Asgard — the Royal Palace.
When Odin returned with Thor and Loki, he immediately received the news: the Twelve Gold Saints had defected, and the God of Light had left with them. In that moment, the old king felt his world spin; his knees weakened, and he nearly collapsed on the spot.
"As expected… as expected, they still left…"
Gazing toward the distant Temple of Light, the God-King slumped back onto his throne. Regret weighed heavily on him, sorrow clouding his eyes. "I thought that as the God-King, I could control everything… but in the end, the one who lost the most was myself."
Odin muttered painfully, his heart twisting with remorse.
Thor and Loki stood quietly at the center of the hall, equally crestfallen. There was no doubt—the departure of Gilgamesh and the Gold Saints was one of the greatest losses Asgard had ever suffered.
No one could have predicted that a mere "Trial of the King" would cost Asgard one of its strongest elite forces.
The only small consolation was that the enemy had not wiped them out entirely. Valhalla's core warriors still remained.
"Father, don't be sad. I'll go find him right now!"
Seeing Odin's devastated state, Thor felt deeply unsettled. His expression hardened with resolve as he prepared to search for Gilgamesh.
But just as he turned to leave, the All-Father's voice stopped him. "No need, child. You cannot bring him back."
Odin raised a weary hand, halting Thor.
"No one in Asgard understands him better than I do. Once Gilgamesh makes up his mind, not even I can sway him. Only when he himself chooses to return… will there be a chance."
Hearing this, Thor and Loki fell silent.
This so-called "Trial of the King" had changed both of them. In a sense, Odin's plan had succeeded three-quarters of the way; the remaining quarter had collapsed because of Gilgamesh, indirectly preventing Hela's long-prepared plan from advancing any further.
Even half a success was still a success. At least Asgard still had heirs.
"Loki," Odin continued, "the mages of Midgard are the backbone of the resistance against the Outer Dimensional Demons. Before her death, the Ancient One instructed us to pay attention to a surgeon named Stephen Strange. He possesses the aptitude and potential to become the next Sorcerer Supreme.
"You were blessed by Gilgamesh, granted unparalleled magical talent, and personally instructed by the Ancient One. Therefore, I will temporarily entrust you with the responsibility of leading Kamar-Taj."
Odin straightened with effort, gazing at his godson. Through the combined efforts of Odin and the Ancient One, the malignant part of Loki's curse had long been purged, leaving only the beneficial aspects behind.
Now that the Ancient One had fallen, the Outer Dimensional Demons were sure to grow restless. Someone had to guide the mages of Midgard—and Odin feared that without a leader, they would crumble under demonic pressure. Thus, he thought of Loki.
As for the God of Mischief himself—he froze. Odin had never entrusted him with a proper mission before. Loki had always longed to accomplish something meaningful and earn Odin's recognition, yet the God-King had constantly overlooked him.
Now… it felt as though the sun had risen in the west.
"Rest assured, Father! I will definitely keep those dimensional demons away from this world!" Loki said, eyes shining, his voice bursting with enthusiasm he had never shown before.
Seeing Loki's reaction, Odin felt a pang in his chest. Perhaps Gilgamesh's departure had finally forced him to confront the truth—had he neglected his sons too much?
Just one mission, and Loki was moved to this extent.
Perhaps… he truly had been wrong.
With that self-reflection weighing on him, Odin's tired gaze hardened with solemnity. "Those demons are not easy to deal with. Even the Ancient One had to rely on the power of the Infinity Stones.
"And the Tesseract on Midgard is an Infinity Stone—one representing the power of space. Once you arrive on Earth, find it and make good use of it. It will greatly reduce your burden."
Loki nodded heavily, his face flushed with excitement.
After arranging matters for his godson, the God-King turned to his biological son. "Thor, my original intention was to temper your character through trials, and it seems you have not disappointed me. Soon, I will announce your coronation as God-King throughout the land. From this day forward, the safety of the Nine Realms rests in the hands of you two brothers."
He gave his two sons their final instructions, then wearily waved his hand, signaling them to depart.
Gilgamesh never expected that, after all the twists and turns, Loki would succeed the Ancient One as the new Sorcerer Supreme, standing on the front line against the dimensional demons. He might even be grooming another Strange.
However, given the nature of the evil god, Loki could just as easily lead the Ancient One's chosen successor astray. Moreover, mortal sorcerers are not to be underestimated; even with Asgard's protection, whether they would submit to him remained uncertain.
Setting aside these messy affairs of Asgard, at this very moment, in the deep cosmic sky, thirteen golden meteors streaked forward, led by Gilgamesh. The twelve Gold Saints formed the vanguard.
They arranged themselves in a triangular formation, two rows apart, their cosmos blazing with dazzling light and trailing long flames as they surged through space at near-light speed.
Normally, Saints could teleport, especially Gilgamesh, now enlightened by Amara, who could traverse light-years in an instant, making such a journey unnecessary.
But the universe was vast, and he was a homebody. Furthermore, Asgard was a magical civilization possessing a spaceship called Asgard's Domain, fast as lightning but dependent on the Bifrost for energy.
Heimdall could have used the Bifrost to transport them, but Gilgamesh could not bring himself to ask. Wanting to teleport yet having no recollection of their exact destination, flying was their only option.
"My lord," Gilgamesh said, "Xandar is located in the Andromeda Galaxy, under the jurisdiction of the Nova Empire. Its capital is the Nova Legion. I've heard it is a very inclusive nation, where races from all planets can freely trade."
Gemini Saga relayed what he knew telepathically to the group. Since he had been residing in Asgard, he knew very little of the outside world, so he could provide only basic information.
Gilgamesh nodded in understanding. In the comics, the Nova Corps rivals the Green Lantern Corps of the DC Universe, but in the movie adaptation, they were reduced to ordinary humans. Perhaps for this reason, the author had also weakened their cosmos. Yet in a fight, they would still be no match for him.
In the Guardians of the Galaxy storyline, the Kree Empire and the Nova Empire had recently signed a ceasefire agreement, though it remained unclear whether the war had truly ended.
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