually shot down all but one ship, which escaped.

However, the cursed warrior seemed to have escaped too; Thor couldn't find him.

"I heard from Frigga that you saved her." After dealing with the aftermath, Thor stayed with Jane, while Odin summoned Daniel privately.

"Thor is my friend. Saving people is the right thing to do. Besides, I believe the queen would have found a way even without me."

Saving Frigga was immensely beneficial for Daniel. As a powerful sorceress, her magic was entirely different from Kamar-Taj's, not to mention Asgard's runic texts.

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