CHAPTER 69

Odin slumped to the ground weakly, his breath labored.

The Destroyer Armor on his body was tattered, its mystical enchantments flickering as if it could crumble at any moment.

Ragna grimaced, gripping Gungnir tightly as he pointed it at Odin's throat. His expression was complex, torn between victory and something deeper.

"I won."

"Release Hela, and abandon Midgard."

Ragna had emerged victorious, yet his face showed no joy.

Because he knew—if Odin were still in his prime, if he still wielded the full Odinforce, this battle would have ended very differently.

If Thor hadn't destroyed Bifrost, preventing Odin from channeling its energy through Gungnir, then even the Space Stone might not have saved him.

Even when Odin had unleashed Meteor Strike, his most devastating attack, it was only Odin's own words that gave Ragna the split-second needed to react.

Odin had been an unshakable mountain in his mind—an insurmountable force, a God-King whose power had defined the Nine Realms.

Yet now, that mountain lay at his feet.

Victory came with an emptiness—a strange mix of triumph and solitude.

But Ragna cast that aside. All he wanted was Hela's release. And Midgard.

Odin, still gasping for air, looked up with his one remaining eye, glowing faintly with wisdom and something else—pride.

"My child…"

"You never cease to amaze me."

Then, Odin did something unexpected.

"Midgard is yours."

"If you desire it, Asgard itself will be yours to rule."

But then his gaze hardened.

"As for Hela—kill me, and she will be free."

"But listen well, Ragna—" Odin's voice carried finality.

"Take care of your mother. And do not allow Hela to harm her brother."

With that, Odin calmly closed his eye, preparing to accept death.

Ragna's hand tensed around Gungnir. His mind raced, emotions colliding.

"Enough!" he snapped.

"Don't think I won't do it!"

Then, more steadily, he demanded:

"Tell me another way to release Hela."

Odin didn't even open his eye. His voice was unwavering.

"There is no other way."

Ragna raised Gungnir in anger, but before he could act, Frigga reached him.

She grasped his right hand, her grip firm despite trembling fingers.

She said nothing. She simply wept—tears of pain and helplessness.

For a long moment, Ragna stared into her grief-stricken eyes.

Then, his fingers loosened, and he threw Gungnir aside.

With his head lowered, he muttered to Odin,

"If this were a thousand years ago…"

"If I had won then—I wouldn't have spared you."

"But now?" His voice carried something new, something heavier.

"You don't have many years left."

"I won't make my mother suffer."

"So tell me something."

Ragna met Odin's gaze.

"For example—why are you aging so fast?"

"For example—what really happened back then?"

Odin opened his eye and, with a flick of his wrist, Gungnir returned to his hand.

Instantly, divine power surged into him, and he stood tall once more.

He cast a brief glance at Frigga, then said to Ragna,

"A thousand years ago, you would never have defeated me."

"But I will tell you everything."

"That is my price."

Odin dismissed Thor and the gathered Asgardian guards, instructing them not to intervene.

Then, with Frigga and Ragna, he walked toward his chambers.

Some truths were not meant for all ears.

The battle had ended.

Thor, exhaling sharply, watched them go, confusion burning in his mind.

Too many questions remained unanswered.

He turned to Valina, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"He's really my brother?"

"How is he so strong?"

Then, after a pause, he added with a smirk,

"I've always liked Valkyries since I was a boy… so tell me, how are you this powerful?"

"Are all Valkyries this strong?"

"How did you train?"

Valina rolled her eyes at him.

"Your brother Loki just fell into the void."

"Your friends are critically wounded."

"You shattered Bifrost, Thor—do you even understand what that means for Asgard?"

Her glare sharpened.

"And you're asking me about training?"

Thor fell silent.

Loki had deceived him—but he hadn't tried to kill him.

And despite everything, Thor still felt the bond between them.

Inside the palace, Odin finally began to speak.

"The Nine Realms… all but Midgard—Earth—are lands of myth and gods.

Giants, elves, dwarves, and celestial beings rule these worlds.

But Midgard alone is… different."

Odin's expression darkened.

"Despite being a small, mortal world—it is the most important place in the cosmos."

"Asgard, Jotunheim, Hel—every power in existence has, at some point, coveted Midgard."

"Do you know why?"

Ragna listened carefully.

"Because long ago, a prophecy was whispered among the gods—"

"Midgard contains the key to transcendence."

Odin's voice grew heavier.

"It is the cause of all things… and the fruit of all things."

"The origin of everything, and the only truth."

A distant look crossed his face, as if recalling the blood-soaked path to securing Midgard.

"We fought countless battles to claim it.

We subdued the Nine Realms, drove back the rival pantheons, and paid an unbearable price."

"For what?" Ragna asked.

Odin sighed.

"Midgard was ours. And so, we began studying its mysteries."

"And that was when the Celestials arrived."

Ragna's expression sharpened.

"Nine gods. Only nine."

"But each of them—" Odin's face darkened, "—held power near the peak of the Fourth Tier, near the level of a Skyfather."

"They accused Asgard of disturbing the balance of the cosmos."

"They demanded we cease our research on Midgard."

Odin's voice turned bitter.

"Asgard was at its zenith.

My brother Tyr, the God of War…

Balder, the God of Light…

Hodr, the God of Darkness…

And Ríg, Heimdall's father and our former guardian…"

"All of them were Fourth Tier gods, awakened to their divine power."

"We had a vast army, Bifrost, and Hela, my greatest warrior."

"We thought ourselves invincible."

Odin closed his eye, as if reliving a nightmare.

"But we were arrogant."

"And we lost."

The army of Asgard—obliterated.

His brothers—slaughtered.

"I watched Tyr—my own brother—ripped in half, his body devoured by one of them."

Ragna clenched his fists.

"I couldn't stand it. I burned my own life force, wielded Gungnir with all my power, and struck down their leader—severing his head."

"But it cost me everything."

"We had no choice but to negotiate."

"Asgard agreed to abandon Midgard. The Celestials ceased their attack."

Odin exhaled.

"I returned to Asgard… alone."

"Hela, unaware of the battle, had continued her campaign of conquest. When she returned, she demanded war."

"She believed I was weak. She challenged me."

Odin's grip on Gungnir tightened.

"I defeated her."

"But she refused to stop."

"I had to imprison her—with my own life force as the key."

"As long as I live… she cannot be free."

Odin fell silent.

Ragna's eyes burned with questions.

"So tell me…" His voice was steady.

"If she's that dangerous—"

"Why not just let her go?"

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