This also meant that the missing part of the Reality Stone had finally arrived!
"Girl, don't say I didn't take you along this time."
"Come on, let's go meet that legendary Dark Elf together," Zane teased, planting a kiss on Lorna's cheek.
Lorna's face lit up with excitement as she quickly nodded and said, "Really? Let's go! I haven't stretched my muscles in so long—I'm going to waste away if I stay here any longer!"
Meanwhile, Bastis, who had been dozing on Zane's other shoulder, immediately perked up at the mention of "Elf."
"Elves! Where are they?"
"I told them to stay quietly on their planet!"
"Could it be that some bold trafficker kidnapped them again?"
Bastis suddenly stood up on Zane's shoulder, frantically scanning the surroundings for any sign of the "Elf."
Seeing the sleepy and confused Bastis, Zane and Lorna couldn't help but laugh. They patted her fluffy little head.
"You're quite the responsible guardian of the Elven race," Zane chuckled. "Don't worry, the Elf that's coming this time isn't from your clan."
Bastis relaxed upon hearing this, yawned lazily, and was about to curl up on Zane's shoulder again to sleep. However, Lorna quickly grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and tossed her aside.
Bastis skillfully adjusted her posture mid-air, landing lightly on the ground, but her sleepiness was entirely gone thanks to Lorna's actions.
"Ah! You foolish woman, do you want to duel?" Bastis yelled furiously at Lorna, her fur bristling.
But Lorna ignored her this time, her face full of excitement as she eagerly grabbed Zane's strong hand.
Zane turned to Bastis and said, "We're going to have some fun for a bit. You take care of Rocket and the others."
Before Bastis could respond, Zane and Lorna teleported to the end of the Bifrost, disappearing from the spot, leaving Bastis bewildered and standing alone in the breeze.
After a moment, the empty mountaintop echoed with a sorrowful cry.
"I want to play too!!!"
Zane and Lorna, who had already teleported to the Bifrost, arrived just in time to see Odin supporting the now unconscious Heimdall, heading back.
"You brat, why are you getting involved? It's all taken care of here, go back," Odin said calmly as he noticed Zane suddenly appear in front of him.
But Zane's lips curled into a mysterious smile.
"Old man, are you sure you've really taken care of everything?"
Before Odin could respond, Zane pointed toward the seemingly empty space on the other side of the Bifrost.
A glowing orb, tinged with a purplish hue, lit up at Zane's fingertip.
In the next moment, a beam of energy, no less powerful than the one Odin had just unleashed with the Gugnir, shot out from Zane's finger.
As the beam, enhanced by the Power Stone, sliced through the previously empty void, a massive explosion suddenly erupted!
Simultaneously, Odin's face showed a stunned expression.
As the hidden ship locked onto by Zane's intuition was struck by the beam from the [Son of Light], a small, machete-shaped vessel suddenly emerged from the void. A gaping hole could be seen in its dark matter reactor furnace.
The small ship, billowing black smoke, plummeted straight onto the translucent Bifrost Bridge. With a deafening crash, the bridge was instantly covered in a web of cracks.
Zane, meanwhile, looked at Odin with a smug expression, as if to say, "How's that, old man? Embarrassed yet?"
But Odin didn't pay any attention to Zane's teasing. Instead, he stared at the cracked Bifrost Bridge, his lips twitching as a flash of pain crossed his eyes.
"You brat, couldn't you be a bit more careful?"
"Always showing off—do you know how much precious material it takes to repair this massive crack?" Odin said to Zane with a tone full of resentment.
Zane's smug grin froze, and he awkwardly scratched his nose.
"Don't sweat the small stuff. You're a god-king—why be so stingy?" Zane replied with a forced laugh, trying to shake off the embarrassment.
"You rascal, you have no idea how expensive everything is until you're in charge," Odin muttered, sounding more like a grumbling old man than a dignified god-king.
The truth was, the materials needed to repair the Bifrost were indeed incredibly rare. Some of them had long disappeared from existence, with only small remnants left in Asgard's vaults. That's why, in the original story, it took all of Asgard years to restore the Bifrost to its former glory. If the bridge weren't so valuable, it wouldn't have become Asgard's exclusive weapon of war.
Odin's pain was understandable—he was just like any old man, wanting to save up as much as possible to leave something behind for his descendants. He wasn't worried about Thor anymore, but rather about the grandson in Jane Foster's arms.
Wait a second...
Zane suddenly realized something.
"Hold on, I'm here to help you Asgardians. Why are you complaining about me now? That doesn't make sense!"
The awkwardness that had been creeping up on Zane instantly vanished, and he suddenly felt completely justified.
"You old fool, I'm helping you out! So what if I accidentally break something?"
"Believe it or not, I'll tear this flashy bridge apart right now!"
Zane shouted at Odin, stomping his foot on the bridge, sending ripples across the Bifrost.
"You..."
Odin was so infuriated by Zane's shameless behavior that his nostrils flared, and his beard nearly stood on end.
Neither of them noticed the Dark Elf mothership, which had revealed itself after being detected. The element of surprise, the cornerstone of their attack, was now lost. Without their cloaking advantage, Asgard had raised its defenses on Odin's orders, and every soldier was readying for battle.
Even the Dark Elf officer who was supposed to assist Malekith had been killed by Odin himself. With these remnants of the Dark Elf forces, which had been nearly wiped out thousands of years ago, the two couldn't figure out what there was to worry about.
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