Bab 280: Showdown
Odin's thunderous aura intensified further, and Zane, noticing the change, let a satisfied smile slip onto his face.
"Now this is interesting," Zane muttered to himself.
But as Frigga, seated at the very front of the audience, saw her husband reverse time and regain his youth, she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. She lowered her head and covered her mouth tightly, determined not to let anyone see her in this state. As Odin's wife, she couldn't afford to embarrass him during his final battle.
The reason for Frigga's breakdown was simple: Odin's transformation was the result of an ancient Asgardian secret technique, passed down through generations. Only kings revered by the people were allowed to learn it.
In times of crisis, past God-Kings would burn the faith energy accumulated over centuries from their people, mimicking the path of deification to gain unprecedented power.
The more faith accumulated, the more terrifying the power gained. Just like Odin now, who had not only restored his youthful peak but had even surpassed it. However, such immense power came with a heavy price.
Odin had always relied on his bloodline power, not the orthodox path of faith-based deification. As a result, the divine fire was not only burning the faith energy but also consuming his lifespan and soul. From the moment the divine fire ignited, Odin's life entered its final countdown. Now, he was burning everything he had to shine one last time.
Despite the excruciating pain from the divine fire searing his soul, Odin's steps did not falter for a moment. The fire of battle in his eyes didn't diminish—it only blazed more fiercely. A bloodthirsty smile crept across his face, as memories of leading his army across the Nine Realms flooded back to him. The sounds of warhorses neighing, warriors roaring, and enemies screaming seemed to echo in his ears once more, transcending time.
That feeling was something no woman could ever understand. There was only one word to describe it—exhilarating!
Odin couldn't help but close his eyes and laugh wildly, his black hair, now freed, danced wildly in the air. He exuded an aura of unmatched dominance, as if proclaiming that none could stand before him. The Gugnir in his hand hummed, as if excited, nostalgic, yet also mourning.
In that moment, the brilliance radiating from Odin made everyone's eyes light up.
"This is a born ruler!" Thanos murmured as he watched Odin laugh wildly at the sky.
The Collector, meanwhile, was recording the entire battle on a special device, knowing this would be one of his most prized possessions.
Unnoticed by the crowd, Zane and Odin had reached the edge of the arena. With a sudden turn, their gazes collided like two burning flames.
In the next instant, the arena, shielded by the protective barrier, crackled with countless arcs of electricity that sparked and vanished in the air. The tension between the two had reached its peak—battle was imminent!
At some point, Frigga had wiped the tears from her face. She now watched the majestic figure on the stage intently, a look of nostalgia flashing in her eyes before being replaced by a solemn and dignified expression.
"Thor, Loki!"
Thor and Loki turned to look at their mother.
"Watch carefully. This will be your father's most glorious day."
"Don't blink even once. Remember your father's strength, his spirit, and his responsibilities."
"And finally, never forget his face."
"He is Odin, the former king of Asgard, the All-Father of the gods!"
Frigga's eyes brimmed with tears, but she continued to watch the rejuvenated Odin on the stage without blinking. Her solemn words echoed in Thor and Loki's ears.
In an instant, Thor and Loki nodded earnestly in unison. "Yes, Mother!"
With that, they turned their gazes back to Odin on the arena.
The next moment, under everyone's watchful eyes, the two men mysteriously vanished. The ground where they had stood shattered instantly under the massive force. The Dwarves' defense array proved utterly ineffective against the full-powered Odin and Zane.
The audience members with sufficient strength could still vaguely make out the two figures clashing repeatedly on the stage. Those with lesser strength could only catch glimpses of fleeting sparks in the air and the crisp sounds of swords colliding. Yet, the blood-pumping energy from Zane and Odin's battle permeated through the transparent barrier, touching everyone's hearts.
Had it not been for Zane's earlier warning, some might have already roared towards the sky in excitement.
On the stage, Zane and Odin continued their relentless assault on each other's vital points, moving at speeds imperceptible to the ordinary eye. The precision and brilliance of their combat techniques could have filled an entire martial arts manual—if only more people could actually see them.
Only beings like Satan and God, true masters of the fifth dimension, could fully grasp what was happening. Even Thanos, who had just touched the edge of the fifth dimension, could barely catch fleeting afterimages, no matter how hard he focused.
Odin's refined battle techniques were honed through countless wars over his lifetime. In contrast, Zane's skills stemmed from his A-level ability, [Eternal Arms Mastery], matching, if not surpassing, Odin's prowess.
Sparks flew as thunder and death energy surged and swirled wildly within the barrier, causing ripples across the protective field forged by the Dwarves' might. It seemed on the verge of shattering, leaving the audience on edge. But under Zane's earlier intimidation, no one dared to leave their seat.
In the next moment, both men reappeared at opposite ends of the arena. However, Zane and Odin were now slightly more disheveled than before. The headband on Odin's head had been sliced through, and his long black hair cascaded freely, adding a wild and untamed aura to his rejuvenated, handsome face. Zane's chest armor bore a shallow scratch.
"Old man, I think we're warmed up enough," Zane said, relaxing his grip on the Reaper's Scythe as he looked at Odin, who showed no signs of exhaustion and only seemed to grow stronger as the battle continued.
Odin, too, smiled with satisfaction. "Agreed. Let's begin for real."
With those words, Odin's divine power surged into the Gugnir. In the next instant, a beam of energy, as thick as a tree trunk, shot directly towards Zane's face.
Yet, Zane made no attempt to dodge. Instead, his pupils suddenly glowed with two blinding red rings. In that moment, the world appeared entirely different to Zane. Countless death lines, like writhing worms, crawled over every object. The energy beam hurtling toward him was no exception, with a rapidly moving death line visible on it.
Calmly, Zane raised his finger and made a casual slicing motion through the air. His finger seemed to trace a mystical path as it passed through the death line of the energy beam.
In the blink of an eye, the massive energy beam extending from the tip of the Gugnir to Zane, spanning hundreds of meters, vanished like an illusion.
Before anyone could fully grasp what had just happened, Zane's figure suddenly disappeared from sight. The next moment, the blade of the Reaper's Scythe appeared in Odin's pupils, rapidly enlarging as it whistled through the air towards him.
Odin could clearly sense the trajectory of the scythe—it was aimed at his shoulder, a seemingly non-threatening area.
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