How strong is Odin? The answer lies in understanding whether you can defeat him without risking yourself—anything beyond that is irrelevant. In the Marvel Universe, the Aesir possess a unique trait: their divine power grows with their age. The longer a god lives, the more formidable they become.
Odin is now approaching the end of his life. Compared to his eternal existence in the past, the time he has left, when translated into human terms, might amount to mere hours—or even minutes. Even Hong Fei, confident to the point of arrogance, understood that confronting Odin head-on would be futile. He wasn't ready.
If brute force wasn't an option, Hong Fei needed a different approach. Reflecting on the Dark Elves' invasion, Odin had remained secluded throughout the conflict. This wasn't because he lacked strength or feared the Dark Elves—quite the opposite. His absence hinted at deeper motives.
Malekith, the Dark Elves' leader, had once been a formidable adversary. Five thousand years ago, during the last Convergence of the Realms—the final time the Dark Elves emerged—Odin hadn't yet ascended to the throne of Asgard. It was Bor, Odin's father, who led the Asgardian army to suppress the Dark Elves.
At that time, the Dark Elves had dominated vast swaths of the Nine Realms. Bor, as the reigning Aesir God-King, led his forces into a decisive battle against them. The outcome was a resounding victory for Asgard, forcing the Dark Elves into dormancy.
A critical detail emerged: during that ancient conflict, Malekith never had the chance to wield the Aether Particle. Asgard seized it first, a move that likely tipped the scales in their favor. After their defeat, Malekith and his remaining forces retreated into a self-imposed slumber, biding their time for a resurgence.
The Aether Particle—the Reality Stone—was something Bor couldn't destroy. Instead, he buried it deep underground, hoping it would remain hidden forever. The question lingered: who was stronger? Malekith, who had been dormant for five millennia, or Odin, whose divine power had grown exponentially over the same period?
The Aesir God-Kings' power deepened with each generation. Odin's lineage ensured he surpassed his predecessors. Combined with his vast experience in battle, Malekith stood no chance against Odin without the Aether Particle. Even with it, his mastery of the Reality Stone was rudimentary at best. He likely didn't even grasp its true nature.
Odin's seclusion during the invasion wasn't merely a disagreement with Thor's tactics. His divine power had become a heavy burden on his aging body. Any significant exertion might force him to abdicate immediately, thrusting Thor onto the throne. Perhaps, too, Odin saw this as an opportunity to test and temper his heir. Like the Ancient One, Odin's choice of successor was never made lightly.
After piecing together these insights, Hong Fei saw the situation with clarity. The 'paper' was laid out before him, its boundaries defined. The Dark Elves' invasion followed a clear trajectory: it began in Asgard, shifted to Svartalfheim under Thor's influence, and ultimately landed on Earth.
After thinking through these key points, Hong Fei knew he could pick up his brush and paint on this 'paper,' and he clearly knew where the boundaries of this 'paper' lay. Looking at the entire course of the Dark Elf invasion: the first half was in Asgard, the middle shifted to Svartalfheim because of Thor, and it finally landed on Earth.
As everyone knows, if you're going to do it, do the whole set. Only then can you better control the direction. Don't be dirty; this is very serious. Hong Fei's plan was to directly cancel the detour in the middle and graft that segment directly onto Earth—more accurately, onto Europe and North America. In Svartalfheim, the sky and Earth were a dark, dusky yellow.
Everywhere was an endless expanse of desolation, covered in thick clouds and overgrown with jagged rocks, without a single sign of life. If the mid-stage battle were placed in Svartalfheim, then undoubtedly there would only be one kind of harvest for Hong Fei. If shifted to Earth, the result would naturally be quite different.
Don't talk to Hong Fei about bloodshed and sacrifice, much less about stability and peace. As an involved party and someone who truly possesses great power, he understands these things better than anyone. But he has never been a superhero, nor is he a good person. It's even more impossible for him to completely transform into a good person just because of external involvements.
Death is the eternal theme of war. What could be more in line with the definition of a 'bad deed' than personally creating a war that truly sweeps across hundreds of millions of lives? The former is a villain who inspires fear and hatred. The latter is the Dragon King that people imagine and hope for. The combination of the two is the truly complete and flawless Hong Fei.
At this thought, Hong Fei slightly closed his eyes. Within the Dragon Dimension linked to his Soul, the vast Dragon Power let out a roar that almost tore through space. The Panther God's power wrapped in the center had completely lost its Black Panther form; it seemed to have been ground into a sphere by the constant, day-and-night flushing of the Dragon Power.
It looked like it was about to vanish completely. Dragon Power Integration: 44.33%
In just over a month, an increase of nearly 10%. Who could know how much Hong Fei, who hadn't gone all out during this period, had changed compared to a month ago? Except for himself. Night fell.
Asgard is different from the other realms of the Nine Realms because it is not a Planet, but a continent floating in the Universe. This is very unscientific, but the Aesir don't need science. Therefore, the so-called nightfall is not caused by planetary rotation; it is more like something created by divine power or magic. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Pushing the door open, Thor entered along with a gust of cool night air from outside. The hot flames of the fire piled in the stone hearth flickered accordingly. With a soft clatter, Thor turned back to close the wooden door and slid the bolt shut. The yellow shadows illuminated by the fire returned to normal. The iron armor and cape on Thor's body gradually disappeared.
He looked at the hook on the wooden wall near the entrance, carefully placed Mjolnir on it, and then lightly stroked it from the strap downwards with his fingers. His gentle movements and gaze made Hong Fei feel as if he were caressing a lover. No, Jane Foster might not even get such treatment.
"You really like it?" Hong Fei asked, sitting by the campfire.
Thor turned around, walked slowly to Hong Fei's side, pulled over a wooden stool, and sat down with his legs wide apart.
"It was the first weapon in my life. It made me the true God of Thunder."
Well, you haven't awakened your true source of power yet, so I don't blame you, but your expectations will probably be disappointed.
Hong Fei lowered his head and poked at the fire with a branch in his hand. The flames suddenly shot up, and the hot air pushed waves of scattered sparks upward. Thor looked at the burning fire, seemingly lost in memory.
"When I was a child, only three people were most important in my life."
Hong Fei nodded: "Odin, Frigga, Loki."
"Yes. Back then, Loki and I were the best of playmates. I lived for those moments with Loki. Sleep felt like a waste—I'd lie awake at night, restless, already craving the next day. The moment dawn broke, I'd throw off the covers and rush to find him, no matter what else was going on. It never crossed my mind that he might not want to be woken up that early—until the day he hid something under the covers. It looked like a hedgehog from Earth, but its quills were steel needles, sharp and unyielding. I learned my lesson the hard way."
Hong Fei chuckled. Thor joined in, shaking his head.
"After that, I never dared to throw off his covers in the morning again."
"So even now, you still think that time was important? Happy?" Hong Fei asked.
"Absolutely," Thor replied. "Sure, he had endless pranks, but I wasn't exactly a saint either. I never meant to make him miserable, but somehow, I always did. It's a talent—I didn't even have to try."
Looking back, it's clear Loki was often the one retaliating. And honestly? It makes sense. Given Thor's past—and even his current behavior—he was probably an unbearable brat as a kid.
"Frigga always sided with Loki," Thor continued. "No matter how badly he pranked me, she knew I usually brought it on myself. Maybe it was because Loki was adopted, but overall, she treated us the same. I think it was more about me being the instigator."
Hong Fei nodded. Queen Frigga—someone who could influence even Loki—must have been a truly compassionate woman. But don't get the wrong idea. Loki wasn't some helpless victim. His pranks were second nature, a part of his soul. In that regard, he and Thor were evenly matched.
"My father? I only remember him as serious," Thor said.
"From childhood to adulthood, I hardly ever saw him smile at me."
A stern father, a loving mother, and a mischievous younger brother. Strip away their divine status and power, and they were just an ordinary family.
"Then came the day my father stripped me of my divine power and exiled me to Earth," Thor said.
"That's when I met Jane. She became the fourth important person in my life."
Hong Fei turned to look at him, expecting Thor to continue. But Thor paused, meeting his gaze with a thoughtful expression.
"You are the fifth important person in my life."
Saying this, he reached out and patted Hong Fei's shoulder, flashing a goofy smile. Hong Fei wasn't convinced. Thor's tone was too casual, his grip too forceful. It felt like a guilty conscience talking.