139

Chapter 139: Confrontation

After Thor left for Nidavellir, Heimdall kept a close watch on the situation from Asgard.

Sif approached Heimdall with concern. "How is His Highness faring?"

Although Thor had reassured her not to worry, the gravity in his eyes when he departed had not gone unnoticed. With Thor away for over a day, Sif's anxiety was growing.

"His Highness is fine for now; he only sustained minor injuries," Heimdall reported. "The enemies are few and lack an army, but one of them is exceptionally powerful. He is likely the mastermind behind the invasion of Midgard. Only His Majesty would be able to defeat him in Asgard. However, His Highness and the sorceress are both formidable, and they have additional powerful allies to aid them."

Sif was struck by Heimdall's assessment. To face an enemy only slightly inferior to Odin was alarming—Odin was known for his immense power!

Her worry deepened. "No, His Highness cannot confront such a powerful foe alone. We must support him."

Fandral quickly agreed. "That's right. No matter how strong the enemy is, we have faced challenges together before. We should assist, at least to share some of the burden."

Heimdall hesitated. Although he felt that following Thor's plan was the right course of action, Sif and Fandral's arguments had merit.

"Wait!" Loki interrupted, speaking to Heimdall with urgency. "If my brother sends a message, how long will it take for Nidavellir to communicate with Asgard?"

"There should be no delay," Heimdall replied with a piercing glance.

"Then we should adhere to his plan."

"No!" Sif retorted immediately. "If it were an ordinary enemy, this would be acceptable. But the situation is different now; we cannot put His Highness at greater risk!"

Fandral's response was sharp. "Loki, I know you have your issues with your brother, but that doesn't justify letting him face danger alone!" Loki had a troubled past, and the three Asgardian warriors had little trust in him.

"You're being unreasonable!" Loki raised his voice, a rare occurrence for him. "Going now would only make things worse for him!"

"Thor is more than capable of handling you and a hundred more! What can you do to help? You'd only be a burden or a hostage!"

"The enemy hasn't brought an army, so there's no need for our forces to rush to their deaths. If Thor needed help, he would have informed us. His silence means he doesn't want us interfering."

The Asgardian warriors were left speechless.

Heimdall nodded, finally recognizing Loki's point.

Meanwhile, at Nidavellir, the standoff continued.

Thor stood at the center, with Carol on his left and Wanda on his right. Together, they formed a formidable trio, possibly the strongest in history.

Opposite them, the Black Order was arrayed: Ebony Maw and Corvus Glaive in the rear, with Proxima Midnight providing support.

Thanos's expression darkened. It appeared to be a four-on-three battle, but the opponents were exceptionally tough, and his own side had three unreliable members. Killing a few of them would be a significant loss.

Thanos's mouth twitched. If he had known the situation would be so unfavorable, he might have ignored the fight and activated Sanctuary Fleet directly.

The design template for the glove had been destroyed in the aftermath of the battle, making it impossible to recreate. Even if Thanos won temporarily, he would not be able to achieve his goals today. He had to admit that the operation was a failure.

In fact, he was considering retreating. The problem was that with Ebony Maw dead and the Supergiant also having perished at Thor's hands decades ago, his pride was hurt. He could endure criticism from his own ranks, but the dissatisfaction among other subordinates, like those from Chitauri and the vanguards, was a concern.

People's morale was fragmented, and leading the team was becoming increasingly difficult. They followed him because of their own interests, but witnessing his little brother's death at the hands of a second-generation god and some remote planet natives was a blow to their morale.

The atmosphere on Thor's side was equally tense.

The Black Order was a formidable group, and the real issue was Thanos's incredible resilience. Thor and Carol had tried numerous strategies, but none had produced significant results.

Thanos seemed impervious to their attacks. Gungnir, the eternal spear, only managed to cause minor injuries, while the unyielding portal was torn by him with little effect. Despite the damage, Thanos seemed largely unaffected, his decades of battle experience making him more resistant to their efforts.