Adam had been pondering a very interesting question: exactly how did one reach sky-father level?
A sky-father level powerhouse meant a fundamental, earth-shaking leap in the level of life... especially when it came to god-kings within the World Tree's domain.
The simplest and most direct method was to use a sky-father to capture a sky-father.
Adam's original plan had been to send Reynolds charging into Jotunheim with the goal of capturing the Frost Giant king Laufey in one decisive move.
But after careful consideration, he judged the success rate of that approach to be extremely low. Even a fully equipped Sentry in the Destroyer armor would find it difficult to take a wary, veteran sky-father alive.
Even if Laufey were defeated, escaping with his life would be no problem at all.
That was where Loki came in. This trickster god excelled at deception and was skilled at achieving his goals through risky actions when necessary.
"Aren't you afraid I'll take the chance to kill you too?" Loki sneered as he brought out the divine artifact he had carefully prepared... the Casket of Ancient Winters.
This had originally been Laufey's strongest artifact, capable of maximizing the divine power of the Frost Giants' bloodline. Odin had seized it in battle and sealed it away in the vault.
Now Loki had taken it out.
Thor, who hadn't charged to the front lines himself, couldn't help but speak up. "Loki, this is no time for jokes like that. We're allies... brothers fighting side by side on the same front. And how could you bring the Casket of Ancient Winters to Jotunheim? If Laufey gets his hands on it, we're finished! With that thing, he'd even dare challenge Father at his peak!"
Loki's smile grew even more vicious.
Adam watched him calmly. "How do you know the one standing here is my true body? What if I cloned several bodies as backups? As long as the Xenomorphs don't die, I don't die. If I were you, I'd carefully weigh the consequences of acting recklessly. That's not something you can bear."
Loki's gaze sharpened. He couldn't even tell whether Adam was telling the truth.
But this trickster god had been watching Reynolds and Adam's entire performance closely.
Laufey's confusion was the same as Loki's. The man who had driven back Dormammu... Sentry Reynolds... shouldn't have been this ordinary, no matter how watered-down his power was. That would be too much of an insult to Dormammu.
But Loki now clearly understood the relationship between Adam and Reynolds. One look at Reynolds' current fearful yet hopeful gaze, combined with Adam's words, told him almost everything.
"Very interesting. You have the ability to transfer your soul, don't you? A human body is just a disposable shell to you? So this is your true power. But I imagine even you can't transfer your soul casually. There must be significant drawbacks and costs to that method."
Loki gripped Gungnir in one hand and the Casket of Ancient Winters in the other. He might genuinely be weighing whether to seize the moment and eliminate both Adam and Laufey at once.
But facing Adam's abyss-like, indifferent gaze, he ultimately held back.
"Hurry up and act. This battle can't leave the King of Asgard with no accomplishments at all," Adam urged.
Loki stopped hesitating. He immediately used his own bloodline power to activate the Casket of Ancient Winters. Visible waves of terrifying cold spread out instantly, completely freezing and encasing everything around them.
Loki's methods were ruthlessly vicious... he had truly unleashed indiscriminate attacks.
In that moment, whether Frost Giants, Asgardians, or Xenomorphs, all were trapped in dreadful ice.
Jotunheim was already a world of bitter cold. Frost Giants thrived in sub-zero temperatures. Conversely, high heat and scorching weather inflicted terrible damage on their bodies.
Now it felt as if time itself had been frozen. Every microscopic particle had fallen into a state of suspended animation. The entire realm of Jotunheim sank into deathly silence.
A flash of madness crossed Loki's eyes. The Frost Giants were no good people... including his own father Laufey.
But the same went for the Asgardians. Aside from Odin, including Thor, they were all expendable in Loki's eyes. This filled him with disgust and restless irritation.
Since he couldn't earn their approval, there was no need to concern himself too much with their survival.
Having served as king for a while, Loki had grown somewhat impatient under the pressure.
The terrifying cold that blanketed everything covered the entire world, dragging it into a prolonged ice age. Everyone present was sealed within thick layers of ice.
Loki exhausted his divine power reserves in one go. Breathing heavily, he looked around, a deranged smile on his face.
Power really was wonderful. You could unleash it without restraint and eliminate everyone who annoyed you.
Crack! Crack!!
The Casket of Ancient Winters naturally couldn't kill everyone in one breath. Soon, powerful individuals began breaking free of the ice one after another.
"Well done, my son. I acknowledge you. What could be more satisfying than using your position as King of Asgard to lure all the Asgardians into our realm and wipe them out in one go? Of course, these Xenomorphs will become our spoils as well."
Laufey easily shattered the ice and strode forward.
Loki's face showed caution. He listened to the continuous sounds of breaking ice and felt no surprise. Relying solely on his own power to wield the Casket, he couldn't maintain it for long.
"I fulfilled my promise to you. I helped you deal with these people and proved I have the qualifications to inherit your bloodline," Loki said in a low voice, clutching the Casket tightly.
Laufey's face showed a playful expression. "Correct, my son. I promised you would rule Asgard forever. After all, the environment there isn't very suitable for Frost Giants to live in."
"Then at a time like this, you should bring out your reserved forces to deal with the remaining troublesome ones," Loki said.
Laufey looked at the scheming Loki and let out a strange laugh.
The next second, giants of all kinds began appearing across the vast realm of Jotunheim.
Ice Giants, Frost Giants, Wind Giants… Yes, these were all inhabitants of Jotunheim.
Of course, as the sky-father of Jotunheim, Laufey relied primarily on Frost Giants. The Asgardians' main opponents among the giant races were likewise the Frost Giants.
"I must admit, you surprised me. Bringing so many troops. But this is Jotunheim. My forces will only be greater. They will clear the battlefield, kill every Asgardian, and capture every Xenomorph."
Laufey walked up to Loki and looked down at the small figure before him.
"I willingly offer you the Casket of Ancient Winters. It was always your weapon, wasn't it?"
Loki slowly lowered his head. With a respectful expression, he raised both hands and presented the Casket.
Laufey instinctively felt something was off. From what he knew, Loki was no obedient child. Still, he reached out to take it.
At worst, he was a sky-father. How could he possibly be schemed against by Loki?
Whoosh!
The next second, his hand passed straight through the Casket... and through Loki as well.
"An illusion? You'd better reconsider. To think you'd perform such a laughable trick on your own father!"
Laufey immediately realized he had been fooled.
Loki's illusions were truly masterful... indistinguishable from reality.
Loki's true body had already raised Gungnir with a fierce expression and stabbed viciously toward Laufey's chest. Laufey retreated sharply and was only pierced in the abdomen.
This powerful divine weapon... Odin's favorite... suddenly erupted with terrifying sharpness. It rampaged through Laufey's body, frantically destroying every cell within him.
"A trick? Anyone can say that about me, but not you," Loki said darkly. "If you hadn't abandoned me back then, the one standing by your side should have been me!"
"But you still chose Asgard's side. Odin is already dead. Even with the weapon he left behind, you can't kill me in one strike," Laufey found Loki's actions utterly ridiculous. He endured the intense pain and tried to expel Gungnir from his body, then seize control of the divine weapon.
Did Loki really think he could use one powerful artifact to defeat a sky-father?
"Unfortunately, this Laufey is a bit stronger and craftier than I anticipated. This is probably the universe's deviation."
Adam's body was bathed in surging lightning. He shattered the ice with divine power, feeling only mild regret.
In other universes, how did Laufey usually die? It was an interesting question, because in the vast majority of cases, Laufey was killed by his own son Loki.
Loki was no match for Laufey... that was true. But Loki excelled at deception. In the end, he would backstab Laufey with Gungnir, achieving a sky-father first kill and the feat of defeating a stronger opponent.
"Failure was already within our expected range beforehand," Loki said.
"But that doesn't change the reality of your failure. It seems I should seriously consider dealing with you as well."
Loki merely laughed darkly in response. His figure flickered rapidly, creating dozens of illusory doubles that dazzled the eye.
"Wasn't this your choice? It might have been easier to just kill him outright, but you specifically wanted him alive. Before the war even began, you already saw him as your host, didn't you? You're the real madman here."
As for Loki's true body, it was likely no longer among the illusions.
Laufey stomped toward Adam.
He held no goodwill toward this Xenomorph Master... the man who wielded Mjolnir.
"Looks like I'll need to use some of my prepared contingencies…"
Adam's expression remained unchanged. The next second, Sentry had already charged over at high speed, positioning himself in front of Adam and standing motionless. The golden energy floating across his body blocked Laufey.
Of course, this wasn't Reynolds' own action. It was Adam controlling him.
"Time to begin? Just like last time?" Reynolds' body burned with excitement. He could gain the fame of defeating a sky-father without actually having to do much himself. At most, he might need to rest for a while afterward to recover.
For someone like Reynolds... who hated risk but loved taking credit without gambling his own life... once Adam made a decision, he only grew more thrilled.
Laufey, at least, had realized one thing: this Adam actually wanted to capture him and turn him into a Xenomorph host?
Even Odin wouldn't have dared speak such nonsense about taking him alive. At most, he had carefully prepared and seized the Casket of Ancient Winters in battle.
"Capturing a sky-father alive is difficult, but not impossible. You're already injured. Being pierced in the abdomen by Odin's weapon can't feel very pleasant, can it?"
The next second, Adam swung Mjolnir and looked ready to charge. In Laufey's vision, the Swift Xenomorph raced over at high speed, scooped up Adam, and ran toward the edge of the world.
Laufey first frowned, then looked bewildered, and finally understood.
"So your soul-transfer method has a distance limit. You're worried that from Midgard, you can't accurately transfer your soul into this Midgardian called Sentry." Laufey instantly realized everything and immediately charged forward to kill Adam.
But Reynolds flew over quickly as well. Under Adam's precise control, he began amplifying his power.
"AAAAAHHHH!!!"
Reynolds threw his head back. The energy around him surged explosively. Adam's consciousness descended onto him in an instant.
If it were only this, it still wouldn't be enough to deal with the injured Laufey. Adam had naturally made even more meticulous preparations.
The Destroyer armor broke free from the ice among the Xenomorph army and flew over with a thunderous roar, cladding Reynolds' body.
"I see. So this is the version of you that challenged Dormammu. There actually exists such a method in the world... a decaying body, but an enduring soul?"
Laufey could naturally tell that Adam had already transferred his mental consciousness and was now fighting by piloting Reynolds' body.
But that wasn't the end.
Adam reached into his own chest and pulled out the Xenomorph embryo carrying Thor's genes. At the same time, he used Reynolds' body to hollow out its chest and swapped the two embryos.
For a moment, Laufey didn't understand what he was seeing.
But Loki, holding the Casket of Ancient Winters and hiding in the distance, understood perfectly. A look of shock crossed his face.
"He can even do it this way? This guy is gaining more power through this method!" Loki knew very well that Adam could wield Mjolnir mainly because of the Xenomorph embryo carrying Thor's bloodline.
Now that embryo had entered Reynolds' body. That meant…
Whoosh!!
Mjolnir, which had been closely following Adam, suddenly changed direction. Trailing sparks and electricity, it flew straight toward Reynolds and was caught firmly in his hand with a loud clap.
Vast lightning descended from the sky, as if heralding the birth of a new God of Thunder.
Sentry + Destroyer armor + Mjolnir. At this moment, Sentry not only wielded the power of a million stars within his body but also received a continuous supply of vast divine power.
The two forces clashed wildly inside him, erupting with even more terrifying destructive might. This clearly placed an even greater burden on his body.
But that was fine. As long as he was strong enough, it didn't matter.
"You should feel proud, Lord Laufey. If Dormammu knew, he might even feel relieved."
As Adam spoke, his attacks were exceptionally fierce. He spun Mjolnir at high speed and hurled it straight at Laufey.
Laufey caught it bare-handed and slapped it aside with his massive palm. But the next instant, Adam... clad in the Destroyer armor... had already closed in, delivering a flying kick to Laufey's chest.
Mjolnir circled back in a wide arc and returned. At the same time, violent lightning struck the earth, spreading terrifying high temperatures and melting large amounts of snow and ice around them.
Laufey naturally couldn't be defeated by attacks of this level. He used his unnaturally large hand to grab one of Adam's legs, spun, and slammed him dozens of meters into the ground.
Thankfully, this was Jotunheim. On an ordinary planet, a heavy blow of this magnitude would have driven Adam straight to the planet's core.
Adam emerged from underground as if nothing had happened and headbutted Laufey into the sky.
Endless golden light ravaged the icy world while vast divine power swept through the deep void.
The two figures flashed across the entire realm, causing their immense power to spread wildly. On Jotunheim's surface, they carved one terrifying chasm after another.
Even years later, the aftershocks of their battle would linger here.
Just how strong was a sky-father? Simply put, even a sub-sky-father going all out could destroy a planet... star-busting level. So what about a sky-father above that?
These were terrifying existences capable of shaking an entire galaxy.
Take Odin as an example. Peak Odin, if he truly disregarded the consequences, could even interfere with the timeline of the entire Milky Way and push the whole vast galaxy toward the abyss.
Adam wasn't sure whether his current self could face Odin. But right now, he wanted to focus all his energy on dealing with Laufey, the King of the Frost Giants.
Their clash was brutally fierce. Neither relied on high-tech equipment to maintain sky-father level strength. They fought with absolute personal power.
Every collision shook space and slowed time. Every impact delivered a heavy blow to the World Tree.
Vast divine power soared into the sky while endless might washed across the land.
The battle began with a massive earthquake across the world... volcanoes erupting, ice mountains fracturing. But this was only the beginning. The transmission of divine power spread along the Tree's endless branches, shaking all directions.
Everyone knew a clash between sky-fathers would be extraordinarily dangerous. But every observer of this great battle couldn't help but show astonishment on their faces.
Simply sensing the surging waves of divine power, one might think two sky-fathers were engaged in a fierce, bloody war.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
"One of them is the king of Jotunheim. The other… carries the divine power of the Aesir yet also wields power as brilliant as a star. So it's that guy. And if I'm not mistaken, he seems even stronger than he was not long ago."
"He just teamed up with Midgard's Sorcerer Supreme, didn't he? He barely managed to force Dormammu out of the World Tree. Why is he fighting Laufey again now… No, the real question is why it happened so quickly. And this time there's no Sorcerer Supreme to help."
"Very interesting. It took me considerable effort to learn what recently happened on Midgard. Odin actually secretly banished Thor there! And Mjolnir was taken by this Midgardian powerhouse through some unknown method. Hilarious!"
"Thor doesn't even have Mjolnir anymore. I hear he's been operating as a Xenomorph commander in the recent war against Jotunheim, never stepping onto the front lines himself."
"But Midgard has always been regarded as the world of mortals. How could such a powerful figure appear there?"
"The key isn't how strong or how well he fights. What's truly noteworthy is that this guy actually came to fight in other realms of the World Tree."
Throughout the World Tree, countless consciousnesses exchanged thoughts. Don't assume the gods were all brute warriors who only spoke with their fists. They also developed technology and even created divine-tech using divine power. Therefore, even some individuals who weren't particularly strong could vaguely monitor the progress of this war through technological means.
Adam's activity drew the attention of many.
Originally, after Dormammu's retreat, Adam's name had begun spreading widely within the World Tree. Even if they didn't know his exact name, the moment they saw information or images of Xenomorphs, they immediately understood these battle-born creatures belonged to him.
Asgard and the Xenomorphs allying against Jotunheim was no longer a secret across the World Tree. Not only did the Nine Realms know about it clearly... even the other god races beyond the Nine Realms but still within the World Tree's scope, such as Olympus and the Great Luo Heavens, were paying attention.
This active and powerful Midgardian surprised them. They had no choice but to treat him with caution.
Similarly, the fact that these Xenomorphs... born not that long ago... could fight so effectively shocked them even more.
War was the main theme of the World Tree. No matter which universe or era, from the birth of the creator gods who made everything, through the brutal civil wars among the second-generation gods and the four great ancient gods, to the mass-produced third-generation gods that now filled the multiverse... war never went out of style.
Naturally, clever individuals were already pondering how to contact Adam. At the very least, they would be happy to borrow a large, high-quality Xenomorph army just like the Asgardians had.
After all, this time the Xenomorph army had even invaded Jotunheim to fight various giant races led by the Frost Giants. Combined with their leader Adam generously sending out his "postcard" to everyone, there would naturally be responses.
After all, who could refuse the Xenomorphs? Not even the gods.
"Loki? How did I end up here? What exactly did you do? You froze everyone with the Casket of Ancient Winters... don't use it recklessly. Where is everyone else? Wait, in the distance... that's Reynolds and Laufey…"
The ice covering Thor was gradually thawing. To be fair, if Loki hadn't restrained the Casket's power, Thor... without divine power to protect him... would have been frozen solid long ago.
"Shut up. I saved your life. I'm not here to listen to you complain. And that's not Reynolds. Right now, he's Adam," Loki said, extremely irritated.
Although he and Thor had reached the edge of Jotunheim, they were both still watching the fierce battle at the center of the world.
Everyone knew the war had reached its final stage.
If Adam won, there was nothing more to say. The best outcome would be capturing Laufey alive and turning him into spoils. That would mean Adam's power would expand further, ushering in a remarkable surge.
Though Loki was skeptical about how much of Laufey's power the chestburster Xenomorph could inherit. Laufey's divine power had been refined over countless years... it wasn't entirely carried by his genes alone.
But regardless, the bold achievement of hunting down a sky-father would be enough to establish Adam as one of the notable figures within the World Tree, with absolute status built through war.
Most importantly, Adam was no lone wolf. He had an entire loyal and powerful race as his support and backing.
The various god races of the World Tree could calmly face a solitary sky-father, but most would be wary of a powerful race led by a sky-father.
Even if Laufey ultimately won and Adam fled in defeat... or died... Laufey's situation wouldn't be great. At best, he would return to the starting point, because Odin was surely watching everything here.
"If I'm not mistaken, Adam's goal isn't simply to obtain powerful Xenomorph subordinates," Loki said, frowning deeply with worry. He was still thinking from the perspective of a king, already troubled about how Asgard would deal with this guy in the future.
But he quickly reacted. With a complicated expression, he looked at Thor beside him and let out a self-mocking laugh.
Of course. He no longer had a future. No matter how bold and unrestrained the Asgardians were, how could they possibly let a Frost Giant rule the Aesir?
Even the divine power they cultivated was different. Their bloodlines and genes were completely unlike.
No matter the outcome of this battle, Loki felt he had no future left. Forget Asgard... even across the entire World Tree, there wasn't a single planet that was his domain.
"We should help Adam. Don't you still have Gungnir? You could give it to him as a suitable weapon…" Thor was single-mindedly trying to help his good brother.
Loki felt like he was about to crack. "He's already using your Mjolnir, and now you want me to give him Gungnir too? If I were Father, I probably should have shot you first."
"What nonsense are you saying? Father is already dead. Now you're the one leading Asgard. Defeating Laufey and conquering Jotunheim should be your top priority! As long as you accomplish that, you can still return to Asgard as king. Every Asgardian will respect and love you!"
Thor knew Loki's current situation. He was sincerely trying to plan for him, even though his crude plan made Loki incredibly disdainful.
Loki felt like he was discussing with a somewhat intelligent but not very bright ape how to use wisdom to lure the enemy into a trap.
"After this battle, I will leave Asgard. I will leave the World Tree... if I'm still alive by then."
Loki raised Gungnir, creating a layer of energy shielding to block an incoming wave of divine power. He suddenly said, "This is the best outcome for both of us. You should realize what would happen if we didn't do this. You don't want to be killed by me one day... or have to kill me, right?"
Since he was destined to find no place within the World Tree, he would enter the even vaster cosmos. With his divine power and magic, he could at least carve out his own domain.
At that time, he would also recruit followers and expand his forces... just like Adam had done on Earth.
Sometimes, Loki felt both annoyed by Adam and deeply envious and jealous of him.
Because while Adam's power was one thing, what mattered more was that Adam was never a lone wolf…
Having an entire loyal and powerful race following him without reservation was something that would make even a trickster god envious.
If only Loki had such a race loyally following him, would he be in such a passive position? Would he be so anxious, worrying whether all the Asgardians hated him?
"The Xenomorphs… Xenomorphs. These creatures clearly started from a low point, yet Adam brought them to this level in such a short time. I will definitely have a loyal and powerful race following me too... one even stronger than the Xenomorphs!"
Loki gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. He was almost consumed by jealousy.
But where was he supposed to find such followers? Would he have to start from scratch... conquer a life-bearing planet and cultivate an entire race from the beginning?
"There will definitely be one. The universe is so vast. The World Tree is just a tiny corner. There must be even more powerful species out there."
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