American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

Chapter 273 Odin: It seems I'll have to break your legs again.

Thor finally saw his father before the Rainbow Bridge, his father's voice booming like thunder: "I command you to go back!"

Thor stared at the Spear of Eternity pointed at his heart, slowly shaking his head. "No, Father, this time I must disobey your orders. I cannot, like last time when the Great Serpent attacked, bury my head in the ground and pretend I couldn't see the sacrifices of others—"

Odin stared intently at Thor, his chest heaving, but finally, he stepped aside with a cold expression. Seeing this, Thor cheered loudly; he could finally fight alongside his friend.

As Odin left, he whispered, "Call it again, but don't expect me to clean up your mess again!"

Having said that, Odin turned and left. He knew he would have to pay Rune again. The only saving grace was that at least Rune wouldn't ask for an exorbitant amount. Behind him, Thor shouted excitedly, "Mjolnir!"

At that moment, Loki removed the magical mirror image from his hand and cursed, "Damn it!"

Are you satisfied?

Loki was startled by these words. He recognized the speaker as Odin, but Loki still pretended to be confident and said casually, "Ah, Father, I should be the one to say that, since Thor was actually released by you yourself."

Odin's one remaining eye was fixed on Loki, his gaze as icy as ice. He did not refute it; it was the truth.

Loki drawled lazily, "So, are you angry with me, or with yourself?"

Odin did not answer. He walked past Loki to the collapsed observatory, where the outline of a starry sky still lingered on some of the broken stones. Loki was already tense, bracing himself for the Father's wrathful strike, but Odin simply passed by him.

"Thor may die," Odin finally spoke, his voice still tinged with undisguised weariness.

Loki's smile froze for a moment. Odin ignored his reaction: "Perhaps his lightning will be extinguished in the cracks between the two worlds, and his corpse will float in the shattered void—"

Loki's fingers twitched slightly, but his tone remained flippant: "Then I think you should thank me more, after all, I gave him a chance to die a glorious death, instead of rotting in Asgard like a prisoner."

Odin finally turned around, his single eye reflecting Loki's face, which held an emotion Loki couldn't understand.

How strange, even I can't understand it. Loki thought to himself.

"But he didn't have to die," Odin said. "I had already bought my ticket to survive this multiverse catastrophe—"

Loki was surprised, but outwardly he sneered, "Yes, just like you could have told me I was actually an abandoned child of the Frost Giants, instead of letting me discover this terrible news myself amidst the ridicule of the gods?"

These words made the surrounding air freeze instantly.

Odin remained silent, while Loki grew furious that the man he once called father had no words to say to him: "You always give Thor glory, thunderbolts, and Mjolnir, and what have you given me? Lies! Illusions! And a few worthless daggers! Now you expect me to be a dutiful son, watching you lock Thor up, just because he's braver than you?"

Odin's voice finally trembled slightly: "I never wanted you to become him—"

Loki interrupted Odin: "No, you just never wanted me to be myself."

These words pierced Odin's heart like a sharp sword. The Allfather's one eye closed slightly for a moment, as if enduring some invisible pain.

Loki had long seen through Odin's thoughts; he wasn't a fool. But he was a bit too rational, believing that Odin had adopted him, the son of the frost giant, for the sake of stability in the Nine Realms. He felt betrayed, but never realized Odin's hesitation.

Even a dog, after being raised for over a thousand years, will develop an emotional bond; how much more so a sentient being? If anyone else had placed Thor in such danger, Odin would have long ago reduced him to ashes.

But as king and father of the gods, Odin could not expose his weakness.

A long silence followed, until finally Odin coldly said, "Very well, it seems I'll have to break your legs again."