He turned around, his single eye reflecting the young and powerful faces of his two daughters.
"Then... They came."
"They?" Mavuika keenly caught the word.
"A group of beings who called themselves 'Gods'." Odin's voice lowered.
"A group of real, physical... behemoths who possessed power beyond our understanding."
He walked back to the throne but did not sit down. Instead, he rested his hands on the star map table, leaning slightly forward, as if to carve that dusty memory, word by word, into his daughters' minds.
"They arrived in Midgard without declaring war, without negotiation, and without even sparing us a glance. They simply did one thing as if no one else existed."
"They planted a'seed' into the core of Midgard."
"A seed?" Hela frowned.
"A Seed of the God," Odin explained: "Something living, something that grows and will eventually hatch. When it matures, it will 'hatch' from within, and the process of hatching... will completely destroy Midgard, converting all its life, matter, and energy into the nutrients required for the hatching."
Mavuika's pupils contracted slightly.
To be born using a World as nutrients? How unfair was this to the life living upon it?
No! It was utter contempt!
"As the King of the Gods and Guardian of the Nine Realms, I naturally could not sit idly by," Odin continued, his tone carrying a trace of self-mockery.
"I felt it was time to let these arrogant 'Gods' witness the power of Asgard."
"I assembled the strongest beings of the Nine Realms at the time: the War God of the Vanir, the oldest Forge King of the Dwarven Kingdom, the first High Priest of the Light Elves, and the most powerful mage of Midgard, Agamotto."
"We thought that by gathering the strongest of the Nine Realms, we would be enough to repel any invaders." Odin's voice grew lower and lower, as if the memory itself carried the weight of a thousand pounds.
"We challenged those Gods who were staying in Midgard to conduct their experiments."
He paused for a long time, so long that Hela could almost not help but ask for the result.
Then, Odin raised his head.
"The result was... disastrous."
"To go all out, I even donned the Destroyer armor, the ultimate creation of the Dwarven Kingdom, infused with countless precious materials and ancient runes, possessing the terrifying power to destroy the World."
"But I still lost, and I lost completely."
He opened his eyes and looked at Hela.
"The other powerhouses were naturally no match for those Gods either. They didn't take us to heart at all, just continuing to conduct their experiments on Midgard as if we weren't there."
The temperature in the council chamber seemed to drop by a few degrees.
Mavuika fell into deeper contemplation. He recalled the deep worries Odin occasionally revealed that were inconsistent with his status as the King of the Gods, remembered his cautious attitude toward expansion, and recalled his repeated emphasis on "power and responsibility." So, this was the root cause.
"That 'battle' ended in the crushing defeat of the coalition of the Nine Realms." Odin sat back down, his tone returning to calm, but beneath that calm was a bottomless cold pool.
"And that Seed of the God planted in the core of Midgard... still lies there safely, absorbing the nutrients of the Planet, waiting for the day it breaks its shell. We... are powerless to stop it."
He looked at his two daughters, his gaze falling especially on Hela.
"That battle shattered almost all of my pride. From then on, I truly understood that the vastness of the Universe far exceeds our imagination, and the levels of power are not as simple as we thought."
"Asgard might be supreme in the Nine Realms, but in the eyes of certain existences... we are still immature children who need to act cautiously."
"Being overly arrogant, expanding blindly, and provoking enemies we cannot understand..." Odin slowly shook his head.
"That will only bring disaster to Asgard."
He finally concluded: "So, Hela, Mavuika, unifying the Nine Realms is already the safest and most stable achievement that Asgard can reach at the current stage."
"Continuing to expand outward at this time not only has no substantial benefit, but may also invite disasters we cannot resist. Asgard needs time to digest the victory, consolidate its rule, and improve itself... rather than casting its gaze into the dangerous deep space."
"Until the day you truly grow enough to face everything."
A long silence.
Mavuika was the first to come back to his senses.
He took a deep breath, and his gaze toward his father held deeper understanding and respect.
And Hela...
Her expression, after the initial shock, was quickly replaced by another emotion.
Not fear, not agreement, but... a more intense, almost paranoid fighting spirit.
"So..." Hela's voice was a bit hoarse. She took a step forward, her dark green eyes staring fixedly at Odin.
"Father, do you mean that because you lost once, because you are afraid of those 'Gods' who don't know when they will come again, Asgard must forever shrink within the Nine Realms, giving up the infinite starry sky and abandoning greater glory?"
Odin frowned: "Hela, this is not shrinking, this is assessing the situation! It is avoiding needless sacrifice!"
"Assessing the situation? Avoiding sacrifice?" Hela laughed, the smile full of sarcasm.
"Father, were you... beaten into fear by that defeat back then?"
"Hela!" Mavuika shouted sternly: "Watch your words!"
Mavuika stepped between the two. He first looked at Hela, his eyes stern: "Hela! Apologize to Father immediately! Father's decision is for the future of Asgard, not personal cowardice!"
Hela gritted her teeth, her eyes full of unwillingness, but under the stern gaze of her brother, she finally turned her face away and squeezed three words through her teeth: "...Sorry."
Mavuika turned back to Odin, his tone softening: "Father, Hela is young and impulsive, and her words were inappropriate. Please do not be angry. She is just... too eager to prove herself, too eager to continue the glory of Asgard."
Odin looked at his eldest daughter standing in the middle, the anger in his eyes slowly subsiding. He took a deep look at Hela and finally waved his hand: "Enough, I am not really going to get angry with her."
He sat back on the throne and rubbed his brows wearily.
"In any case, Hela, Mavuika, there is no need to bring up expansion again. At least at this stage, the strategic focus of Asgard will be internal affairs and defense, not external conquest. This is the final decision."
Hela clenched her fists, her nails almost digging into her palms, but she did not retort again, only coldly "hummed."
Just then, Odin's gaze turned to Mavuika, his tone suddenly becoming gentle and... gratified.
"However, speaking of the future... Mavuika, your growth has indeed far exceeded my expectations."
Mavuika was slightly stunned.
Odin looked at him, his single eye flashing with complex emotions: pride, emotion, relief, and a trace of... relief.
"Strength, wisdom, kindness, sense of responsibility... you already possess all the conditions." Odin said slowly, every word clear and solemn.
"Therefore, I have decided... to step down from the position of King of the Gods and hand it over to you to manage."
This sentence was like a huge boulder thrown into a calm lake.
Mavuika was completely stunned, and even Hela, who was still sulking on the side, turned her head abruptly, looking at her father in astonishment.
Resign? Hand over power? Now?