Only then did Thor realize what he was doing. He hurriedly loosened his grip, completely flustered.
"I—I'm sorry… I thought… I thought you were—"
"Dead?"
Antony landed slowly, his boots touching the ground as he walked toward them.
"Fortunately," he said calmly, "I arrived in time. The wound missed all vital points."
Frigga looked at the young man before her.
She had seen her future.
She was supposed to die—by that blade.
That had been the fate she herself had chosen.
But now…
Fate had been rewritten.
"You saved me, midgaurdian," Frigga said softly. "But you should not have… changed destiny."
Antony knew it was time.
Time to act.
He turned to Frigga, his eyes filled with deep, aching emotion—twelve layers of method acting unleashed, enhanced by his ultimate technique:
Self-Hypnosis.
He slowly knelt, eyes reddening, voice trembling.
"I just… didn't want to see tragedy happen again."
"I lost my mother once—Martha. I lost my home."
"Thor," Antony said, pointing at him, "is an arrogant, reckless idiot."
"He… can't lose his mother yet."
"The people of Asgard are facing danger. They can't lose their Queen."
"And you…" Antony's voice softened. "You're too beautiful. Too kind. You deserve every ounce of love this world can give."
"You shouldn't… be lying here."
He gently took Frigga's blood-stained hand.
"And I… I can't stand by and watch the purest soul in this world fade away."
"Even if the Goddess of Death herself came to claim you—she'd have to step over my body first."
"Even if that means defying so-called fate."
Silence.
Utter silence.
Even Odin, standing at the doorway, felt his single eye tremble slightly.
Frigga looked at the man before her, felt the warmth in his grip.
She had already prepared herself for death.
But now…
"Mr. Starr…" Frigga smiled—weak, but impossibly noble.
"You're right."
"Perhaps… fate can be changed."
She let go.
She realized how selfish she had been—to abandon everything she loved.
Looking at Thor's tear-streaked face, laughing and crying at once, her heart softened.
Yes.
He was only a thousand years old.
He still needed his mother.
"Thank you… Mr. Starr," Frigga whispered.
Ding!
The sound exploded inside Antony's mind.
A full-on system spam.
"Ding! Defied Fate—Successfully Saved Key Story Character: Queen Frigga!"
"Ding! New Ability Unlocked: Magical Core."
Ability Description:
Greatly increases affinity with all magical elements.
Accelerates magical growth.
Allows learning and usage of any magical system without rejection or backlash.
"Ding! Special Popularity +15,000 (from Frigga)."
"Ding! Special Popularity +20,000 (from Thor)."
"Ding! Special Popularity +5,000 (from Odin)."
"Current Special Popularity: 49,500."
Antony lowered his head, wearing an expression of grief mixed with relief.
Inside?
Fireworks. Confetti. Maniacal laughter.
Holy shit… this was a MASSIVE win!!
HAHAHAHA—!
-----
That Night — The Royal Palace Banquet
Asgard had suffered heavy losses.
Defense towers destroyed.
The palace damaged.
Civilians dead.
But the Queen lived.
That alone made everything else bearable.
Odin sat upon the high throne, watching the Midgardian in the center of the hall—drinking competitively with Thor.
His feelings were complicated.
As a god who had ruled for nearly five thousand years, Odin instinctively distrusted this desire-filled mortal.
But…
He had saved Frigga.
For that alone, Odin could not raise Gungnir against him.
"Odin," Frigga said softly, now mostly recovered, dressed in regal attire. She gently held his hand.
"He's a good child. Just… a bit special."
Odin snorted. "He's dangerous. I know his kind as well as I know myself."
"But he stands with us," Frigga replied gently. "At least—for now."
At the center of the hall—
"DRINK!"
Thor laughed heartily, lifting a massive mug.
"To Homelander! Eternal friend of Asgard!"
"To Homelander!!"
The warriors roared in unison.
They had seen his valor with their own eyes.
More importantly—he had snatched their Queen back from Death itself.
In Asgard, that made him a hero.
Antony smiled flawlessly, popularity flooding in wave after wave.
-----
Three Days Later — The Palace Plaza
The plaza was bathed in solemn glory.
Massive pipe organs thundered, playing the triumphant anthem of the Aesir.
Thousands of golden-armored guards stood in formation, spears striking the ground in thunderous rhythm.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Odin Borson, All-Father of the Gods, sat upon the Supreme Throne.
Gungnir glowed faintly in his grasp as his gaze swept the hall.
The ceremony dragged on.
Name after name.
Warrior after warrior—scarred, bloodied—knelt to receive blessings and medals.
Antony stood near the front, posture impeccable, smile perfect.
Inside?
Yawn.
This guy talks more than the Oscars' technical awards.
Just get to Best Actor already.
Finally.
"Tyr, step aside."
Odin dismissed the one-armed war god.
Silence fell.
Odin rose, slamming Gungnir to the floor.
"People of Asgard!" his voice boomed like thunder.
"Darkness fell upon us. An enemy long buried sought to steal our light!"
His gaze swept the hall—then rested on Frigga.
"We bled. We sacrificed. But we did not fall!"
"Because one warrior from Midgard stood forth."
Gungnir pointed directly at Antony.
"Antony Starr! Also known as—Homelander!"
"He faced gods as a mortal."
"He reclaimed Queen Frigga from certain death."
Odin's single eye locked onto him, regal and severe.
"Step forward, Antony Starr—Homelander."
Antony adjusted his collar.
Curtain call.
He didn't fly.
He walked—slow, steady, solemn.
He bowed lightly before the throne.
"You have earned your pride, child," Odin said.
He lifted Gungnir and gently tapped Antony's shoulder.
"I, Odin, All-Father of the Gods, hereby declare—"
"I accept you as an honorary member of the Aesir."
"I bestow upon you the title—"
"God of the Mortal Realm."
--------------
T/N:
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