Isn't this basically the alien version of "burn your boats" and "desperate armies fight harder"? Jason thought to himself before asking aloud, "So what happened next?"
"Both sides suffered devastating losses," the Ancient One explained. "Hell's army and Heaven's angels both lost over 70% of their forces. Three supreme archangels perished in battle, with only Gabriel surviving."
She paused, her face grim. "The European and American deities left behind by the original God are dead. The Japanese and Korean deities are dead. The Asian God was gravely wounded."
"And on Hell's side?"
"Four lords died in combat. The rest sustained serious injuries. In such a catastrophic situation, neither side could continue fighting. They negotiated a truce and are now working together to open a new portal to Hell so the demonic armies can evacuate."
After finishing her explanation, the Ancient One studied Jason silently, her penetrating gaze searching for reactions.
Jason felt genuinely stunned. This outcome far exceeded his expectations.
"Then... do they have any leads on who's responsible?" he asked cautiously.
The Ancient One gave him a knowing look. "That depends on whether our culprit is clever enough to cover his tracks while in Hell!"
"Shit!" Jason smacked his forehead dramatically. "I completely forgot!"
He turned to the Ancient One with fresh urgency. "Master, your magical defenses are seriously powerful, right? Heaven and Hell can't just barge in without being detected, right?"
"Those demonic and divine entities cannot penetrate our barriers with their armies or physical forms without alerting us," she confirmed. "Only weak incarnations might slip through. For their true forms to enter, they would need to launch a full-scale invasion."
She gave him a pointed look. "However... Heaven and Hell have joined forces. My defensive formations are struggling to hold. So if you happen to know where this troublemaker is hiding, I suggest you tell them to leave Earth immediately."
Jason shrugged with forced casualness. "Why tell me that? How would I know where they are?"
After the Ancient One departed, Jason's façade dropped, his brow furrowing in deep thought.
This is getting complicated. I can't hide my involvement much longer. But could I really defeat the combined forces of angels and demons if they attacked together?
Gazing at the sun through the window, he made a snap decision: I need to build that space station now. What if these bastards don't follow any code of honor and launch a surprise attack in the middle of the night?
Beyond that, he'd relocate all Avengers base personnel and equipment to his First God Domain. Since he could now open multiple portals simultaneously, he could create one for each important facility. The bases would remain in the God Domain while personnel could come and go for missions as needed. Maximum security!
As for the space station, that would be simple enough with his powers. He'd coordinate with the President, claim a suitable hilltop, and use his spatial abilities to extract it whole. Then he'd create a space barrier to contain atmosphere, water, and everything else before launching it into orbit.
Problem solved!
United Kingdom. A high-end French restaurant.
Thor and Jane Foster sat having dinner together, completely absorbed in each other's company. Ever since their first meeting, Thor couldn't stop thinking about her.
Although he'd rushed back to New York to find Mjölnir after their hasty goodbye, fate had other plans. Late one night, Thor suddenly realized with perfect clarity: this is what humans call love!
Since then, he'd regularly snuck away from Asgard to meet Foster on Earth. Now they sat close together, eyes full of affection, their conversation sweet and intimate, practically inseparable.
An unwelcome voice interrupted their moment: "You two... in my personal opinion, I really can't approve of this relationship."
They turned in surprise to find Jason standing beside their table, smiling pleasantly.
Thor frowned. "You? Savior Jason, what brings you here?"
"Just happened to be in the neighborhood on business. Didn't expect to run into you." Jason shrugged. "By the way, you've been visiting Earth pretty frequently lately. Doesn't Asgard's Rainbow Bridge use a ton of electricity?"
Thor looked confused. "The Rainbow Bridge doesn't use electricity. It draws power from Asgard itself..."
Jason rolled his eyes at Thor's literal response. "How's Odin's health these days?"
"Dad? What could possibly be wrong with him? He's the king of Asgard! Nothing can harm him!"
"Then how'd he lose an eye?" Jason countered.
"Hmph! You understand nothing. That was his sacrifice to the World Tree, not an injury."
"Well, let me give you some friendly advice," Jason said. "If Odin's still up for a fight, let him handle the Dark Elves himself. If not, remember to call me—though my fee won't be cheap."
"What?" Thor looked genuinely surprised. "Dark Elves? They were defeated ages ago! How would they dare show their faces to Odin the All-Father?"
"Go ask your dad about it," Jason replied dismissively, turning to leave.
Thor grabbed his arm. "Wait!"
Jason frowned. "Odin knows more about Dark Elves than I do. I can't explain it properly."
"No, I want to know why you said I'm... not suitable for Jane?"
Jason paused, then smiled. "You're the prince of Asgard. She's just an ordinary Earth scientist. Is that really appropriate?"
Foster frowned beside Thor. "Mr. Jason, are you suggesting I'm not worthy of him?"
"Do you honestly believe love can magically overcome all barriers of status and species, and you'll live happily ever after like in fairy tales?" Jason asked, his tone sharp. "Come on, adults, wake up! And note this, Ms. Foster—you're not just dating a prince. You're dating an alien feudal prince. Is your love really that strong?"
Jane and Thor both fell silent, stunned. Lost in their romantic bubble, neither had seriously considered these issues.
Thor looked troubled. "Is there no other way?"
"There is!" Jason answered simply.
"What way?" Thor asked eagerly.
Jason almost told him he'd soon be free to love whoever he wanted—because his mother would die, his father would fall, and Asgard would be destroyed. At that point, no one would care who he dated!
But saying that now would sound like a curse. Besides, with Jason's knowledge and power, he could potentially prevent those tragedies... if Odin was willing to pay the price.
Jason turned to Foster. "Do you truly care for this simple-minded but physically impressive guy?"
Foster hesitated briefly, then nodded. "I do."
"Then consider this: if you marry, you'll grow old and die in fifty years at most. Would you willingly leave him alone with a broken heart and crushed spirit to spend the remaining three thousand years of his life in solitude?"
Foster's eyes widened, uncertainty flashing across her face.
Jason shook his head. "If you can't accept that ending, then consider another scenario. Thirty years from now, you're old and wrinkled, but he's still handsome and youthful. Your love gets eroded by time. He falls for another young, beautiful woman. You divorce, and they enjoy the same blissful romance you're experiencing now. Could you handle that?"
Foster trembled visibly at these words. Thor's expression darkened as he seemed to envision their love... shattering.
"The obstacles between you are far greater than you realize," Jason said seriously. "If you want your love to endure, you need to confront these realities. If you can overcome all these challenges, then I'll acknowledge that your love truly transcends race, status, and even life itself. I'll give you my blessing and even fight for your happiness. But that kind of love is exceedingly rare."
Jason departed, leaving the restaurant in uncomfortable silence.
Thor tried to take Foster's hand, but she pulled away.
She shook her head slowly. "Thor, let's not see each other for the next couple of days. We both need to... think about this carefully."
Meanwhile, Jason successfully located the area of abnormal gravity and spatial distortions near London, England—the phenomenon that had initially drawn his attention.
It was the Aether—the Reality Stone—causing all these strange manifestations!
Among the Infinity Stones, this was one of the most powerful on its own. Another gem was about to fall into his hands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support me at p@treon.com/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~