"Which god are you?" Thor asked, eyeing Kaiser.
"What's your goal?"
He sensed divinity in Kaiser.
Though his own divine power was sealed, he remained a god.
Yet Thor was curious... he'd never seen Kaiser before.
The universe was filled with gods.
Nearly every civilization had its own deities.
The Pantheon of the God-Realm wasn't just a name; it housed over ten thousand gods.
Thor didn't claim to know them all.
But most were familiar to him.
Kaiser, however, was a blank slate.
And Thor didn't believe someone would help him without reason.
"You're not as foolish as you seem." Kaiser said, glancing at Thor with surprise.
"It looks like Odin was right... losing your power forces you to think clearly."
This Thor differed slightly from the one Kaiser knew.
"So, you're here to mock me?" Thor's eyes narrowed.
Years of battle had honed a heavy killing intent in him.
Even without his divine power, his aura of menace remained.
Jane Foster and the others in the bar felt a deadly chill, falling silent.
By now, Jane was starting to believe this man was Thor, the Norse God of Thunder.
"How about a deal?" Kaiser proposed.
"I help you regain your power."
"In return, you take me to meet Odin."
"Based on my senses, Odin's divine power has reached the limit his body can bear."
"As an Asgardian, you know what that means."
"Odin is nearing eternal slumber."
"If he completes it and awakens, he might extend his life by decades, perhaps a century."
"But if he fails…"
"…Odin's life ends within ten years, his soul bound for Valhalla."
Kaiser's words struck Thor like a thunderbolt, leaving him stunned.
Jane Foster and her companions covered their mouths in disbelief.
What had they just heard? Odin, the Allfather, was dying?
"Do you realize what you're saying?" Thor growled, his eyes blazing crimson.
He lunged forward, reaching for Kaiser's collar.
Hum!
Golden light flared, freezing Thor in place.
"I know exactly what I'm saying." Kaiser said calmly.
"Do you know what you're doing?"
"As an Asgardian prince, hailed as the God of War…"
"…you haven't even awakened your own divine power."
"Your strength relies entirely on Mjolnir."
"You haven't even touched sub-Skyfather level."
"When Odin passes, can you truly protect Asgard?"
Thor, struggling fiercely, fell still.
He opened his mouth but swallowed his words.
Jane and the others couldn't interject, lost in the cryptic exchange.
"You should thank Loki." Kaiser continued.
"In a few years, the Convergence of the Nine Realms will arrive."
"Even without Loki acting as a spy to aid the Frost Giants' invasion of Odin's Vault…"
"…Asgard will face assaults from Jotunheim and Muspelheim simultaneously."
"Not to mention Hela's Underworld."
"If you only awaken then, the cost will be unimaginable."
Thor's head snapped up, eyes wide.
He couldn't believe what he'd heard.
Loki orchestrated the invasion of Odin's Vault?
Then what was his and the Warriors Three's vengeance in Jotunheim?
What was his exile?
His own stupidity?
Reflecting on Loki's past behavior, Thor realized it was plausible.
Especially since he was about to be crowned king.
"Loki's already on Earth." Kaiser added.
"If I'm right, he's plotting to kill you."
"To prove to Odin he's the true king of Asgard."
"But in my view, Loki's better suited."
"He's cunning, wise."
"Unscrupulous in his methods."
"His only flaw is power."
"But Loki's potential surpasses yours."
Kaiser tore away Thor's pride without mercy.
In Marvel's original story…
…at their peaks, Thor was no match for Loki.
Thor's strongest form, blessed by Gaia and Odin, required sacrificing his eye.
Only then did he reach multiversal power as the Rune King Thor.
Loki, however, with Frost Giant blood and the God of Lies' divine authority…
…climbed to the pinnacle of his godhood, becoming the God of Stories.
His words shaped reality, reaching multiversal levels.
By any measure, Loki was more suited for Asgard's throne.
But currently, both needed tempering.
Loki was too selfish, Thor too arrogant.
"What should I do?" Thor asked, lowering his head.
Without his power, he could finally reflect on his flaws.
"Go see your hammer." Kaiser said.
"You won't give up until you try Mjolnir."
He could see Thor's reluctance.
He still wanted to test Mjolnir.
"Let's go." Kaiser said.
The binding light faded, and Thor stumbled, nearly falling.
"Wait, you're going like that?" Jane Foster called, trying to stop them.
"You'll clash with the government!"
Though she believed Thor was a god, she instinctively worried for him.
"No need to worry." Kaiser said with a smile, patting Thor's shoulder.
"With me here, there'll be no trouble with S.H.I.E.L.D."
They headed toward Mjolnir's location.
"How did you know my father's time is near?" Thor asked, catching–
System: up to Kaiser in a few strides.
"My senses are sharp." Kaiser replied.
"They cover a vast range, especially for the strong."
"That's how I knew your divine power hasn't awakened."
"Odin's power is the strongest in the Nine Realms."
"Followed by the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, and a goddess in Hela's Underworld."
"Right now, my senses tell me Odin's power shines like a sun, high in the sky." Kaiser said, glancing at Thor.
"But it can't mask the scent of decay."
"You were in Asgard. Didn't you notice something wrong with Odin?"
Thor fell silent.
In his mind, Odin was still the lofty Allfather.
Powerful, ruler of the Nine Realms.
But Kaiser's words made him realize something... Odin was aging.
Recalling the words he'd spoken to Odin in Asgard, regret flashed in Thor's eyes.
"What do you want from Asgard?" Thor asked again.
If Kaiser knew Odin's end was near and sought to visit Asgard, he must have a purpose.
"Gungnir." Kaiser replied bluntly.
"Gungnir?" Thor blinked, aware of its might.
Even among the Nine Realms, Gungnir was a top-tier artifact.
The weapon Odin, Father of the Gods, wielded in his cosmic conquests.
The symbol of Asgard's sovereignty.
"You're bold." Thor said with a laugh.
He wasn't offended.
In all of Asgard, only Odin could wield Gungnir.
No one else.
It made sense why Kaiser wanted to go to Asgard.
It might be the only way to claim Gungnir.
"Gungnir is important to me." Kaiser said, not hiding his intent.
Saint Seiya and Marvel were different worlds.
Though both had a Gungnir, they weren't the same weapon.
In the MCU, Gungnir's true power was never fully shown.
After Odin's death, it became little more than a decorative stick.
Left standing in Asgard's palace.
When Ragnarok came and Surtur destroyed Asgard, the artifact vanished.
Rather than let it go to waste, Kaiser saw an opportunity to repurpose it.
As they spoke, they reached the inner perimeter of the cordoned area.
Under Kaiser's spatial manipulation, no one detected their presence.
"Go ahead, try it." Kaiser said, standing before Mjolnir.
Thor eagerly stepped forward.
But as Kaiser predicted, he couldn't lift it.
The hammer, once an extension of his arm, now rejected him.
"Just as you said." Thor muttered, disappointment heavy in his voice.
Despite Kaiser's warning, the rejection stung.
"Your brother was here." Kaiser said, sensing Loki's divine aura.
Marvel's mythology was messy.
Most notably, Loki and Thor's relationship.
In traditional Norse myth, Loki was Thor's uncle, not his brother.
"Loki?" Thor's fists clenched at the mention.
Over the centuries, Loki had caused countless troubles.
Some nearly cost Thor his life.
He'd dismissed them as childish pranks.
He still saw Loki as his brother.
But now, he saw the truth.
They were over fifteen hundred years old.
Loki was no child.
He coveted the throne.
And was willing to risk Thor's and Odin's lives to get it.
"How can you help me restore my power?" Thor asked, leaving the cordoned area.
All his hopes now rested on Kaiser.
"Two ways." Kaiser said.
"First, I beat you half to death, or we wait for Loki to do it."
"I've examined Mjolnir."
"It's sealed by Odin, but its core logic remains."
"If you're near death, Mjolnir will still answer you."
"It's the simplest, fastest way."
"Second, train diligently. I'll help you awaken your divine power."
"But that takes time."
"And it's uncertain if Asgard can hold out."
Kaiser presented the options, letting Thor choose.
Thor initially leaned toward the first option.
But something made him pause.
Kaiser had said if Odin's eternal slumber failed, he had a decade left at most.
Thor wondered if staying away from Asgard might be better.
If he posed no threat to Loki, perhaps Loki wouldn't harm Asgard.
Thor was confident Loki wouldn't betray their home.
Their mother, Frigga, was still in Asgard.
"I choose the second." Thor said.
"Asgard doesn't need me for now."
"Even if Odin enters eternal slumber, we have Mother, Heimdall, and other strong warriors and mages."
"As long as I don't return to escalate tensions…"
"…I believe they can handle everything."
"If I stay away from Mjolnir, Loki won't see me as a threat."
"Letting his plan play out is fine."
Thor took a deep breath, voicing his decision.
Kaiser looked at him, surprised.
Thor had suddenly grown wiser.
"Then let's go. We'll visit the Sorcerer Supreme first." Kaiser said.
He led Thor, Jane Foster, and her companions toward the Sanctum Sanctorum.
It was the safest place, where even Loki couldn't find Thor.
Jane was included because of her connection to the Aether... the Reality Stone.
"Is this… magic?" Jane stammered, wide-eyed.
"Superpowers?"
She couldn't believe they'd been teleported instantly.
"Why'd you bring Thor back?" The Ancient One asked, seated in her tea room, cup in hand.
"To awaken his divine power." Kaiser replied with a smile.
"Thor can be our ally, no?"
"Welcome to Kamar-Taj, Thor Odinson." The Ancient One said, greeting him.
"Forgive the intrusion, Sorcerer Supreme." Thor replied.
He'd learned of her identity from Kaiser and didn't dare act brashly.
He sensed a presence in her not unlike Odin's.
She was a powerhouse on par with the Allfather.
He hadn't expected Midgard, thought to be the weakest realm, to harbor such strength.
It held so many hidden powerhouses.
This reshaped Thor's view of Earth.
After settling Thor, Kaiser entered the Ancient One's tea room.
"You plan to leverage your connection with Thor to negotiate with Odin?" The Ancient One asked.
In the future timelines, Kaiser's decisions were numerous.
Each choice led to a different path.
Having seen enough, the Ancient One stopped peering.
Convinced Kaiser posed no threat, she'd let go of her reservations.
She'd found a worthy successor.
With Kaiser as an ally, she was already looking forward to retirement.
"Exactly. For personal reasons, divine artifacts are immensely helpful to me." Kaiser replied.
"Especially godly weapons."
"They can enhance my combat power."
"Gungnir is the strongest artifact I can realistically pursue."
"And I'll offer Odin terms he can't refuse."
Kaiser smiled.
In the Saint Seiya world, he wouldn't dare trade for Asgard's artifacts.
The gods would target him.
But in the Marvel universe, that fear was absent.
If he could fully analyze Gungnir and integrate it into his microcosm…
…bolstered by the three books of Heaven, Earth, and Man, no information would leak.
Within his sealed domain, wielding Gungnir, Kaiser would have the power to slay gods.
When the next Holy War began…
…he could take down at least two second-class gods.
With god-slaying power, he'd have the capital to soar.
Relying solely on Cosmo cultivation, even two, three, or five hundred years might not bring him to the Ninth Sense.
The divide between man and god was vast.
Humans and demigods who sought that line fell under divine judgment.
From the Mythological Era to Omega, only Seiya had achieved it.
Kaiser wasn't willing to gamble.
A week passed swiftly.
Under Kaiser's guidance, Thor began sensing his divine power's source.
But Loki noticed Thor's absence.
It puzzled him.
***
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