Shattered Bifrost

Punishment Grounds.

Thanos, clad in golden armor, strolled through the ruins. He stopped and raised his eyes toward Asgard.

"Lord Thanos, forgive us. We failed to stop Beckett."

Ebony Maw, who had earlier been dug out of the sand and mud of Noctis, covered his treated wound with one hand and knelt on one knee, begging Thanos for forgiveness.

There was no shirking responsibility, no explanation.

Ebony Maw admitted it frankly.

Saying that Beckett was too powerful and they were no match for him was complete bullshit.

Failure was failure. No reason could excuse a failed mission.

"How long has he been gone?"

"Forty-three minutes, Lord Thanos. Based on the ship’s maximum speed, Beckett should have reached Asgard by now."

"Forty-three minutes…"

Thanos said nothing more.

If Beckett had already reached Asgard, then Odin had surely prepared to fight him.

Beckett wanted to rescue Hela, while Odin would never allow Beckett to do so. A battle between them was inevitable.

And he was even less likely to stand by and watch Beckett get beaten by Odin.

Beckett’s personality truly could not be changed.

Sometimes, Thanos wondered whether, if he wanted to take in another adopted son or daughter, he would have to learn from the mistakes he had made raising Beckett.

He would discipline them harshly.

If they lost a fight, he would tear off their arms and legs.

The punishment Beckett received for losing fights had simply been too light. That was why he had developed this sort of personality.

"Make preparations. It is time for us to depart as well."

Thanos withdrew his gaze from the starry void and slowly returned to his warship.

"I cannot let Odin wait too anxiously."

The four members of the Black Order exchanged looks, unsure what to say.

Some things, even Ebony Maw did not dare say aloud.

After all, Thanos was the overlord of the entire Centaurus Galaxy.

Asgard, Bifrost area.

Frigga stared blankly as Asgard’s gatekeeper fell before her.

Blood spilled everywhere.

As a warrior whose pure combat strength in Asgard was second only to Odin’s, no one had expected Heimdall to fall so quickly.

Especially while he still held that sword.

It was the key to opening the Bifrost, and an indestructible weapon as well.

Heimdall had wielded it alongside Odin in his conquests across the Nine Realms, slaughtering countless enemies. Yet now, it was buried in its master’s heart…

"The Other."

"Ah? Y-Your Highness Beckett, I’m here!"

The Other snapped out of his shock and hurried to Beckett’s side. He bowed deeply, his face filled with indescribable excitement and exhilaration.

"Celebrate."

"What?" The Other looked up in confusion.

"I told you to celebrate." Beckett’s gaze fell on The Other. The chill in his eyes made him shudder involuntarily.

"Celebrate!"

"The great—"

"Louder. I want everyone in Asgard to hear it."

Beckett stepped past The Other and kicked Heimdall, whose eyes remained open in death, to Frigga’s feet.

"Yes, Your Highness Beckett!"

After taking several small components from his armor and assembling them into an amplifier, The Other took a deep breath. His impassioned voice instantly spread throughout all of Asgard!

"Celebrate!"

"The great Son of Titan! His Highness Beckett, the revered Lord of Chitauri Prime!"

"At this moment, his heroic bearing shall be recorded in history!"

"Heimdall, gatekeeper of Asgard and guardian of the Bifrost, was no match for His Highness Beckett!"

"Asgard shall surely fall at the hands of His Highness Beckett! His Highness Beckett’s radiance shall illuminate the entire Nine Realms!!!"

To The Other’s fervent proclamation, Beckett, blond-haired and green-eyed, strode step by step toward Frigga. "Do you want to live, or die?"

Frigga’s expression changed drastically as she retreated rapidly.

"Everyone!"

"Attack!!!"

The surviving Asgardian warriors surged forward, their proud steeds neighing beneath the darkened sky!

"Live, or die?!"

Beckett neither dodged nor evaded. Yet the energy unleashed by his sweeping hands seemed to draw down falling meteors, smashing countless bodies and destroying Asgard’s structures.

The cries of the people, the falling corpses.

All of it made Frigga’s eyes split with rage.

"No!"

"No! Beckett!!!"

"Please, don’t do this!"

Frigga, who should have left, had never imagined that Beckett truly intended to destroy all of Asgard.

"Hela’s life is tied to Asgard itself! If you destroy Asgard, Hela will truly die as well!!!"

"I know."

"So I will not destroy Asgard. But that does not mean I will not kill these Asgardians."

"Think carefully, Frigga. When The Other’s celebration rings out again, you will be the only person left in all of Asgard."

"Are you ready?"

Beckett grinned, cruel and bloodthirsty light gleaming in his green eyes.

"Ten."

"Five." Jumping straight from ten to five, the irregular shift in Beckett’s count further crushed Frigga’s fragile psychological defenses.

"Three."

"One."

Beckett shook his head in disappointment. "Time is up."

"Weak Asgardians, it is time to—"

BOOM!!!

Beneath the darkened sky, a seven-colored beam descended from above and stretched across Beckett’s path.

"Beckett, you have crossed the line."

"Did Thanos never teach you not to meddle in other people’s family affairs?"

Clad in golden armor and wielding Gungnir, Odin returned from Midgard to Asgard at the final moment.

"My father will be asking me to hand in a written self-criticism soon, so I only came to collect the one Hela owes me. Your family affairs have nothing to do with me."

Now that the person he wanted had arrived, Beckett gave up on forcing Frigga.

"Oh, right. There is something I think I should apologize to you for."

"This man was your most trusted dog, wasn’t he?"

Beckett pointed toward Heimdall, who had already lost all signs of life. A cruel smile crept across his face.

Overwhelming power condensed before Odin’s eyes almost instantly.

"Give me Hela. Otherwise, he will completely disappear before your eyes."

"Or beat me." Beckett was eager to try.

Facing Odin, the current strongest being in the Nine Realms, every cell in Beckett’s body began to tremble with excitement.

"I am rather curious where you found the confidence to make Heimdall disappear before my eyes."

Odin’s face went cold, and Gungnir appeared before Beckett in the next instant!

Whoosh!

Beckett instinctively twisted aside to evade it, then leaped into the air. The power condensing around his arms slammed into the Bifrost without warning!

BOOM!!!!!

"Hela said that beneath the Bifrost lies an abyss even you do not know about."

Crack…

Cracks began spreading across the magnificent rainbow bridge beneath Beckett’s energy assault…

"So, is that true?"

Beckett stopped pouring out energy and floated above the fractured bridge. He crooked a finger at Odin, openly provocative.

With a light tap of his toe against the bridge, like the final straw that broke the camel’s back, the incomparably magnificent Bifrost shattered in an instant!!!

Thanks to Purity senior, Wuxin Zhengfeng, Xia Keyang, and I Want to Keep a Low Profile for the tips~