In ancient times, Odin came to Earth to select brave humans to become Einherjar. Though these warriors had died, Odin granted them physical forms once again, turning them into Asgard's guardians with long lifespans.
However, the bodies of the Einherjar could never truly compare to the divine bodies of the gods. To protect them, Odin once attempted to forge armor for the Einherjar—the legendary God Cloths. Yet, the reality proved far more difficult than he had imagined.
In the end, Odin managed to craft only a single, unique suit of God Cloth—the Robe of Odin, forged from one of the densest materials in the universe. But for five thousand years, not a single Einherjar had been able to wear it. Not even the strongest of them. The Robe of Odin was simply too heavy.
"I can't believe someone is actually wearing the Robe of Odin!!" Frigga, Odin's wife, stared at the crystalline warrior on the battlefield, visibly shaken. Despite her thousands of years of calm wisdom, this time she was truly shocked.
"My dear Frigga, what has you so surprised?" Odin's voice suddenly came from behind her.
"Odin, you've finally awakened?" Frigga quickly helped him up. "Odin, the Frost Giants have invaded Asgard, and the Robe of Odin suddenly flew out and wrapped itself around a mortal."
Odin's single eye widened before he let out a long sigh. "Loki, was it?"
It was the only explanation he could think of—Loki, the one who had invited the enemy into their home.
Frigga sighed as well. She had raised Loki as her own son, yet despite all her efforts, Loki had turned out this way. Was this the inescapable nature of the Frost Giants?
"No, Loki was merely tricked by someone else. The one who brought the Frost Giant army in is someone else entirely—Ares' son. He's the one currently fighting against our Thor."
"Ares?" Odin murmured. It had been so long since he'd heard that name that he nearly forgot it existed. Still, since it involved the son of Ares, he decided not to interfere. This was something his eldest son should handle. "And what about the Robe of Odin? That armor is so heavy not even the mightiest Einherjar could wear it. How could it have chosen a mortal? And how did a mortal even reach Asgard?"
Odin felt like he'd only slept for two days, yet the situation had already spiraled out of control.
"That mortal came back with Thor," Frigga explained. "He may be human, but he's incredibly strong. Since the battle began, he has already killed more than ten Frost Giants and even managed to withstand the Destroyer's attack alone. I can sense there's something extraordinary about him. That must be why the Robe of Odin responded to him."
Odin fell deep into thought. The reason none of the Einherjar could wear the Robe of Odin was because of its overwhelming weight. Though it appeared thin, its density made it unimaginably heavy. Even with Odin's blessings, it had always been too much for anyone to bear.
Could it be that this mortal had resonated with its divine power? That seemed to be the only possibility. Although Odin couldn't understand how a human could trigger such a reaction, if this mortal was someone Thor had chosen as a friend, then Odin would trust his son's judgment.
In truth, Odin had always favored his biological son over Loki. He had never intended to pass Asgard to Loki—at most, he had hoped Loki could ease the tension between Asgard and the Frost Giants. It was little wonder Loki had gone astray.
Odin and Frigga stepped onto the palace balcony, gazing out over the battlefield.
There, they saw Liu A'dou wielding Odin's Divine Sword, standing firm against the Destroyer's devastating energy beams. Step by step, he advanced.
The Robe of Odin and the Divine Sword truly lived up to their names. Although Liu A'dou was completely surrounded by searing light, he felt no heat. At most, the energy pushed against him in waves, but as long as he circulated his Microcosmos, he could press forward without faltering.
"Take my sword!" Liu A'dou spun both hands. The blue crystal sword fanned out into a sweeping arc of blue light like a peacock spreading its tail, slicing cleanly through three Destroyers in a single strike. The three suits of armor were cut in half, collapsing into piles of scrap metal.
"What a sword." Liu A'dou didn't know why the blue crystal armor had chosen him, but it was way better than standing there naked. The sword felt perfect in his hands. With his first success, he was fired up. He charged forward, slashing his way into the cluster of Destroyers.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded. This mysterious armor could actually withstand the Destroyers' beams. It was hundreds of times tougher than the armor worn by the Einherjar.
Seeing Liu A'dou fighting so fiercely, Thor was fired up too. He slammed Mjolnir into the ground, releasing bolts of lightning that shot through the ground and knocked down a group of Frost Giants. The four warriors let out war cries and joined the slaughter, instantly turning the tide of battle.
"Push forward!" Trax didn't care how many Frost Giants died. All that mattered was gaining power. He stood behind the army, shouting commands. Finally, he caught Thor's attention.
"That bastard is the one behind this!" Thor locked on to Trax, thinking, Take out the leader, stop the army. He flew straight toward him.
Trax saw the hammer coming but just sneered coldly. He raised his bronze-colored bracers to block Mjolnir.
Hammer met bracer—Asgard and Olympus, two divine realms clashing in raw power and craftsmanship.
BOOM—
The deafening explosion was followed by crackling lightning and a shockwave that blasted through the air. It forced everyone nearby to stagger back, some even falling to the ground. Even mighty Asgard trembled.
In that split second, such overwhelming power exploded between them, showing just how hard Thor had struck. But even that was blocked by Trax's bracers. The clash of divine weapons was as intense as expected.
"You must be Odin's son, Thor, the God of Thunder," Trax sneered.
"And who the hell are you?" Thor, as usual, didn't waste time asking before fighting. His fists always spoke louder than his mouth.
"I am Trax, son of Ares, and I've been looking forward to meeting you for a long time." As he spoke, Trax gathered a blood-red energy in both fists and smashed it into Thor's chest.
Thor was sent flying, though he wasn't seriously hurt.
"Every war feeds me more power. I'm just one step away from becoming the true God of War," Trax declared as he stared down at Thor. "You and I are alike, but you lack brains. Your brother has brains, but no strength. If you two teamed up, you might actually be worthy opponents. But alone, you've already lost."
Thor felt the ache in his chest and realized Trax's speed was terrifying. He hadn't even had time to react.
Liu A'dou, sharp-eared as ever, nearly coughed up blood hearing that. So this guy really is Ares' son. No wonder he was so arrogant. Then a thought hit him—didn't Ares and Queen Hippolyta have some history? Could this silver-haired bastard actually be Diana's half-brother?
If that was true, it made perfect sense why Trax had kidnapped Diana. What a twisted family drama, stretching from ancient times all the way to today. No wonder Themyscira had gotten dragged into this mess. Judging by how ruthlessly Hippolyta had slain Ares, no one would have guessed they'd had a son together.
"I grow stronger with every battle. The more we fight, the stronger I become. You'll never beat me, Thor. Tell your father Odin to face me himself!" Trax roared.
Thor held his aching chest, starting to worry. If Trax really got stronger the more they fought, how could he win? And even his hammer had been blocked by those bronze bracers marked with a triangular symbol—no ordinary gear.
Those bracers weren't just any weapon. They were the Bracers of Ares, rivaling the Gauntlets of Zeus worn by Diana. Not only were they indestructible, but they also absorbed the energy of war itself, making them immune to even Mjolnir's might.