Chapter 9

The dark clouds dispersed, the light gradually faded, and the brilliant starry sky reappeared in everyone's eyes. The change in the sky made all the warriors realize a fact: Malakith had lost!

In an instant, a stark contrast appeared on the battlefield. One side's morale soared as if they had received a powerful buff, while the other side remained silent, mechanically swinging their weapons, creating a solemn and deadly atmosphere.

The dark elves did not retreat a single step, showing no signs of defeat, for the voice of the King of the Dark Elves had just echoed in their hearts. The words were few, just one: "Kill!"

They had been abandoned. Malakith had ordered them to fight to the death without retreating, a command from the king and the final destiny of warriors!

"It seems your god-king has won!" Ian's tone was slightly excited, his eyes filled with hope as he looked at Pantheon.

Pantheon merely pulled the corners of his mouth slightly, then suddenly turned his head to look at the distant horizon. A small black dot was rapidly approaching, the intense whistling sound like a series of rolling thunder. Thud! A figure fell from the sky and landed heavily nearby. Malakith, with a dark expression, rose from the dust, his eyes like venomous snakes ready to strike, staring at Pantheon.

"My king..." Agem stepped forward and softly called out, wanting to say something but choking on the words, unsure how to proceed.

"We are leaving! This war is far from over!" Malakith turned and left decisively.

Ian swallowed hard. When Malakith had stared at Pantheon with that terrifying gaze, he had almost wet himself! Although he didn't know that Malakith's defeat was entirely due to Pantheon, a single gesture might have ended both of them.

Agem furrowed his brow and stepped forward, asking, "What about these people?"

Malakith paused, and Ian's heart, which had just relaxed, tightened again. At this moment, he was more angry with Agem than Sona! What a mouthy guy!

Malakith did not turn around, but coldly snorted, "Losers have no right to choose their spoils!" With that, he and Agem entered the spaceship parked at the foot of the mountain.

Ian swallowed again, realizing this was a true king, a madman but also a formidable leader!

Pantheon and Sona watched the departing duo with complex expressions. Although their focus was different, even a toe could tell that this enmity was far from over!

In the starry sky, within the rainbow light column!

"You are still plotting against Midgard!" Zeus's words were not gentle at all. He had just helped repel a powerful enemy, but he showed no kindness to an ally.

Loki glanced at him and looked back at the battlefield, his tone equally harsh, "What is mine should be by my side, even if it hides in Midgard, it is still mine!"

Zeus was furious, "She is not yours, never has been!"

Zeus's roar did not affect Loki's emotions. Instead, he mocked, "She is not mine, but she is certainly not yours! The reason she hid in Midgard is probably more due to you!"

A light sentence, but it felt like a heavy burden had suddenly been placed on Zeus's aged body, even his divine form seemed unable to bear it!

Seeing Zeus's suddenly aged face, Loki felt at a loss for words. The two remained silent for a while before Loki took a deep breath and said, "It was you who gave her to me, whether you admit it or not, she is mine! In the past, at the peak of your power, you could prevent me from entering Midgard. But now, in your weakened state, how long can you stop me?"

Zeus's face was cold and stern, though the signs of age were evident, he still looked formidable as he stared at Loki, "Even if I cannot stop you, the next generation of god-kings can!"

Loki laughed contemptuously, "Oh? I don't remember there being anyone in Asgard capable of inheriting the god-king's position. There is one called Anthony, but do you think a new major god can be my match?"

Seeing Zeus's increasingly grim expression, Loki continued, "If I were you, I would take good care of myself. You might live a bit longer, and then I could bring her some gifts!"

Zeus had no rebuttal to Loki's words, for even he had to admit they were all true!

Loki sneered, "Don't forget our agreement. The Frost Giants do not need peace, especially not with Asgard!" With that, his massive body shrank back to two meters tall, and he stomped his foot, flying off into the depths of the universe.

Zeus's grip on his lightning spear tightened. Each of Loki's words had felt like a knife cutting into his heart, leaving deep scars on his soul. Looking at the black stone pillar, the ethereal red light of the Aether particles continued to flicker, and the joy of victory was completely gone.

"Loki! I have already wronged her once, I will not let you disturb her peace again!" Zeus seemed to have made a decision, slapping his hand on the black stone pillar and shouting, "Heimdall! Take the Aether particles back!"

As he spoke, countless swirling lights surrounded the black stone pillar. In the next second, the black stone pillar shot up and disappeared into the depths of the universe.

Seeing this, Zeus turned to look at the battlefield, and his anger flared. The cursed Malakith, even in retreat, did not let the Asgardians off easy. The sky was filled with out-of-control warships, crashing down on both sides of the army! The massive warships were not something human strength could resist, and this indiscriminate attack instantly created countless mangled bodies on the battlefield.

To reduce casualties, Zeus had no choice but to order a retreat. The golden-armored warriors obediently boarded their own warships, using them to avoid the unreasonable crushing.

Zeus's gaze shifted, and Ian, Sona, and Pantheon finally came into view. When Pantheon had held back Malakith, Zeus had been setting up in the Bifrost, so he hadn't seen the entire process. But Malakith had indeed been held back, meaning Pantheon's suicide squad had perfectly completed their mission. Pantheon was a hero, and since he had survived by chance, he could not let the warriors shed blood and tears in vain!

"Wow, this Malakith is really evil, he's clearly trying to take everyone down with him!" Ian exclaimed, watching the warships crashing down.

Pantheon looked up and suddenly saw a cross-shaped warship wobbling towards them, feeling a bitter sense of resignation, "Little one, if we have a chance, we'll meet in the next life!"

Ian's lips twitched, and he looked at the warship growing larger in front of him, feeling both amused and frustrated, "What bad luck, I've only been here for a few days, and I haven't even caught my breath!"

Sona, lying on the ground, showed no reaction, but her eyes were filled with reluctance as she looked at Pantheon. As for Ian, he was just a bystander.

Boom! A brilliant light column landed again, and a massive figure slowly emerged from it. The aura instantly calmed the surrounding smoke, as if everything else no longer mattered. He was like a beam of light, a beacon of hope that captured everyone's attention.

"My king!" Sona and Pantheon exclaimed in unison, trying to stand and salute, but their condition made it impossible.

Zeus smiled and gently pressed his hand, "No need for formalities, you have done well." He then looked at Ian, his eyes filled with curiosity. How could there be a child on this battlefield? But seeing Pantheon and Sona's familiarity with him, he didn't ask more.

Looking at the warship about to crush them, he lightly raised his lightning spear. Thunder rolled across the sky, and dark clouds formed instantly, covering the entire battlefield.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless blinding lightning bolts appeared, and the sky was filled with raging thunder. Many warships that had not yet crashed were torn apart by the endless lightning strikes! This was not the end; the lightning seemed to have eyes, accurately striking the scattered debris until it was reduced to molecules!

Ian watched this scene with wide eyes. Seeing Malakith easily toy with Pantheon earlier, he hadn't thought the gods were that powerful, at least not in his understanding. But now, witnessing Zeus's abilities, he suddenly understood Malakith's strength and became even more curious about the move that could injure him!

As Zeus's lightning faded, the war truly ended. Watching the golden-armored warriors begin to clean up the battlefield, Zeus sighed and did not order the complete annihilation of the dark elves. Even as a high god, he could not bring himself to order the extermination of an entire race.

"Sona, though you are a liaison, you are still a true warrior. In Asgard, whether male or female, no one tolerates being disrespected; we are all heroes!" Perhaps out of chivalry, Zeus praised Sona first, making her extremely excited.

"Pantheon, you are truly the bravest warrior of Asgard! Leona would be proud of you!" Zeus's tone was filled with regret.

A single sentence brought tears to Pantheon's eyes, and Ian, seeing this, couldn't help but use his sleeve to wipe away the tears streaming down his face. There is nothing more moving than a tough man's tears!

Zeus was a bit surprised by Ian's action and asked softly, "Who is this little boy?"

Sona quickly replied, "My lord, this little one was picked up by Pantheon on the battlefield yesterday. He is a穿越者!"

"穿越者? Ha ha, it has been years since I last encountered a穿越者." Zeus's voice was filled with amusement. Perhaps in other worlds,穿越者s are full of mystery, but in Asgard, they are just ordinary people with a bit more experience. Asgard has the confidence that even穿越者s cannot match the power of the divine realm!

Sona added, "He was with me on the warship, but when the war broke out and the warship was destroyed, we landed here together in an escape pod."

Zeus nodded, "We can discuss this later. The war is over, let's return to Asgard." He then waved his hand, and the three of them began to rise involuntarily, following Zeus into the rainbow light column.