บท 41: CHAPTER 41

At the outset, Hela's offensive was swift and fierce, leaving God King Odin unable to raise his head.

However, as God King Odin gradually launched his counterattack, the tide began to turn in Hela's favor.

"Arghh!!!!"

God King Odin roared.

His eternal spear violently thrust towards Hela's chest.

Hela was taken aback and quickly used her two swords to block. Nevertheless, the might of God King Odin was not to be underestimated, and his divine power had a noticeable suppressive effect on Hela's dark magic.

Hela was pushed back by around 40 to 50 meters due to God King Odin's powerful thrust, but her strength remained formidable.

If this continues, it's likely Hela would be pierced through the heart by God King Odin.

At this moment, Rhodes, who had been observing the battle, finally took action. With a flick of his fingertips, a burst of precise energy struck God King Odin's Eternal Spear.

Before God King Odin could react, his eternal spear slipped from his grasp and lodged firmly in one of Odin's temple pillars, with only a one-meter-long tail of the spear trembling in the air.

God King Odin stared at his empty hands in disbelief, unable to accept the reality before him.

History has a way of repeating itself. Rhodes had employed this very tactic against the unruly heroes of the Temple of Valor in the past. Back then, Bell's spear became embedded in the temple pillar, and now it was the eternal spear of Odin, the King of Gods.

Rhodes extended a hand to help up Hela, who had just endured a direct confrontation with God King Odin's divine power. Hela's dark divine power had been considerably depleted, and her chest rose and fell with each breath.

As Rhodes made physical contact with Hela, the dark divine power within her instantly replenished, making her feel as if her dark divine power was boundless.

Hela gazed at Rhodes in astonishment. Just how powerful was Rhodes? Even though the gap between herself and God King Odin wasn't enormous, she now sensed that Rhodes' energy was as vast as the universe.

Rhodes spoke gently to Hela, "Leave the rest to me."

Hela nodded.

Rhodes turned to face God King Odin, a questioning look on his face.

He kindly warned God King Odin, "Great God-King Odin, I'm about to strike."

God King Odin assumed a combat stance, ready to face Rhodes' attack. However, he would soon realize that his preparations were in vain.

In the blink of an eye, God King Odin was sent flying.

"Ah..."

Rhodes' fist struck God King Odin's face squarely, causing the remaining teeth in God King Odin's mouth to be sent flying as well. God King Odin's face and body were forcefully imprinted onto the wall of Odin's temple, leaving him in a sorry state.

This was a demonstration of Rhodes' precise control over his strength. Otherwise, a single punch from Rhodes could have demolished all of Asgard.

But the ordeal was far from over. Rhodes was still seething with anger.

Rhodes taunted God King Odin with a raised hand.

Then he pulled God King Odin's body toward him.

Rhodes delivered another punch.

And another.

God King Odin was tossed around like a bouncy ball, propelled back and forth at incredible speed, leaving Hela unable to follow the action. All she could see was God King Odin being treated like a plaything by Rhodes.

Hela wore an expression of disbelief. This wasn't a battle; it was sheer domination.

Unable to bear witness to her father's suffering any longer, she closed her eyes. God King Odin had been thoroughly defeated.

Rhodes seized God King Odin's leg and continued the onslaught, slamming him repeatedly into the ground. The temple floor cracked under the force of the impact, bearing witness to the one-sided beating.

God King Odin couldn't even muster his divine power to defend himself; he was completely at Rhodes' mercy.

The fate of father and son seemed eerily similar. Loki had been pounded into the ground by the Hulk, Thor had suffered a similar fate in the arena, and now their father Odin was being treated no differently by Rhodes.

God King Odin lay on the ground, hands clasped together, his face swollen and bruised. Rhodes had taken him to his limits, and he was in terrible shape.

Rhodes placed his foot on God King Odin.

He looked down at him.

"What's the matter, Great God King Odin? Don't tell me you're ready for another round?"

Rhodes gestured toward the cracked temple surroundings, indicating that he could keep playing, but he didn't want to tarnish his reputation by bullying the elderly.

God King Odin, in his battered state, gestured with his hand, conceding defeat.

Rhodes nodded.

"Very well, since you've surrendered, I won't continue. I wouldn't want word to spread that I have a bad reputation for bullying the elderly."

The commotion outside the Odin Temple had alerted all the gods in Asgard. They rushed to the scene, responding to God King Odin's summoning signal sent during the battle.

However, the battle on Rhodes' side had concluded swiftly, with God King Odin defeated in less than a minute, even though Rhodes had deliberately prolonged the encounter.

Outside the temple, the gods of Asgard, along with a multitude of Asgardian warriors, surrounded the area.

Soon, Rhodes was joined by familiar faces: God of War Tyr, Holder of Darkness, God of Light Balder, and the guardian God Heimdall, along with numerous other Asgardian gods.

Rhodes crossed his arms, warmly greeting them, "Long time no see, how have you all been? It seems your strength hasn't improved; you're still as weak as ever."

Many Asgardian gods were shocked to see Rhodes in their midst, as if they had witnessed a ghost in Asgard.

"You...you're still alive."

Holder, the God of Darkness, had suffered a brutal beating from Rhodes in the past. Although the beating had been brief, it had inflicted severe injuries on the Asgardian gods. Holder had taken a long time to recover.

Especially Holder, the God of Darkness, who was still traumatized by his encounter with Rhodes.

Seeing Rhodes again, Holder, the God of Darkness, trembled. He didn't want to endure another few hundred years of recovery.

But when the Asgardian gods noticed what Rhodes was standing on, their faces turned pale—it was none other than their revered God King Odin.

God of War Tyr raised his giant sword, demanding, "Release God King Odin, and I may spare you."

Rhodes squinted at God of War Tyr.

"...Heh, you haven't had enough flying, have you? Be careful with your choice of words."

Rhodes flicked his fingers, and God of War Tyr was sent flying once more, this time without Rhodes even needing a weapon.

God of War Tyr crashed through the Odin Temple, flying out at the same angle and height as before.

"Tyre, I hope you enjoy the flight."

Rhodes then turned his attention to the space behind him as if foretelling something.

Holder, the God of Darkness, couldn't resist his old habit of launching a sneak attack, but this time Rhodes saw through it.

Holder, the God of Darkness, offered a sheepish smile upon realizing he had been caught and lowered the death scythe he had raised, pretending nothing had happened.

Rhodes sneered.

Then he took a deep breath.

In an instant, Holder, the God of Darkness, and the countless Asgardian warriors behind him were blown away, unable to remain within hundreds of kilometers due to the force of Rhodes' breath.

Balder, the God of Light, launched his light arrow earlier this time.

With a wave of Rhodes' hand, all the Asgardian gods were sent tumbling, writhing in pain.

The Asgardian gods were left in awe of Rhodes' current strength.

It was almost unbelievable just how powerful Rhodes had become.

"My... my God, is he a monster? How can he become this strong?"

"It's an illusion, it must be."

In the past, God King Odin could hold his own against Rhodes, but now he was little more than a plaything. The Asgardian gods had no hope of defeating Rhodes.

Heimdall was in a hurry to use the same trick again: reactivating the Rainbow Bridge to send Rhodes away, even though he knew it wouldn't truly banish him.

Rhodes remained motionless, waiting for Heimdall to open the Rainbow Bridge.

Heimdall reluctantly opened the Rainbow Bridge.

Rhodes had placed a golden energy barrier around Hela, preventing her from being drawn into the sun's gravitational pull. The temple's shattered bricks and tiles were once again suspended in the air due to the sun's pull. The Asgardian gods struggled against the sun's attraction but couldn't break free.

Heimdall couldn't maintain the bridge any longer.

Rhodes chuckled.

"Using the same trick twice won't work."

Heimdall was petrified. Was Rhodes resisting the sun's pull? Was he even human?

This was more astonishing than anything the Asgardians had ever seen.

Heimdall watched as his fellow gods were about to be pulled into the sun. Rhodes had spared him once, but this time, he was afraid Rhodes would send the gods to their deaths in the sun's fiery embrace.

Reluctantly, Heimdall closed the Rainbow Bridge, preventing his actions from inadvertently killing his comrades.

Rhodes smiled.

"Feeling like trying again? It seems you can't send me away this time."