Chapter 350: Chapter 350: Under the Lasso of Truth
It can't be said that King Odin and Frigga lacked depth in their scheming; after all, the situation involved their son Loki, and despite him being adopted, they had shared thousands of years of emotions. They weren't the type of deities who were without desires or needs—after all, the so-called gods are just more powerful humans.
Even though Odin and Frigga had witnessed much history and studied numerous military strategies, when faced with the uncertainty of Loki's life or death, they admitted they had acted impulsively...
The price of impulsiveness was severe. Not only did they fail to achieve revenge, but they nearly destroyed Asgard as well—a penalty for their age-induced rashness.
As for the decision to leave Thor on Earth in his current condition, it was a conclusion Odin reached after much deliberation because Thor had not yet reached the necessary level of maturity; he still needed more experience.
Moreover, if Thor regained his strength and memories and learned of the current events in Asgard and Loki's uncertain fate, it was clear he would return to Earth for revenge—a form of revenge that, despite its name, spelled certain death.
Another significant reason for keeping Thor on Earth was that the character of Thor who would return could not truly change Asgard. Under his leadership, Asgard could not recast its former glory.
Under Odin's reign, Asgard had achieved brilliant glory and fame, but as Odin aged, Asgard inevitably filled with a sense of decline. It would require a new Asgardian king to reverse the decline and rejuvenate Asgard with fresh vitality.
And Thor, clearly, was not up to this task, not even a Thor who had gone through the motions of growth. Odin needed Thor to undergo real trials, the kind that one must navigate independently, succeed or die trying...
Only through such trials could the now-dire state of Asgard hope to rise again. If this training were taken lightly, no amount of experience would truly mature Thor into a fitting king of Asgard.
In some parallel universes, even though Thor had faced the deaths of loved ones and the sacrifice of comrades, and had grown stronger, he still wasn't fit to be a king of Asgard; he remained merely the God of Thunder...
"Alright, let's go..." The Ancient One, seeing Odin fall into a silent, speechless state, slowly shook her head and spoke to Clark, Robert, and Diana. She did not kick them while they were down. Although she stood on neutral ground and felt that Asgard had no justification for initiating the war, Asgard was still an ally, and it wasn't appropriate to mock them in their dire state.
"I will inform the forces across the universe that Earth is no longer under Asgard's protection," Odin finally broke his silence as he saw the Ancient One turn to leave.
"The matters of the material plane, I generally do not interfere with. Alien invasions and such, as long as they don't destroy the entire Earth, I won't intervene. Besides, aren't they here now?" The Ancient One smiled upon hearing Odin's words. Her reputation was well-known among dimensions, but in the vast universe, only a few knew of her due to her different area of expertise from Odin's.
However, Asgard's nominal abandonment of Earth didn't worry the Ancient One. Just a few trials from the cosmos to establish Clark and Robert's reputations would deter minor nuisances from troubling Earth...
Clark, Robert, and Diana no longer looked towards Odin and Frigga but followed the Ancient One through the portal, returning to Earth.
Feeling the convenience of the portal, Robert couldn't help but wonder when he could acquire the ability to teleport instantly. This special ability was not something he possessed, as Goku also couldn't teach others to use Instant Transmission—only the Yardrats, the originators of the technique, could teach it.
But Robert felt that, having acquired so many other abilities from the Dragon Ball world, gaining Instant Transmission wouldn't be surprising. He wondered, however, if he might eventually acquire the type of Instant Transmission used by the Kaioshin.
After all, this form of Instant Transmission didn't require sensing ki, which made it even more convenient than the Yardrat version. Although the Kaioshin and their attendants claimed it as their exclusive ability, the fact that Kid Buu could use Instant Transmission proved it was not a divine technique...
"Alright, I've brought you here since you all come from different places, and I have other matters to attend to, so I'll head back now..." Once they returned to Earth, the Ancient One did not intend to engage in much interaction with the trio. She opened another portal and stepped through it, looking back at them as she left.
"By the way, Asgard declaring that it will no longer protect Earth will still impact the planet. It might attract some minor civilizations from the universe, which, while considered insignificant to cosmic civilizations, could be like great white
sharks to Earth..."
"I'll keep an eye on it," Clark nodded and softly thanked the Ancient One. "Thank you, Sorcerer Supreme, for intervening this time."
"I didn't really do much, just played the driver. However, your strengths are greater than I anticipated. I might have miscalculated a bit..." The Ancient One referred, of course, to her bet with Wanda. Although their wager wasn't huge, fulfilling it would still require some effort.
"You... never mind, I'm going ahead. I won't peek," Clark said, turning to ask Robert something, but he quickly shook his head and disappeared.
Clark had always wanted to know how Robert would handle the situation with Diana, but Robert had been somewhat evasive, or perhaps he hadn't figured out how to manage it, especially with things not fully resolved with Kara.
Now, Robert could no longer avoid it. Clark felt that if it weren't for the severe-looking wound on Robert's chest, Diana might have directly confronted Robert to vent her frustration...
Even without fully understanding what had happened to make Robert so powerful, Clark wisely turned and left. This kind of question could wait; his presence was somewhat intrusive now.
With a whoosh, as Clark disappeared, Diana's gaze instantly shifted to Robert. Now that the battle and crisis were over, it was time to address the issue of Robert having ignored her for several months.
"Cough, cough!" Seeing Diana's gaze, Robert couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. He chose to revert from his unstable Super Saiyan-like state to his normal state, then coughed twice, his complexion turning pale and his breath weakening.
"Hmm?" Observing the quick change in Robert's complexion, Diana's brows furrowed slightly. She knew Robert was somewhat acting, but the wound on his chest was genuinely severe—a chest-piercing injury that would have been fatal to a normal person.
Even for a demigod like Diana, such an injury would be considered a severe blow. The fact that Robert had been so active until now was impressive!
"What's with this transformation? It's different from your previous state..." With thoughts racing through her mind, Diana's expression softened a bit, her eyes filled with concern as she asked, "And your injury, what exactly happened? Is there really no way to heal it quickly? Can't you use the method you used to heal me on yourself? Don't tell me you're trying to gain my sympathy by using a trick!"
"How could I do such a thing?" Robert chuckled bitterly, looking earnestly at Diana. "The healing technique indeed can only restore others' injuries. While my own healing ability is not as fast as that technique, it's quite quick. Haven't you noticed my wound has already shrunk compared to before?"
"My complexion looks poor mainly because I dropped from the state of imitation to normal too quickly. My ki has fallen drastically, plus the injury isn't fully healed, so I'm not quite adapted to it..."
"From imitation to normal? How did you become so powerful before, and now you seem no different from before the fight?" Hearing Robert's explanation, Diana felt somewhat relieved and then looked puzzledly at Robert.
"Yeah, this is my normal state now. The Giant Ape Power: Rage is a minor transformation I can use to continually boost my combat power. You've seen it during our battle..." Seeing that Diana wasn't pressing him about emotional matters, Robert exhaled in relief and began to explain.
"The Giant Ape Power: Rage isn't something every Saiyan can develop. Normally, a Saiyan reaches a certain level of base combat power and can attempt to transform into a Super Saiyan. The imitation state is a transitional phase to becoming a Super Saiyan, which is rare to occur..."
"It happened because I saw you killed by Frigga and lost my rationality in anger, pushing my power to its limits, which led to the imitation state. It's mainly because I've developed the Giant Ape Power: Rage but haven't yet perfected it. My normal combat power hasn't caught up, so I didn't transform directly into a Super Saiyan..."
"Of course, there was a chance, but then I sensed your ki reviving, and your consciousness was gradually returning. Fearing something might happen to you, I decided to heal you first. After that, it's difficult to maintain the power of the imitation state. That I managed to hold on until just now shows that I have pretty strong control!"
"So, because of my death, you reached a new level, roughly equivalent to a Lesser Heavenly Father, and because of my revival, you gave up the chance to reach the Heavenly Father level?" Diana looked deeply at Robert, her eyes shimmering as she spoke.
"Compared to your life, these can be pushed to the back. After all, as long as I keep trying, I can eventually transform into a Super Saiyan on my own!" Robert looked seriously into Diana's eyes.
"Oh! So I'm that important to
you!" Diana nodded, appearing moved by Robert's words. Just when Robert breathed a sigh of relief, Diana's tone shifted, and she looked at him with a half-smile. "Since I'm so important, why haven't you come to see me for these past few months?"
"Huh? The last time that angel appeared, you were supposed to explain things to me. Where did that explanation go? How come you're still entangled with that girl?"
"Uh... um... I..." Hearing Diana's question, Robert's face fell, and he stammered, truly unsure how to respond.
After all, Robert couldn't just say that after separating from Diana, he had been pursued by Kara, realized he had feelings for her, and liked Kara without having smoothed things over with Kara and without knowing how to explain to Diana, could he? Even though that was exactly Robert's experience and emotional journey, he obviously couldn't just blurt it out, especially since he had already promised Kara never to reveal it...
With a whoosh, but while Robert was still grappling with his thoughts, the Lasso of Truth was suddenly looped around his wrist and swiftly bound his body.
If it had been during Robert's imitation state transformation, or when he had activated the Giant Ape Power: Rage, the Lasso of Truth would have had almost no effect on him. However, Robert had just gone through a major battle, his chest wound had not yet healed, and his combat power had not returned to its peak, so the effect of the Lasso of Truth was slightly less impactful than the last time he had been bound, but only just.
"Since you won't speak, I'll just ask myself..." Diana's eyes sparkled as she stared into Robert's and asked sternly, "First, tell me, do you like me?"
"I do!" Robert didn't hesitate with this question because even now, he still genuinely liked Diana. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lost his rationality in anger when Diana was killed by Frigga.
"Then tell me, between me and that girl beside you, who do you like more?" Diana's lips curled up slightly, skipping the fluff and posing a deadly serious question.
"Uh!" Faced with this question, Robert didn't answer immediately. The Lasso of Truth around him glowed, reflecting his inner conflict.
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