And of all times, his eldest son Thor just had to stir up trouble again, running off to Jotunheim to wage war against the Frost Giants.
Odin's anger flared. He planned to give Thor a beating the moment he returned and then toss him straight down to Earth.
With Zod西斯 not currently on Earth, this was the perfect chance for Thor to gain some real experience.
To learn how to be a king.
Odin was practically deluding himself—or was the entire Asgardian line simply raised this way?
They already had Hela as a textbook cautionary tale, yet Odin still refused to learn his lesson. It was only because Thor was a meathead who loved nothing more than charging headfirst into battle that they didn't end up raising a second Hela.
He seemed to believe Thor didn't need any real guidance to grow into the ruler he envisioned... Where did that confidence come from?
Or rather, why was he so certain?
It was true that Zod西斯 hadn't been on Earth for a long time—he hadn't gone back in ages.
He only ever thought about returning on a whim.
Honestly, it wasn't half as entertaining as playing Empire Era. What he was living now was Empire Era in real life, and on a cosmic map, no less.
Beyond the Kryptonian Empire's Burning Legion Gray Knights and Black Knights, Zod had also established a "Berserker" division.
So-called Berserkers were close-combat masters who carried no ranged weapons whatsoever, relying entirely on a suit of powered armor and cold steel. Their full equipment set was modeled after the Yautja warriors.
But far more luxurious, of course.
For example, wrist blades forged from Adamantium—or rather, claws—mounted on the Yautja's wrist gauntlets. These were the most standard Yautja weapons, issued to every warrior, usable in one hand or both.
There were also collapsible spears, whip-blades (a mid-range cold weapon favored by "Lone Wolves." The user first lashes the flexible whip around the target, then applies a pulling force to tear them apart).
Shurikens and throwing discs—classics, no explanation needed there.
Then came blades, short axes, and an entire arsenal of weapons.
All forged from Adamantium. But only battle-hardened veterans could earn the right to wear the Berserker armor.
In addition, Zod had crafted an exclusive weapon for the Black Knights: the Black Cleaver.
Its axe-head was forged from Adamantium, while the shaft and grip were made of Vibranium, capable of dampening recoil to near nothing. It was also a high-frequency vibration weapon, rendering it virtually indestructible.
Even if used to strike Black Knight armor, it could likely split through the first layer of Adamantium plating.
A technological divine artifact, without question!
It was common knowledge that even Mjolnir would sustain damage upon clashing with Wolverine's Adamantium claws. So what of Adamantium forged into a high-frequency weapon?
It might just cleave Mjolnir clean in two.
After wrapping up these matters, Zod finally returned to Earth.
"Zod..."
The moment Urd saw him, she couldn't help but throw her arms around him.
"Where have you been? Why haven't you shown up for so long?"
Urd asked.
"Has it been that long?"
Zod was a bit puzzled, but after checking the time, he understood.
When he left for space, it had been 2008. Now, it was 2010.
The thing was, Zod hadn't felt as though he'd been gone for that long.
Probably due to the vast distances—time simply wasn't equivalent.
Still, two years had actually passed.
Zod had paid very little attention to Earthly affairs over those two years, so he pulled up the records compiled by Black Queen's sub-unit.
The war between the Monster Association and the Sword Bureau had dragged on for two years with no resolution. The only difference was that more and more Ghost-level monsters had been killed, and a few unlucky Dragon-level monsters had been taken out as well.
It seemed the Sword Bureau was close to discovering the Monster Association's headquarters.
At Sword Bureau headquarters—the Director had been "missing" for two years... Actually, he hadn't been missing at all. Black Queen's sub-intelligence handled everything so seamlessly that everyone assumed Zod was still around. After all, he'd left the Dark Knight armor under the control of that same sub-intelligence.
Just then, the energy detection device Tony Stark had developed picked up strange readings, with the data pinpointing a location in New Mexico.
"Alright, looks like something weird has dropped onto Earth again. So, which of you wants to go check it out?"
Tony asked the S-rank heroes connected via their comms.
"I'll go."
The Thing, Ben Grimm, was off honeymooning with his new wife, so Dr. Banner volunteered.
He and the Hulk both enjoyed their current life. Hulk didn't cause him trouble anymore, and Banner no longer had to worry about the big guy bursting out during moments of over-enthusiasm with Betty. In fact, Hulk couldn't be bothered to stir even when Banner's heart rate exceeded the limit—unless it was playtime or monster-fighting time.
Of course, before leaving, Zod had warned Dr. Banner that his gamma radiation levels were off the charts. If he wanted to get overly passionate with Betty, he'd need to prepare a radiation-proof safety umbrella. Otherwise, Betty might end up dead, or she might transform into a Harpy or a Red She-Hulk.
Honestly, Zod was actually curious to see a Harpy or Red She-Hulk—they were Hulk-family after all.
But the likelihood of Betty dying was far greater. Zod didn't want to gamble.
No one else objected. Blonsky, however, proposed tagging along. Craving battle as much as he did, he'd never miss a fight if he could help it.
New Mexico, Puente Antiguo!
A town built on mining, small in area with a population barely hovering around a thousand.
The Sword Bureau moved fast, securing a perimeter around the area.
"Unusual atmospheric phenomena appeared in New Mexico. Two S-rank heroes have already arrived on site and sent back traces from the scene."
The display before them showed an image resembling a magic circle—strange patterns and unrecognizable script. Staring at the image, Nick Fury fell into silence. Coulson followed up with more.
"When the atmospheric anomaly occurred, three witnesses were present at the scene. And they hit a man with their vehicle—someone suspected of appearing alongside the anomaly."
"First, tell me what the linguistics team says." Nick Fury couldn't read it.
"That crazed man calls himself Son of Odin, Thor, God of Thunder." Coulson remained as unflappable as ever.
"The linguistics team's response: these appear to be Norse runes that declined with the advance of civilization..."
Before Fury could fully digest that, Coulson handed him another update.
"There's also the hammer that appeared with him. We've already requisitioned a crane, but nothing can budge it. Currently, preparations are underway to dig up the hammer along with the chunk of earth beneath it."
"A hammer?"
Fury stared at the hammer on the screen, lost in thought.
At first, he'd assumed it was more monsters or aliens. But this was looking stranger by the minute.
"You take full authority on this one."
In the end, Fury could only entrust the matter to his most reliable subordinate, Coulson.
The agents under Coulson's command were already moving instruments out of someone's workshop.
/-\
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