*Chapter 164: [??? Compatibility] (2nd Update)*

The black head, ent4ngled with str4nge white hair, soared high. Even in his final moments, Malekith still faithfully fulfilled his duties as a villain.

"The Aether... can never be... destroyed."

The decapitated head whirled through the air as it spoke.

Atreus didn't waste time with him. He quickly threw Hector, splitting Malekith’s head wide open.

“If I can’t solve the problem, I can at least deal with the guy causing it,” Atreus said mockingly.

In front of a top-tier tactician like him, no matter how his opponent tried to think outside the box, bare their soul, or split their forces, he could handle them all, thoroughly and completely (in every sense of the word).

Of course, being a master schemer isn't easy.

One wrong move and collecting heads turns into losing your own.

While Thor stood at the front as a tank, the final strike was crucial. If Atreus didn’t have his River Styx Body and Lava Armor, along with his natural resistances, he would’ve been obliterated the moment he stepped out.

Without the power of the Reality Stone, the red storm of particles, which raged like an apocalyptic tempest, dissipated faster than it had come.

The portals connecting the Nine Realms quickly closed as well.

The disaster had finally come to an end.

And just then…

“Kratos, you’re not bald!?” Thor’s expression was priceless.

Atreus was startled. He finally noticed that his body was mostly fine, but his Kratos suit had partially broken. His left chest, arm, cheek, and even part of his left forehead had been shattered by the Aether particles, revealing part of his face and a tuft of conspicuous black hair.

Feeling awkward, Atreus covered half his face.

“You're the bald one! May you grow fat, ugly, and bald!” When dealing with someone like Thor, indirect insults are lost on him. Only a straightforward retort can make your dissatisfaction clear.

Being immediately rebuked, the polite Thor apologized, “Uh, I didn’t know. Sorry.”

“In America, not every superhero is Tony Stark or Steve Rogers who can reveal their identity. If you don’t keep it secret, you might lose your freedom,” Jane said, running over to help explain, trying to ease the situation for Atreus.

“Oh! I see!” Thor said, acting as if he understood.

Atreus bet five bucks that he didn’t understand at all.

Oh well, Jane could explain it to him later.

But Atreus’s next move made Thor a little anxious.

“Whooosh…”

The howling winds stirred as the Aether particles, which had begun to dissipate, suddenly reassembled and converged in Atreus’s hand. The process wasn’t too fast or too slow, taking about five or six seconds.

If someone else had done this, Thor might have smashed them in the face with Mjolnir.

But Atreus made no attempt to hide anything, confidently completing the process.

The Reality Stone is extremely demanding on the user’s imagination and spatial thinking. Its requirements for overall aptitude are very high. Only those with enough intelligence can truly wield it.

Atreus handled it with ease.

Then, right in front of everyone, the massive storm of Aether particles settled into a bright red gemstone.

“Here!” Atreus casually tossed it into Thor’s hand.

“You... you’re just giving it to me?” Thor was stunned.

Atreus shrugged. “What else? Earth already has enough problems. I don’t want to start a war with Asgard.”

“Alright, I’ll report to my father.”

“By the way…”

“Hm?”

“Be careful of the Collector. That guy’s an agent of a dark overlord.” After saying that, Atreus turned to leave, calling out as he floated away, “I’m taking the Dark Elf spaceship as a trophy. Don’t worry, I won’t use it against Asgard.”

In Thor’s eyes, compared to the precious yet d4ngerous Aether, a Dark Elf mothership was nothing.

Atreus’s carefree attitude made Thor like him even more. “Hey! Next time, we’re drinking until we pass out, brother!”

Atreus tossed a spatial beacon to Thor as he left. “Sort things out with your dad first.”

Atreus hopped into his golden chariot and sped toward the massive, cross-shaped mothership.

Watching him leave, then glancing at the golden ornament in his hand, Thor felt a bit melancholy.

Jane Foster approached, gently holding his hand. “It’s okay. It’s finally over.”

“Over? No!” Thor turned to reveal a bitter smile. “I still need to take Loki’s body back for burial and atone to my father.”

“Atonement?”

“I caused all this without permission. Even though I meant to spare Asgard from war, I still disobeyed my father’s orders. Technically, I committed treason.”

Jane’s face fell. “But you… I… Can’t you just…”

Seeing Jane’s devastated expression broke Thor’s heart. “I’m sorry. It’s my duty. I can’t avoid it.”

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman, observing from afar, noticed Thor’s ch4nge in demeanor. “They…”

Atreus couldn’t help but comment, “Don’t worry, it’s just a soap opera. No one’s dying.”

Compared to the drama between Thor, Loki, and Jane, Atreus was more excited about his loot.

As his chariot flew through the open doors, he saw the Canary Sisters waiting for him, along with a bunch of Dark Elves tied up like silkworms in spider webs.

Gwen hadn’t entered with them; she had infiltrated the bridge through another route and taken control of the pilots.

Without hesitation, Atreus finished them off.

Gwen winced at the sight. She wasn’t fond of killing, but Dark Elves weren’t human, so she quickly came to terms with it.

As expected, Atreus got what he wanted.

With the addition of Malekith’s bonuses, Atreus’s stats were now:

Constitution 381, Agility 168, Strength 333, Intelligence 88, Perception 126, Willpower 198.

Unlike the big boost from Algrim’s package, Malekith’s attributes weren’t that strong, giving Atreus only slight improvements in intelligence, perception, and willpower. As a result, Atreus was now seriously unbalanced, to the point where, if you ignored the high numbers, his stat graph made him look like a muscle-bound idiot.

As for skills, he first gained the somewhat useless Dark Vision Lv22 and Dark Resistance Lv11.

But the main event came last: Congratulations, host, you’ve obtained ???? Compatibility Lv30!

That was the notification that made Atreus’s heart race to 200 beats per minute.

Instinctively, Atreus knew that those question marks could only mean Infinity Stones.

(End of Chapter)