The battle was over.
From the moment the two rituals traced their long knife across the death line, there was no salvation for the Destroyer.
Shen He leaped down from his sniper position and sprinted toward the battlefield's center with all his might.
"Are you injured?"
His eyes flickered between the two rituals and Qimu Kusuo, scanning them with evident concern.
"Oh." The two rituals pressed a hand to their left shoulder. "I think my shoulder blade's cracked."
Her arm hung limply at her side, utterly unable to exert force. Even the slightest movement sent sharp pain shooting through her body. Yet, her tone was as casual as if she had merely tripped.
"...You're too reckless, Ryougi."
Shen He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to stay calm. He retrieved a medical bandage with advanced healing properties from his system inventory, carefully tearing away the fabric over her shoulder and beginning to wrap it.
"You should always be ready to die. You're too cautious, Shen He." The two rituals remained motionless, her cold gaze fixed on him. "Do you really think you can do whatever you want without any sacrifice?"
"It's just not worth it..."
Shen He didn't argue further. He focused entirely on securing the bandage. Fortunately, this specialized material had an auto-setting effect, significantly reducing the risk of improper bone alignment.
Ultimately, he had arrived in this world without an ironclad goal. He merely wanted to witness and experience the incredible life he had once longed for.
"Sif—!"
A sudden burst of light illuminated the sky.
Shen He turned his head sharply and saw Thor, cradling the wounded Valkyrie, Sif. Electricity crackled around him, divine power surging violently.
At this very moment, his long-dormant godly essence exploded back to life.
Not only that—his Asgardian armor, once stripped away by Odin's decree, was now returning piece by piece.
The seal had been broken.
"Heimdall!" Thor threw his head back and roared to the heavens. "Can you hear me?! Open the Bifröst! Sif needs urgent treatment!"
But nothing happened.
By the original timeline, Heimdall should be struggling to break free from Loki's icy prison at this point.
Shen He, having secured the two rituals' wounds, hurried over with the rest of his bandages.
"Thor, calm down—she's wounded, not dying."
"Shen He, I can't lose my friend."
Thor's voice was thick with regret, his expression twisted in raw desperation. Only in the face of potential loss did he finally grasp the value of the things he had always taken for granted.
"You won't lose her. And your hammer is back."
Even as Shen He spoke, Mjölnir streaked across the horizon, wrapped in stormlight, a telltale sign of Thor's fully restored divine authority.
At the same time, the Bifröst's swirling vortex finally appeared in the sky.
It seemed the plot had largely realigned itself to its proper course.
But as Shen He observed Thor, standing tall with Sif in his arms, he realized something had changed. The prince of Asgard now bore a trace of the resilience and wisdom that should have only come with time.
"Please tell Jane for me—" Thor's voice rang out as the Bifröst's glow enveloped him. "I will return for her. And Shen He, it has been an honor. Asgard will always remember its bond with Chaldea."
"Go fulfill your duty, Thor." Shen He lifted a hand in farewell.
With that, the God of Thunder vanished into the rainbow light.
It was over.
Shen He turned back toward the battlefield, the wind kicking up sand and debris in his wake. Violet trotted over to join him, along with Qimu Kusuo and the two rituals. The four of them left distinct footprints in the dust as they departed…
Three Days Later – New York City
It had been three days since their return from that war-torn land.
Coulson had visited multiple times, hoping to coax Shen He into S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters for a debriefing. They wanted to know everything: the full extent of Chaldea's knowledge, details about Asgard, and even the truth behind the so-called "guardians" that Shen He had referenced.
When gods walked among mortals and war loomed on the horizon, S.H.I.E.L.D. had no shortage of questions.
But Shen He rejected every invitation.
These past few days, he had reverted to his initial habits—remaining inside his hotel, teaching Violet how to read and write, and immersing himself in mundane routines.
Until this morning, when Tony Stark called him.
"Hey, He. Are you seriously neglecting your company like this? You expect me, Tony Stark, to run your business for you?!"
His tone was laced with its usual brand of arrogance.
"I'm already on my way to pick you up. We need to have a little chat. No excuses."
Before Shen He could reply, Tony hung up.
With a sigh of resignation, Shen He stood up. He had completely dumped the responsibilities of their new venture onto Tony, and that did feel a little unfair.
"Ryougi, Violet—I'm heading out. Call me if anything happens."
"Got it."
The two rituals' voice echoed from the training room.
Recently, she had begun revisiting her kendo practice, spending most of her time honing her blade techniques. Occasionally, she even brought Violet along, seemingly fond of the young girl who outwardly resembled a hardened killer but was, in truth, incredibly innocent.
Shen He descended the stairs and slid into Tony's luxury sports car.
Tony shot him a sidelong glance. "You know what you look like right now?"
"Huh?"
"A dried-up, lifeless salted fish." Tony snorted. "I heard about your little adventure in that chaotic wasteland. You actually took on an alien god? Tell me—did you win or did you get completely wrecked?"
"Screw you." Shen He flipped him off. "I'm just… dealing with a few things."
"Perfect. That's exactly why I'm here." Tony smirked and gunned the engine. "First, I'm showing you our new company. Then, I'm dragging you out for some real fun. Trust me—by the end of today, all your problems will be history."
Virtual World Corporation Headquarters
The company Shen He and Tony had co-founded bore a straightforward name—"Virtual World Corporation."
Despite being staffed entirely by former Stark Industries employees, Shen He was the majority owner, holding 90% of the shares. Tony retained the remaining 10% as a private stake.
"We're still in the research phase, but I've managed to reverse-engineer your full-dive virtual reality tech and turn it into our first product." Tony gestured toward a massive, bulky contraption. "Meet the 'New Century One.'"
Shen He's eyes trailed over the machine—three meters tall, tangled with countless wires, and connected to an enclosed, oval-shaped metal chamber big enough for a standing adult.
It looked ominous.
"...Why does this thing look like a coffin?" Shen He narrowed his eyes. "I thought you were supposed to optimize the design—not regress it to a prototype stage."
"Your helmet model is already optimized." Tony grinned. "This version is for military application—specifically, training simulations. The bulkier, the better. A higher production cost means it won't attract suspicion from traditional tech giants, plus we can charge way more."
Shen He let out a slow exhale.
It seemed like his partnership with Tony was about to get even more complicated.