Inside Temple Number Two.
Thanos looked at the space fleet ten light-years away on the screen and gave a cold smile.
In the Marvel Universe, individual power has no clear upper limit. Destroying planets—or even the universe itself—is not impossible.
But technological power should never be underestimated.
Take Kang the Conqueror, for example.
He was merely a scientist with no superpowers, yet through technology he controlled time itself and ruled the multiverse.
Of course, lacking superpowers was also his greatest weakness, which was why he was ultimately stabbed to death.
Still, his existence proved one thing clearly—
Technology matters.
That was why Thanos never focused solely on cultivating his own strength.
He never stopped developing technology.
Under his rule, scientists were the most privileged class. They were exempt from family planning and mandatory military service.
And the rewards they received were equally generous.
Super artificial intelligence Deep Blue.
Artificial gravity chambers.
Temple II.
Interstellar fortresses.
Quantum entanglement projection.
And now, space jammers capable of remotely sealing off space itself.
Facing this spatial blockade, it remained to be seen what choice Odin would make.
If Odin chose to forcibly break through space, Thanos would laugh out loud.
After all, every space jump left spatial rifts behind.
If the enemy dared to jump, Thanos could calculate their landing point in advance and launch a precise ambush.
Annihilating the Asgardian fleet would not be impossible.
If the enemy instead chose to slowly fly out of the sealed area before jumping, that would be even more unrealistic.
This was a mobile spatial blockade.
If they could move, so could he.
Unless Odin jumped to a completely different location, the blockade would simply follow.
And even then—
Thanos had more than one backup plan.
…
Ten light-years away, within the Asgardian fleet.
After listening carefully to Lucy's analysis, the command room fell silent.
None of them had expected a war that once relied on brute force to become so complicated.
Before even meeting the enemy, they were already at a disadvantage.
Thor paced back and forth impatiently. When no one spoke, he finally snapped.
"Let's just use the Bifrost," he said. "Even without ships, the bravery of Asgardian warriors is more than enough to crush these cowards!"
The Rainbow Bridge could bypass spatial blockades and reach the destination directly—though the ships themselves could not.
Odin ignored his son and looked at Lucy.
"How long would it take us to fly out of the sealed area?"
In space warfare, abandoning ships and engaging in direct combat was the worst possible choice.
Even piloting a powerless ship was better than relying on the Bifrost.
Lucy thought for a moment.
"No matter how advanced their technology is, the sealed area can't be limitless. At most, we should be able to exit it after one hour at light speed."
Odin nodded.
"Very well. Fly for one hour, then attempt a space jump."
Lucy nodded and began issuing orders.
In truth, the speed of light was extremely slow on a cosmic scale.
Without space-jump technology, a ship could only approach it infinitely—it could never exceed it.
One hour later.
Lucy returned to the command room, her expression grim.
"Odin… we're still inside the spatial lockdown zone."
Odin frowned deeply.
"You said one hour would be enough. What happened?"
Lucy shook her head.
"I don't know. Logically, they shouldn't have the energy to seal such a vast area unless…"
"Unless what?" Odin pressed.
Lucy hesitated. Seeing Odin's impatience, she finally spoke.
"Unless they can move the sealed zone—and are tracking us in real time."
Thor reacted immediately.
"That's impossible," he said. "We're ten light-years away. Unless they have Heimdall's vision, they wouldn't even be able to see us for ten years."
As his voice faded, the command room fell silent again.
After a while, Lucy spoke softly.
"There may be a technological gap between us and them. They might have mastered technologies we don't even know exist."
The moment she said this, everyone lowered their heads.
No one dared to speak.
Because those words carried an uncomfortable implication—
That Odin's long-standing isolation policy had been a mistake.
Odin understood this clearly, and his expression darkened.
But now was not the time to blame Lucy.
Sensing the tension, Sif spoke up.
"Captain Lucy, what if we jump to another location, replenish our energy, and then jump again?"
Anyone favored by Odin—and even considered as a future daughter-in-law—was certainly no fool.
Sif's mind worked quickly.
Lucy's eyes lit up.
"Yes. That might work."
After a moment of thought, Odin nodded.
"Alright. We'll try Sif's approach."
Lucy immediately began arranging the fleet.
The fleet initiated a space jump to a point one light-year away.
This time, opening the spatial rift took five times longer than usual.
Several minutes later—
Twenty-five thousand Asgardian warships appeared nine light-years from Thanos's position.
However, their shields were dim.
Most of their energy had already been consumed.
Four hours later, Odin's chariot was the first to fully recharge.
Seven hours later, the medium and small warships finally followed.
Just as Lucy prepared to initiate another jump, she discovered a new problem.
"Odin… the target area has been sealed off again."
Odin's face darkened.
"Damn cowardly invaders!"
He could not understand why the enemy relied on so many spatial barriers.
Why not fight openly?
Why hide behind tricks?
Thor immediately echoed his anger.
"That's right! They're cowards. Their strength must be pitiful. Just jump in—if we need to retreat, the rear fleet can send reinforcements."
The Warriors Three chimed in at once.
"Prince Thor is right. Those enemies are no stronger than goblins."
"Kill them all."
"We are warriors of Asgard. We cannot lose."
Odin ignored them completely.
Instead, he looked at Sif and Lucy.
"Do either of you have a better idea?"
He preferred speaking with people who used their brains.
If Thor weren't his son, he would have slapped him long ago.
Unfortunately, both Sif and Lucy shook their heads.
They had no solution.
.....
Can't wait to read more exciting chapters then what are you waiting for Join my p*atreon right now.
Get 60+ Premium chapters.
Link: p*atreon.com/Earthly_Writer (Remove the *)
2 Chapters for all free members.