Marvel: I Trade Devil Fruits for Power

"Do you dare go to Asgard?"

Thor tossed the question right back at him.

Everyone present froze.

A demon entering the realm of the gods?

Wasn't that just asking to die faster?

All eyes turned toward Qin Xiao, eager to see his response.

"Really? You're not tricking me, are you?"

Qin Xiao's expression became "serious."

How could he not see through Thor's little scheme?

Asgard was filled with powerful warriors.

For example—Heimdall.

And Odin himself.

As long as Odin was awake, he could absolutely expose this so-called Demon Envoy.

He might even drag out the demon supposedly lurking behind him.

At that point, whatever "contract" Thor had made with a demon would become meaningless.

Compared to that, a few tailored clothes were trivial.

"Really!"

Thor put on an expression of absolute sincerity.

Qin Xiao silently calculated the risks.

This time, he had successfully tricked Thor into eating the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

Thor still wasn't accustomed to elementalization, mainly because Asgardians already possessed incredibly powerful physical bodies.

But Qin Xiao was different.

He was already fully used to fighting as an elemental.

With the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, almost nobody in Asgard could realistically keep him trapped.

Unless they used enchanted weapons or magic, they wouldn't even be able to injure him.

And with lightning-speed mobility, he could relocate almost instantly.

His maneuverability had increased enormously.

On top of that, he had learned portal magic from Kamar-Taj.

Once in Asgard, he could test whether he could open a portal back to Earth.

If that worked—then there would truly be almost nowhere he couldn't go.

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit had once again massively increased his strength.

This was the reward for convincing someone to eat a Devil Fruit.

Sure enough—he needed to trick more people into eating them.

Qin Xiao's silence made the atmosphere increasingly tense.

"Can you take me to Asgard too?"

Suddenly, a voice echoed out from thin air.

Bzzzt—

A circular portal opened in the air.

Then—a young woman with short hair stepped through.

She looked sharp and heroic.

The moment Qin Xiao saw her, his jaw nearly dropped.

"Demon Envoy, is something wrong?"

The young woman asked calmly.

Qin Xiao forcibly closed his mouth.

"Master Ancient One… you want to go to Asgard?"

The woman before him—was the Ancient One.

A young Ancient One.

Short hair.

Appearing barely in her twenties.

Qin Xiao felt like his brain had crashed.

Why did the Ancient One look like this?!

Young.

Heroic.

The Age-Age Fruit had apparently altered her age to this state.

But Qin Xiao still found it unbelievably strange.

You look like a college girl!

Where was the dignity of the Sorcerer Supreme?

Where was the wisdom and authority?

Back when Strange first arrived at Kamar-Taj, he'd mistaken Hamir for the Ancient One purely because Hamir looked older and more authoritative.

Age naturally created gravitas.

But a twenty-something woman?

That destroyed the entire image.

Sure enough—women really did care about beauty.

Even the Sorcerer Supreme wasn't immune.

"Yes. I saw certain things in the future, so I decided to make a trip to Asgard.

Since all of you are heading there anyway, I may as well accompany you."

The Ancient One explained simply.

She saw the future.

No explanation could possibly be more convincing than that.

"Who are you?"

Thor instantly became cautious.

Why was Midgard so terrifying?

Powerful beings kept appearing out of nowhere.

This woman looked young—yet she gave Thor the same pressure he felt when facing Odin himself.

That was impossible!

How could a young woman radiate such terrifying power?

What kind of monster was this?

"I am Earth's Sorcerer Supreme.

My duty is to protect Earth from the Dark Dimension.

Before the existence of the Sorcerer Supreme, that responsibility belonged to Asgard."

The Ancient One briefly explained her identity.

Sorcerer Supreme.

Even the title alone sounded intimidating.

Protector of Earth from the Dark Dimension.

Just hearing that made it sound absurdly dangerous.

At the side, Nick Fury suddenly felt mentally exhausted.

Just how many things was S.H.I.E.L.D. unaware of?

First a Demon Envoy.

Now a Sorcerer Supreme.

And clearly, the two were connected somehow.

Even their portals looked identical.

This world was far more dangerous than he'd imagined.

No wonder the Demon Envoy had said S.H.I.E.L.D. would collapse one day.

Maybe…

he really needed to call Carol back.

For what felt like the hundredth time, Fury considered summoning Captain Marvel home to stabilize the chaos.

Thor, meanwhile, was even more shocked.

The Nine Realms had always followed Asgard's authority.

Midgard had never drawn much attention.

Because Midgard was special.

Humans had short lifespans.

After one or two centuries, history became blurred.

Unlike Frost Giants, who lived nearly as long as Asgardians.

Their grudges lasted millennia.

Thor had always assumed Odin simply looked down on Midgard.

But now, from the Ancient One's words, that didn't seem true at all.

Before there was a Sorcerer Supreme, Asgard protected Earth.

Afterward, that responsibility was handed over.

Which meant—the Sorcerer Supreme had effectively become capable of replacing Asgard in certain areas.

Midgard was far more terrifying than he'd thought.

The only reassuring thing was humanity's short lifespan.

Otherwise, who knew whether Midgard might eventually surpass Asgard entirely?

"Very well, Sorcerer Supreme. Since you wish to visit Asgard, you are naturally welcome.

However, Asgard currently faces certain… internal troubles.

I hope you won't mind."

"It's fine. Family matters can be handled slowly. We can wait."

The Ancient One remained calm.

"In that case, let's head to the Bifrost site."

Thor made his decision.

If everyone wanted to go—then let them go.

Bzzzt—

With a wave of her hand, the Ancient One opened another portal.

On the other side—the runic remains of the Bifrost bridge.

"We should hurry. I can't remain away from Earth for too long."

The Ancient One stepped through first.

Qin Xiao quickly pulled clothes from his internal storage and changed before following after her.

"Master Ancient One, were you observing this place the whole time?"

He was genuinely curious when she had arrived.

"At Kamar-Taj, I sensed a force tearing through space.

I feared some being from another dimension was causing trouble, so I came to investigate.

At that time, you and your apostle were trying to pull out his hammer.

Later, I realized it was Odin's son and left.

But afterward, multiple spatial disturbances appeared one after another.

So I returned.

I feared something had happened to Asgard.

Then I looked into the future and saw that certain events truly would occur.

And after hearing Thor invite you to Asgard, I decided to come along."

Qin Xiao blinked.

So if Thor hadn't invited him to Asgard—the Ancient One wouldn't have shown herself at all.

Sure enough, all dimensional disturbances fell under her surveillance.

No wonder people always said that while Odin and the Ancient One were alive, Thanos avoided direct confrontation.

In some ways—that really did make sense.

But her explanation made Fury feel another wave of despair.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s global network was already impressive.

With the World Security Council backing them, they had unlimited resources.

Yet hidden groups like these—were casually monitoring threats beyond Earth itself.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was still analyzing energy anomalies.

Meanwhile, the Sorcerer Supreme had already begun wondering whether the source of those anomalies was in danger.

This felt eerily similar to Carol Danvers.

So was Earth actually safe?

Safe my ass.

Hydra had been running rampant for years.

Why hadn't the Sorcerer Supreme intervened?

"Director Fury, there's no need for excessive speculation.

We sorcerers rarely interfere in ordinary worldly affairs.

The protection of this world still depends on organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D."

Fury's heart skipped a beat.

The Ancient One had read his thoughts instantly.

The terror of sorcerers clearly far exceeded his expectations.

The group passed through the portal and arrived at the Bifrost runes.

The Warriors Three stood quietly nearby, now reduced to background decorations.

They had once believed themselves powerful.

But everyone they met today was more terrifying than the last.

Qin Xiao stood beside the Ancient One, with Logan behind him.

With the Ancient One present, Qin Xiao no longer had any hesitation about going to Asgard.

Thor stood outside the runic circle, smiling excitedly at Jane Foster.

"Jane, I told you. I am Thor."

Finally, the two had a chance to talk privately.

"I know. I didn't fully believe you at first… but I trusted you."

Jane looked overwhelmed.

This was Thor.

An actual god.

Not the guy she'd tasered in the desert.

Her excitement was unimaginable.

She studied astrophysics—and somehow ended up discovering a thunder god.

Nobody would believe this story.

"I'd love to stay longer, but Asgard still needs me. When things settle down, I'll come back."

"Okay."

Thor radiated pure masculine confidence.

Jane was utterly captivated.

"Next time, you can see the Bifrost in action yourself. It may help your research."

"Okay!"

Right in front of everyone—the two shared a passionate kiss.

Only afterward did Thor step into the Bifrost circle.

"Heimdall! Send us home!"

Unfortunately—nothing happened.

Thor's eyelid twitched.

"Heimdall?"

"Heimdall! I need your help!"

"…Don't tell me I'm still banished and he refuses to pick me up?"

Thor suddenly looked very awkward.

He had barely finished acting cool before immediately getting embarrassed.

Thankfully—at that moment—a rainbow-colored beam descended from the heavens.

SHHHHHH—!