Chapter 361

At the floor-to-ceiling window of Arkham Asylum, Schiller put on his goggles and gazed at the star that had suddenly blazed in the sky. Strange squinted upward and said, "She ascended?"

Schiller shook his head. "Not necessarily. It depends on her choice."

"It's a shortcut—possessing a title but no power. If it has any special ability, it's probably immortality."

·I really don't understand the principle here at all…»

"You don't need to understand. You only need to know this state lasts only a short time. Once any one of these relationships vanishes, the title naturally descends."

"Then why make him ascend at this moment?"

"When you can't finish your homework, don't you want to peek at the answer?"

Strange had no rebuttal. Schiller sighed. "Without seeing the answer, Asgard's dilemma is nearly unsolvable. Even if you see it, how to copy it, and whether you can copy it without flaws, remains a problem."

"Odin is burdened by too many concerns. Thor carries a mission. The only one with both ability and capacity to answer is Loki. How far she can go, whether she can reverse Asgard's inevitable fate—only when the exam ends will we know…"

In the square before the Xiangong's gates, Thor stood among the people of Asgard. Magical sparkles drifted around the fountain; vibrant flowers and sweet, crisp spring water were brought forward and placed before Thor.

Odin stood beside him, raising the hand that held his spear. A bolt of lightning struck, and a crown descended slowly onto Thor's head. The crowd below erupted in wild cheers; all of Asgard surged with joy, shouting, "New King!"

Thor no longer wore a smug expression. He turned, bowed his head, and placed a hand on his shoulder in salute to Odin. After Odin vanished in a flash of lightning, Thor turned toward the nearby Xiangong corridor, as if searching for someone.

Seeing Loki's figure absent, Thor's gaze grew dim. He sighed but said nothing.

Suddenly, a shadow flickered down the other corridor. Thor turned and saw Loki leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Loki snapped his fingers, then vanished—only to reappear on the opposite corridor.

Loki, now restored to his Ma Lei form, wore the sly grin of the God of Mischief—just like his old pranks. To Thor, this was merely a harmless jest during the coronation.

Yet many Asgardians complained, calling Loki an ungrateful wretch. On such a vital day for Thor, his own brother didn't appear, despite how generously Thor had always treated Loki.

Standing at the summit, Thor took in every face. He recalled last night's conversation with Loki, beneath the setting sun's breeze, atop the clock tower.

"Why give up ascension? Don't you know this is a golden chance—you could become a being above the cosmos, nearly omniscient and omnipotent!" Thor walked beside Loki, weapon in hand, utterly baffled.

Loki shook his head. "You always think so simply. If this alone could solve Asgard's problem, do you think the Allfather couldn't do it? He could draw energy from all Nine Realms, unify them, and become a being above the cosmos…"

"But this is your chance," Thor pleaded. "Your constitution isn't strong. You lost your divine power and domain. If you could ascend directly, wouldn't that solve all these problems?"

"When I was shunned for being different, did I try to become like you?" Loki sneered. "No. I'm not like you. I'm not a pitiful creature who can't live without honor or purpose."

"I don't need to live in an environment where everyone praises me. I don't need daily concern, fake kindness—I know they have ulterior motives…"

Thor turned, gazing past the clock tower's pillars toward the distance.

Asgard was a floating island in the dark cosmos, so its sunsets were brief. This brilliant radiance itself was the finest sight. Thor asked, "I think you saw something… that's why you didn't choose this path…"

"You finally grew a brain."

Loki turned his head. "I only looked at the answer. If I prove myself unique this way, I gain nothing."

"What's the principle? Why does changing your gender and asking a few questions lead to ascension?"

"I don't know. Asgard has no psychologists. I recommend you see one—I think you're sicker than I am."

Thor opened his mouth to retort, then remembered it was Schiller's method that let Loki glimpse the cosmos above. He hesitated. "Psychologists can do this? Fine. I'll visit him someday."

"You're being crowned tomorrow?" Loki asked.

"Yes. It's rushed, isn't it? But the Allfather told me he'll be occupied soon and can't manage Asgard's affairs—so it's settled…"

Thor showed no excitement. Loki watched the sunset's glow slowly swallowed by darkness. Slowly, he said, "I've seen the boundless splendor, the indescribable radiance. And I've also seen our inevitable destruction, the bottomless darkness ahead…"

Loki's hair stirred in the wind. He gazed beyond the horizon, as if returning to that fleeting glance—his voice distant, hazy.

"If this is a calamity no one can face alone, we must stand together."

"Not because I understand your meaningless sense of honor, nor because I've reconciled with those foolish, unrepentant fools…"

"But because this is also my home. No one can drive me away with any excuse. Asgard is my eternal homeland—past, present, future, unchanged."

"No matter who rules this land, no matter what absurd trends arise, no matter what they blindly worship, I will fight for it…"

"For my homeland, for myself, for my parents, and for those who will also fight to the very last moment…"

Loki turned to Thor. Above Asgard's solitary clock tower, as stars descended into the night's beginning, the young prince's voice drifted away on the wind, fading farther.

"... ew King."

The stars in the night sky grew brighter. On one hidden planet, crowds celebrated a festival. As darkness and starlight fell together, the familiar jingle of "Jingle Bells" echoed through the streets. Warm light glowed from shop windows. Tonight was Christmas Eve.

"The Initial Evolution"

"Hey, my Christmas gift is a reindeer sweater!" Peter happily pulled the sweater from the box, holding it against himself. "I love this style—I love this color!"

"A light green reindeer sweater? What are you doing, Schiller? This is cult attire! Reindeer sweaters should only be red and green. Blue is already my absolute limit!" Steve glared at Schiller.

"Don't be like that, Steve. This color is trending right now. Everyone in my class is wearing it." Peter rushed to the bathroom to change, eagerly. He truly suited light colors—his youthful energy made the reindeer on the sweater seem alive.

He flashed a radiant smile and pointed at the box on the coffee table. "Doctor, check out what I got you. You'll love it!"

Schiller's gaze fell on the box. It wasn't ordinary Christmas wrapping—it was pale blue, like snow. He opened it to find an unfamiliar component inside.

Before he could ask, Peter came over, picked up the part, and explained: "Doctor, I noticed you've been carrying that umbrella a lot lately, so I built a super-umbrella upgrade."

"See? This attaches to the umbrella tip. There's a cooling system that keeps the area within two meters beneath the canopy cool in summer, and generates heat in winter…"

"Most importantly, I've installed a nanoscale freeze gun—based on Dr. Connors's old blueprint. Using Stark's new nanotech, I folded it into this component…"

"When you mount it on the umbrella tip, it extends a sensor through the shaft. Just squeeze the handle, and it fires a freeze bullet."

"This…" Steve examined the device. "I get the air conditioning—summer cool, winter warmth. But adding a nanoscale super-freeze gun? Isn't that a bit…"

He hadn't finished when Schiller picked up the umbrella and walked over. "Come on, let's install it. Peter, I really like this gift—you're far better than that apple-pie guy…"

His eyes kept flicking toward Steve. At that moment, the clack and hiss of armor sounded as Stark landed outside the balcony, dusted with snow. "You should've told me you wanted to arm that stupid umbrella—I could've turned it into a self-deploying armored mech…"

"Why are you only showing up now? We already exchanged gifts."

"Something came up with the mutants. They built their own lab and asked me for technical guidance."

"How are they doing?"

"How do you think? Same as us—celebrating. They keep saying mutants aren't humans, yet at Christmas, they're still hanging decorations on trees and turning classrooms into garish messes…"

At Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Polaris picked up her bag and stepped out of class, meeting Charles heading toward it. Charles smiled and nodded. "Oh, Lorna, going home? Give my regards to your father."

"Oh, yes. Merry Christmas, Professor." Polaris seemed distracted, but Charles didn't mind. "Merry Christmas, Lorna."

Polaris hurried from school, returned to the Brotherhood's quarters, opened her bag, and pulled out a red gift box tied with emerald-green ribbon.

She pried open one corner. Inside was a reindeer sweater.

She took a deep breath and whispered, "Why did I think of giving Magneto a gift? He's Magneto…"

She paced the room, talking to the air, then fiddling with the ribbon…

Polaris wore an extremely complex expression—resentment, regret, fear, turmoil. Suddenly, her face cleared. She had an idea.

In another room nearby, Magneto, Erik, had shed his black light armor. His cloak hung on the closet.

He wore a common striped sweater. The electromagnetic field around him made every fiber stand straight, making him look like a hedgehog.

Erik sat in the armchair before the piano, leaning back, eyes half-closed, as if dozing.

Above the piano keys floated tiny, drifting planets.

As each planet fell, it struck a key, playing the familiar "Jingle Bells." The single-note melody felt lonely—but became the perfect lullaby.

Erik closed his eyes. As his breathing deepened, the magnetic field around him slowly faded, and the standing fibers of his sweater relaxed.

After the Christmas Eve bells rang, the tiny celestial bodies circled him, as if celebrating the holiday with him—or weaving a cradle for a sleeping child.

When the starlight dimmed, Erik slept.

He did not see the red gift box with emerald-green ribbon fly in through the open window. Beneath the moonlight, the note was clearly legible—

"Merry Christmas—Professor X."

-S: The Radiant Event (Complete)

————Author's Note————

Finished!

Writing a major event is so satisfying, so rewarding—especially when tying up old foreshadowing. 5555 Even if I lose subscribers, I'll write it!

Did everyone see the big feature push today? If not, screenshot it now!

What's a new author cultivation system? Tactical backward lean. pg