"I AM—!"
Standing before Thor's unconscious, illusion-bound body, Aiden Cross watched arcs of lightning erupt wildly from him.
Good. The illusion had worked.
In the original timeline, Thor only awakened after being pushed to the brink by Hela. Aiden Cross had simply recreated that trigger—cleanly, precisely.
The Eternal faded from his eyes, returning to their calm crimson.
Thunder rampaged across the plains simulation, tearing up the ground and scorching the air. The majesty of the God of Thunder revealed itself in full.
"Thor, God of Thunder!"
"No," Aiden Cross said lightly, swatting aside a stray bolt with one hand. "I'm the God of Thunder."
A far denser, deeper violet lightning burst from his palm and struck Thor directly.
Even awakened, Thor was still a tier below.
Because every ounce of divine power Thor possessed—Aiden Cross possessed too.
And stronger.
The controlled blast charred Thor black for a second before he snapped out of the illusion and jolted upright.
"Awake now?"
"No! President—please, save Asgard!"
He was still half inside the nightmare.
"That 'Goddess of Death' is too strong. Even my strongest lightning couldn't scratch her!"
Aiden Cross sighed. "Calm down. That was an illusion."
Thor froze.
"…That felt far too real."
Relief washed over him.
If it was fake, then Odin, Frigga, Loki, the Warriors Three—everyone was alive.
That alone made the suffering worth it.
"However," Aiden Cross added casually, "Hela will come to Asgard in the future. And she is your sister."
"…What?!"
"Relax. You're an awakened Thunder God now."
"I can't relax! Even at full power I can't beat that woman!"
"Then get stronger."
Thor looked miserable. "Can you just handle her? Seal her? Something?"
"Nope. Busy."
Aiden Cross could absolutely crush Hela if he wanted.
But that wasn't the point.
"Your problem. You solve it."
"…My strength isn't enough."
"Strength can be upgraded."
"Open your bracelet's Enhancement tab."
Thor fumbled until the interface appeared.
A list unfolded before his eyes:
Enhance Mjölnir (A) — 100,000 energy pointsEnhance Body of the Thunder God (A) — 150,000 energy pointsEnhance Lightning Authority (A) — 300,000 energy points
…and many more.
Thor's jaw dropped.
The cost to raise an A-rank ability to S-rank was nearly equal to summoning an S-class hero.
And since 90% of battle energy went to Aiden Cross, regular members rarely saved enough for upgrades.
This system was usually for D- and C-class heroes.
For someone like Thor—these numbers were astronomical.
Aiden Cross patted his shoulder.
"Work hard, kid."
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