Chương 106: Chapter 106: The Gold-Skinned Fools Who Prayed to the Dark 

Returning to his suite, Luke sprawled comfortably on his bed and opened the System interface, which had been passively grinding away all day. The Conversion Module had successfully synthesized two Alien Ninjas, two Crab Ninjas, and two Scythe Ninjas. 

Luke immediately summoned the new specialized units to examine them closely. 

The Alien Ninjas (Squid Ninjas) possessed bizarre, serpentine lower bodies, allowing them to slither silently. Instead of arms, they had two incredibly flexible, hyper-extensible tentacles that could stretch to ridiculous lengths, allowing them to operate effectively in extremely confined spaces or launch unpredictable, long-range grapple attacks. 

The Scythe Ninjas were essentially a terrifying, heavily upgraded version of the Razorclaws. They possessed four razor-sharp, spike-like legs, allowing them to effortlessly scale any vertical or inverted surface while maintaining absolute stability and combat effectiveness. Their arms had been replaced by massive, terrifyingly sharp, bio-metallic scythes that looked capable of slicing through heavily armored vehicles. 

As for the Crab (Pincer) Ninjas, Luke remembered them vividly from the cartoon. They possessed an incredibly dense, heavily armored exoskeleton that radiated a profound sense of absolute defense. Even if their lower bodies were completely severed, they could still rapidly drag themselves forward to continue fighting, albeit less agilely. Considering their base conversion requirement was a massive Troll Ninja, their terrifying durability made perfect sense. 

A Crab Ninja's right arm was a colossal, hydraulic-crushing pincer capable of effortlessly ripping through heavy armor plating. Luke estimated a Crab Ninja could literally tear a modern main battle tank into shredded scrap metal. Its left arm ended in a massive, solid, spike-like stinger, heavy enough to be used as a devastating war hammer and sharp enough to effortlessly puncture reinforced steel. 

Furthermore, all three of these advanced units were incredibly massive, standing well over two meters tall. While not quite as gargantuan as the Troll Ninjas, they were undoubtedly significantly more lethal. 

Luke nodded in absolute satisfaction, meticulously inspecting his new elite troops. He planned to head out to the dense, monster-infested forests on the outer fringes of Asgard tomorrow to test their actual combat capabilities against some magical beasts. 

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the ninjas back into the shadows. He then turned his attention to the two remaining, un-synthesized unit types: the Samurai Ninjas and the Shadow-Eater Ninjas. 

Setting aside the mysterious Shadow-Eaters for now, Luke focused on the Samurai Ninjas. 

The Conversion Module explicitly stated that synthesizing Samurai Ninjas required a 'High-Grade Enchanted Metal' as a catalyst. Although Luke had wandered around Asgard today, he hadn't managed to acquire anything that fit that description, so he had to temporarily shelve the idea. 

Luke estimated that only legendary materials like Vibranium, Uru metal, or Yaka arrow-metal would satisfy the System's 'High-Grade' requirement. 

Among those options, Vibranium was by far the most abundant and easily accessible on Earth. Uru metal, as he had learned today, could only be properly forged by Master-level Dwarven smiths; the forging process was incredibly complex and difficult, and it was generally only produced on an as-needed basis for specific artifacts. As for Yaka metal, the only known instance of it in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was Yondu's whistling arrow. He had never heard of it being used for anything else, so its production volume was likely virtually non-existent. 

Luke mused that he definitely needed to schedule a trip to Wakanda soon to violently 'collect' some Vibranium rent for allowing them to live on his planet, which he would then use to mass-produce an army of Samurai Ninjas. 

Although the Samurai Shadowkhan didn't seem particularly impressive in the original Jackie Chan Adventures cartoon, performance often varied depending on context. In the show, the Ikazuki mask (which summoned the Samurai) was the only mask that wasn't actually worn on someone's face; it was accidentally sat upon by Finn (one of the Enforcers). 

Because Finn was incredibly lazy and actively tried to avoid participating in any physical exertion, the Samurai Ninjas under his command barely did anything, mostly just standing around while Jackie's team removed the mask. 

However, during the show's lore-drops, Tohru had explicitly mentioned that before Tarakudo (the King of the Shadowkhan) recovered his true body, the other eight Shadowkhan Generals had unanimously agreed to let Ikazuki command the entire combined Shadowkhan army. The fact that none of the other terrifying Generals objected implied that Ikazuki (and by extension, his Samurai army) was either incredibly powerful or possessed some unique, highly strategic capability. 

Considering Ikazuki was physically the smallest of the nine Generals, and the only one wearing heavy armor, he didn't look particularly strong. Therefore, the secret to his authority likely lay within the unique capabilities of his Samurai Battalion. 

Luke was incredibly eager to discover their true potential and sincerely hoped they wouldn't disappoint him. 

With his heart filled with exciting plans for the future, Luke finally drifted off into a deep sleep. 

Meanwhile, in the dark, cold expanse of space not far from the Asgardian star system... 

A colossal, dagger-shaped, pitch-black warship floated silently in the void. 

Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves, stared at the distant, shining realm of Asgard—which inexplicably managed to maintain a flat, planetary gravity field while floating in space—completely unsure of how to proceed. 

He had been violently awakened from millennia of stasis by the urgent, echoing call of the Aether (Reality Stone). He had originally assumed that after thousands of years, Odin must be ancient, bedridden, and ready to be slaughtered. But to his absolute horror, his initial, long-range scans revealed that Odin was perfectly healthy, actively projecting terrifying cosmic aura, and seemingly in the absolute prime of his life! Malekith was currently deeply conflicted about launching an assault. 

However, the call of the Aether had been undeniable. Although the call had abruptly ceased hours ago, Malekith was absolutely certain the Aether was currently hidden somewhere within Asgard, waiting for him to claim it! 

Malekith pondered his options for a long time, watching the various alien diplomatic fleets slowly departing the Asgardian sector following the banquet. 

"Track them. Find the weakest, most arrogant-looking fleet. We need to extract intelligence regarding recent events in Asgard," Malekith ordered his lieutenant, Algrim. 

Scanning the departing vessels, they eventually selected an incredibly delicate, ostentatiously luxurious, gold-plated warship. 

Seeing the sheer amount of intricate, purely decorative, and highly fragile, transforming structural components covering the ship's exterior, Malekith sneered in absolute contempt. What kind of absolute moron slaps that much useless, fragile decoration onto a warship? Doesn't that drastically compromise the vessel's structural integrity and defensive shielding? 

Who could possibly be this astronomically stupid? 

The Sovereigns, of course. The arrogant, gold-skinned, genetically engineered race who fanatically believed that the color gold represented absolute, unquestionable supremacy. They obsessively plastered golden ornaments onto absolutely everything to flaunt their self-perceived elite status. 

Inside the opulent Sovereign vessel, the lead diplomat assigned to the Asgardian sector opened a secure, encrypted quantum communication channel to their homeworld. The blindingly golden visage of Ayesha, the High Priestess of the Sovereign, appeared on the holographic screen. 

"Report. What intelligence did the Asgardians deign to share with us?" 

The diplomat immediately dropped to his knees respectfully. "High Priestess. Asgard has formally recognized a new Foreign Prince and adopted a new Princess. Furthermore, Odin has actively delegated significant executive and military authority to his children." 

"Hmph. The profound stupidity of lesser biological beings. Casually delegating absolute power to subordinates? Does the old fool not realize the catastrophic internal conflicts such a decision will inevitably cause?" The High Priestess scoffed arrogantly, openly mocking Odin's perceived incompetence. 

While she would certainly bow her 'noble' head if standing directly in front of the All-Father, here, in the secure privacy of her throne room, she freely voiced her absolute contempt, labeling Odin the most foolish entity in the cosmos. 

"I actually agree with that assessment," a raspy, chillingly foreign voice suddenly echoed through the secure, encrypted Sovereign communication channel. 

"Who goes there?!" Ayesha demanded, her eyes narrowing. 

"A race that desires nothing but eternal darkness." 

"HIGH PRIESTESS!" The diplomat shrieked in absolute terror, staring out the main viewport. A colossal, pitch-black, dagger-shaped warship had silently materialized directly outside, its massive weapon batteries currently tracking the fragile Sovereign vessel! 

"Insolent wretch! You dare provoke the magnificent Sovereign?! You dare threaten the Sovereign homeworld?!" The High Priestess roared furiously at the unknown interloper. 

The holographic screen flickered, and Malekith's pale, scarred face replaced Ayesha's. 

"The 'magnificent' Sovereign? You are nothing but a race of pathetic fools who enjoy smearing golden feces all over yourselves to simulate prestige. Once I reclaim the Aether, I will gladly educate you on the only truly noble color in the universe: the absolute, all-consuming black of the void!" Malekith sneered in absolute disgust. 

"Now... surrender immediately, or I will vaporize your pathetic, gaudy vessel." 

"THE SOVEREIGN NEVER SURRENDER!" Ayesha roared furiously. She immediately bypassed the terrified diplomat and remotely activated the vessel's automated combat systems from her throne room. 

Instantly, thousands of tiny, highly agile, golden drone fighters violently swarmed out of the Sovereign vessel's launch bays, rushing toward the massive Dark Elf warship like a plague of golden locusts. 

"Flashy, but entirely useless," Malekith mocked, observing the tiny, low-yield laser weapons mounted on the drones. He severely doubted they could even scratch his warship's advanced shielding. 

Malekith casually waved his hand. 

Several sleek, incredibly deadly, dagger-shaped 'Harrow' fighters detached from the flanks of the massive warship and accelerated rapidly toward the incoming golden swarm. 

Despite his fighters being outnumbered a hundred to one, Malekith felt absolutely no concern. 

Millennia ago, when he wielded the Aether, he possessed the power to literally manipulate reality and forge matter. This massive flagship, the final hope of the Dark Elves, was a supreme, impenetrable fortress he had personally forged using the Reality Stone's absolute power! 

The 'Harrow' fighters were constructed from the exact same hyper-dense, reality-forged material. They didn't even need mounted energy weapons. Their sheer structural density and razor-sharp design allowed them to literally ram straight through standard warships! Their only vulnerable point was the relatively small, exposed energy thrusters at the rear. 

As expected, the two fighter squadrons violently clashed. 

A blinding storm of laser fire erupted in the void. The Sovereign drones frantically unleashed continuous laser barrages, but the impacts simply harmlessly dissipated against the Harrow fighters' hulls, leaving only faint, superficial scorch marks. 

The Dark Elf Harrow fighters didn't bother evading. They aggressively accelerated straight into the incredibly dense, golden drone matrix and violently rammed everything in their path! 

Watching the engagement remotely, Ayesha sneered arrogantly. She immediately ordered her drone pilots to initiate suicide-ramming maneuvers! Her drones were entirely remotely operated; they suffered zero casualties in a suicide attack! Let's see if these savages can handle our absolute dedication! 

However, to her profound horror, as the golden drones violently slammed into the Harrow fighters... the Dark Elf ships remained completely, absolutely undamaged! 

The thousands of fragile Sovereign drones shattered upon impact like delicate glass eggs thrown against solid granite, violently exploding into clouds of golden shrapnel! 

The Sovereign's proud, highly expensive golden plating now served as nothing more than grotesque, decorative battle scars splattered across the hulls of the Harrow fighters. 

Ignoring the beautiful, fiery explosions surrounding them, the Harrow fighters casually executed a few barrel rolls to shake off the clinging golden debris, and then aggressively accelerated directly toward the primary Sovereign diplomatic vessel without even slowing down. 

"Their fighters are impossibly durable! They have completely broken through our drone screen and are targeting the primary vessel!" the terrified diplomat screamed over the comms. 

But Ayesha, monitoring the telemetry, already knew the battle was completely lost. Her golden face contorted into an ugly, furious scowl. 

"I hereby order you to commit suicide immediately to prevent the enemy from extracting our highly classified state secrets!" Ayesha commanded coldly, instantly abandoning her envoy upon seeing her elite drone fleet effortlessly annihilated. 

"WHAT?!" The diplomat stared at the High Priestess in absolute disbelief. In the face of certain death, her first order is for me to kill myself?! 

"A noble Sovereign would never allow themselves to be captured and humiliated by filthy savages! Terminate yourself immediately!" Ayesha snapped, realizing her initial phrasing was slightly too callous. 

But it was far too late. 

The Harrow fighters effortlessly sliced through the Sovereign vessel's fragile hull like hot knives through butter. The remaining, highly agitated drones swarmed around the Dark Elf ships like angry bees, achieving absolutely nothing. 

The Dark Elf fighters precisely targeted and severed the Sovereign vessel's primary power core. The ship instantly lost all propulsion and life support. 

Simultaneously, without the primary vessel to act as a quantum relay station, the massive drone swarm instantly lost their remote connection to the Sovereign homeworld, going completely dead and drifting aimlessly in the void. 

Inside the crippled diplomatic vessel, the communication screen went completely black. The emergency lighting flickered and died, plunging the opulent, golden chambers into absolute, terrifying darkness. 

Several panicked shouts echoed from the sealed corridor outside the diplomat's chamber, followed rapidly by the sharp, lethal hum of Dark Elf particle rifles. 

Then, absolute silence. 

The terrified diplomat fell to his knees, frantically crawling into the darkest corner of the room to hide behind the massive communication console. 

A few seconds later, the heavy, reinforced blast doors of the chamber were violently blown off their hinges. Several towering figures clad in imposing, pitch-black armor strode menacingly into the room. 

The Sovereign diplomat had spent his entire life looking down on the color black, considering it filthy and primitive. But now, staring into the absolute, suffocating darkness, he felt nothing but overwhelming, soul-crushing terror. He pressed himself tightly against the console, desperately praying the shadows would conceal him. 

However, the terrifying intruders possessed advanced optics that completely ignored the darkness. They immediately spotted the cowering diplomat. 

Within moments, the diplomat—who had been specifically genetically engineered for diplomacy and possessed absolutely zero combat capabilities—was violently dragged through the breached hull and thrown onto the deck of the Dark Elf flagship, directly in front of Malekith. 

In the dim, eerie lighting of the command deck, the terrified diplomat looked up to see a pale, heavily scarred figure looming over him. 

Malekith reached down and violently grabbed the diplomat by the jaw, lifting him off the deck. 

"Now then... would you kindly inform me of any recent, interesting developments regarding Asgard?"