Asgard.
At this moment, Asgard was in chaos.
Countless royal guards moved nonstop through the palace.
Just moments ago—
the Dark Elves, silent for many years, had resurfaced.
They piloted their cloaked warships and charged straight into Asgard.
Large numbers of Asgardian warriors were killed, and Queen Frigga also died at the hands of the Dark Elves' chief general.
Even Odin was furious, so furious his body trembled.
But he was, after all, a tyrant who had carved his way across the cosmos.
The grief in his heart was immeasurable, yet on the surface he revealed nothing at all.
After holding the funeral and burying Frigga within the endless void,
he summoned Thor to his side.
"Thor, this invasion by the Dark Elves was definitely not for revenge.
"They have a deeper plot.
"Malekith is not a simple figure. He isn't foolish enough to throw away the Dark Elves' last remaining strength."
Odin spoke in a heavy voice.
"Father, let me go!"
"I will kill Malekith and avenge Mother Frigga!"
Thor's eyes were bloodshot, his rage already at its limit.
Although Frigga was not his biological mother, she treated him as her own child.
Whether it was him or Loki, she never showed favoritism.
Thor truly regarded her as his own mother.
After all—
the hatred of a mother's death could not share the same sky. How could he not be furious?
If Odin hadn't stopped him, he would have already gone after them.
"Father, why did you stop me? Let me go and take revenge!"
Thor spoke through clenched teeth.
"Calm down!"
A flash of blue light burst from Odin.
Lightning flickered around him.
Thor was like someone drenched in cold water—he shuddered hard and forced himself to calm down.
"Yes, Father."
Thor lowered his head and replied.
"Your objective is to stop Malekith!
"Not to pursue so-called revenge!
"Otherwise, all of Asgard will be buried because of it!
"Then your mother will have died for nothing!
"As the prince of Asgard, you must be calm and take responsibility for all of Asgard!"
Odin spoke earnestly.
Thor glanced at Odin, then lowered his head and said,
"I understand, Father."
"Good.
"Go. Have Heimdall send you to Earth.
"Stop Malekith and restore peace to the Nine Realms."
Odin spoke blandly.
"Yes, Father."
Thor nodded, turned, and left.
Before long,
he arrived at the Rainbow Bridge.
Heimdall—who earlier in the day had taken down a Dark Elf starship with nothing but a dagger—was as steady as ever,
as if nothing had happened at all.
"Thor, go prove your glory," Heimdall said.
Asgard was a civilization that revered martial valor; its past wars felt like yesterday.
So they did not suffer the loss of loved ones the way Earthlings did—their acceptance was somewhat higher.
Thor had also calmed down now.
"I understand, Heimdall.
"I will kill Malekith and reclaim our glory!
"Send me to Midgard."
Thor's expression was solemn.
Heimdall sighed
and turned the core control of the transit hall.
The Rainbow Bridge
was Asgard's greatest masterpiece, and also its greatest weapon.
It could send an Asgardian to any corner of any planet.
When driven at full power, it could destroy a planet.
It could be said—
this was the crystallization of Asgard's highest technology.
Even if Odin acted personally in ordinary times, his power might not necessarily surpass the Rainbow Bridge.
Under Heimdall's activation,
a seven-colored beam fired out from Asgard,
shooting toward the distant Earth.
That seven-colored light was like a miracle—within the blink of an eye, it crossed an unknown number of light-years and entered the range of the Solar System.
Under normal circumstances,
with only a blink, that seven-colored beam would strike Earth and deliver Thor, the Asgardian prince, to the planet.
But—
on Earth,
a gigantic white sword aura erupted and shot into the boundless sky.
The universe was vast beyond measure.
It was also extremely empty.
It might take hundreds of millions of kilometers before you encountered even a single object.
Most places were nothing but cold, indifferent cosmic void.
For two different things to collide head-on,
the odds were incredibly small.
Yet that coincidence happened.
A pale platinum blade of light slashed upward into the black sky.
At the same time,
a seven-colored beam came rushing straight at it.
Chi!
The two collided.
The Rainbow Bridge's enormous energy and the divine power on the Sacred Sword of the Vishanti crashed together, producing a massive explosion.
Even though there was no sound in space,
the collision unleashed a blinding radiance.
The entire Earth could see that dazzling light.
And as for Thor—wrapped within the Rainbow Bridge's power—
there was no need to even mention it.
He only felt his vision suddenly turn into a vast whiteness, so bright it nearly blinded him.
In the next instant,
his whole body was flung directly into space.
Before losing consciousness,
Thor's only question was—
"What the hell is that thing?! Why is it so damn powerful?!"
Asgard.
Odin—who had been watching Thor the entire time—suddenly changed expression.
"Hm?
"What is this power?
"Why does it look so much like Agamotto's power?
"Could it be the Ancient One acted?"
Odin's heart shook.
Such pure divine power—one glance told you it had received the Vishanti's blessing.
On Earth, there probably was only one person with that kind of power: the Ancient One.
"No!
"The Ancient One's power is far more restrained. This power is fully exposed, all edge.
"It doesn't resemble the Ancient One's power at all!
"Then who is it? Could it be a sorcerer outside Kamar-Taj, trying to show off in front of the Skyfather?"
Odin's mind raced.
Once an emperor reached old age, it was easy to become suspicious and overthink.
Odin was no exception.
If this were his prime,
he certainly wouldn't be thinking so much.
No matter what happened, he would have the confidence to suppress it.
But he was old—his lifespan had only a few years left.
And Asgard was in an awkward gap between generations; Thor had not yet fully matured.
Now, with a power suspected to be from Kamar-Taj striking the Rainbow Bridge, it was only natural that he would think too much.
"Such a powerful strike couldn't have been released casually.
"Even for the Ancient One, sending out an attack like this would not be easy.
"And the universe is boundless—can a random attack really be that coincidental?"
Odin's thoughts churned ceaselessly.
A terrifying idea formed in his mind.
Could it be that Kamar-Taj had produced another powerhouse, one not inferior to the Ancient One?
Had they become dissatisfied with Asgard's dominance?
Were they planning to rebel?
Once that thought took root, Odin could no longer stop.
Usually, his relationship with the Ancient One was fairly good, so he wouldn't have overthought it.
But once one grew old, as vigor faded away—
even Odin could not escape it.
Or rather, the duties of a king meant he was destined to be this way.
"Whether it is or it isn't… I'll know by testing them."
Odin thought to himself.
(End of Chapter)
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