Melting Chapter 75: Odin vs Ego soon? (Patreon)

Ego couldn’t be mistaken. Celestials don’t have “aging eyesight.” People can deceive him, but auras never lie.

“Master, do you have a child on Earth?” Mantis asked, puzzled. “Wasn’t he taken by those Ravagers?”

“Oh, right—my child… He must be an adult by now—around twenty-nine, I suppose?” Ego murmured thoughtfully. “Maybe he escaped the Ravagers. After all, he inherited the mightiest Celestial genes in the cosmos!”

He paused, trying to justify the idea. He didn’t see how his offspring could have awakened Celestial powers without his help, or how the child survived away from Ego’s planet for so long yet remained so strong.

Possibly someone else guided him, helping him develop his powers? Ego had no evidence, but as far as he was concerned, if the child carried Celestial genes and Celestial power, that was enough!

“My boy, here we come. You are not alone!”

He guided his ship closer, eager for a reunion. Ego imagined his child must have inherited his handsomeness and formidable powers—perhaps he had red-brown hair, or maybe Meredith’s golden locks, flowing and beautiful.

Maybe he loved singing, like Water Lily had, with a gorgeous voice, maybe danced brilliantly—a real North American dance king! Eyes full of life, maybe even blue? Pale skin and cute dimples? Surely he’d look so much like Ego. After all, out of countless offspring, only this one had inherited genuine Celestial power. He’d resemble Ego the most.

Ego recalled the same lines he had delivered over and over through centuries, slightly editing the name to adapt. He’d locked away other memories—Water Lily was now his one and only love. Excitement took hold of him.

His ship tore into Earth’s atmosphere without cloaking or stealth—he didn’t care. He was merely here to retrieve his child. As for the rest of this planet—he’d plant a seed, let it sprout and grow, become an extension of himself. Earth’s other lifeforms? He was indifferent to them.

“Director! There’s an unidentified craft approaching Earth at Mach 35!”

“Our simulation suggests its final destination is…New York…Osborn Corp?”

Hearing that, Nick Fury’s heart skipped a beat. Then, on learning the location, his head pounded. “Where’s Aaron?” he demanded.

“He should be…at Osborn Corp.”

Aw, crap. Everything always leads back to you, doesn’t it?

This alien craft was big trouble on its own, and now it’s also tied to Osborn—no, to Aaron. Could this possibly be good news?

“Assemble everyone and get to Osborn Corp immediately!” Fury barked, heading to the command center to coordinate. At this point, whatever Aaron’s intentions, they couldn’t let anything happen to him.

He didn’t just represent himself or Osborn Corp—he represented the hopes of Earth’s power players. Anyone else could die, but not Aaron and not Osborn Corp. Those in charge had pinned their hopes for longevity on him; if that dream were crushed now, they’d go insane.

Whether gods or aliens, if they threatened Osborn Corp, they’d face Earth’s fury. Like it or not, Fury had to back him up.

When the military heard the news, General Ronald slammed the table. “I don’t care about the other agencies—North American Air Force must launch! Let those damned aliens see they can’t just stroll through our airspace!”

The army commander hesitated only a moment before mobilizing ground forces toward New York. The navy was quick to act as well, directing a nearby fleet to the city.

They weren’t only protecting Aaron or Osborn Corp—they also had their eye on the “rebirth” project. Even if something went awry with Osborn, they wanted those precious files first.

Meanwhile, Tony Stark in New York also jumped into action the instant JARVIS detected an alien craft. He donned Mark IV armor and took off.

Even in Asgard, Heimdall, watching the ship’s rapid approach to New York, alerted Odin. Hearing it, Odin left the celebration and rushed to the Bifrost.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

Heimdall’s golden eyes glowed. “It’s an unknown craft. I’ve never seen anything like it, and it doesn’t match any known interstellar empire’s specs. Its structure is unique—perfectly integrated, like a single piece. It’s a work of art!”

“Huh?” Heimdall’s face changed. Odin stiffened in alarm. An instant later, he tapped into Heimdall’s senses directly.

“My child…I’m here! You’ve been alone out here for decades—must’ve suffered so much. Earth…Osborn Corp…you’re working at some little outfit there? You’re a god! That’s such an injustice to you!”

Odin found something off. Earth, Osborn? Wasn’t that Aaron’s company? Did it mean there was another god at Osborn Corp? That hadn’t come up.

“All-Father, this might be about Aaron…Your Majesty,” Heimdall suggested.

Odin, initially suspicious, now flared. “Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

“Aaron is Borr’s son and wields Asgard’s purest inherited power. He’s on par with me, if not stronger. I’d never mistake him. He’s Asgard’s king! That random stranger is a lowly god from who-knows-where, daring to steal what belongs to Asgard. He’s courting death!”

Looking at Ego’s gray-haired, gnarled appearance, then at the memory of Aaron, Odin found zero resemblance. Did this fool think he’d produced a monster like Aaron? Never. The Celestial might be underestimating Asgard’s bloodline, with its fair and sturdy men and beautiful women—Aaron being the pinnacle.

Grinding his teeth, Odin muttered, “Tell Thor to gather the troops…no, let Frigga and Sif keep overseeing the conference. We can’t make too big a fuss. I’ll go personally with the Palace Guard and teach that stray god that the Nine Realms aren’t his playground!”

Who’d dare steal from Odin himself? Aaron was Borr’s son, after all, King of the Nine Realms. Nobody could take him. Heimdall hesitated. “What if…just hypothetically…that ‘stray god’ truly is another father figure to Aaron, maybe a Celestial?”

Odin snorted. “I’ve never seen a Celestial that small. Those giant fellows wouldn’t accept him either. If he’s that tiny, he’s basically a newborn in Celestial terms—not much older than Aaron. Also, he’s a male god. Asgard’s past lineage has always been single-gender successions. Are you telling me Borr was pregnant? Which of them would be the father, which the mother? It’s ridiculous. I’ve never seen Borr with a big belly.” Er, well, Borr did have a big belly, but not in that sense.

Heimdall’s mouth twitched; he wanted to say it wasn’t impossible—Earth, for one, was celebrating plenty of same-gender couples. And in Omnipotence City, that well-known Maze was full of male deities hooking up. But bearing a child was indeed too out-there.

“Anyway, not possible.” Odin was resolute. “We’ll see the truth once Aaron shows up.”

Soon, Thor arrived at the summons, with Loki also rushing over. Odin glanced at Loki’s excited face but made no comment. He relayed the news about Earth. Loki instantly turned red. “What?! Someone wants to snatch away my uncle? Our Asgardian God-King? Are they insane?”

Thor said, “Father, let me go alone with an army—one swing, and we’ll crush that stray god for Asgard!” Odin shook his head. “I’ll handle this personally. Even if he’s a Celestial, he must learn these Nine Realms obey our rules!”

Killing intent laced Odin’s words, brimming with kingly authority. The Destroyer Armor appeared. Summoning his steed, fully armed, Odin shed the aura of old age, exuding unstoppable might. Before long, a thousand of Asgard’s elite Palace Guard assembled on the Bifrost.

“Heimdall—open the bridge!” Odin commanded coldly. Heimdall, momentarily nostalgic, recalled the old days. Thor and Loki were both thrilled—time for a fight at last! Today’s battle would be “Operation: Uncle Defense.”

Boom!

The Bifrost’s light flared, squads of guards stepping into it in neat order. Odin and Thor led the charge.

New York, Manhattan.

“So this is where he lives. It’s tall, but far too mundane for a deity,” Ego muttered, floating before the Osborn Corp skyscraper with Mantis. “I might build him a new castle.”

From the building’s entrance emerged the very aura Ego sensed. Smiling, he prepared to speak: “My child, you—” Ego froze mid-sentence, seeing Aaron. Mantis exclaimed, “Wow, Master, is that your son? He’s so handsome! Even more handsome than you! He looks just like you—practically twins!”

Just like him? Aaron’s expression was weird. Ego’s smile faltered. There was no resemblance at all—Aaron had yellowish skin, black hair, black eyes, was stunningly good-looking. But he didn’t look remotely like Ego nor Ego’s dear Meredith. A thought flitted through Ego’s mind: Was I…cheated on? No, impossible. He does have Celestial power, so…

“You…how old are you?” Ego asked after a pause.

“Twenty-two,” Aaron answered blandly.

“Twenty-two…” Ego mumbled. “My kid should be twenty-nine by now. Could you be his child? Then you’d be seven. But even a Celestial’s child at seven? That’s improbable. Meredith died in ’88, the boy would’ve been eight years old—did my seed remain for seven years and then produce another child?” Ego was at a loss. Even a Celestial brain wasn’t processing it. Maybe he should tap into his planet’s big brain. Recalling that year… maybe he’d once spent a night with a tentacle female…?

Tony Stark, who’d arrived earlier and observed from a distance, landed with a flourish. “Need a hand?” he offered. Except nobody acknowledged him. Shortly, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by Hawkeye and Coulson arrived. Coulson was about to speak when light from the Bifrost rained down.

“You wretched outsider—this is Asgard’s domain!” Odin’s thundering voice boomed, brimming with awe-inspiring authority. He galloped forth on a Pegasus, Thor and Loki beside him, columns of guards fanning out, encircling the area. Coulson and company tensed up, confronted by this new force. Spotting Thor, Coulson called out, “Hey, Thor—remember me? We had drinks together once!”

Odin scowled. Thor rode over to Coulson. “Friend, you should leave. We gods are taking over. Soon, the anger of two and a half ‘god-kings’ will be unleashed. That’s enough to destroy this city.”

Coulson’s grin froze. Two and a half god-kings? Must be Odin, Thor, and…who was the half?

Meanwhile, Aaron spoke to Ego as though no one else was around: “If you’re searching for your child, I suggest you leave Earth. He isn’t here.”

“No, you are my child!” Ego insisted, glancing warily at Odin’s entourage but not backing down. “I can’t be wrong about that. Maybe your genes mutated. Doesn’t matter. Your appearance might lie, but your DNA and divine power can’t. My boy, I’m your long-lost father, Ego the Celestial!”

Aaron’s only response was a dry smile, standing tall. These days, he’d seen people claiming to be long-lost dads, uncles, siblings—like a storyline from a pirate manga. Now here was a supposed father?

“Ego, you’re asking for death,” Odin declared, relieved. “Hear that? Get off Midgard right now! Even if you’re a Celestial, you’ll die here if you refuse. No one enters without permission!”

“I’m a Celestial,” Ego shot back. “I don’t care about your ‘Asgard.’ I just want my son. Then I’ll leave. If you don’t want to provoke a Celestial’s wrath, stay out of my way…”

“Enough!” Odin roared. “Aaron’s veins run with Asgard’s purest heritage! He’s my brother, the King of Asgard, the All-Father, King of the Nine Realms! You think you can take my brother, Asgard’s king? First try getting past Gungnir!”

Aaron, for his part, never accepted being Asgardian—but Odin had no choice; even adopting him as a sworn brother would do. Loki whipped out two daggers. “If you think you can steal away my uncle, the God of Wisdom, my blades say otherwise!” Thor likewise brandished his axe. “Mine too!”

“Kill! For the God-King!” The thousand Palace Guards marched in unison, their Uru armor gleaming murderously. Ego’s face twisted.

He hadn’t expected so many meddlesome weirdos. On the sidelines, Tony Stark and Coulson were dumbfounded—this had escalated beyond reason. One moment, they thought Aaron was just some powerful figure on Earth, now he was the so-called “God-King of the Nine Realms.”