Marvel's Iron Lady

The white, translucent crystal in her conscious space was identical to the two other crystals formed by the blue and red Infinity Stones.

Therefore, based on Miss Stark's analysis, this crystal should also be an Infinity Stone.

However, it was an Infinity Stone she had no recollection of—one that was completely unknown, even now.

It was this pure white Infinity Stone that helped her completely suppress the foreign Reality and Space Stones, absorbing their power for her own use.

On the other hand, if her assumptions were correct—

The memories and knowledge from other parallel worlds that had surfaced in her mind were also brought by this nameless Infinity Stone.

She had no idea where this pure-colored stone came from or who created it, as she had no concept of it.

Even when delving deep into her memory, she found no record of this Infinity Stone.

It seemed like an unknown outsider—though not malevolent, quietly residing in her consciousness.

As for whether this Infinity Stone harbored ill intentions, Miss Stark couldn't be certain.

But for now, even if the stone did have harmful intentions, she had no means of dealing with it.

The MRI results showed that aside from her brain's hyperactivity, no foreign object had physically manifested.

For now, this pure-colored Infinity Stone seemed to be beneficial to her, but who knew what the future held?

If, one day, this Infinity Stone posed a threat to her, would she choose to open her own skull and remove it?

Not to mention whether current technology could affect the deepest layers of human consciousness, at the very least... she currently had no power to make that choice.

Helpless, all she could do was take things one step at a time, hoping that it wasn't there to harm her.

As she thought this, Miss Stark suddenly realized she was back in the real world—in the corridor of the abandoned office building.

The space that had sealed the Reality Stone had unceremoniously kicked her out of the other-dimensional space as if dumping out trash.

Looking at the chaotic corridor of the abandoned office building, Miss Stark's heart was conflicted.

The so-called Reality Stone—its greatest, and indeed its only, ability—was to alter established facts.

Yes, changing the already-determined reality of the world was the Reality Stone's sole power.

Events that had already occurred and could not be changed appeared as though they had never happened before the power of the Reality Stone.

As long as the user could control the power of the Reality Stone, they could turn all of their desires into reality.

Even creating something from nothing, or rewriting the physical and metaphysical laws of the universe, was within its power.

With the Space Stone, an infinite energy crystal, in her hand, Miss Stark could freely use the Reality Stone's power.

At this point, almost no one on Earth could threaten her safety.

Except—for the outsider residing deep within her consciousness, the Infinity Stone that had no presence.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the vast galaxy, a group of restless individuals stirred.

At the edge of the galaxy, where a desolate star system lay, a lonely star was accompanied by two similarly sized planets.

In the asteroid belt between the two planets, formed by gravitational distortions, a starship's silhouette emerged.

At first glance, the giant ship exuded an ancient, savage aura.

Ferocious and terrifying—its pitch-black cross-shaped hull was covered in cracks, and everywhere, it glowed with a blood-red energy light.

Within this drifting ancient battleship, hundreds of eyes suddenly opened in the dark.

Dark Elves—over a hundred Dark Elves stepped out of their opened cryo-chambers, radiating killing intent.

These relics of the ancient past, frozen for over a billion years, had been fighting the Nine Realms in one moment—

And in the next, they had awakened in a distant corner of the universe, billions of years later.

Though confused by their sudden reawakening, the Dark Elves immediately snapped to attention when they noticed the slender figure on the bridge.

"I can no longer remember how long we've slept—"

"But I still remember the war. They slaughtered our entire race, leaving only us."

The king of the Dark Elf race, Malekith, sat on the throne at the bridge of the starship.

He had just awakened, stirred from his slumber by the special waves emitted by the Aether.

The hundred or so Dark Elves knelt down on one knee in unison, bowing to their king on the deck of the ship.

Their deep voices merged into a dirge, mourning those who had sacrificed their lives for the survival of their race.

Malekith stood up, turned his back to his kneeling tribesmen, and stood tall on the bridge.

"Back then, our comrades painted the Nine Civilizations with their blood—"

"And now, we have been awakened once more. The Aether is calling us."

As their leader, he turned slowly, his expression fervent, his face filled with passion and intensity.

His surviving people looked at their king, their faces glowing with fanaticism, as they shouted in unison.

"For the continuation of our race, our comrades sacrificed their lives."

"I will make the Asgardians pay for what they did to us!"

"I will restore our dark world! I will bring an end to this decaying universe!"

"My people, will you follow me once again—follow me, Malekith, King of the Dark Elves?"

The kneeling elves rose to their feet, their expressions ecstatic as they responded with loud cries. Satisfied, Malekith nodded.

He had awakened due to the energy wave of the Reality Stone.

As long as he could obtain the Reality Stone, he could make the Nine Civilizations pay.

He would restore the glory of the Dark Elf civilization and plunge the entire universe back into the dark, primal age.

"The next Convergence will occur in seven years. In seven years, the universe will return to darkness."

As he spoke, Malekith took out a blood-red, diamond-shaped crystal, encased in a jagged rock, from his robes.

"This is the last remaining Kurse Stones of our people. Crush it and embrace the darkness."

"Become The Kursed, and gain the power of the dark, until—your life burns out."

Malekith held the crystal in his palm and raised it high for all to see.

"Now, tell me—who will become the embodiment of darkness, and sacrifice their life for the revival of our race?!"

Upon hearing the king's words, the Dark Elves rushed forward in a frenzy, each one eager to seize the crystal.

Soon, a fierce battle broke out on the deck of the ship, each elf's face twisted with fanaticism.

They had been abandoned… chosen when the Nine Realms launched their counterattack on the Dark Elves.

To protect the last spark of their civilization, they had been sent onto this flagship of the Dark Elf fleet, left to drift in the void.

Their friends, families, and loved ones had all perished in that ancient war.

Now, with the opportunity for revenge at hand, what did it matter if they sacrificed their lives?

Hundreds of Dark Elf survivors fought madly for the crystal, each one willing to become a The Kursed.

Finally, it was a tall, battle-hardened warrior who shoved everyone aside and seized the crystal.

His name was Algrim, the Dark Elf general, second only to King Malekith.

"I am willing to give my life, but can you promise me that you will lead our race to glory, Malekith?"

Though the Kurse Stones granted immense power, it also cost the user their sanity.

So before his death, Algrim's greatest wish was to hear Malekith personally guarantee the future of their race.

"I promise you—I will not fail you, my friend."

Malekith, knowing the cost of using the Kurse Stones, put on a righteous expression.

Algrim said no more. He took the Kurse Stones from Malekith's hand and crushed it.

The jagged rock shattered, and the blood-red crystal disintegrated into energy, pouring into Algrim's body.

His skin and muscles seemed to melt away, only to reform into a monstrous new shape.

Ferocious, violent, his body now resembled solid rock, glowing with red energy that pulsed outward.

"Let's go. Retrieve the Aether, and plunge this world back into darkness—"

Watching Algrim's transformation, Malekith raised his hand and shouted to his people.

At the center of the massive, black cross-shaped battleship, the blood-red energy engine roared to life like a whirlwind.

Dark red energy lines crackled around its menacing, pitch-black hull as it headed toward the edge of the vast cosmos.

At that moment, back on Midgard, or rather, Earth, Miss Stark remained oblivious to the events unfolding around her.

She had just walked out of the abandoned office building with Happy Hogan when she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of pressure.

To be precise—it was a form of oppression, an invisible force of monumental scale.

She raised her head slightly and was greeted by a stunning sight—a beam of light, as if piercing the very Earth, descending toward her.

It was a radiant, multicolored energy beam, and Miss Stark immediately thought of one word: the Bifrost.

Asgard's most powerful strategic weapon, their means of traversing the vast starry sky.

Miss Stark's expression shifted dramatically; she hadn't expected Odin to find out so quickly.

At this moment, an inexplicable emotion stirred deep within her, making her feel restless.

In the fragments of her memories, the Aether's appearance was supposed to occur years later.

It was supposed to be discovered by Thor Odinson's girlfriend, Jane Foster, while Miss Stark had only retrieved it prematurely.

However, she hadn't anticipated that the moment she took the Reality Stone, Asgard would immediately detect it.

Now, the Bifrost had descended in the parking lot not far from her.

Yet, the ten-meter-wide beam of light did not disappear, and no one had appeared either.

Miss Stark knew this was an invitation from Asgard, if it could even be called an invitation.

"Take the stuff and drive away. I have something to take care of—"

She patted Happy Hogan on the shoulder, her smile somewhat bitter.

Miss Stark had no idea whether Asgard was coming to hold her accountable or for some other reason.

But she wasn't afraid. After all, she had already gained the power of the Reality and Space Stones.

What troubled her was how she would explain the origin of the Infinity Stones if Asgard found out.

As the bumbling bodyguard took the tablet and other devices Miss Stark had tossed to him, he walked a few steps before realizing his boss wasn't following.

His face filled with confusion. What was she planning to do?

The scene unfolding in front of them was indeed shocking, even defying the laws of science, but Happy Hogan chose to selectively ignore it.

It's said that some people, when faced with overwhelming sights, choose to filter out what they can't understand.

Perhaps the Bifrost and this awe-inspiring spectacle caused Happy Hogan to momentarily lose his mind.

"Boss, boss, what exactly are you planning?!"

"Stop wasting time, or I'll cut your salary in half next month. Now get lost!"

As a well-bred heiress, Miss Stark rarely swore.

But the current situation was beyond her expectations, making it difficult for her to control herself.

Leaving her bodyguard here would only make things harder to explain the longer they dragged it out.

Helpless, she grabbed Happy by the collar and kicked him into the spatial rift that had appeared behind him.

The other end of the rift led to central London. At this point, Miss Stark could no longer worry about him.

Gazing at the resplendent Bifrost in front of her, Miss Stark's lips twitched.

However, in the next moment, a spark-emitting portal suddenly opened beside her.

Then, a bright yellow figure appeared, pulling Miss Stark directly into the Bifrost's range.

It was the Sorcerer Supreme—seeing the bright yellow figure, Miss Stark suddenly felt a strange sense of calm.

Why was the Sorcerer here? She couldn't understand, so she quickly fell into deep thought.

Even as her body was carried into the sky by the Bifrost, leaving Earth behind, her mind was still processing.

The Sorcerer Supreme was Earth's guardian, responsible for defending against invasions from the Dark Dimension.

Logically speaking, the Sorcerer shouldn't appear so casually, let alone here.

As if guessing her thoughts, the Ancient One turned back and gave her a kind smile.