Steve ultimately couldn't bring himself to voice his troubles.
Shaking his head with a smile, Steve led Lucas, Gwen, and Erin towards the dining hall.
"Erin, Lucas told me you didn't sleep all night and probably didn't eat breakfast either. You just finished your training, so you should eat more to replenish your energy."
Erin got up from the ground and gave an embarrassed smile. "Okay."
Even though she was covered in dust and had made several dents in the ground, she was still lively and energetic, as if nothing had happened.
Soon, she pulled Gwen ahead and began introducing the various functional areas of the Avengers Tower to her.
"The top floor of the Tower is a high-tech combat room. I heard that from there, you can view a 360-degree panoramic view of the city, display 3-D holographic images, and receive news and information from over 50 stations. It's a shame it's not usually open. I haven't been up there yet."
Gwen nodded.
She could confirm that Erin's information was correct.
Because she had been up there.
"The rooftop of the tower is a helipad, and right now there are three helicopters and two Quinjets parked there."
Erin pointed to the top of the tower. "Look, Gwen, what beautiful fighter jets. It would be great if we (Phantom Squad) had one too."
Behind them, Steve watched Erin's joyful figure ahead and smiled as he said to Lucas, "Lucas, you should visit Erin more often. She hasn't been this happy in a long time. She's been training alone these past few days and always seems dispirited."
Lucas nodded noncommittally.
Because of her sudden surge in power, Erin had barely interacted with anyone during her training period, to avoid accidentally harming others. She even rarely used electronic devices. This kind of life was quite monotonous.
Taking the elevator, the four arrived at the kitchen floor and found Tony and Bruce already there.
They had already toasted bread and were sitting in the living room.
They ate breakfast while occasionally discussing something.
Vaguely, they heard words like "Ultron," "Iron Legion," and "New York State Extraordinary Power Alert System."
"Oh, look, our strongwoman has arrived."
Seeing Erin, Tony's expression was exaggerated, and he teased her, "I was just wondering why our Miss Erin was up so early today, starting her training before dawn. Turns out, she had friends coming to visit her."
Erin's face flushed with embarrassment. She guessed that the commotion from her and Gwen's sparring earlier had disturbed Tony and Bruce.
"Tony, don't say that. Erin didn't mean to, she was just too happy." Steve defended Erin.
"Alright." Tony shrugged, smiling indifferently.
He looked down at his watch and said, "The bread is already in the toaster, it'll be ready in two minutes."
"Thank you, Tony." Erin thanked him and sat down to the side.
"Don't thank me, you should thank Jarvis. It was his judgment based on your conversation."
Tony was as stubborn as ever, but no one paid attention.
Nothing else, it was just force of habit.
In the following days, Lucas did not return to the bookstore but stayed at the Avengers Tower with Gwen, accompanying Erin in her training.
Anyway, the bookstore had the protection of psychic magic, so it was the same whether he was there or not. Even if he went back, he would just stay in the lounge and not get involved.
As for Gwen, Lucas suspected she was skipping class.
...
In the vast emptiness of the Universe, a continent floated solitarily.
It was Asgard.
At this moment, this continent, suspended in the void of the Universe, was surrounded on all sides by fleets of warships from various realms.
These warships varied in appearance.
Some were encased in frost, their hulls reflecting cold starlight.
Some were ablaze with flames, like a small sun.
Some were dim and lusterless, resembling a black cross.
Some glittered with golden light, their hull's two-winged decks open, like eagles spreading their wings to fly.
They came from the Frost Giant Kingdom of Jotunheim, the Fire Giants' homeland Muspelheim, the Dark Elves' home Svartalfheim, and the Angels' abode, Heven.
Surrounded by the allied forces of the Four Realms, Asgard was isolated and helpless, only able to constantly activate its energy shield to keep the four-realms alliance at bay.
In Asgard, inside the Golden Hall, Odin slowly awoke from his slumber pod.
A few days ago, the Angel Queen led the War Angel Legion to raid Asgard, drawing most of Asgard's firepower.
Malekith, leader of the Dark Elves, Laufey of the Frost Giants, and Sindr, daughter of Surtur, took advantage of the chaos, leading elite troops to first breach the Bifrost Bridge.
Then they headed towards the royal palace's Odin Vault, intending to reclaim the artifacts of their three races.
Odin, left with no choice, had to fight, despite his aging, nearly depleted body, repelling the three. As a price, he once again fell into the Odin Sleep.
After several days of slumber, he forcibly awoke.
"Frigga, what are the casualties among the Asgardians?"
As soon as he awoke, Odin asked Frigga for the casualty report.
Frigga carefully helped Odin sit up and said, "The enemy's primary objective was not to inflict casualties. Only 81 Asgardians were injured or killed, with 24 seriously wounded and 8 dead."
"Hoo..."
Odin let out a long sigh.
At the same time, anger flared in his chest.
Asgard had lived in peace and prosperity under his rule for nearly a millennium.
A thousand years ago, during the war with the Frost Giants, the flames of war never reached Asgard itself.
He never expected that in these few years before his abdication, Asgard would be attacked repeatedly.
Were they taking advantage of his old age, thinking he could no longer wield a sword?
"Go summon Thor, I have something to discuss with him. And Loki as well. Have both brothers come together." Odin commanded the guard standing nearby.
However, the guard looked troubled and did not move.
Frigga explained, "The Bifrost Bridge has been destroyed, and Heimdall has fallen in battle. The allied forces of the Four Realms have surrounded Asgard, and messages cannot be sent out. Therefore, Thor and Loki are still on Midgard."
"The reinforcements from the three realms of the Dwarves, Light Elves, and Vanir have also failed to arrive."
"Has Heimdall returned to Valhalla?"
Upon hearing the grim news, Odin swayed.
Before he entered the Odin Sleep, he had seen the Bifrost Bridge destroyed. He knew in his heart that Heimdall had most likely fallen, but he still couldn't help but hold onto a glimmer of hope.
"Then go summon Sif and Thor's few good friends." Odin commanded the guard standing nearby once more.
"Yes, All-Father."
This time, the guard moved decisively, and soon returned with Sif and The Warriors Three.
Odin slowly read out their names one by one, "Sif, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg."
The four knelt on one knee, their voices strong and clear. "Present!"
Odin asked, "The Kingdom is in peril, can I trust you all?"
"We will sacrifice ourselves for the kingdom's plight, viewing death as returning home!"