Odin watched as Hela left the Nine Realms, knowing that this time, she would never return to Asgard.
She had joined Aaron, becoming his apostle, and from now on, her pursuit would be of something far greater—something more powerful and meaningful.
The Nine Realms, the Asgardian throne—these were no longer in her sights.
Her gaze was set upon the vast sea of stars, the endless universe.
As she had once dreamed, she would conquer new worlds and usher in a new era.
And this era would be the Age of the Magic Net.
Wherever the Magic Net spread, its influence would reign supreme.
All gods would depend on it for their survival.
All powers would operate within the rules it established.
The Nine Realms were no exception.
No, to be precise, the Nine Realms had already become part of this new age.
The moment they chose to connect to the Magic Net to gain power, their fate was sealed.
Once, Odin had opposed Hela's outward expansion. He had understood all too well that their strength was not yet enough to conquer the universe—or even just a single galaxy.
But now, with the Magic Net created by Aaron, this once-impossible ambition was turning into reality.
With the combined power of gods and mortals, they could stand against the mysterious forces lurking in the depths of the universe.
A possibility of success…
My gods!
Heimdall, watching Odin, didn't understand why he suddenly sighed.
Nor did he comprehend the shift in Odin's demeanor—why he now seemed relieved, much more at ease.
There was even a hint of admiration and envy in his voice.
This was the first time Heimdall had seen Odin like this.
"Have they returned? How did the meeting of the gods go?" Odin asked, moving to a more immediate concern.
"They have returned. The meeting of the gods has ended—it was over almost as soon as it began," Heimdall reported.
Odin's expression shifted, as if preparing to say something. But before he could, Thor burst into the Golden Hall.
"Father! The God-Slayer is here!"
"What?!"
Odin's expression darkened.
"Who told you this?"
"Aaron! He says the God-Slayer may already be in the Nine Realms, secretly preparing to attack Asgard!"
Thor had rushed in, wasting no time in relaying Aaron's warning.
The threat of the God-Slayer loomed over them.
Before coming here, Thor had sought out information about the God-Slayer.
What he discovered left him shaken.
The sheer destructive power of this being was terrifying.
"Heimdall! Use the All-Seeing Eye to search the Nine Realms! We must find any sign of the God-Slayer, Gorr!" Odin ordered immediately.
"Start with Asgard—we cannot allow him to threaten the peace of the realm!"
Though Odin was deeply concerned, he remained composed.
As the ruler of the Nine Realms, he had heard the name God-Slayer many times over the course of his long life.
A nightmare for all gods.
A relentless butcher of the divine.
Every wielder of the All-Black, the Necrosword, had left a trail of blood in their wake.
The very existence of Omnipotence City was, in part, a response to the terror of the God-Slayer.
The gods had long struggled against him.
To them, the God-Slayer was an eternal threat.
And the Necrosword—an unkillable parasite.
The mere presence of this sword had forced many gods to retreat, to flee.
Even the most powerful of them had chosen to hide rather than confront it.
But Odin was not like Zeus and the others.
He refused to abandon his people.
He refused to surrender his warrior's honor and retreat to Omnipotence City.
He was confident—confident that if the God-Slayer did come, he could protect Asgard.
But he hadn't expected the timing to be so soon.
Thankfully, the Magic Net had prolonged Odin's strength, delaying the inevitable decline of his power due to his approaching lifespan.
Thankfully, Thor was also connected to the Magic Net.
He had been one of the first to embrace its power.
With the support of several extraordinary races, his strength had already far surpassed his former self.
If the two of them stood together—
Even a God-Slayer would struggle to defeat them.
Oh, and then there was Loki.
"Heimdall, find a way to warn Loki about the God-Slayer!" Odin added.
Loki had grown powerful enough to threaten Thor, but Odin had raised him for many years. He still held some concern for him.
With Loki's current level of magic, Odin believed that as long as he remained vigilant, he could at least hold his own against the God-Slayer.
Heimdall hesitated for a moment. Though he personally disagreed with Odin's decision, he still followed his orders.
"In addition," Odin continued, "mobilize all troops. Increase patrols. Ensure that defensive teams are stationed along our borders at all times!"
"Tell Irene to gather our finest mages and erect magic barriers across the entire realm. The moment a stranger steps foot inside, I am to be notified immediately. No one is to act without my command!"
"Yes, my king!"
With these commands, all of Asgard's forces were mobilized.
The entire realm was placed on high alert.
Fortunately, Asgard was not too vast. And given that it was a civilization built upon a fusion of magic and advanced technology—
Fortifying the realm like an iron fortress was simple.
Once Odin had finished issuing orders, Thor approached him and lowered his voice.
He asked about the meeting of the gods, about Zeus, about the state of the other gods.
Odin was not surprised to hear Thor questioning them.
Questioning Zeus.
After a brief moment of consideration, he shared what he knew.
Thor compared Odin's account with what he had learned from Amora and Sif.
The last shred of hope in his heart vanished.
Zeus was no longer his idol.
Omnipotence City no longer held any appeal.
Asgard was his only home.
Meanwhile, in a hidden corner of Asgard—
A man clad in white robes, wielding a black sword, stepped into the realm of the gods.
"So this is Asgard?" he muttered, disgusted.
Across the cosmos, another monumental shift was occurring.
In Omnipotence City, many gods rejoiced as they felt the power of the Magic Net surging through them.
"My strength is growing!"
"Mine too! Energy that had stagnated for years is finally increasing!"
"My followers are finally proving useful—fools that they are."
The gods had long believed their strength was limited by bloodline and divine favor.
But now, through the Magic Net, they saw hope.
The more believers they had, the stronger they became.
And believers with special powers—whether through magic, technology, or unique biology—provided even greater power.
At the same time, across the Milky Way, a great unrest was brewing.
Within the Kree Empire, a massive shift had taken place.
The Supreme Intelligence had issued an empire-wide military summons.
Armies were being recalled from all corners of the galaxy.
All special missions, including the pursuit of a certain mechanical lifeform, had been abruptly terminated.
The Kree Empire was on the verge of an unprecedented war.
The Guardians of the Galaxy, who had been closely monitoring them, quickly relayed this information to Aaron.
When Aaron heard about the upheaval in the Kree Empire, a single thought surfaced in his mind—
"The Kree Empire is doomed."
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