Chapter 148: A Simple Promise Means So Much...

Odin was so desperate to escape that he threw all caution to the wind.

With his intellect, of course he understood the complexities of karma and fate… or so he thought.

Yes, the soul crystal Loki gave him did indeed carry Hela's curse.

But that was just the surface.

The true trap lay in karma itself!

Thalos had entered the Ginnungagap World under the protection of the World Will and of Borson himself. That connection had established a massive karmic debt between them.

It had taken Thalos fifty long years—and Odin's relentless self-destruction—for that debt to be repaid and their destinies severed.

Now that the karma between them was clear, the act of releasing Odin flipped the script.

Now it was Odin who owed Thalos.

If Odin went to the other world and truly reformed—living humbly as a mortal—then the karmic thread would be light, almost negligible.

But…

If he went there and repeated his sins—acting as a traitor, a warmonger, a guide for invasion—then that karma would mutate into a catastrophic curse.

After all, this was no small kindness.

It was a God-King's grace.

And all blessings—especially divine ones—come with a price already written into fate itself!

As Loki performed the transfer, it appeared he was severing Odin from his prison.

In truth, countless invisible threads of fate—thick as chains—descended upon Odin's fractured soul and bound him once again, in a way he could never feel, never see, never escape.

Of course, Odin noticed nothing.

He assumed the soul-rattling tremor he felt was simply a side effect of escaping Hela's death-curse. He even found it… expected.

When his soul was finally moved into the crimson soul crystal, when he left that prison for the first time since death, Odin nearly cheered aloud.

Seeing that the two dumb royal guards at the door didn't notice a thing, he wanted to laugh out loud.

But he restrained himself.

Can't be careless now!

Outside the treasury, Odin finally couldn't hold back. [Loki! Where are you taking me?]

"To another world," Loki whispered.

"You staying in Ginnungagap is useless. The Norn Twins can still trace your soul."

Odin's soul shivered at the mention of Verdandi.

Of course! How had he forgotten? He had deeply offended Verdandi, goddess of the present.

He quickly changed the subject. [What do you mean another world?]

Loki glanced about like a sneaky thief, confirming there were fewer gold-armored patrols tonight. Then he lowered his voice, "I only learned this recently. Beside our world, there's another one—a separate, orderly world."

[What?!]

"They say it used to be even bigger than Ginnungagap. I figured, if I send you there, the Norns won't be able to track your soul."

[You can do that?]

"Absolutely. But it has to be tonight. Heimdall was invited to drink with Thalos. And the guy guarding the Rainbow Bridge now is Ullr—he's already half-drunk."

Odin hesitated. On a normal day, he'd never believe the loyal dog Heimdall would abandon his post.

But… this was post-Ragnarok.

Everything was different.

Sure enough, when they reached the bridge, Ullr was passed out cold.

Loki tiptoed to the Rainbow Bridge control platform, fiddling with buttons and runes for a full ten minutes—long enough to have Odin shaking in his soul.

[Loki, is it ready yet?!]

"Yeah… finally found it." Loki cursed under his breath. Damn it, Thalos, this is ridiculous.

The moment he activated the controls, the 'Alpha' coordinate lit up in bright red on the crystal console—along with temporary authorization under Loki's name.

All that stress and fumbling… was just an act.

A solo performance of a clueless operator stumbling his way through divine tech. What a joke.

The truth? Loki had been terrified he'd accidentally delete the pre-set coordinate.

He couldn't touch too many controls or he'd risk ruining everything. But he had to look like he was trying.

High-level acting, really.

Loki was sweating bullets.

At last, when the timing felt right, he placed the crimson soul crystal containing Odin's essence onto the teleport pedestal.

What is fake can be real—and what is real can still be faked.

Loki looked deeply at the crystal and said, "Odin. Promise me one thing."

[Say it.]

"If you make it safely to that world… live as a mortal. No revenge. No plots. You know full well—you'll never beat Thalos."

This wasn't part of the act.

This was Loki's true heart.

He understood Thalos' trap too well—if Odin truly gave up hatred, Thalos would let him fade away peacefully. But if he made trouble, Thalos' traps would crush him, one after another.

Loki genuinely hoped Odin would let go.

But the thing about open traps is—they're unescapable because there's no way out.

When Odin solemnly swore: [I promise. I will not oppose my brother again.]

Loki's heart sank into the abyss.

He knew Odin too well.

Whenever Odin promised too easily, it meant he never planned to keep the promise.

So that's how it is…

Then don't blame me.

Loki actually felt relieved.

The karmic thread that once bound them as brothers—transparent, delicate—was cut cleanly by Odin's casual lie.

Loki could almost see Odin's fate drifting like an autumn leaf, spiraling slowly downward.

"Odin. Take care."

[You too, Loki.]

"I hope we never meet again."

[Be well.]

A blinding arc of rainbow light burst upward, piercing the sky, breaking through the barriers between worlds.

Watching Odin disappear, Loki gagged.

He staggered backward, a hand over his throat, and threw up violently.

"Blech! Disgusting."

Meanwhile, back in the Silver Palace, Heimdall was mid-toast with Thalos when he saw the Rainbow Bridge activate.

His expression twisted in alarm, and he grabbed his sword to rush out—

"Calm down, Heimdall. I sent Loki to do it."

"…Huh?!" The white-clad Aesir's face twitched in disbelief. Then he smiled bitterly.

"Father, you should've told me."

"No way. You're too stiff. If I told you in advance, you'd have blown the whole act." Thalos downed his drink in one gulp. "Come on, let's keep drinking."

"…Right."

"Don't overthink it. Tomorrow, I'll tell the inner circle everything."

"Yes, Father."

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