The Bifrost - Asgard
Ernst held Loki by the neck. He looked at Thor's desperate face.
"It appears you hold your brother in high regard," Ernst said calmly.
"Let us test that sincerity."
He casually tossed Loki through the air.
Thor dropped his hammer, lunging to catch his brother.
He dreaded seeing Loki hurt.
The four warriors tried to rush Ernst in the chaos.
Ernst's blue-energy clones intercepted them easily. The Asgardians were completely thwarted.
Ernst was holding back. He was deliberately prolonging the fight to draw out Odin.
But the Allfather remained hidden.
Instead, the sky filled with gold.
A battalion of Asgard's Golden Warriors marched onto the bridge. Dozens of heavy spears rained down.
Ernst deflected the volley with a flick of his wrist.
He paused. He was standing alone on a broken bridge, fighting the heroes, surrounded by an army. He felt like a cliché villain.
He refused to play that part.
With a wave of his hand, Ernst dismissed the blue clones. They dissolved back into pure energy and returned to his body.
He hovered a few feet off the ground, looking down at the army.
Thor and Loki got to their feet. They walked to the front of the battalion.
The Golden Warriors parted for their princes.
"Surrender!" Thor yelled, his confidence returning with the army at his back.
"The God-King will show leniency!"
Ernst maintained a serene expression.
"Being surrounded means nothing, Thor. Do you truly believe numbers assure victory?"
Thor blushed slightly. He was young, and this was not how standard warfare worked.
Ernst scoffed inwardly. No wonder Hela would conquer this place so easily in the future.
"If it is a matter of ratios," Ernst mused, reaching into his pocket.
"I should call for assistance."
He pulled out a small, yellow paper cutout covered in mysterious runes.
Ernst threw it into the air.
The paper erupted into blinding light. It multiplied rapidly.
Hundreds of figures materialized on the bridge.
They wore heavy armor and yellow scarves. Every single one had Ernst's face.
They held heavy shields and sharp swords. They radiated a terrifying, dense magic.
It was an ancient Chinese spell. Yellow Talisman Warriors. Ernst had modified it using his own sealed energy.
They were vastly stronger than the blue clones. Ernst knew they could slaughter the Golden Warriors with ease.
"Shall we start the next game?" Ernst asked smoothly.
Thor tightened his grip on his hammer, ready to charge.
"Wait."
Loki stepped in front of his brother.
As a mage, Loki could feel the suffocating magical density of the paper warriors.
He knew Asgard would suffer heavy losses.
"We fear no war," Loki said strictly.
"But we require clarification. Who are you? Why have you trespassed in Asgard?"
Ernst lowered his hands, looking genuinely confused.
"No, let's not mix things up," Ernst replied.
"I am the one who is puzzled. I was standing in Ireland, and a beam of light dragged me here. You should be explaining this to me."
The Asgardians froze. The aggression drained from the bridge.
Something was very wrong.
Thor turned around. Heimdall and Elliot had just climbed out of the cosmic sea, dripping wet.
"Heimdall," Thor demanded.
"Who is this man? Why did you bring him here?"
Heimdall looked embarrassed. He pointed at Elliot.
"I do not know," Heimdall admitted.
"I received a distress call from an Asgardian warrior. I pulled him out. The human came with him."
All eyes turned to Elliot.
The immortal mason stepped forward nervously.
He dropped to his knees before Thor.
"Your Highness, I am a deserter," Elliot confessed.
"I stayed in Midgard a thousand years ago. I fell in love. When she died, I tried to hide."
Elliot pointed a shaking finger at Ernst.
"But recently, humans started hunting me for experiments. I was cornered. I called Heimdall so I wouldn't become a lab rat."
"Pause," Ernst interrupted loudly.
The entire Asgardian army looked at him.
"Please do not misrepresent me," Ernst said, looking directly at Elliot.
"I am not with the people hunting you. I am a scientist."
Elliot blinked. "You weren't sent to capture me?"
"I literally offered you a deal," Ernst sighed.
"I asked for a vial of blood for my research. In exchange, I offered to kill your pursuers and help you escape. I never forced you."
Dead silence fell over the Rainbow Bridge.
Elliot felt like a complete idiot. He had panicked.
He had dragged a terrifying, reality-warping wizard to Asgard over a simple misunderstanding.
Thor, Loki, Sif, and Heimdall all twitched. They wanted to strangle the mason.
The tension evaporated.
Thor lowered his hammer. He was covered in bruises, and his pride was deeply wounded.
He wanted to keep fighting, but holding a grudge over a mistake felt petty.
Loki stepped close to Thor, keeping his voice low.
"Elliot fought alongside Father in the old wars," Loki whispered.
"Let the Allfather decide his fate. We should take them to the palace."
Thor nodded slowly. He looked at Ernst.
"We will go to the palace," Thor declared.
Ernst waved his hand.
The hundreds of Yellow Talisman Warriors vanished back into a single piece of paper.
"Lead the way," Ernst said. He had wanted to meet Odin anyway.