Frigga's location? Kamar-Taj. The only place capable of shielding someone from Odin's all-seeing gaze and faking a goddess's death. After their recent time together, Hong Fei felt certain the Ancient One stood with him—he'd already given her advance notice. Though at the time, he'd only mentioned sending someone over, not specifying who.
Odin and the Ancient One were old acquaintances, which meant Frigga counted as one too. The sorceress would probably welcome reuniting with an old friend. Not that Hong Fei hadn't considered letting Frigga take that fatal stab—he just didn't know if Dragon Power could resurrect a deity afterward.
Failure meant this whole trip would've been wasted. And saving a goddess? Nobody could argue that wasn't worthwhile. Now he had another reason to borrow Gungnir from Thor. Why not Odin? First, impossible. Second, the old king wouldn't be making decisions much longer. That cross-realm teleport for Frigga had drained most of Hong Fei's energy reserves.
The Nine Realms' convergence probably helped—without that cosmic alignment, his current mental strength might not have sustained a portal spanning such distances. Naturally, Hong Fei and Jane remained in Asgard. Leaving now would ruin the upcoming performance.
Among the forested mountains flanking Asgard's palace, Jane barely steadied herself before demanding to find Thor. Hong Fei silenced her with a precise neck chop. Showing his face now would complicate things—running into Thor without explanations ready would be awkward.
Simultaneously, he wrapped Jane in Dragon Power to sever Malekith's connection to the Aether. A single palm strike gouged a deep pit in the earth. After tucking Jane inside, he camouflaged the spot with dead branches and fallen leaves.
The nanotech armor at Hong Fei's wrist deployed instantly, encasing him in black plate adorned with dark golden dragon motifs. With their Aether target lost, the Dark Elves attempted retreat—but Hong Fei couldn't allow that, nor give Odin and Thor time to react.
A thunderous boom echoed as he rocketed skyward, landing at the Bifrost's control hub. Arms spread wide, energy erupted from his palms—thousands of razor-precise golden lines spiderwebbed outward, intersecting and paralleling until they formed a hundred-meter-wide magic shield unmistakably bearing Kamar-Taj's signature style.
With a forward thrust, the colossal shield hummed to life. Its intricate patterns shimmered like illuminated circuitry, liquid gold flowing through channels that magnified into breathtaking detail. The entire disc began advancing slowly.
Though invisible to both eye and sense, the Dark Elves' cloaked warships revealed themselves when forced to fire. Blue energy beams slammed into the shield, making the impacted sections flicker dangerously.
Hong Fei hovered midair, Dragon Power surging through his hands to reinforce every weakening line. The patterns burned brighter than before, their gold deepening to molten intensity.
Meanwhile, Thor found Odin clutching the glowing knife.
"Father!"
Odin turned. One glance at the familiar weapon told him everything. His single eye lifted to meet his son's gaze.
A blinding white light erupted from Odin's single eye, sharp as lightning. The searing radiance fractured the surrounding space, his gaze piercing through the Nine Realms in an instant. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the light faded. Two black ravens swooped through the window, perching on Odin's shoulders. Their whispers filled his ears like rustling leaves.
Only when the ravens fell silent did Thor dare speak. His voice trembled with hope.
"Father?"
Odin's spear clattered to the ground, its tip striking stone with a ringing finality. Thor's knees buckled. He barely caught himself against the wall before collapsing.
"Stand up."
Odin's command cut through the silence.
Thor's jaw clenched. His eyes burned, but he refused to let the tears fall. Odin seized his arm in a vice-like grip, hauling him upright.
"Straighten your back. You are the God of Thunder. Prince of Asgard. The enemy still stands."
Odin's voice cracked like a whip.
"What you need is to fight!"
Thor gripped his father's arm in return, shaking his head.
"They're gone, Father. We can't even see them anymore—how can we stop them?"
Odin went still. Then, slowly, he shook his head.
"No. They haven't retreated. Your friend holds them at bay."
Before the words fully landed, Odin whirled and shot from the Heavenly Palace in a streak of light.
Hong Fei saw the explosion of white light from miles away—yet Odin arrived before him in the space between heartbeats. The Allfather materialized astride his eight-legged steed, hooves pounding empty air as if it were solid ground. With a tug of the reins, the horse reared, its mane rippling like stormclouds.
Odin raised Gungnir. The sky convulsed. Thunder boomed like the world's end as a pillar of divine power lanced downward—faster, fiercer than the Bifrost itself. Malekith had no chance to evade.
The Cursed Warrior shoved him aside, taking the full brunt of the blast. White light met black armor in a violent reaction. Smoke poured from the warrior's body as the corrosive energy ate through him. His form crumbled, then disintegrated entirely under Odin's wrath.
The warrior collapsed to his knees, mouth stretched in a silent scream.
If anyone still doubted Odin's might, this spectacle erased all questions. But Malekith wasn't about to watch his last elite die without retaliation. His eyes narrowed to slits. With a sweeping gesture, he hurled a tidal wave of black mist at the Allfather.
Hong Fei could've intercepted such an attack blindfolded. For Odin, it should've been child's play. Yet when the darkness came, the Allfather's expression flickered. Gungnir spun in his grasp, scattering the cloud before it could near him. The white light winked out. Only the Cursed Warrior's dying shriek lingered.
Malekith barked an order. Dark Elves swarmed forward, dragging him toward the warship.
Odin's rage ignited. He leveled Gungnir at Malekith's retreating back. The Dark Elf leader froze, ice flooding his veins. He scrambled for the ship's hatch, dignity forgotten.
But—
Odin's throwing motion suddenly halted. The divine power swirling around his body abruptly stagnated. Glowing fissures split his skin—face, neck, hands—webbing his flesh with cracks of searing light. Behind him, Thor descended wreathed in lightning. The Dark Elves redoubled their assault on the Magic Shield.
The thousand-meter warship loomed overhead, its cannons emerging like teeth from a steel maw. Hong Fei's gaze never left Odin—this was the moment he'd been waiting for. With deliberate care, he withdrew the surging Dragon Power coursing through him.
The Magic Shield flickered under the barrage from the capital ship and its escorts. The protective glow dimmed, then shattered with a crystalline snap. As the shield exploded into glittering fragments, Hong Fei dropped like a stone onto the Bifrost. The Dark Elves made no move to pursue, vanishing into the shadows as they retreated.
The Eternal Spear clattered first from Odin's grip. The Allfather stood frozen, his body rigid as petrified wood. Then he toppled forward—only to be caught by Thor's lightning-fast reflexes. The white radiance blazing within Odin's form pulsed once before collapsing inward.
Fingers twitched. Breath returned. Then came the coughing—great, wracking spasms that shook his frame. Thor pounded his father's back until the fit subsided. When Odin finally spoke, his voice was threadbare.
"Gone?"
"Yes, Father."
Odin's eyelids fluttered.
"They'll return."
A pause. A wheezing breath.
"Next time... we exterminate them. Root and stem."
Thor surveyed the smoldering wreckage around them, the bodies strewn across the battlefield.
"We should relocate. Choose better ground."
"No!"
"But the casualties—"
Odin's hand shot out, gripping Thor's wrist with surprising strength. His voice turned to iron.
"I don't care if we fight to the last warrior! Spill the last drop of blood!"
The words came in a furious rasp.
"Those crawling shadows won't escape me again!"
The outburst spent him. Odin clutched his chest and crumpled against Thor's shoulder. When the thunder god lifted him, he found only the steady breath of deep slumber. Hong Fei rose from his prone position, dusting himself off. Perfect. Odin had played his part beautifully—and Thor had pushed him right into exhaustion.
Hong Fei's nano-armor retracted with a whisper, revealing solemn features as he approached.
"How fares the Allfather?"
Thor shook his head.
"Sleeping."
A single tear traced down the god's cheek. Hong Fei pretended not to notice.
"If it's merely sleep, why the tears?"
Thor scrubbed at his face with the back of his hand. When he met Hong Fei's gaze, something broke—his nose reddened, his shoulders hunched.
"My mother... she was..."
"Ah. That."
Hong Fei blinked.
"I sent her away."
Thor's head jerked up, face streaked with mucus and tears.
"Queen Frigga, yes?" Hong Fei continued casually.
"Heard the commotion, followed it to the palace gardens. Saw one of those oversized elves about to skewer her. Popped her somewhere safe."
Thor's lips worked soundlessly.
"But... the weapon I saw—"
"Mine." Hong Fei sighed.
"Tried to vaporize the bastards. They were quicker than they looked."
He shook his head in mock disappointment.
Thump!
Thor plopped down beside Odin, pounding the floor as he laughed and cried.