After securing the Twilight Sword in his system space, Richard departed from his study and found Emma Frost reading in her room. Though they had shared lunch with the others merely two hours earlier, Richard—having just completed the "One-Winged Angel (III)" mission—sought Emma out for a relaxing massage to help clear his mind.
Simultaneously, he contemplated his next steps. He was now 80% certain that awakening Sephiroth's One-Winged Angel form required a minimum fusion degree of 80%. Numerically speaking, he stood just 5% away from achieving this transformation.
Yet increasing the fusion degree by that crucial 5% would prove no simple task. Unless the system issued another mission specifically designed to enhance Sephiroth's template fusion, awakening the One-Winged Angel form might remain beyond his reach for some time.
Though somewhat disappointing, Richard understood that anxiety would serve no purpose. Some matters simply couldn't be rushed.
When Richard entered Emma Frost's bedroom, he found her lounging on a sofa, an unidentifiable book that resembled a literary classic in her hands. He stated his purpose directly.
Upon hearing his request, Emma immediately set aside her book, rose gracefully, and approached him. Richard reclined on the sofa, closing his eyes with a contented expression as he surrendered to Emma's ministrations.
Though Emma Frost hadn't formally studied massage techniques, her touch nevertheless provided a deeply satisfying experience. Technical proficiency, after all, mattered far less than the identity of the one providing the service.
Time slipped away imperceptibly. Before Richard realized it, more than thirty minutes had passed. Just as Emma began subtly hinting at the possibility of more intimate attentions, Richard spoke softly.
"Let's continue this tonight," he suggested.
"Mmm," Emma murmured in agreement, her voice gentle.
During Emma's massage, Richard had engaged in serious contemplation, only to realize—somewhat frustratingly—that no urgent matters demanded his immediate attention.
Even yesterday's interaction with Odin hadn't created pressing obligations. Though tasked with stopping Hela, the Goddess of Death, no immediate action was required. As long as Odin lived, Hela would remain securely imprisoned in the underworld.
Judging from Odin's condition at their meeting, the All-Father appeared unlikely to pass from the realm of the living anytime soon. Barring unexpected circumstances—such as an attack from another god-level or higher entity—Odin's reign would continue for years to come.
Thus, concern about containing Hela could be deferred, and the system's "One-Winged Angel (III)" mission had already been completed. Tony continued developing the "Anti-Richard Armor" he'd requested, while Jean, Wolverine, and others remained absent at undisclosed locations.
As for the U.S. government—after Richard's repeated demonstrations of power, officials wouldn't dare provoke him without absolute certainty of success.
For ordinary people, the absence of urgent concerns represented a blessing. "Simplicity is fortune," as the saying went. Yet Richard found little satisfaction in mundane tranquility.
If he had traversed into the Marvel Universe only to live an unremarkable existence like any ordinary person, he would have betrayed his identity as a Transmigrator with extraordinary potential.
Richard briefly considered manufacturing some excitement—perhaps giving the Mind Stone from the zombie universe to Tony, just to see if he might create Ultron or Vision. After reflection, however, he dismissed the idea. Though he disliked monotony, he wasn't so desperate for stimulation that he would deliberately create powerful adversaries.
Having enjoyed Emma Frost's massage and recovered fully from his battles with Frost Giant King Laufey and Fire Giant Surtur, Richard rose and departed from Emma's bedroom.
Just as he prepared to visit Clarice, the Invisible Woman, and others, a brilliant rainbow bridge—resplendent as the aurora borealis—descended from the heavens onto the recently repaired manor lawn. The Bifröst manifested suddenly and vanished with equal speed.
As the rainbow light dissipated, Thor and Loki, both clad in their distinctive armor, materialized before the startled gardeners, maids, and other staff. Before they could proceed toward the main building in search of him, Richard teleported directly to their position.
"Has Odin sent you here again?" Richard inquired, addressing Thor.
"Yes," Thor confirmed without hesitation, "but Father hasn't summoned you to Asgard. Rather, he wishes to know why you killed both Frost Giant King Laufey and Fire Giant Surtur."
"Nothing extraordinary—merely fulfilling our agreement," Richard replied with casual indifference.
"Agreement?" Thor's brow furrowed. "What agreement? With my father?"
"That's all I can disclose," Richard stated with finality, shaking his head.
Though he had slain Laufey and Surtur specifically to complete the system's mission, Richard would never reveal the system's existence to anyone—not to Odin or Thor, nor even to Emma Frost or Clarice.
Hearing Richard's deliberately vague response, Thor regarded him with a curious expression. Since their previous encounter, Thor had sensed some clandestine arrangement between Richard and Odin.
Though perplexed why Odin—Father of the Gods and King of Asgard—would establish a secret pact with a mortal, the fact that Odin had relinquished both the Casket of Ancient Winters and the Eternal Flame without hesitation provided compelling evidence of some significant accord.
After several seconds of contemplative silence, Thor conceded. "Since you prefer not to elaborate, we'll leave the matter."
With that, he prepared to summon Heimdall to activate the Bifröst for their return journey.
In that moment, Loki—who had remained conspicuously silent throughout the exchange—suddenly addressed his brother: "Father didn't instruct us to return immediately. Brother, don't you wish to visit your friends in the Avengers?"
Friends in the Avengers? Thor turned to Loki with evident surprise.
Though this universe's Thor indeed held membership in the Avengers, his relationship with Earth's mightiest heroes lacked the closeness of his cinematic counterpart. Beyond joining forces to confront occasional crises, he spent the vast majority of his time in Asgard.
Moreover, unlike in the films, this Thor had never experienced exile to Earth, nor had he formed a romantic attachment to Dr. Jane Foster.
Though uncertain of Loki's underlying motivation, Thor—having grown up alongside his adoptive brother—immediately recognized the deliberate suggestion.
"It has been considerable time since I last saw Steve Rogers and the others," Thor acknowledged. "Let us seek them out. Loki, you'll accompany me."
Thor fixed Loki with a meaningful stare as he issued this directive.
"Rest assured, I'll not wander off alone," Loki replied with an enigmatic smile.
"See that you don't," Thor cautioned.
After hearing Loki's assurance, Thor turned to Richard. "Then we'll trouble you no further."
With that, Thor prepared to depart with Loki to seek out Rogers and the other Avengers.
"You won't have the opportunity to meet Steve Rogers," Richard stated matter-of-factly. "At best, you might encounter Banner and Natasha."
"Why?" Thor asked, perplexed.
"Because I killed Steve Rogers," Richard replied with unsettling tranquility.
What? Thor stared at Richard in undisguised shock. He had initially assumed Richard meant Steve Rogers was away on assignment, unavailable within the United States.
Instead, Richard had eliminated Captain America himself.
Though Thor and Rogers weren't particularly close friends—their relationship lacked significant depth—Thor had always held a positive impression of Captain America. Average in ability, perhaps, but exceptional in character. This summarized Thor's assessment of Steve Rogers.
"If you're wondering why I killed Rogers," Richard continued, noting Thor's stunned expression, "I can only say he brought it upon himself."
"Should you wish to avenge him, I won't prevent your attempt—though I can't guarantee you'll return to Asgard alive."
When Loki had prompted Thor to seek out Steve Rogers and the others, Richard had immediately sensed the trickster's underlying agenda. Yet he remained unconcerned by Loki's transparent manipulation.
Richard harbored no regrets about eliminating Steve Rogers. If faced with identical circumstances again, he would unhesitatingly make the same choice.
Had Thor not personally tested Richard's combat prowess the previous night, he might have felt compelled to seek retribution for Steve Rogers based solely on Richard's callous admission. While Steve Rogers wasn't genuinely his closest ally, they had undertaken several missions together as members of the same organization.
Now, however, upon hearing Richard's unrepentant declaration, Thor found himself disinclined to pursue justice for Steve Rogers.
Partly, this stemmed from Thor's recognition that even his most valiant efforts might prove insufficient against Richard's capabilities. Moreover, Steve Rogers was not Asgardian, but Midgardian.
As Odin had often reminded his sons, Asgardians should refrain from interfering in Midgardian affairs. So long as Earth itself remained intact, conflicts among its inhabitants—regardless of their nature—constituted internal matters best left to mortals themselves.
"This represents a personal quarrel between you and him," Thor declared. "I shall not intervene."
Without awaiting Richard's response, Thor raised Mjölnir and seized Loki firmly by the shoulder.
Under Richard's impassive gaze, the two brothers ascended skyward, streaking toward Washington, D.C. at tremendous velocity.
After observing their departure, Richard teleported back into the manor.
Three months later, Richard completed his daily training regimen on Silver Manor's practice grounds, sighing heavily in resignation.
He had now confirmed beyond doubt that routine training could no longer enhance the fusion of his Sephiroth or Vergil templates. The Superboy-Prime template showed marginally better progress, improving at an infinitesimal rate.
After his discouraged exhalation, Richard opened the system panel for review:
[First Template: Sephiroth (Fusion Degree 75%)]
[Second Template: Superboy-Prime (Fusion Degree 7%)]
[Third Template: Vergil (Fusion Degree 80%)]
He had initially intended to check for any changes in the fusion degrees of his three templates, as nearly two weeks had passed since his last verification. Yet the panel revealed what he had feared—despite the elapsed time, all three fusion percentages remained stubbornly static.
Just as he prepared to close the system panel, an unexpected notification caught his attention:
[World Travel: 1 (number of challenges)]
When did this additional challenge appear? Richard frowned slightly.
Though he had rarely opened the system panel during the past three months, he distinctly recalled receiving no world challenge notification from the system. Had such an alert appeared, he certainly wouldn't have overlooked it entirely.
Despite his uncertainty regarding this new world's identity, a smile curved his lips. Whatever realm awaited him—even the Cthulhu Mythos—he welcomed the change.
To outside observers, Richard had spent the past quarter-year indulging in an enviable, decadent lifestyle befitting the ultra-wealthy. For Richard himself, however, these months had brought nearly intolerable tedium.
Had His Harem not remained at his side throughout this period, he might have contemplated assuming his ancestor's form and wreaking havoc across Earth simply to alleviate his boredom.
After dismissing the system panel, Richard teleported from the training grounds directly to Emma Frost's bedroom. Following a brief explanatory conversation with Emma and asking her to convey it to the other, he proceeded to his study.
Settling onto the study's comfortable sofa, he activated the World Travel function:
[World Travel: 1 (number of challenges)]
[Do you wish to randomly travel to another world and undertake a world challenge?]
Without hesitation, Richard made his selection: "Yes!"
The instant he confirmed his choice, a pitch-black sphere—three meters in diameter and resembling a miniature black hole—materialized before him. The dark vortex immediately generated powerful gravitational pull, drawing him inexorably inward.
As with his previous interdimensional journey, Richard found himself "expelled" from the dark sphere after a brief transition. Unlike before, however, he didn't materialize in mid-air, but directly onto a city street.
Before the system could provide contextual information, Richard witnessed a disturbing scene unfolding before him: a black man wearing a tight blue-and-white uniform streaked across the street at approximately Mach 1, physically colliding with—and obliterating—a young woman standing nearby.
The superhuman's incredible velocity reduced the woman to fragments, splattering blood and bodily debris across the pavement.
Though the system had yet to offer identification of this reality, Richard instantly recognized which universe he had entered upon witnessing this grotesque display.
The Boys Universe!
This realization had barely formed when the system's information appeared in his field of vision:
[Current Universe: The Boys Universe]
[World Challenge: Become the most popular "superhero" in this universe]
[Challenge time limit: 6 months]
[Challenge Reward: Increase the fusion degree of the Superboy-Prime template by 10%]
[World restrictions: None (all abilities can be used)]
Richard momentarily froze upon reading the world challenge.
Though the mission specified becoming the most popular "superhero" in this universe, the quotation marks clearly indicated that this definition differed significantly from the traditional public conception of heroism.
In other words, this challenge didn't require him to embody genuine heroic virtues, but merely to adopt the superficial title. As long as the public perceived him as a superhero—regardless of whether his actions reflected actual heroism or unmitigated villainy—he would satisfy the challenge parameters.
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