"It's finally over. That girl Alicia really knows how to mess with me."
After staying in the Resident evil World for three years, Kain's willpower had almost been completely eroded by alcohol and sex.
If he hadn't summoned great determination, he might still be there, overseeing the so-called "big picture" of recovery efforts.
"Being an emperor isn't easy... but at least I've tested my limits. I'll be more careful from now on."
Kain muttered to himself. Ten people, forty hours — that was his current limit. Although his body had been enhanced many times, the number of upgrades around his waist wasn't that high. He made a mental note to focus more on that area next time.
In the resident evil World, his influence had nearly collapsed, and his prestige had taken a serious hit.
"I haven't paid attention to this place for nearly half a year. Fortunately, nothing major has gone wrong."
Kain retrieved a spatial expansion pouch — roughly the size of a city — containing everything produced in the resident evil World. Among them were 150,000 new energy reserve blocks. Once charged with a space gem, they could either be sold or used for personal purposes.
A single energy block could power a mech suit for a full day, including ten full-powered cannon blasts. Alternatively, it could fuel a two-man space fighter to circle the Earth three times.
This was an enormous stockpile of energy.
Other energy companies had been utterly crushed. Petroleum and similar industries were on the verge of being pushed out of the energy sector altogether — they'd be relegated to focusing solely on chemicals in the future.
"Betty, Lorelai, come here. I have something to discuss."
After summoning them with a message, the two women arrived. Over the past six months, Betty and Lorelai had become acquainted. Though Betty had been angry, her fury had largely vanished after Kain bumped into her hard enough — in every sense of the word.
Betty had long accepted that a man like Kain, with near-total control of Earth, would never belong to just one woman. She'd already been mentally prepared ever since meeting Sharon and Simmons. She always suspected he wasn't the faithful type.
Lorelai, though tamed by Kain, was still naturally alluring. Even walking outside, she would draw the attention of countless men. But she no longer needed to manipulate others — not when she'd found a man like Kain.
For Lorelai, being tamed was only part of it. She also recognized Kain's potential: he was poised to conquer the universe. He commanded legions of super-soldiers, tens of thousands of biomechanical warriors, and entire corps of advanced mechs powered by new energy.
With that kind of might, several early-stage civilizations could be easily conquered. For example, even the Dwarves of Nidavellir could be taken in a week if Kain truly wanted it.
With Earth still being so technologically backward, no other power could amass such a force. Why would Lorelai waste time charming other men? Even a hundred thousand wouldn't match the stamina and impact of Kain.
When the two women arrived, Betty took a deep breath upon seeing Lorelai and sat beside Kain. Lorelai simply smiled, unbothered. In her centuries of life, she had seen many women like Betty.
"These are items traded with other cosmic civilizations. Here's the list. Betty, take what Umbrella needs from it first," Kain said, placing the spatial pouch on the table and pulling up the inventory.
"So many? Where did you even get all this? Never mind — I'll check what Umbrella needs first."
Betty knew better than to pry too much. Asking too many questions wouldn't get her answers — just a knock on the head. She opened Umbrella's logistics database and got to work planning.
"Set aside 5,000 doses of super-soldier serum. Not many in Umbrella are eligible for it anyway. But keep 100,000 energy blocks. We'll need those."
Lorelai immediately frowned.
"That's too many. I still need some to trade with cosmic civilizations. If you take that much, it'll be hard to establish any meaningful deals!"
"You have to prioritize our own military strength. Without that, who's going to help you resist Asgard's pressure?"
"Obviously Mr. Kain. He alone is enough~"
"If you want to argue, now's the time to lay it all out."
"I am being serious."
Their back-and-forth continued, half-negotiation, half-bickering, until they finally agreed on an initial allocation of materials after an hour of debate.
The Pent Group could also manufacture many of the listed items.
Meanwhile, Kain had left the Infinity Wand deep in the underground Hive. It was now the core system for recharging energy blocks. The wand had been inscribed with so many complex runes that no one but Kain himself could use it.
When the conversation finally wound down, Kain pulled the two women into yet another collision movement — a more physical reconciliation. If conflict couldn't be avoided, the least he could do was soften it with shared pleasure.
After all, if a new "enemy" was needed to unite the two women, Kain was perfectly willing to be the target himself.
A few hours later, Betty took a shower on unsteady legs and then left with the space extension bag. She was the definition of a busy professional woman — highly efficient, with a strong sense of responsibility. Having just taken over so many matters, she needed to handle them immediately.
Lorelei, on the other hand, had much more free time. The space trade deals were nearly finalized; the next step was just to load the goods onto the aircraft carrier before departure. With everything nearly settled, she planned to rest a bit before the next round of "combat."
"What was that about Asgardian pressure you mentioned earlier? Are they still hunting you?"
Kain suddenly remembered Betty's words and turned to ask Lorelei, who was lying beside him.
"That woman won't give up so easily," Lorelei said, lazily tracing circles on Kain's chest with her finger. "But it's not just about me. Asgard can't tolerate its subordinate forces gaining independence. That would undermine the Allfather's authority over the Nine Realms."
Over the past six months, Asgard hadn't let up. After Lady Sif was persuaded to return, they had sent agents to Earth three separate times. But each time they arrived in populated areas, they were immediately intercepted by the Super Personnel Bureau and persuaded to leave.
Kain hadn't known any of this. Sharon, having learned a bit about Asgard's power from Lorelei, preferred to avoid direct conflict. She'd simply logged the incidents and driven them off without escalating.
But the Asgardians' attitude kept getting more aggressive. Just last month, more than twenty of them arrived at once and issued a formal threat to the Bureau, demanding that Sharon hand over Lorelei — or they would find her themselves.
In response, Sharon mobilized nearly a hundred agents to surround the Asgardians. A two-hour standoff ensued before they were finally forced to retreat.
"Asgardians dare act so arrogantly on Earth? Got it."
Kain summoned the Red Queen's projection panel and sent a message to Sharon: Next time Asgardians show up, capture them. Then toss them into Australia to mine something.
"I'll bless you with a new ability later," he said to Lorelei. "You can choose one from this list. Once it's activated, you'll get an energy link. As long as you're not exhausted, you can keep using the power without interruption."
With a wave, Kain pulled up a list of nine abilities — all extracted from the Eternals.
Back in the Biochemical World, he had gifted Alicia with an Ikaris ability template: flight and optic blasts. There, it made her practically a god. Aside from Alicia, only Saeko Busujima had also received a power boost.
Although her father had died due to Umbrella's actions, Kain wasn't responsible — that was Isaacs' doing. After being "comforted" by Kain in their second year together, she let go of her hatred and eventually gained an ability. Her power was super strength, and with her newly-forged alloy blade, she could carve a trench nearly 100 meters long in the ground.
"Are all of these available?"
"You can only choose one," Kain replied. "Multiple abilities will clash. Even enhanced humans can't handle that — unless their body is rebuilt entirely using cosmic rune energy."
Lorelei pouted slightly, but after scanning the list, she pointed to the mind control ability.
"I want this one."
Kain blinked in surprise. "Really? I thought you'd go for flight or laser eyes. This rune is actually the most powerful of the set."
"Power doesn't matter. What matters is what fits me best."
Lorelei smiled charmingly. For someone already skilled at manipulating hearts and minds, gaining actual mental control powers was like giving wings to a dragon. She was already thinking about experimenting on women next.
"Mr. Kain, let me repay you."
"Repay? What do you—"
Before he could finish, Kain felt warmth wrap around him as Lorelei began her repayment. He stopped talking, gently stroking her hair, and slowly leaned back to enjoy the moment.
"Is that your new armor?"
When Steve Rogers arrived at Tony Stark's residence, he noticed a sleek new suit being charged and couldn't help asking.
This new battle suit had been fully forged from Asgardian metal. Its onboard AI, developed using the facility's advanced computer systems, had far greater processing power than any of Tony's previous suits. It was probably the strongest armor Tony Stark had ever built.
"If you want, I can make one for you too," Tony offered offhandedly. "Asgardian Captain America armor. Much better metal than what Earth can produce."
Even though he was in a bad mood, Tony still spoke with his usual sarcasm. Ever since he left Earth and broke things off with Pepper, his personality had shifted noticeably. Steve was aware of this but didn't know how to help. After all, Sharon had chosen to side with Kain, and Steve's own complicated connection to Peggy didn't exactly translate into kinship with her niece.
"So... have the negotiations gone anywhere?"
"Not yet," Tony said. "They're still working on it. Thor's trying to persuade them. He wants the Cube back too."
Steve had been talking with Thor. The God of Thunder held no resentment toward Earth — but he was growing increasingly dissatisfied with Kain Pent and his ever-expanding influence. The spread of cosmic magic was one reason, but another was the technological leap Earth had taken since acquiring the Cube.
The last time Thor came to Asgard to deal with Loki — and to confuse some of the warriors from the main combat faction — it left a lingering thorn in his heart. Now, with Earth's technology rapidly advancing and inching toward interstellar capabilities, managing the relationship between Earth and Asgard has become increasingly complicated.
Another major factor was the Super Personnel Bureau's blockade of Earth.
Even meeting with Jane Foster had become troublesome for Thor, and much of that was due to the Avengers he had brought back. Their involvement directly led to the Bureau restricting Asgardians from entering Earth. If it weren't for the fact that they couldn't yet intercept the bifrost, they likely would have attempted that as well.
"Don't worry, we'll go back. It's our home," Steve said reassuringly.
"The longer it takes, the less hope there is, Captain," Tony Stark replied.
After a moment of silence, Tony added quietly, "We shouldn't have used outside help in the first place, Captain."
While imprisoned, Tony had reflected on it endlessly. When they fell behind, they reached outward for reinforcements. But at that time, both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra had already made their moves — and one misstep after another followed. By the time they realized it, it was too late. The window to turn things around had already closed.
"There's always a chance—"
Before Steve could finish, Natasha suddenly walked in.
"Captain, Stark — Thor's looking for you."
Steve and Tony exchanged glances, then followed her without another word.
When they arrived, they learned that Thor had already made a decision: he intended to gather the Asgardian army and head to Earth for "negotiations." But it was only a negotiation in name — in reality, he was preparing to use force.
Thor, having regained Mjolnir and his divine powers, believed no one on Earth could stand against him, even with a few super-powered individuals in play. Asgard's military capabilities far surpassed Earth's. Bifrost, when used at full power, was capable of destroying a planet.
After long contemplation, Thor made this decision not only for Jane Foster but because of Earth's growing independence, its command of cosmic magic, and its increasingly defiant attitude toward Asgard. If Earth rose unchecked, war across the Nine Realms was inevitable. Races hostile to Asgard — like the Frost Giants and Dark Elves — would surely attempt to ally with this newly ascendant Earth.
Thor wasn't acting out of impulse. Many Asgardians, including Sif, supported him.
Sif, in particular, was determined to recapture Lorelei. The death of Paul Leilai at the hands of Earth's forces only fueled her rage further. She fully endorsed the idea of confronting Earth — and while she might hesitate at the idea of war, her resolve would harden if Earth refused to hand over Lorelei, the seductive enchantress.
In Sif's eyes, if Earth truly refused to surrender Lorelei, then it could only mean one thing: Earth had already fallen under her control. In such a case, war would be the only solution.
"That's the situation," Thor declared. "We'll prepare for half a day, and then deploy to Earth via the Bifrost . Get all ships battle-ready!"
With a loud command, Thor's voice echoed through the hall. The Asgardian captains responded by slamming one fist to their chests in salute, then turned and left to ready their warships. The bifrost's ability to transport full armies was a massive tactical advantage — a literal bug in the cosmic system.
After the captains had gone, Thor turned to Nick Fury, Steve, and the others.
"Once we arrive on Earth, I'll leave the political situation to you. Asgard's target is Kain Pent and his forces alone. We won't harm anyone else — but I need your help calming Earth's governments."
…
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