94

The Space Gem

Forseti and Hela turned their heads to see an elderly man emerging slowly from the darkness. His appearance was peculiar indeed—his entire body gleamed with a golden hue, resembling pure gold. He was thin, half-bald with white hair, wrinkled, and looked very old, yet his smile gave him the air of a benevolent grandfather.

Most striking was the azure gem embedded in his forehead, faintly glowing with a mysterious ripple of power...

At that moment, the old man carried the fire-bathing beast that had just escaped. The beast struggled and roared before fainting inexplicably in his grasp.

Forseti and Hela were both surprised and nervous at the sight of the fire-bathing beast that had eluded Hermond but was now within the old man's easy reach.

Hela asked cautiously, "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. Few know of me," the old man replied cryptically.

He then raised the fire-bathing beast and shook it twice. "If you want this, answer me a question."

"What is the question?" Hela inquired.

Slowly, the old man asked, "Is there a treasure called the 'Tablet of Life and Time' in the Cul treasury?"

Upon hearing this, Forseti couldn't help but recall the troll's mention of the raid on Ulrich's treasure house, suspecting this old man to be the thief...

Hela frowned. "I'm sorry, but we don't know."

"Oh, really?" The old man seemed unconvinced as he stared at her. "You must be Odin's daughter. How do you not know this?"

"Perhaps Cul's daughter might know," Hela deflected.

The old man nodded thoughtfully. "If that's the case... let Odin offer something in exchange."

Before anyone could react, he appeared before Hela, moving faster than she could respond.

Blinding Light!

Forseti quickly unleashed a dazzling light and activated a light shield simultaneously.

To their surprise, the old man merely blinked a few times, seemingly unaffected.

"Fascinating. After millions of years, I encounter such power for the first time," the old man remarked. "Yet, it seems you're not using it to its full potential!"

With a sudden movement, he kicked at the Holy Light Shield.

"Crack!"

Despite his frail appearance, the old man's strength was astonishing, shattering the shield with a single blow.

Perhaps his earlier comment had delayed him. In that moment, Hela's sword shot towards him at incredible speed, its edge aimed at his neck.

Swiftly, the old man dodged the strike, though his movements were somewhat awkward.

Seizing the opportunity, Forseti immediately cast the Hand of Reckoning.

Hands of Reckoning!

The old man's expression shifted abruptly as he turned to face it, evidently caught off guard.

Hela's sword struck again, accompanied by daggers in each hand.

"What?!"

The old man dodged the sword but was stabbed twice in the arm, causing him to cry out in pain.

Yet, his golden skin proved resilient; Hela's daggers couldn't penetrate it fully, as though it were made of some sturdy golden metal.

Pain flaring in his arm, the old man quickly pulled out the two daggers.

"Children have managed to wound me," he grumbled angrily as the daggers fell to the ground. Slowly, his wounds began to heal, his golden skin repairing itself.

Watching the old man's calm demeanor, Forseti felt a cold sweat forming on his brow, wondering why this night had turned so unlucky.

Encountering trolls was one thing—Asgard's Hunt Festivals often saw minor skirmishes with them.

But who in the Nine Realms was this golden old man?

Incredibly powerful, seemingly ageless...

And was that azure gem on his forehead truly a Space Gem?

Forseti glanced at the old man again.

If that azure gem was indeed a Space Gem... then this old man might a Elder of the Universe known as the Runner, possessor of the Space Gem in the comics.

More cold sweat trickled down Forseti's brow as he activated his Divine Protection, formulating their next move.

Just as he and Hela tensed, the sky suddenly boomed.

"Boom—"

A massive thunderbolt struck the old man, sending him staggering and almost toppling.

"You dare harm my daughter!" Odin's enraged voice thundered as he descended from the sky, wreathed in thunder.

Odin at this age bore little resemblance to the kindly grandfather depicted in the movies. Upon appearing, he charged forward, resembling Thor in his wrath.

The old man hastily dodged, gasping for breath as he regained his footing. "Son of Bor!"

"And son of Mimir," a rough voice echoed as a burly, dark-skinned middle-aged man, Ullr, appeared nearby.

The old man seemed to hesitate briefly in the face of Odin's challenge, but upon seeing Ullr, he snorted and vanished.

Odin's expression darkened. Knowing he couldn't pursue, he turned to Ullr. "Why is he here? Wasn't he one of your surveillance targets?"

"He seems intent on scouring the universe for various treasures to stave off his age," Ullr explained calmly. "I suspect we'll witness the end of this old relic in our lifetimes."

"Father, before we—" Hela began tentatively.

"Ullr has informed me," Odin reassured her, patting Hela's shoulder. "Fear not, Hermond will be safe. The troll's operation is significant, and Asgard will send someone to deal with it... Continue your hunt in peace."

With that, he gestured, "Let's go."

Ullr remained silent, walking over to retrieve the unconscious fire-bathing beast from the ground.

Odin's expression soured slightly. "What are you doing?"

"This fire-striding beast wasn't claimed in the hunt. As the festival's judge, I am obliged to recover it," Uller stated matter-of-factly.

"Hmph!" Odin clearly disapproved but refrained from further comment, grunting in dissatisfaction.