Aaron understood Thor's meaning. "But I only chose one of its hammers!"
Thor shut his mouth, speechless!
Loki gazed longingly at the hammer. How much he wanted it!
If he had obtained Mjolnir back then, he would never have discarded it like Thor, nor would he have failed to recognize who his true love was.
Although he had lost two golden hammers, Thor also had neither a golden nor a silver hammer!
And he, Loki, still had the Gungnir and the Destroyer armor.
Loki revealed a cruel smile.
The Destroyer armor began to move slowly.
"Now, it's time to continue discussing our problems."
"Accept your fate, Thor. You cannot stop my power!"
Thor, Sif, and the others stood ready.
Looking at the extremely oppressive Destroyer armor, even though they knew they couldn't possibly be its match, they still didn't retreat.
"He is not the All-Father; he cannot fully unleash the Destroyer's power. We can win!"
Volstagg brandished his great axe, his presence formidable.
Thor didn't have much confidence. Looking at Aaron, he said, "Brother, can you lend me Mjolnir temporarily? I'll return it to you very soon."
Aaron glanced at the hammer. Mjolnir did not respond.
After a moment's thought, Aaron threw the hammer, which arced in a perfect parabola and landed precisely in front of Thor, gesturing for him to take it.
Thor was overjoyed at the sight. With Loki's face darkening, he grabbed Mjolnir. "Thank you! I'll treat you to a few drinks later…"
"Hmm?"
Thor pulled hard, but Mjolnir was as heavy as a stellar core, seemingly perfectly connected to the earth. Even with his remaining divine power, he still couldn't lift it.
Aaron stood to the side, arms crossed, watching the show.
"Thor, I've given you many chances. It seems you and Mjolnir are not destined. Part ways amicably; the next one will be more obedient."
Aaron crooked his finger, and Mjolnir immediately lifted off the ground. In Thor's regretful and astonished gaze, it very willingly flew into another man's embrace.
"Oh no!"
Thor, who had never truly been in a relationship, now experienced the feeling of being NTR'd.
Loki laughed gleefully.
"My foolish brother, you are such a failure. Even the hammer can't stand you."
Loki continued to advance, his peripheral vision on Aaron, ready to defend against any move Aaron might make.
However, Aaron didn't seem to have any intention of acting.
He just watched, then looked up at the sky.
In that instant,
Aaron saw a gaze.
Although he also possessed super-long vision, he still couldn't clearly see Asgard and the people on it.
But he was certain that from that angle, Heimdall was watching him!
And the person beside him...
The golden light of the Bifrost once again bloomed.
Loki stopped, looking towards it in confusion.
Heimdall… wasn't he frozen after Loki dismissed him?
Who was descending to Midgard now?
Could it be Mother?
After a moment's thought, Loki put away Gungnir and stood still to the side.
However,
Emerging from the golden light was not Frigga, but a one-eyed old man with white hair, riding a tall horse and fully armored.
Odin!
"Father!"
"All-Father!"
Thor and Loki simultaneously changed expression and bowed their heads.
Sif and the others exchanged glances, their faces showing joy.
"Father, you're awake? I'm truly overjoyed!"
Loki quickly stepped forward, instantly switching from his previous cold ruthlessness to a warm and amiable demeanor, looking at Odin with a beaming smile.
He seemed very happy about Odin's awakening.
"Father, look, I was just disciplining Thor and his friends in my capacity as acting All-Father. It's wonderful that you've arrived. Sometimes I feel I'm still a bit too young."
Odin didn't speak, his single remaining eye sweeping over Loki, Sif, and the others.
Then he looked at Thor, a trace of helplessness and disappointment flashing in his eye.
Finally, his gaze settled on Aaron.
Aaron, at this moment, also became unusually serious. It wasn't that he feared Odin, but merely out of due respect for an All-Father.
Even if Odin was skilled in external warfare but inept at raising children,
It was undeniable that the Odin of the past had indeed been a powerful Skyfather, renowned throughout the Nine Realms and even the entire universe.
Though he was old, even nearing his end, at this moment, he was also at his most formidable.
"Human God of Midgard, God of Storms, Lord of the Crystal Palace Pantheon, Celestial Exalted, I am very much looking forward to meeting you here."
Odin completely ignored Loki's almost fawning posture; his eyes were solely on Aaron!
When he uttered these words, he had undoubtedly acknowledged Aaron's identity as the God of Midgard.
Loki's expression was awkward, and the words he had intended to say were swallowed back down.
"All-Father Odin, I am also pleased to meet you."
One doesn't hit a smiling face; since Odin was so polite, Aaron returned the courtesy.
"I never expected that after so many years without descending to Midgard, a figure such as yourself would have emerged here. Indeed, I am old!"
Odin dismounted from his divine steed, looked at Thor, and sighed to himself.
Ever since Mjolnir was split into three, Odin had been secretly observing everything.
Through Heimdall, he had learned many things.
For example, he knew that Aaron was the king of a "company" in Midgard, and he also knew his name and age.
He even knew that Aaron possessed the ability to reorganize matter and mass-produce Mjolnir and even Thor's power.
In that instant,
He was horrified to discover that Aaron's heaven-defying ability was not about dividing Thor's authority, but rather creating equivalent Thor-like power!
The power of Thor on Mjolnir was not enchanted by him, but belonged to Thor himself.
Theoretically, even if someone gained the hammer's approval and acquired Thor's power, this portion of power would still belong to Thor; they would merely be borrowing that power.
The hammer only allowed Thor to better control his innate power. Once he truly awakened, even if the hammer was in someone else's hands, Thor would not lose his power. Instead, two Thors would exist simultaneously.
But the power would all belong to Thor.
However, Aaron had forcefully broken this rule.
The Thor-like power of both the golden hammer and the silver hammer came from the hammers themselves, not from Thor!
The power Loki and Thor briefly held was an identical, yet distinctly different, Thor-like power!
He couldn't understand it; he couldn't see through it at all.
Originally, Odin had wanted to observe further.
But alas… Thor was truly useless!
"Thor, you are fifteen hundred years old, aren't you?"
Odin sighed again.
Thor nodded in confusion.
Loki, beside him, glanced at Aaron, a twitch at the corner of his mouth. He instantly understood the deep meaning behind that long sigh.
Speaking of which, he too was over a thousand years old!
Odin shook his head. So stupid and dull. Was this truly his offspring?
He remembered that other individual who, after only a few decades of descending, had already fought alongside him across the Nine Realms, earned the name of Death, and skillfully mastered his own powers.
And Aaron, at the age of twenty-two, was toying with Thor and Loki in the palm of his hand.
Why was the gap between a god (Thor) and a human (Aaron) even greater than that between a god and an ant!
"God of Midgard, I have a question I wish to ask you."
"Speak," Aaron said. Seeing Odin's somewhat strange attitude, he vaguely grasped the other's thoughts.
"Who are your parents…?" Odin's eyes gleamed. He sensed a familiar fluctuation from Aaron.
It was the divine might of the Celestials, but at the same time, it also contained the long-standing power of his Asgardian royal lineage!
He had a terrifying thought.
Had his father, Bor, at some point when the previous All-Mother was absent, had a brief, beautiful, but ultimately regrettable encounter with an unknown Celestial?
Recalling the enormous bodies of the Celestials, Odin felt a slight chill in his heart. He had still underestimated his father too much.
That slender body, to actually be able to 'hit' such a being.
A toothpick stirring a vat? He couldn't help but sigh again. The old ginger is spicier; he simply couldn't imagine it!
As for why Aaron was only twenty-two… this question was not at all incredible for a Celestial.
For their long lives, which span hundreds of millions of years, a few thousand years of gestation time was simply too short.
Perhaps, this was also why Aaron, after birth, did not possess the complete power of the Celestials?
It was indeed so!
Aaron shook his head and chuckled:
"Don't overthink it. Although I haven't seen my parents, I can confirm that they are just ordinary people."
However, Odin nodded understandingly. "I understand. I can very well understand your thoughts. Actually… they didn't do it on purpose. They had it very difficult too…"
Bor not only had to face the daily demands of the previous All-Mother but also lead Asgardian soldiers in conquering the Nine Realms, especially against those ambitious Dark Elves.
As for the Celestials… their tasks were even more arduous, needing to create light and brilliance everywhere, bringing hope to the world.
Moreover, this was destined to be a "one-night stand" that could not be blessed by others.
This fully explained why Aaron had never had any traces of life on Earth before; because he was not a true Earthling, but a Celestial, a Norse god flowing with Asgardian royal blood, with the potential to become an All-Father!
His skilled material reorganization and his ability to control the inherited power of the Aesir gods all proved this point.
No need for further explanation,
He completely understood!
Watching Odin instantly concoct a whole backstory, Aaron couldn't help but feel a vein throb on his forehead.
No, you old geezer, you're really bad. What are you thinking?
"Alright, I am a human from Earth. I don't have any other Celestial parents. Everything I am today is thanks to my own efforts!"
Aaron emphasized again, but a thought he couldn't quite explain lingered in his mind.
Odin nodded. "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Perhaps we can gather in Asgard; that is where—"