Chapter 240: Asgard, the Gaze of Odin, King of the Gods
In the boundless void, a towering, magnificent continent floated in silence.
Ancient buildings stood across its surface, built from massive natural stone and special metals.
Gold, silver, and black stone blended into a palette all their own.
The architecture combined the solemn grandeur of classical Norse design with the precision of an advanced civilization, exuding an imposing sense of majesty.
This continent was the divine realm known in Norse mythology as Asgard.
At the center of Asgard stood the palace where Odin, King of the Gods, resided.
Sharp towers rose one after another, pointing straight toward the deep starry sky. The walls were carved with patterns of Asgard's countless years of war, along with ancient mythic totems.
Outside the great hall stood rows of thick giant stone pillars.
A grave and majestic air pressed down from all sides.
On a terrace of the palace, the distant sun had already begun to set. Its dim golden light hung along the horizon, bathing Asgard within it.
An old one-eyed man with white hair, dressed in fine casual robes, was quietly enjoying the sight.
He was Odin, King of the Gods.
But the King of the Gods, whose name had once shaken the universe, had long since grown old.
His lone eye overlooked the kingdom of Asgard, but his attention wasn't truly there. Instead, it was fixed on the realm known as Midgard—Earth.
"That human boy has already grown to this point?"
Odin was without doubt one of the most special beings among the Skyfathers. Although he was a Skyfather, his true level of combat power far exceeded that rank.
His strength would not be weaker than that of single-universe-level beings above the Skyfather level. In fact, he might even be slightly stronger.
Yet even someone as powerful as Odin could not escape destiny in the end.
In his young and peak years, Odin had never believed in destiny. He believed he could lead Asgard to break through so-called fate.
Reality, however, dealt him a heavy blow.
No matter how hard he tried, no matter how he led Asgard's mighty army in wars across the realms, he still could not change fate.
So after Odin understood this, he chose to stop fighting.
Of course, it was also related to a certain unknown reason that had caused him to be beaten badly.
Having seen through the river of fate, Odin could only accept it in silence. He could only watch helplessly as the day of Ragnarok approached step by step, unable to do anything about it.
He was disappointed in his son Thor for failing to live up to his expectations.
He hoped Thor would mature, because Thor would one day become the greatest king in Asgard's history.
But there wasn't enough time.
Thor's growth would come at the cost of losing everything. Only through sacrifice would he truly mature.
Odin had "seen" Thor cradling one fallen friend, lover, and family member after another, consumed by grief.
He had sighed over that future countless times.
But then, a year ago, everything changed.
Fate had changed in a way he had never imagined. The river of fate had split, flowing in a direction even he could no longer see.
Abnormal changes in the timeline had happened many times before.
But each time, outside forces had intervened to correct them, and the timeline ultimately returned to its original course.
If left uncorrected, changes to the future would throw the universe out of balance, triggering unpredictable disasters and perhaps even a crisis on a universal scale.
This time, however, was different.
The timeline had changed—completely changed. Yet the universe was still operating in a reasonable way, as if this timeline had always been the one that should exist.
Even Odin, a higher-dimensional being, could no longer understand it.
The Odinforce told him that the current flow of time was reasonable—extremely reasonable.
So reasonable that there was no need to correct it at all.
Although Odin was separated by a vast distance, he could still trace things back to their source and lock onto the anomaly that had changed the timeline.
And so, he had been quietly watching.
He found it strange that this young Midgardian could change the timeline, especially after the Ancient One not only failed to correct this anomaly, but instead chose to strongly nurture him.
At that point, Odin basically understood.
This young man had no small background.
Now, he could even enter Hell alone and cause quite a commotion.
Odin's heart, which had long since fallen silent, began to stir again.
Since the timeline had changed and could still run in a reasonable way, did that mean Asgard's fate, Thor's fate, and Loki's fate could also change?
Odin narrowed his single eye.
While he was thinking, footsteps came from behind him.
"Father."
"Father."
Two voices sounded behind him. One was deep and firm, while the other was gentle and magnetic.
Those voices interrupted Odin's thoughts.
Odin turned and saw Thor, tall and strong, wearing armor and a cape while holding Mjolnir. Beside him stood his other son, Loki, dressed in green robes and armor, his face pale and handsome.
"Father, the rebels that appeared in Vanaheim have been wiped out. Vanaheim has returned to peace."
Thor was brave, tough, and open-hearted.
His loose golden hair fell over his shoulders, and he carried a fearless air.
Loki was different. He was quieter and more reserved, though all of that was only his protective mask. Beneath it, he hid his frivolity and pride.
Thor's report did not earn Odin's approval.
Over countless years, things like this had happened far too many times. Thor was without doubt brave and good at battle, but what dissatisfied Odin was that Thor was still not mature enough.
As the prince Odin had chosen to be the next King of Asgard, Thor did not possess the way of thinking a king should have.
He was only a brave and reckless warrior. He could not even be called a qualified commander.
Loki was the same.
Loki was clever. That was his advantage. He did not have his brother Thor's courage and strength, but he was skilled at schemes and calculation.
Yet if Thor was too reckless and immature, then Loki was too focused on petty thoughts.
The way he saw things, just like Thor, did not match what a proper king should be.
Odin had already come to a decision.
He knew very well that Thor and Loki needed a war—not just an open struggle for the throne, but an inner conflict as well.
He needed that war to shatter the fragile harmony the two brothers had maintained between them.
Only by destroying that beautiful illusion could they truly understand one another.
But not yet.
"You did well," Odin said, praising him calmly and without showing much emotion.
Loki did not notice what was going through his father's mind.
Instead, he brought up another matter.
"Father, quite a few things seem to have happened in Midgard recently."
Odin's gaze immediately focused on Loki. "Midgard?"
"Yes. Midgard seems to have gained a very powerful guardian. Just now, for reasons unknown, he entered Hell and had a brief standoff with Demon Lord Mephisto and the Queen of Hell."
"I do not know whether Heimdall has reported this matter to you."
Loki said respectfully.
"What is it you wish to say, Loki?"
"Should we interfere?" Loki asked, as if it were only natural. In his understanding, Midgard was Asgard's territory.
...
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