Upon seeing Heimdall approach, Odin immediately dismissed the woman beside him and sat upright.
He knew that Heimdall would never interrupt his indulgence unless the matter was truly important.
Heimdall stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully,"King of Gods, I have made a major discovery."
After speaking, he glanced at the people around the hall who had not yet left.
The matter was too important. Before understanding the God-King's intentions, he did not wish for any third party to learn of it.
Meanwhile, the dancers and beautiful attendants began to retreat slowly. Some even tried to flirt with Heimdall as they passed, but he ignored them completely.
In Heimdall's heart, there was only loyalty to Odin, the God-King. Nothing else mattered.
It was precisely because of this that Loki had always been wary of him—and had even once considered eliminating him.
Odin nodded lightly and waved his hand, ordering everyone else to leave at once.
After the hall finally fell silent, he spoke in a serious tone."What is it?"
Heimdall's golden eyes flickered faintly. After confirming that no one was eavesdropping, he said solemnly,"I have seen unfamiliar spaceships appear at the edge of the Milky Way—no fewer than ten thousand."
Odin's expression changed immediately.
"Ten thousand unfamiliar ships? Didn't we seal all the wormholes? How did they enter?"
Heimdall shook his head."I do not know. It must be a newly formed wormhole, or technology—or magic—that allows interstellar travel. Please decide quickly, God-King. I sense no goodwill from these visitors."
Although Heimdall's divine power was immense, and his golden eyes were said to watch over the Nine Realms, that sight extended only so far.
The Milky Way itself spanned nearly one hundred thousand light-years.
If Heimdall could truly monitor the entire galaxy, Odin would never have had the chance to become the God-King.
Thus, Heimdall did not know when those ships appeared, nor how they arrived.
Odin lowered his head and fell into thought.
What kind of change would this new force bring?
After ascending to rule the galaxy, Odin had implemented strict isolation to consolidate his power, ordering all wormholes destroyed.
Wormholes could indeed be forcibly sealed—but doing so consumed enormous energy.
After more than a thousand years of rule, the Milky Way was no longer chaotic.
At this moment, the Asgardians stood at the peak of power. No force dared challenge them.
If the newcomers had entered through technology or magic rather than wormholes…then didn't that mean Asgard itself could expand beyond the galaxy?
But when Odin thought of Thor's reckless and crude temperament, he could only sigh and abandon the idea.
He was already old.
If his successor lacked wisdom, the vast empire he had built would not endure.
He had once planned to have the Valkyries assist Thor, but that foolish son not only lacked sense—he also refused to follow Odin's arrangements.
Thus, ensuring Thor's smooth succession was the most urgent matter.
Odin raised his head and saw Heimdall still kneeling in place, posture firm and respectful.
This alone brought him comfort.
"The enemy has revealed themselves," Odin said coldly."What are we waiting for? Summon all warriors. Drive out the invaders. Protect the Nine Realms!"
As he spoke, he stood.
The Eternal Spear appeared instantly in his hand, and his battle robes formed around him layer by layer.
For a moment, Odin radiated majesty and authority, recalling the fearsome God-King of his youth.
Of course—
It would have been even better if he had put on some pants.
…
Near the wormhole in the Milky Way.
More than two thousand warships lay quietly anchored in space.
Distant stars shimmered, struggling to illuminate the darkness.
Thanos sat upon the throne of Sanctuary II, slowly stroking the Mind Stone in his hand.
Beneath him knelt a burly, red-skinned alien with two curved horns.
The alien's gaze toward Thanos was filled with boundless fanaticism and worship.
If Thanos ordered him to kill himself, he would do so without hesitation.
Using the Mind Stone, Thanos had turned him into an utterly devout follower—far more loyal than even the Black Order.
This was far more effective than Loki's crude use of the Mind Stone to control Hawkeye.
As one of the six Infinity Stones, its power being "broken" after a few hits was nothing short of absurd.
Just then, a projection appeared in midair.
The figure was tall and massively built—taller even than Thanos—his muscles coiled with explosive strength.
Dark gray skin and jet-black armor made him appear oppressive and fierce.
Yet now, he knelt on one knee.
It was Black Dwarf, one of the Black Order.
"Sir," he said respectfully, "our reconnaissance ships have detected a large number of unfamiliar warships."
Thanos's eyes gleamed.
"Oh?" He smiled faintly. "It seems that old man Odin has finally stopped hiding."
Within the Milky Way, only Asgard could deploy fleets on such a scale.
Though the movies never showed the war between Thanos and Odin, the outcome was easy to imagine.
Thanos must have been humiliated and forced to retreat. That was why he later used Loki to invade Earth and seek the Infinity Stones.
Even after losing the Mind Stone, he dared not act recklessly until Odin's death.
Only then did he invade the galaxy, defeat Thor, and march on Earth.
But this was not the Thanos of the movies.
This was Thanos—with foresight, preparation, and a system.
He was not afraid of Odin appearing.
He feared only that Odin might continue to hide.
The Milky Way was vast beyond measure. Searching star by star would take an eternity.
Now that Odin had stepped forward on his own—
That was perfect.
Suppressing his excitement, Thanos asked calmly,"How many ships have they sent?"
Black Dwarf hesitated, glanced at his subordinates, then answered after a moment."Approximately twenty-five thousand. Mostly large, medium, and small warships. No Titan-class vessels detected."
Black Dwarf was not particularly intelligent.
His position among the Black Order relied almost entirely on brute strength, and his overall power ranked lowest among the five.
Thus, he often needed assistance to provide precise information.
Thanos stroked his chin, fingers tracing the purple markings on his skin.
Twenty-five thousand ships… Odin truly commands terrifying resources.
But no Titan-class warships?
Had Asgard fallen behind the rest of the universe?
After a brief silence, Thanos lifted his head.
"Prepare yourselves," he said coldly."A great war is about to begin."
.....
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