Chương 29: Kree Thor Part VII
"We can't win!" Stront-Thor grunted out, knocked back by the swing of Gungnir, his guard burst wide open. The only thing that saved him from Odin's follow up strike was the arrival of Thor who rushed in, fists flying forwards.
The King of Asgard masterfully bobbed and weaved through the strikes, Stront-Thor coming back in. However, Odin intercepted the downward strike of Mjolnir, easily disarming him of the hammer and used it to smash both of them across the face. As both fell back, they watched as Odin remained before them, Mjolnir held loosely in one arm as he stared out at them.
"Tell me something I don't already know." Thor returned, spitting out some blood. No matter what they did, they couldn't break through the guard of Odin. His strength and speed weren't overwhelming, but his abilities with the Odinforce and his skill in combat were leagues beyond their own. Everything they did was easily countered, their defences broken apart like they were not even there.
Nothing they did worked.
Warily, both Thor's circled back round to one another, not getting too close to Odin who seemed content to simply watch for reasons unsure to them. He had been like this for a while now, never pressing his attack or advantage, simply waiting for them to come to him.
"Use the cube." Stront-Thor eventually replied.
Thor looked to him questioningly. "Are you sure?" It was not an answer Thor had expected, they had both agreed that without fully knowing the power of the cube that it would be too dangerous to use. They didn't even know how to use their power properly and that made it even more dangerous as without even trying, they could destroy everything they had worked to achieve.
"We have no choice," Stront-Thor answered firmly. "We can't beat Odin as we are, we need something to give us the extra advantage. The cube is the only thing we've got. Unless we can get ahold of the Sword of Ragnarok?"
Both turned to look upon the sword that was attached to Odin's back, he having seemingly stopped using the blade sometime ago. Around the same time in which he stopped attacking them and simply defending. However, the thought of gaining the sword quickly disappeared as they thought upon all their failed attempts to get close. Odin was too strong for them to deal with, throughout the course of the fight against him they had landed no more than a few glancing blows.
Trying to steal the Sword of Ragnarok of all things would be all but impossible.
"Cube it is then," Thor said, and using the power of the Nega-Bands created a portal to his side, just a small one. It was only big enough for his arm to fit through, hence why Odin did not make any moves to pursue or intervene, instead watching curiously. Then Thor grasped hold of the object on the other end, pulling free the glowing cube.
That garnered a reaction from Odin; shock and fear.
It was something both Thor's picked up on. "That's good news at least, with this we might be able to stand a chance," Thor noted, trying to think of a way in which to use the power of the cube. He tried to think of what happened the last time when everything for him changed.
He had been wanting strength and power, he had needed that to change the course of everything. 'I need the strength to beat Odin.' He thought, directing it towards the cube yet nothing. 'I need the strength to beat Odin!'
Still nothing.
"A Cosmic Cube," Odin spoke, both Thor's looking towards the King of Asgard. "A powerful relic with the power to alter the very fabric of the cosmos in response to the desires of the user. In the right hands, it can be a powerful tool that can see empires rise and fall. But in the wrong hands, it can bring about destruction, just like it has done to the Skrulls."
What Odin didn't mention but was fully aware of was that Cosmic Cubes learned and evolved, adapting personality traits similar to that of their wielder. If they were a force of good, then the Cosmic Cube could grow to become a great being, a bastion of the good and a saviour to millions. But if it was in the hands of a power-hungry megalomaniac, similar to the recent Skrull Emperor, then the Cube would evolve to become one of the Cosmos' most terrifying forces of evil.
"You have the right idea, desiring the power to beat me." Odin continued. "But that is the fatal flaw of the Cosmic Cube, without those thoughts, it is but a cube with a great well of power laying within it."
"You're intercepting my thoughts." Thor realised and despite never giving any indication he was, both knew it to be true.
That's when Odin moved, Mjolnir thrown forwards and smashing into Stront-Thor's sternum and throwing him back. This left Thor alone, Gungnir swinging down, smashing against the shield Thor summoned as he scrambled backwards to put some distance between them only to be struck by numerous attacks from behind him.
By the time Thor managed to fully recover from the surprise attack and put distance between he and Odin, it was too late. The cube was gone from his hands and Odin now held it, looking towards him.
"Banish them." He spoke firmly and Thor had barely a moment to understand what was happening before everything around him changed.
Staring at where the fragment of his son's soul once stood, Odin frowned as everything around began to break apart. It was too late to stop Ragnarök now, a new Thor would venture out into the universe and Asgard would continue to go through its cycle. But now Odin knew the truth, he wasn't alone, there were those out there with a common goal as him.
There was no formal alliance between them, but Odin didn't need that. Just as he and everything he had was being used by them to liberate his people, Odin would use them and their own resources in turn.
'And now I have another tool to use to my advantage.' Odin thought, looking towards the Cosmic Cube and for the first time, he felt the presence of his masters disappear from his mind. With Ragnarök taking place, they were desperate to feed and satiate their hunger for power and immortality. It was in moments like these that Odin was truly free because even if his 'masters' wished to watch his every step, they couldn't, especially not in moments like these.
If they weren't careful, Death would come and steal them away before they had a chance to feed.
It was times like these that Odin was truly free to make overt moves to save his people. Reaching within him, Odin began to separate his consciousness, returning to his favoured avatar, the Wanderer. And with that avatar back upon the planet of Midgard, Odin cast down the Cosmic Cube.
He didn't know when or how, but the future of Asgard would be secured. The Cosmic Cube may not be part of that process, but it also could be. It was his duty to ensure as many failsafe's were prepared in order to save his people, even if some never needed to be used.
Just as his masters began to turn their attention towards him once more, Odin allowed himself to smile, wiping his memories so thoroughly of everything he had just done. Even with no understanding of why he felt so triumphant, the smile wouldn't fade from his face. It only further served to infuriate those above as they knew he had done something, but couldn't discover what he had done.
One way or another, Asgard would be freed.
-X- Line Break -X-
He failed.
They all failed.
Clenching his fists, Thor glared down at the ground as he sat within the Citadel of Thor's. The Cosmic Cube had been ripped from his grasp, Ragnarök had come to fruition and the cycle continued. Nothing they had done had worked, they had all failed and it angered him.
He had the Nega-Bands.
He had the power of his old self, of the Asgardian Prince, Thor Odinson.
Yet none of it had mattered.
"I need more." Thor thought, gritting his teeth angrily as he clutched his hair tightly, almost on the verge of pulling it from his scalp. "I don't have enough, I need more power."
And that's when his gaze landed upon the injured Thor's around him. Many would make it, but a few wouldn't. According to Stront-Thor, they would return to Lady Death and in the future, be reborn once more. However, Thor knew now that the number of Thor's wouldn't matter, it was the individual strength of each Thor that would determine victory.
"What are you muttering to yourself?" Mak-Thor asked.
Thor didn't reply straight away, simply releasing his hair. "I need more power. We all do."
Mak-Thor nodded his head. "I've been saying that for many years. Stront-Thor and others like him however refuse to take the most obvious of routes."
"Fusion?" Mak-Thor nodded his head and Thor sighed. "Does it truly make us more powerful?"
"It does. I've seen it before. Not only do you gain all the power of the Thor you fuse with, but you also gain a boost. Probably due to you becoming more whole, more like the original Thor. However, the Citadel is divided between those who don't want to fuse and those who do."
"And where do you stand?"
Mak-Thor scoffed. "I'm a Thor of battle, it matters little to me. Stront-Thor knows that and so gives me what I desire most, battle. So, I stand with him which I suppose puts me on the side of those who do not wish to fuse."
"Then, suppose I decided to not only forcibly begin fusing with Thor's within the Citadel." Thor proposed. "Then I went further, scouring the universe for artefacts and relics, killing anyone that got in my way. What would you say then?"
Mak-Thor smirked.
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