Mangog's hatred, fueled by an inability to kill Odin, had strengthened him to the point where he could crush Uru metal. Loki's backstab at this critical juncture completely disrupted the rhythm of Odin's battle. Heart-stricken for his wife and deprived of the Destroyer armor's aid, Odin suffered successive blows from Mangog until wounds finally appeared on the All-Father's face.
Yet, he did not falter out of irritation. Almost instantly, he dispatched word for someone to save his wife, then turned and swung his spear like a club, striking Mangog with the force of his wrath.
However, the effect of this strike was lesser than those before; it barely forced Mangog back. Rebounding, Mangog hoisted an entire nearby building and smashed it directly onto Odin, before leaping into the air and crashing down upon him with savage force.
From a distance, one could only see plume after plume of dust erupting, followed by slabs of the foundation being torn asunder.
Soon, hundreds of meters of the surrounding earth were upended by the sheer violence of the clash. Odin plunged Gungnir into Mangog's body, blood now trickling down the god's own face.
Mangog simply absorbed the damage and was struck down to the ground. He hammered the earth with his fists, and in an instant, the surface for hundreds of meters around buckled and folded toward the center, nearly forming a mountain peak.
Then, from within the mountain, Mangog burst forth, dragging Odin with him before hurling him violently into the distance. Odin flipped as he hit the ground, stabbing Gungnir into the earth to decelerate, eventually coming to a halt on one knee.
Mangog lunged at Odin again, but in a flash, a one-armed powerhouse used a massive battle-axe to cleave the monster away. The man rushed over, using his single hand to help Odin up.
"Father, you..."
"Go. Go protect your mother, Tyr."
Odin wiped the blood from his brow and looked at his son. As the God of War of the Aesir, Tyr possessed power perhaps second only to Odin and Thor.
However, the monster before them was not something they could overcome. Odin had decided to go all out; at a time like this, his children could not be allowed to get in the way.
Not even Thor.
"Loki has ambushed your mother. She is in grave danger and needs protection. Furthermore, what is about to happen is beyond your ability to handle."
At this point, Odin added a few more words.
"Also, after this battle, I will fall into a deep sleep, and I do not know how long it will take for me to wake. During this time, your mother will likely be unable to manage affairs. You brothers must work together to face our enemies."
Seeing the look in Odin's eyes, Tyr hesitated for a moment before departing. Odin turned back to the monster and removed his helmet.
"Mangog, what is it you wish to prove? That I am not noble, or that you are strong enough?"
The aged King of the Gods reached out his hand. The Destroyer armor, lying on the ground, drifted upward and encased him. The left arm that Mangog had bitten off began to rapidly regenerate.
Odin's eyes released an intense light, and behind him, the phantom of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, emerged.
"If I had to concern myself with every civilization Asgard destroyed, Asgard would never have known such splendor. Everything here—everything that is Asgard—has never been separate from those Great Crusades. I feel no fear or regret; on the contrary, I am proud of it, for I conquered so vast a world and maintained it, forging my own divine kingdom."
"And your hatred? Among the countless civilizations I have conquered and destroyed, what does it amount to?!"
Odin, now fully clad in the Destroyer, appeared before Mangog in an instant. He slammed him thousands of miles away to the very edge of Asgard's realm, sending Mangog tumbling across the wasteland.
Mangog stood up shakily, only for Odin to seize him by the head and smash him ruthlessly into the ground.
"If your hatred were truly of any consequence, how could Asgard have achieved the power and prosperity it holds today!"
As Odin slammed Mangog's head into the surface, a massive fissure spider-webbed across the earth. Finally, the very continental shelf of Asgard fractured.
A portion of the world crumbled under the weight of that strike, the shattered shelf sinking into the void.
Yet Mangog was not dead. He stared at Odin with eyes full of loathing. Odin did not indulge him; he grabbed Mangog by the head and shoved him into the void, again and again.
Odin was also in the grip of fury. It might not have been hatred, but his anger was real. With his almighty power, Odin hauled Mangog up for a final blow, banishing him directly into the heart of a star.
Having completed this, Odin sighed with exhaustion, intending to rest. But a sound emerged from behind him.
Odin spun around to see Mangog—who should have been cast into the sun—now literally tearing through a portal with his bare hands. Driven by mindless rage, the monster forced himself back into Asgard.
For a moment, Odin was caught off guard, missing his chance to counterattack before Mangog seized him once more.
But Odin's current power would not let the beast succeed so easily. The Great All-Father struck Mangog down once more. Under that overwhelming force, Mangog was virtually annihilated, wiped away until nothing remained.
Odin wasn't entirely certain if the deed was truly done, but the excessive use of his divine power had left him drained. He felt the onset of the Odinsleep. He sat upon a stone, attempting to recover some strength.
It was then that Odin saw the one thing he did not wish to see. Accompanied by a yellow mist, Mangog was regenerating at a speed beyond imagination. Rapidly, Mangog's form was reshaped. He immediately spotted Odin and began to stalk toward him.
Odin raised his spear, intending to finish Mangog one last time before he lost consciousness entirely.
At that moment, Mjolnir streaked through the sky, striking Mangog directly. After the monster was hammered away, Thor landed beside Odin, accompanied by Peter. Thor looked at his father, his words caught in his throat.
"You are not his match, my son. So long as hatred exists, that monster is immortal—to say nothing of the fact that he has evolved to a terrifying degree."
Odin began to stand as he spoke, but Thor stopped him.
"I have a way, Father. I can defeat this monster."
Driven by a sudden, inexplicable confidence, Thor turned to face Mangog.