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If Johnny remembered correctly, Asgard sat at the pinnacle of the Nine Realms, linked to other worlds by secret passages but those were obscure, known only to a few. He had no hope of finding one in time.
The Rainbow Bridge was the fastest exit. The most dangerous too.
Johnny's lips tightened into a grin.
Then Asgard will be the first stepping stone on my path to power.
His body still thrummed with stolen strength soldiers, guards, even the prisoners who'd fallen to the Wraith. Their godforce boiled inside him, raw and unstable, but he had no time to digest it. He needed out.
Aboveground, Asgard glittered like a golden metropolis. Spires stabbed the skies, halls gleamed brighter than any palace on Earth. The air reeked of arrogance.
"Damn it… I don't even know where the bridge is." He cursed under his breath. "Devour all those warriors, and not one of them left me a map?"
Still, a plan formed.
The Aesir look just like humans. The only difference is the divine energy in their blood. And now… I have that too.
Johnny dressed himself in the garb of a common Asgardian and walked boldly into the streets. No one suspected a thing. After all, who would believe an outsider had broken into Asgard, slaughtered its jailers, and walked free?
A few careful conversations gave him what he needed. The Rainbow Bridge was clear. More importantly, he learned something else:
When he asked about Prince Thor and Prince Loki, citizens gave him strange looks.
"What princes? Odin rules with Hela, his executioner!" one zealot declared, eyes burning with fervor. "With the Death Goddess leading his vanguard, Asgard will conquer all Nine Realms!"
Hela. Odin's firstborn. Thor's forgotten sister.
Johnny's blood chilled. So this is the God Wars era…
Asgard rising. Odin in his prime. Hela is unleashed at his side. A time of endless conquest, when whole realms burned beneath their march.
"Yeah… I can't stay here," Johnny muttered, staring toward the golden palace that housed Odin's vault. "One day, I'll raid your treasure room, All-Father. But not today."
He turned his eyes toward the bridge. His exit.
The Rainbow Bridge stretched like a river of starlight, its seven colors arching over the cosmos. Johnny expected ranks of guards, legions protecting Asgard's lifeline. Instead, the span was nearly deserted.
Why so empty?
Two reasons, he realized: arrogance, and war. Odin believed none would dare invade Asgard. And with his armies campaigning across the realms, most of the realm's soldiers were gone. Only the vault and dungeons were properly guarded.
For Johnny, that meant opportunity.
Clad as a civilian, he walked calmly onto the bridge. He forced his breathing steady, his stride casual. The cosmic vista stretched in all directions: stars blazing beneath his feet, galaxies swirling overhead. For a moment, awe pricked his skin.
But he had no time for wonder. The Bifrost endpoint loomed ahead—the gateway to freedom.
"Stop right there! Who are you?"
A thunderous voice rang out.
Johnny froze, jaw tightening. His eyes lifted to the lone guardian standing at the bridge's end, the man who saw all, who watched all.
Heimdall.
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