If it had been anyone else telling Odin that the Dark Elves had returned, he wouldn't have believed it.
But Ethan was different. He was a mage, and not just any mage—one capable of traveling across multiple cosmic planes.
Although Odin didn't fully understand what that implied, the All-Father knew a top-tier mage when he saw one, and he also knew such a person might be able to see the future.
He wasn't sure if Ethan had this ability, but since Ethan had come to personally remind him, it couldn't just be a joke.
"Dark Elves? Are you sure?"
"I'm very sure... and it's easy to prove."
The Dark Elves were targeting Asgard because the Aether, which their leader Malekith desperately desired, was currently in Asgard.
That meant Malekith's target wasn't Asgard itself. If Jane Foster were still on Earth, the Dark Elves would have gone there instead.
After their defeat in the conflict with Asgard, the Dark Elves had managed to hide undetected for many years because of their incredible stealth capabilities. They could even bring their mothership right to Asgard's doorstep and only be discovered by Heimdall, who was known for his far-seeing eyes, at the last possible moment.
"How can it be proven?"
"The Dark Elves are preparing a pincer attack on Asgard. Their inside man... should be arriving soon."
In the original plot, Malekith didn't launch a direct assault on Asgard. He first sent a warrior disguised as a bandit to stir up trouble in the territories below Asgard. That warrior was captured by Asgardian soldiers along with a group of other criminals and brought back to Asgard, where he was imprisoned in the dungeons.
After successfully infiltrating the heart of Asgard, this warrior used a special Dark Elf technique to transform into a Kursed Warrior.
A Kursed Warrior gains increased strength and defense by rapidly burning life force. Until their life force is completely depleted and they die naturally, their regeneration is extremely powerful, allowing them to recover even after taking serious damage.
In simple terms, it's a super soldier with drastically enhanced combat power and extremely difficult to kill.
A terrifying warrior like that running wild inside Asgard would naturally draw the full attention of the realm, allowing the Dark Elves to launch their main assault during the ensuing chaos.
This was exactly what happened in the original storyline. The defenses of the Golden Realm were completely disrupted by the Kursed Warrior. When the Dark Elves attacked, Odin was still focused on managing the internal chaos. By the time he turned his attention back to the skies, Malekith and his forces had already retreated aboard their ship.
Although they didn't succeed in taking the Aether, Asgard suffered significant embarrassment in the battle, and the All-Mother, Frigga, died at Malekith's hands.
There was no need to explain all the details. It was enough to reveal that the Dark Elves' spy had infiltrated among the captives. Upon hearing that a Kursed Warrior had made it inside, even Odin, who had weathered countless wars, grew solemn.
He was well aware of what kind of damage such a terrifying being could cause in the Golden Realm. He absolutely could not allow something like that to go unchecked.
Odin didn't immediately order a check of all the captives. Instead, he turned to Ethan.
"Do you have any suggestions?"
"Eliminating the internal threat early can avoid one problem, but it won't resolve the long-term danger posed by the Dark Elves."
There was no need to spell it out. Odin wasn't like Thor. Thor sometimes didn't understand when to show mercy as a king and when to completely eliminate a threat.
Odin, however, knew how to treat different enemies in different situations.
Unlike the other inhabitants of the Nine Realms, the Dark Elves were sworn enemies who could never be allowed to remain. Their race stood in complete opposition to the rest of existence, and there was no foundation for peaceful coexistence.
Such enemies had to be completely wiped out. Odin had no shortage of resolve when it came to that. In fact, he had already mapped out a full battle plan in his mind.
The plan was simple: allow the enemy's spy to act, then ambush the Dark Elves when they arrived.
Odin was more than experienced in war and didn't need Ethan, an outsider, to interfere in his military matters. All Ethan had to do was rest with Thor and wait for the battle to begin.
Thor's residence was spacious enough to accommodate them all comfortably. The only downside was that he couldn't have a private conversation with Jane before the battle.
Tony stood on the wide balcony, admiring the beautiful scenery of Asgard and breathing in the fresh air. Uncharacteristically, he gave it quite a few positive remarks.
Thor, pleased by the compliments to his homeland, happily invited Tony to bring Pepper for a visit next time.
"Oh, that would be wonderful. Pepper would definitely love it here."
Asgard's pure, unpolluted environment was indeed a good vacation spot. The only thing that bothered Tony was the lack of visible signs of advanced technology.
Asgard's architecture looked like a more refined and majestic version of ancient European buildings, and the lifestyle of its people resembled something from the distant past.
If he hadn't known in advance that Asgard's civilization was far more advanced than Earth's, he might have thought he had arrived on a planet that hadn't even reached full civilization.
"What you want to see is hidden inside those buildings that look primitive to you."
Ethan had lived in Asgard for a while and had taken the time to learn about its culture and technology, so he understood its situation better than Tony.
Standing beside him, he casually pointed to a seemingly decorative tower. "That structure is actually a defensive installation. When enemies attack, it can be activated by soldiers to return fire."
At the top of the tower was a dual-purpose turret that could fire a barrage of energy projectiles to repel enemy ships or aerial intruders.
"Oh? So that's what it is."
Thor knew far more than Ethan about Asgard's defensive systems. He pointed out a few more hidden defensive structures to Tony and also explained that Heimdall, who guarded the outer edge, could activate a defense system at the Bifrost that would shield the core area of the Golden Realm, preventing it from being damaged.
Although Thor was enthusiastic in his explanations, he wasn't foolish. He only introduced the general functions of these defensive systems. He didn't go into specific layouts, and certainly didn't tell Tony the exact locations of every defensive facility.
Tony didn't care about the specifics. What he was more interested in was when the Dark Elves would attack. He wanted to see these defenses in action.
"If they're powerful enough, I'd love to get the technical data for these."
"Keep dreaming. Would you hand over your core technology to Nick Fury?"
Tony knew that was unrealistic, but he didn't mind. He believed that with his intelligence, once he understood the direction of research, he could figure out the rest on his own.
Besides, Ethan was winking at him. Tony understood that Ethan also had an eye on these advanced technologies, though he didn't know how Ethan planned to acquire them.
When Thor went to take care of Jane and arrange a place for her to rest, Tony finally took the opportunity to ask.
"You're not planning to steal these technologies during the chaos, are you?"
Ethan shook his head. Thor considered him a close friend, and Odin had always treated him well. He couldn't do something like that.
"There are plenty of advanced civilizations in the universe, and many planets have merchants selling all kinds of data and technology. You don't have to worry about this."
Tony suddenly understood. This kind of black-market merchant wasn't hard to imagine. He just hadn't expected them to exist in the universe as well.
Since they did exist, it meant he could get any kind of data or tech. The only issue was the cost.
Tony had money, but would these advanced civilizations recognize Earth's currency?
"That's a problem, but it shouldn't be hard to solve."
Worst case scenario, they could complete a few bounty missions to earn interstellar currency. Ethan's suggestion left Tony speechless, but he couldn't think of a better solution either.
Of course, if Thor was willing to pay, it wouldn't be a problem at all. Considering Thor's generosity, he wouldn't refuse—especially now that he wanted Ethan to help remove the Aether from Jane Foster's body. Asking him to buy something was hardly a big request.
By the time they arrived in Asgard, it was already night. It was deep into the night now. Logan was resting on a bench nearby, while Laura and Selene leaned against each other. Tony had found a comfortable place to lie down as well.
Ethan guessed that nothing would happen tonight. Maybe the Dark Elves would wait until tomorrow to attack?
The Dark Elf spy had already been locked in the dungeon. On the surface, everything seemed normal, but in reality, that prison cell was specially designed and isolated. It would be very difficult for the Kursed Warrior to break out. In fact, all the prisoners in that area were disguised elite warriors of the Golden Realm, and several of Thor's friends were stationed there to ensure nothing went wrong.
When the Dark Elves would attack depended entirely on when that spy made his move. So far, there had been no incidents in the dungeon, and Ethan began to relax.
Unexpectedly, just as the night reached its deepest point, a faint tremor spread through the air.
At the same moment Ethan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them, Thor had already rushed out of the bedroom fully armed.
"That Kursed Warrior has started to act. He seems even harder to deal with than expected." Thor had already received the report and was preparing to go support his allies.
Ethan curled his lip. These Dark Elves weren't following the script. Choosing to launch their surprise attack at night suited their style. Thinking about it, it made perfect sense. A night raid would always catch the enemy off guard.
(To be continued.)