"Ding..."
The God-King's divine power surged, stirring gentle breezes through the frozen world.
Ripples of energy swept across the void, carrying with them a soothing wave of sound.
It was like a clear, melodious song, or perhaps the heavenly music created when Bragi, God of Music, gently plucked the strings of his magnificent golden harp.
When Odin slowly took Fenrir's outstretched hand, the one reaching toward Thor, a warm current of power brushed over him. In the next instant, the force that had pinned Fenrir in place so completely that no amount of struggling could move him vanished like snow beneath a spring breeze.
"This..."
The luminous wings behind him fluttered slightly, scattering captivating rainbow light through the air once more. Fenrir lowered his head and flexed his hands in disbelief.
When he looked up again, he met a pair of gentle eyes.
Odin was dressed in a rather informal set of golden pajamas. His white hair was slightly disheveled, making him look like nothing more than an ordinary old man.
Judging from appearances alone, no one could have imagined that this same elderly man had casually held up the collapsing dome and effortlessly brought all of Asgard to a standstill. With every movement, his divine power encompassed the entire world around them.
Fenrir blinked.
Had Odin really become this powerful?
When Fenrir faced Laufey earlier, the king wielding the Casket of Ancient Winters had displayed a tyrannical, overwhelming power that seemed utterly unstoppable.
Yet Odin now stood before Fenrir without the dimensional gate that had separated them during their previous meeting, without sitting high upon the golden throne, and without the awe-inspiring majesty of Gungnir in his hand.
And somehow, this ordinary-looking Odin seemed even more unfathomable.
How had Laufey ever managed to fight him on equal terms?
As though reading Fenrir's thoughts, Odin smiled faintly.
"Laufey was trapped in Jotunheim for far too long. He had already fallen far from his prime, while my power has continued to grow with each passing day. It has even reached the point where I must enter the Odinsleep simply to bring it under control..."
"You'll understand someday."
Clearly unwilling to dwell on the subject, Odin suddenly stepped forward. His aged but remarkably powerful hand came down heavily on Fenrir's shoulder, then gave it a firm squeeze.
The steel-like sensation beneath his palm made Odin pause.
He raised his head and studied the exceptionally young face before him.
"Fenrir, even before I entered my slumber, I could already see your potential..."
"Midgard... no, Earth is the center of the Nine Realms and the heart of Yggdrasil. The first time I saw you with my own eyes, you gave me the same feeling as Earth itself. Unique, beautiful, overflowing with life, and naturally destined to become a focal point of the entire universe..."
"I have made many mistakes throughout my life, but this time, my judgment was not wrong. Look at Asgard now. You saved so many people... What you have given me, what you have given Asgard, far exceeds that insignificant blessing I once bestowed upon you..."
It was as though an elderly neighbor he had not seen in years had suddenly found someone willing to listen.
Odin spoke faster and faster, and halfway through, even his remaining eye began to shine faintly.
"Good. Very good..."
"From this day forward, you are one of Asgard's most honored friends. I, and all of Asgard, will forever stand as your strongest shield."
Odin's sudden display of genuine emotion caught Fenrir completely off guard.
At this moment, the mighty God-King seemed less like a ruler of gods and more like an ordinary, talkative old man.
From Odin's perspective, even while asleep, he had been able to clearly perceive everything happening outside.
He had seen Laufey's sudden attack.
He had watched Loki and Thor risk their lives again and again to resist him.
He had seen the courage and sacrifice shown by ordinary Asgardians before the Frost Giants.
He watched the royal palace fall and the temple collapse. He watched as all of Asgard itself stood on the verge of destruction, while the Nine Realms once again approached an age of chaos and war.
He had seen the end of Asgard.
Odin did not know what the supposedly unavoidable Ragnarok would truly look like.
But in terms of destruction, could it really be much worse than this?
No matter how he looked at it, this catastrophe had been an impossible dead end.
Yet one person had forcibly shouldered it all.
Even though Fenrir ultimately had not managed to save everyone, when it came time to flee, he had still remembered to reach back and save Thor.
This was beyond being some mere savior.
To Asgard, Fenrir had practically become its brightest beacon.
Forget Odin.
Anyone who awakened from slumber and saw such a sight would have found it difficult not to be moved.
The God-King's words carried the force of law.
Every sentence Odin spoke possessed enormous weight.
The moment his declaration left his lips, Fenrir immediately felt Asgard itself become more welcoming around him.
It was almost as though the entire realm had completely merged with him.
A faint yet undeniably real connection appeared within Fenrir's senses.
He could clearly feel Asgard's acceptance of him, along with an indescribable goodwill.
At the same time, simply by standing upon this land, Fenrir could sense his power beginning to rise at a slow but steady pace.
"This is..."
Fenrir's eyes widened sharply.
Had Odin just connected him directly to Asgard?
"You are a child of Earth. I would never forcibly bind you to Asgard."
For the first time since appearing, Odin gradually shifted his gaze away from Fenrir.
"From this day forward, so long as you stand upon the soil of Asgard, no one will be able to harm you."
"This promise will remain in effect until the day Asgard is destroyed. And rest assured, even if that day truly comes, you will not be affected in the slightest. After all..."
"As long as Earth still exists, no one but you can interfere with your destiny."
The warmth and barely concealed intensity in Odin's eye disappeared beneath a calmer expression.
After patting Fenrir's hand, he walked past him alone toward the ruins of the temple.
"Watch carefully, child. When the sky comes crashing down, let this old man show you what he does about it."
"Buzz..."
Odin's words were gradually drowned out by the increasingly brilliant golden light radiating from his body.
It was divine power.
The supreme divine power belonging to Odin alone.
Golden radiance surged outward.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, it completely enveloped all of Asgard.
Aside from Fenrir, everything around them was coated in a dazzling layer of gold.
"Boom!"
At the same time, a tremendous explosion rang out as the nearly frozen world began moving once again.
The massive frozen dome, now wrapped in golden divine power, thundered toward the ground.
Countless fragments of ice, collapsing walls of frost, and shattered ice pillars were already falling at tremendous speed, crossing dozens of meters almost instantly as they crashed down first with the force of an overwhelming avalanche.
(End of Chapter)
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