Asgard—magnificent palaces stood everywhere, gleaming with gold and jade.
At the end of the Rainbow Bridge, Thor, barely breathing, lay collapsed on the bridge. Seeing that he'd been rescued at last, he finally couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh.
"Thank you… Heimdall…" Thor forced the words out with difficulty.
"I saw that His Highness was in danger and intervened. That is my duty," Heimdall replied calmly.
"That guy was terrifying… I wasn't his match at all. How is Father now?" Thor asked.
"The All-Father is currently in his Odinsleep and has not awakened. The palace is currently under—"
Heimdall hadn't finished speaking when a pale hand suddenly appeared out of thin air and pressed down on Thor's head—Boom.His skull was crushed into pulp in an instant.
"I told you—no one escapes from my hands."From the orange-sparked portal behind him, Bai Ye casually withdrew his hand, a harmless smile appearing on his face.
Looking at the brain matter splattered before him and Thor's lifeless body, Heimdall's mind momentarily stopped functioning as well.
He had never imagined that even after bringing Thor back, the prince could still die right at Asgard's doorstep.
"Didn't expect Asgard to have Black people too."Bai Ye looked Heimdall up and down, clicking his tongue in amusement.
"Human… do you understand what you've done?"
Coming back to his senses, Heimdall stared at Thor's destroyed corpse, trying his best to sound stern.
But faced with this walking calamity before him, he feared that the moment he questioned too harshly, he would end up like Thor—dead before understanding what happened. He suppressed his fury and said:
"I know," Bai Ye said. "This guy killed at least a hundred people on our planet. I tried to execute him, but you rescued him—so I crossed star systems to finish the job. What? You have a problem with that?"
Bai Ye took a few steps forward, eyes locking onto Heimdall's in an unmistakable threat."Do you people want to start a war with me?"
"You must understand… your actions are provoking war. Soon—when our All-Father Odin awakens—he will formally challenge you!" Heimdall said, meeting Bai Ye's gaze.
"What, you're challenging me to a duel?" Bai Ye chuckled as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Fine. I'll wait for your challenge. How much time do you need to prepare?"
"One month. One month from now, when the All-Father awakens, he will personally go to Midgard and duel you," Heimdall answered.
"Okay! One month it is. I'll be waiting on Earth."Bai Ye laughed, waved his hand, and a massive portal opened behind him. In the next moment, he disappeared.
The instant Bai Ye left, Heimdall finally let out a breath and looked to the side.
"Your Majesty… you have awakened."
From the empty air in the corner, an elderly man clad in golden armor stepped out of the void.
Everything Heimdall had just said was relayed to him by Odin, who communicated through the void and instructed Heimdall to repeat his words exactly.
At this moment, Odin stared sorrowfully at Thor's lifeless body. The fatigue in his expression seemed even heavier, overshadowed now by grief.
"It was my decision… that doomed him."Odin's voice trembled—deeply regretful that he had cast Thor down to Midgard.
"Do you truly intend to duel that Bai Ye?" Heimdall asked.
He still couldn't understand why, with the All-Father's power, Odin didn't strike Bai Ye down the moment he awakened.
As they spoke, Loki, the Warriors Three, and Sif hurried in, having been drawn by the commotion. Seeing Thor's corpse, shock and anguish filled their hearts.
"Heimdall! Who killed Thor?"Sif demanded furiously. "Was it the Frost Giants? Are they provoking us?"
The others were equally enraged. Even Loki—despite knowing the truth of his lineage—felt as though a dagger had been thrust into his heart.
"Silence. All of you."Odin roared, his voice echoing through the hall. "Gather everyone in the palace. It is time for us to depart."
"To battle, Your Majesty?" Heimdall asked, while the others could hardly contain themselves.
"No… you must flee. Hide your names. Never return."Odin waved a tired hand, abandoning all the majesty of a king as he sank down onto the steps.
Everyone cried out in disbelief."What? Your Majesty—you want us to run?"
"Yes. Run. As far as you can. And never come back—not in this month, not ever."
With Odin's confirmation, they realized the conversation they overheard earlier was not an illusion.
"This enemy… is someone we absolutely cannot defeat. We cannot even kill him once."Odin muttered. With his remaining Eye of Wisdom, he had glimpsed the future—and despair overwhelmed him.
At this moment, Bai Ye had completely mastered all the mystical knowledge stored in Kamar-Taj. As long as he possessed the proper artifacts, he could use every spell the Ancient One herself could wield.
Meaning—within the Marvel universe, by drawing on the power of dimensional gods, Bai Ye could rapidly elevate himself to an extreme state and surpass opponents by five or six tiers instantly.
And here, in his home turf—the Marvel universe—Bai Ye was essentially a super-Ancient One with super strength, super defense, and super speed.A being so overwhelming that no one could face him without trembling.
Of course, this only applied within the Marvel universe.In other worlds, without the dimensional gods' supply of power, Bai Ye would fall back to Level 4.
In the future Odin saw, though he had believed victory certain, he lost miserably when Bai Ye abandoned brute force and used magic instead.
That was why, upon waking, he didn't immediately fight Bai Ye.
You think he didn't want to fight?He simply couldn't.If he could've fought, he would've gone already.
"Use the month I've bought you—run." Odin said solemnly.
"And you, Your Majesty?" Heimdall asked.
"Someone must remain to bear everything. Otherwise, once he realizes we tricked him, he will hunt us endlessly." Odin replied helplessly.
There was another option—kneel before Bai Ye and join him.But Odin feared that the gods, arrogant for their entire lives, would offend Bai Ye instead—and die even faster.
Seeing the gods still hesitating, Odin finally invoked the authority of the All-Father and commanded them to obey.
Several hours later, as the gods stood on the Rainbow Bridge, Odin personally pulled the sword-handle mechanism.A blinding rainbow shot across the heavens and vanished from Asgard.
"My children… run. And never return."Staring at the now-empty Asgard, Odin murmured sadly, hoping that at least a few bloodlines might survive this doomed fate.
(End of Chapter)