Aaron's performance had been nothing short of spectacular. It was electrifying.
Odin, a master of all types of magic, couldn't help but be impressed. As the Allfather, he was known for his vast magical abilities, capable of sealing Thor's divine power, granting others extraordinary physical prowess, or even crafting a device that could contain the dangerous Hela. His magic was powerful, precise, and complex. But after witnessing Aaron's illusion magic, even Odin felt a twinge of amazement.
He realized that Aaron had surpassed him in this field. The skill required for such a level of illusion magic was staggering. And what was even more astonishing was the fact that Aaron was still an "apprentice" who had only been practicing magic for a week.
Odin, who was not easily surprised, could not help but marvel. "This child is truly a monster," he thought. "His power is extraordinary." Even if Aaron's actions had inadvertently disrupted Odin's plans, the Allfather couldn't bring himself to fault him. After all, Odin had confidence in Heimdall's loyalty, and Heimdall had no part in revealing anything about the plans.
Heimdall, who had been watching the unfolding events, was equally astounded. "He is a genius... A monster," he muttered, still processing what he had seen. "Even I didn't expect this level of power."
Seeing Odin's rare praise for the newcomer, Heimdall couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. It was clear that Aaron's future was bright—something that only happened once in a thousand years. If Odin, the King of the Gods, saw such potential in him, it was hard to deny that Aaron was someone to keep an eye on.
Heimdall silently added, "Perhaps, in time, Aaron and Thor will work together to protect the Nine Realms. A partnership between them could be... interesting."
Meanwhile, the battle for Vanaheim wasn't over yet. Despite Aaron and Thor's devastating combined assault, the rebels were still struggling to resist. But the balance was slowly tipping in favor of Asgard's forces, which now included over a thousand warriors, led by the three powerful Asgardian warriors, Loki, and others.
The tide of battle was turning in Asgard's favor, but there was a sudden change in the air. A loud cheer erupted from behind the battlefield.
Tall stone giants appeared, each towering over everyone else. Their massive forms were almost double the height of normal beings, with arms thicker than thighs and clad in thick leather armor. They carried enormous maces, stepping onto the battlefield with the force of a minor earthquake.
At the sight of these towering stone giants, both sides of the battlefield stopped fighting. It was a mutual understanding—an ancient agreement that the outcome of the battle would not be decided by the regular soldiers but by the strength of the powerful warriors.
In these local battles, soldiers played a role, but once the strong entered the fray, a ceremony akin to a duel between generals would take place. And now, with the stone giants entering, the rebels of Vanaheim knew their defeat was near.
"Ah, the Stone Titans," Thor exclaimed, twirling his hammer as he approached them, eager to study his opponents.
Aaron, using his illusion magic, walked up beside him, hundreds of duplications mirroring his movements.
The rebels, seeing the two Asgardian heroes, especially Aaron, were gripped by fear. Without Aaron's overwhelming power, they would have had a fighting chance against the Asgardian forces.
Fandral and the others came over, intrigued by Aaron's duplications. "Is this your illusion magic?" Fandral asked, amazed. "How could they know your swordsmanship so well?"
Sif poked one of Aaron's duplicates, her eyes widening. The duplication felt solid, real, even though they were illusions.
"This is the surprise I told you about," Aaron said with a faint smile. "My illusion magic has improved again."
It had taken him the entire week of focused meditation to absorb enough magical energy to sustain such a large number of duplications. Previously, he could only maintain dozens at a time, and even those weren't perfect. But now, with greater control over his magic, he could maintain hundreds. Still, these duplicates couldn't use magic; they were only perfect in appearance and swordsmanship.
But even so, they were enough to handle Vanaheim's strongest soldiers. And when the Stone Titans appeared, Aaron didn't need the duplications anymore. With a snap of his fingers, hundreds of duplicates vanished in an instant.
"Energy Absorption!" Aaron called, pulling in the scattered magical energy of his vanishing duplications.
Using his LV6 Energy Absorption ability, Aaron absorbed all the energy from the materialized duplicates into his body. This ability allowed him to draw in any unowned energy within a certain range. While it didn't immediately restore his energy to full, it did allow him to recuperate after using magic.
"Surprise?" Aaron said, a trace of sarcasm in his voice. "I'd rather not have too many surprises like this. They're more surprising than enjoyable."
Loki, who had approached the scene, silently muttered, "Surprise, indeed." He felt that Aaron's magical prowess had drawn everyone's attention. If not for the fear of his power, Loki would have played tricks on Aaron, but for now, he kept his thoughts to himself.
Fandral, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile. His previous competitive spirit had long faded. After seeing Aaron's performance, he realized there was no comparison between them. Even Aaron's duplications, with minimal effort, outclassed his swordsmanship.
Loki's eyes, though, betrayed his frustration. He watched as Aaron's every move seemed to outshine him, and that bitter feeling only deepened. Aaron had become the center of attention, while Loki felt pushed aside.
Fandral, noticing Loki's sour expression, couldn't suppress his glee. There was something oddly satisfying about watching Loki struggle. "Nothing quite compares to watching Loki suffer," Fandral thought, a small smile playing on his lips.