From The Ashes - 022 (Patreon)

Chapter 022 – Pressure

[2012]

Seeing with his own eyes the man that had brought back his sons from Earth, the Allfather managed to hide the trepidation that he felt, his knowledge of the man somewhat similar to Heimdall's.

Different from the gatekeeper though, Odin was certainly aware of the Infinity Stone that the other party wielded and carried within his chest, not to mention that he had a better understanding of what it meant for the stranger to be able to use the 'Soul of Will'.

With thousands of years of gathered knowledge at his fingertips, along with his own strength that allowed him to peer into mysteries of the world, Odin's understanding of the 'Soul of Will' was incomparable to his gatekeeper's, who only vaguely recalled some legends of the past.

The Allfather knew that amongst the wielders of this power, only a rare few were truly considered fearsome existences as their potential as warriors was simply unmatched, their gift making them unique existences that had no equal.

With their will alone, they could conquer whole worlds, their anger enough to shatter stars.

The last surviving Primis was one such warrior, his other clansmen unable to use the 'Soul of Will' as he did.

But even then, the 'Soul of Will' was not something that a human was supposed to wield as it was a power that had never appeared in a race that was innately so 'weak'.

The Primis had been a peaceful people but their natural strength and longevity had been similar to his own race and the people of Vanir, which was the same for all the races in which this extraordinary potential had ever appeared.

Odin could see that Noah wasn't entirely human, his bloodline holding within the traces of a higher being, but that didn't stop him from contemplating and guessing if he was one of the 'rare' wielders of the 'Soul of Will'.

If he was, then this was reason enough to treat him with respect and goodwill but if he wasn't, then the Allfather was inclined to convince Noah to hand over the Infinity Stone as it was unlikely that he could protect it in the long run.

And given the power that this cosmic ingot held within it, the King of Asgard wasn't willing to allow it to fall into the wrong hands.

This was a lesson that his own father had learned the hard way as the Dark Elves had proven how much destruction an Infinity Stone in the hands of a callous being could cause.

With the uncountable number of lives that had been lost in the war against the Dark Elves just to retrieve the Aether and stop their ambition of throwing the whole Universe into an age of darkness as a reminder, Odin was not willing to let something this happen under his rule.

As such, he addressed the man named Noah Hatahle directly as he asked: “Do you know what it is that you carry within yourself?”

“I know that there are six of them.”

The answer was something that the Allfather expected to hear and at the same time wished not to hear.

Sometimes it was simply better for the truth to be concealed, especially when it came to a cosmic object with such immense, near-unlimited strength.

On the other hand, knowing that he possessed an Infinity Stone, might help him ward off those that were after the ingot.

Inwardly sighing, Odin replied: “It's good that you know, as this power is not something you can possess without being able to protect it. Keep this mind, young warrior.”

Calmly showing his respect by bowing lightly, the half-mortal displayed a strangely sincere attitude as he answered: “I will, Your Majesty.”

Having watched the lives of an uncountable number of living beings, Odin wasn't sure when he had last seen someone like Noah.

Calm, confident, sincere, and kind, all those fit his actions on Earth as well as the attitude that he displayed after his arrival in Asgard. There was also the utter ruthlessness with which had dealt with the Chitauri, ripping them apart and burning them to ashes.

More and more sure of his suspicion, the Allfather decided to act and test Noah in hopes of revealing his true strength and potential. As such, he didn't hesitate any longer after making his decision.

Raising the spear in his left hand, he reached within himself as he struck the floor with Gugnir while rising from his seat and unleashing his Odinforce.

*CLANG*

Using enough force to crush a mountain, he directly pressured the half-mortal physically and mentally with the strength that he gained after being born extraordinary and having forged himself through millennia of battle.

"Now, let me see if you are capable of protecting what you took so recklessly!", the Allfather called out to the warrior that his son brought with him from Earth, hoping yet dreading to see what he was really capable of.

“What are you doing, Father?! Stop this at once!”, Thor called out angrily, his hammer returning to his hand and ready to strike.

As someone who valued loyalty and honor above all else, his eldest son naturally didn't think of standing by and watching as the battle companion that he had invited to his home was attacked by his Father.

Odin felt a surge of pride when he saw this but he had no intention of letting Thor interfere with what he had planned.

And since this son of his had not yet awakened to his true power, the Allfather had to merely wave his hand to push back this exceptionally stubborn child of his while temporarily sealing his control over his beloved hammer.

At the same time, Odin didn't forget to move the Einherjar away so that they wouldn't be caught up in what was happening, and what was most likely going to happen.

Most of his focus though rested on Noah as the half-mortal summoned up truly incredible strength to push back against his Odinforce, his 'Soul of Will' a raging flame that decimated the aura of his own essence the moment it came near him.

Were it not for the fact that his own Odinforce was as abundant as the sea and he could draw power directly from Asgard itself, Odin was sure that it would an incredibly unwise decision to confront the being in front like this under other circumstances.

But it wasn't just his 'Soul of Will' that seemed extraordinary, even the man's physical strength had likely surpassed Thor's, who was widely acknowledged as 'Asgard's Strongest'.

His mind too was incomparably tough, as even the most outstanding Asgardians weren't gifted with such mental fortitude, though it was still the half-mortal's weakest point so that was where he tried to apply more pressure to force Noah to use everything he got.

'What an incredible warrior … ', the Allfather exclaimed in his mind as he felt the other party's attempt to manipulate the space around him.

Even under this crushing pressure, Noah managed to divide his attention enough to try to escape via the Space Stone, which might have succeeded if Odin hadn't already taken hold of the space through his connection to this realm and 'shackled' the space in the throne room in preparation.

His respect for the half-mortal grew by the second but he didn't let up and instead, added more force to the pressure as if he was truly trying to crush Noah under an avalanche of Odinforce.

And that was when he noticed it – fire.

From one moment to another, the half-mortal's figure transformed into an enormous blazing bird, an inferno of blue flames spreading in all directions, his wrath and murderous intent a palpable force in the air.