Marvel x Genshin: Mavuika, The Sun Goddess Rules Asgard — Chapter 164

Chapter 164: I Heard You Were Attacked?

A beat of silence passed over the phone before Tony’s voice returned, stripped of its usual flippancy and laced with genuine concern.

“Mavuika, are you okay?”

A soft, low laugh was his answer. “What do you think?”

Two seconds of dead air followed. When Tony spoke again, his familiar, lazy drawl had returned, though it sounded a bit forced.

“…Right. Fine,” he conceded. “Who could possibly hurt you? Regardless, Banner and I are coming over. Wait for us.”

“Yes, now,” Tony continued, not waiting for a reply. “I’m already in the car. Banner’s right beside me. We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

The call clicked off.

Mavuika lowered the phone, looking at the dark screen with a helpless shake of her head.

Just then, Thor poked his head out of the kitchen, a freshly opened carton of ice cream in his hand. “Big Sister, who was that?”

“A friend.”

Thor’s eyes immediately lit up. “Is it the friend you said built the Flamestrider?” He practically bounced on his heels. “Great! I want one, too!”

As if summoned by the topic, Loki glided in from the balcony, slipping his own phone into his pocket. A faint, knowing smile played on his lips. “Tony Stark,” he murmured, his voice a low purr of intrigue. “The mortal who so brazenly announced to the world that he is Iron Man? How… interesting.”

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell chimed.

Mavuika went to answer it. Tony Stark stood on her doorstep, impeccably dressed in a deep blue suit jacket over a simple black t-shirt. Through the dark fabric, the cool blue light of the arc reactor on his chest was a faint, pulsing glow. His hair was neater than the last time she’d seen him, and the dark circles that had been permanent fixtures under his eyes had faded. The new element was clearly working wonders.

Dr. Banner stood just behind him, a stark contrast in a simple grey hoodie and glasses. He looked significantly more energetic and less haunted than he had during his stay at Tony’s Malibu villa.

“Mavuika.” Tony strode past her into the apartment, his eyes scanning her from head to toe in a rapid, practiced assessment. “Hmm. You really do look fine. Guess I worried for nothing.”

Mavuika simply stepped aside, letting him pass. “I told you I was fine.”

Tony walked into the living room and then stopped dead.

On the sofa, Thor was frozen mid-scoop, a spoonful of ice cream still hanging from his lips as he stared back with wide, curious eyes. By the window, Loki stood with his arms crossed, an unreadable half-smile gracing his features. His emerald eyes flickered with a sharp, assessing light that made Tony’s internal alarms go off instinctively.

Tony’s gaze swept from one to the other before snapping back to Mavuika. “Why are there two more people in your house?”

Mavuika walked into the room, her tone perfectly level. “My brothers.”

Tony froze for a beat. “Your… brothers?”

“Yes.” Mavuika gestured casually toward the sofa. “Thor.” Then she indicated the figure by the window. “And Loki.”

Tony’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline.

He looked at Thor. The blond, brawny man was now standing up, still clutching the ice cream carton like a trophy, looking for all the world like a particularly well-built American kid fresh from the gym.

Then his gaze shifted to Loki. The black-haired man remained elegantly poised against the window frame, his dark green shirt and black trousers giving him an air of refined nobility that was difficult to place.

“Thor?” Tony repeated the name, his voice tight. “Loki?”

Bruce Banner, still hovering at the doorway, looked equally stunned.

“Wait,” Tony said, holding up a hand as if to halt reality itself. “The Thor you’re talking about… is it that Thor? The God of Thunder? The one who flies around with a hammer?”

A wide, boyish grin split Thor’s face. He set the ice cream down on the coffee table and strode forward, extending a massive hand. “You have heard of me?”

Tony stared at the offered hand for a split second before giving it a firm shake. Thor’s palm was broad and powerful, but his grip was perfectly measured—not the bone-crushing force he’d used before. It seemed Mavuika had already given him a few lessons in mortal etiquette.

“Of course I’ve heard of you,” Tony said, his mind clearly racing. “Norse mythology. Thor, the God of Thunder, son of Odin, wielder of Mjolnir… you’re kind of a big deal in human legends.”

Thor’s eyes widened with delight. “Really? I am famous?”

“Extremely,” Tony confirmed, nodding slowly before his eyes drifted to Loki. “And this must be—”

Loki offered a slight, graceful bow, the smile on his lips edged with a hint of cunning. “Loki, God of Mischief. I assume I have a place in your myths as well.”

A muscle in Tony’s jaw twitched. ‘God of Mischief, God of Pranks…’ The man before him, however, looked less like a prankster and more like a dangerously intelligent prince from a bygone era.

“Prince Loki,” Tony acknowledged, his tone layered with a newfound caution.

Loki let out a soft, airy laugh. “There is no need to be so tense, Mr. Stark. While I may be the God of Mischief, I find little sport in playing tricks on friends.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “We’re friends?”

Loki’s gaze flickered to Mavuika. “You are Big Sister’s friend. Therefore, you are my friend.”

Tony was silent for a second, then a slow smile spread across his face. “Fine. I like the sound of that.”

Finally finding an opening, Bruce Banner stepped fully into the room, his expression a whirlwind of confusion as he looked at Mavuika. “Ms. Mavuika… you… you’re…”

Tony glanced at him, the corners of his mouth curling upward. “Oh, right. Did I forget to fill you in on Mavuika’s whole deal? My bad. Allow me to re-introduce her…” He made a grand, sweeping gesture. “Ms. Mavuika of Asgard. Eldest daughter of Odin, Goddess of the Sun.”

Banner’s mouth opened, then snapped shut. He had lived in Tony’s villa for weeks, met Mavuika several times, shared meals with her, even watched movies together. He had always assumed she was just… well, not ordinary, certainly, but at least a person with superpowers, operating within the known spectrum of humanity.

But the Goddess of the Sun?

“You…” Banner struggled to find the words. “You’re a god?”

Mavuika’s soft laugh filled the room again, warm and reassuring. “Asgardians are not gods, Dr. Banner. We are simply a race with longer lifespans and greater strength. You mortals may see us as gods, but we have never thought of ourselves that way.”

Banner remained frozen, trying to process the cataclysmic shift in his understanding of the universe.

Thor ambled over and clapped him heartily on the shoulder, the force of the friendly gesture nearly sending the scientist stumbling. “Do not be nervous, mortal!” Thor boomed with a grin. “Big Sister has lived on Midgard for hundreds of years. She is quite fond of this place. Since you are her friend, you are my friend, too!”

Banner looked from Thor’s bright, guileless smile to Loki’s elegant, reserved nod, and finally to Mavuika’s calm, steady gaze. He took a deep, shaky breath. “Okay. I… I think I need some time to process this.”

Tony walked over and patted his other shoulder. “Don’t overthink it, Bruce. It took me a while to get my head around it, too. You’ll get used to it.” He plopped down on the sofa, crossed his legs, and fixed his gaze on Mavuika, all business once more. “Speaking of, I heard about the Kingpin situation. The Purple Man, the Hand, dozens of ninjas… you handled all of that alone?”

“Not alone!” Thor chimed in indignantly. “I was there! I took down at least twenty of them!”

“You were also beaten bloody by that Black Sky creature and nearly died,” Loki added dryly from his post by the window.

Thor’s face flushed a deep red. “That was because I did not have my hammer! Now that Mjolnir has returned to me, I could take on a hundred!”

Tony watched the two gods bicker, a faint smile touching his lips. “What about Kingpin?” he asked, turning back to Mavuika. “I heard S.H.I.E.L.D. picked him up?”

Mavuika nodded. “Fury sent a team. He should be in one of their detention cells by now.”

Tony curled his lip in satisfaction. “He deserves it. The guy has been running rampant in New York for years. It’s about time he went down.”

From the side, Bruce spoke up softly, his voice regaining some of its usual steadiness. “I heard the Purple Man who worked for him controlled a girl for months. Her name is Jessica Jones. S.H.I.E.L.D. is providing her with treatment.”