"Cassius?" Thor had a good memory. He recognized Cassius the moment he saw him, recalling a photo of the two men in Tony Stark's office at the Avengers Compound.
Tony rarely put anyone's picture in a place where he could see it at a glance. Back then, Thor had casually asked for the man's name and clearly remembered him as Cassius.
After all, Tony's praise for Cassius had gone far beyond Thor's expectations. He had never seen the proud playboy Tony Stark praise anyone so sincerely. That person was Cassius, so Thor recognized him instantly.
Wait a minute...
He suddenly realized something was wrong. Why was Cassius here? And what was with his attitude toward Hela? A terrifying thought surfaced in his mind: could Cassius be that mysterious person?
Boom!
Before Thor could think further, a terrifying aura instantly erupted from Cassius's body. A dark red energy, like a tidal wave, surged outward from him. This terrifying aura was in no way inferior to that of his own father, the All-Father.
This terrifying aura confirmed Thor's suspicion. The dark red energy contained an endless and terrifying power. The moment this power appeared, the world changed color.
The soil under their feet was annihilated, turning into black particles. As far as the eye could see, everything around them slowly began to dissipate from the edges. This was just a minor leak of his aura, yet everything around them changed at a rapid pace.
The dark red tide, like a ripple, surged outward with Cassius at the center. The black clouds in the sky also began to change, and they could even clearly see them turning dark red. The entire sky gradually turned blood-red.
As far as the eye could see, all that was left was a blood-red landscape. It was as if they had been transported to another world, where all light had been replaced by this terrifying dark red hue.
The black particles floating upward made the golden-armored warriors uneasy. They had witnessed many terrifying scenes and seen the destructive power of giants. But they had never seen something that could change the world with just a hint of its aura.
This was more terrifying than their king, the All-Father!
A stench of death lingered in the air, seeping into their hearts. They instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons, as if they had just encountered the most terrifying enemy in the universe. The red light that illuminated the land was like blood pouring over them, making everything feel oppressive and lifeless.
Odin felt the immense, heavy power. A golden halo of divine power wrapped around his feet, protecting him. His eyes became more serious, as he could clearly feel what this power was. He just hadn't expected another Midgardian to possess such a terrifying power.
Just from Cassius's expression, it was clear that he had mastered this power to a high degree. After a long pause, Odin forced out a single sentence. "You are a host of the Phoenix Force?"
The Phoenix Force was too striking. Once unleashed, it either brought annihilation or endless life. The Phoenix Force also had a unique aura, a presence that could even destroy the universe. Even his hand, which held Gungnir, tightened, as if he was ready to attack at any moment.
"This guy really is the one who freed Hela?" Thor could clearly feel his father's fear. It had been a long time since he had felt that kind of emotion from his father.
Odin, the All-Father and the strongest being, was actually reacting this way. Thor could see that although his father was standing straight, he was clearly ready to fight at a moment's notice.
What surprised him even more was that the man in front of him was so young. Yet he already possessed a power that could make someone so formidable fear him. He had even taken Hela under his command.
"Odin, I'll give you a choice." Although Cassius's eyes were like still water, his words sounded like a command. "You can choose to leave this place, Earth."
He didn't have a very high opinion of Odin, but he still had some use for him. That's why he didn't intend to simply crush Odin with a single finger.
"Midgardian. This is a matter between gods!" Odin frowned, the veins on his neck bulging, like a subject protesting before a king.
He admitted that he was indeed very afraid of the Midgardian in front of him. This power was much, much stronger than he had imagined. Even if he fought, he wasn't sure if he could even hold his own.
Moreover, the man's indifferent tone enraged him to no end! He was Odin, the All-Father, the one who ended the Celestials, the god who defeated and sealed the Fire Giant! Yet this damned Midgardian was speaking to him in such a tone.
"Gods?" Cassius let out a disdainful scoff and continued, "Hela doesn't deserve death."
In his eyes, so-called gods were just titles that they had given themselves because they were powerful. In reality, one was only a true god if they had enough power. They were just using the title of god to make others revere them.
"No. You don't know Hela." Although Odin felt the disdain on Cassius's face, he still retorted through gritted teeth. "Hela is a bloodthirsty and brutal monster. She'll stop at nothing to achieve her goals!"
"That's a lie! I wasn't the only one who fought alongside you and committed atrocities! But when you reached the peak, you mercilessly abandoned us! You are the truly cruel one!" Hela's eyes were bloodshot, filled with rage.
Back then, she was just the sharpest weapon in Odin's arsenal, constantly fighting. But she was just a weapon. The one with the power of life and death was not her, but Odin!
And now he dared to call her cruel and bloodthirsty. She might have become that way, but it was all because Odin had forced her to be! This cruel truth left her with no way to argue! It was nothing but slander from someone standing on a moral high ground.
"Shut up!" Thor roared in anger. He would not allow anyone to slander his father! In his eyes, this was blatant disloyalty to his father. As long as one was loyal enough, they would never be abandoned. This was nothing but slander and defamation against his father!
"Thor." To Thor's surprise, his father interrupted him with a solemn voice. "I do not deny what you said. I was indeed like that in the past."
"But after I became the All-Father, a true ruler doesn't live for himself! And everything that was done back then was necessary. But that doesn't excuse the fact that you are a bloodthirsty and brutal monster." Odin looked up, his expression cold and firm. He always believed that everything he did was correct. More accurately, as a king, it was what he was supposed to do. He could do no wrong. This was the arrogance and confidence of a king.
"Hehehe! So... this is the answer you give after slaughtering countless lives and standing in a sea of blood?" Hela's face was filled with anger and a hint of mockery. She knew Odin's true thoughts, and what he said sounded like a joke. This was just an executioner putting away his damned blade after completing his task. Even with a pretense of kindness, he couldn't hide his dirty heart.
The fact that Odin never believed that what he had done was wrong was what she found most disgusting. Because of this, her only feelings for Odin were anger and displeasure.
"Hela, you just don't understand. You've been blinded by the slaughter!" Odin's gritted teeth made a grinding sound. A murderous intent appeared in his eyes!
"Heh, Odin, you're not a changed man. You just realized your own power was lacking! Your immense greed ultimately made it so you could only control the Nine Realms." Cassius looked Odin up and down, letting out a cold laugh. "You couldn't even keep Hela in line. You feared that her power would grow and one day threaten your position! You didn't learn, you got scared."
Every word Cassius spoke was like a knife, tearing through Odin's facade and revealing his ugliest side.
This was indeed what Odin was thinking, but he never expected the Midgardian in front of him to know it so clearly. Even Hela didn't know all of it!
The more he heard, the angrier Odin became. A rigid expression appeared on his face. He didn't even know how to argue back.
It was true that he was never satisfied with just controlling the Nine Realms. His ambition was to conquer everything he could see. But because of his lack of power, he had to suppress his crazy and obsessive thoughts. He had forced himself to become a "qualified" king. That was all he could do.
"Father, is... is all of this true?" Thor noticed his father's grim expression and asked in a trembling voice. He couldn't believe that the father he had always protected had such an ugly side. This fact was like a steel needle, piercing his heart.
Even Thor at this moment couldn't help but start to doubt him. Because everything the man said seemed to be true. It seemed like his father was the one who was wrong. After so many years, the image of his father in his heart was completely shattered. His father was not a kind and wise ruler.
"Enough! You damned Midgardian! You dare to spew such nonsense!" Odin let out a thunderous roar. A terrifying power instantly erupted from his body. The lightning in the sky began to flash and jump. His eyes turned into golden pupils, with an endless glow that looked like a vast ocean of energy! It was endless and bottomless! Energy also began to leap on his armor.
As his aura gathered, the surface of Gungnir also began to emit a dazzling golden light. This light spread in all directions, even tearing a hole a few meters wide in the area covered by the red light.
The bulging veins on his neck showed that he was absolutely furious. This damned Midgardian had just spoken the truth he was most unwilling to admit!
The more he heard, the angrier and more afraid he became. He was worried that this damned Midgardian would reveal more secrets!
"Heh." Seeing the enraged Odin, Cassius's lips curled into a smirk. "So you're just lashing out because I hit the mark?"
He looked at Odin's angry state and couldn't help but let out a disdainful scoff. In his eyes, Odin had never been a king. A true king should have unwavering confidence. Even if they were wrong, even if everyone turned against them, they would still believe they were right!
But Odin had always tried to hide his true nature. This was not something a king should do. Besides, even if he did manage to hide it, it wouldn't last forever.
Perhaps, in the later years of Odin's reign, everyone in the Nine Realms saw him as a savior. He had countless followers and was revered by countless people. Odin was a living totem of Asgard.
That's why he knew that the reason Odin was the way he was was because only the victor could change what had happened. This was also why Odin had such a great reputation among the people.
The power to speak the truth was in the hands of the strongest.
Even those who had lost their homes believed that Odin was a good god. In reality, Odin had caused countless slaughters to unite the Nine Realms. He even feared Hela and sealed her away. He did all of this so that no one would know what had happened in the past.
So in Cassius's eyes, everything that had happened was just Odin using his pathetic daughter as a scapegoat. If he could gain enough benefits, he would even sacrifice more things. The so-called "danger," "bloody," and "brutal" were just facades that Odin had given to Hela. These facades helped him cover up the past. Hela had only become what she was today because of Odin.
"Foolish! You have been so misled by Hela that you can no longer see reality. The cosmos is about the present, not the past." Odin spoke in a low, raspy voice, looking at Cassius with a serious expression. "In the name of the All-Father, and on behalf of the Nine Realms as the supreme god, I hereby declare that you have destroyed a divine seal and brought danger back to the universe! Your existence shames the world and countless lives! In the name of the All-Father!"
Boom!
As Odin spoke his last word, the ground trembled and cracked. Odin's body emitted a golden light, as if he was surrounded by a holy aura. An invisible force in the sky tried to break through the red light.
Not only that, but Odin was now completely different from before. He had released all of his power. His energy wrapped around his entire body. He, who was already surrounded by a golden light, now looked like a saint bathed in a holy glow.
"Midgardian, accept the judgment of death!" He raised Gungnir and used a terrifying force to stab at Cassius.
Whoosh!
A piercing sound instantly erupted! Everything in time seemed to have stopped at this moment. A brilliant golden light shot out like a meteor! It was incredibly fast and carried a terrifying force!
This power was extremely strange. Even space itself was violently fluctuating! The surrounding land trembled and cracked uncontrollably.
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