"Mm."
Matilda nodded obediently.
"Got it, big brother."
Ta~
Ye Li walked to the window, flicked some water off his finger, and looked outside.
In the torrential rain, a tall black figure was walking toward them.
It wore terrifying black armor.
Its entire body radiated an ominous aura...
The Cursed Warrior—Algrim.
…..
Bang—
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Thor raised his massive beer mug and clinked glasses with the burly-bearded Volstagg, then grinned and reminded him with a sense of pride over his learned etiquette.
"Oh~ Volstagg, don't drop your mug! That would be rude here, haha~!"
"Heh ha~"
One of the three warriors of Asgard, Volstagg, swirled the drink in his mug and grinned.
"That depends on whether this drink satisfies me~"
The other two Asgardian warriors—Fandral and Hogun—as well as the goddess Sif, seemed to be in good spirits as well. It was evident that they found Earth's food and drinks delicious.
Tap, tap, tap.
At this moment, Ye Li walked down the stairs.
Sif politely greeted him and thanked him, "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Ye."
"Enough."
Ye Li waved his hand impatiently, "If you're done eating, just leave already..."
Although Thor and his group weren't a threat to him, anyone would be annoyed after being ambushed.
The three Asgardian warriors were about to say something, but Thor and Sif stopped them.
Thor: "Don't talk, just eat."
Clearly, the god of thunder, who had learned compassion, also felt ashamed for acting impulsively.
"Hey~"
Sif stepped forward and spoke to Ye Li.
"Are you still mad? I already said it was a misunderstanding, and besides, it was Thor who got hit..."
"Lady Sif, you all suddenly appeared before me using the Bifrost and then attacked me..."
Ye Li sat beside Sif and casually lifted her chin. "I let you eat here out of respect for Matilda. Isn't that generous enough?"
Cough, cough...!
Thor coughed loudly as a reminder—
"Ye, watch your behavior..."
"Sorry, Thor."
Ye Li's fingertips slid down as he retracted his hand. "I forgot, she's your girl."
"Sif...."
Thor paused...
He glanced at his childhood friend, Sif...
In the end, he said, "Sif is not my... uh... Anyway, show some respect to a lady."
[Thor....]
Sif was happy when Thor spoke up, but when he denied their relationship, she felt annoyed and disappointed...
She glanced at Ye Li, who wore a leisurely smile, and deliberately leaned closer to him... hoping to provoke Thor.
But—
—Ye Li stood up again.
He had no interest in Sif.
He had just wanted to tease Thor and his group.
"You..."
Sif was even more frustrated. She got up, stopped eating, and walked to the door to get some fresh air in the rain...
But just as she looked outside, she seemed to see something in the rain. "What is that?"
Ye Li kindly reminded her.
"Lady Sif, you'd better stay away from the door."
Just as he finished speaking—
Huennn—!!
Huennn————!!
In the pouring rain, Algrim suddenly sped up, burst through the water, and crashed into the building!
Boom!!
A door panel was shattered into pieces. Sif quickly crossed her arms to block the flying debris—Bang! Bang! Bang!
Algrim ignored Sif. His gaze, beneath his helmet, was locked onto Ye Li...
Boom!!
Without a word, Algrim stomped forward, shattering the floor beneath his feet as he attacked.
But just as he got close to Ye Li—
Bang!!
Mjolnir came flying in and smashed into his helmet.
Whoosh—Smack!
Thor caught his hammer as it returned and grinned at Ye Li. "How about we help you deal with him and call it even?"
"Heh~"
Ye Li chuckled lightly without saying anything.
If he hadn't altered the course of events, Thor's mother, Frigga, would probably already be dead by now…
But letting Thor and his friends test their strength wasn't a bad idea—after all, there was no system reward for him taking down the Cursed Warrior himself.
He was more interested in what Malekith was planning.
The Cursed Warrior might just be a scout.
The army of the Dark Elves would likely follow soon. They weren't as numerous as the Chitauri, but they were certainly just as dangerous…
While Ye Li was lost in thought, Thor and his companions had already engaged in battle with Algrim—
Bang!!
Thor, wielding Mjolnir, crashed into Algrim, sending both of them flying out of the house!
"Roar!!—!"
Algrim let out a deep, furious roar. With arms thicker than Thor's, he smashed a fist into Thor's forehead—
Bang!!
Thor's vision blurred.
Both of them crashed to the ground.
"Hey! Who are you?"
Thor blocked Algrim's incoming attack with his arms. "You're pretty strong!"
"Roar!!"
Bang!
Algrim had no intention of talking. Raising his other hand, he slammed it directly into Thor's face.
"Ow! You bastard!"
Thor yelped.
Now he was getting angry. The two of them wrestled in the rain, rolling and punching each other.
Tap, tap, tap...
The Warriors Three of Asgard and Sif rushed out into the rain.
Hogun, watching Algrim's fearsome figure, suddenly recalled something he had read. "That... looks like a Dark Elf Cursed Warrior?"
Sif: "Dark Elves?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
Fandral scoffed. "The Dark Elves were wiped out long ago."
Volstagg nodded. "That's the official record. It can't be wrong."
Sif frowned. "This isn't normal. We need to report this to the All-Father."
"For now, let's help Thor first."
Volstagg grabbed his axe and charged at Algrim. "He doesn't look like an easy opponent. This black brute's tough!"
Thud, thud, thud—
Whoosh!!
Volstagg took a few running steps before leaping—
His axe slashed through the wind, slicing straight at Algrim's black armor!
Clang!
The axe cut through the armor—but got stuck in the flesh beneath…
"Oh..."
Volstagg's eyes widened in disbelief. That blow should have taken down even a Frost Giant!
"Huff..."
A deep, heavy breath escaped from Algrim's mouth under his helmet…
The white mist didn't fade, even under the rain.
Then, gripping the axe still embedded in his flesh, he suddenly reached out—
"Volstagg!"
Thor, still pinned by Algrim's other hand, kicked him hard in the stomach.
Algrim stumbled back a few steps, freeing Thor, but he still had Volstagg in his grip.
Whoosh—!
Slash~
A spear pierced through Algrim's shoulder.
Sif and the others had arrived to help and managed to rescue Volstagg together.
"Sigh~ Looks like I have to step in."
Ye Li leaned against the doorway, watching for a while.
Seeing that Thor and his group were struggling despite being five against one, he shook his head and decided to take action himself.
He raised his hand, and the Reality Stone on his black bracelet lit up with a dazzling red glow.
An invisible force began pulling at Algrim, tugging at a particular power within him...
Unlike Wanda and Pietro, whose abilities were merely unlocked by the Infinity Stones, the Cursed Warriors were forcefully infused with the Reality Stone's power in a crude manner.
Therefore...
Ye Li directly used the Reality Stone to start extracting its energy from Algrim...
…..
At a Nursing Home for Dementia Patients
"You're saying the Nine Realms are aligning?"
Gwen, having just used a portal to extinguish a massive fire, finally paid attention to what Dr. Selvig was saying.
"What does that mean?"
She had seen Dr. Selvig in the news before and had heard Ye Li and Jessica mention him.
She knew that, as an astrophysicist, he was highly accomplished and wouldn't just spout nonsense.
But she didn't understand why he was locked up in a nursing home for dementia patients...
Was it because of the aftereffects of being controlled by that alien criminal with the reindeer horns?