*Chapter 152: A Perfect Feint (Part 1)*

"Damn Dark Elves!" the Asgardian warriors cursed in their hearts.

Yet even at this moment, no one believed that the Dark Elves could breach the main hall of the palace.

Why?

Asgard had the most powerful divine barrier, something even Odin himself would struggle to dismantle. For the Dark Elves, it was seemingly impossible.

Unfortunately, nearly every reaction the Asgardians had played right into the hands of the Dark Elf leader, Malekith.

The earlier infiltration by Algrim was all part of the plan.

First, he released the prisoners, drawing Asgard's elite forces to suppress the rebellion, including Thor and the Warriors Three. By some luck, he also received guidance from Loki, who was imprisoned in the dungeons.

"Take the left, it's a shorter route."

Loki had betrayed Asgard earlier, first conspiring with the Frost Giant King Laufey, then causing chaos on Earth as Thanos' lackey. He had long since lost Odin's trust. After being captured by Thor in New York, he was locked away in the dungeon.

With Loki acting as a half-hearted guide, Algrim found the generator controlling Asgard's defense shield even quicker.

Originally, only the most powerful Dark Elves could become Cursed Warriors, and as the second-in-command, Algrim's transformation into a fully cursed warrior granted him strength and vitality far beyond that of Thor, Asgard’s mightiest warrior.

Ordinary Asgardian soldiers stood no chance against him.

Algrim plowed his way through, and as chaos engulfed the palace, he successfully destroyed the shield generator just as his ship arrived.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion shook the entire palace.

Not only did this quake the grand hall, a symbol of Asgard's honor and dignity, but the divine shield, which cloaked the palace like a golden egg, shattered as well.

"No!" the Asgardian soldiers wailed in despair.

The anti-air forces desperately fired their weapons at the small, agile Dark Elf T-shaped fighters in the sky.

It’s common knowledge that "anti-air" often means "rarely hitting air targets."

Without advanced fire control systems or precise electronic trajectory calculations, relying on the soldiers' experience to hit these incredibly fast and nimble ships was almost an impossible task.

Thus, following the Frost Giant King Laufey’s invasion, Asgard found itself under siege once again.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

In the palace's grand hall, at least thirty massive columns, each so thick it would take four men to encircle them, were broken in half.

Magnificent murals celebrating Asgard's achievements and golden decorations on the columns were shattered.

Malekith, seated on a large Dark Elf landing ship, seized the perfect opportunity to invade the main hall while Odin was absent.

First, the large laser cannons on the ship swept through the hall, wiping out all weaker Asgardian soldiers.

The remaining captains and elite warriors fared no better. Once the landing craft doors opened, Malekith and the Dark Elf elites swarmed in, using advanced weapons like gravity black hole bombs to eliminate the remaining defenders.

In a fluid motion, Malekith tossed a gravity black hole bomb onto Odin's throne.

"Whoosh—"

The throne, symbolizing supreme divine power, was destroyed in an instant.

The throne wasn’t just a symbol of glory and authority—it was also imbued with threads of divine power, which Odin used to issue commands throughout the realm.

The destruction of the throne was felt by every Asgardian soldier, and they all abandoned their battles to rush back to defend the palace.

Another perfect diversion!

Not far away, in an adjacent hall, Queen Frigga stood holding her divine sword, watching the fallen guards at the door and the intruding Malekith. Her expression was cold and her hand slightly trembled with anger.

She felt as though the fury in her chest could burn the Nine Realms. If Laufey's previous invasion was a slap to Asgard’s face, then this unexpected attack by the Dark Elves was an attempt to uproot their very foundation.

Thor had recently been busy suppressing the embers of rebellion across the Nine Realms, leading Asgard’s army. Regardless of the outcome, after today, the flames of rebellion would burn even stronger.

Every rebel would see today’s attack as a sign of Asgard’s weakness.

Frigga didn’t usually interfere with the affairs of her husband and son, as it would weaken their authority as king and future king, but the Dark Elves’ brazen invasion had pushed her too far. With both her husband and son absent, she had no choice but to personally deal with those who dared challenge the authority of the Aesir gods.

What she didn’t expect was for someone to walk straight into her fury.

"I am Malekith! I’ve come to reclaim what’s mine!" Malekith pointed at the trembling Jane Foster.

When the tall Dark Elf in a strange white mask pointed his sword at her and arrogantly demanded that Frigga hand over the woman who might become her daughter-in-law, Frigga’s patience snapped.

"Back off, monster! Leave now, and I might spare your life!"

"Ha!" Malekith had no idea the danger he was in. To him, how powerful could an old Asgardian woman be?

While not as strong as his second-in-command, Malekith was still one of the most powerful Dark Elves.

His arrogance cost him dearly. Frigga raised her hand, and a blue streak shot towards him.

The Queen’s movement was so fast that Jane only saw a gust of blue wind swirling up—she couldn’t even tell what it was.

Malekith barely glimpsed the ‘old woman’s’ divine sword, which suddenly emitted a dazzling blue light, bending as if refracting through the air, before slashing upwards toward his face.

With years of battle experience, he narrowly dodged the lethal strike by leaning back.

In the next instant, two powerful beings from different worlds clashed, their blows ringing out.

Jane was stunned. The fight was so fast that she couldn’t even see their movements. The energy from their battle tore apart everything in the grand hall, from gold artifacts to fabrics. She could only retreat to a safe distance.

She never imagined that having a god as a boyfriend would be like this—even his mother, who was possibly over a thousand years old, was a formidable warrior!

The fierce battle came to a sudden end, with the victor being Queen Frigga, her sword just inches from Malekith’s throat.

Just as Jane prepared to celebrate the victory, the wall beside Frigga exploded.

(End of Chapter)