American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

133. Galactus.

"That, that is...!"

Pietro immediately recognized the single-handed hammer. Though he had never seen Thor in person, he knew enough about this being referred to as a 'god.'

"That's the real deal."

"Yes, the genuine Mjolnir."

Alex murmured softly. In his memory, Thor had been beaten to death by the Absorbing Man. None of the superheroes had expected Magneto to suddenly strike, not even his daughter, Scarlet Witch. Magneto had transferred his magnetic powers and Scarlet Witch's magic to the Absorbing Man when she wasn't expecting it.

With such immense power, the Absorbing Man's abilities skyrocketed, and his physical strength rivaled Thor's. Using the chaotic magic, he absorbed Thor's divine power, ultimately beating him to death with his fists.

Thor's body had long been collected by the villains, but his hammer remained unmoved, awaiting the next person with a just heart to lift it and gain all of Thor's powers. Around Mjolnir, people had placed various wreaths, gifts, beautiful lanterns, and candles, which shone brightly at night.

"What are these?" Kara asked, looking at the wreaths and candles.

"These are left by people who come here to pray or wish for blessings. They hope the superheroes can return, just like before, wearing their uniforms, resurrected, or that someone will inherit their virtues and rise to resist the villains' oppression."

Hearing Alex's calm reply, Kara couldn't help but ask, "Don't the villains care? If these people are trying to pray for the return of heroes, wouldn't the criminals in charge here stop it?"

"It's not that simple," Alex shook his head. "They do it on purpose, to leave people a sliver of hope. This way, the people become more 'obedient.' You have to admit, Red Skull plays this trick very well, understanding human nature."

As Alex spoke, he walked past the wreaths and candles, stopping in front of Mjolnir. Feeling the power that had been dormant for decades, Alex sneered.

"Making ordinary people not give up hope, coming here to pray every day, only reinforces their reliance on the unattainable 'heroes.' If everyone thinks this way, no one here will ever be worthy of lifting Mjolnir."

Mjolnir represents protection, and only those of noble character, willing to sacrifice for others, can be deemed worthy by it. Like the saying 'Asgard is its people,' if one doesn't understand this, the people will continue to be manipulated and controlled by Red Skull.

"I get it. So, this place is actually a deliberate design by Red Skull. He uses it as a 'trophy' of his past victory and a tool to control the faith and opinions of the people," Pietro speculated.

Alex looked at Pietro in surprise, impressed by his growing analytical skills. He then added, "And it makes money. This is the world's most popular tourist spot, attracting countless visitors daily."

"Can't we lift this hammer? It looks pretty powerful. If we could lift it, it might significantly boost our combat strength," Kara said, eyes fixed on the hammer, sensing it could harm her.

"Unfortunately, none of us can meet this hammer's standards," Alex chuckled, shaking his head. "However, lifting it doesn't necessarily mean following its rules. With enough power to bypass Odin's enchantment, you could gain the hammer's 'approval.'"

"Then let's get started!" Pietro was eager but got a flick on the forehead from Alex.

"I don't have that kind of power. At his peak, Odin was a force that shook the entire universe. Even now, his lingering power isn't something ordinary people can overcome. Besides, why would I want to lift it? To announce a new Thor to all the villains?"

"True," Pietro laughed sheepishly.

"There's nothing left here for us. Let's find a place to stay nearby. We have plenty of time to gather some 'treasures' in this place," Alex said.

They found a decent-looking motel to stay in. With his ability to conjure gold through magic, Alex saved himself a lot of trouble. Lying on the bed, Alex recalled the plot of the comics while planning his next steps.

In the Wasteland world, although most heroes had perished and the villains had become old and weak, it didn't mean there was no fighting power left. Doom's robots and Baron Zemo's sentinel robots were formidable.

Being targeted by those guys would be troublesome, especially with Red Skull, who was called the 'leader.' Besides his army, he had many powerful desperados. Even for Alex, dealing with them would be complicated.

Thinking about this, Alex couldn't help but marvel at how lucky Star-Lord was in this universe. Star-Lord arrived in the Wasteland coincidentally when Old Man Logan had crossed into the main universe.

At that time, Baron Zemo, Bullseye, and the traitors of the Thunderbolts had been killed by Hawkeye, Juggernaut was thrown off a cliff by Old Man Daredevil, and Red Skull and Hulk were killed by Wolverine Logan. The entire country was in chaos. Because of this, Star-Lord wasn't attacked by a horde of villains. Otherwise, he would have been killed by them long ago. However, this also meant Earth was doomed. Red Skull and his crew couldn't fend off the Church and Galactus.

Thinking of Galactus, Alex couldn't help but sigh.

Such a being was far beyond his current ability to defeat. It seemed he had to find a way to quickly increase his combat power and bolster Earth's defenses before Galactus arrived.

...…...

20 advanced chapters on p@treaon
For advance chapters: /Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
134. Tonya's Auto Repair Shop.
135. Ashley Barton.
136. Old Hawkeye Barton.
137. Conversation with Hawkeye.
138. The Villains' Information.

THIS CHAPTER UPLOAD FIRST AT NOVELBIN.COM