714
Sulfuras, the Hand of Ragnaros
"You, what are you doing?" Surtur said in a terrified voice.
"Lend me your head," Forseti said and opened the glyph of the Eye of Sulfuras. The holy deed shone brightly, covering Surtur's head.
"Ah, ah, no—" Surtur howled, and then a fiery red skeleton phantom broke away from his head, sweeping into the glyph.
The skull of the flame giant, now devoid of its soul, had turned completely into a dead thing, resembling a sculpture made of charred coal, dark and dim, exuding the breath of embers.
At the same time, the glyph that absorbed Surtur's soul transformed into a bright red ball in the blazing fire, pulsating slightly like a beating heart.
The Eye of Sulfuras.
This bright red, slightly flickering ball was the core component of the legendary hammer, the Eye of Sulfuras.
Forseti relinquished the form of the guardian of the ancient kings, and the Sulfuron Warhammer reappeared. As he approached the warhammer with the Eye of Sulfuras, the two immediately showed a tendency to attract each other.
He let go, and the Eye of Sulfuras shot into the warhammer in an instant, merging seamlessly.
With the Eye of Sulfuras integrated, the fiery flames permeated the entire warhammer, becoming more and more dazzling, as if shedding a layer of rust.
Though the warhammer was already hot and bright before, compared to its current state, it was like the difference between a single grain of rice and the brilliance of a full moon. Or more vividly, the difference between sunspots and the rest of the sun.
When this fiery light reached its peak, Forseti knew that the transformation of the Sulfuron Warhammer into the Sulfuras Warhammer had been completed.
Sulfuras, the Hand of Ragnaros the Balrog!
Holding Sulfuras in his hand, Forseti clearly felt the incomparably fiery power contained within it. He even had a sense that this warhammer was so powerful it was almost overwhelming to wield.
Powerful weapons are not within everyone's grasp.
For example, when Mjölnir fell to New Mexico on Earth, countless people tried to lift it, but no one succeeded.
Similarly, most people would not even qualify to touch Sulfuras, as its flames would incinerate any mortal who dared to overestimate themselves.
Forseti felt he had to further improve his flame power, and fortunately, there was an opportunity now.
He looked at the Eternal Fire floating nearby.
It appeared as an ordinary flame, but the divine flame power within him told him of the pure energy the Eternal Fire held.
After absorbing some of the flames of Zatanos and the Phoenix, Forseti's flame power was only a step away from its third awakening.
Although this step might not be easy, he believed that the Eternal Fire was enough for him to take it.
When Odin was alive, there had always been a distance in the relationship with Hela and Forseti, and Odin kept the treasure house of Asgard to himself. So when the Eternal Fire was in Asgard in the past, Forseti did not ask for it.
Now that Odin was gone and the Eternal Fire had returned, Forseti, as the husband of the Queen of Asgard, had no obstacles to making his flame power go further.
Surtur's defeat gave Forseti a sense of urgency.
The future threat that Odin and the Ancient One had warned about could not be the flame giant, as Asgard defeated him with little effort, clearly not the foretold disaster.
The real danger had yet to come.
...
Sovereign Star.
The Sovereigns are an arrogant race. They are addicted to genetic technology, constantly transforming their bodies, and their reliance on it has made them forget the most primitive way of reproduction.
They stubbornly think they are the most perfect race, so they never risk their lives, and some of them don't even want to risk anything like getting dust on them.
Therefore, the Sovereigns are keen to hire outsiders to do all kinds of high-risk jobs for them.
"Thank you, Guardians of the Galaxy, for doing an excellent job with our request," said Ayesha, the high priest of the Sovereigns, though her tone was more condescending than grateful.
"What about our pay?" Gamora said bluntly, disliking these arrogant Sovereigns.
Ayesha didn't respond. In her opinion, losing respect for the Sovereigns was a tragedy.
She gestured, and two Sovereign guards came with a masked prisoner, pushing him roughly in front of Gamora.
The masked man removed his mask, and the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy widened their eyes in disbelief.
"I'm Groot!" said the small tree man beside Rocket Raccoon, clearly from Planet Groot.
To outsiders, every word in Groot's language is "I am Groot."
"Nebula!"
This masked prisoner was Nebula.
Ayesha looked at Gamora and said slowly, "I know she's your sister. She tried to steal our battery and was caught. Now, she's your reward. You can do whatever you want with her."
Gamora didn't say a word, turned around, and pushed Nebula away. The others also turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, Ayesha suddenly stopped Peter Quill: "What's your background, Mr. Quill?"
"My mother was an Earthling," Peter Quill said.
"Where's your father?"
Quill shrugged. "I don't know."
Ayesha said meaningfully, "I see... an unusual bloodline in you..."
...
In the deep space of the universe, on a certain star.
Forseti was there alone, the bright Eternal Fire floating before him, pulsing slightly.
Magically speaking, even on this infinitely bright star, the Eternal Fire remained as bright as ever, no different from anywhere else. Its light and heat were clearly unique.
Forseti sat quietly, and the Eternal Fire began to merge into his body.
After all, the Eternal Fire belonged to Surtur. Although Surtur was now dead, it still took time and effort for Forseti to absorb it.
What surprised him during this process was that the Eternal Fire did not have Surtur's demonic aura at all.
If it wasn't actively driven, this gentle and bright flame didn't even show any destructive properties but contained a strong vitality, similar to the creative side of the Phoenix Force.
It was unknown how Surtur obtained the Eternal Fire in the first place.
Forseti continued to absorb the Eternal Fire, and as he drew energy from it, the Eternal Fire gradually weakened.
Correspondingly, his flame power began a new round of transformation, becoming more fiery, exuberant, majestic, and vigorous, gradually approaching a new realm...
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