Anton, accompanied by Jane Foster, met with Thor.
"Jane?"
Thor, somewhat surprised to see his old friend from Earth, embraced her gently before staring in astonishment at the Superman beside Jane.
"You are... Superman?"
Since Asgard had established connections with Earth, which was no longer the barren and weak planet of thousands of years ago, Thor, despite being in Asgard, frequently received news from Earth, making Superman a familiar figure to him.
Information about Earth was usually mentioned in Heimdall routine reports.
It is worth noting that in the timeline of the first Thor movie, due to Wonder Woman intervention, the Bifrost was not destroyed.
There were no rebellions in the Nine Realms caused by a temporary disconnection with Asgard, so Thor was not as overwhelmed with battles to quell disturbances as in the original plot of Thor 2.
He had more time to understand news from Earth.
Superman.
He was one of the most important figures Thor had learned about from Heimdall reports.
Thor had reviewed the battle between Superman and the super-Skrull leader, kl'rt. kl'rt strength had impressed him, let alone Superman who had easily defeated kl'rt.
Based on Thor cursory understanding of the Justice League, Superman power was definitely beyond that of Wonder Woman, who had famously subdued Loki in Asgard.
Now, after meeting him, Thor was sure of his speculations.
Because he could clearly sense that the man in front of him seemed to have a blazing sun housed within him.
"Nice to meet you."
Thor, a combat enthusiast himself, was thrilled to meet Superman and, following Earth etiquette, extended his hand for a handshake.
Anton saw the combative spark in Thor eyes and understood.
The two shook hands.
Jane Foster watched the two greet each other, feeling that their seemingly polite exchange carried a hint of rivalry.
Then, Thor and Anton handshake became a test of strength.
"Hmm?"
Thor felt the terrifying force from Superman palm and his expression shifted slightly.
Superman, unfazed, looked at him with a half-smile.
Soon, Thor arm veins were pronounced, and a fine sweat appeared on his forehead. He clenched his teeth, his expression turning fierce as he gave his all.
In contrast, Superman appeared nonchalant, his smile even broader.
Only then did Jane Foster realize that the two were arm wrestling.
Thor was more than just a little behind.
Superman was overpowering.
Childish games of men.
She felt somewhat helpless.
Not far away.
Heimdall, who had led Anton and Jane to Thor, had a slightly serious expression.
gaze lingered on Superman, recalling the immense power Superman had unleashed during his battle with the super-Skrulls that swept across Earth.
Such level of power, not to mention on Earth, was nearly unmatched even in Asgard.
Fortunately, Superman was one of Earth champions, and currently, the relationship between Earth and Asgard was favorable, so there was no reason for Superman to cause trouble for Asgard.
Moreover, Superman was now seeking assistance from Asgard.
With that thought, the outcome between Thor and Superman was already decided.
Crack, crack, crack!
Thor hand bones cracked audibly, almost deforming under the immense force from Superman grip. His face twisted in pain, unable to hide his discomfort.
Even Heimdall and Jane Foster started to feel pain for Thor.
In the final moments, Thor didn't verbally concede but quickly withdrew his hand, smoothing his expression back to normal, seemingly unaffected as he nodded at Superman in front of him.
"Welcome to Asgard. I understand your purpose come with me," Thor said.
As he spoke, he turned and walked ahead, placing his right hand on his chest and shielding his shaking from Anton and Jane with his body.
He took a deep breath to soothe his inner defeat and astonishment at Superman strength.
Through this brief encounter, he had to admit that Superman strength was beyond his reach.
This was a feeling he had almost never experienced before.
Even recently, although Wonder Woman had demonstrated capabilities far beyond his in front of him, Thor could still claim that, as a fellow deity and with the noblest Asgardian lineage, he would eventually catch up to Wonder Woman...
But facing Superman, whose power far surpassed Wonder Woman, Thor suddenly lost that confidence.
Behind the trio.
Heimdall watched them leave with a peculiar expression on his face.
His eyes could see through everything, and he could clearly notice Thor slight movements.
In fact, not only he, but even Jane Foster, a human without any special powers, was aware of Thor somewhat desperate attempt to maintain his dignity.
"Hopefully, Thor will gain something extra from this..."
Heimdall sighed again and turned to return to the central hub of the Rainbow Bridge, continuing his duty of guarding the gateways of the Nine Realms of Asgard.
Anton and Jane Foster followed Thor to the royal palace and were brought before Odin sitting on his throne.
"Father, my friends need your help," Thor announced as he entered the hall, noticing Odin gaze quickly sweeping past him to lock onto Superman standing behind him.
Thor wasn't surprised.
Superman power was naturally something that would command attention from anyone, including his father, the king of gods, Odin.
"Nice to meet you."
Similarly, Anton immediately focused on Odin on the throne, meeting his gaze and feeling an unprecedented sense of pressure.
"Your Majesty, hello," he said. "I am Clark Kent, known as Superman, companion to Wonder Woman."
"I know," Odin nodded. "I can feel it you and Wonder Woman, Diana Prince, are of the same origin, both bearing the same extraterrestrial aura."
"Extraterrestrial?"
Anton paused, then realized Odin might be referring to what the Ancient One called the multiverse.
Odin understanding would be similar to that of the Ancient One.
It made no sense that the Ancient One could detect the multiverse while Odin, the king of gods, would know nothing.
But Anton wasn't bothered.
In the Marvel universe, the multiverse is a concept that can explain everything.
"We won't dwell on that, Your Majesty. We have come here for the Ether particles," Anton continued.
"We hope you can assist us by extracting the Ether particles from this lady."
"I'm sorry, that not possible."
Odin shook his head. "Asgard cannot do that."
"What?"
Thor and Jane Foster were shocked at Odin response.
"Why can't you extract the Ether particles, especially when it was Asgardians who defeated the Dark Elves and sealed the Ether particles in the first place?" Anton asked, his brow furrowed as he looked up at Odin, waiting for an answer.
In truth, Anton was quite calm internally, having anticipated Odin response. In the original storyline of Thor 2, when Thor brought Jane to Odin, Odin had stated that there was no known method in Asgard magical texts to extract the Ether particles from Jane.
As the plot unfolded, it was Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves, who eventually extracted the Ether particles from Jane. Furthermore, the original storyline did not disclose any method of extracting Ether particles from Jane.
In other words, short of conducting his own research, Anton knew that Odin wasn't the person to approach it was Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves.
His decision to bring Jane to Asgard was merely to see if the problem could be straightforwardly solved or, as depicted in the original storyline, whether Odin, the king of gods, was withholding information from his son.
After all, it was Odin father, the previous king Bor, who had defeated the Dark Elves and sealed the Ether particles thousands of years ago.
Odin inherited everything from Bor, even expanding Asgard territories and truly becoming the king of all gods.
As such a significant figure, it seemed unlikely that Odin couldn't find a way to extract the Ether particles.
From past plot events, Anton suspected that Odin simply refused to help Jane because Thor loved a mortal woman from Earth, thwarting Odin matchmaking plans.
For Odin, who had battled on many fields and aimed to train his son to be a worthy king of gods, what was it to ignore one life?
Was Anton wrong in his thinking?
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Odin spoke up, addressing their confusion.
"Ether particles are extremely dangerous. The more detailed the records, the more they ignite desires in people hearts," Odin stated calmly.
"After my father sealed the Ether particles, he almost eradicated all information about them, leaving only warnings of their dangers for future generations. Over the millennia, those who knew about the Ether particles have almost all died…"
"What should we do then?" Thor expression shifted slightly.
Although Thor and Jane had not developed a romantic relationship as they had in previous timelines, due to Wonder Woman appearance, their close bond during her time on Earth was undeniable.
Naturally, Thor couldn't just watch as the Ether particles harmed Jane. If attached to a powerful host, Ether particles could enhance their abilities, but they would also continuously drain the host life force.
Powerful beings had their ways to replenish life force continuously, allowing the Ether particles to feed without causing harm.
Jane Foster, however, was not one of those powerful beings.
Fortunately, her contact with the Ether particles had not been lengthy, and extracting them now wouldn't harm her physically. Yet, the longer they waited, the more unpredictable the outcome.
"What do we do?" Jane face paled as she looked at Superman and Thor. "Am I just supposed to wait to die?"
"Don't worry, we still have options," Anton reassured her, calm and composed.
"The Justice League includes some of Earth top scientists. I believe they can find a way to solve your problem… Of course, we need time.
But you can be assured, they'll resolve this before it affects your health."
This sounded promising, although Anton himself wasn't entirely convinced by his own words. He was thinking of Malekith.
If he wasn't mistaken, Malekith had already awakened along with the other Dark Elves, aiming for the Ether particles…
Meanwhile, Thor chimed in supportively. "I'll help you too."
He patted his chest. "Asgard has the most advanced team of magicians. We'll find a way for you."
Jane felt somewhat reassured by Thor and Superman promises, but the weight of anxiety still hung heavy in her heart.
Elsewhere, near the central hub of the Rainbow Bridge.
A group of odd-looking invaders, armed and dangerous, had breached Asgard.
These invaders were no match for Heimdall and the many guards of the Rainbow Bridge, who easily dealt with the threat.
Heimdall watched impassively as the subdued group of unfamiliar foreigners were led away, instructing the guards beside him in an icy tone,
"Put them in prison and interrogate them thoroughly. We must find out who sent them."
"Understood," the remaining guards nodded.
As Heimdall watched the group depart, a frown creased his brow. Something felt off. How could these people, with such little power, dare to invade Asgard?
Who gave them such confidence?
Throughout the thousands of years that Asgard has ruled over the Nine Realms, there have always been outsiders attempting to invade, but these invasions usually took stealthier approaches through spatial rifts or the cosmic pathways...
Why would anyone foolishly attack the heavily guarded Bifrost, the main entrance to Asgard?
Although the Bifrost serves as the most accessible gateway, it also the place where operations are most likely to fail.
After all, the Bifrost is not just a transport device it also a star-destroying cannon.
The guards here are not only elite, but their numbers are second only to those at the Royal Palace, more than anywhere else in Asgard.
The choice of this location as a point of invasion suggests that the attackers are either complete fools with no plan or brutes utterly ignorant of Asgard...
While contemplating, Heimdall didn't take it too seriously, considering the possibility that some were just brainless and stubborn enough to try.
Such individuals were not uncommon in his years guarding the Bifrost.
Suddenly, he sensed something and looked up sharply at the escort team on the Bifrost, his expression changing drastically.
"Trouble!"
As soon as he spoke, he saw the guards escorting the invaders being killed by those they had just subdued.
Heimdall drew his divine sword, his eyes flashing with fury.
They were some distance apart, and he couldn't immediately reach the location.
All he could do was watch helplessly as one of the invaders pulled a magical device from their clothing.
The invader activated the device and turned to give Heimdall a vicious smile.
At that moment, the invader revealed their true form, and Heimdall finally realized who they really were.
Dark Elves!
They were the long-vanished Dark Elves, thought by Asgard to be extinct, masters of the dark world of Svartalfheim.
"An attack?"
A flash of insight crossed Heimdall mind, followed by a sudden realization, then his mind went blank: "They're trying to destroy the Bifrost?"