"What's going on here?"
A moment later, another portal opened beside Josh, and Margaret stepped through, asking with a frown.
"No idea. That guy must've gone crazy and came here to show off."
Josh pointed his finger at Thor and shrugged. He had no idea what was wrong with him either.
"Then why aren't you doing something? That's your son and daughter in the middle of this!"
Margaret glared at him. "And look at the palace! It's a mess!"
"Hey, relax. This is a rare chance for the kids to train—especially Ben. His power is growing fast, and it's not easy to find a strong enough opponent to spar with."
Josh quickly wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, trying to calm her down.
Hearing that, Margaret finally eased up a little and turned her full attention to their son.
Just as Josh said, the battle between the two was evenly matched.
In fact, because of their weapons, Ben even had a slight edge.
Weapons like the Barbarian King's Sword and Mjolnir didn't have weight issues once they bonded with their owners.
Since the materials were also on par, it came down to reach and power. And the Barbarian King's Sword was much bigger—and much longer—than Mjolnir. If not for Thor's deep bond with his hammer, he might have been at a disadvantage.
As the fight dragged on and Thor still couldn't take Ben down, he grew more frustrated—while Ben only seemed to be getting more excited.
"This kid's got serious potential..."
Even Hogun, one of the Warriors Three, couldn't help but be impressed by Ben's performance.
"Yeah, Thor really rushed in without thinking this time. Making enemies of this powerful Midgardian family isn't worth it," said Fandral with a serious look.
As for Volstagg… somehow, he'd found a pile of snacks and was munching while watching the fight.
Sif, meanwhile, was filled with mixed feelings as she watched.
She was happy to see the boy from years ago grow into the strong warrior she had encouraged.
But she was also upset—because the one he was fighting was the man she had always admired.
"This can't go on. We have to stop them," she said.
"It's too hard… We can't even get close to a battle like that," Hogun sighed.
"And look—Josh Kahn is already here. Why isn't he doing anything?" Fandral finally noticed Josh and frowned.
"He's probably letting Thor be that kid's test," Hogun said grimly.
His words made everyone's expressions darken.
Using Thor as a test? That was humiliating.
But there was nothing they could do. The fight was too intense for anyone to step in.
Fortunately, they didn't have to worry for long.
A brilliant beam of light shot down from the sky—The Bifrost had been opened once again.
A powerful golden blast slammed down between Thor and Ben, forcing the two apart and ending their battle.
It was the king of Asgard himself—Odin—riding his eight-legged steed, here in person.
Behind him were Loki and Frigga.
The moment Loki appeared, he rushed toward Carol's side—only to be blocked by her attendants.
After getting Carol's permission, Loki was finally allowed through.
The two of them then quietly slipped into conversation, whispering to each other about who-knows-what.
"Josh…" Margaret said, a little worried as she watched.
"Relax. He didn't come to fight. If he did, it wouldn't just be the three of them.
Let's go say hello," Josh replied calmly.
As he spoke, a glowing energy disc formed under their feet, lifting both him and Margaret as they gently floated over toward Odin.
"Father…"
On the other side, seeing Odin arrive, Thor suddenly looked nervous and unsure of what to do.
But Odin didn't even glance at him.
Instead, he cast an appreciative look at Ben before shifting his attention to Josh, who was now floating over.
"King of the Gods. A pleasure to meet you," Josh said first, politely greeting him.
He deliberately used "King of the Gods" instead of "All-Father"—after all, Josh himself now counted as a "god" of sorts. Calling Odin "All-Father" would've been like calling him Dad… No thanks.
"Josh Kahn. I've heard much about you. My child was reckless and caused trouble—please don't take it to heart," Odin said warmly.
Odin actually had quite a good temper.
There was no real bad blood between them, and considering it was Asgard that was clearly at fault, Odin remained calm and respectful.
"Of course. Kids being kids—no one's going to hold a grudge over it. Though, about the damage…" Josh replied casually.
The moment he said that, everyone present went a bit speechless.
Because Josh had clearly put himself in the "Senior" role here—making it sound like Thor, Sif, and even the Warriors Three were just kids compared to him.
And in reality? Any one of those Asgardians was easily dozens of times older than Josh.
Still… if Loki really did "marry into" the Kahn family, aside from Odin and Frigga, everyone else would technically become one generation beneath Josh.
That thought? It stung.
"Don't worry. Whatever damage he caused, Asgard will take full responsibility," Odin said.
To him, restoring a palace courtyard was nothing. It would take Asgardian craftsmen no time or effort at all.
"Father!" Thor panicked.
He hadn't even won the fight, and now Odin was saying they'd pay damages? That was embarrassing!
"Silence!" Odin barked, spinning around to shout at him.
Being scolded like that in front of everyone made Thor bristle with frustration.
He wanted to argue back—but Frigga quickly stepped in and grabbed his arm.
"Well then, as long as that's settled… But still, Thor really needs to work on that temper of his. If he doesn't, it's going to cost him someday," Josh said in a slow, wise tone, like an uncle scolding someone else's kid.
"…I've clearly failed to raise him properly," Odin muttered after a pause, stunned by Josh's completely natural "wise talking down" attitude.
"Oh, I get it, Your Majesty. All my kids are a handful too…"
Josh just kept going like they were chatting over tea.
He said his children were trouble, but the proud look on his face was impossible to miss.
Even Margaret couldn't stand it—she tugged hard at his sleeve to get him to stop.
"Haha… Lord Kahn, you're too kind. Asgard still has matters to attend to. I'll be taking this foolish son of mine back with me. As for the damage, I'll send someone over to handle it soon."
Without waiting for a reply, Odin turned and activated the Bifrost, pulling Thor and the others back to Asgard like he was escaping.
But Frigga and Loki stayed behind.
"Lord Kahn, I'd like to continue our discussion—about our children's marriage," Frigga said as she walked over, noticing Josh's curious expression.
She glanced toward the side—where Loki and Carol were now whispering sweet nothings to each other.
Josh followed her gaze.
And in that moment, his hands clenched into fists.
So that's how it is? My daughter's getting cozy, and I'm supposed to smile about it?
My fists are getting itchy again…
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