Odin took a deep breath.
Since the other party was clearly Aesir—and had shown no obvious hostility—he decided to exercise some patience.
But the dignity of the All-Father could not be compromised.
He nodded slightly, his voice solemn:
"Since you've entered Asgard like this, at the very least, you owe me an explanation."
"If you possess the bloodline of the gods, then you should understand the significance of this realm."
Russell didn't care much about the so-called glory of Asgard.
But since the old man had conceded a little, he decided to let it go.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have minded forcing Odin to step down and replace him with someone else.
For the sake of earning himself a free Eternal Spear, he decided to give Odin some face:
"Don't worry about bloodlines. I'm just an ordinary Kamar-Taj magician."
Odin's cheek twitched.
A magician? Since when did magicians punch like that?
And 'ordinary'? Since when did ordinary people casually dismantle the Eternal Spear?
His right arm still ached from that punch.
He felt mocked—no, insulted—and his expression darkened again.
But at that moment, a golden portal suddenly opened in the sky nearby.
A second later, Odin watched as a man wearing a red cloak, with a neatly trimmed mustache, flew hurriedly out.
He recognized him instantly: the most annoying Sorcerer Supreme of Midgard.
Doctor Strange.
Odin scowled.
As much as he disliked this uninvited intruder in front of him, he disliked the Sorcerer Supreme just as much.
But before Odin could speak, Strange's expression changed dramatically.
Shock.
And then—the sky lit up.
A massive Vishanti Flame Holy Sword, tens of meters long, erupted from a golden magic circle and shot toward Russell!
Russell frowned slightly but didn't move.
Just as the flaming sword was about to strike, he calmly raised his palm and pressed forward.
The air trembled.
The enormous sword, carrying terrifying energy, froze in front of his palm—then cracked and shattered, breaking apart from tip to hilt.
Odin's pupils contracted sharply.
It wasn't that he was surprised Russell had blocked the spell.
What shocked him was the contradiction.
This man had claimed to be a Kamar-Taj magician… but the Sorcerer Supreme had just arrived, and instead of recognizing him, Strange immediately attacked.
It meant one thing: Russell had lied.
At this moment, Tony Stark flew up beside Odin, his face dark.
"God King, be careful!"
"This person… he's not from our universe. I suspect he's from another dimension!"
"I wanted to warn you earlier, but I didn't expect him to come straight here!"
Odin fell silent for a few seconds, then nodded grimly.
"That makes sense."
"Other than being from another universe, there's no explanation for why an unknown Aesir would appear—and be so powerful."
He looked at Doctor Strange and said:
"Thank you, Sorcerer Supreme. I was almost deceived."
His gaze turned serious as he addressed Tony:
"This man wields the power of death. Within Asgard, he's practically immortal."
"If you want to defeat him, you must find a way to shift the battlefield."
Tony didn't look optimistic.
"Good. At least you weren't fooled."
"As for isolating the power of death… I'll leave that to you."
With that, Strange formed a seal with both hands and suddenly thrust them forward.
A cracking sound echoed—like glass shattering—as the space around them began to warp violently.
In an instant, Asgard transformed.
The majestic realm disappeared, replaced by an endless barren wilderness—their new battlefield inside the Mirror Dimension.
Odin's expression grew colder.
In the distance, Russell stood silently, watching without resisting as he was dragged into the Mirror Dimension.
Then, seeing Tony and Strange stop, he suddenly chuckled:
"You know… if we were in the real world, you might've had a chance to run."
"But here, you'll never escape."
"Of all the powers I've mastered…"
His tone turned casual.
"Space is the one I control best."
Tony sneered:
"Trying to provoke me? That's not going to work."
"With me and the All-Father Odin working together, you're dead for sure."
"Don't waste time talking to him, All-Father. You focus on attacking—I'll support you with magic!"
Odin nodded silently, golden lightning crackling from his body as divine light surged around him.
His aura steadily climbed, his divine power sharp like a blade, making the surrounding space tremble.
Then—
Without warning, he stepped forward and punched Tony Stark beside him!
A deafening sonic boom rang out.
Caught off guard, Tony didn't have time to react before Odin's terrifying punch landed squarely in his chest.
But the scene of blood and shattered armor never came.
Instead, Tony's body exploded into a cloud of green smoke… and reformed several dozen meters away.
Except now, it was no longer Tony Stark standing there.
It was a man wearing a golden antlered helmet, a green cloak, and a smug, wicked grin.
Loki.
Russell wasn't surprised.
Whether it was Loki's identity, or the fact that Odin had recognized him, it was obvious.
That was why Odin had spoken with killing intent a moment ago—but hadn't acted that way towards Russell himself.
At this point, Loki laughed softly:
"Tsk tsk… Father, you're getting sharper. You actually saw through me this time."
"But you hit hard. That punch almost killed me~"
Odin's gaze was cold as ice, his tone even colder:
"Loki… you're getting bolder."
"Did you really think I wouldn't recognize you?"
Loki chuckled and sat cross-legged midair, lazily leaning on his scepter:
"I thought I did a decent job. The Tony Stark I imitated had the right attitude, the right tone, and even the right magical techniques."
"I even summoned the Vishanti Sword properly. Not bad, right? So how did you figure me out?"
Odin didn't answer him.
Instead, he turned to look at Russell.
Loki followed his gaze, blinking in surprise.
"You knew?"
Russell shrugged slightly.
"It was simple. You don't understand Tony Stark well enough to imitate his mind."
"Tony doesn't fear Odin… but he resents him. That's why he paid me to come in the first place."
"But your version? Your tone, your forced rush to get to Asgard without even exchanging pleasantries with Odin? It didn't fit his personality."
"And the timing was too perfect. As if you were waiting for this chance."
Loki scratched his head awkwardly.
"Is that so…? I guess there's nothing I can do. I couldn't get too close to Tony or he'd have spotted me immediately."
"But why didn't you expose me from the start? Why let me trap us inside the Mirror Dimension?"
Odin answered coldly:
"Because I didn't want Asgard to become a battlefield."
He paused, and his voice grew heavier.
"And another thing, Loki… you're too arrogant. You don't realize—"
He suddenly fell silent halfway through.
Loki, ever curious, asked:
"Don't realize what?"
At that moment, a faint voice sounded behind Loki:
"He means you don't realize what I'm capable of."
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