Asgard sky remained as blue and clear as ever.
But today, it was not as peaceful. Uninvited guests filled the heavens.
Beneath the massive Dark Elf warship—comparable in size to the royal palace—the figures of Superman and Malekith appeared almost insignificant.
To both the people of Asgard and the Dark Elves, they were impossible to ignore.
Encircling them, apart from Thor—who was fiercely resisting the enemy assault in a corner of the sky—was a formidable number of Dark Elf warships.
Though Thor and Superman had already taken down hundreds of ships in a brief skirmish, the Dark Elves accumulated strength over thousands of years was not something that could be wiped out so easily.
Had the majority of the fleet not been focused on attacking Asgard palace, keeping Odin occupied, the entire realm would have already been reduced to ruins.
Before the eyes of countless onlookers, Malekith attack on Superman was effortlessly dodged.
The afterimage left behind dissipated in an instant, once again shocking everyone—just like when Superman had first appeared and single-handedly annihilated dozens of warships in a flash.
At the same time…
Jane Foster, cradled in Superman arms, was flushed red, her hands clinging tightly around his neck. Her eyes were filled with sheer terror and lingering fear.
The sheer speed at which Superman had moved moments ago made her feel as if her brain was about to be thrown out of her skull.
A normal human tolerance for acceleration was nowhere near the level of Superman speed.
That said, in the original story, Superman—Clark Kent—had flown with Lois Lane numerous times.
Though Lois had shown signs of breathlessness, she had survived the experience with little more than a fright.
Now, as Anton carried Jane Foster through the sky at extreme speed, he became acutely aware of a fundamental truth—Superman possessed a form of bio-field.
During flight, he could extend this bio-field evenly over Jane, preventing her from suffering gruesome effects like burst blood vessels or bulging eyeballs due to excessive speed.
However, while this could protect Jane body, it could do nothing to shield her mind.
Right now, Jane Foster was clearly in a state of panic, struggling to catch her breath.
"Don't worry."
Feeling Jane Foster rapid heartbeat, Anton reassured her, "Just hold on a little longer. This will all be over soon."
The moment his words fell—
"Ah—!"
Jane let out a startled cry.
In a sudden blur, Superman vanished and reappeared right in front of Malekith, throwing a punch that looked utterly ordinary—no excessive force, no unnecessary flair.
Boom!
It was a strike devoid of technique, seemingly unremarkable in every way. To the spectators, it was just a simple punch.
But for Malekith, the target of this blow, the experience was anything but ordinary.
Boom!
Malekith, blessed with heightened senses, could immediately feel the sheer, overwhelming power behind Superman fist. The pressure alone was unlike anything he had ever encountered.
Instinctively, he attempted to evade—just like Superman had done earlier, using speed to escape the attack.
Yet in that instant, he realized—Superman gaze was locked onto him with terrifying precision.
No escape!
No way to dodge!
The thought flashed through Malekith mind.
He could only watch—watch as Superman, carrying a woman effortlessly in one arm, casually threw a single punch.
He could only watch, unable to move, as that massive, sledgehammer-like fist came crashing straight into his face.
BANG!!
A thunderous boom echoed through the sky.
The instant Superman fist collided with Malekith face, a shockwave—visible to the naked eye—erupted like a tidal surge.
The force rippled through the air, sweeping across Asgard from the heavens to the earth, shaking the entire city.
Malekith took the full brunt of the blow. His gray-white skin swelled rapidly as his body was sent hurtling downward like a black streak, an unstoppable projectile crashing straight into the mountainside near Asgard palace.
BOOM!!
The sheer impact blasted a massive crater into the steep rock face.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Fissures spread in an instant, branching across the entire mountain.
Chunks of rock broke loose, triggering a landslide. Boulders tumbled down in an avalanche, burying Malekith beneath the rubble.
Everyone was stunned.
Not just the Asgardians—even the attacking Dark Elves were paralyzed with shock. Their perception of Superman power had shifted once again.
"Our leader… was just…?"
Dark Elf warriors widened their eyes in disbelief.
Malekith was their strongest. The mightiest warrior of the Dark Elves, capable of overwhelming armies single-handedly.
And yet, even he had been utterly devastated—by a single punch.
Was this Asgard hidden trump card?
Who was this man?
Having just returned to the Nine Realms, the Dark Elves knew little of Superman.
And now, a terrifying thought crept into their minds—had something world-shattering happened in their absence?
Had the Nine Realms birthed a being even more powerful than the King of Gods?
"He…"
"Who the hell is he?"
"Asgard is actually this powerful?!"
"You never really know what kind of trump cards the Allfather is hiding until the palace is under siege!"
The Asgardians erupted into a frenzy.
On the open ground below, every warrior face was flushed with excitement, utterly in awe of Superman punch.
They had never witnessed such overwhelming strength.
A man who could deliver a strike like that—while carrying a woman in one arm.
In that effortless yet devastating blow, they saw the future of Asgard.
Heimdall, who had been preparing to lead Asgard soldiers into battle, listened to the excited murmurs around him and let out a wry smile.
If these people found out that this man wasn't from Asgard—but from what they considered a backwater world, Earth, Midgard—chaos would break loose.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
From beneath the rubble at the base of the mountain, the Dark Elf leader, Malekith, burst out of the debris.
Blood dripped from his forehead, his face battered from the falling rocks. Though the wounds were only superficial, the true damage wasn't to his body—it was to his pride.
The sheer might Superman had displayed left his expression grim and unsettled.
Gazing up at the figure hovering above, Malekith eyes flickered with an unprecedented wariness.
In that moment, he understood—his greatest enemy wasn't Asgard, the kingdom he had sworn to destroy.
It was this man.
This nameless being, whose strength was enough to make his skin crawl.
"You're not an Asgardian…"
Malekith suddenly spoke, his tone shifting as he attempted a different tactic—temptation.
He had observed Superman carefully, had even exchanged blows with him. And now, he was convinced of his assumption.
Which meant… there was a chance to turn him.
"The force around you—it nothing like Asgard."
"You carry a different bloodline."
"If that the case, you have no reason to fight against the Dark Elves for Asgard sake. Join me, and I will give you what the Allfather never will—I will let you rule Asgard."
"As long as you stand with me, you will be the new king of Asgard."
Malekith spoke slowly.
His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried an almost mystical force, echoing across all of Asgard.
This wasn't just an attempt to tempt Superman—it was a psychological play.
He wanted to plant a seed of doubt in the minds of the Asgardians, making them question whether this powerful warrior truly stood with them.
At the same time, he aimed to rekindle the morale of the Dark Elves.
"What? He not Asgardian?!"
"Doesn't matter! As long as he fights for us, we accept him!"
"That right! We accept him!"
The Asgardians voiced their support, but their eyes betrayed their unease. Every gaze was locked onto Superman, as if afraid he would switch sides at any moment.
"What a pathetic attempt."
Anton, in the form of Superman, had remained calm—until he heard Malekith words. Then, suddenly, he burst into laughter. A deep, hearty laugh.
"Malekith, the reason the Dark Elves lost to Bor all those years ago was no accident."
He met Malekith gaze, his voice filled with certainty.
"It seems you still haven't figured that out."
"What do you mean?!"
Malekith expression twisted with rage.
Bor, Odin father, was the one who had crushed the Dark Elves thousands of years ago, driving them from their homeland—the Dark World—and forcing them into exile, wandering the void of space.
And now, the enemy who stood before him, mocking his failure.
"In other words, Malekith, the Dark Elves hatred toward Asgard all stems from Bor."
Anton spoke with an indifferent tone.
"The war between Bor and your Dark Elves thousands of years ago—I won't get into the reasons behind it.
But after defeating you, he didn't seek to wield ultimate power. Instead, he sealed the Aether away.
And I know for a fact that you know this too. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here in Asgard today."
"..."
Anton words were nothing less than a deliberate reopening of old wounds—a direct slap to Malekith face.
Malekith expression darkened. His patience was wearing thin.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
His gaze turned cold as he stared at the man before him, wanting nothing more than to strike him down.
But he knew he couldn't. If he could, he wouldn't have resorted to words in the first place.
"If you can't beat them, make them join you."
That was one way to secure victory.
But in his arrogance as the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith had overlooked one simple fact—he was the one who couldn't win.
And now, he was trying to convince the one holding victory in his hands to join the losing side.
It was nothing short of a delusional fantasy.
"I'm saying that your ambition has blinded you—you don't even understand yourself as well as others do."
Anton lips curled into a smirk.
"What makes you think I would submit to you? To the Dark Elves? Do you really think Asgard means that much to me?"
"You think one punch knocking you down is enough?"
"You think the throne of Asgard is something that could tempt me?"
His voice rang across the entire battlefield.
Both the Asgardians and the Dark Elves came to the same realization—
This man, standing above them all, would never betray them for the enemy.
At the same time, he would never fully stand with them either.
He was simply too proud.
"If I truly wanted any of those things, I could take them with my own fists."
"If something belongs to me, no one can take it away."
"And if something doesn't belong to me—yet I desire it—I'll seize it anyway."
"But if I don't want something, no matter how much others try to force it on me, I will not accept it."
As his words settled over the battlefield, Anton gaze locked onto Malekith.
A cold, suffocating presence spread across the skies of Asgard, creeping into every corner of the realm.
"So—have you prepared yourself for death?"
"..."
Malekith fell into silence, staring upward at the towering man above him. There was no trace of energy fluctuation from the man body, yet he radiated an overwhelming power, like an insurmountable mountain. Malekith clenched his fists, fury surging through him.
"You think you've got me cornered?"
His rage boiled over, his dignity as the leader of the Dark Elves trampled upon without end.
"It not about cornering you,"
Anton said coolly. "It that, in my eyes, you're already a dead man."
As his words fell—
Boom!
His eyes erupted with blazing heat vision, striking the ground where Malekith had just stood.
A deafening explosion resounded.
At the base of the mountain beside the palace, where Malekith had been, the sheer impact of the heat vision melted the ground into a lake of molten lava.
Suspended in the center of the scorching, smoke-filled lava, Malekith raised both hands above his head.
Of course, this was not a gesture of surrender—it was Malekith unleashing all of his energy to form a protective barrier, much like the Asgardians divine shields conjured through their mastery of godly power.
Boom!
Malekith struggled to resist the relentless onslaught of heat vision.
The Asgardians erupted into excited cheers.
Though Superman demeanor throughout the confrontation had been nothing short of arrogant, the Asgardians thrived on such displays of dominance.
To the Asgardians, as long as someone possessed true strength, even the most arrogant attitude was justified.
Of course, such a person might not be well-liked, but strength would always command respect.
Rumble!
Rumble!!
Malekith struggled to withstand Superman relentless heat vision, but he refused to surrender.
Whoosh!
With a sudden motion, he retracted his hands and attempted to counterattack with an energy blast.
But Superman had been watching Malekith closely. Every movement, every attempt at resistance was already within his expectations.
Whoosh!
Just as Malekith prepared to strike back, Superman figure vanished from midair, leaving behind only a rapidly fading afterimage.
At the same moment, as if bending the very fabric of space, Superman reappeared right in front of Malekith, carrying Jane Foster with him.
"You—!"
Malekith eyes widened in shock. A chilling sense of danger coursed through him, making his scalp tingle.
Before he could react, his body was sent hurtling backward, crashing toward the mountainside behind him.
Agonizing pain surged through him.
Before Malekith even collided with the rock face, before his mind could catch up to what had happened, Superman was already there—faster than his uncontrolled flight.
Like a cannonball shot from a gun, Malekith was on a direct collision course with the mountain when Superman caught up, seizing him by the throat.
"Kh… khh… hh…"
With one arm holding Jane Foster and the other gripping Malekith neck, Superman slowly ascended into the air.
Before the eyes of countless warriors on both sides, he had claimed a crushing, undeniable victory—one that would be remembered as the most awe-inspiring moment of the war.