Because the energy of the spatial blockade had been strengthened, it took Odin's fleet more than an hour just to open a spatial rift.
The very next second, hundreds of drones vanished into space.
They all entered spatial jump instantly, sent out to scout ahead.
A dozen minutes later.
On the flagship, Odin stared grimly at the projection hovering in the air.
The drones disappeared the moment they jumped through space.
Even the few that might have reached their destination vanished before they could transmit a single image.
Odin's expression darkened even further.
It was obvious now.
The enemy possessed the ability to destroy warships during spatial jumps, and their countermeasures were so precise that not a single drone survived.
Spatial jump technology is the most critical breakthrough for any intelligent civilization entering the universe.
But a spatial jump isn't just opening a rift and flying through it.
Each warship opens its own independent spatial channel. Once that channel is opened, the ship is forcibly pulled into the rift.
In other words, once a spatial rift opens, the jump cannot be stopped.
Moreover, spatial rifts are one-way only.
There is no return path, and no way for the other side to enter the ship through the rift.
The fact that the enemy could destroy unmanned ships mid-jump meant they possessed completely unknown technology.
Odin finally spoke, his voice heavy.
"Lucy… what do we do now?"
Splitting their forces and opening multiple spatial jumps to confuse the enemy had been Lucy's best idea.
But clearly, the enemy already had a counter.
Lucy could only shake her head helplessly.
"It seems… there's no other option left but a direct confrontation."
Thor clenched his fist, excitement flashing across his face.
"We should've done that from the start. All this hesitation has just wasted time."
Odin sighed inwardly, then nodded firmly.
"Very well. Begin."
…
Near the wormhole.
At this moment, several transport warships were towing a massive meteorite through space.
This was material for building interstellar fortresses.
From the very beginning, Thanos had prepared for a prolonged war.
If Odin chose a slow approach, ten completed interstellar fortresses would bleed the Asgardian fleet dry.
Soon, several large transport ships emerged from the wormhole.
Long, worm-like mechanical arms extended from both sides of the ships and connected to nearby warships.
These were supply units, rapidly replenishing energy and resources.
Everything proceeded smoothly.
Inside Temple Number Two.
Thanos sat calmly upon his throne, the Mind Stone resting in his hand.
A moment later, a blue hologram of Little Blue appeared.
"Master, we have detected a large number of spatial rifts opening thirty billion kilometers away."
Thanos immediately opened his eyes.
"Oh? So you finally couldn't hold back."
He smiled faintly.
"Right on the edge of a star…"
The star he occupied had a diameter of roughly ten billion kilometers.
Thirty billion kilometers placed the enemy just beyond the star's boundary—neither too far nor too close.
Even traveling at near-light speed, it would take over two days to reach them.
Just enough time for the enemy fleet to recharge.
Thanos narrowed his eyes.
"So Odin has a way to locate me…"
A name surfaced in his mind.
Heimdall.
The watcher of the Nine Realms.
"It must be him," Thanos muttered.
"Otherwise, even with my technology, tracking targets across tens of thousands of light-years would be impossible—let alone a handful of ships."
He issued orders immediately.
"All fleets move to the target location."
"Obsidian Five remain on standby for support."
"Cease construction of all interstellar fortresses."
The fortresses had been meant as insurance—assuming Odin wouldn't locate him so quickly.
That assumption was clearly wrong.
Now that the decisive battle was approaching, continuing construction was pointless.
If they won, they would march straight into Asgard.
If they lost, unfinished fortresses would mean nothing.
As for the Obsidian Five, they couldn't arrive anyway due to the spatial blockade.
If Thanos had known Asgard's technology was this outdated, he wouldn't have bothered with such elaborate ambushes.
"Activate black photon ray traction."
"Activate faster-than-light engines."
"Deploy space slide field. Prepare for FTL transit."
At his command, the 2,500 warships—led by Temple II—accelerated to speeds exceeding light by a hundredfold.
If wormholes connect galaxies, and spatial jumps connect stars, then space slides connect planets.
A star's diameter can reach billions or even trillions of kilometers.
Traveling such distances at light speed alone could take years.
Spatial jumps consume too much energy within stellar regions, making space slides the preferred option.
Space slide technology compresses space slightly, shortening distance—like folding the universe inward.
The ships still traveled below light speed, yet achieved faster-than-light results.
It was extremely advanced technology.
Thanos doubted Odin even possessed it.
Half an hour later, the fleet arrived.
Before them lay a region of pitch-black space, completely devoid of starlight.
A spatial rift was opening.
Even light could not escape.
Little Blue began issuing commands without waiting for instructions.
"Destination reached. Disengage space slide. Exit FTL."
"Activate full shield power."
"Engines at maximum output."
"Main and secondary laser cannons charging."
"Begin deployment of space mines and space bombs."
"Interstellar behemoths ready for release."
"The Dark Order preparing to deploy."
"Fighter squadrons standing by."
The fleet roared to life.
Escort ships raised their shields.
Attack ships charged their weapons.
Auxiliary vessels scattered mines and space bombs.
The mothership deployed interstellar behemoths and Dark Order forces.
Fighter jets ignited their engines.
Interstellar behemoths—massive, whale-like creatures—moved gracefully through space.
Unlike their sluggish portrayal in films, these monsters were agile and devastating sources of firepower.
With all preparations complete, Thanos stopped cultivating and sat quietly.
Waiting.
Hopefully, he thought, this time I'll finally get a real fight.
.....
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