Odin had chosen to hand over the Eternal Flame to Ethan, but it was not out of willingness.
The decision had been forced upon him.
Ethan's overwhelming strength had made resistance pointless. Odin clearly understood that continuing the confrontation would only lead to even greater destruction within Asgard. Faced with an opponent he could not defeat, a temporary retreat was the only rational option.
On the stone platform, the Eternal Flame continued to glow quietly.
The orange fire swayed gently even though there was no wind in the chamber. Although the temperature of the flame did not appear particularly high, the air surrounding it twisted strangely, bending as if distorted by invisible energy.
Ethan could clearly sense the majestic power contained within the flame.
It felt as though the fire possessed the ability to burn everything in existence. At the same time, it also carried a sensation of renewal, as if it could restore life rather than simply destroy it.
The two contradictory impressions intertwined together.
The sensation was extremely strange.
Odin stepped aside silently, his expression calm but rigid. Beneath that calm exterior, however, the reluctance in his eyes was obvious.
He had no choice but to compromise.
If he refused again, the destruction that would fall upon Asgard would be far worse than what had already happened. That was a risk he could not accept.
Ethan said nothing further.
He simply stepped forward and reached out his hand toward the Eternal Flame.
The moment his fingers touched it, a burning sensation spread through his hand.
The feeling was incredibly strange.
There was pain, like intense heat scorching his skin, but mixed with it was an unexpected coolness. It felt as if destruction and restoration were happening simultaneously within his body.
Ethan looked down at his hand carefully.
There were no visible injuries at all, yet the sensation of pain continued to intensify.
His eyes narrowed slightly as realization began to dawn on him.
"Wrong," he murmured thoughtfully. "This isn't a normal flame at all."
His gaze sharpened as he continued analyzing the energy.
"This is almost perfect magical power."
"It isn't burning physical matter."
"It's burning the source of magic itself."
Understanding flashed across his mind.
"So that's how it works," Ethan said with a quiet smile.
"This thing represents a manifestation of magical power born alongside the universe itself. As long as magic still exists within the universe, this flame will continue to burn forever."
He looked at the fire with growing interest.
"Only when magic disappears completely from the universe would this flame finally be extinguished."
A faint smile appeared on Ethan's face.
The discovery thrilled him.
The reward from this trip had already exceeded his expectations. With something like the Eternal Flame in his possession, analyzing the deeper rules governing magic would become far easier.
"No wonder Surtr becomes so powerful when his crown is placed into the Eternal Flame," Ethan said softly.
"When the flame merges with it, he transforms into a massive fire giant with nearly limitless divine power. That's why he can trigger the destruction of Asgard itself."
He chuckled lightly.
"This thing is basically a magical amplifier."
"Take it," Odin said coldly.
Ethan lowered his head slightly in acknowledgment.
Then he used his telekinetic ability to lift the flame.
The entire cluster of fire rose slowly from the golden disc. A large mass of flame floated upward, burning quietly in midair as though detached from the world below.
For a brief moment, Ethan believed he had successfully taken it.
But the next instant, the flame suddenly vanished.
It extinguished completely without warning.
At the same time, a brand-new flame ignited again on the golden disc below.
"Huh?"
Ethan frowned slightly.
His telekinetic power had clearly wrapped around the flame completely. He had felt the essence of the Eternal Flame within his grasp, including the source of its energy.
So why had it disappeared the moment he lifted it?
Ethan turned his head and looked toward Odin.
The king of Asgard still stood calmly nearby, though a faint hint of mockery had appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Ethan ignored the expression.
This time, instead of controlling the flame directly, he lifted the entire golden disc using telekinesis.
The disc rose smoothly into the air.
The flame upon it continued burning just as it had before.
However, after only three seconds, the same result occurred again.
The flame vanished.
Immediately afterward, another flame appeared once more in its original place on the stone platform.
"Interesting."
Ethan exhaled softly.
Then he looked toward Odin again.
"You already knew this would happen, didn't you?" he asked.
Odin's voice remained calm.
"The flame is right here," he said evenly. "If you cannot take it away, then there is nothing more I can do."
Ethan's lips curled into a faint smirk.
"Are you really that confident I can't take this fire with me?"
Odin cleared his throat lightly and chose not to answer.
His silence clearly meant he intended to simply watch.
This time, Ethan did not try to manipulate the flame immediately.
Instead, he closed his eyes slightly and focused his mind entirely on observing it.
Minutes passed quietly.
Five full minutes went by as Ethan stood there studying the Eternal Flame without moving.
Odin did not interrupt him.
Then suddenly, Ethan began to laugh.
"Haha… so that's the trick."
His eyes opened again, filled with understanding.
"This flame is condensed from the very source of magical energy. Trying to move it using non-magical abilities was never going to work."
Odin's expression changed slightly.
Although the shift was subtle, Ethan caught it instantly.
"Did I get that right?" Ethan said with a wide grin. "Hahaha!"
The next moment, glowing runes appeared around his body.
Dozens of crystal-like symbols formed in the air, each one shining brightly like fragments of glass reflecting light. The runes drifted outward and surrounded the Eternal Flame.
Thin strands of energy connected the symbols together.
Within seconds, they formed a circular structure—a shimmering ring of magical light.
The ring glowed with a color almost identical to that of the Eternal Flame itself.
The two energies seemed to merge together naturally.
Then Ethan slowly tightened his hand.
The flame resting on the platform suddenly shrank.
Its massive blaze condensed rapidly until it became no larger than a fist.
The small fire flickered weakly, trembling as if it might extinguish at any moment.
Yet it continued burning.
Odin remained silent.
The hand gripping his staff tightened unconsciously.
Ethan laughed again.
"Haha… got it."
.....
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