"Whew…"
Odin awoke from his annual Odin Sleep, but even before opening his eye, he sensed a crowd before him.
Wasn't he supposed to be in his own chambers?
Why were there so many people?
Were the guards just hanging around freeloading?
Grumpy from waking up, Odin unleashed a surge of Odin Force that spread across all of Asgard.
"Odin! You're finally awake!"
Frigga sat by the bed, her anxious heart finally easing.
Too much had happened recently.
Hela's return. The sudden Nine Realms convergence. Odin Sleep. The Dark Elves and Frost Giants invading Asgard.
More major events in a few months than in the past thousand years combined.
Odin only knew about Hela's return. He had no idea about the rest.
After all, Odin Sleep pulled all the Odin Force inward, shutting him off completely from the outside world.
So when Odin opened his eye, intending to glare at whoever disturbed him, he was shocked to find his entire family gathered.
"While I was in Odin Sleep… what exactly happened?"
His wife. His eldest daughter. His two sons. And the scoundrel clinging to his daughter.
And this wasn't even his own chambers. This was Frigga's.
And why were Thor and Loki so injured?
As for Hela, standing calm and steady, it meant the issue of Mammon's blood had been resolved. Odin could no longer sense the power of greed in her.
Then his gaze landed on the orange ring on her hand. That had to be what was suppressing—or even controlling—the demon's power.
But then his gaze shifted to Dante's hand. Same orange ring.
Odin's irritation flared instantly.
Both rings, on their respective ring fingers.
As King of Gods, he had prepared himself mentally.
He had agreed to let his daughter rule Midgard with her chosen husband.
But as a father…
He really wanted to blast this Midgard scoundrel into dust with his Odin Force.
Of course, outwardly, Odin showed nothing. He only twitched his mouth twice, then forced a benevolent expression.
The hot-tempered Odin of old had died under the Celestials' group beating. The Odin who survived was known for justice and benevolence.
Forcing himself to calm, Odin studied Dante.
He hadn't realized until now—though mortal, Dante bore the divine status of an Old God of Midgard. Calling him a God wasn't wrong.
And the red, orange, and green energies swirling on him were turbulent and terrifying.
No wonder he dared return to Asgard with Hela.
A bitterness filled Odin's mouth.
Though his Odin Force grew stronger with age, it seemed he was no match for Hela and Dante now.
If his daughter truly wanted the throne, she'd already be sitting on it.
"What happened…?"
Frigga started to speak but then paused, giving Dante a meaningful look.
She had stayed to protect Odin, and while she knew the general events, she hadn't seen everything firsthand.
And more importantly, she wanted Dante to bond with Odin.
He was her daughter's chosen man, and under close observation, she had found him terrifyingly talented. Black Magic. Necromancy. Chaos Magic. All at once.
Compared to him, the so-called "First Mage of the Nine Realms," the little fool, was as shallow as a beginner.
And he was only twenty-five.
Were short-lived races always this terrifying?
Dante caught Frigga's gaze and nodded.
He stepped forward, smiled in what he thought was his most benevolent way, and said:
"Over eighty percent of Asgard has fallen…"
The first line nearly made Odin spit blood.
"What!? Asgard has fallen?"
"Hey, old man, why so impatient? Calm down and let me finish, okay?"
Dante gave him a chiding look. This old man was so rude, interrupting people mid-sentence.
Odin clenched his fists.
Calm down!? How the hell do you tell me to calm down!?
But he wasn't a fool. The strongest Asgardians were all here in Frigga's chambers, not outside fighting. That meant things were resolved.
"…Fine. Continue."
"That's more like it. Old Gods shouldn't be so stubborn." Dante nodded, then said, "Although Asgard was almost completely overrun at first, with the combined efforts of the Asgardian army and the Star Team from Earth, we reclaimed the lost territories and wiped out both external enemies and internal traitors."
"External enemies? Internal traitors?" Odin repeated, confused. "I can understand internal traitors. But external enemies? Without the Bifrost, it's almost impossible to enter or leave Asgard."
"That's the value of the Five-Thousand-Year Nine Realms convergence." Dante patted Odin's shoulder. "The dimensional barrier is incredibly weak now. If I stood at the border of Asgard, I could walk back to Midgard without coordinates."
Odin didn't fully understand. But Frigga's expression changed.
As one of the strongest witches, she knew exactly what Dante meant.
The Nine Realms convergence was a dimensional convergence.
Normally, each Realm was separate, only connected by the World Tree.
Now, with weak points forming, anyone could cross through.
No wonder Frost Giants and Dark Elves had attacked.
What was once an impenetrable fortress was now an automatic sliding door.
Cost-free cross-dimensional raiding. Who could resist?
Among the Nine Realms, besides Asgard, Vanaheim, and Midgard, the others were primitive. Savage.
"In short, Dark Elves, Frost Giants, and Angels teamed up to invade Asgard. They also destroyed the prison, releasing all the criminals."
Dante shrugged. "We've reclaimed most of the territory, but according to Sif and the Warriors Three, at least thirty percent of the prisoners escaped to other dimensions."
Odin was stunned.
Dark Elves? Frost Giants? Angels?
Teaming up to attack Asgard?
"Hey, you look unconvinced, don't you? If Hela was still sealed in Midgard, the Star Team wouldn't have come, and your two sons would still be locked up. Do you think Asgard could have survived then?"
Dante's words hammered Odin's heart.
Without them, Sif and the Warriors Three could only have hunkered down.
Recover territory? Impossible.
"So, fortunately, Hela returned…"
"You should mainly thank me." Dante shamelessly patted his chest. "By the way, old man, do you want a daughter?"
"What do you mean?"
Odin blinked. They were talking invasion. Why was this Midgard fool suddenly talking about daughters?
"Exactly what it sounds like." Dante shrugged. "While you slept, we killed Laufey, the Frost Giant King. Enchantress, Lorelei, and Agrim were also badly wounded and tossed into prison."
"No, you've said all that, but what does it have to do with me wanting a daughter?"
Dante stared, sighed.
He had hinted about the Angels. Asked if Odin wanted a daughter.
But the old man didn't even remember he had one.
Frigga too looked lost.
Queen Haven! Look at the mess you caused!
Parents whose child was kidnapped had never believed she'd let their daughter live.
In truth, she hadn't intended it. Only a soft-hearted Angel had hidden Angela. When Haven found out, she twisted it, deciding father and daughter killing each other would be the sweetest revenge.
From Dante's perspective, Queen Haven clearly had a thing for Odin. Otherwise, why all this obsession?
Add in some unrequited love and spite, and it made perfect sense.
Asgard's unofficial history had gained a new chapter.
Wild and scandalous.
Even in the comics, the Angel Queen was beautiful. How had she fallen for a white-bearded Odin?
But none of that mattered now. The mood was set. Dante nodded at Hela.
Hela arched a brow, turned, and left.
Soon she returned, bringing Angela.
Alone, Angela didn't look that striking.
But standing next to Frigga, the resemblance was undeniable.
Angela looked like a younger Frigga.
Dante rolled his eyes.
Angela took after Frigga. Hela and Loki took after Odin.
Only Thor looked like he'd been picked up from a trash can.
"You, you…"
Odin and Frigga were too shocked to form full sentences. Odin even leapt from bed and rushed to Angela.
He stared at her face.
Too alike.
"You are… my daughter?"
"Aldrif, is that really you?"
At that moment, they weren't King and Queen of Asgard.
They were just an old couple who had found what they had lost.
Angela frowned, wanting to retreat. But her bloodline pulled her forward.
The doubts that had grown inside her for years bloomed fully.
She had never belonged to the Angel Kingdom.
Now it was clear. Haven had stolen her for revenge.
Angela's suspicion became hatred.
The Angel Queen had twisted her life for selfish spite.
But the blade she forged was now aimed at her.
Angela slowly extended her hands, crossing thousands of years, and once again held her parents' hands.
The way she had grasped their fingers as a newborn.
Tears filled Odin and Frigga's eyes.
"Child, you're home."
To regain what was lost—how fortunate.
Dante sighed and stepped to Hela's side.
"You seem… to have a lot to say."
Hela looked at him. Though she had lived thousands of years, his presence filled her hollow heart.
Understanding him was like understanding herself.
His emotions were too abundant.
Dante, outwardly calm, seethed inside.
"Actually, there's nothing much to say."
"Just let the human traffickers die with their entire families."
(To be continued.)