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At this moment, Odin, dressed in casual attire, walked in slowly.
He glanced at Skurge, who was sitting on the ground, and then at Homelander, who looked embarrassed, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Homelander coughed and quickly put on his approachable, smiling face.
He stepped forward quickly, grabbed Skurge by the arm, and pulled him, still shaken, up from the ground.
"Sorry about that, buddy."
Homelander reached out to pat the dust off Skurge's trench coat, his tone apologetic.
"Um... I mistook you for someone else. The way you were dressed just now... you look so much like an old friend I used to know."
Skurge steadied himself, touching his smooth, bald scalp with lingering fear.
"Is that how your old friend... greets people when they meet?"
"Of course, that's just a passionate friendship that gets the blood pumping," Homelander replied solemnly.
Odin stood to the side, taking in Homelander's momentary loss of composure.
He looked at Homelander with a half-smile and teased, "I never expected that the fearless God of Mankind would be so nervous over someone."
"Everyone has a past, Odin," Homelander said dismissively. "Even gods can occasionally suffer from a bit of nervous breakdown. It's only reasonable, isn't it?"
Odin chuckled, not delving further into the matter, and turned his gaze to Skurge beside them.
"Now, my warrior," Odin's voice regained the majesty of the All-Father. "You went to great lengths to come to Midgard; what exactly has happened?"
"Great All-Father! Heimdall sent me to report an emergency!"
"Nidavellir is being invaded!"
"The Black Order's army has surrounded the Ring Forge, the Dwarves are being slaughtered, the entire realm is in peril, and furthermore..."
Odin's single eye narrowed slightly, his gaze turning cold.
Skurge continued his report nervously, "Your Highness Thor and Your Highness Loki happened to arrive at the center of the battlefield via the Bifrost Bridge, and they are now surrounded by the endless army of the Order!"
"Heimdall asked me to request your permission: are we allowed to mobilize the Royal Palace Guards immediately for a rescue mission?"
After hearing the report, Odin frowned deeply and did not respond immediately.
The Royal Palace Guards were currently Asgard's last line of defense.
If he sent this army to Nidavellir now, the Royal Palace would be left extremely vulnerable.
And if any other forces took advantage of this opening, Asgard would be powerless to resist.
He could not even rule out whether this was a ploy set by the enemy to lure the tiger away from the mountain.
Odin did not care about the land of Asgard, but he cared about his people.
Once left unprotected, the civilians of Asgard would inevitably be slaughtered; this was a bottom line he could not accept.
As for Thor and Loki, he wasn't particularly worried.
Although those two brothers were always at odds, in life-or-death situations, they would have no trouble joining forces to survive.
But Nidavellir...
Nidavellir was not only one of the Nine Realms but also Asgard's exclusive armory.
Asgard had sworn an oath to always protect them.
If they lost that place, Asgard's warriors would not only lose a vital source of life-saving equipment, but he, Odin, would also bear the shame of breaking his oath.
Caught in a dilemma, Odin subconsciously turned his head, his gaze falling upon Homelander.
At this moment, Homelander's mind had also flown to Nidavellir.
Nidavellir in peril? Dwarves being slaughtered? This was practically a godsend!
Wasn't this a "descent of a god" script tailor-made for him?
Besides, the Dwarves were the top master blacksmiths in the entire Universe, capable of forging divine artifacts that could withstand the power of the Infinity Stones and almost kill Thanos on the spot.
If they were to go offline just like that, it would be a real pity.
Although Homelander didn't have a specific concept of Nidavellir's population, it was called one of the Nine Realms, so there must be quite a few people, right?
If he went over to save the day, he could reap a massive wave of alien popularity value!
Thinking of this, Homelander had already made up his mind.
Homelander immediately composed his expression, looked straight at Odin, and said with righteous indignation:
"Your Majesty Odin, the Royal Palace Guards must never leave Asgard. They must remain there to protect my people of Asgard."
"But Thor is also my good brother; I cannot sit idly by while he is trapped in a siege." Homelander puffed out his chest, revealing his "true feelings."
"As a part of Asgard, it is my duty to protect our Nine Realms! Leave them to me to save."
Odin was momentarily stunned, a rare occurrence.
He hadn't expected that at his most difficult moment of decision, Homelander would be so understanding.
Odin thought to himself, "He must have seen my dilemma. He doesn't want me to be humiliated, doesn't want me to bear the infamy of breaking an oath, so he took on this mess himself."
What a good kid... Odin sighed inwardly. It seems I may have truly misunderstood him back then.
After Asgard falls, entrusting the surviving people to him might be the most correct choice.
[Notification! Gained special popularity value +15000! (From Odin Borson)]
Odin's gaze toward Homelander became increasingly kind and appreciative.
"Then I leave it to you, God of Mankind." Odin nodded, his tone appreciative. "Asgard will remember your contribution!"
"Go to the plaza; I will have Heimdall open the Bifrost Bridge to send you there."
"No need for that much trouble." Homelander smiled slightly. "Just give me one of your hairs."
Odin raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and directly plucked a white hair to hand to Homelander.
Homelander took the hair and cast the bloodline tracking magic he had learned from the Ancient One's notes.
As the spell shifted, Homelander also knew the location of Nidavellir.
Then, he quickly sketched out a portal flickering with golden sparks in mid-air.
Behind the portal, it was the sky above Nidavellir, filled with gunfire and flames.
"It seems you have quite a few tricks up your sleeve," he reminded him meaningfully. "However, young man, do not become overly obsessed with these interdimensional powers."
"This kind of borrowed power always comes with a price."
"And Asgard's own power has never had such hidden dangers."s
"Thanks for the reminder." Homelander replied with a knowing smile. "I have a plan."
Before the words faded, Homelander strode into the portal.
The golden sparks quickly contracted and vanished from the room.
...
Nidavellir. In the dim starry sky, the massive Ring Forge was now like a slaughterhouse.
As time passed, the battle became increasingly brutal.
There were too many enemies, like a tide; after killing one wave, more would immediately surge up.
The Dwarf Elder Brock was covered in blood. He smashed the head of a Sakaar mercenary with his warhammer and rushed to Thor, panting heavily.
"Thor!" Brock roared anxiously, "When will Asgard's army arrive?! We can't hold on much longer!"