The next second, the moment the two stepped in, they were enveloped by a dazzling stream of light.
This is a gap between dimensions, where there is no concept of up, down, left, or right in space, and no passage of time with the alternation of day and night.
As far as the eye could see, there were bizarre and colorful bands of light, like a shattered galaxy casually spread out in the void.
The turbulent spatial currents surged around him, but vanished instantly upon touching the lightning barrier surrounding Thor.
Tony subconsciously raised his arm, and on the light screen that popped out of the visor, JARVIS's data stream was refreshing rapidly:
"Sir, we are currently in an unknown dimensional rift in the universe, with a spatial stability rating of D and an extremely high degree of law disorder. We do not recommend staying here for an extended period."
"Don't worry, I'm here. You don't need to worry about these problems."
Thor's voice rang out beside him. He held the All-Black the Necrosword in his hand, the surging dark energy on the blade perfectly counteracting the corrosive influence of the surrounding turbulence.
Gilded divine runes flickered on his forearm as his gaze swept across the bizarre and fantastical void.
"Aside from Celestial, very few people can find this place."
Tony raised an eyebrow, his visor retracting to reveal a face etched with curiosity:
"So our next target is this Black Vortex you mentioned? The name itself doesn't sound like anything good."
Thor didn't reply, but simply walked towards the depths of the void.
There was no solid ground beneath his feet, yet it felt as if he were stepping on invisible steps. With each step he took, the surging light around him would subconsciously make way for him.
Tony clicked his tongue and quickly followed, muttering to himself as he went:
"Seriously, you still haven't explained to me what happened with that skull goddess—when did the King of Asgard get involved with the creator god of the universe?"
A vein throbbed on Thor's forehead. Without turning around, he tossed out a remark. "If you don't want to be gagged again, shut up your gossip."
Tony immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but his smug expression remained on his lips. However, his gaze suddenly stopped when it swept across the depths of the void.
Right in the center of this dazzlingly bright dimensional gap, a colossal, pitch-black mirror stands silently in the void.
It was so tall, like a black mountain towering between heaven and earth. The mirror did not reflect any of the surrounding light; instead, it was like a gaping maw that swallowed up all the light that touched it.
Despite the ever-flowing, colorful galaxy all around, it seemed like the only still point in this void, silently hanging there with an oppressive, suffocating weight.
"Wow." Tony whistled instinctively, and the visor instantly fell down, JARVIS's scanning lines immediately covering the entire mirror surface.
" JARVIS, scan and record from all angles, extract every analyzable structure."
"Scanning, sir," JARVIS's voice rang out steadily.
"The target material is unknown, does not belong to any known element in the universe, contains extremely strong law fluctuations, and its energy level is roughly equivalent to the All-Black the Necrosword scanned previously. The danger rating is extremely high."
Tony's screen instantly filled with a Black Vortex scan. He watched the rapidly refreshing data while turning to look at Thor beside him:
"So what exactly is this thing for? It looks even scarier than the magic mirror in Snow White."
"Your analogy is surprisingly apt."
Thor's gaze fell on the Black Vortex, his fingertips lightly tracing the Symbiote patterns on the sword's surface, his tone tinged with seriousness.
"It truly is a magic mirror. As long as you stand before it and utter the words 'I submit to the Black Vortex,' it can instantly unlock all the cosmic potential hidden within you, allowing you to ascend to the heavens in one step and touch the threshold of cosmic-level power."
Tony's eyes lit up instantly. "That's incredible? Isn't that like giving someone an Infinity cheat code?"
"And the price?" He changed the subject abruptly, instantly realizing that there was never any free power in the universe, especially something created by the Celestials.
"A buff of this level can't possibly come without a price, right?"
Thor's gaze darkened:
"The price is that once you use it, your entire race will be cursed."
No matter how many galaxies or dimensions separate them, they will be mired in endless, insane infighting until only one person remains of the entire race, and their home planet is completely destroyed, only then will the curse end.
Tony's excitement froze instantly; his newly ignited research enthusiasm was suddenly extinguished by a bucket of cold water.
He instinctively took a half step back, as if afraid of being touched by the mirror, and the curiosity on his face vanished instantly, leaving only strong resistance.
"Forget it, let whoever wants to use this thing use it. I don't want to risk the lives of all humanity by using it once."
So all these top-tier artifacts in the universe are just a bunch of ruthless contracts? Using them once is like signing a contract of servitude, and you have to take your entire clan with you. It's way worse than the penalty for breach of contract in my arms deal back then."
He couldn't help but mutter a complaint, then with a wave of his hand, he shut down JARVIS's scanning interface, completely losing any interest in studying it.
"Otherwise, what did you think?" Thor glanced at him sideways, his tone flat.
"These things were never meant for ordinary humans or ordinary alien races from the very beginning. There are very few in the entire universe that can withstand their power and afford the price."
Tony stroked his chin, looked Thor up and down, and suddenly raised an eyebrow, asking, "What if you used it? You're the King of Asgard, Son of Odin, Eternity God Race. This curse, could it possibly affect you?"
Upon hearing this, Thor paused, his gaze returning to the Black Vortex, his brow furrowing slightly as he fell into brief contemplation.
He possesses the divine bloodline of Odinson and is a being who wields more than a dozen cosmic laws.
He himself wasn't entirely sure whether the curse would work, or to what extent.
But he couldn't risk his life.
After a long pause, he shook his head and said nothing more. He simply took a step forward and stood directly in front of the Black Vortex.
The mirror remained a bottomless black, but a tiny ripple appeared the moment he approached.
A dense Law of Curses, Law of Potential, and a trace of Law of Creation belonging to the Celestials slowly emanated from the mirror, subtly resonating with the death and Law of Devouring on the All-Black the Necrosword in his hand.
Thor closed his eyes, and the dozen or so laws within his body instantly began to operate. Golden divine power surged out like a tide, completely enveloping the two divine artifacts.
He could clearly perceive that both the Law of Darkness on the All-Black the Necrosword and the Law of Curses on the Black Vortex were essentially of the same origin as the universe.
Just like the intricate circuits Tony talks about, the core power source is the same, but the arrangement of the circuits at key nodes is different, which ultimately leads to vastly different power outputs.
The Law of Thunder is a surging torrent, the Law of Death is the final annihilation, the Law of Curses is a binding shackle, and the Law of Potential is the key to unlock it.
The structure of countless laws unfolded clearly in his mind, and those previously obscure and difficult-to-understand barriers of laws were easily pierced by him, as if they were made of paper.
Meanwhile, Tony watched Thor standing there in meditation, shrugged listlessly, and turned to wander around in the surrounding void.
The armor's scanning lines swept across the area, occasionally picking up a piece of pebbles floating in the void, glancing at it, and then casually tossing it away.
Just as he drifted into the void behind the Black Vortex, an inconspicuous black fragment beneath his feet suddenly caught his attention.
The fragment was only the size of a palm, completely black, and made of the same material as the Black Vortex. Its edges showed signs of breakage, and its surface was engraved with fine lines.
" JARVIS, scan this thing." Tony bent down, picked up the shard, and tapped the surface of it with his fingertips.
"Scan complete, sir," JARVIS's voice rang out immediately.
"The material shares the same origin as the Black Vortex, its hardness is slightly lower than Vibranium, but its strength is 17 times that of the hardest alloy known on Earth. It contains faint energy fluctuations, the source of which remains unanalyzed."
Tony raised an eyebrow and casually stuffed the fragment into the armor's storage compartment.
Anyway, we can't figure it out right now, so taking it back and figuring it out slowly is better than going home empty-handed.
Just then, Thor, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
Deep blue lightning exploded in his eyes, and his divine power surged instantly. The turbulent dimensional currents around him froze at that moment, and even the Black Vortex that devoured all light trembled slightly under his aura.
In a short moment of comprehension, he had thoroughly grasped the laws of the All-Black the Necrosword and the Black Vortex. His own realm soared, directly reaching the peak of the Universe Level. He was only one step away from stepping into the Multiverse Level, which countless gods dreamed of.
But there was no joy on his face; instead, his brows were furrowed.
He had just traced back to the source of the law and clearly saw everything that had happened here not long ago.
A familiar purple figure, accompanied by five cold-blooded subordinates, stood before the Black Vortex and recited the oath of obedience.
Thanos.
Not only him, but all Black Order of his Obsidian Generals unlocked their full potential by harnessing the power of the Black Vortex.
What sank Thor's heart even further was that he could clearly sense the presence of the two Infinity Stones on Thanos—
The Power Stone that controls the brute force of the universe, and the Soul Stone that governs the cycle of reincarnation for all beings.
Holy crap, the plot has completely veered off course; it's gone way off track now.
How did Thanos, that purple-skinned devil, learn about the Black Vortex?
"Not good."
Thor abruptly turned to look at Tony, who was still staring blankly at him. His voice was unusually grave. He flicked his finger through the air, and a golden portal instantly exploded in front of them.
" Thanos was here. He used the Black Vortex to enhance himself and obtained two Infinity Stones! We must return to Earth immediately!"
The moment he finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved it, and a vast Law of Space swept out instantly. The towering Black Vortex suddenly shrank and was steadily absorbed into his personal space, which he had condensed using the Law of Space.
The flowing light in the void still surged, but the cosmic artifact that once stood here had vanished without a trace.
Thor, carrying the All-Black the Necrosword, stepped into the portal first. Tony reacted instantly, his nonchalant expression vanishing, and he followed closely behind.
"Damn it! Thor! The scripts you gave me were clearly wrong!"