A Day Trip to the Divine Realm

In an instant, the Bifrost carried Thor and Kyle across countless planets, and all the dazzling sights of the universe blurred into streaks of light racing backward.

A moment ago, they had still been in the Bone Wasteland of a lifeless planet at the edge of the universe, pursued by an ancient creature.

The next moment, light suddenly brightened before Kyle’s eyes, and he found himself inside a magnificent circular hall. Its outer walls and floor seemed to be polished and built entirely from gold, smooth and gleaming with reflected light, brimming with an ancient, sacred aura.

At the center of the golden hall, a Black man in exquisite, heavy golden armor stood guard upon a platform. Both hands gripped the hilt of a greatsword, which he had inserted into a slot at the center of the platform like a key. White lightning crackled outward through the surrounding walls, causing them to spin rapidly like a top.

At the inner end of the circular hall, the Bifrost extended outward from an opening. Now that it had successfully brought the two of them back, the rotating walls gradually slowed, while the Bifrost’s multicolored glow and electric light steadily faded.

"Whew… that was close. Thanks, Heimdall."

Releasing his grip on Kyle’s collar and confirming that they had returned to the divine realm, Thor finally let out a full breath. His chest still heaved as he wiped the sweat from his brow with his free hand.

"It was my duty. It seems your reconnaissance mission to the Ancient Battlefield did not go smoothly."

Heimdall’s voice was steady and powerful, faintly echoing through the hall. As the guardian who watched over and controlled the Bifrost gate, he was neither servile nor arrogant toward Thor.

"Yeah, something unexpected happened. A newborn ancient creature seemed to have evolved. At a critical moment, it actually broke through its limits—forget it, no need to talk about that. Just have the soldiers keep an eye out in the future." Thor shrugged helplessly. Clearly, he had suffered quite a loss just now and did not want to discuss this embarrassing incident, a black mark on his godly life.

The God of Thunder, invincible across the cosmic battlefield, had been pinned to the ground and beaten by an alien monster. If word got out, it would keep Asgard’s soldiers laughing for a year.

"And this is?" Heimdall raised his eyes, his gaze falling squarely on Kyle. His deep, shining eyes narrowed, and his dark face turned solemn and serious.

"Oh, I nearly forgot." Thor scratched his head, pointed at Kyle beside him, and said, "I met him at the Ancient Battlefield. He helped me break free from that ancient creature’s restraints. His name is…"

He paused, glanced at Kyle, and asked with equal curiosity, "By the way, who are you?"

What a thick-headed brute.

Kyle mocked him inwardly, then smiled calmly. "My name is Kyle. I’m a human from Earth."

"Earth? Humans? That sounds vaguely familiar…" Thor frowned. For someone so bad at thinking, trying to recall distant memories was truly painful.

Heimdall could not stand it any longer and reminded him, "Your Highness, several hundred years ago, His Majesty Odin led an army to Earth. It was to fight off the foreign Frost Giants who sought to plunge Earth back into the Ice Age."

"The distance from Earth to the Ancient Battlefield is virtually boundless. They are separated by two realms and the Milky Way Galaxy. Without the Bifrost, even the most advanced spacecraft would take more than a decade to arrive."

At this point, Heimdall stared directly at Kyle with his deep eyes, making no attempt to hide his vigilance and suspicion.

"Oh, right, right." Thor nodded, then asked in equal surprise, "Human of Earth, why did you appear on a planet of the Ancient Battlefield?"

Kyle had already prepared for this. Unhurried, he used the Tesseract that had appeared on Earth and the wormhole on Planet Sakaar as his explanation. Both possessed the ability to cross the universe, and a mixture of truth and lies was enough to fool them.

"So you were incredibly unlucky!" Thor burst out laughing, believing Kyle’s explanation with astonishing innocence.

Only Heimdall remained stern-faced. That was only natural; he maintained the highest level of vigilance and suspicion toward anyone entering or leaving the divine realm through the Bifrost.

"Speaking of which, who are you people? And where is this?" Kyle pretended not to understand and said anxiously, "My ship is broken. If you have an Interstellar Ship, could you help me return to Earth?"

"We don’t use ships." Thor smiled, considered for a moment, then asked Heimdall, "Can you open the Bifrost and send him back to Earth?"

Kyle watched Heimdall with quiet anticipation.

Under their gazes, Heimdall shook his head and replied, "According to the divine realm’s rules, the Bifrost cannot be opened specifically for those who are not of the divine realm."

"But he saved me. Can’t you make an exception?" An idea struck Thor. "How about this? I need to go to Earth now anyway. Open the Bifrost to Earth for us."

"Your Highness, rules are rules. As guardian of the Bifrost, I cannot make exceptions. You may submit a request to His Majesty Odin. Once I receive the command, I will open the Bifrost immediately," Heimdall said rigidly.

At the mention of Odin, Thor’s swagger diminished considerably. He turned to Kyle with a hint of apology. "Sorry. If you’re willing, you can look around the divine realm while I meet with Father King. Once I get the command, I’ll send you home."

"No problem." Kyle nodded, sighing inwardly that Thor’s status was not high enough. Odin had probably not yet publicly declared him the next king of the divine realm, which was why even opening the Bifrost was such a hassle.

Still, the plan had gone fairly smoothly. It had only been delayed slightly. Compared to piloting a ship through the universe on a long, tedious journey home, it was better to wait for the Bifrost to open and return to Earth in an instant.

Besides, Kyle had long yearned to see Asgard. There was no reason for him to turn down a day trip through the divine realm while he was at it.

Thor led Kyle out of the Bifrost gate’s hall and through the doorway. Outside, a solid rainbow bridge shimmering with flowing light stretched flat and straight into the distance.

Kyle paused at the doorway. Beneath the Bifrost surged a vast, turbulent ocean, while the light of the sun, moon, and stars shimmered overhead. At the far end of his vision stood a great city spanning heaven and earth.

Towering structures made entirely of gold stood densely packed together, like the immortal residences of gods, shining with undying sacred radiance.

Mysterious cubic buildings also floated in midair. Everything was steeped in mystery and strangeness, leaving him in awe.

"I still haven’t answered your earlier question." Thor spread his hands and said cheerfully, "I’m Thor, the God of Thunder, son of All-Father Odin. This is Asgard, the highest divine realm in the universe. Before you is the royal palace, where we of the divine realm live."

If Wakanda’s golden city was the very center of Earth, then Asgard’s divine palace was the very center of the entire universe!