Chapter 354: Summoning Darkness

The first to emerge was Loki, his gold-and-green armor gleaming as he shot upward at a dizzying speed. Most present were not ordinary humans and could clearly see the God of Mischief's face twisted in reluctant resignation—he didn't seem to mind being thrown like a sack of potatoes.

"Greetings," Loki said nonchalantly, brushing grass and soot off his armor as he landed heavily on the ground. He waved at the small crowd gathered around the scorched field. Nobody responded; their attention remained fixed on the spot he had just emerged from. Darcy tossed a small rock into the space.

"What's that for?" Loki asked, tilting his head.

"I just want to see if it's real. You know, Loki loves his illusion tricks," Darcy explained.

Her reasoning was sound, and everyone nodded in agreement. Solomon casually suggested Darcy verify Loki's authenticity by hitting him. Darcy grinned and, with great humility, followed his advice. With Sif grabbing the squirming Loki by the arm to keep him in place, Darcy punched him squarely in the shoulder.

Loki opened his mouth to complain, but the ground erupted as Thor and Malekith burst out of the soil, sending a cloud of ash and debris spiraling into the air. Jane Foster closed her eyes and, with steady hands, activated the interference device to shut down the natural portal. The mortals in the group spat profusely, trying to eject the ash floating into their mouths.

When Jane and Darcy opened their eyes again, they saw Thor and Malekith tumbling into the ruins of Greenwich University's library. Sif and Solomon had already sprinted toward the wreckage, their armor glinting in the waning light. Loki, however, took his time, sauntering leisurely behind them, as if on a casual stroll.

The crimson-black Aether surged and swirled, expanding into a thick, flowing tide that coated the ruins in a viscous layer. Sif, trudging through the sticky sea of blood-red energy toward Thor, struggled with each step. Overhead, Solomon's Dragon Wing boosters roared to life, propelling him over Sif's head like a meteor crashing into the fray.

Solomon's sword cleaved cleanly through one of Malekith's arms, and the Dark Elf King finally recognized the new arrival as the sorcerer he had banished to another realm.

"Hello, old friend," Solomon quipped, launching himself at Malekith alongside bullets fired from his homunculus' gun. Thor roared, leaping into the fray with lightning crackling across his body, finally embodying the raw, divine power of a god in battle.

But Malekith had no intention of continuing the fight. The time for the Convergence was almost upon him. With natural portals to all realms now forming above London, the Dark Elf King needed to act swiftly to fulfill his people's ancient mission.

A surge of unparalleled power exploded from Malekith, and the remnants of buildings coated in Aether were drawn into the spiraling crimson storm. Books and stones were shredded into fine dust, while bullets fired at the storm veered off course, becoming part of the living, raging beast.

A lightning bolt cracked through the sky, disrupting part of the crimson storm. Thor grabbed Sif and Solomon, pulling them free from the Aether's pull. Even the Asgardians' formidable physiques struggled against the storm's brutal energy. Solomon's armor bristled with fine, deep-red spikes, evidence of the storm's ferocity.

Blood dripped from the numerous small wounds covering Thor and Sif's bodies, pooling on the fractured stone beneath them. Thor, his superior lineage lending him greater resilience, deposited the unconscious Sif with Jane Foster for safekeeping and returned to the battlefield.

Thor saw Solomon standing firm before the howling crimson storm, his shield raised against the onslaught. Countless razor-sharp blades of Aether scraped against the shield, creating a cacophony of grating noise drowned out by the storm's deafening roar.

Above the storm, seven black, viscous tentacles stretched toward the sky. Thor's sharp eyes caught sight of a Midgardian fighter jet pierced by one of the tendrils, erupting in a fiery explosion before its remains were consumed by the storm.

"Can you do that thing again?" Thor shouted over the roar, referring to the attack Solomon had unleashed in New York.

"I can't!" Solomon bellowed back. The sheer energy required to unleash the sword's full power was beyond him after two grueling battles. Besides, Malekith stood along the same plane as countless civilians—an error could cause catastrophic casualties. "I can give you less than that!" he yelled, keeping it simple for Thor to understand.

"Good enough! Stand clear!"

Thor raised Mjolnir high, summoning a colossal storm above London. The roiling gray clouds churned violently, preparing an even greater tempest. With a swing of his hammer, Thor directed a massive lightning bolt into the Aether storm. The bolt struck a missile trapped within, triggering a fiery explosion that fragmented the Aether's swirling mass.

At the storm's center stood Malekith, barely recognizable as his body disintegrated into crystalline red dust. His pale, twisted face contorted into a mad grin. Liquid Aether flowed around him like a sentient being, every moment transforming him—and the countless souls it had consumed—into primordial darkness.

Solomon's silver key, tucked within his armor, vibrated wildly, as if reacting to something of great interest.

"What are you waiting for?!" Thor roared, furious at Solomon's hesitation.

Solomon ignored him, calmly lowering his shield and sword. His helmet retracted into his chest and back armor, revealing his face and neck to the cold air for the first time.

"This is Earth, Thor," Solomon said firmly. "This isn't Asgard's domain. The people here are sworn to the Sorcerer Supreme, not you."

Solomon yanked a silver key on a cord from beneath his armor. The moment it was revealed, the tendrils of primordial darkness halted. These massive entities retracted from the other realms, pulling back through the portals, and reached eagerly toward Solomon.

In an instant, night fell over London. The sun's light vanished, joy and warmth extinguished by the presence of these immense, living shadows. Ice formed across the Thames as bitter cold enveloped the city.

Holding the silver key aloft, Solomon recited an ancient profane chant taught by Randolph Carter himself. He struggled to maintain his sanity, summoning a fragment of the darkness that now sought to envelop him.

This was a perilous gamble. Solomon needed to control the entity from beyond, lest the expert in handling darkness became the source of even greater destruction.

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/Mutter]

[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]