"Who am I? That's not important. What matters is that Asgard and I are not enemies. In fact, under certain circumstances, we are most suited to be allies."
Thor, who had just been humiliated, raised Mjolnir and pointed it at the sentry, his face full of indignation. "Then show your true face! Otherwise, the divine realm has no need for a cowardly, hidden figure like you as an ally."
William couldn't help but envy Mjolnir. What a weapon it would be in his hands.
"Thor Odinson, Prince of Asgard, future heir of the divine realm. But unfortunately, you have only inherited Odin's bravery, not his wisdom."
The three-meter-tall sentry robot pointed at Mjolnir and looked down at Thor.
"Perhaps you should put down that hammer, which has given you the mistaken impression that you are invincible. Before you become the new king of the divine realm, you should first recognize who you truly are and what you should be doing—rather than simply smashing everything with that hammer."
"You want me to put down my hammer?"
The moment the sentry suggested this, everyone knew it would provoke Thor. Even Odin, who understood this well, frowned in displeasure at first.
But upon hearing the rest of the sentry's words, he decided to see how his son would react.
As expected, Thor roared in fury and swung his hammer straight at the sentry.
To everyone's surprise, the three-meter-high sentry robot split apart just as Mjolnir was about to strike.
In an instant, it divided into two smaller sentries, each about two meters tall.
Then, the two smaller sentries transformed into the likenesses of Thor and Loki.
"We've met before, Your Highnesses," they said.
With that, a surge of spatial energy instantly shattered the spatial lock within the Rainbow Bridge.
The four Asgardian warriors who had been holding the barrier with their swords were thrown to the ground.
Beneath the two sentries, golden portal circles appeared. They smiled and said, "Farewell," before vanishing with a whoosh.
The Asgardians turned to Odin with puzzled expressions, waiting for his response. But they were even more curious about Thor, who was gripping Mjolnir so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His face was filled with frustration and shame, yet he said nothing.
Even more surprising was that Loki—who never missed an opportunity to ridicule Thor—remained silent, his expression equally grim.
From the moment he saw the portals, Odin recalled how, two years ago, William had tricked Thor and Loki, making them freefall in an alternate dimension for ten minutes.
"Thor, Loki, come with me."
"Yes, Father."
The three of them stepped into the Rainbow Bridge and instantly arrived at the valley where the magical elves resided.
Seeing Odin and his two sons appear, William was momentarily stunned, growing even more curious about the identity of the Light Elf within the town.
He conjured a magical doppelgänger and cast an illusion spell, making his presence visible before them.
"Show your true face, Midgardian!" Thor bellowed, his rage barely contained. "Our fight isn't over—face me honorably in battle!"
"My dear brother," Loki said, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "you can't possibly challenge a magical doppelgänger to a duel, can you?"
Then, his expression turned cold as he glared at William's projection. "Midgardian, how dare you send a magical clone to face the Guardian of the Nine Realms—the great Odin?"
The doppelgänger politely greeted Odin. "I do not deny that Odin is great. A thousand years ago, he even saved Earth from the Frost Giants.
But I also know that Odin is a conqueror of the Nine Realms. And as a conqueror, his mercy only extends to Asgard—or to those who pose no threat to Asgard.
Today, I have inadvertently learned something that Odin is desperate to silence. So, for the sake of my own life, I must be cautious."
"Do not worry, child. From the moment I knew you were from Midgard, I agreed with you—we should be allies," Odin said, raising a hand to stop Loki from provoking further.
His face bore a kind and warm smile, sending chills down William's spine. He immediately understood—this old man had marked him as a target for scheming and recruitment.
Just as William was thinking about how to respond, Odin continued,
"Since you already know of the Light Elves, then perhaps you are also aware of the destroyed Elven Kingdom.
This planet was chosen by me as a refuge for the Light Elves. So, since you have no enmity with them and are not here to steal their treasures, we can sit down and talk. Or, if you prefer, we can share a drink in Asgard."
"Light Elf treasures?"
Odin's words piqued William's curiosity. Even Thor and Loki looked at their father in confusion.
But instead of answering, Odin chuckled and looked at William.
"I sense that you possess something that rightfully belongs to me. Am I wrong, child?"
"Odin's treasure?"
The moment Thor heard that, he tightened his grip on Mjolnir, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Hand it over, Midgardian. Otherwise, I won't mind beating it out of you myself!"
"Thor, perhaps you should learn from Loki—he's much more direct than you," the doppelgänger said, before turning his gaze to the left.
Thor was puzzled, but before he could react, William raised a hand and conjured a gust of wind.
Leaves, flowers, and grass swirled together, forming a humanoid shape. Within moments, a figure was revealed—Loki, who had been attempting to sneak away in search of William's real body.
"I remember warning you not to use illusions in front of me, Loki. Is your title of 'God of Magic' self-proclaimed?"
"Damn you, Midgardian! You dare mock the gods of Asgard?"
Loki, now exposed and covered in dirt and grass, furiously launched a magic beam at the doppelgänger.
But before the spell could travel even halfway, a three-meter-tall sentry robot intercepted it.
Seeing that the doppelgänger could cast magic and even command sentries to block for him, Thor didn't hesitate—he hurled Mjolnir at it.
Yet, William made no effort to stop the attack.
Even the sentry standing closest did nothing.
Thor's hammer struck the doppelgänger squarely, shattering it instantly.
At the same time, the four three-meter-tall sentries and two smaller ones melted into the ground and disappeared.
"Ha! Loki, that was perfect teamwork!" Thor laughed heartily, catching Mjolnir as it returned to his hand.
He was too busy celebrating to notice the helpless look on Odin's face.
Loki, meanwhile, cast a cleansing spell on himself and stared at Thor as if he were an idiot. If Odin weren't present, he would have cursed Thor outright.
"For the love of Odin, my dear brother—do you not realize? That Midgardian let you destroy his doppelgänger so he could escape before Father could demand the return of his treasure!"
"Uh… uh…"
Thor hesitated, then turned to look at Odin.
Upon seeing the exasperation on his father's face, he knew immediately—Loki was right.
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