Just as Rimuru was busy receiving the inheritance of the primordial rune, Asgard had already begun to fall into endless panic and turmoil.
Asgardians have long lifespans, and although Odin always told his two sons that Asgardians were not gods, but merely people with relatively long lifespans… when facing the other intelligent life forms of the Nine Realms, Asgardians still possessed endless pride.
It is unknown how long ago, but Asgard had successively defeated the other races of the Nine Realms.
In Bor's era, the Dark Elves were defeated, and the Aether was sealed.
In Odin's era, the Fire Giants and Frost Giants were successively defeated, thereby conquering the Nine Realms!
Although Odin was old, his strength still surpassed that of the Nine Realms.
As long as King Odin was present, Asgard's rule would be as stable as Mount Tai.
But no one expected that their King—whom they were so proud of—would have his strength decline to such an extent.
Not only that, but it became known throughout the Nine Realms.
As glorious as Asgard was in Odin's era, it was equally hated.
Suddenly losing Odin, their pillar of support; Thor being exiled; and Loki's whereabouts unknown…
For a time, the entire Asgard fell into the predicament of being leaderless.
It was as if the sky had fallen!
Heavenly Palace.
Odin's resting place.
Queen Frigga held Odin's wrinkled hand, her eyes filled with endless tenderness.
"You can rest assured and sleep. I am still here in the Heavenly Palace, and I will find Thor as soon as possible and let him take charge of the overall situation."
"As long as I am not dead, no one shall step foot into this bedchamber!"
After saying this, the tenderness in Frigga's eyes disappeared, replaced only by determination.
Orders were issued from Frigga's mouth, and soon, Asgard found its backbone again.
The Heavenly Palace's protective barrier was activated.
The entire nation entered a state of emergency, and the army stood ready.
Bifrost Bridge.
Heimdall looked at the other realms constantly gathering troops, ready to attack Asgard at any moment, and his brows furrowed together.
The more he knew, the more he understood how dangerous Asgard truly was now.
Saying Asgard was in turmoil was an understatement; they might even face extinction!
Looking at the various precious materials piled beside him, Heimdall couldn't help but recall the King's instructions from not long ago.
[Thor, Thor, you must never betray the trust of the King and the people of Asgard!]
Just then, the Warriors Three, along with Sif, rushed over in a hurry.
"Heimdall, we are here by the Queen's decree to find Thor. Quickly open the Bifrost Bridge."
Heimdall, holding the Sword of Bifrost, said, "I have been waiting for you for a long time. Take these materials with you."
"What is this?"
Fandral weighed it in his hand; it wasn't heavy, but he couldn't help being curious.
When he saw that it was Uru metal and the branches of the Flora Colossus, he was instantly surprised.
"Uru? And so much of it?"
"Is this dragon sinew?" Sif exclaimed in surprise.
Sif was Odin's designated Crown Princess, so her status in Asgard was extraordinary.
She had been inside Odin's treasury, and this section of dragon sinew must have been the most precious one in the treasury!
Sif knew that the strap on Thor's hammer was a piece of dragon sinew.
Heimdall rotated the Sword of Bifrost and solemnly said, "This is the King's instruction, and it is key to protecting Asgard. No matter what, you must give it to Thor and have Thor hand it over to a strong individual named Rimuru on Midgard. She is the teacher the King has chosen for Thor!"
"The teacher the King has chosen for Thor?"
Oh. My. God.
They hadn't been this shocked in a long time.
As Thor's close retainers, no one knew Thor's strength better than them.
That was a high mountain they couldn't even glimpse by looking up, and Rimuru was actually the teacher Odin himself had chosen for Thor. Just how incredibly talented was she?!
"Heimdall: Have you remembered?"
The Warriors Three and Sif all replied with utmost solemnity, "We swear by the glory of Odin to complete the mission to the death!"
Boom!
The Bifrost Bridge opened, and a rainbow light shot straight from Asgard toward Earth.
Earth.
New Mexico.
Temporary Research Center.
Rimuru and Odin were fighting intensely in the consciousness space. It seemed like a long time, but in the outside world, not much time had actually passed.
Unlike in the original movie, where S.H.I.E.L.D. knew nothing about Thor, with Rimuru's intelligence, S.H.I.E.L.D. treated Thor with great respect, caution, and reverence.
In Thor's heart, there was no concept of lying.
Nick Fury hadn't even started probing yet, and Thor spilled all sorts of information like pouring beans.
This made Nick Fury feel like punching cotton—having strength but nowhere to use it.
What a straightforward boy!
Was he really the Crown Prince?
However, if this straightforward boy became the King of Asgard, it would undoubtedly be a great thing for Earth.
"Your Highness Prince."
"Don't call me Your Highness Prince. I am merely an exiled criminal now."
"Alright, then I'll take the liberty of calling you Thor."
"Still taking liberties? How boring! Jane is better!"
Hearing Thor praise Jane Foster, Nick Fury's face immediately broke into a smile.
What better news could there be than the Prince of Asgard falling in love with an Earth girl?
Marriage alliances, at any time and in any era, are one of the best means of binding interests.
"Thor, when do you plan to return to Asgard?" Nick Fury asked tentatively.
Thor shook his head bitterly. "I can't go back! Because of my arrogance and conceit, Asgard has been pushed to the brink of war. Even my father died because of me. I must be exiled forever!"
Odin died?
Nick Fury's eyes flickered; this was different from the intelligence Rimuru provided, wasn't it?
Loki succeeded in usurping the throne?
However, just then, Thor suddenly clutched his chest—a sharp pain coming from his heart.
"Your Highness Prince, what's wrong? Shall I take you to the hospital?"
Nick Fury was genuinely worried, afraid something might happen to Thor.
Thor looked up at the sky, somewhat flustered, and said, "No need. My body is fine. It's Asgard that might be in big trouble!"
Nick Fury: "Perhaps you're just homesick. Asgard is so powerful—how could anything happen?"
Thor was incredibly bitter; when he had his divine power, he took everything for granted, but after losing it, he realized how precious it was to possess it.
Asgardians—especially the royalty—with their divine power, dreams, intuition, and so on, might all be a form of prophecy, not mere illusion.
In Asgard, the most famous prophecy was probably Ragnarok.
"Perhaps…" Thor said dejectedly.
Having lost his divine power, he had no idea what caused his recent chest pain.
Just then, Coulson rushed in, flustered.
"Sir, something big has happened!"
Seeing Coulson covered in sweat, Nick Fury also instantly tensed up.
"What happened?"
Coulson glanced at Thor and stammered, "Mjolnir… Mjolnir is gone!"
"What's going on?!"
Both Nick Fury and Thor couldn't sit still.
Especially Thor—this warhammer was the symbol of the Asgardian Crown Prince and had been with him for hundreds of years.
Thor used it with extreme ease!
To him, the hammer was even dearer than Sif!
Most importantly, the hammer was key to him regaining his divine power.
Although he kept saying that he must be exiled forever, as long as the hammer remained, his hope remained!
Now you tell him the hammer is gone?
"The hammer contains my father's divine words; no one can destroy it. How could it be gone?!"
Looking at Thor's murderous gaze, Coulson swallowed nervously and said guiltily, "The hammer… it was eaten!"
What?
Both Thor and Nick Fury instantly froze in wide-eyed astonishment.
The Meow-Meow Hammer was eaten?
Do you take him for a three-year-old child?