Chương 95: Chapter 95: I Have a Friend Who Needs... 

With a massive surge of dark energy rapidly draining from his core, Luke's colossal demonic form vanished entirely from mid-air. In the absolute fraction of a second, he reappeared directly in front of the colossal Black Dragon's face. Staring down the gargantuan beast, Luke condensed an astronomical amount of dark energy into his fist and violently slammed it directly into the Dragon's massive, protruding horn! 

BOOM! 

A deafening, shockwave-inducing explosion echoed across the battlefield. Incredibly, the colossal, hundred-meter-long Dragon was literally punched out of the sky by the comparatively microscopic Luke, sent violently tumbling backward through the air! 

"YOU INSOLENT WORM! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" the Dragon roared furiously, frantically beating its massive wings to stabilize itself mid-tumble. 

Realizing that its absolute control over the ambient dark energy of its dimension had been inexplicably severed (by Luke's 'Silence' spell), the Dragon decided to rely on its own innate power. Its massive body suddenly erupted with a blinding, multi-colored magical aura! 

The Dragon wasn't just a brute; it was an incredibly powerful, ancient sorcerer! 

In the blink of an eye, dozens of massive, highly complex, glowing magical arrays materialized around the Dragon's body, instantly unleashing a devastating, omnidirectional barrage of high-tier elemental spells directly at Luke! 

Luke watched the sky fill with a terrifying storm of magical destruction and scoffed. 

"Did you honestly think you were the only one who knows a few party tricks?" 

Luke casually tossed several compressed Dark Energy Crystals into the air. The crystals instantly shattered, releasing a massive torrent of pure energy that Luke rapidly wove into complex arrays. 

Several massive, interlocking dark energy shields instantly materialized, perfectly absorbing and nullifying the incoming barrage of elemental destruction. Simultaneously, Luke cast his own devastating counter-barrage, sending dozens of hyper-concentrated dark energy lances rocketing back toward the Dragon. 

Seeing the incoming counter-attack, the Black Dragon hastily aborted the apocalyptic, long-cast spell it had been secretly preparing. Because of its massive size, dodging was completely impossible. It quickly layered several high-tier defensive enchantments over its scales, deciding to simply tank the damage with its incredibly durable physical body. 

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! 

As Luke's magical lances violently impacted the Dragon's pitch-black scales, the beast let out a series of agonizing roars. Massive, heavy scales were violently ripped from its body, and large droplets of glowing, crimson blood rained down upon the battlefield below, causing the frenzied beast horde to viciously fight over the highly magical blood. 

Curse this demon! How can spells cast so rapidly possess such terrifying destructive power?! 

The Black Dragon stared at Luke in absolute, mounting horror. Its initial barrage of spells was primarily intended to suppress and distract Luke while it prepared a truly apocalyptic attack. Yet, this opponent had casually, effortlessly completely nullified its suppression fire and instantly countered with spells powerful enough to shatter its ancient scales! 

Such terrifying magical prowess meant this opponent was either a peerless magical prodigy or possessed a physical constitution entirely composed of pure magic! 

The Dragon watched Luke warily as its wounds rapidly regenerated, its expression growing incredibly grim. It suddenly realized it had provoked a genuinely terrifying entity. 

Luke was equally surprised, staring at the rapidly healing Dragon. I didn't expect his physical defense to be this incredibly high. 

The counter-spells he had casually thrown out were easily powerful enough to blast modern interstellar battleships out of orbit, yet they only managed to inflict superficial flesh wounds on this beast. 

While it was common knowledge in fantasy lore that Dragons possessed incredibly high innate magical resistance, this was ridiculous. Luke deduced that after conquering this dimension, the Dragon had likely spent centuries continuously bathing in and absorbing the corrosive dark energy to temper its scales and body, resulting in an absurdly high resistance to dark magic. 

Looking down at the chaotic battlefield, where millions of mutated beasts were currently tearing each other apart for a few drops of Dragon blood, Luke realized this Dragon was the mastermind behind the horrific biological experimentation. 

Luke began channeling massive amounts of energy, preparing to cast high-tier, apocalyptic spells akin to the 'Bolts of Balthakk.' He reasoned that pure, unadulterated destructive force would eventually overwhelm the Dragon's regeneration. 

However, realizing that his own control and purity over dark energy far exceeded the Dragon's, a highly devious, incredibly cruel idea sparked in Luke's mind. What if I just forcefully inject my own, hyper-pure dark energy directly into his bloodstream? Can his internal organs tank a localized dimensional explosion? 

Deciding to test his theory, Luke aggressively pushed his advantage. 

The massive Dragon, still attempting to maintain aerial superiority, was frantically preparing another barrage of high-tier spells. However, Luke's absolute mastery over dark energy allowed him to cast significantly faster. 

A devastating volley of hyper-concentrated dark lightning violently erupted from Luke's hands, rocketing toward the Dragon. 

The Dragon's pupils constricted in terror. Sensing the apocalyptic, armor-piercing power behind the incoming 'Bolts of Balthakk,' it desperately tried to evade. However, the spells tracked perfectly, violently tearing through the Dragon's defensive barriers and blasting massive, gaping holes in its torso, sending chunks of flesh and scales raining down. 

Taking advantage of the Dragon's agonizing roar, Luke instantly burned hundreds of thousands of Energy Points, executing a flawless, instantaneous teleportation directly to the Dragon's side! 

Ignoring the beast's frantic thrashing, Luke condensed raw dark energy into a massive, razor-sharp spear and violently plunged it deep into the Dragon's open, bleeding wound! 

The Black Dragon shrieked in absolute agony, violently twisting and rolling in the air, desperately trying to shake the tiny demon off its back. But Luke clung on like a tick, ruthlessly twisting the spear to force the wound wider. 

He quickly pulled several highly compressed, incredibly unstable Dark Energy Crystals from his inventory and violently shoved them deep into the Dragon's exposed flesh! 

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" the Dragon roared in absolute panic, clearly feeling the foreign, highly volatile energy sources buried within its body. 

"Just giving you a little parting gift!" Luke yelled cheerfully, immediately kicking off the Dragon's body and teleporting several hundred meters away. He then snapped his fingers, mentally detonating the crystals. 2

ROAR!!! 

The Black Dragon let out a horrifying, world-shattering scream of absolute agony. Its massive body contorted unnaturally as apocalyptic shockwaves of pure dimensional energy violently detonated inside its torso! 

SPLUTCH! 

The massive wound violently erupted outward. The internal explosion literally blew a massive, gaping crater completely through the Dragon's torso, nearly blowing the colossal beast entirely in half! 

A torrential rain of massive organs, shattered bone, and glowing crimson blood violently showered the battlefield below, causing the remaining beast horde to completely abandon their tactical formations and descend into an absolute, cannibalistic feeding frenzy. 

However, the sheer, terrifying vitality of the ancient Dragon was undeniable. Even with half its torso blown completely off, it somehow managed to remain airborne, desperately attempting to channel spatial magic to open an emergency portal and flee! 

Seeing the heavily mutilated Dragon stubbornly refusing to die, Luke snorted. He casually cast a high-tier Spatial Lockdown spell, completely sealing the localized dimensional fabric to ensure his hard-earned loot didn't escape. 

Luke aggressively pressed the attack. Teleporting directly into the massive, gaping crater in the Dragon's torso, he unleashed a relentless, point-blank barrage of destructive magic, completely annihilating the beast's remaining vital organs. 

Finally, the colossal Black Dragon went completely limp, its terrifying roar silenced forever as its gargantuan corpse plummeted toward the ground below. 

Luke used dark energy to gently catch the massive corpse, hovering beside it and rubbing his chin thoughtfully. 

"They always say a Dragon's body is entirely composed of priceless treasures and legendary crafting materials... I wonder what Dragon meat tastes like when it's properly barbecued?" 

Looking down at the completely fractured, cannibalistic beast horde that was currently being systematically slaughtered by the Shadowkhan, Luke decided to leave the cleanup to his army. He condensed the Dragon's massive corpse and dragged it back through the dimensional rift, returning to Mordo and the Sorcerer Battalion. 

"You actually killed it," Mordo stared at Luke, his jaw slightly dropped in genuine astonishment. 

"What were you expecting?" Luke rolled his eyes helplessly. "Did you honestly think I couldn't beat an oversized lizard?" 1

Luke admitted the Dragon's external physical defense was incredibly impressive. But honestly, even if he hadn't discovered its internal weakness, he could have just mindlessly brute-forced the fight by detonating a few billion Energy Points' worth of crystals. 

Having successfully exploited the Dragon's lack of internal defense to secure a quick, clean kill, and having utilized Kamar-Taj spatial magic to prevent its escape, Luke was highly satisfied with his performance. 

He watched the Shadowkhan mercilessly exterminating the disorganized remnants of the enemy army. While the enemy was weak, there were still millions of them, so the cleanup operation would likely take several days. Confirming there were no remaining threats, Luke didn't bother sticking around. He commanded a squad of massive Troll Ninjas to hoist the shrunken (but still massive) Dragon corpse and led Mordo's battalion back to Kamar-Taj. 

Arriving back at Kamar-Taj, Luke noticed the sorcerers looked incredibly satisfied and relaxed, as if they had just finished a highly intense, incredibly fun workout session. They were all preparing to head back to their respective dormitories. 

Wow, these guys are absolute shut-ins, Luke thought. 

Even a dedicated gamer like himself occasionally felt the urge to go outside and touch grass. These sorcerers literally never left Kamar-Taj unless the world was ending! 

Unable to hold back his curiosity, Luke asked, "Are you guys really just going back to your rooms now?" 

"Where else would we go?" Mordo asked, sounding slightly resentful. 

Mordo had originally assumed that, as the Ancient One's primary enforcer and most loyal disciple (self-proclaimed), she would naturally invite him to accompany her to the grand banquet in Asgard. Instead, she had simply packed a bag and left alone! 

Luke looked at the group of slightly disappointed sorcerers and thought for a moment. "How about you guys come to Asgard and check out the party? The Ancient One is already there." 

Mordo hesitated. "While Asgard is indeed hosting a realm-wide celebration... wouldn't it be highly inappropriate for us to simply show up uninvited?" 

In truth, Mordo desperately wanted to go. But the Ancient One constantly lectured him on the importance of maintaining stoic discipline and enduring hardship. Because of this, he spent 99% of his time isolated in Kamar-Taj. 

(Occasionally, he couldn't resist the urge to wander around Kathmandu. In the original timeline, it was during one of these rare, bored strolls that he randomly encountered Stephen Strange. Whether that 'random encounter' was actually secretly orchestrated by the Ancient One remains a mystery.) 

"I'll go talk to Odin and clear it with him. If he gives the green light, I'll send a portal for you guys to come hang out," Luke said casually, before opening a portal and dragging the Dragon corpse through. 

Arriving back in Asgard, Luke didn't immediately release the Dragon corpse in his guest suite. 

Trying to drag a fifty-foot-long, bleeding Dragon carcass through the pristine, narrow corridors of the Royal Palace would be an absolute nightmare. Instead, he opened a portal directly into the massive courtyard located immediately outside the primary Royal Kitchens and released the corpse there. 

"BY THE NINE REALMS! IS THAT A DRAGON?! A TRUE BLACK DRAGON?!" the Head Royal Chef gasped, dropping a basket of vegetables in absolute shock. 

The surrounding kitchen staff stared in sheer, unadulterated awe. Even in Asgard, seeing a true Dragon was an incredibly rare event. 

Ever since the Celestials had visited Earth millennia ago, they had aggressively hunted down and banished nearly all naturally occurring, overwhelmingly powerful species (including Dragons) from the planet to prevent them from interfering with humanity's development. Most surviving Dragons had fled to the deepest, most remote corners of the cosmos. 

"Do any of you know how to barbecue this thing to make it taste good?" Luke asked the awestruck Head Chef. 

"Uh... I will need to consult the most ancient, highly restricted culinary archives! I have never personally had the honor of preparing true Dragon meat, but I am absolutely certain there are legendary recipes recorded in the royal texts!" the Head Chef replied, his eyes practically glowing with intense, fanatical culinary excitement. For a chef, preparing a true Dragon was the absolute pinnacle of their career. 

"Well, good luck. There's plenty of meat on it, so you can afford to experiment," Luke said, gesturing to the massive, scaly mountain of flesh. 

"It seems you have acquired some truly legendary ingredients for the banquet," Frigga's gentle voice echoed from behind him. 

Luke turned around and saw the Queen of Asgard smiling warmly at him. 

"It appears the Asgardian intelligence network is operating flawlessly," Luke joked. 

Frigga walked forward, examining the massive Black Dragon corpse with a critical eye. 

"The meat of a true Western Dragon is incredibly versatile. Given the skill of the Royal Chefs, I have no doubt they will quickly formulate several exquisite, legendary dishes from this." 

Luke nodded. "I'm definitely looking forward to it." 

"It seems you had an incredibly successful hunt," Odin announced, gracefully descending from the sky and landing beside them. He chuckled as he eyed the Dragon corpse, before casually tossing a small, glowing container directly at Luke. 

"Whoa! You need to be careful with this!" Luke panicked slightly, scrambling to catch the container. 

Looking closely, he saw a swirling, viscous, blood-red liquid sloshing around inside the containment vessel. 

The Reality Stone (Aether). 

It was currently trapped in the fluid state imposed upon it by Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves. Luke honestly had no idea how to convert it back into a solid gem. 

"You're actually just giving this to me?" Luke asked, looking up at Odin with a wide smile. 

In Luke's opinion, the Reality Stone was arguably the most ridiculously overpowered of all the Infinity Stones. It possessed the absolute, terrifying ability to directly alter the fundamental fabric of reality. Turning stone into gold was child's play; it could literally create something out of absolutely nothing! 

He was genuinely surprised Odin was willing to hand it over so casually. 

Odin shook his head slightly. While the Reality Stone was incredibly powerful, it was fundamentally incapable of healing his failing physical body or solving the impending crisis of Ragnarok. Therefore, it held absolutely no appeal for him anymore. 

For a true King, as long as one possessed absolute, overwhelming personal strength and a loyal army, they could acquire almost anything they desired without relying on a chaotic wish-granting artifact. 

Seeing Odin's nonchalant attitude, Luke happily pocketed the Reality Stone. 

Currently, out of the six Infinity Stones, I officially possess three of them! (Space, Mind, Reality). 

Out of the remaining three, the Ancient One held the Time Stone, and the other two (Power and Soul) were currently lost somewhere in the vastness of the cosmos. 

Luke perfectly remembered the exact location of the Soul Stone (Vormir), but he had completely forgotten where the Power Stone (Morag) was currently hidden. After all, the movies only showed brief glimpses of the planet, leaving him with very little actionable intelligence. 

Looking down at the swirling Aether, Luke felt a slight twinge of anxiety. The Aether was unique among the Infinity Stones; it occasionally exhibited a parasitic, almost semi-sentient desire to actively seek out and forcefully bond with a powerful host! 

He needed to find a secure, heavily shielded location to store it as quickly as possible. He absolutely did not want the Aether to suddenly decide to forcefully violate him while he was sleeping! 

As for forcefully binding the stone to himself? 

Please. The other stones completely ignored him and refused to acknowledge his authority. He had no illusions about the Reality Stone. If he wanted to use it, he would likely have to forcefully, violently suppress its will. 

The massive Dragon corpse had attracted quite a crowd in the courtyard. Tony, having apparently taken a break from his repairs, jogged over with intense curiosity. 

"A Dragon?! Where the hell did you find a Dragon?!" Tony asked, his eyes wide. 

"Alternate dimension. Just hunted it down. It was surprisingly tough," Luke nodded. 

"That is incredibly fascinating. Oh, by the way... is 'that specific part' still intact?" Tony leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. 

"What?" Luke didn't immediately catch his drift. 

"I'm talking about... you know. His part," Tony clarified, keeping a perfectly straight face. 

Luke stared at him, absolutely dumbfounded. "Why the hell would you need that?!" 

"I obviously don't need it," Tony puffed out his chest defensively. "But I figure, possessing slightly enhanced capabilities in that specific area certainly couldn't hurt." 

Tony discreetly glanced across the courtyard. Pepper Potts had just arrived, currently wearing a breathtakingly elegant, highly sophisticated Asgardian gown that perfectly accentuated her beauty. 

"Yeah, sure. You're definitely overcompensating," Luke rolled his eyes. He watched Tony stare blankly at Pepper's stunning appearance. 

A highly wicked smile crossed Luke's face. He suddenly cupped his hands around his mouth, turned toward the Head Chef, and roared at the absolute top of his lungs: 

"HEY, CHEF! TONY STARK REALLY WANTS YOU TO SAVE THE DRAGON'S D—!!!" 

Tony frantically lunged forward, desperately clamping both hands over Luke's mouth to muffle the shout. "DAMN IT, LUKE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" 

"Didn't you literally just say you wanted it?!" Luke easily pried Tony's hands away, laughing hysterically. 

"YES, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANNOUNCE IT TO THE ENTIRE KINGDOM!" Tony hissed, his face burning bright red as he noticed the extremely bizarre, highly judgmental stares from the surrounding Asgardians. 

"Oh, look at you! You're blushing!" Luke teased relentlessly, simultaneously mentally commanding a hidden Shadow Ninja to quickly snap a photo of the humiliated billionaire. 

"SCREW YOU!" Tony flipped Luke a highly aggressive middle finger. Completely unable to endure the incredibly awkward, judgmental stares from the crowd any longer, he quickly summoned the 'Saturday' armor and flew away as fast as he could. 

Luke shook his head, laughing heartily. He walked over to the Head Chef. 

"Hey, my friend Tony genuinely needs the Dragon's... you know. Save it for him." 

"Ah! Say no more! I completely understand!" The Head Chef offered a highly inappropriate, deeply knowing wink. 

"Oh, screw off! I'm talking about Tony, not me!" 

"Of course! Of course! For 'your friend'!" The Chef winked again. 

"NO, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" 

Luke gave up and walked away in exasperation. He quickly located Odin and Frigga, and noticed the Ancient One had also joined them. 

"Perfect timing. I'm actually here to ask for a leave of absence for Mordo and the rest of your disciples," Luke said cheerfully, wandering over to the Sorcerer Supreme. 

"A leave of absence? To go where?" The Ancient One looked at him strangely. 

"To come here and enjoy the party! Honestly, if I was forced to stay locked inside Kamar-Taj all day, I'd lose my mind." Luke shuddered, remembering the incredibly boring days he had spent reading ancient grimoires in the library. If he hadn't forced the construction of high-speed Wi-Fi and gaming cafes within the sanctum, he absolutely would not have survived. 

The Ancient One nodded slowly, considering the request. She eventually agreed. 

Luke then formally asked Odin for permission to invite the sorcerers. Odin, naturally, agreed without hesitation. After all, Luke was officially recognized as the face of Asgard's diplomatic relations with Earth; Odin wasn't going to deny him the simple request of inviting a few friends to a party. 

The Ancient One watched Luke happily organize the invitations. 

It seems Stephen Strange will be arriving at Kamar-Taj much sooner than anticipated... 

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