Asgard trembled under the violent shockwaves, as if thunderous tides were sweeping through its cities and palaces...
A terrifying presence rose from the abyss beneath Yggdrasil, like a volcano on the verge of eruption. Even Odin seated upon Sleipnir felt an involuntary tremor in his heart, his grip tightening around Gungnir.
A thousand years ago, facing such a formidable opponent would have filled Odin with boiling blood and soaring spirits. He would have sung the grand battle hymns of the Aesir, charging forward without fear!
But now, the aged King of Asgard was no longer the mighty warrior of old. No matter how much he refused to admit it, he could not escape the cruel truth. He was growing weaker with time.
Thanos...
That was a name that struck fear across the cosmos.
Odin had heard the legends; he was the last survivor of the doomed Titan, a descendant of the Eternals, the one who had destroyed his own homeworld with his hands, stained with countless blood and sins. He was a bringer of slaughter and war to civilizations across the stars.
This Mad Titan pursued an extreme philosophy of balance. He was an absolute terror.
Dark energy erupted like a volcano, surging into the sky. Any Chitauri who came close had their lives snuffed out in an instant. Several armored Leviathans that were unable to evade in time were torn apart by the overwhelming tide of power.
A massive ancient floating throne rose slowly from the abyss. Upon it sat a towering purple figure. The figure exuded a violent aura, like a beast capable of devouring entire planets...
"Your efficiency is lacking." The Mad Titan's voice was heavy, rumbling like thunder across Asgard.
Both Loki and the Chitauri leaders trembled like frightened insects. None dared face Thanos' wrath.
"King of Asgard, mightiest of the Nine Realms… I admire your courage and tenacity in defending your home. But it seems your son did not inherit such qualities." Thanos glanced dismissively at Loki.
He had no patience for groveling weaklings, "I can spare Asgard if you surrender what I seek and bow before him." He gestured toward Loki, "I promised this pitiful worm the throne of the Nine Realms."
Faced with such overwhelming pressure, even Odin could not help but tense. His gaze lingered on the golden gauntlet adorning Thanos' hand...
It seemed as if it was crafted from pure gold. It shimmered with an eerie light. Its unique design could harness infinite energy, and was capable of wielding six mighty stones.
Odin had once possessed the Tesseract. His father, Bor, had sealed away the Aether, the weapon of the Dark Elves. The Allfather was not ignorant of the Infinity Stones.
Truthfully, Odin had once coveted their power. During his conquests with Hela, he had even commissioned the dwarves to forge a replica of the Infinity Gauntlet. But in the end, out of caution and hesitation, he abandoned the idea.
The secrets hidden within the six stones far exceeded Asgard's capacity to control.
"Asgard… has no king who surrenders!" Odin declared, each word deliberate.
"Great Thanos, allow me to grant this King of Asgard," a voice spoke from behind the floating throne. Five figures emerged from the shadows, "A glorious death."
Among the Black Order, the woman known as Proxima Midnight knelt at Thanos' side. Cloaked in white, her cold face burned with fanaticism.
Thanos nodded, saying, "Go, child. Perhaps you will fulfill your heart's desire."
Proxima was an orphan he had taken in. Her homeworld had perished in war due to overpopulation. Gifted with telepathy and mind control, she longed only for death.
Her white cloak billowed as she stepped onto the head of a Leviathan, locking eyes with the Allfather...
"One of us shall return to eternal darkness." Her raspy voice carried an eerie power, threads of invisible energy weaving through the sky.
Even Odin's unshakable will wavered slightly.
In moments, the Asgardian warships hovering above turned their cannons which glowed with destructive energy toward the very king they once served. With their minds ensnared, the warriors of Asgard aimed their weapons at their own ruler.
The Chitauri-controlled Leviathans lunged in suicidal attacks, their frenzy spreading like wildfire.
Proxima laughed into the wind, her fingers plucking at unseen strings. A blinding light erupted, carrying the stench of death.
Being trapped within the circle of Leviathans, Odin could neither dodge nor escape. He endured the full force of the bombardment.
Below, Thor fought desperately, his heart burning with urgency. He longed to charge into the skies and stand beside his father.
Mjolnir blazed with lightning, carving a path through the endless hordes of Chitauri. But for every enemy struck down, ten more took their place.
Odin's golden barrier flickered under the relentless assault. The warships' cannons fired again, their brilliance like a second sun.
Proxima, who stood atop a Leviathan, focused her psychic power into a piercing spike, driving it into Odin's mind. She reveled in the thrill of manipulating emotions, watching as complex thoughts danced at her fingertips.
"Asgard does not retreat!" With a furious roar, Odin unleashed a surge of power.
Gungnir flew from his hand like a spear, and like a bolt of lightning tearing through the storm.
The strike pierced Proxima's chest. The energy released reduced her body to ashes.
"Return to death's embrace, my child." Thanos' lips curled slightly, his expression devoid of grief.
He raised his arm from the throne.
A devastating light erupted, crushing everything in its path. With a thunderous crash, the mighty Allfather plummeted from the sky like a burning meteor, smashing into the earth below!
The towering golden palace crumbled like a sandcastle.
Thanos gazed down at the insignificant beings below, his heart undisturbed. Perhaps this King of Asgard had once been counted among the universe's mighty. But time had eroded all things.
Having annihilated countless planets and civilizations, Thanos had not needed to lift a finger in battle for years. The vast cosmos held few he would even consider worthy opponents. Had Loki and the Chitauri not proven so sluggish, he would not have bothered to appear personally.
"The laws of the universe are cruel and unfeeling. The weak have no right to survive, they will inevitably be left behind by evolution, discarded like refuse." His voice boomed across the heavens, his floating throne casting a shadow over Asgard.
The warriors below teetered on the brink of despair. If even their Allfather could not defeat this monster, who could save them now?
"I was born in darkness, abandoned by my kin. The universe taught me that if you are not strong enough, neither fate nor life will ever be yours to control." Thanos rested his chin on one hand, and casually waved the other.
A wave of destruction rippled across Asgard's cities and palaces. The towering spires which were like a forest of spears disintegrated into dust...
...
Thor froze mid-battle as he watched his father fall like a burning star and crashing heavily to the ground...
Blood poured from his mouth. Even in his weakened state, Odin had easily defeated Laufey, the Frost Giant king. Yet now, before this terrifying purple figure, the Allfather lay broken.
"For Asgard!" Thor roared, swinging Mjolnir and launching himself into the sky, a storm of fury aimed at Thanos.
"Sometimes, bravery is merely another word for foolishness." The Mad Titan watched him like an ant.
The moment Mjolnir neared the throne, its momentum dissipated into nothing.
With a casual wave, Thanos unleashed a crushing force. Thor was sent flying backward, and Mjolnir pinned him to the ground. No matter how he struggled, he could not rise.
"Thor!" Rushing from the palace, Frigga witnessed it all.
Her mighty husband and valiant son had both fallen.
"Slaughter, destruction, conquest; these are privileges reserved for the strong. Even if you fight with all your might, what use is courage in the face of insurmountable power?" Thanos was like a god presiding over mortals.
The Asgardians threw themselves forward like moths to a flame, drowning in the endless tide of Chitauri.
Frigga stood defiant amidst the ruins, rallying the warriors, "Even the mightiest conqueror cannot make Asgardians submit!"
She thrust her sword through a Chitauri. With Odin gravely wounded and Thor unable to fight, only she remained to inspire them.
"Pathetic pride." Thanos' eyes were cold.
In his long path of conquest, he had destroyed countless worlds. Under the shadow of death, all eventually knelt.
Every life returned to darkness restored balance to the universe. This was both glory and finality.
Just as Thanos prepared to strike again, Loki, who had been cowering nearby, finally found his voice: "No!"
The Prince of Asgard could watch Odin and Thor be defeated, but he could not bear to see Frigga die.
Thanos turned, and gazed at Loki as if looking at an insect, "You dare command me?"
His gaze was like a black hole, capable of devouring any soul. Before Loki could speak, a hurricane of energy sent him flying.
The once-elegant prince tumbled across the ground, the Scepter slipping from his grasp.
"A worm who forgets his place." The Mad Titan sneered.
He raised his hand.
A blinding light erupted.
The void itself seemed to collapse as destructive power annihilated all matter in its path.
Loki shut his eyes in agony. Frigga, the woman who had once shown him kindness and love, was reduced to dust in the storm.
The terrifying force radiated outward. The last remnants of Asgard's once-glorious structures crumbled into nothingness. The cities and palaces were flattened, leaving only ruin.
"Now, who else dares defy me?" His voice, cold as death, echoed across the land.
The Asgardian warriors stood lost, their final hope extinguished. If even their greatest protector had fallen, what reason did they have left to fight?