The skies shifted.

Celestial bodies began to align, drawn by ancient forces. The Nine Realms, each on its destined orbit, slowly pulled toward one another—destined to line up in a perfect straight line.

But this was no mere alignment. The Realms were merging, fusing together into what seemed like an entirely new continent.

Yet, Gene had no time to concern himself with this cosmic spectacle. He trusted Wanda, still on Earth, to handle things on that end. Right now, his attention was fixed solely on the raging, frenzied creature before him—the Dark Elf, Malekith.

The Aether was merely the vessel of the Reality Stone—it couldn't channel its full power. But even as a conduit, the Aether was a terrifying weapon. Since absorbing it, Malekith's strength and speed had skyrocketed beyond reason. Even Gene had to approach with caution.

But he had come prepared.

Blue light surged from his armor, and in a blink, he vanished from Malekith's view—reappearing behind him in an instant. In his hand gleamed a golden longsword, radiant and threatening, swinging through space itself as it slashed toward Malekith's neck.

The Aether, sensing its host was under deadly threat, surged to protect him. A thick, dark red energy barrier erupted at Malekith's throat, stopping Gene's strike cold.

But Gene pressed on.

From his free hand, a powerful beam of blue energy burst forth—a concentrated palm cannon. The energy source wasn't ordinary; it was pulled directly from the Space Stone embedded within his armor.

Yes, Gene had the Space Stone.

Even before the convergence began, he knew this battle with Malekith was inevitable. He had calculated everything—including the moment Malekith would rip the Aether out of Jane Foster.

To ensure everything went according to plan—to prevent the Nine Realms from fully merging into one continent (and more importantly, to secure the Reality Stone)—Gene had donned his latest Space Armor. Unlike the overheating suit from his battle with Galactus, this version was flawlessly optimized.

The blue palm cannon struck Malekith dead center in the back. The Aether couldn't shield against both sword and beam simultaneously. It could block Gene's sword—but not this.

CRACK!

A sickening sound of breaking bone echoed through the air as Malekith's back caved inward unnaturally. A mouthful of dark red blood spewed from his lips.

Roaring in fury, the Aether within Malekith boiled violently, instantly healing his injuries. He retaliated, his fist glowing with dark red power, punching at Gene. The force distorted the air itself. It was Malekith's most devastating blow.

The surrounding grunts and soldiers had long since retreated, hiding behind cover and hoping to survive the aftermath. A battle of this magnitude was far beyond them. Even a stray ripple of energy could vaporize them in an instant.

Gene's V-shaped visor flashed coldly. He'd been expecting this.

Suddenly, from the void, the Scarlet Chains of Sektorr materialized and wrapped tightly around Malekith, locking his limbs in place. The Dark Elf roared, struggling against their pull—but it was useless. These were chains forged by the master of the Scarlet Universe. Resistance was meaningless.

Gene's golden sword surged with divine light, swelling in size. The Sword of the Vishanti had transformed into a massive greatsword. With both hands, Gene gripped the blade tightly and brought it down on the immobilized Malekith.

The Aether surged again, trying desperately to shield its host from the incoming blow, but it was no use.

The radiant sword cleaved through Malekith like a beam of sunlight shattering the night. Blood sprayed, glistening like red jewels in the air.

A fine crack split straight down the center of Malekith's black-and-white face.

Dark crimson energy burst from the gash, and the Dark Elf screamed in agony. The Aether writhed wildly, forming a double helix—a swirling spiral of red energy, reminiscent of a human DNA strand, blasting upward into the sky.

The light pierced through space itself, linking the Nine Realms in a single red thread.

Even sliced in two, Malekith did not die. Or rather, he had died… but under the Aether's influence, he rose again.

His eyes turned pitch black. The jagged wound down his middle was desperately being stitched back together by the Aether's energy.

No longer was Malekith the host. He had become the puppet.

A mindless vessel controlled by one of the most dangerous cosmic forces in the universe.

The Aether had shed its chains. And with its freedom came overwhelming power.

Gene narrowed his eyes, watching the disturbing transformation.

"Interesting," he muttered coldly.

He could feel it—the Reality Stone's power was now fully unleashed, its energy eating away at his armor bit by bit.

The Aether was showing its true nature.

But this… was the end.

Yes, the Aether was one of the most dangerous materials in existence. But this was the extent of its host. Even with the variables, the battle was now decided.

The end had come.

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T/N:

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