At the summit of the Nine Realms lies the divine domain of Asgard.
The rainbow bridge that spans the starry sky still shone brilliantly, linking the resplendent Royal Palace of Valaskjalf to the boundless Universe.
In the past, this place had been synonymous with majesty and sanctity. But today, the very color of the sky had changed.
Bzzzz—
As space twisted violently, the once-sparkling starfield seemed to be veiled by an enormous curtain.
One ship, two ships, a hundred ships…
Ten-thousand ships!
A full ten-thousand warships, pure white hulls emblazoned with purple "Frieza" crests. Like a white tsunami of steel, they instantly packed Asgard's outer space.
Colossal shadows fell, plunging the Divine Realm into total darkness.
At the very center of the armada.
Emperor, a palace of luxury, slowly pressed forward, circled by lesser vessels like planets around the sun.
On the observation deck, Frieza lounged in his golden hover-pod, swirling a glass of Thousand-Year Vintage.
Through the transparent shield he gazed down at the city built upon a floating continent—golden spires, golden palaces, even the paving stones were gold.
"Tch…"
Frieza curled his lips in disdain and set the glass aside.
"So this is Asgard?"
"Tacky."
"Far too tacky."
"This Nouveau-Riche taste is even worse than that Tin-Can fellow on Earth."
Frieza extended a finger toward the tallest palace hall.
"Director Thanos."
"I am present."
Clad in black-gold heavy armor and twin battle-blades upon his back, Thanos hovered steadily beside the pod, his purple face stern and lethal.
"I don't like this illegal construction. Pass the order. Begin the demolition."
"Keep the gold for recycling. The rest—"
Frieza made a sweeping gesture. "Raze it all."
"Understood, Lord Frieza."
Thanos spun round to face the vast fleet and raised his gauntleted right hand. In his eyes blazed a hunger to prove his worth.
This was his first battle since joining the Frieza Force.
He had to win gloriously—utterly!
"All ships—hear me!"
Thanos's voice thundered through the comms inside every warship, regal and cold.
"Target: surface of Asgard."
"Indiscriminate saturation fire!"
"Send these self-styled gods Lord Frieza's regards!"
"FIRE!!!"
BOOM... BOOM...
Ten-thousand main guns upgraded with Power Stone conduits belched lethal violet radiance in perfect unison. It looked like ten-thousand purple suns detonating above Asgard at once.
Beams of ruin rained downward in a tempest.
Just as those beams were about to strike Asgard's buildings—
Bzzz!
A translucent golden energy shield suddenly rose from within the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf, cloaking the entire floating continent.
Odin's Protective Barrier!
RUMBLE!
Terrific explosions bloomed across the barrier, sending golden ripples sky-wide.
Though deafening and seemingly on the verge of collapse, the shield had withstood the first wave of attacks.
"Oh?"
Frieza arched a brow, playful interest flickering in his eyes.
"That turtle shell's pretty tough."
"Seems the old one-eyed codger intends to be a stubborn hold-out."
Meanwhile.
By the Bifrost Bridge in Asgard, Heimdall drew his Guardian Sword, his roar shaking the heavens.
"For Asgard! For Odin!"
"To battle!!!"
WHOOSH!
Countless skiffs shaped like Viking longboats lifted off from every quarter of the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf.
Dense ranks of guards, spears and shields in hand, let out death-defying war-cries.
The surviving silver-armored Valkyries on their sky-steeds streaked across the firmament in arcs of argent light.
The divine realm's counter-attack had begun.
"Hmph, primitives with cold weapons." Thanos watched the Asgardians rise toward him, a disdainful smirk on his lips.
He leapt from the flagship and roared in mid-air, "Ginyu Force—charge with me!"
"Yes, Director!"
Apocalypse, Erik, Loki and the rest, though finding the title "Director" odd, followed with absolute eagerness.
"Graah! Let me smash this turtle shell to bits!" Apocalypse hung in mid-air, his form instantly magnified.
He became a hundred-metre-tall blue colossus, crashing like a meteor into Asgard's shield.
BOOM!!!
The Impact shook the world and the shield wailed under the unbearable strain.
Erik spread his hands as though gripping something unseen.
"The metal content here is richer than I imagined."
Asgard's buildings, skiffs, even the weapons in soldiers' hands—most were forged of metal.
This was Erik's paradise!
"Shatter… all of you!"
Crunch... Crunch...
Countless Asgardian skiffs that had surged forward, were crushed mid-air like soda cans in an invisible grip, disintegrating instantly.
The soldiers inside screamed as they fell.
"For the glory of Lord Frieza!"
Loki, twin daggers in hand and a sly, cruel smile on his lips, turned into a swarm of illusions and dove into the Valkyries' ranks.
"This may be my home but sorry, I've switched bosses now."
Shluck!
Blood sprayed.
Though every Asgardian was a fearless warrior worth ten of any foe, before the Frieza Force's unreasonable tech-and-superpower steamroll, the defense crumbled at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Bang!
Thanos landed heavily on the Bifrost Bridge. His weapon whirled like a windmill, mincing a squad of Royal Guards into meat in seconds.
"Too weak."
Thanos kicked Heimdall aside and strode toward the gates of the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf.
"Odin! Get out here!"
"Hand over the deed and maybe I'll leave you an intact corpse!"
Just as Thanos was about to smash the palace gates—
Ssshh!
A jet-black blade shot silently from the shadows behind the doors. It was so fast that even Thanos only had time to jerk his head aside.
Ting!
The blade grazed his cheek, sheared off a chip of his helmet, and embedded itself deep in the golden floor behind him.
It was a black longsword exuding the stench of death.
Necrosword!
"Who?!"
Thanos froze, eyes narrowing.
"Heh heh…"
A low, husky laugh, proud as a queen, echoed from the great hall's depths.
Then—
Tap... Tap...
A woman in dark-green armor and black antlered crown, walked out with slow, feline grace, each step elegant and deadly, her black cloak billowing without wind.
With a casual grasp, she summoned two black longswords out of thin air.
The Goddess of Death—Hela.
She stood atop the stairs, looking down at Thanos.
"Purple freak." Hela tilted her head, a cruel smile on her lips.
"Who gave you the guts to howl outside my palace?"
Thanos narrowed his eyes, sensing the boundless divine power flowing through her—power one with all of Asgard itself.
A powerhouse.
"Odin's eldest daughter? The Goddess of Death?" Thanos rumbled.
"Since you know my name, kneel and accept your death." Hela gave a disdainful snort.
"Big words."
Thanos tightened his grip on his weapon, a savage grin spreading across his purple face.
"Lord Frieza said it best."
"If they won't cooperate, just demolish them."
"Let's see whether a has-been goddess or my blade is harder."
Boom!
The Bifrost beneath Thanos's feet shattered. Like a heavy battle-tank, he charged straight at Hela with unstoppable momentum.
Hela swept her arms and countless Necroswords shot out like a storm of steel petals.
Clang... Clang...
Sparks flew everywhere.
The clash of the two titans exploded into a terrifying shock-wave at the palace gates.
High above, Frieza, lounging in his hover-pod, yawned at the battle below.
"Oh my, is that woman Hela?"
"She's quite the looker—shame about that non-mainstream hairstyle."
Frieza shook his head, gaze piercing past Hela toward the deepest part of the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf. There, an even vaster and more dangerous presence was awakening.
"Old man Odin…"
A smile of anticipation formed on Frieza's lips.