The seal was complete.
Though Dormammu's furious and resentful roar still echoed in their ears, neither Thanos nor Odin paid it any heed.
Who were they, after all?
One was a warrior of unshakable will, the other an ambitious king. In their lifetimes, they'd heard more than their share of threats and howls of indignation. As for Agamotto, he was even less concerned.
The Sorcerer Supreme firmly believed that even if Dormammu were to break free one day and return to Midgard, he, or his successor, would find a way to seal him again.
Even if he was no longer around, his disciple would carry on the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme and uphold their sacred duty.
"It's time to go, Thanos. Odin."
With Dormammu sealed, the Dark Dimension, fused with him, began to collapse. This was a unique self-preservation mechanism of dimensional space.
Rather than self-destruction, the collapse seemed more like an expulsion, forcing the three intruders, Thanos, Odin, and Agamotto, to leave.
From the moment the collapse began to when the three reappeared inside the unfinished pyramid, Odin's expression remained grim.
After all, a brat had forcibly kissed the daughter he'd raised with his own hands—
How could he possibly be in a good mood?
If Lothar hadn't had the backing of someone like Thanos, Odin wouldn't have hesitated to unleash the full wrath of the Aesir on the bold youth.
The Spear of Heaven that never misses would've left Lothar riddled with holes, a father's righteous fury made manifest.
"I think you need to calm down a little, Odin."
Agamotto, who had chosen not to return directly to the temple in the far north but instead to the Egyptian pyramid, rose to his feet, fingers brushing the Time Stone on his chest, trying to soothe the fuming father.
"I am calm, Agamotto."
Upon leaving the Dark Dimension, the Destroyer Armor detached from Odin's body and flew back to Asgard in a streak of light.
"Don't forget our deal, Agamotto. I'll be waiting in Asgard."
He gave Thanos, who stood stoically with his massive blade, one last look before vanishing in a cascade of rainbow light.
There was still work to be done, preparing a space in Hela's personal Valhalla, so Agamotto could set up the ritual.
But more than anything, he simply didn't want to see Thanos right now.
"Well, that was quick."
Narrowing his eyes as the rainbow light faded, Agamotto turned to the silent Thanos.
"So, Thanos… aren't you going to see your son?"
"There's no need."
Thanos turned to examine the statue of Lothar within the pyramid.
Majestic. Vivid. Larger than life.
His deal with Agamotto had been to make Lothar experience defeat. And that objective had now been fulfilled.
More than fulfilled.
He'd even gained an unexpected bonus.
Lothar's once fragile soul had been strengthened by Hela's divine death energy, something Thanos hadn't anticipated.
"You're not taking him back?"
Agamotto raised a brow, clearly surprised.
Lothar and Hela had come to Midgard via the Bifrost, meaning Lothar's spaceship, launched from the Black Quadrant, was docked in Asgard.
Given Odin's attitude and Lothar's bold actions, Agamotto suspected that if Lothar returned to Asgard to retrieve it, things might not end peacefully.
"No. I'm more curious to see what happens next to Lothar."
As he spoke, a teleportation beam from Thanos's warship activated, and in a flash of blinding light, the Titan vanished.
This son of his never ceased to surprise him.
...
Elsewhere.
Ruins of the Norse temple , Northern Europe.
Lothar's soul, reforged in divine death energy, returned to his body. The silver cross they had shared shattered in both of their hands.
Standing in the snow, Lothar rubbed his wrist, eyes closed, attuning to his newly transformed self.
The union of soul and body, tempered through Hela's divine death force, had left him feeling utterly reborn.
It was a sensation he couldn't even begin to describe.
"Prince Lothar…?"
"Savior, sir?"
The voices of The Other and Menis reached him, prompting Lothar to open his eyes, only to see Hela standing mere inches away, staring coldly into his soul.
"Meow!"
An excited orange tabby leapt from the snow, landing on Lothar's shoulder and wagging its tail, rubbing its round head proudly against his neck.
As a guide-cat, it was feeling very accomplished.
"Destruction begets rebirth. Through ruin, you rise again."
"Congratulations, Lothar."
A glowing magic circle formed as Agamotto arrived uninvited, his battle-worn robes doing little to diminish his majesty.
"There were some… unexpected twists, but all in all, things turned out well."
Amidst everyone's gaze, Agamotto extended his hand toward Woz. A stream of magic light entered the mechanical cat's eyes.
"These are the coordinates I promised."
"I've uploaded the coordinates of your original universe into your AI database. Once you're strong enough to endure interdimensional travel, you'll be able to go home."
To avoid misunderstanding, Agamotto immediately activated Woz's display panel.
"Alert! Alert! Unauthorized intrusion detected!"
"Alert! Alert! Unauthorized intrusion detected!"
"Prince Lothar, shall I activate admin permissions to isolate the corrupted data?"
"Do it."
Lothar leapt down beside Woz, placing his palm against its smooth forehead. Genetic authentication: confirmed.
Moments later, the mechanical cat's dull eyes lit up again.
"Where's my father?"
Seeing Thanos absent, Lothar glanced at the isolated data on the panel, then looked to Agamotto.
"So you already know," Agamotto said with a smile, pointing to the distant sky.
Lothar followed his gaze, eyes seemingly piercing through Midgard's atmosphere to see his foster father's warship in orbit.
Father... Thank you.
"And now, it's your turn, Hela."
"Head for Asgard. Your Valhalla awaits. I imagine your father has made the preparations."
Agamotto raised a hand. In Hela's stunned silence, he spoke the name of the one who would activate the Bifrost:
"Heimdall."
...
Later, in Asgard.
Back in his own palace, Odin's beard and lips quivered with rage as he relayed, in great detail, the scene of Lothar's "forced kiss" to Hela, along with the part that had angered him the most:
Lothar's shameless "player speech" afterward.
"He was practically chewing on her lips and still had the nerve to say that! What's next? Ghost her and pretend nothing happened?!"
"Alright, alright. Don't get worked up," Frigga soothed, gently rubbing his back.
"Let's hear what Hela has to say when she returns."
As Odin rambled on, Frigga's mind drifted back to when she first met Lothar.
"See?! You get why I'm furious now? Not only did he use Hela's death energy to temper his own soul, he even copped a feel!"
"Okay, okay. Calm down. She's coming back soon. Just... when you see her, give her some space. Don't back her into a corner."
Frigga knew Hela's pride better than anyone, even though she wasn't her biological mother.
After much coaxing, Odin finally seemed to settle.
But the moment he closed his eyes…
The image of Lothar's kiss replayed in his mind. So did that cavalier "not my responsibility" line.
His blood pressure spiked.
A father-in-law's gaze upon his future son-in-law—
The more he looked, the more he couldn't stand him.
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