79 Chapter 79 - Odin
"Once again, your wizards remind me a lot of Asgardians..." said the ancient one.
"Well, the blood of ancient gods runs in Asgardians..." Asmodeus couldn't start before being interrupted by the ancient one.
"No need. I fear Odin will come to me to sort out why we revealed the secrets of his family in such a diverse circle."
Upon hearing his father's name, Thor asked in surprise,
"You're familiar with my father?! Why has he never told me that there are sorcerers on Earth?"
Before the ancient one could answer, Asmodeus said,
"Well, in a sense, they are very ancient acquaintances. Thor, what do you know about Asgard's past? How did Asgard become one of the untouchable realms in this universe? Do you think wars like the ones you fought truly matter?"
"I..."
Thor pondered Asmodeus's words. Unfortunately, he rarely visited the Asgardian library and knew little about the intricacies of Asgardian history.
While Thor contemplated the history of Asgard's conquest, the Avengers tried to comprehend what Asmodeus had said about Asgard being "one of the untouchable realms."
Tony and Steve couldn't fathom that Asgard held such a high position in the universe.
"Mr. Morningstar, enough teasing my guests..."
"Alright, alright. Thor, I'll put it this way. Your father, at the peak of his power, was one of the strongest beings in the universe. He even battled creatures responsible for maintaining the balance in the multiverse and defeated several of them."
"..."
Here, the ancient one joined in,
"As for my acquaintance with him... After the battle Mr. Morningstar speaks of, your father was severely wounded, wounds that still haven't healed, undermining his further path... When the sorcerers on Earth realized that Asgard couldn't reclaim its lands, we attempted to free the Earth from Asgard's influence. But Odin wasn't willing to relinquish the Earth; he fought those creatures precisely because of the Earth. So, on the battlefield, Odin and I met. Even when Odin was weak, I was in a losing position but could fend off.
When the war was about to reach an impasse, Odin and I agreed that Asgard would retain the right to be called the owner of the Earth but would not interfere in Earth's internal affairs. However, it also meant that Earth's defense would weaken, so we divided responsibilities. We handle external dimensions, while Odin and Asgard protect the Earth from others in our universe."
"Um, so the universe considers us one of Asgard's colonies?"
"In a sense... At least until Nick Fury launched the cube."
"..."
At this moment, Doctor Banner, who had regained his composure long ago, asked, "But if we are under Asgard's protection, and one of their own started a war, why didn't Odin send an army for support?"
"Asgard is weakened."
"What do you mean!"
"Calm down, Thor."
Tony restrained Thor, who wanted to stand up and confront Asmodeus. He clearly understood that, based on Asmodeus's previous words, Odin had not fully healed from that injury.
"Thor, don't be offended, but Asgard now and Asgard 2000 years ago... they are simply beings from different worlds. It's as if gods became mortal. Not to mention Asgard 4000 years ago when Odin wasn't wounded. In those years, as I mentioned, he was one of the strongest, and incidentally was one of the most dangerous beings in the universe."
"And now? What about my father now?!" Thor asked, now calmer.
"....."
Seeing that Asmodeus didn't want to upset Thor, the ancient one tried to change the subject, but then an old voice was heard.
"Cough, cough. Son, I am old. More precisely, my body can no longer contain the amount of energy present in me."
Thor turned sharply and saw an old man with a spear in hand and a missing eye.
"Father!"
"Hello, my sons."
Odin embraced Thor and glanced at Loki.
"Loki...."
Loki turned away from Odin.
"Sigh..."
"Greetings, Odin."
"And greetings to you. Long time no see."
"Yes... You also don't seem to be in the best condition, from what I can see."
"Not for you to tell. But yes, you're right... I only came because someone is revealing my dark story; otherwise, I'd prefer to be asleep."
"My condition is better than yours."
"Oh, what difference does it make now? You're just as much an old hag at the end of the road as I am."
"What!?"
At this moment, everyone present, except Asmodeus, stood up from their seats. It was clear from the conversation that both Odin and the ancient one were not far from death, and this was not the best prospect for Earth. Especially the Avengers, who now had no intention of losing either of these giants who protect their world.
"Um, Mr., Your Majesty, King Odin. You..."
"Haha, just call me Odin. I'm not that petty. And yes, I am dying. Within 10 years, a year sooner or later, but I will die... In theory, as Earthlings like to say, the royal family of Asgard is immortal. But that's only if the body's growth and energy growth correspond to each other. My body was injured and is weak even compared to my father. But in terms of energy... there's so much of it that if I wanted, with the last blow in my life, I could easily take a planet with me. Due to such enormous accumulations, my body can no longer endure. Additionally, Hela is trying to break free from her imprisonment every day..."
"Hela?"
"Your sister... my firstborn."
"We have a sister?!!"
This time, both Thor and even Loki shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Quiet!"
The Ancient one hit both of these noisy individuals on the head with her fan.
"Sorry..."
"Father, why didn't you tell us about our sister?! And why is she imprisoned?!"
Seeing that Odin didn't want to talk about Hela, Asmodeus said, "Your Majesty, we may have a solution to your problems!"
"Hah, kid, you may be strong, but at my level, what can save you won't have an effect..."
"What if I'm not talking about complete salvation, just about extending life? Besides, who knows what you might find in our universe?"
"Well, what is it?"
"Nikolas, how much elixir did you bring with you?"
"Huh? Oh, I didn't even think about that. But don't worry, hahaha, I thought we might get stuck here for a couple of years, so besides 5 tons of elixir, I brought 100 stones with me. So don't worry! But are you sure it will help?"
"I think we can give him a few more decades... You know, the elixir helps attach the soul to the body, and in your case, it works, so why wouldn't it work in larger doses?"
"Hmm... What do you think about our runes?"
"But that's extra energy... But it's softer, you've noticed, right? His energy is similar to Mana, but it's very aggressive and regularly grows."
"Um, could you explain a bit about what you're talking about? We don't understand a thing!"
Tony asked, as he could no longer stand magical discussions.
Odin and the ancient one nodded as well. No one wants to die if there's a possibility to save themselves. And if saving Odin is possible, then saving the ancient one is also on the table. The ancient one's problem is not that she'll be killed by her own student in the future. No, her main concern is that the energy of the dark dimension will gradually consume her. That's why, in five years, she'll decide to let herself be killed to avoid turning into another enemy.
"Oops, sorry. We sometimes get carried away."
"Yes, too bad you didn't forget to come when I was in Paris."
"Grindelwald, believe it or not, but I'll return the mana amplifier to your academy and rearrange things at Hogwarts! If you recall how you tried to burn Paris, that won't earn you any points!"
Huh?
The Avengers: "(・・ ) ? "
Ancient One: "(￣ω￣;) "
"Cough, cough. Alright, guys, enough. Nicolas, tell us what you and Asmodeus suggest for Odin?"
"Well, first, I need to explain more about myself. My name is Nicolas Flamel. An alchemist and, incidentally, immortal."
"??!"
The Avengers members witnessed such a unique self presentation for the first time.
"You haven't achieved true immortality... But in your state, with regular replenishment of life energy, you'll live another thousand years without problems."
Odin inspected Nicolas and said
In response Nicolas told
"Well, yes. But I'm already 666 years old, and I'm just a human. The thing is, I created the Philosopher's Stone, the pinnacle of alchemy. It allows me to create the elixir of life that fills my body and soul with life energy. But the most important thing is that this liquid forcibly binds the soul to the body. So even if the body is in a state of decay, I can remain in human form, and I won't have to become a ghost."
Hearing about ghosts, Tony couldn't contain himself and bombarded Nicolas with a barrage of questions.
"In your world, are there ghosts? I mean, does the soul exist? Where do the dead go after death in your world? How to make the Philosopher's Stone? Why can you transform into a four-armed creature?"
"..."
"Can we first solve more pressing issues?"
"Forgive me, I just can't contain myself anymore. For the first time in my life, I understand absolutely nothing."
"Cough, cough. So, do you think this elixir can extend my life?"
"In conjunction with our runes and our mana, yes. But for that, you'll have to go to our universe for some time. You must absorb enough mana to help contain your intense divine energy."
"And what if there's an imbalance? I mean, what if there isn't enough mana to neutralize the influence of my own energy?"
"Then.... We haven't thought that far yet...."
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Gently asking you to leave all your gems here.
