Infinite Evolution in the Marvel universe

As the Aether's power was drawn out in its entirety, it coalesced into a blood-red cloud, casting a sinister glow beneath its eerie crimson light.

Tony and Banner exchanged uneasy glances, sensing an ominous force in the air.

When Jane fell, Banner caught her deftly in his arms.

"Life signs and breathing are stable," Banner said, bringing his hand near Jane's nose to check her faint breaths, then glancing over to Tony.

"Good. As long as she's alright," Tony replied with a nod of relief.

But before they could even take a breath, the Aether seemed to be drawn back in, flowing straight into Malekith's body.

Seeing this, Tony's hand erupted in a blast of violet energy, which he directed right at Malekith.

The energy shot straight through Malekith's torso, yet the Aether continued to pour into him, undeterred.

Logically speaking, with his chest blown open, Malekith should have been well beyond saving.

"Hahaha! You fools truly have no idea of the Aether's might!"

As Tony and Banner looked on, Malekith began laughing madly, his body twisting grotesquely as he rose, his ghastly wounds healing in an instant.

"Is that... even possible?"

Tony, far from showing fear, observed Malekith's quickly healing wounds and the renewed vigor pulsing within him with a look of intrigue.

The Aether might indeed be powerful, but in Tony's eyes, Malekith himself was too weak to be truly intimidating.

To Tony, Malekith was much like his old self — using powerful suits to compete against superhumans but relying on a fragile, mortal body underneath.

"Isn't it supposed to ignore physical laws, though?" Banner remarked with curiosity, watching Malekith's strange abilities.

Both scientists found themselves increasingly fascinated by the Aether's potential and wanted to investigate further.

"You weaklings could never understand the Aether's divine might!" Malekith spat, infuriated by their nonchalance.

With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a storm of Aether-fueled lightning bolts, aiming to overwhelm Tony in a deadly web of energy.

But in the blink of an eye, Malekith's target disappeared.

He barely had a chance to react before Tony reappeared right in front of him, his body moving with blinding speed. A torrent of kicks rained down on Malekith with punishing force, each one landing before he could register the pain.

In an instant, every bone in Malekith's body was crushed to powder.

One final kick sent him flying over ten meters, rolling limply across the floor and landing in a crumpled heap within the palace hall.

There Malekith lay like a broken doll, his body twisted and useless. It was only after several seconds that the waves of pain truly hit him.

"Arghhh—!"

This sound of agony tore from Malekith, a monster who'd lived countless ages and fought countless battles, as the sheer pain overwhelmed him.

"Tony, why didn't you just kill him outright?" Banner asked as he walked into the hall, noticing that Malekith was still alive.

"With your strength, it should be easy enough to reduce him to dust."

Having sparred with Tony before, Banner was well aware of just how terrifying his attacks could be.

Malekith's physical form might be resilient, but it certainly wasn't strong enough to withstand Tony's level of force.

"We still don't fully understand the Aether," Tony replied, floating over with his arms crossed, glancing at Malekith like he was little more than an object of study.

"No way I'm going to risk letting the Aether run tests directly on us, right?"

"I wanted to see how quickly he could recover from a near-fatal injury," he added thoughtfully.

"Got it," Banner nodded, instantly understanding Tony's intent.

Tony and Banner's conversation seemed to strike terror into Malekith's heart. He stared at them with a look of utter disbelief.

These maniacs... they were using him as a test subject?

Who were these two? Why hadn't Asgard's intelligence files contained even a scrap of information about them?

Knowing he had to escape, Malekith steeled himself. He hadn't wanted to reveal the Aether's power to bend the fabric of reality to this extent, but now he had no choice.

He focused on altering his reality, and his body miraculously healed from its severe injuries once more.

"Wait... what's the principle behind this?" Banner murmured, eyes wide as he watched Malekith recover. "Even an injury like that... he's healing instantly?"

"The Aether must be more than a simple defiance of physical laws," Tony speculated. "It seems to grant a limited form of wish fulfillment. Not omnipotent, but sufficient to heal its wielder with ease."

With a swift slice of his arm, Tony's right hand transformed into a razor-sharp blade that cleanly decapitated Malekith.

Malekith's face contorted in shock as his head rolled across the floor, eyes wide as though he were still trying to comprehend his fate.

Satisfied, Tony watched as Malekith's life force faded completely.

"So, it's some form of limited reality manipulation," Tony confirmed.

"Limited wish fulfillment? That Aether packs a punch," Banner remarked, awe in his voice.

"This power doesn't activate on its own, though; it has to respond to the wielder's will," Tony observed, "and I doubt we've seen the full extent of its capabilities. But the current wielder... he was too weak to tap into its potential."

"We'd need to run more tests if we want to understand it thoroughly, but this isn't the time," he added.

"Banner, head over and check on Thor. He's been quiet for too long; he might be in trouble."

Tony's gaze shifted to Malekith's lifeless head, still lying on the ground, before he glanced back at Banner.

Then, deactivating his stealth mode, he hovered slightly as his suit shimmered. Tony knew he couldn't maintain stealth for long and didn't want to give Malekith more time to adapt. He'd gained enough insights for now; there would be plenty of time to study further.

"On it," Banner replied, nodding before taking off at full speed toward the palace grounds.

This time, with Jane left behind, Banner didn't have to hold back. Every leap covered over a thousand meters as he sped through the air, a green streak aiming for the palace.

Meanwhile, Thor was in a dire situation.

The Cursed Warrior sent him flying with a single punch, the force of it leaving him with multiple injuries.

Pulling himself up from where he'd crashed into a wall, Thor held his hammer tightly to steady himself, fighting to remain conscious as pain fogged his mind.

He was injured, disoriented, and beginning to despair.

It wasn't that he doubted Tony and Banner's ability to protect Jane — he trusted them entirely. But where was his father? Where was Odin in his time of need?