American Comics: Heaven's Reward

A few minutes later, Aaron walked out of the Golden Hall, the Space Gem in one hand as he pondered Odin's second "request."

His expression was filled with amusement.

What Odin had given him was not an artifact but a permission, a spell—a magic that banishes people to Helheim.

To be precise, it's not just an exile to Helheim but also to other realms, including, but not limited to, the Nine Realms.

And the sealed door is on him.

This door is both a passage to oneself and the land of exile.

If the sealed person is powerful enough, they may break through the door and open the passage.

Or, if the sealer dies, the door will automatically open, releasing the exile.

This is why, after Odin's death on Earth in Norway, the door appeared by itself.

Hela did not have teleportation abilities, especially after being away from Asgard for so long.

Originally, she had a chance to leave.

But Odin had sent an army of Valkyries, using a suicidal attack that drained Hela's energy. The Valkyries used their deaths to make it seem like Hela's escape was impossible.

With no energy to replenish herself, Hela simply wasn't strong enough to leave.

When Odin introduced this exile magic, he had once said, "Maybe you'll need it one day."

"Is he preparing me for Hela's troubles?"

Aaron sneered, thinking, What a cunning fox.

Despite his disdain for Odin's methods, Aaron learned.

He couldn't have too much magic—especially exile-style sealing magic, which was rare.

It was rare to get such a spell from Odin's hands, and if he didn't learn it, it would be a wasted opportunity.

Apparently, Odin didn't believe Aaron could defeat Hela.

Even though Aaron's strength was on par with Odin's, Odin still had his doubts.

Aaron suspected this was related to Hela's nature.

Hela's strength was tied to Asgard itself.

As long as she stayed in Asgard, her power would continue to grow, and her resilience would reach incredible levels.

Almost no attack could kill her.

She could continuously absorb Asgard's energy to repair herself.

At this point, her resilience was greater than even Wolverine's.

In a way, Hela in Asgard was invincible.

Almost no one could defeat her in a one-on-one fight.

Even Odin couldn't.

The only thing that could be done was to exile her to Helheim.

Of course, another way would be to destroy Asgard.

Asgard was the source of Hela's power, and cutting off her connection to it could kill her.

The Eternal Flame of Surtur did just that.

But Odin obviously couldn't do this.

From Odin's point of view, Aaron had the absolute power to suppress Hela, but not to kill her.

That's why he taught him this new magic as a way to balance the threat.

But...

Was there really no way to kill Hela?

Aaron shook his head, setting the matter aside for now.

"Aaron, does the God King have any important missions?" Sif asked nervously, stepping forward.

"No big deal, just guarding something," Aaron replied casually, not intending to explain further.

Transactions involving such games weren't meant for casual conversation.

After all, to most in Asgard, making a deal with Odin was outrageous.

They were ready to die for Asgard's glory, but Aaron's actions were hard for them to understand.

Amora might understand, but Sif was traditional Asgard. Explaining to her would be pointless.

But Aaron believed Sif would understand him in time.

This wasn't a game.

It was a serious matter concerning Asgard's safety.

Perhaps after hearing more, Sif might volunteer, take the Space Gem, and go live in an unknown place, dedicating herself to Asgard.

"Let's go back to Earth first," Aaron decided, finally choosing to leave Asgard instead of waiting for Thor.

Sometimes, it was easier to let go of things on Earth.

On Asgard... it wasn't as simple.

Asgard is beautiful, but Earth...

He couldn't leave it for long.

Back at the Golden Hall, Heimdall spoke in a deep voice.

"The Father of Gods! Aaron and the others have left and returned to Midgard."

Odin smiled reassuringly.

"They opened their own portals, should we…"

Heimdall didn't understand.

Aaron had been back for only a short time, hadn't said a word before leaving. Wasn't that a bit too casual?

And the way they left—no Bifrost, but a portal?

This made it particularly hard for Heimdall to monitor.

He considered suggesting they build a forbidden magic circle to prevent portal use.

"Never mind, let him go," Odin waved his hand dismissively. "He is the god of magic."

Odin emphasized that last part.

Aaron's ability was formidable. Even if they built a forbidden circle, it wouldn't do much.

Trying to trap a magic god? That would be asking for trouble.

Anyway, Odin admitted Aaron was better at teleportation magic than he was.

Odin couldn't use dark energy to travel between galaxies as easily or efficiently as Aaron.

Heimdall nodded. Since the God King had decided, he wouldn't argue.

Then he frowned. "There's something else. The Chitauri army has started to leap, but they've gone invisible. It's hard for me to lock onto their position."

"I completely lost track of them not long ago."

"I'm afraid they have some dark secret."

"Are you sure where they went?" Odin closed his eyes, pondering.

"It should be... Svartalfheim!"

"The Land of the Dark Elves? What are they doing there?" Odin's eyes opened, filled with doubt.

"Not sure, but I suspect it might have something to do with Loki," Heimdall replied uncertainly. "Loki once told me there were many secret passages hidden in the Nine Realms. I can't check every possible location."

"Perhaps they've entered one of those secret passages, and now I can't track them."

Heimdall's All-Seeing Eye was powerful, but it couldn't see beyond its awareness.

"Keep an eye on them, but don't overdo it. These are just a bunch of overwhelmed fools; it's not worth too much attention."

Odin didn't take the Chitauri seriously.

"Understood," Heimdall nodded.

"Should we continue watching Aaron's movements? I sense he's aware of my gaze, so I haven't paid much attention to him lately."

"No, if he wants, he can block your perception at any time. Continuing to watch him would only deepen distrust."

Odin abandoned the previous decision.

Monitoring Aaron further would only create tension.

Before, Odin wasn't sure how strong Aaron was, but now he knew.

For a powerful individual—especially a magic god—surveillance was a sign of disrespect.

New York

After returning from Asgard, Aaron arrived in this famous international city.

It wasn't because the place was special, but because it had a holy site.

From there, he could easily reach Kamar-Taj anytime.

Plus, it had the largest municipal public library in the United States.

Asgard had knowledge too, but most of it was partial and outdated. The technology Asgard had was hundreds of years behind Earth.

But who said Aaron couldn't start fresh?

Learning from kindergarten level to university didn't make much difference if you had the drive.

"Jean, help me get some physics books from the New York Public Library."

Jean Grey nodded, not asking why, and turned to leave immediately.

"Amora, go to this address and find the magician there. Tell him you were sent by the God of Magic and ask him to bring all the magic books in my room."

"As you wish, my master~"

Amora stretched out the last word, her playful demeanor making Sif uncomfortable.

She suddenly realized she and Amora were not allies.

They were, in fact, competitors.

Seeing that Jean and Amora had tasks, Sif didn't want to be left behind. "What about me? I can do many things."

"You?" Aaron handed her the phone he got from Jean. "Your task now is to familiarize yourself with Earth's habits. Start with the phone."

"Cell phone?" Sif hurriedly took it, starting to study.

Seeing Sif's focus, Aaron also entered his own learning state.

The magic he'd gotten from the library—energy duplication—was something he was eager to master.

He even discovered a healing spell that stimulated the body's natural recovery.

The speed of recovery depended on the magic power available.

But the consumption was high, and it could only heal minor injuries.

It couldn't fix major wounds, like a broken arm.

It was a useful but limited magic.

That was probably why Odin didn't use magic to fix his eyes.

But for Aaron, it was still practical.

After a bit of practice, maybe he could heal as fast as Hela.

As Sif wrestled with the phone, Amora encountered some trouble.

Her beauty constantly drew the attention of passing men, causing women to scowl.

But Amora didn't care about those men. Her focus was on Aaron.

Yet sometimes, trouble finds you when you're not looking for it.

Before she knew it, a group of bold gangsters blocked her path with lewd grins.

"Hey, little sister, where are you going? Want some company?"

Amora raised an eyebrow. It was the first time someone dared approach her.

In Asgard, no one would dare do that.

"These Midgard men have no idea what they're doing," she thought.

But just as she was about to deal with them casually, a figure swiftly appeared, knocking down the gangsters in moments.

It was Gwen Stacy.