Controlling time was truly an overwhelmingly unbeatable, downright unfair ability. Nothing else came close.
Turning back time, stopping time, speeding up time-if he could really comprehend this so-called Law of Time, he could basically do as he pleased in the Marvel Universe.
As long as he didn't court death by tangling with the Five Cosmic Entities or the like, he would probably be fine.
Thor was a man of action. Although he had only obtained a tiny fragment of the Law of Time, that didn't stop him from using it on his rag-doll-like body.
A faint green light spread over his body, and the sudden spectacle caught the attention of Elizabeth and Emma Frost.
Emma Frost turned around and folded her arms, her eyes moving up and down Thor like precision measuring instruments, as if she meant to see right through him.
Thor realized he had celebrated too soon. It was only one fragment of the Law of Time, after all. If a single fragment could restore his body to its peak condition, that would be a little too ridiculous.
Fortunately, he could at least put his body-more precisely, his injuries-on pause, stopping them from getting any worse.
At this rate, once he found more fragments of the Law of Time and returned to his peak, he could certainly do as he pleased in Knowhere, if nothing else.
As for Cassandra, the strongest ruler in Knowhere and that old bald Professor X's evil sister, once he regained his strength, she would be nothing but a nobody on the roadside.
Did anyone understand what it meant to single-handedly kill all the villains of Ragnarok, with only one life to spend?
It just cost him a little of that life, that was all.
"Was that magic?" Elizabeth asked curiously, looking at Thor, who still needed her support.
"Yes, magic exclusive to Asgard. My body's in such terrible shape that if I didn't use magic to hold it together, I might fall apart on the spot."
Thor began making things up without batting an eye. How would a mere pair of Mutants who had never seen the wider world know what Asgardian magic looked like?
What was this called? This was all about the information gap!
Seeing that she couldn't tell anything from looking, Emma Frost didn't ask any further questions. She merely said indifferently, "Then you'd better hurry. If you're too late, there might not be so much as a scrap of you left."
With that, Emma Frost turned and continued walking. Elizabeth glanced at Thor but didn't expose the man's lie. After all, even Magneto could be buried without a fuss in this godforsaken place. If this so-called Norse god of thunder really could recover, things might be a little easier for her and Emma Frost.
Who knew whether there were any other lunatics in this place besides Cassandra?
The three continued onward, Thor looking left and right along the way, hoping to find more fragments of the Law of Time. But after walking nearly two or three kilometers, he hadn't seen a damn thing.
Ugh... I knew it. How could these so-called fragments of the Law of Time be as simple as that scheming bitch Emma Frost said? If they were just lousy rocks, shouldn't they be everywhere?
Lost in thought, Thor failed to notice several figures searching for something in a ruin up ahead.
The instant Emma Frost spotted them, she used her ability to read their memories. Once she found they were merely warriors a little stronger than ordinary people, she decided not to bother with them.
She was still unfamiliar with these ruins. There was no need to invite unnecessary trouble.
Normally, these people would already have become her obedient puppets and meat shields.
Had she not fallen into the hands of those scum from the Time Variance Authority and been thrown into this multiversal junkyard by a bunch of ants using a bizarre device, she, Emma Frost, would never have needed to be so "careful."
The Mutants on Earth worthy of her serious attention could be counted on one hand. She had never imagined she would suffer such a humiliating defeat at the hands of a bunch of ordinary people at the very bottom.
They had dared to throw her, Emma Frost, into this junkyard like garbage. If she didn't avenge that grudge, she wasn't Emma Frost, nor was she worthy of being the White Queen!
Thor was delighted at the sight of the familiar outfits and familiar shield before him. He hadn't expected to run into acquaintances in Knowhere.
But when his gaze swept over the familiar round shield, the design on it showed him that this place truly lived up to its reputation as a multiversal junkyard. It really did have every kind of variant.
There was that familiar black combat suit and round Vibranium Shield, but instead of the familiar five-pointed star, the shield bore the Hydra emblem.
The five people opposite them also spotted Thor's group. Their expressions turned serious, and they went on guard, hands moving to their weapons.
Thor glanced over the five of them: a standard Hydra Captain, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Baron Zemo in a purple hood, Crossbones in high-tech exoskeleton armor, and a seductive-looking woman with green hair and a skintight green combat suit.
That last woman, dressed in so much green she practically glowed, was the famous Madame Hydra, Ophelia Sarkissian, from the comics.
Good grief, this was practically a full Hydra combo.
"Hey! Steve, Bucky, long time no see. Hail Hydra!"
Thor smiled and greeted Hydra Captain and Winter Soldier, throwing in the slogan for good measure.
Hearing the slogan, Steve Rogers frowned slightly and studied Thor for a few moments. Only after confirming that he wasn't the one he knew did he speak.
"I'm not the Steve you know, and you're not the Thor I know."
At that, Crossbones Brock Rumlow knocked his two iron fists together with a sharp metallic clang.
"Captain, do we fight or...?"
"Grab the water and supplies. We're leaving. If we draw that monster over here, none of us will get away."
It had to be said that Hydra Captain's leadership skills were as strong as ever. No sooner had he spoken than the group swiftly packed up the food and water they had found in the wrecked spaceship and withdrew.
Thor scratched his head. Knowhere was practically a copy of a post-apocalyptic survival scenario!
Every last one of them was so cautious. He had been hoping to use what he knew about these characters from the comics to get on friendly terms and play the prophet for a bit.
"You know those ordinary people?" Emma Frost had appeared at Thor's side at some point.
"To be honest, there's hardly anyone in Knowhere I don't know. Of course, if some obscure character pops up, forget I said that."
"So that's how you recognized Elizabeth and me as soon as we met?"
"That's about the size of it."
"Then besides my name and Psylocke's, what else do you know? My past, my abilities, or something else?"
"Are you sure you want me to say it? What if I reopen your old wounds? You two won't get upset and beat me up, will you?"
"Hmph. I, Emma Frost, don't get upset that easily."
"All right, then. Emma Frost, your students, the Hellions Squad, were killed by Trevor Fitzroy. Then you were driven out and ostracized by the Hellfire Club, chased away like a stray dog."
"As for Elizabeth, that body of yours isn't even yours to begin with. You were also treated as an object and a tool. Need I go on?"
Thor couldn't be sure whether his guesses were right. Who knew which universe they came from? But as he felt waves of cold wind sweeping around him, he knew he had bet correctly.
Not only had he guessed right, he was about to get beaten up.
That was how women were: unreasonable. What they said and what they did were two entirely different things.
Emma Frost was angry for once, because this so-called Thor had torn her old wounds open, leaving them raw and bloody, without showing her the slightest consideration.
Even if what he said was true, even if it had been the most painful and darkest period of her life, it wasn't for someone else to bring it up to her face.
"You're asking for death-!"
Thor's pupils contracted sharply as a slender leg swept straight at him with fierce force.
The good news was that the White Queen was about to reward him again. The bad news was that this might hurt a little.