The moment Heisenberg's supremely confident words rang out, the surrounding Asgardians broke into an uproar.
Amid their shock, Odin's beard shivered faintly. He was so infuriated by Heisenberg's arrogance that he was grinding his teeth. Slamming Gungnir down, Odin declared, "I hope your strength is worthy of your insolence!"
"And the one who made me put on armor is no less arrogant than I am, Allfather," Heisenberg replied, flexing his wrists. He nodded toward Odin. "I've never fought so formal a battle. Do I announce my name, or do we start directly?"
"As you wish, God of Midgard. As the junior, you have the first stri—?!!"
Boom!!!
Odin never finished the sentence. In the next instant, he was sent hurtling backward over a hundred meters, dazed.
Heisenberg's punch had landed squarely on his chest. Odin had no chance to block; he simply couldn't react. Heisenberg was far too fast!
As Odin hurtled through the air, he forcibly steadied his breathing. He spun Gungnir in his right hand, unleashing boundless thunder, which finally stopped his flight midair before he could crash into Asgard's buildings.
"What's happening?!" "Did I see that wrong?" "How could His Majesty...?" "He's so fast!" "Your Majesty!"
The surrounding spectators were utterly bewildered. Even Frigga turned to Loki at her side and asked in astonishment, "That... that is...?"
"A foe beyond the imagination of gods, Mother." Loki smiled elegantly, his expression brimming with anticipation.
Meanwhile, in the small square, Heisenberg shook his right hand dismissively. "Your Asgardian armor is damn tough!"
As he spoke, the eight-legged steed beside him let out a fierce neigh. And why was Sleipnir still beside him? Because after blasting Odin away, Heisenberg now stood exactly where Odin had been, and Odin's loyal mount had been startled by his sudden appearance. Following the neigh, Sleipnir reared up on its four hind legs, its four front hooves raised high. Then the towering celestial horse slammed its hooves down with force rivaling a dragon's. Had the full-powered stomp landed, it could have destroyed kilometers of Asgard's land and structures.
But so what?
Under countless tense gazes, Heisenberg's right fist rocketed upward to meet Sleipnir's hooves.
Boom!!!
The shockwave forced the Asgardian onlookers to stumble backward instinctively. The eight-legged steed wailed and shot into the sky, soaring over seven thousand meters until it was nearly invisible before beginning its descent. Odin had no attention to spare for his mount.
Heisenberg had already launched himself into the air, appearing directly in front of Odin. Two casual punches landed, and the Allfather—who had never doubted his divine power despite his many burdens—felt profound doubt take root. No matter how he blocked with Gungnir, no matter how he marshaled the inherited power of Asgard, whenever Heisenberg's fists came for him, he inevitably lost his footing and was hurled helplessly backward.
"What monstrous strength is this!!!" Frigga gasped from afar. "Across the Nine Realms, I have never witnessed such pure power! Even Tyr did not possess such astonishing might!!!"
"Indeed, Lord Tyr in his prime couldn't do this!" "Why aren't Prince Thor and the Legion Commanders here? This isn't an enemy His Majesty can handle alone!" "Nonsense! This is a battle of gods, a duel for the throne of the Nine Realms—no one may interfere!" "The King has aged..." "How can His Majesty win?" "Even if Prince Thor were here, I fear he couldn't defeat such a foe!"
As the spectators' stunned commentary filled the air, Sleipnir finally crashed back to earth. A thunderous impact sent countless fissures across the small arena. Though the steed had wings, it could not even slow its fall; the moment Heisenberg struck it, its will to fight had shattered. It had passed out, three of its legs broken.
But no one had time to worry about the unconscious horse. The battle had shifted, and all eyes were fixed on Heisenberg and Odin as they tore through the city in constant combat. "Combat" was a generous term—it was a one-sided beating. No matter how Odin blocked, his figure was battered across the city like Thor's hammer, bouncing wildly. The beatdown lasted over two full minutes.
Until Odin could no longer endure such humiliation.
Before the utterly stupefied crowd, Heisenberg's fist smashed into Odin's chest yet again. The Allfather's solid armor shattered, crumbling beyond recognition. Agony forced Odin to cough up a great mouthful of divine blood, and he knew then that his fate might well end today. So as he was hurled backward this time, brilliant thunder erupted from his body. Starting from his right hand, it swiftly spread across Asgard's sky. In mere moments, above the royal palace, the entire heavens were shrouded by boundless lightning.
Battered and bloodied, Odin stood amidst the thunder, facing Heisenberg who had paused in anticipation. He roared, "Tell me your name, King of Midgard!"
"Heisenberg!"
"Very well, the Nine Realms shall forever remember that name! Heimdall! Bring all Legion Commanders who fought over Midgard, along with my foolish son, back to our realm! I must teach them what true Asgardian power is! If I miss this day, I fear I may never have another chance!!!"
"At your command, Your Majesty!!!" Heimdall's eyes nearly brimmed with tears. He bellowed his response and urgently contacted every Commander and Thor. Out in the atmosphere, still battling the Chitauri, the Asgardian forces abruptly heard Heimdall's frantic command in their ears.
"All Legion Commanders and Thor, prepare for Bifrost retrieval! Return to Asgard to witness the Battle of the Allfather!"
The Commanders were instantly dumbfounded. Sif turned to Thor. "What's going on? Asgard only has His Majesty Odin—could his long-dead brother have returned?"
"How should I know?! Damn it, Loki must be behind this! Heimdall, what is my father's condition?!" Thor shouted into the cosmos, but no reply came.
Meanwhile, the thirty-three Legion Commanders of Asgard, including Fandral and the Warriors Three, all readied for teleportation. Chief Commander Sigmund surveyed the scene and ordered from the flagship's command room, "All combat units, transfer command to the Berserkers. Commanders, prepare to depart!" "Yes, sir!!!" the surviving Asgardian warriors answered in unison. Then dozens of Bifrost beams precisely enveloped the Commanders' vessels.
Back on Asgard, the thunder at the edge of the sky continued to gather and condense. The brilliant lightning runes gradually transformed into plasma, and then the plasma took on the hue of magma. The essence of divine thunder ignited the heavens, casting a blood-red glow upon all the Asgardian onlookers. Bathed in that crimson light, Frigga gently moved her hands. Answering Odin's will, she unleashed the dark magic to summon the Bifrost.
In the next instant, the thirty-three Legion Commanders and Thor materialized with precision in the original battleground before her—the shattered center of the small arena. The moment they landed, the deafening roar of thunder from above seized their attention, and they stared dumbstruck at the sky. An immense sea of crimson lightning plasma stretched endlessly.
The God of Thunder looked on in shock; the thunder gathering in that sky exceeded anything he could have imagined in his two-thousand-year life. He was the God of Thunder, yet he felt he could never understand such lightning in an entire lifetime!
Beside him, Chief Commander Sigmund exclaimed, "This is His Majesty's power! Who is his enemy? Who is worthy of His Majesty unleashing such overwhelming divine might?"
Beside him, Commander Sif shook her head slowly, a great pressure in her voice. "That is the power of Asgard itself, the source power of the divine realm, the strength of our entire home planet. It is a power the Allfather releases only at the final moment!"
"Damn it, who is that person in Midgardian garb facing the Allfather?!" "Unrecognizable! Has anyone heard of a new god on Midgard?" "So it was not an ambush, but a one-on-one duel?" "Thor, take a good look at everything above! If His Majesty cannot prevail, we face a bitter fight!"
The commanders rapid-fire exchanges quickly drew them into the gravity of the situation. And then Thor finally made out Heisenberg's figure. His eyes went wide, and he let out an earth-shaking roar toward Heisenberg. "It's you, Heisenberg!!!"
The impulsive Thunder God stretched out his right hand. Mjolnir tore across the infinite cosmos and arrived in his grip. He paid no mind to the new handprint on the hammer; all he wanted was to swing it and pound the bastard threatening his father into dust.
But he chose the wrong moment.
Already sensing the endless divine power within Odin, Heisenberg had mobilized every ounce of his own strength. Now nearly every cell in his body blazed with the searing power of the sun. Upon hearing Thor's roar, Heisenberg shot him a displeased look, and his eyes unleashed a torrent of heat vision like a raging current. The crimson beams slammed into Mjolnir, instantly heating the hammer to a glowing red. The sheer impact force hurled the still-unawakened Thor back toward the Commanders.
"Thor!!!" Fandral shouted, lunging into the air to catch him firmly. But he too couldn't withstand the force and the two tumbled in a ball, crashing through the ranks of Commanders until Chief Commander Sigmund finally stopped them.
Sif rushed to Thor's side and pulled him and Fandral to their feet. Thor, back on his feet, was about to charge again, when Odin's voice boomed from the distant thunderous sky.
"Calm that reckless heart, my son! Feel the omnipresent power of thunder! The path of the runes is deep and boundless. If you can master them, even the Celestials shall bow before you! Watch me! See every move I make, every decision I take! For this is your only chance! And because... this is my final thunder, Thor!!!"
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