In the palace's main hall, Odin, lying on his bed, suddenly frowned deeply, his body trembling slightly, as if he had dreamt of something terrifying.
"Odin."
Frigga, who was attending to him, immediately noticed his abnormality. She stood up and gently placed her hand on Odin's forehead.
A crystalline, flowing light appeared on her palm and, with her movement, merged into Odin's forehead, comforting his soul. However, it had little effect and Odin remained troubled.
With a gasp, Odin abruptly opened his eyes, like a drowning person breaking free from the water, and began to breathe heavily.
"Odin, what's wrong? Did you have another nightmare?" Frigga asked softly, her voice filled with worry.
"No. This wasn't a dream." Odin's voice was weak but firm.
"I was so close to seeing it, just a little more and I would have seen it."
Frigga asked, "What did you see?"
Odin opened his mouth, then closed it, saying nothing. He was worried that if he spoke of it, mentioning those people, they would become aware.
"Is it something that cannot be spoken of now?" Seeing Odin's strange reaction, Frigga asked.
"Yes." Odin responded weakly, then prepared to close his eyes and fall back into slumber.
"Don't push yourself." Frigga said, her heart aching.
"I am the King... the King of Asgard."
Before he finished speaking, Odin fell into a deep sleep again. However, unlike his usual Odin Sleep, the Odin Force within him did not calm down during this slumber. Instead, it began to grow again. It started to increase at a rate far exceeding normal. Clearly, this was intentional on Odin's part.
Seeing this, Thor asked, "Father's body can no longer withstand the divine power within him, so why is his divine power still growing so rapidly?"
The power of Asgardians grows with age, but Thor had never seen or heard of a situation like Odin's, where the body could not completely bear the divine power.
Frigga gave Thor a meaningful look and, after a moment of hesitation, decided to tell him the truth, the truth as she knew it.
"When your father was young, he absorbed the divine power of his two brothers. The growth rate of divine power within the Asgardian royal family is inherently far beyond that of ordinary Asgardians. The growth rate of divine power within your father is three times that of the Asgardian royal family."
"Furthermore, he also inherited the power passed down through the line of Kings, such as your grandfather Bor and your great-grandfather Buri."
"Can't father give up some of his power?" Thor asked.
Although Frigga's explanation could account for why Odin's body couldn't withstand the ever-increasing divine power, it couldn't explain why Odin didn't completely solve the problem, instead using the Odin Sleep, a temporary solution.
Frigga shook her head and said, "Your father has his own difficulties, he needs this power. This power far exceeds that of an ordinary Asgardian King."
Thor expressed his incomprehension. "A thousand years ago, father completely pacified the Nine Realms. Is he too concerned with his reputation as the foremost figure of the Nine Realms to be willing to give up his power?"
Odin's power was already more than sufficient, so why did he allow it to grow uncontrolled?
Frigga shook her head and offered no further explanation, simply saying, "Trust your father."
Afterward, she dismissed Thor and Loki, asking them not to disturb Odin's slumber any further.
"I trust you too, Odin."
Inside the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf, Thor and Loki walked side by side down the corridor, looking somewhat downcast, having just left Odin's recovery room.
"Father was right, we must resolve this war as quickly as possible and restore peace to the Nine Realms."
Thor's voice broke the silence as he said solemnly, "According to the latest intelligence, not only have Vanaheim and Alfheim risen in rebellion again, but Nornheim and Rhea within Asgard are also stirring. If this war drags on, there's no guarantee they won't also rebel."
Loki frowned and said, "Should we have Baldr, the God of Light, meet with Queen Karnilla of Nornheim and ask her what's going on? I heard their relationship is quite unusual. Perhaps she can send troops to help us."
Thor thought for a moment, nodded, then shook his head. "We can try. But Loki, this is just a temporary measure. Baldr can persuade one Karnilla, but he cannot persuade thousands upon thousands of Karnillas."
"As long as the war doesn't end, the rebels, bandits, and raiders of the Nine Realms will only increase day by day. If the war continues to drag on, even if we ultimately win, the Nine Realms may not be able to return to peace."
Loki smiled helplessly.
He, too, wanted to end the war as soon as possible, but defeating the allied forces of the Four Realms was not so easy.
"Thor, war is a matter of state, concerning the lives and deaths of countless people and the survival of the nation. It must be treated with caution and not taken lightly."
"If we lose, not only will Asgard face utter disaster, the Vanir of Vanaheim and the mortals of Midgard will also suffer."
"Such a major event is not a personal duel where victory and defeat can be easily determined."
"Personal duel?" Thor's eyes lit up slightly, and he patted Loki on the shoulder.
"Brother, good idea. We can challenge the leaders of the allied forces of the Four Realms, and the losing side surrenders."
"Thor, don't be naive." Loki brushed Thor's hand away, annoyed.
"War is not child's play. This war is very unusual, unlike the pacification of rebellions over the past few centuries."
"This time, it's a collective rebellion of Frost Giants, Fire Demons, Dark Elves, and Angels."
"How will we know if we don't try?" Thor shrugged, saying casually,
"Loki, not only are there rebellions within Asgard, but Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Muspelheim, and Heven, as the aggressors, have sent out their entire armies. The bandits in their territories will only be more numerous, not less, than in Asgard. We don't want to drag this out, and they might not want to either."
Loki pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I'll have someone contact the other side and arrange a time to talk."
With that, he casually called over a standing guard and instructed him to carry out the task.
In the palace's side hall.
This was the residence Odin had prepared for the Midgard reinforcements, Gwen and her group.
At this moment, Lucas was walking through this palace. In his perception, Gwen and the others were inside this palace.
The palace walls were adorned with exquisite carvings, depicting the glorious deeds of gods and warriors throughout Asgardian history.
Walking along the corridor, Lucas saw on these carvings Bor, Thor's grandfather, and Odin thwarting the Dark Elves from plunging the Universe back into darkness.
He saw Odin and two unknown brothers defeating Surtur and seizing the Eternal Flame.
He saw...
Bor, Odin, Thor, Loki, Heimdall, and others had all left records of their heroic deeds on this corridor.
Furthermore, there was... Lucas.
Lucas also saw a carving depicting himself, with ten suns in the sky, intimidating Jotunheim and forcing Laufey to reluctantly submit.
In the corner of the carving, there were also small texts introducing Lucas's identity and life story.
"An outsider's deeds can be carved here? And what's with this life story? Why is so much of it ominous?"
Muttering to himself, Lucas then realized he had reached the end and arrived at the side hall where Gwen and her group were.
"Putting everything else aside, Asgard does a great job of recording the glory of its warriors." Steve, who happened to be in the corridor, chimed in.
He had a lot to say on this topic. In Brooklyn, New York, there was a personal exhibition hall dedicated to him.
"Lucas, I heard that our deeds from our last battle with the god of fear to protect Asgard will also be inscribed."
Hearing Lucas and Steve's voices, Gwen also walked out of the palace.
"I also heard that everyone who is inscribed can choose whether to go to Asgard's Valhalla after death. In Valhalla, one can gain endless life as an Einherjar."
"Valhalla, huh?" Lucas nodded.
Valhalla, so-called, was similar to the afterlife prepared by various pantheons for their believers, except Valhalla was only for warriors, with a higher entry threshold.
"Gwen, have you already decided where you want to be buried with me after you die?" Lucas teased.
Gwen just rolled her eyes, she had long known that Lucas was not bound by lifespan. They had known each other for several years, and Lucas's appearance had never changed.
And Lucas also had a way to help others extend their lifespan. He had asked her before if she needed his help to freeze her body and stop aging.
Considering she was still young and had a chance to grow taller, Gwen had not accepted Lucas's help.