"So you really can wield Gungnir. There is a power within you that feels extremely familiar to me. I encountered it once before, within Mjolnir. I thought it was an illusion—but it turns out it was real."
Holding Gungnir, Odin rose to his feet and stepped in front of Karl.
"I want to take another look at that power."
As he spoke, Odin placed a hand on Karl's shoulder. In an instant, Karl felt his consciousness pulled into an unknown space.
It resembled a vast sea of stars. Amid the endless constellations stood a colossal crystal, towering between heaven and earth. The crystal was conical in shape, and eight crystal statues surrounded it. Three of those statues were already illuminated: a green Garuda, a purple Ram, and an orange-red Phoenix. The remaining five statues were dim and lifeless.
The three activated crystals radiated a primal, violent aura, while the towering central crystal emitted an overwhelming vitality—as if all life in the cosmos had been born from it.
It was Karl's first time seeing this scene.
He had always believed that his summoned beasts were gradually granted to him by the system through missions. Only now did he realize that the system had given him everything at once, unlocking them one by one through tasks.
…Well, on second thought, the essence hadn't really changed. Either way, it was still progressive unlocking through missions.
Odin stood beside Karl. The last time his consciousness had entered this space, it had been shrouded in darkness. Yet this time, an incomparably vast crystal had appeared.
He lifted his gaze. Eight enormous statues stood around them, similar to what he had glimpsed before—only now he could see them clearly.
As Odin's eyes swept past the Phoenix statue, the massive crystal suddenly erupted with blinding light. Even Odin was forced to close his eyes. When he opened them again, his divine sense had been forcibly expelled from Karl's inner world.
Karl opened his eyes at the same time. In his own perception, he saw the Mother Crystal emit a gentle glow, after which Odin vanished instantly, and he too was expelled from the spiritual realm.
"An utterly inconceivable power," Odin said calmly. "Your abilities far exceed anything I imagined."
Outwardly, Odin appeared composed, but within his heart raged a storm. Before that crystal, he had possessed no ability to resist—not even the thought of resistance. He had been completely suppressed.
He was Odin—the All-Father of Asgard, ruler of the Nine Realms, a being of the Skyfather tier.
Yet even with such power, he was utterly powerless before that crystal.
What was it?
In all his knowledge, Odin had never encountered such a thing. He had seen the Infinity Stones before, but he was certain of one thing—this crystal should not exist in this universe.
Within the dazzling radiance of the crystal, Odin had sensed the most primordial force imaginable—a power that existed before the creation of heaven and earth, before the birth of the universe itself, utterly untouched and unrefined.
Primal meant violent. It meant chaos.
And yet, the power within the crystal showed no sign of rampage. Though savage and unrestrained, it possessed its own internal order—an irreconcilable contradiction.
Odin frowned as he looked at Karl. He could not recall when such a figure had emerged in the cosmos. Though Karl was still far too weak to threaten him now, given time, his power would undoubtedly surpass Odin's own.
No wonder the Ancient One held such high expectations for this human.
Both Karl and Odin tacitly avoided mentioning what they had seen within Karl's consciousness. Thor and Tony, meanwhile, had only noticed that the two of them had paused briefly; neither sensed anything unusual.
This time, Odin did not feel that strangely familiar power again, but he was no longer convinced that his earlier experience had been an illusion. At his level, anything he could perceive was unquestionably real—illusions simply did not exist.
"Father, I want to pursue Malekith," Thor said, turning to Odin.
"The Aether is in our hands. Malekith will come to us again," Odin replied flatly. "All we need to do is wait."
He dismissed Thor's request without hesitation.
"You're not wrong," Thor said, growing agitated. "But why wait for him to come and destroy Asgard?"
"The Dark Elves do not have that kind of power," Odin said calmly. "You overestimate those creatures."
Odin paced down the steps, stopping in the center of the great hall, now little more than ruins.
"No, Father. I'm thinking of our people," Thor said, staring at Odin's back. "I intend to take Jane to Svartalfheim—to draw the enemy away from Asgard and prevent this realm from being plunged into war again."
"When Malekith extracts the Aether from Jane, it will be fully exposed. That will be the moment it is most vulnerable. I will destroy it—along with Malekith and the Dark Elves."
Odin turned around and struck Gungnir against the ground.
"You are gambling," he said coldly. "You are wagering both your life and that of the Midgardian girl. If you fail, the Aether will fall into enemy hands as a weapon. When that happens, far more will die."
"And if we do nothing, the danger will be even greater," Thor shot back. "His fleet could appear above us at any moment, and we have no way to find them."
Thor faced Odin's overwhelming presence without retreating.
"When that time comes, tens of thousands of Asgardian soldiers will meet them with steel."
Odin remained calm, but his aura grew increasingly oppressive.
Karl and Tony stood off to the side. This was a confrontation between father and son—there was no room for them to intervene. Still, Karl knew that no matter what Odin said, Thor would ultimately choose to take Jane to the Dark Elves' homeworld.
"How many more must we sacrifice this time?!" Thor demanded. "Thousands are already dead—must this continue?!"
"No matter how many, it is worth it!" Odin roared. "The dignity of Asgard shall never be trampled!"
He slammed Gungnir down again, and a surge of golden energy erupted from his body.
Thor, standing closest, felt a violent gale slam into him. He hurriedly raised Mjolnir to block the impact, yet was still driven several meters backward.
"Asgard will continue to fight—until the last Asgardian falls!"
Odin retracted his aura, returning once more to calm composure.
"Then how are you any different from Malekith?" Thor asked bitterly. "All my life, you taught me how to be a worthy king. But look at what you're doing now."
Odin suddenly laughed.
"You are still far from being king, my son," he said. "Excessive mercy only makes others see you as weak. Sometimes, only war can bring peace—only war can force those who bare their fangs against your rule to draw them back."
With that, Odin turned and left the great hall.
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