Marvel: Starting as a Time Criminal, Stealing Powers

Loki and the Four Warriors also noticed the changes on the other side of the abyss.

The sight of the world itself being transformed dealt a massive shock to their minds.

It was beyond comprehension.

Beyond logic.

It was enough to make their brains crash like an overloaded machine.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently once more. The earth beneath Russell's feet began to rise uncontrollably, and within seconds, a volcano erupted from the frozen soil!

Black smoke billowed skyward, and with a deafening explosion that shook space itself, scorching magma shot into the sky!

The volcano erupted in full force!

Red lightning cracked through the ash-filled sky as fiery magma turned into a raining inferno.

From a distance, it looked like the apocalypse.

Each drop of magma—like a blazing meteor—slammed into the ice fields below, and every impact wiped out dozens of Frost Giants without leaving a trace!

Thousands of Jotunheim's giants, who had previously seemed mindless in their rage, were reduced by a third in a matter of seconds.

Five seconds later, only a few hundred remained, staggering on scorched, lava-covered ground.

At that moment, fear overwhelmed fury. The remaining Frost Giants howled in terror and began to flee, wishing they had more legs to run with.

Thor stared blankly at the scene.

If these giants had run that fast at the beginning, he and his friends wouldn't have stood a chance.

An indescribable feeling rose in his chest.

He looked toward the man standing at the peak of the volcano, surrounded by thunder and flame.

The enemy who had made him feel utter despair... was simply another level of power he couldn't even imagine.

Soon, the last Frost Giant perished in the fire.

The blazing wasteland fell silent, save for the bubbling of magma.

Just minutes ago, if someone had told him this place was Jotunheim, Thor would've smashed them with Mjolnir.

But now... he had seen it with his own eyes.

The Four Warriors were completely speechless. This apocalyptic scene would remain forever etched in their memories.

Loki adjusted his posture and knelt without hesitation.

Right or wrong no longer mattered.

To be used by such a being was an honor.

At the Bifrost, Heimdall—recently freed from mind control—stood frozen, his back drenched in cold sweat.

Odin, wielding Gungnir, gazed through the Bifrost at Jotunheim and witnessed everything.

He had already held this man in high regard—but now realized even that had been far too modest.

A strong premonition took hold of Odin's heart:

This foreign god undergoing trial... might be the only hope across all timelines.

So what if he took Mjolnir?

Let him take it.

Asgard

Using the same coordinates from last time, Russell once again entered the sealed treasury chamber.

He located the ancient scroll, pressed his finger against the sigil, and watched as the original inscriptions faded—revealing new text beneath:

✅ [Slay the Frost Dragon] — Completed

✅ [Kill the Flame Messenger] — Completed

❌ [Protect the Creatures of Despair] — Not Completed

❌ [Repel the Dark Invasion] — Not Completed

Russell let out a soft sigh.

He had expected to complete the first two easily. But the third one still failed.

The six "Creatures of Despair" were no ordinary beings.

He had even manipulated their emotions—hope to despair to hope again. The psychological cycle should have produced excellent results.

Yet the outcome was still unsatisfactory.

He decided to make adjustments next time—perhaps experiment with large-scale events, especially ones involving large populations.

Shaking his head, Russell opened the status panel in his mind and checked the new entries:

[Frost Giant Bloodline — Advanced Tier]

Body adapted to extreme cold

Greatly enhanced physical durability

Cryokinesis (low temperature control)

Longevity

No need for sustenance

⚠️ Note: This trait conflicts with [Extremis]. Proceed with caution.

Russell curled his lip in mild disappointment.

King of the Frost Giants, and this is all he had to offer?

But when he remembered that Laufey had been obliterated by Loki wielding the Eternal Spear, it made sense.

He probably wasn't much stronger than a named NPC.

Only Ymir, the progenitor of the Frost Giants, likely possessed true frost-based divinity.

What followed were just diluted bloodlines of Jotunheim.

Even after integrating various entries, the system still categorized it only as:

[Frost Giant Bloodline — Advanced Tier]

No evolution or breakthrough occurred.

So once again, like the many entries before, Russell tossed it into the discard bin.

Then he glanced at the final entries with interest:

[Rune Power — Frost Breath (Purple)]

A breath weapon infused with ancient runes stolen by Laufey. Emits a freezing breath capable of affecting not only physical matter but also magical energies.

[Rune Power — Ice Armor (Blue)]

Summons a durable ice-based armor that can either coat the body or be projected. Offers enhanced defense against both physical and elemental attacks.

The Ice Armor was decent—but it was the Frost Breath that truly satisfied him.

A purple-tier entry powered by Runic Energy? Now that was rare.

Russell grinned.

"Now I really am like Superman... I've got heat vision, flight, and now frost breath too."

Chuckling at his own internal joke, he flipped open the parchment containing rune schematics and began studying it while slowly restoring his divine power and stamina.

That terraforming move earlier had taken a significant toll on his energy.

Still—now that it was tested, he had a solid grasp on its limits.

Asgard – Timeline: October 28, 2013

After returning Mjolnir, Russell exited the portal and floated above the skies of Asgard.

Down below, Heimdall—still stationed at the bridge—sensed something and looked up.

But he saw nothing in the sky.

In the Asgardian Dungeon

Loki lay flat on a mattress inside his high-security cell, bored out of his mind, casually tossing apples in the air.

Suddenly, two shadows crept in stealthily from the corridor...

A few seconds later,

a green light flashed, and Russell appeared.

He glanced at a fat man and a raccoon disappearing around a corner and frowned slightly.

Was this the start of Avengers: Endgame?

No.

He immediately ruled that out.

From the timeline's perspective, this scene had always existed. It was part of the original continuity and wouldn't create a new time branch.

The part that diverged was when Loki of 2012 escaped with the Space Stone—that wasn't supposed to happen.

So the Loki plotline hadn't begun just yet.

Hmm...

Russell narrowed his eyes slightly, a sudden inspiration flashing through his mind.

The Battle of New York in 2012 was undoubtedly a major event. Tens of millions of people in New York were overwhelmed with fear and despair.

This might perfectly satisfy the requirements of the trial.

At the same time, there was something else he could do...

Help Loki escape the timeline!

He couldn't always let the TVA create trouble for him. It was time to return the favor.

Most importantly, once the Loki Season 2 arc concluded, he would finally be free.

Once all timelines were liberated, there would be far more opportunities to collect high-quality system entries.

With that in mind, Russell chose not to interfere as Thor and Rocket collected the Reality Stone.

Before long, the Dark Elves began their invasion.

The disguised Cursed Warrior successfully destroyed the energy core of Asgard's protective shield.

The Dark Invasion had begun!

Aboard the Dark Elf mothership, Malekith was filled with excitement.

Soon, he would destroy Asgard, reclaim the Aether (Reality Stone), and plunge the universe back into eternal darkness!

In the palace, Odin stood with a stern expression, commanding soldiers to prepare for battle.

Thor, having resolved the prison break in the dungeons, hurried back to the surface—his mother was in danger!

Inside the royal chambers,

Frigga stared in shock at the man who had appeared before her, crushing a powerful dark elf's throat with ease.

At that moment, Thor burst into the room and froze at the sight.

He was relieved and stepped forward to thank the stranger.

But before he could speak, he saw the man raise his hand—and Mjolnir flew out of Thor's grip and landed in the stranger's palm!

Thor's eyes widened in disbelief.

How could someone else summon his hammer?!

Wait—

That wasn't even the point!

Mjolnir was his soul. No one should be able to take it...

BOOM!

The skies over Asgard darkened.

Countless bolts of lightning surged downward, forming a terrifying thunderstorm!

The shields on the Dark Elf warships activated—

but they shattered under the relentless lightning strikes.

Under the stunned gaze of Asgardian citizens and soldiers, all the Dark Elf warships exploded!

The invasion was over... before it even began.

So sudden.

So absolute.

As the thunderstorm dissipated, people looked up—and realized it wasn't Thor floating in the sky...

It was a stranger holding Mjolnir.

On the terrace of the God-King's palace, Thor slowly closed his mouth.

"...It's fine. Just use it..."

"...I don't mind at all. Really."

Outside the temple, Odin looked up.

Beside him, Fandral, dressed in golden armor, was visibly shaken. He couldn't help asking:

"Your Majesty, do you know who that is?"

He had never seen thunder this powerful. The Dark Elves had no chance—not even a moment to resist or escape.

Too powerful.

Odin shook his head.

He was just as shocked—if not more.

Because he could see clearly:

this man's control of thunder far surpassed even Thor.

And Odin was certain:

The man hadn't even used his full strength.

That casual lightning storm had wiped out the enemy like ants.

Although he didn't know who this mysterious being was, he had just saved Asgard from destruction.

Odin knew he owed him a debt of gratitude.

But at that moment, the man turned around and disappeared into a glowing orange portal.

In the bedroom,

Thor watched the portal fade, looked down at his empty hands, and couldn't help but wail:

"My Mjolnir is gone again!"

Then he froze.

"...Again?"

In the Void

After confirming that the dark invasion trial was a success, Russell returned to his underground transformation chamber and casually placed the new Mjolnir on the shelf.

On the nearby sofa, Polaris was playing video games with Laura (X-23, the little wolf girl). As Russell entered, Polaris's eyelid twitched.

Seriously?

Did he just go shopping or something? Why did he come back with another Mjolnir?

At this rate, he could start selling them wholesale.

But Polaris was more shocked than annoyed.

In her timeline, both the Avengers and Mutants existed simultaneously.

She knew how powerful Thor was.

Even assuming variants weren't that different, Mjolnir was not something just anyone could take.

Yet this man kept collecting them like souvenirs.

She suddenly realized—the little wolf girl had totally underestimated how strong her "boyfriend" really was.

Then Polaris had another thought. Her face turned red.

Because... the little wolf girl hadn't just underestimated his combat strength—but also his "other powers."

She wondered whether he'd be leaving tonight...

"I'm not going anywhere tonight."

Russell greeted them and then asked casually:

"I'm heading out to buy some ingredients. Anything either of you want to eat?"

Polaris shook her head, a little shyly, and replied politely:

"I'm not picky. Anything is fine. I don't need anything special."

"No, no, no!"

The little wolf girl suddenly jumped up, ran over in a few steps, and whispered something in Russell's ear.

Every now and then, she glanced toward Polaris, made a few very specific gestures at Russell, and finally warned with great seriousness:

"Don't mess it up. If you buy the wrong size—too big or too small—it won't fit."

"And as for the style... just listen to me, okay?"

Russell looked a little embarrassed—but nodded anyway.

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