Odin looked at Athena, and a calm smile appeared on his face before he spoke in a voice filled with confidence and wisdom:
"In the coming war, all of our older rulers—our sons—will fight alongside us."
He paused for a moment before continuing, his gaze shifting toward the new generation of rulers:
"As for all of you, you will remain in Asgard."
Silence filled the hall, and expressions of surprise appeared on the faces of several of the younger rulers. Some of them were about to object to the decision, but Odin calmly raised his hand, making everyone realize that he had not yet finished speaking.
He then said firmly:
"This is what is best for both you and us."
"You still lack the experience of those rulers who have fought countless battles and know how to restrain themselves when necessary."
Then he looked at each of them in turn and added:
"And do not think that remaining in Asgard is a task of lesser importance."
"On the contrary."
"Protecting Asgard is a great honor and a responsibility no less important than fighting on the battlefield."
As soon as the younger rulers heard Odin's words, most of their objections faded away, and they accepted his wisdom, especially the Ruler of the Sun, who had been the most eager to join the war.
After that, Odin turned to the other rulers and asked thoughtfully:
"As for the warriors..."
"How many should we take with us?"
"I want to hear your opinions."
Hela did not hesitate for long. She answered immediately with confidence:
"I believe we can take three hundred warriors from Asgard."
Then she explained her reasoning:
"That number will be sufficient for our first war."
"As for the remaining five hundred, they should stay in Asgard to protect the kingdom and ensure its safety in case of any unexpected danger."
Odin looked at her with approval and nodded.
He then turned to the others and asked:
"Does anyone object to Hela's proposal?"
The rulers exchanged glances before all of them shook their heads, expressing their agreement.
At that moment, Hades realized that the time had come to raise a matter that had occupied his mind for a long time.
He looked at his son, Volund—the Ruler and Master Smith of Weapons—and asked:
"Have you forged that weapon?"
The instant those words left his mouth, silence descended upon the entire hall.
Everyone exchanged looks, for they all knew that he was not referring to an ordinary weapon.
Before Volund could answer, Hela spoke in his place:
"Yes, Father."
"We have forged it."
She sighed softly before continuing:
"We created that treasure from the corpse of the Ruler of Death that was sealed inside that cube."
Silence fell over the hall once again as everyone's eyes turned toward her.
She continued:
"Without the presence of the Ruler and Master Smith of Weapons, the task would have been extremely difficult—perhaps even impossible."
"We had to transform that distorted corpse, which still contained the soul and power of the Ruler of Death, from within the cube into that treasure."
Then she said seriously:
"We also had to erase his soul completely."
"And we could not have accomplished that without his assistance."
Odin looked at Hela, then at Volund, and finally at Hades.
After a few moments of thought, he asked Hela:
"And are you able to use that treasure?"
Hela remained silent for a moment.
Then she shook her head in frustration and replied:
"No."
She frowned and added:
"Even though I possess the power of death, I am still unable to control that treasure."
Odin looked at her with an expression that blended understanding and sympathy before slowly nodding.
He then turned to Hades and said:
"Then that treasure shall remain in Hades' possession for the time being."
"It will stay with him until Hela is capable of wielding and controlling it."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he added:
"For that treasure will undoubtedly become one of our greatest trump cards in the coming war."
However, Odin did not continue immediately.
Silence lingered for a few moments, and concern appeared on his face.
Then he raised his head and asked in a serious voice:
"Have you forged the restraints for the treasure?"
Everyone looked at him attentively as he continued:
"I mean the safeguards that prevent anyone who is not an Asgardian from using it."
"For I do not wish this treasure to one day fall into the hands of our enemies and turn from our greatest weapon into our greatest threat."
Volund, the Ruler and Master Smith of Weapons, nodded immediately upon hearing Odin's question and replied with unmistakable confidence:
"Do not worry, Lord Odin."
He placed a hand on his chest and continued proudly:
"I forged those restraints myself."
"And I can assure you that no one except the children of Asgard will ever be able to use that treasure."
"Even if it falls into the hands of our enemies, it will be nothing more than a useless object to them."
As soon as Odin heard those words, a great portion of the burden weighing on his heart disappeared.
For a long time, he had been considering the worst possible scenarios.
What if they suffered an unexpected defeat?
What if the treasure was stolen during the war?
What if an enemy managed to wield its power against them?
But it seemed that his caution, this time, had been unnecessary.
Odin looked at Volund with admiration before nodding and saying:
"Excellent work."
"You have exceeded my expectations once again."
Volund felt a surge of pride after hearing Odin's praise, while a faint smile appeared on Hades' face, clearly pleased by the compliment given to his son.
As for Odin, he slowly looked around at the rulers gathered before him.
For the first time in many years...
He felt that he no longer had to bear everything alone.
His children had grown.
His grandchildren had matured.
And now he was surrounded by people he could rely on.
People capable of carrying responsibilities that he alone had once shouldered.
A gentle smile crossed his face before he turned toward Thor.
He said:
"You will oversee Asgard during our absence."
"And I want you not to act recklessly, no matter what happens. Do you understand?"
Thor nodded quietly.
The excitement that had been visible on his face moments earlier faded away.
Then he asked hesitantly:
"Will Surtur participate in the coming war?"
Poseidon looked at the giant youth sitting before him and let out a long sigh before saying:
"You truly have grown a great deal."
Then he smiled and added:
"And yet you still worry more about others than yourself."
"You have matured, Thor."
"Not only your body..."
"But your heart and your mind as well."
He continued:
"Do not worry."
"There will be someone to look after Surtur during the war."
"I know you are concerned because he is still young compared to some of us."
"But do not forget that he is no longer a child."
"He is about your age now, perhaps even a little older."
"And do not forget that he is a Giant."
"It is true that his race takes a very long time to reach full maturity, but he has learned much during his time in Asgard."
"He now knows how to act without recklessness."
Odin nodded while listening to Poseidon's words before laughing and saying:
"He is not saying that because he is worried about Surtur."
Then he looked directly at his son and added with a mischievous smile:
"He is simply jealous of him."
"Surtur will be going to war..."
"And you will not."
Several people in the hall burst into laughter.
Thor's face turned slightly red, and he looked away while muttering:
"You are mistaken, Father."
Then he quickly added:
"It is a great honor for me to protect Asgard."
"And how could I possibly be jealous of Surtur?"
"He is my closest friend."
Poseidon laughed even harder, while Hades watched with an amused expression as Thor struggled to defend himself.
After the laughter gradually subsided, Hades turned to Odin and asked:
"Will we depart alongside the Giants?"
"Or will we leave on our own?"
A mysterious smile appeared on Odin's face.
Then he rose from his seat.
The moment he stood, everyone in the hall stood as well out of respect.
For it would be disrespectful for anyone to remain seated while the Ruler of Asgard was standing.
Odin looked around at everyone.
Then he said calmly:
"We leave now."
The eyes of most of the rulers widened.
They had believed they still had some time before their departure.
Athena, however, showed no surprise whatsoever.
Instead, she looked at him and said:
"So, you intend to make the first move yourself."
Odin nodded.
Then he began walking toward the exit of the hall, with the other rulers following behind him.
At the same time, he gave Hela instructions to take care of several necessary arrangements before their departure.
As they left the palace, Athena asked:
"Where are we heading?"
Odin smiled as the group of rulers moved swiftly across Asgard.
Then he answered:
"To the place where the new rulers forged the treasure."
"After that, we will depart for the war to claim our share of the treasure that is about to be born."
Silence lingered for a few moments.
Then he continued:
"But that is not my true objective."
Everyone looked at him in confusion.
Athena, however, was already beginning to understand what he was thinking.
Then they heard him say:
"I wish to annex the island where we grew up into Asgard."
"I wish to make our old home part of the kingdom."
Athena paused for a moment.
Then a broad smile spread across her face.
In a voice filled with delight, she said:
"So..."
"The time has finally come."
She lifted her head toward the sky and continued:
"The time has come for the entire world to know who we truly are."
At that very moment...
The auras of the rulers began to rise around them, growing stronger with every passing second as they thought of the island where their story had begun.
The island where the legend of Asgard was born.
And the island that would soon become part of the greatest kingdom the world had ever known.
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]