"Quick, grab your weapons!"
"Asgardian turrets are ready."
"Everyone armed, board the ships immediately."
As Jane Foster was pulled deeper into the palace by Thor, she saw squads of Asgardian warriors running back and forth with shields and swords in hand.
"Hey, Thor, what are you still dragging your feet for? Hurry up!", A burly man holding an axe waved at Thor.
He was Thor's friend, one of the Warriors Three of Asgard, Volstagg.
This warrior, built like a lion, stood among the Asgardian soldiers like a giant.
Because of that, Thor easily spotted his other good friends nearby.
The swordmaster Fandal, Hogun from Vanaheim, and the valiant female warrior Sif.
Among them, Sif's eyes shifted slightly when she saw Jane Foster.
Thor said apologetically, "Sorry, I'll be there soon."
Seeing the woman beside Thor, Volstagg showed an "I see now" expression. He winked at Thor and said, "We'll meet on the battlefield."
Then he said to the others, "Let's go. If we're any slower, we'll miss the fun."
After watching Volstagg and the others leave, Thor glanced at Jane Foster, "Let's go too."
———
They arrived at Queen Frigga's palace.
"Mother."
Thor called out, then saw Frigga looking out the window.
Following her line of sight, Thor saw a huge number of Dark Elf ships and fighters in the distance.
And also, the black throne floating high in the sky.
"Strange, it's not Malekith," Frigga frowned slightly, "Who is he?"
"He doesn't seem to be a Dark Elf."
Jane Foster asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"
"You can see things that far away?"
"Why does your face look so bad?"
Hearing Jane's words, Frigga turned around and saw the grim expression on her son's face.
"What's wrong?", Frigga asked.
Thor pointed at the throne floating in the distance.
"It's him!"
"That guy!"
"Mother."
"He's the one who took the Tesseract on Earth!"
Frigga had heard Thor talk about his experience on Earth.
She knew that during the great battle on Earth a year ago, the Tesseract had been taken by a man calling himself the "Conqueror."
"Are you sure?"
"Thor?"
Frigga asked nervously.
If it really was that "Conqueror," she worried her husband might be in danger.
"I can't mistake him."
Thor gripped his hammer tightly, "No, I have to get to Father's side."
"He'll need me."
Frigga glanced at Jane Foster.
"Go. I guarantee this girl won't lose a single hair."
Thor knew there was no time to waste. He looked at Jane Foster once, then spun Mjolnir and flew out through the window.
At this moment, all of Asgard entered the highest state of combat readiness.
One Asgardian warship after another carried the warriors of the realm into the sky. Countless warships gathered toward the heavens like schools of fish returning to the sea.
At the front of this "school of fish" was naturally the King of Asgard, protector of the Nine Realms, the Allfather Odin.
The old man held Gungnir and rode a white pegasus toward the Dark Elves.
Although the Dark Elves had appeared, they had not launched an attack immediately, which eased Odin slightly.
He felt there was still room to negotiate.
But when he saw that the one seated on the dark throne was not Malekith, the old man became puzzled again.
Finally, Odin rode his pegasus to the same height as the throne and shouted, "Stranger, who are you?"
"Where is Malekith?"
Alex was just about to speak when Thor landed on the Asgardian warship closest to Odin.
Thor looked at Alex and shouted, "Father, he's the Conqueror."
"The man who took the Tesseract on Earth!"
Odin's shoulders shook slightly. Wearing his golden eyepatch, he first looked at his son, then finally turned his gaze to Alex, "What is going on?"
Alex rested both arms on the throne's armrests, leaned back, and smiled as he looked directly at the Allfather, "Simple."
"Malekith has already... boom."
He made an exploding gesture and smiled brightly.
"He's already part of the past."
"Now, the Dark Elves are under my command."
Thor was shocked.
He hadn't expected that after only a year apart, that man had actually executed Malekith and become the ruler of the Dark Elves.
He vaguely sensed that the man on the throne had become much stronger than he was a year ago.
Thor could not help comparing himself to him.
Even though he had spent the past year traveling through the Nine Realms and suppressing rebellions everywhere, and had grown stronger himself, there was still a gap between him and the man on the throne.
Thinking of this, he could not help looking worriedly at his father.
The Allfather had grown old.
Whether in spirit or strength, he was no longer the Odin who once swept through the Nine Realms.
'Can he really stand against that man?'
Thor did not want to think about the answer.
———
Not far away, on a warship, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif rode together.
"What's going on?"
"Thor's never looked this nervous before."
Volstagg took a drink of strong liquor and wiped the drops from his beard with his hand.
"Is that Conqueror really that strong?", The swordmaster frowned tightly.
"Thor once said he fought the Conqueror on Earth."
"And was completely defeated."
Sif said in a low voice, "He's not the same as he was a year ago."
Fandal glanced at the tall female warrior beside him, but did not remind her that Thor would not be the only one growing stronger.
At this moment, the Allfather spoke loudly, "What is your purpose here?"
Everyone immediately pricked up their ears.
Then, Thor could not believe what he heard.
He heard the Conqueror laugh and say, "I bring peace to Asgard."
'Bullshit!'
'Anyone who believes that is an idiot!'
A voice inside Thor shouted.
Then he saw his father, saw Odin, King of Asgard, raise an eyebrow slightly.
"Oh? With such a massive invasion force, I don't see any sign of peace."
A smile appeared at the corner of Alex's mouth, "I heard, that long ago, the Dark Elves possessed something. A weapon called the Aether."
"And it was taken by Asgard."
"As their new king, their ruler—"
"They hope I can reclaim what originally belonged to them."
"So, if Asgard returns the Aether, we'll leave immediately."
Odin replied firmly, "Impossible!"
"We will never hand over the Aether particles!"
"That is a terrifying weapon capable of destroying the Nine Realms. If it falls into the hands of the Dark Elves, the Nine Realms will forever be under threat."
"So?", Alex spread his hands, "And if it stays in Asgard's hands, can you guarantee it won't be used to destroy the universe?"
"Who can supervise you?"
"Or are justice and evil whatever you say they are?"
"That seems rather unfair."
"Besides, the Aether originally belonged to the Dark Elves. Asgard took it by force, and now uses the excuse of danger to keep control of it."
"Is that appropriate?"
"And speaking of threats, isn't the Bifrost also a threat?"
"It's also a weapon capable of threatening the Nine Realms."
"You can control the Bifrost, but the Dark Elves have no right to reclaim what belongs to them."
"Great Allfather, isn't that a little hypocritical?"
Of course Odin knew the Dark Elf ruler before him was talking nonsense.
But for a moment, he could not find the words to refute him.
At this moment, Alex spoke again, "Thor, God of Thunder, Prince of Asgard."
Sitting on the throne, Alex glanced sideways at Thor below on the warship.
Then smiled, "Your girlfriend is in Asgard right now, isn't she?"
"Jane Foster is now the host of the Aether particles."
"Do you really think it's appropriate to keep a weapon capable of destroying the universe inside your girlfriend?"
Thor was shocked again,."How do you know about Jane?"
It was unbelievable and impossible to understand.
Alex said calmly, "To me, this universe has no secrets."
"Let's continue our earlier topic."
"You should know Asgard does not have the technology to extract the Aether particles."
"After all, it isn't a substance you created. But we can."
"Hand Jane Foster over to me, and I'll extract the Aether particles from her body."
"That way, her life will be saved, I'll get what I want, and we can end this peacefully."
Thor could not help looking toward his father.
Odin said in a deep voice, "It's true we do not possess the technology to extract the Aether particles."
"However, we will not hand Jane Foster over to you either."
Alex shook his head, "Wise ruler of Asgard, you keep talking about peace."
"But when I bring peace before you, you choose war instead."
"Are you truly willing to let war erupt in Asgard and countless warriors die on the battlefield just to protect a mortal?", Alex then raised his voice, "Warriors of Asgard, are you willing to sacrifice yourselves for a mortal?"
His massive voice echoed across the skies of Asgard.
Although the Asgardian soldiers remained unmoved on the surface, subtle changes had already appeared in their eyes.
Odin could feel his warriors being influenced by the conqueror's words.
He immediately shouted loudly, "This is not about protecting a mortal!"
"It is about ensuring the Aether particles are not used by people with evil intentions!"
"There is a decisive difference between the two!"
Hearing Odin's words, the Asgardian warriors' eyes became firm again.
Alex closed his eyes and said nothing.
At this moment, the less he spoke, the more uneasy the Asgardian side became.
Odin suddenly realized he had been led around by the nose and unknowingly dragged into Alex's rhythm.
He immediately let out a loud shout breaking the silent atmosphere.
Then said in a deep voice, "Intruder!"
"Now, in the name of the King of Asgard, I order you to withdraw from Asgard immediately."
"Otherwise—"
"Asgard will fight to defend its homeland!"
He pointed out that Alex was the invader and used the words "defend our homeland" to ignite the morale of the Asgardian warriors.
As expected, after Odin finished speaking, the spirit of the Asgardian side surged.
The warriors shouted one after another.
"Drive out the invaders!"
"Defend Asgard!"
Waves of huge voices continuously poured into Alex's ears.
At this moment, Odin saw the man sitting on the black throne smile.
His lips moved, words came from between them.
"War?"
"Then let there be war."
Alex opened his eyes.
Golden light blazed within them.
Immediately, brilliant and scorching heat vision burst from his pupils.
Golden streams shot forward, aimed directly at Odin.
The Allfather did not retreat.
Odin grunted and raised Gungnir.
The spear tip pointed forward and unleashed a silver-white torrent of energy.
In the next instant, the two streams of energy collided in midair.
At the moment of impact, circles of invisible ripples spread outward continuously.
As those ripples spread through both the Dark Elf and Asgardian forces, whether Dark Elf fighters or Asgardian warships, everything shook violently.
At this moment, the two energy torrents in the sky were locked in a stalemate, neither able to overpower the other.
But then Alex smiled.
He pushed himself up from the throne with both hands and stood.
He increased the energy output and raised the solar radiation level.
Immediately, the energy pouring from his eyes swelled drastically.
If the previous energy torrent had been a stream, now it was a raging river.
At the same time, flames appeared out of nowhere in the sky, and the temperature rose, making the nearby Asgardian warriors feel as if they were facing the sun itself.
Odin tightened his grip on Gungnir and increased his own energy output.
But the silver-white torrent from the spear tip was still steadily pushed back.
Just then, a dazzling blue storm of lightning rushed past the silver torrent and joined it against Alex's golden river.
Thor!
Seeing that his father seemed unable to hold on, he attacked with all his strength without hesitation.
Thor raised Mjolnir high. Lightning flashed around the hammer as massive blue bolts shot out continuously.
Compared to a year ago, Thor's control over lightning had improved.
Working together with Odin, he barely managed to withstand the golden river.
Alex smiled and activated the explosion effect of his heat vision.
Immediately, the golden river suddenly shattered and exploded into raging waves of fire that nearly engulfed all of Asgard.
Boom!
Amid the massive explosion, both Odin and Thor were blasted away.
The pegasus beneath the Allfather neighed loudly as the shockwave forced it into the distance.
Thor, however, endured the blast impact. Then, with a spin and swing of his hammer, he let Mjolnir pull him toward Alex.
"Step back."
"Don't join the fun."
Alex smiled and raised both arms high.
Then the Gauntlets of Hercules slammed together.
A thunderous sound rang between heaven and earth.
Clang!
The collision of the gauntlets unleashed a violent shockwave.
It spread outward in a fan shape.
Everywhere it passed, the scenery blurred and twisted strangely.
Thor charged straight into the shockwave. Before he could even react, he was blasted away.
"Ahhh!"
His scream quickly faded into the distance.
Thor flew backward, smashing through warships one after another before crashing deep into Asgard.
He slammed into a palace, burst back out, then smashed through several more palaces and countless statues before finally hitting the ground.
The ground silently caved in, forming a shallow crater like one left by a meteor.
Thor lay inside the crater, eyes slightly dazed as he stared at the fire clouds in the sky that still had not fully dispersed.
He could hardly believe he had just been sent flying that far.
"That guy…"
"He really did become much stronger again."
Thor raised his numb arm with difficulty, grabbed the ground, and forced himself up from the crater.
At this moment, Odin's pegasus finally came to a stop.
Then, with a squeeze from the Allfather's legs, the pegasus flapped its wings and charged toward the black throne high in the distance.
At this moment, neither the Dark Elves nor the Asgardian warriors interfered.
Because they knew, this was a clash of kings. A king's war. Not a battle they could interfere in.
Alex looked at Odin charging toward him on horseback.
He sighed, "There's really no sense of achievement in beating up an old man."
As soon as he finished speaking, he floated into the air and left the throne.
Then with a bang, he disappeared from where he stood.
When he reappeared, he was directly above Odin's head.
Teleportation!
In the next second, Alex spun and swept out his leg.
Bang!
He kicked Odin off the pegasus with one strike.
The Allfather shot through the sky like a cannonball, tracing a diagonal line before crashing heavily onto the Bifrost.
Of course, such an attack meant little to Odin.
He pushed himself up with Gungnir, only to see Alex land on the Bifrost.
Suddenly, Alex burst forward at extreme speed.
Passing through circles of ripples, he drove his elbow toward Odin's chest.
Odin raised Gungnir and used the shaft to block the elbow strike.
Bang!
Ripples spread outward.
The Bifrost shook.
Odin, meanwhile, was pushed backward continuously by an invisible force.
Gungnir was incredibly sturdy, nearly indestructible.
Even Alex's strike did not leave a single crack on it.
But the immense impact still shoved Odin across the Bifrost and into the city of Asgard.
Only then did Odin stop.
Then he saw Alex flying toward him.
The old man snorted and thrust Gungnir forward.
A silver-white stream shot from the spear tip.
Alex dodged casually, but after flying away, the silver stream suddenly curved and chased after him.
Alex let out a surprised sound.
It seemed Gungnir possessed an effect similar to "absolute hit."
Since he could not avoid it, Alex simply stopped.
He swept his arm and shattered the silver stream.
But Odin seized the chance to charge forward.
The aged Allfather leaped high into the air and thrust his spear straight at Alex's head.
Just as it was about to hit, Alex's body suddenly became blurry and ghostlike.
Odin and the spear passed right through his body.
Then Alex returned to normal. Golden light lit up in his eyes, and in an instant a golden beam blasted into Odin's back, grinding the ruler of Asgard across the ground.
At this moment, buildings in the distance exploded one after another.
Then Alex saw Thor flying toward him at high speed.
Alex stopped firing the beam and rose upward, letting Thor fly past beneath him.
Alex raised his hand.
Several red light bands shot from between his fingers. Strange symbols flickered across them as they wrapped around Thor.
The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.