A rainbow beam of light, reaching to the heavens and the earth, descended from the sky and enveloped Thor and Jane.
Meikyō hurriedly stepped into the pillar of light.
He didn't know the exact spatial coordinates of Asgard, and the Ancient One hadn't told him either. If he wanted to go there, this really was the only way.
Three days later.
When Jane Foster woke up, she found herself lying in a classically decorated place.
It looks somewhat like a medieval palace, but more magnificent, taller, and with a more artistic flair.
"Here it is..."
"Jane! This is my home, this is Asgard. Are you alright?"
Thor grasped Jane's hand, his face showing concern.
Queen Mother Frigga stepped forward, pressed Thor down, took Jane Foster's hand, and re-examined this human woman who could potentially become her daughter-in-law.
"Your body has been invaded by Aether. This powerful mage, who is also from Midgard, and I have joined forces, but we can only suppress it for now, not eradicate it."
Frigga had a kind face, but she delivered some less-than-good news.
"Mother, is there really no other way?"
"Thor pleaded."
Frigga's heart softened, but she still shook her head.
"The Aether is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. Even your father has to treat it with caution. Unless you have a deep understanding of this power, it is difficult to extract it from Jane's body. No matter how strong we are, we are not stronger than the ether. We can only suppress it temporarily, which is the limit."
Frigga had no prejudice against Jane, but Jane was, after all, just a mortal.
The term "mortal" implies that the other person has a lifespan of at most a hundred years.
Thor, being Asgardian, has a lifespan of five thousand years.
Humans on Earth, even with a few exceptions such as the Sorcerer Supreme of each generation who could extend their lives by several hundred or even a thousand years, are mostly not as old as the Asgard.
Moreover, Jane Foster is clearly not among them; at best, she can only be considered an ordinary woman who is somewhat intelligent and has some knowledge of astrophysics.
A short, sharp pain is better than a long, drawn-out one. It would be good if this opportunity could make Thor give up on his hopes.
"What will happen to me after that?"
Jane tried her best to calm herself down and asked the group.
"We can only suppress the Aether for a month at most. After that, your body and your consciousness will perish because they cannot withstand the powerful force of the Aether."
Frigga sighed and looked at Thor.
"Thor, take Jane to rest. Respected Meikyō, Odin, the King of Gods Odin, wishes to see you."
Frigga nodded slightly to Meikyō and walked out of the palace first.
Meikyō followed Frigga all the way to the royal court of Asgard.
Odin, dressed in magnificent gold and white armor, held Gungnir, his posture upright and his aura majestic.
"Welcome, Grand Master Meikyō of the Midgard."
Odin formally extended his hand, inviting Meikyō to sit in a chair opposite him.
The Sorcerer Supreme's status is no less than that of the God-King of Asgard. Although the Meikyō is currently only in reserve, Odin can clearly sense that the sorcerer or swordsman in front of him is very powerful and qualified to be on equal footing with him.
Good day, Your Majesty Odin.
Odin is the king of the gods, so calling him Your Majesty is more appropriate than His Majesty.
Meikyō gracefully bowed slightly to Odin, showing respect without lowering her head, and then naturally sat down in the chair opposite him.
He had a strong feeling about Odin.
He was so powerful that his body was radiating a terrifying divine power.
This is something that only those with strength close to or at the same level as Odin can perceive.
Logically speaking, a normal Heavenly Father-level powerhouse, especially one among the top Heavenly Father-level powerhouses, should not be able to control the leakage of power like this, unless they are demonstrating against the person in front of them.
Is Odin showing off to himself?
It seems that might be true, but Odin himself probably didn't mean it that way.
"The Sorcerer Supreme of Midgard history has always been on good terms with Asgard. We have worked together to maintain peace in the Nine Realms. In the distant past, when the God-King was still my father, Bor, I, as the God of Thor, formed a friendship with the first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto, to fight against enemies that threatened Earth. When Mjolnir was forged, I also invited the Mjolnir Zhang Jiao to bless it. Therefore, we have been the most steadfast allies for thousands of years. I hope that in the future, the new Sorcerer Supreme and Asgard will also maintain a good relationship. Oh, and of course, when Thor becomes king, he will also maintain good relations with the Sorcerer Supreme and Earth."
Odin, with a smile in his eyes, spoke to the Meikyō.
Long ago, before Odin became the King of Gods, he formed the Prehistoric Avengers with Agamotto, the Prehistoric Black Panther, and others. They defeated Zegrib, a member of the Celestials who had been infected by the Hive, and repelled the subsequent Celestial Creators.
"Of course, I will, Your Majesty Odin. I will also ensure that my successor maintains relations with Asgard. The existence of Asgard can help keep many ill-intentioned people away from Earth."
Meikyō smiled and said to Odin.
"Haha, that's wonderful. The existence of Asgard can greatly help the Sorcerer Supreme. So I think the Master Mingjing must also hope that Asgard can always stand in front of Earth."
Odin burst into laughter.
"That's natural."
Meikyō nodded gently.
Asgard won't last much longer, but Asgard still powerful now. Odin, the king of the gods, is a force to be reckoned with in the universe and is one of the strongest among all the Godfathers. Thor, with Meow, can unleash power at the Celestial-level when he goes all out. In addition, with the elites of Asgard, it is one of the top powers in the universe.
No one believed that Asgard would decline so quickly; people only thought that this behemoth would continue to be as powerful as it had been for the past few thousand years.
Except for certain existences.
For example, the Sorcerer Supreme possessed the Time Stone, or Odin himself.
"Therefore, I have a favor to ask of Master Mingjing, in exchange for handing over the Space Stone to you."
Odin continued.
At the same time, an invisible barrier rose up, isolating the inner and outer spaces.
Unless a powerful being, stronger than Odin, descends, no one can hear anything from this.
"In my long life, I have witnessed countless things happen. No dynasty can remain strong forever. I am worried that after me, Asgard will decline and eventually disappear into the river of time."
"I think Your Odin is overthinking it."
Meikyō said with a smile.
"We don't need to be as polite as those politicians in the world, Master Mingjing."
Odin sighed.
"Thor is a very good boy, just like I was when I was young—brave and confident, and even stronger than I was then. When he reaches my age, he will be even stronger than I am now. He has the potential to become a king. Given some experiences, he will become a qualified king. But I think you, as the future Sorcerer Supreme, must know what the future holds. Fate will not give Thor enough time to become a true king."
Meikyō did not answer; he simply sat there deep in thought, remaining silent.
One reason was that he didn't know whether he should agree to Odin's intervention, mainly because he was afraid of getting into trouble.
Another question is, how did Odin know all this?
However, upon closer examination, it seems that there are indeed prophecies within Odin's authority in mythology.
"Although I don't have the Time Stone, I can still foresee the future."
Odin slowly rose from his throne.
"Young monk, would you be interested in walking with this old man who is nearing the end of his life, and listening to my stories from my youth?"
Odin seemed to change his approach to the conversation, extending an invitation to the Meikyō.
"Good."
Meikyō nodded and walked alongside Odin, determined not to act without a clear benefit. He wouldn't agree to any of Odin's conditions without a definite advantage, and even if he did, it had to be without any threat to him.
"When I was very young, I followed my Father King Bor, and led the Asgard, allied with the Vanir of Vanaheim, the Light Elves of Alfheim, and the Dwarves of Nidavellir to form an alliance to fight against the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim."
Meikyō didn't know why Odin was saying all this, so he just listened silently.
"The Dark Elves were one of the most outstanding mage races in the universe. They obtained the Aether, the Reality Stone, intending to use its powerful energy to dominate the Nine Realms. In this war, we defeated the Dark Elves. King Bor drove them back to Svartalfheim and sealed the entrance there—using the Aether we had seized."
"It was precisely because we knew the power of the Aether that we were certain that the Dark Elves could not break through the Aether's blockade. After that, my father, Bor, was nearing the end of his life and was injured in the war. Because of my outstanding performance in the war, I stood out among all my brothers and became the next God-King, and married the Vanir princess, Frigga. Oh, I met her in the war, and we were already in love at that time. Now that I think about it, she was really charming when she was young and dashing. She was a famous swordsmanship master and Genjutsu master in the Nine Realms. Loki, that brat, was taught illusion Genjutsu by her."
When Odin spoke of his youth thousands of years ago, his face was full of smiles.
But then she quickly became sad.
"Later, war broke out again in the Nine Realms. Although I inherited King Bor's power, I was unable to use it well. My strength was not much stronger than Thor's now. Moreover, because of my impulsiveness and recklessness, I made too many mistakes. I realized that to become a true king, power alone is not enough. In addition to greater power, I also need wisdom."
"It happened to be the day when the nine realms were aligned, a rare occurrence that happens only once every few thousand years. I encountered the World Tree, drank from the Well of Wisdom, and sacrificed my own eyes. I hung upside down on the World Tree for seven days and seven nights, receiving a vast amount of information from higher dimensions. As a result, I gained God, which is part of the essence of the multiverse, omniscience. It was there that I saw the true World Tree."
"It's not the World Tree that connects the Nine Realms, but the essence of the Infinity Multiverse. Every spacetime is like a line, interconnected and intertwined, yet independent, forming the trunk and roots of the tree. I was fortunate enough to glimpse it and see even more."
Odin stroked the white jade railing, his eyes filled with melancholy.
"I know what will happen in the future. Just like in this incident, because the Nine Realms are connected, the boundaries of space have become blurred. Therefore, Jane will definitely fall into the place where the Aether are sealed. Even if it is not her, it will be someone else. Malekith will definitely bring his army to Asgard, and one of my and Thor's beloved will definitely die. Maybe it will be Frigga, maybe it will be Loki."
"In my youth, I conquered the universe, making Asgard famous. I constantly instigated wars, and people thought I was doing it to show off my power and invincibility to the whole universe. Many people thought I was a cruel monarch, but in fact, I was just looking for a way to break free from fate."
Odin led the Meikyō along until they arrived at a heavily guarded palace.
With Odin leading the way, Meikyō entered smoothly.
This is Odin's Vault.
The Eternal Fire that burns, the Eye of the Sorcerer that dispels illusions, the Orb of Agamotto given to Odin by Agamotto, the Tablet of Life, and...
The Infinity Gauntlet, forged by the Dwarves King.
"This is the way I found that allowed me to break free from my predetermined fate."
Odin stroked the Infinity Gauntlet and sighed.
"If I could possess all six Infinity Stones, I would have the power to control the universe at will, and even the Gods would be unable to stop me. So I conquered the universe in order to find the Infinity Stones. I once thought I could succeed. Agamotto was my friend, and I could borrow the Time Stone from him. I also knew where the Aether was hidden, and I had the Space Stone that I discovered on Earth. It seemed like I had a good chance, but I ultimately failed. I fought for an unknown amount of time and did not obtain another stone. Moreover, I realized that even if I could easily possess one stone, I could not withstand the power of all six Infinity Stones for a long time. That is the pinnacle of power in the Multiverse, and even I would be overwhelmed."
"Even if I collect all six Infinity Stones, I can only temporarily overcome fate, not permanently. That means it's all just an illusion, and everything will eventually return to reality. So I only have one last path left, which is to transcend this universe and become a multiverse existence."
Having said that, Odin put the Infinity Gauntlet back and turned to look at the Meikyō.
"It is a great pity that I failed for the remaining two thousand six hundred years of my life until I saw you."