After being bathed in natural elemental energy, William felt better than ever—like he could take on the universe.
He even had the illusion that, like the mythical Tang Monk's flesh, just a bite of him could grant someone longevity.
And when he noticed Odin staring at him with burning eyes, he almost socked the old man in the face.
Thankfully, Kristin's voice rang out from where the World Tree was growing, breaking the awkward silence between the two men.
"She told me her name is Selia!"
"Really?" Odin turned, delight lighting up his face as he looked at the now towering World Tree, easily tens of meters tall and requiring four or five people to circle its trunk.
With its self-awareness awakened, the World Tree had officially passed its most vulnerable stage.
"She's awakened her consciousness," Kristin said excitedly to William. "Quick—get the Forest Guardians from the magic planet over here!
Now that Selia has self-awareness, she'll be able to command the guardians herself to protect her. We only need to defend the skies. Once the new elves begin to emerge, it won't be more than a few decades before an entirely new elven race exists on this planet!"
"Decades?"
William's excitement instantly vanished.
Asking him to babysit a tree for decades—even if the reward was near immortality—wasn't something he had the patience for.
"Let's finish setting up the magic array first, then bring the sprite tribe over," he said.
"No, no, no!" Kristin rushed over and grabbed William's arm. "We need to move the Light Elf Sanctuary and the Forest Guardians over first."
Looking toward Odin, who had already returned to his usual calm and smiling self, William saw the old man nod in agreement. With that, the trio instantly vanished—appearing just outside the magic town.
CRACK! A thunderclap boomed from the clear sky. William looked up with a knowing smirk. He already knew who had arrived.
Sure enough, the light of the Rainbow Bridge lit up nearby—and out stepped Thor.
"Where is my father?" he asked the moment he saw William and Kristin.
"You go gather the Forest Guardians and prepare what needs to be moved first," William said to Kristin, brushing her hand off his arm before turning to face the god of thunder.
As he studied Thor's tightly gripped Mjolnir and tense expression, a sudden thought crossed William's mind—this was a perfect opportunity to test the durability of the Frost Hammer.
With a thought, his Sentry Suit shifted and transformed into its lightning-resistant form.
"Did your father not leave you any instructions?" he asked calmly.
Thor blinked. Odin had, in fact, told him not to act unless contacted—but it had already been two hours since the king disappeared. Thor had gone from relaxed to worried to downright anxious.
Now seeing William don the Lightning Armor, which specifically countered his thunder powers, Thor was already seething with frustration.
"I asked you—where is my father? Why can't Heimdall see you? Why haven't we received any response from him?"
"What, you came here alone?" William said, more curious now. "Where's Loki?"
"Loki? Why do you want to see Loki?" Thor's nerves were clearly frayed.
In his eyes, William definitely had the power to do something to his father. And now, asking for Loki too? That only added fuel to the fire.
Thor's anger boiled over. Lifting Mjolnir, he leaped into the air and hurled it at William with a roar.
But before the hammer could strike, William grinned—and his newly forged Frost Hammer materialized in his hand. The two divine weapons collided with a deafening clang.
Thor was sent flying more than ten meters back by the impact, while William merely staggered slightly.
Skidding across the flower-strewn ground for another dozen meters, Thor finally came to a halt. He looked down—and to his shock, found Mjolnir coated in thick layers of ice.
The freezing energy was even spreading up his arm.
"Damn it!" he growled, calling a bolt of lightning down from the sky to purge the frost.
The ice cracked and steamed as it vaporized, but Thor's hand still felt numb. His fighting spirit burned bright—but even he couldn't deny that beating William seemed more impossible than ever.
The Sentry Suit already suppressed him. Now, William had a hammer just as powerful as Mjolnir—if not stronger.
Knowing he'd lose, the usually hot-headed Thor did something rare: he restrained himself.
"I should've listened to Loki," he muttered. "He told Father not to give you that damn hammer. And now look at this—you ungrateful bastard, turning Asgard's gift against us!"
Still inspecting his Frost Hammer, William paused at that.
"Loki knew about this hammer? He knew it would end up in my hands?"
Realizing the test was over, William dismissed the weapon and let his armor melt back into casual clothing.
Floating down in front of Thor, he narrowed his eyes.
"Tell me—how did Loki know?"
Thor froze for a moment. His face betrayed something… and William didn't like the look of it.
"Oh, hell. Don't tell me you were the one who told him?" William sighed and slapped his forehead.
"You bastard! I asked you first—where's my father!?" Thor snapped back.
Rolling his eyes, William summoned Sunday and asked him to send a message to Odin.
Moments later, Odin appeared, still holding Gungnir, and stepped forward to speak with his son.
William took the chance to slip away into the magic town—where he found a group of Forest Guardians standing in front of the Light Elf Sanctuary.
These towering beings—15 to 16 meters tall, covered in green bark, with humanoid limbs and vine-like arms—were wrapping their limbs around the Sanctuary structure like it was sacred.
Kristin, already standing by the gate, called out as William approached.
"Can you really teleport the Sanctuary and the Guardians in one go?"
Before William could respond, her surroundings shifted—and she found herself standing beside the World Tree, staring in awe.
Before she could even catch her breath, the Forest Guardians, sensing the presence of the World Tree, gently released the Sanctuary and began embedding themselves into the ground around Selia—becoming part of the forest once more.
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