When Fimbulwinter was averted and the Avengers, alongside the Sorcerer Supreme, arrived at the ruins of Asgard with the Casket of Ancient Winters, Odin—who had braced himself for the torments of the Great Winter—paused in shock. He knew exactly what this meant: the sequence of Ragnarok had been disrupted.
"I'll keep the Casket of Ancient Winters with me for the time being. I imagine that should put Asgard's mind at ease."
Strange made no effort to hide his intentions, making the request directly to Odin. Odin did not refuse; after all, placing this artifact anywhere else in the Nine Realms risked triggering Fimbulwinter again. It was far safer in the hands of the Sorcerer Supreme.
Sitting amidst the rubble of Asgard, Odin suddenly began to laugh—a deep, booming laugh that he couldn't restrain. His sons, Thor and Tyr, along with Heimdall, stood by, watching their father laugh in such a manner.
"The Norns, the Sisters of Fate... they sought to master destiny, only to be played for fools by it. They thought they could usher in Fimbulwinter, let a monster slay my son, drive my son to betray me, and cause the stabbing of my wife... yet in the end, they were the ones who broke destiny itself."
Ragnarok was destined to come, but Peter Parker had the potential to change its outcome. Thus, the three Goddesses of Fate had schemed relentlessly, releasing Mangog in an attempt to pull everything "back on track."
And the result? Mangog had been banished beyond the universe by Spider-Man, and Iceman and the Avengers had been brought in by Spider-Man. This was why Odin could not stop laughing.
After laughing for quite some time, he fell silent. He stood up and turned his gaze toward the Avengers who had come to their aid.
He didn't speak of Malekith's next move, nor did he mention that Loki would surely resurrect Laufey and recruit Hela to further expand Malekith's Council of Worlds.
But what did it matter? Without Fimbulwinter, Odin could undergo the Odinsleep normally. As long as he remained, Asgard would not fall!
"I suspect my father will be entering a much longer period of slumber soon."
Seeing Odin lost in thought, Thor stepped closer to speak with the Avengers. "During this time, I won't be able to travel to Midgard. I'm sorry, my friends. For a while, whatever challenges arise, you'll have to rely on yourselves."
"It's alright. We've always managed to pull through. Don't forget, humanity spent far more time surviving without gods than with them."
Cap understood Thor's predicament; the Asgardian people certainly needed him more right now.
Furthermore, Malekith had suffered a crushing defeat. He would likely lay low for a long time, not choosing to make another move until he was certain of victory.
On the other hand, the Avengers couldn't spare enough power to take the fight to the Dark Elves first. Asgard might have originally possessed that capability, but having been severely damaged by Mangog, they needed significant time to recover and rebuild.
In other words, what Earth needed most now was to construct a defensive line against Malekith and his subordinates.
"Another war."
Tony walked up to Cap's side. "Unlike the business with Loki, this time it's truly a war between civilizations. And Earth isn't even a primary participant; we're likely just the battlefield."
"Regardless of what we are, the enemy is clear: they are invaders."
Cap looked at Tony, who offered a small smile. Indeed, from that perspective, everything became simple.
It was at that moment that Odin, who had been staring at the sky, stood up.
"My sincerest apologies. Warriors such as yourselves deserve a grand feast in Valhalla, but the current Asgard lacks the means to provide it."
Odin walked before the Avengers. "Even so, I thank you, Avengers. Asgard has little to offer at present. All I can give is a promise: in the future, should Earth require aid, Asgard will not stand idly by."
Of course, Odin wouldn't truly give nothing, but there were many things Earthlings simply couldn't use—such as Uru. A metal that required the core of a star as a heat source for its forge was something Odin could certainly provide, but humans had no way to process it.
He had already decided to forge a set of armor for each Avenger using Uru and the Odinforce. However, this was currently just a thought and not yet ready to be handed over as payment, so Odin didn't mention it.
The Avengers didn't particularly care, of course; they hadn't come for a reward, but to protect their home.
However...
"These are Norn Stones. they possess the unique ability to traverse dimensions. Given the powerful reality barriers surrounding our universe, this is one of the few ways to leave it. Perhaps they will be of use to you. I trust the Sorcerer Supreme knows how to utilize them."
Odin summoned several Norn Stones from the vault and handed them to the Avengers. Before the others could speak, Strange nodded. "They are indeed useful. Much more appropriate than tearing a hole in the fabric of reality."
After Peter took a Norn Stone, he looked at Odin with curiosity. "Doesn't Asgard need them? After all, Malekith can interfere with the Bifrost."
"It's fine. I still have a debt to settle with the three Sisters of Fate. I'll pick up some more Norn Stones while I'm at it."
Odin's weary appearance meant the Avengers didn't linger for long. They quickly returned to Earth. Iceman happily bid everyone farewell and caught a cab from Avengers Tower back to the Academy. As they watched him leave, Strange opened a Sling Ring portal and returned to the Sanctum Sanctorum with the Casket of Ancient Winters.
"Is it just my imagination, or is that guy taking an absurd amount of stuff back to his own house?"
Tony couldn't help but snark about Strange before turning back around. To the citizens of New York, today was just another peaceful day.
They would never know what Asgard had endured this day.
"Without the Casket of Ancient Winters, Namor should be able to defeat the rebels and restore order to Atlantis soon."
Recalling how this entire ordeal began, Cap couldn't help but muse aloud, "I hope Namor can be a bit more... moderate after this."
"I doubt it. Our Little Prince of the Deep is never going to be associated with the word 'quiet.' But hey, we saved the world again, right?"
Cap didn't reply. He had a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right.
In fact, Cap would soon learn one thing—even without the Casket of Ancient Winters, the Atlantean civil war would not be coming to an end.