In those three seconds, he saw the frost wound on Heimdall's chest and the corpse of the young guard still clutching his sword in death.
Then, Odin raised the Eternal Spear and struck it heavily against the battleship's deck.
Boom—!!!
It wasn't the sound of metal clashing, but a dull roar like ancient thunder exploding deep within the clouds.
The sound waves Swirled out from the flagship as the center, spreading throughout all of Asgard; even Thor, in the deepest nursery of the Golden Palace, was so startled he stopped crying.
"Asgard—" Odin's voice followed, not high-pitched, yet every word fell like a crashing boulder: "Never fears war!"
He stepped down from the bow, each step causing the battleship to tremble slightly.
As he reached the railing and looked down at his daughters and soldiers, the light Burning in his eyes made the midday Sun pale in comparison.
"Since Jotunheim is so impatient... then here, in the name of the King of the Gods and Ruler of Asgard, I command—"
"All troops prepare, set out immediately!"
Odin's voice suddenly rose, like war drums thundering across the sky.
"Target: Jotunheim!"
A world-shaking war cry erupted from every battleship and the chest of every warrior.
It was a battle intent suppressed for a year, a fury ignited by a sneak attack, and the innate thirst for glory and revenge in the bones of Asgardian warriors.
The voices converged into a physical wave of sound that even Queen Frigga, far away in the Heavenly Palace gardens, could clearly hear.
Heimdall pushed away Mavuika's supporting hand, and though his steps were unsteady, he straightened his spine: "Your Majesty, I can still fight."
"Your mission is to guard the Bifrost Bridge and repair it," Odin said indisputably. "Heimdall, today you have proven yourself worthy of the name Guardian. Now, hand the sword of vengeance to your compatriots."
The Guardian nodded in silence and turned toward the central control tower. His steps, stumbling at first, gradually became steady and firm.
Mavuika pulled out sun-blaze thousand suns, the blade emitting a joyful hum.
She took one last look at the guards who had sacrificed themselves on the battlefield, carving their faces into her memory, then leaped up. Fire formed a propelling wave beneath her feet, sending her back to the flagship's deck.
Hela grinned, an excited smile of a Hunter finally given permission to pounce on her prey. She didn't jump back onto the ship; instead, she swung mjolnir with one hand, the hammerhead pointing at the Bifrost Bridge hub: "Heimdall! Open the gate!"
The Guardian of the Bifrost Bridge had already entered the control tower.
He held his greatsword high with both hands and thrust the blade into the crystal control console, pouring in golden divine power like a flood.
The entire Bifrost Bridge began to vibrate, and the ancient runes on the bridge lit up one by one, from dim to bright, and from bright to blazing.
"Target locked—Jotunheim," Heimdall's voice spread through the entire army via magic.
"Channel opening countdown: ten, nine, eight..."
Hela walked toward the bridge surface carrying her war hammer, each step making the frost-covered corpses tremble.
The Death Guard behind her lined up in silence, their dark green armor reflecting an eerie luster under the light of the Bifrost Bridge.
"Seven, six, five..."
Mavuika stood beside her father, the tip of sun-blaze thousand suns resting on the ground.
She closed her eyes and focused, feeling the flow of two powers within her body: Asgardian divine power like a golden river, and the Teyvat fire source like an Eternal furnace.
Today, they would burn together.
"Four, three, two..."
Odin raised gungnir high, the spear tip pointing toward the swirling rainbow vortex at the end of the Bifrost Bridge.
All battleship engines started at full power, spewing golden flames.
"One!" Heimdall's final voice rang out.
"Channel stabilized—Advance!"
The Bifrost Bridge erupted with unprecedented light, a pillar of light soaring into the sky, tearing through space to bridge the gap between Asgard and Jotunheim.
The flagship entered the light pillar first, followed by hundreds of battleships, and finally the marching Death Guard and the Valkyrie Legion on their pegasi.
As Hela was the last to step into the light pillar, she looked back at the golden dome of Asgard, licked the corner of her mouth, revealed a bloodthirsty smile, and whispered to herself:
"The hunt begins."
...
Jotunheim, Permafrost Royal Court.
Laufey sat on a throne carved from ten-thousand-year-old ice, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.
The Royal Court hall was vast and cold, with never-melting frost flowers condensed on the walls and icicles hanging from the dome, each as sharp as a longsword.
Kneeling before him were over thirty Frost Giants who had fled back in panic. These warriors, once known for their bravery, were now covered in wounds, their armor broken, and their faces filled with the terror of losers.
"Make it clear," Laufey's voice wasn't loud, yet it caused the temperature in the hall to drop a few more degrees. "Why did you fail?"
The lead Frost Giant lowered his head even further: "Heimdall... was stronger than estimated. We couldn't break through his defense in a short time, and Asgard's reaction speed was too fast..."
Laufey suddenly clenched his fist, and the throne's armrest cracked with a "snap," revealing fine lines.
"Useless!" Laufey finally could not suppress his anger, his voice sounding like a glacier collapsing.
"Three hundred elites, attacking when the defenses were most relaxed during a banquet, and you didn't even touch the Bifrost Bridge hub!"
With a wave of his hand, the icicles on the hall's dome snapped in unison, raining down on the kneeling giants like arrows.
The Frost Giants below dared not dodge, letting the icicles pierce their shoulders. With muffled groans, blood blossomed into a startling red on the ice.
"King... please calm your anger," an elderly Frost Giant Priest spoke with a trembling voice.
"Now is not the time for punishment. The raid failed, and Asgard will surely retaliate. We must immediately prepare for battle—"
Before he could finish, a piercing alarm horn sounded from outside the Royal Court. The horn, driven by magic, spread through the entire Jotunheim Royal City, its sound filled with urgency and panic.
"Report—!!!" A Sentinel scrambled into the hall, the frost on his face unable to hide his fear.
"The sky... abnormal energy fluctuations have appeared in the sky! It's the sign of the Bifrost Bridge!"
Laufey stood up abruptly, the throne trembling from his movement: "So fast?!"
He rushed to the observation deck outside the hall.
This was the highest point of the Jotunheim Royal Court, overlooking the entire Permafrost Ice Field.
At this moment, the originally grey sky was being torn apart by some kind of power.
Blazing rainbow light poured from the rift, light that was completely out of place with the year-round cold mist of Jotunheim, sounding like a red-hot iron bar dipped into ice water, making a "hissing" Vaporize sound.
Immediately afterward, the light pillar took shape.
A rainbow pillar of light descended from the heavens like a spear of divine punishment, pinning itself firmly onto the ice field fifty miles outside the Royal Court.
The moment the light pillar hit the ground, an Impact spread in a ring. Wherever it passed, thousand-year-old permafrost shattered, ice mountains collapsed, and even the Royal Court's walls began to vibrate.
Then, gold appeared.
The first Asgardian flagship slowly sailed out from the light pillar, the golden ram at its bow still as dazzling as the Sun under the dim sky of Jotunheim.
Then came the second, the third... In just three minutes, over a hundred battleships emerged from the Bifrost Bridge like a golden swarm of bees, unfolding into battle formation above the ice field.