The Decisive Battle Begins

After returning to the temple, Odin quickly called another emergency meeting.

With Hela back, he was confident he could fight Thanos to the death.

But yesterday's battle had also shown him the limitations of those tiny spaceships, so he planned to build more warships.

Even a small warship was better than those spaceships, which barely qualified as cannon fodder.

Under a Level One war mobilization, the Asgard Continent's hundreds of billions of Asgardians threw themselves into building warships.

They worked around the clock in three shifts, never stopping production.

And so three months passed.

Odin now had another fifteen thousand warships at his command.

Of course, the vast majority were small warships.

Medium and large warships took at least a year to build. There was no way to finish them in three short months, so construction on them had not even begun.

Thanos's forces had not been idle during those three months either.

Every month, around a hundred warships arrived as reinforcements, along with transport ships carrying supplies.

Meanwhile, at the bases in the rear, the Black Order's Bio-Warriors continued to hatch.

Just as Thanos thought Odin would remain holed up in Asgard, he received word from his subordinates.

Asgard's warships were taking off, and it looked as though the Protective Shield was about to open.

At the time, however, he was on a barren planet, absorbing its Star Core.

Upon hearing the news, he abandoned the nearly drained planet and flew toward Sanctuary II.

At full speed, he could travel at almost the speed of light.

But in his search for Star Cores, he had gone a hundred light-years away.

So he tore open a Space Rift with his bare hands, entered subspace, and made a space jump.

He had only gained this ability after absorbing his first Star Core.

Before that, he would have needed to expend enormous amounts of Destructive Power to protect his body.

Now, his body alone could withstand the Space Turbulence of subspace.

Just ten minutes later, he emerged near Sanctuary II.

There, he saw that Asgard's Protective Shield had opened and a vast number of warships were pouring out.

Countless laser cannons traded fire, and Energy Shields flared to life.

On the Asgard Continent, plasma cannons, electromagnetic Orbital Cannons, energy spires, and other defenses opened fire as well.

This was a true clash of advanced technology.

The question was whose technology was superior and whose energy reserves would last longer.

But this was not a universe ruled by technology alone. Technology and Superpowers existed side by side.

Thor swung Mjolnir, blinding arcs of electricity radiating from him as he destroyed one warship after another.

Thanos narrowed his eyes at the sight.

They were taking advantage of his side's lack of elite fighters.

The Black Order might seem powerful, but none of its members had reached the Sub-Celestial Father Level. They could not stop Thor.

Shaking his head, Thanos appeared before Thor and brought Tyrant's Blade down.

"No!"

A furious roar came from the distance.

It was Odin.

He had never imagined that Thanos, already a Skyfather-level fighter, would ambush Thor, who was only a Sub-Skyfather.

Where was a strong warrior's dignity? Where was a Skyfather's pride?

How could he stoop so low?

But no matter how furious Odin felt, he could not change what happened.

Under Thor's disbelieving gaze, Thanos's blade struck Mjolnir.

In the next instant, a brilliant light erupted.

Endless bolts of lightning shot in every direction, and a figure was sent flying.

When the light finally faded, Mjolnir lay in pieces.

Thanos lowered Tyrant's Blade and looked coldly at Odin in the distance.

Odin caught Thor as he flew back.

Only then did Thanos notice an unfamiliar woman beside Odin.

Her entire body radiated an aura of death, and she had reached the Skyfather level.

The corner of Thanos's mouth lifted.

He had not expected Odin to release Hela.

After checking Thor's injuries and confirming he was still alive, Odin handed him to Frigga behind him. Then he gripped Gungnir and fixed his eyes on Thanos.

"Today, we fight to the death!"

With that, he charged.

Their last battle had taught him that ranged attacks could do nothing to Thanos. There was no point wasting time on them.

Halfway there, golden light burst from his body.

He had entered the Divine Descent state.

Hela followed close behind Odin, conjuring a short blade in each hand.

Flames rose from both blades.

She had fused her attacks with the Eternal Flame, giving them a burning effect.

Thanos merely shook his head in disdain.

By now, he had absorbed nearly two planets, and his strength had grown tremendously.

When he struck Thor earlier, he had held back to guard against a surprise attack from Odin.

Otherwise, Thor would already be dead.

Despite his disdain, Thanos activated his Ruler ability and Destructive Power.

In the next instant, Odin reached him.

Clang! A deafening impact echoed through the vacuum.

Gungnir collided with Tyrant's Blade once more.

But a moment later, Odin's expression changed drastically.

He had expected an even match, yet Thanos's strength forced him back.

How was this possible?

He had paid an enormous price to suppress the aftereffects of his last Divine Descent.

How could Thanos overpower him when he was now at full strength?

Had Thanos held back last time?

No. They were fighting a war to the death. Why would Thanos have spared him?

His strength must have increased recently.

At that thought, Odin's face turned grim.

Fortunately, Hela arrived then, sending black short swords shooting toward Thanos.

Thanos shoved Odin away with one forceful push, then casually knocked Hela's swords aside.

Soon, the three of them were locked in battle.

Destructive Power, divine power, and Death Power erupted within that small stretch of space, leaving faint cracks in the space around them.

Thanos felt more exhilarated than ever.

Unleashing his full strength and feeling Destructive Power surge through his body captivated him.

He had enjoyed fighting Odin last time, but concern for his troops had kept him from focusing entirely on the battle.

This time, he had no reason to worry that his forces would lose. He could throw himself into the fight.

As the battle went on, the movements of Tyrant's Blade grew more precise, until the weapon left afterimages in its wake.

Even against two opponents, he gave no ground. At times, he pushed both Odin and Hela back.

For Odin, the fight had become deeply troubling.

The strength Thanos now displayed was enough to overwhelm him completely.

Without Hela's help, he might already have been defeated.

Hela did not know how strong Thanos had been before, but unease was creeping into her heart as well.

They were Asgardians of royal blood, born at the very top of the food chain.

Yet even fighting two against one, they were being overpowered.

Perhaps not even Zeus, king of the gods, could manage such a feat.