42 Chapter 42: A Casual Spar

A few days had passed since the meeting with the king. The viltrumite soldier was given a home, which was very close to the castle. Odin himself wanted to watch him. There wasn't anyone else suitable to keep an eye on him in Asgard. Taz wasn't satisfied with his arrangements. This was the first time in a long time that he couldn't do things by himself.

The young elite had flown to space, only to realize that the stars in the distance were unreachable. No matter how fast he flew, the distance didn't change. There was only one positive, and it was the sun. It wasn't a blue sun, but it wasn't yellow either. It was unknown what it was, but it filled him with strength regardless.

Heimdall had returned to guard the bifrost. With nothing to do, the viltrumite could only bide his time. Thor, being the curious person he was, dropped by with his band of friends. They weren't surprised to see Taz sitting on the roof and dressed in casual clothes.

"Young all-father! Up for some training?" He called out.

"......."

The soldier didn't even turn to meet his gaze. He lazed on top of his new home while bathing in the unorthodox sun. The son of Odin scratched his head in exasperation. Volstagg decided to approach.

"If training isn't what gets ya, how about some magical mead, aye? Even you will get drunk from it!" He exclaimed. Taz shook his head.

"...I do not get drunk." He answered.

"You won't know until you try." The hairy asgardian exclaimed.

…

…

…

Before they knew it, the group was now in the warrior district. Sif and Fandrall were squaring off in the training grounds. Their blades clashed as they exchanged moves. The rest of the group sat to the side and watched. Volstagg and Taz both could be seen guzzling down alcohol. The hairy man was drunk out of his mind, while the viltrumite barely felt anything.

It was still better than nothing. He'd feel tipsy for only a few seconds before it went away. All of this was extremely boring to the young elite. It was as if they were moving in slow motion.

Eventually, Thor stepped into the ring. His arm raised into the air. A whistling sound could be heard as something sped through the skies. Once it was close, Taz saw it. It was a hammer. A pretty small one at that. This scene immediately reminded him of Battle Beast.

The son of Odin got ready to fight against Hogun, another warrior of the group. As soon as they charged at each other, the stoic soldier lost interest. He could already tell who was stronger at a single glance.

As the day went on, there was an unexpected arrival. The group turned to see King Odin, surrounded by Valkyries and royal guards. Everyone kneeled to him except Taz, who continued sipping the mead.

"Don't mind me. Carry on." He ordered with a casual wave of his hand.

The warriors got up and continued their training, but the atmosphere had become tense. Whenever the two all-fathers were in the room, things became dangerous. Odin walked over to the young elite and sat beside him. He poured himself a mug of alcohol.

"......."

"Even a king must relax sometimes. I can't sit on the throne all day." He spoke.

"I've already said that I was a king once. You don't need to tell me." Taz responded.

"Sometimes I can't help but run this old mouth. There aren't too many people to talk to."

The viltrumite calmly looked at the godking beside him. Odin sipped on his ale watching the group train. The royal guards and valkyries secured the entries and exits. Nobody would be allowed in or out for now.

"If you ever tell me to kneel again, I will kill you." Taz muttered calmly.

There was no heat in his words. It was as if he said a normal thing. The old man smiled. Some of the warriors, like Sif and Volstagg, paled upon hearing the declaration. One had to have a death wish to speak to the king like that. They pretended as if they heard nothing.

"An all-father need not kneel." He responded.

"........."

There was a moment of silence. The two calmly sipped on their mugs. After a while, Odin stood up. He grabbed his spear and pointed it at the elite soldier.

"Spar? It's not everyday that all-fathers clash."

Taz shook his head. He wasn't going to make any more contact with this man if he didn't have to. He wasn't going to just follow the old king's whim.

"No thanks."

"I insist."

"You want to fight? Why?" Absolver questioned. He could tell it wasn't just for fun. Odin smiled.

"I need to stretch these old bones." He said.

"...Then stretch them elsewhere."

"You know…if you spar with me a few times, I might just give you access to the bifrost."

Hearing these words, Taz begrudgingly rose to his feet. It was annoying that the old man would use such a tactic to get what he wanted. As they walked into the ring, everyone else scurried to the side. The warriors were excited to see their king battle against someone of similar strength. This was a rare treat. Some of the valkyries set runes around the area for protection.

"Be careful. I wouldn't want to hurt you." Taz mocked.

"I don't mind. If you can, that is."

Odin set down a strange relic in the corner of the room. It pulsed with energy. The stoic viltrumite watched it with confusion. Seeing his curiosity, the godking spoke.

"If we end up causing too much damage, this will take us to a small pocket realm." He explained. Absolver nodded. With a tap on his wrist, his suit and cape appeared on his body.

"I'll start off slow." Taz spoke.

With those words, he teleported in front of the king. A series of moves were quickly exchanged. Before it had been five seconds, a plethora of attacks had already been thrown.

The people watching on the side could only see blurs as they sped around the battleground.Their jaws dropped in shock. It was obvious what their thoughts were.

'This is starting off slow?!' They thought.

Taz flipped over a leg slash. At the peak of his flip, a heavy fist came down like a mountain. Odin raised his spear to block the attack.

DONG

It sounded as if metal had collided with even harder metal. A shockwave was released. It was as if the air had detonated. The runes around the building lit up, forming a protective sphere.

"You fight like an angry drunkard. Don't you have any technique?" Odin mocked.

Absolver smirked and got into a viltrumite MMA stance. It was the technique he used against Nolan in their first ever spar. Taz had never needed a technique. He did have his own style from his time on Viltrum, but he soon realized that there was no point. The enemies were too weak to even withstand it.

"I rarely need it, but fine."

The elite soldier appeared in front of the god king once again. A kick flew toward the man's head. His torso leaned back, dodging the attack. That wasn't the end, however. Utilizing his flight, Taz twisted around and tackled him to the floor. A strong fist slammed into Odin's head.

BOOM

It was a clean blow. His golden helmet flew off with force. The people watching couldn't help but gasp in shock. The king had just taken a heavy shot to the face! The old man frowned. His eyes glowed with power. Suddenly, a burst of energy sent Taz flying back.

Odin rose to his feet and grabbed his spear. He seemed to be a bit angry if the red on his face was anything to go by. A beam of energy shot out of the spear and drilled toward the viltrumite. Taz dodged it and accelerated back toward him.

BOOM

They collided again. The runes on the floor were starting to shatter like glass. The protective field slowly disappeared. More and more blows were exchanged, and it seemed like the damage would reach the citizens.

Right before they clashed again, the relic swallowed them. Absolver blinked a few times as he adjusted to the new place. Everything around them was black except for the ground they stood on. The stars could be seen, but it didn't feel real.

"Now we can get serious." Odin exclaimed.

"......."

They dashed toward each other again. Right before Taz's fist reached him, the figure changed. It was no longer the god king in front of him. It was Dupli-Kate. His fist crashed through her, blowing a hole in her stomach.

"Taz…" She croaked before slumping to the ground.

Absolver's heart froze. He crouched down and brought her in his arms. He knew it was fake. There was no way she should even be here. It had to be fake. It had to be.

"Kate? What…no!" He exclaimed. Her body quickly shattered into motes of light.

The young elite felt a righteous fury overwhelm him. He turned to Odin with glowing eyes. His feet left the ground and he slowly floated into the air. His bioelectric field wrapped around the god king.

"...Was that supposed to be funny? Did you get a kick out of that?! Not bad, I must say." He growled. The ruler of Asgard only smiled. He raised his spear.

Taz burst into motion, the area behind him shattering from the force. The solar energy inside of him slowly began to revolve. Steam was being emitted from his body. An absolute fist crashed down onto Odin.

BOOOOM

A vortex of destruction traveled through the old man's body and into the ground. It became nothing, only showing the darkness beneath them. The ruler's body was glowing with bright blue energy. He matched Absolver blow for blow.

The battle continued for a long time. This pocket realm was being dismantled at an incredible pace. Midway through an attack, the king's figure transformed again. It was Anissa. Her head was blown straight off her body. Taz couldn't help but stop again. As he stared at her corpse, the blunt side of the spear slammed down onto him.

BAM

Absolver crashed into the ground. His body drilled deep inside, disappearing from view. Odin twirled his spear and waited. He knew this was when things would get dangerous.

"Calm yourself. Control your anger." He finally spoke.

His words went in one ear and out the other. They went unheard. All the young elite could see was red. The solar energy channeled inside him even faster. In only a millisecond, he burst to the surface.

Taz's golden skin was revealed. The area surrounding them burst into golden flames. The ground was melting. Odin was surprised to see this new form. All of this energy was terrifying. A simple attack in this form could destroy Asgard. The godking could feel the ocean of power ready to be unleashed.

"You…you….YOU!" Absolver roared.

"Channel that rage. Use it!"

Before the sound waves from the old man's voice could even travel, the viltrumite's supreme fist had already slammed into Odin's liver. Time froze as the god king's body bent like a bow. Blood spurt out his mouth.

KRAKOOOOOOM

Odin shot off into the void with Taz right behind him. When the all-father opened his eyes, he saw a golden fist slamming down into his chest. His spear glowed with intense energy and he met the blow. Even though he blocked it, he was blown away.

The fake stars were shattering as they exchanged blows. The old man was at a disadvantage, but his technique allowed him to overcome the gap. Absolver's rage was keeping him from reaching his true potential. He had turned into a berserker.

The two fighters beamed around the dimension. A long time passed and the realm was on the verge of collapsing. The damage was very close to reaching Asgard. The old man had to focus completely in order to stay on top. Eventually, Odin counted down from five.

"Four, three, two, one."

As if on cue, Taz's golden form dispersed. The young elite immediately fell unconscious. This was his second time using that form, and the first time was only for a few seconds. He was out of energy.

The god king caught him and exited the pocket realm. In the back of his mind, he knew that if the viltrumite could control that form freely, there was a chance he'd lose. He just needed to gain a better hold on his emotions.

The Asgardians were surprised upon their return. King Odin was covered in wounds, and Taz was unconscious. They had no idea what happened inside the relic, but the winner was clear.

"Tell him to meet me in a week's time." The old man spoke to Thor.

Thor nodded. His group of friends proceeded to carry the viltrumite home.