Gravity Tower

"Of course not. As long as I still have Godly Power, I will always be the god of thunder."

Hearing Tony’s words and sensing that he was being questioned, Thor immediately replied.

"Then show us without using Mjolnir."

Tony did not immediately believe him and instead asked Thor to demonstrate.

Thor tossed the inconspicuous umbrella in his hand onto the ground.

Then Thor closed his eyes, clenched both fists, and began channeling the Godly Power within him according to the method he remembered. Golden light appeared around his fists before gradually shifting from gold to silver.

When Thor finally opened his eyes, lightning burst from his fists and crackled across his body, making him look extremely imposing.

"See? I wasn’t lying to you."

However, that imposing aura vanished completely the moment Thor spoke and smiled.

Seeing this, Loki felt that his brother was a little embarrassing and turned his gaze away.

"…"

Seeing Thor’s smile and hearing those words, Tony and Banner were momentarily speechless.

They had never doubted that Thor could command lightning. After all, he had borne the title god of thunder for so many years.

They simply had not expected that Thor would find it so difficult to wield lightning without Mjolnir.

"When you use Mjolnir, you can casually summon lightning from heaven and earth."

"Take a guess at how long it took you to summon it on your own."

Seeing how unfamiliar Thor was with it, Tony knew that Thor had become overly dependent on Mjolnir and spoke up.

"Ten seconds?"

Hearing Tony’s question, Thor thought for a moment before answering.

"Mr. Thor, to be precise, it took forty-one seconds."

At that moment, Jarvis’s voice suddenly rang out.

"It took that long?"

Hearing Jarvis, Thor looked utterly incredulous.

"You summoned it yourself, yet you’re the one who can’t believe it? You really are something else."

"In a rapidly changing battle, forget taking forty-one seconds to summon lightning."

"Even if you could do it in ten seconds, your opponent would have countless chances to interrupt you."

"Mjolnir should have been meant to teach you how to master the power of lightning. When the time came—"

"—you should have been able to leave Mjolnir behind and still call yourself the god of thunder. That would have counted as true growth."

"Not relying entirely on Mjolnir and lazily refusing to practice controlling lightning yourself."

"When your Father gave you Mjolnir, didn’t he tell you anything about that?"

Seeing Thor’s delayed realization, Tony was amused, though he quickly spoke with some helplessness.

Thor could directly wield the power of lightning, a power countless people could only dream of obtaining.

Yet although Thor had commanded lightning in the past, he had never considered mastering it without Mjolnir.

Given Thor’s current situation, his strength would be cut by at least half without Mjolnir, perhaps even more.

Without Mjolnir, Thor could not fly, nor could he unleash lightning as he pleased, which meant he would instantly gain many weaknesses.

Once those weaknesses could be exploited, defeating the strong with the weak became possible.

"It’s been too long. I can’t remember clearly."

Hearing Tony’s words, Thor knew that his summoning speed was rather embarrassing, and an awkward look appeared on his face.

He only remembered that Father had given him Mjolnir when he was young. It had been at least a thousand years by now.

But he had no impression of whether Father had originally said anything about learning to master lightning through Mjolnir.

"Whether you remember or not, don’t forget to practice after you return."

"As for your sister Hela, no one knows which side she is on yet."

"If her kindness toward Asgard has turned into hatred after being exiled for so many years and she comes back seeking revenge, that will be a huge problem."

"You wouldn’t want to lose Mjolnir and then find yourself completely unable to fight, would you?"

Tony considered every possibility, whether good or bad, and always gave priority to preparing for them.

That way, when something happened, he would not lose his composure because he had failed to anticipate it.

The Goddess of Death was indeed Thor and Loki’s sister, and they shared blood ties. But sharing blood did not mean they could not turn against one another.

Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire. Before knowing what Hela had gone through—

—it was impossible to optimistically assume that she would not hate her own family.

"Alright, I’ll go back and practice."

Thor was generally optimistic, but after hearing the possibilities Tony raised, he had to admit that Tony’s concerns were not without reason. After giving it some thought, his expression turned serious.

"I can only offer advice at most. Whether you practice or not is up to you."

"So I won’t say more. Come on, I’ll take you to see the gravity tower."

Seeing Thor’s serious expression, Tony did not know whether Thor had truly taken his words to heart or was merely putting on a show, but he did not dwell on the matter.

"I want to see how many times gravity I can withstand too."

Hearing that they were going to the gravity tower, Thor was eager to give it a try.

As far as his current strength went, he was one of the strongest warriors in Asgard beneath Father.

Although he had come to visit the Void Cult rather than challenge anyone, once comparison was involved, he also wanted to prove himself.

Then Tony and Banner led Thor and Loki toward the gravity tower.

When Thor and Loki arrived outside the gravity tower, they looked up at the building, which resembled a black tower.

Gravity devices were not uncommon in the universe, but people did not generally attempt to train with them.

No matter what planet they went to, as long as they came prepared with a portable gravity device, they could neutralize the gravity—

—allowing themselves to remain in an environment with standard gravity rather than adapt to higher levels of gravity.

If gravity was altered even in daily life, it would create tremendous inconvenience.

Any intelligent creature would naturally prefer a comfortable environment over a harsh one.

It could be called instinct, as well as a biological tendency toward laziness.

Moreover, adapting to extremely harsh conditions was not the only way to grow stronger. There were many other methods.

Adapting to high gravity might not even be an efficient way to grow stronger. It could actually be slower.

Yet the Void Cult seemed to regard this extreme high-gravity environment as the most effective method.

Otherwise, Thor could not understand why the Void Cult had constructed such an unusual building.

There were not exactly many people entering and leaving the gravity tower, but there were not few either.

In just a short while, Thor saw people chatting and laughing as they entered together, seemingly intending to compete and see who was stronger.

"Come on. No matter how long you look from outside, it won’t compare to experiencing it for yourselves."

Seeing Thor and Loki observing the gravity tower, Tony spoke.

Thor and Loki followed Tony’s lead.

"Loki, do you want to give it a try?"

"I’m only asking. I’m not forcing you to participate."

Banner looked at Loki and asked.

"I’ll pass. I use magic, not brute strength like you physical monsters."

"I’ll just watch."

Loki immediately came up with an excuse for himself.

"So you’re saying you’re too weak to even dare try?"

Tony smiled when he heard Loki’s words.

"Who said I don’t dare? I just don’t think it’s necessary."

"But since you put it that way, I have to give it a try!"

Loki knew that Tony was using a simple provocation, but he still could not bring himself to say that he did not dare.

It was only a trial experience and would not endanger his life. If he still did not dare to participate under those circumstances, it would be far too humiliating.

"When you reach a certain gravity level and feel like you can’t hold on, just move a finger. I’ll be watching you."

Banner knew that Loki cared about his pride, so he gave him a way out. He was not saying it only to Loki, but to both of them.

"You’re not going in to have some fun?"

Hearing that Banner would be watching them, Loki was somewhat puzzled.

"I come here once every three days on average, so I won’t be going in this time."

Banner smiled.

Kyle had said that Banner possessed excellent physical qualities and a high starting point, so he needed to spend more time in the gravity tower.

A high-gravity environment was one form of extreme harsh environment.

That did not mean it was good to soak in it all day. It was best to balance work and rest and give the body time to recover.

Therefore, every member of Void Island entered the gravity tower at different intervals.

Most entered once a week, while Banner and Kyle, whose recovery and physical abilities were stronger, went in every three days.

"Alright."

Hearing Banner’s explanation, Loki did not press the matter.

Soon, the two of them entered the gravity tower alongside Tony and Banner.

Although the gravity tower had looked dark and unremarkable from outside, its interior was full of futuristic technology.

Along the way, Loki received plenty of cold looks.

Although the other Void Cult members said nothing when they saw him, the bad impression he had left last time clearly meant they did not welcome his arrival.

However, Loki had already prepared himself mentally before coming, so he was not particularly bothered.

"Are the floors different from one another?"

After entering, Thor saw the stairs, but Tony did not immediately lead them upstairs, leaving him somewhat confused.

"After my adjustments, the first floor has a maximum of ten times gravity, while the second floor has a maximum of twenty times gravity."

"The tenth floor has the highest gravity. One hundred times is the minimum, and one hundred and fifty times is the limit."

"It’s your first time here, so first get used to the feeling of changing gravity."

"Otherwise, if you start with dozens of times gravity, even if your bodies can withstand it, you’ll feel extremely uncomfortable."

"Once you adapt, go up floor by floor and see which floor marks the limit of your bodies."

Tony had personally modified the gravity tower, so when he heard Thor’s question, he gave a simple yet detailed explanation.