At this moment, Odin's energy projection, holding the Eternal Spear, walked in. Seeing his wife safe and sound, he sighed in relief. As long as no one was hurt, that was enough.
Thor rushed to Frigga's side, concerned, and asked, "Mother, are you hurt?"
Seeing the enemy's power just moments ago had left him stunned. If he had been a second late, things might have gone terribly wrong.
Frigga held Thor's hand and comforted him, "Thor, I am fine."
"You should thank Charles. It was he who saved me from that enemy's hands. If not for him, I would have truly been in danger."
Thor turned to Charles, gratitude clear in his expression, "Thank you, my friend."
At that moment, Jane cautiously stepped out from behind the magical barrier, standing quietly to the side.
Odin walked over to Charles and earnestly said with his expression serious, "Thank you!"
Then he moved to Frigga's side, embracing his wife and saying, "I'm so glad you're okay."
When Odin had been on his way here, he had a bad feeling that something might happen to Frigga. That's why he had brought the Eternal Spear with him, even though his true body wasn't present.
Thankfully, Charles had been there to protect Frigga and fend off the enemy.
Frigga, enjoying the concern of both her husband and son, still spoke up, "The enemy came for the Aether. Their target was Jane."
"We are safe here, Odin. You should investigate why the palace's defense system didn't activate. And about these enemies—wasn't Malekith supposed to be dead?"
Odin glanced at Jane and then nodded, "Since you are all safe and the enemies have retreated, I will check the losses from the attack and look into the issue with the defense system."
Frigga nodded, "The people of Asgard need you."
With that, Odin, holding the Eternal Spear, left the room.
Charles and Thor also left Frigga's quarters, as it wasn't appropriate for Charles to linger there.
…
Despite the attack by the Dark Elves, which was aimed at retrieving the Aether, there were still significant damages to Asgard.
However, with Charles saving Frigga, the losses were manageable, and both Thor and Odin could bear them.
Outside the palace, Thor once again thanked Charles. "Buddy, I really owe you this time."
"I don't know how to express it, but I owe you a life debt."
Hearing this, Charles nodded to himself, knowing that his plan had worked. Saving Frigga at a critical moment was definitely the right move.
"Thor, we're friends. How could I stand by and do nothing?"
"But it's strange that the enemy found the Queen's chambers so quickly. I think you should investigate this further."
Charles clearly suspected Loki. There was no way those prisoners hadn't overheard what Loki had said at the time. This troublemaker deserved a little beating.
Thor nodded in agreement, "That guy who withstood my hammer—he's the one who let the prisoners out of the dungeon."
"No, I need to figure out how they found this place."
Without further delay, Thor headed for the dungeons to investigate the situation.
Charles smiled as Thor left and decided to wander around Asgard, helping any injured soldiers along the way by healing them with medical ninjutsu.
…
Thor arrived at the dungeons. After some investigation, he gathered some information and went straight to Loki's cell.
Loki, seeing Thor appear, smirked with disdain and said sarcastically, "It seems only when something big happens that the mighty Thor deems it necessary to visit me."
Ignoring the mockery, Thor's expression turned sad.
"Loki, do you know... Mother almost died because of you."
Hearing Thor's words, Loki froze for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, he replied:
"How is that possible? With you and Odin there, how could Mother ever be hurt?"
"And what does this have to do with me?" Loki retorted.
Thor, now visibly angry, responded, "It's because of you! You told that guy to take the left corridor. Otherwise, how could he have barged into Mother's chambers?"
"The enemy didn't just cause a disturbance in the dungeon to divert our forces. They also launched a fleet to attack Asgard."
Hearing that he was the cause of the situation, Loki felt a deep sense of guilt. His divine power surged, destroying everything inside his cell.
Seeing Loki's reaction, Thor turned and left the dungeon.
Internally, he thought, 'Mother is fine, but letting you feel some guilt and sadness is the least I could do after the worry you caused for me, Father, and the fallen soldiers.'
…
Elsewhere-
Malekith's ship remained cloaked in space, hovering above Asgard.
Algrim, standing by his side, spoke, "Heal yourself."
"You'll need your strength to reclaim the Aether. Once you've recovered, we will wipe them out."
…
Back in Asgard-
Jane sat in her room when a surge of crimson energy appeared in her mind, staining the sky above Asgard in blood-red hues. The ominous light bathed the entire realm.
At that moment, several Asgardian soldiers entered, snapping Jane out of the hallucination that had gripped her mind.
"Jane Foster, you need to come with us," one of the soldiers said.
Quickly, Jane was escorted out of the room by the Asgardian guards.
…
Meanwhile-
In the palace-
Odin was listening to reports from his subordinates. His throne had been destroyed by one of Malekith's black hole bombs.
Vandar, the one responsible for the palace's defense systems, reported, "We still haven't been able to restore the palace's shields. Our cannons can't detect them, and even Heimdall cannot see them."
"Your Majesty, we've completely lost our ability to defend."
As Vandar finished his report, Thor arrived.
"You've imprisoned her?"
Thor had just left Loki, and he wanted to see Jane to comfort her. But he hadn't expected her to be taken by the guards.
Odin, seeing Thor approach, dismissed the soldiers and the remaining Warriors Three, including Vandar and Volstagg.
"Everyone, leave us."
After everyone departed, Odin turned to Thor and said, "I don't want to argue with you."
Thor, composed but determined, responded, "I don't want to argue either."
"But I want to pursue Malekith. He was injured by Charles. This is the perfect opportunity."
Odin, however, countered, "The Aether is in our hands. Malekith will come to us."
In truth, Odin's true body was still in Helheim, dealing with matters concerning Hela. However, he had no intention of telling Thor about this.
Compared to his eldest daughter, Thor, who had yet to fully awaken his power, was far inferior.
Odin planned to deal with his daughter first and, after the celestial convergence, he would have the time and strength to eliminate the Dark Elves for good.