With a buzzing sound, as Robert finished speaking, the light of the Bifrost, which had been speeding towards Thor and the others, began to falter and disperse mid-air. The rainbow-like light seemed to blur as the Bifrost struggled to lock onto the exact spatial coordinates of Thor and his group.
Even though Thor and the others were right there, and the Bifrost wasn't far from them, the vagueness of the spatial coordinates prevented the Bifrost from bridging that final gap. Even if Thor and his group were to jump into the light of the Bifrost, they wouldn't be able to leave using its power.
This was the effect of spatial powers interfering with each other. The Guardian's portal power could not possibly rival the power of the Space Stone and was even somewhat weaker compared to the spatial power of the Bifrost.
However, this was Earth's home ground, not the Bifrost's. The Guardian didn't need to directly confront the Bifrost and shatter its spatial power. Simply interfering with the spatial coordinates to prevent the Bifrost from taking Thor and the others away was enough.
"You really were prepared for this." As the Bifrost's light began to scatter, the voice of God-King Odin rang out in the sky, still carrying a weight of authority. But Robert could hear clearly the trace of helplessness, frustration, and decline that Odin could no longer hide.
No wonder Thanos had his eyes on the Dwarves of Nidavellir, who were under Asgard's protection. God-King Odin, in his current state, might still fool some weaker beings, but not true powerhouses. Robert even began to doubt whether Odin could still fight at all, and if he could, how much of his combat power he could retain.
If we followed the original path of fate, Odin's physical condition would still be manageable at this point. Despite his old age, he would have the strength for one final battle at his peak.
But the previous great battle between Asgard, Robert, Diana, and Clark had severely impacted Asgard, to the point that it shattered the last remnants of Asgard's spirit.
In that battle, although Asgard almost killed Diana, they lost countless Asgardian soldiers and a large number of nobles, leaving Asgard, already weakened, with nothing but a few powerful individuals.
During that battle, Odin slightly suppressed Clark but couldn't affect the outcome. He couldn't defeat Clark entirely, and their fight ended in a stalemate.
Clark managed to tie up the strongest, Odin, while Queen Frigga was no match for the berserk Robert, who had gone on a rampage after Diana was almost killed. Even though Frigga fused with all of Asgard's divine power and resurrected repeatedly, she still wasn't Robert's equal. More crucially, Robert's destructive power was terrifying; if the fight continued, Asgard would be reduced to cosmic dust.
In the end, Odin admitted defeat and announced that Asgard would no longer protect Earth. Odin knew that with Clark, Robert, and the Ancient One around, Earth would be safe even without Asgard's protection.
Thus, Asgard entered a period of decline. Even before Ragnarok, Asgard was already on the verge of collapse. In this situation, Odin's heart was filled with unwillingness, but he was also helpless and powerless.
Odin realized that even at his peak, he might not have been able to defeat both Clark and Robert together. The Asgardians had a characteristic: their divine power grew stronger as they aged.
It might seem like the older an Asgardian god became, the stronger they would be, but that wasn't really the case. Although Asgardians called themselves gods, they weren't truly immortal; they weren't even ageless.
Asgardian lifespans, while long compared to Earth humans, still had limits. Their bodies would age and decay. As their bodies weakened, the increasing divine power became more of a burden than an aid.
Due to this unique situation, Odin needed to enter the Odin Sleep periodically to stabilize the balance between his decaying body and his immense divine power. Therefore, Odin's current combat power was far from its peak.
As he felt his body decline further, Odin sometimes looked at Asgard's current state, thought about his loyal subordinate Heimdall who had yet to return, and wanted to thrust his eternal spear at Earth, bringing about mutual destruction.
But that was just a thought. Odin knew that Earth had the Ancient One, a supreme sorcerer skilled in both time and space magic. Clark could also withstand his eternal spear with his body alone, making Odin's attack futile.
Moreover, if the eternal spear were blocked, Odin wouldn't achieve mutual destruction. Clark could wear him down until his already weakened state led to his death. Robert, on the other hand, could easily destroy Asgard within moments, even with its divine protection.
Now, Odin understood that if he wanted his two sons to survive and for Asgard to have a future, he would have to yield once more.
Odin had barely yielded in his life. Even during the wars of Earth's many pantheons, Odin was among the top gods. When the Celestials tried to drive the Earth gods away, it was Odin, clad in the Destroyer Armor and blessed by many gods, who fought the Celestials.
Back then, Odin knew nothing of surrender or retreat. But now, how long had it been since he last yielded, and now he had to do so again. This realization pained Odin and made him feel the full weight of a hero in decline.
"Of course I was prepared. Some people just like to spy on others' lives…" Robert sneered as he heard the complicated tone in Odin's voice. "From the moment I arrived, I could feel your gaze. But let's not forget, when Asgard was defeated and you let Clark and me leave, you promised not to interfere with Earth again. So, doesn't this count as breaking your promise?"
"I didn't intend to spy on Earth; I just wanted to see how my son was doing. After all, it's been many years since I last saw him…" Odin fell silent after being chastised by Robert. Although his expression was unseen, it was likely one of discomfort. However, after a moment, Odin spoke again, his voice full of concession and submission.
Robert had no immediate reaction, but Thor's face darkened. Even though Thor had learned about Asgard's defeat during his time on Earth, he still couldn't accept Odin speaking to Robert in this manner.
In Thor's eyes, Odin had always been the supreme ruler of the Nine Realms, sitting on his throne and overlooking them all. But now, Odin sounded like a frail old man, with his voice full of concession and pleading, just to ensure Thor and Loki could survive. This stark contrast deeply troubled Thor and made him clench his fists.
However, Thor had changed. The Thor who had never been to Earth would have charged at Robert with his hammer, even if he wasn't Robert's equal.
Sometimes, it's hard to say if such a change in character is progress, but at least Thor had a chance to survive. If he could remember this feeling and use it as motivation, he might one day reclaim his honor.
As Thor clenched his fists, lightning crackled around him. Robert noticed this and glanced at Thor. He sensed that the lightning within Thor had grown stronger, as if some critical barrier had been shattered by Thor's anger.
"Oh? Not bad! If your power grows a bit more, you might be able to fight me. To be honest, I didn't get to fully enjoy the battle this time against those aliens…" Robert remarked with some admiration as he observed Thor, though his tone was tinged with regret.
Although the invasions by the Kryptonians and the Chitauri were grand and would have likely overwhelmed Earth without Robert and Clark, Robert wasn't satisfied with the fight.
Of all the alien invaders, only General Zod had the strength to challenge Robert, but when they actually fought, Robert found that Zod still wasn't quite up to par. Moreover, since Zod was Clark's nemesis, Robert left him to Clark.
Besides General Zod, none of the other alien invaders were worthy opponents for Robert. The so-called Black Order didn't even merit a proper fight; Robert casually defeated Black Dwarf and Ebony Maw and interrogated them.
After this battle, Robert realized that while cosmic threats could be more grandiose and destructive, they were inherently less formidable than dimensional threats.
Although dimensional entities' powers were limited when they entered Earth, they could form pacts with Earth's dimension. As long as they paid the price, these entities could wield great power on Earth, surpassing that of cosmic threats.
"Thor is the most potential-filled god in Asgard's history. If given enough time, he'll surely reach the pinnacle of power and give you the battle you desire!" Odin's eyes lit up at Robert's words, remembering Robert's combat prowess. He quickly spoke up.
"The most potential-filled god? Then, is there a way in the universe to unlock that potential? Or some method to realize that talent?" Robert frowned, turning to Odin and asking.
Potential varied by individual, but if it could be fully realized, it would be incredibly powerful. The most famous example of potential in the Dragon Ball world was Gohan, who almost became the second protagonist.
In Dragon Ball, there were those who could unlock potential, like the Grand Elder of Namek and Old Kai. Robert hadn't considered this before, but now, knowing that the world could gather all six Infinity Stones and make a wish, he thought there might be similar abilities or items here.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Odin, clearly puzzled, hesitated before asking.
"What do you mean, 'what do I mean'?"
Robert responded bluntly, "Even if his potential is great, I can't wait forever, can I? I heard he's lived for hundreds of years and only has this much power. I've only lived twenty years; if he doesn't reach my level soon, am I supposed to wait around forever?"
"To quickly enhance his power…" Odin fell silent at Robert's words. After a while, Odin spoke again, "There are indeed ways to rapidly increase strength, but they come at a cost!"
"A cost? You don't mean I have to pay it, do you?" Robert asked, surprised.
"Of course not; Thor would pay the price…" Odin considered Asgard's current state and Thor and Loki's situation. He knew that if he didn't give Robert a satisfactory answer, Thor and Loki might not make it back.
"I'm willing to pay any price! As long as it increases my power! As long as I can defeat…" Thor's eyes gleamed with determination as lightning flickered within them. He stared at Robert but didn't finish his sentence.
"Remember how you feel now! Hold onto it!" Robert wasn't angry; instead, he smiled approvingly at Thor.
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