Odin was silent. Shiva was the single most powerful entity in the universe. That was what everyone had believed for as long as they could remember. but for him to say that there was someone even stronger... it was unbelievable.Â
For a moment Odin thought Shiva was joking. It was rare but Shiva was one to joke in serious moments. But as he kept looking at Shiva's face, Odin realised it wasn't a joke. Every single word that came out of his mouth was true.Â
"I'm afraid we'll just be a hindrance to you and Arnold if we even tried to get involved in the first place." Odin smiled wanly while shaking his head, "Battling with such a fearsome foe... wouldn't it be a sight to behold?"
"I'm sure it will be. Sadly, the planet would get destroyed in the blink of an eye if that man enters the battlefield now." Shiva replied, "No, at least this entire solar system would, if not the galaxy. It would be better if we didn't fight here."
"So your domain then?"Â
Shiva shook his head, "My domain will have a special purpose later on. That's why I have sealed it. The only place we can go into would the domain... 'The One Above All' has created for himself."
'The One Above All'... was Arnold's official godly title. The title itself showed how strong he was considering only Shiva had such a title before. But even then Shiva's title simply meant, 'The One Above All Entities'. Not above everything but above other gods, unlike Arnold.Â
"You don't seem like someone who is about to fight someone so strong. Maybe you need something to calm your nerves down! We Vikings know how to throw parties from time to time. What do you say?" Odin smirked knowing that shiva had given up on liquor and weed long ago.
"You were just looking for an excuse to drink, we're you? You sly bastard. maybe try asking Nandi. He has quite an appetite for your liquor, haha."
Odin laughed along, joking with his greatest friend in their last moments. Odin didn't know what was about to happen, but he had seen enough wars to somewhat predict the outcome of this one.Â
Shiva's strength was declining at a pace that was considered rapid in the timeframe of the gods. It took no severed head for Odin to see that this was going to be Shiva's final battle. And as much as he wanted to be by the side of his friend in his last stand, he knew he would only be a nuisance there.Â
"It's been an honour to fight and live alongside someone like you. Maybe we'll meet in some other life... where you don't have to be the destroyer and can sing and dance along as you did before..." Odin spoke sincerely, extending his arm.Â
Shiva smiled and shook his hand. the feelings of honour and friendship were mutual. It was farewell.Â
"Now if you don't mind, I need to take care of a rabid wolf," Odin spoke as Shiva let go of his hand.
"I'm afraid, someone else is taking care of the wolf." Shiva pointed in the direction Arnold had headed before.Â
"You really found a treasure on earth didn't you?" Odin sighed heavily and slumped down to rest.
"I guess I got lucky," Shiva replied.Â
Far away Arnold was in combat with a certain wolf called Fenrir. Yeah, the same one who almost killed Vale and Odin. The same one whom the Asgardians feared more than the giants. But it was hard to believe it was the same wolf anymore.Â
If he was then how the hell was he being manhandled... well, technically wolf-handled, so easily? Arnold wasn't even attacking Fenrir, it was the other way around and yet Fenrir was the one getting hurt.Â
Arnold simply wanted to find and hunt down Loki so that the Primordial would find his way to him. But the damned wolf attacked him out of nowhere. Not that Arnold paid any attention to it.
He was someone who had prepared himself to go in a battle with someone who could erase the universe the moment he wanted to. So what could a stinky dog's claws do to him?
But Fenrir wasn't one to give up easily either. He might have jumped in to help his father, but now he was fighting for his honour and nothing else.
The wolf jumped once again to bite Arnold's armour, but before Fenrir could even get close to him, Arnold rushed in and grabbed his whiskers, before slamming him down on the ground with ease.Â
"Do you mind tucking your tail in your ass and leave? Or do you want me to do that for you?" Arnold stated matter-of-factly, "There are so many fools here who would love to fight you to prove their strength. So be a good doggy and go play fetch with them, before I start playing fetch with your bones."
"You fucker-"
"Tail in the ass it is then." Arnold interrupted the wolf before grabbing his tail and smashing him on the ground again and again.
By the time Arnold was done, there wasn't a single bone in Fenrir's body that wasn't broken. But he didn't stop there. He was going to go through with his words... at least of playing fetch with his bones. He ripped Fenrir's chest open and snapped his collarbone in half before yanking it off. All while the wolf was still alive.Â
"Cerberus, go fetch!" Arnold threw the bone in the middle of the battlefield that had been silent since Arnold started beating up Fenrir... but now, everyone around was simply horrified.
Never in a million years had they thought Arnold would go through with what he said moments ago. But there he was... standing in the middle of a war-torn place, playing with his summoned hell hounds.Â
"Is this what the young ones call a mad lad?" Odin asked Shiva with admiration for Arnold in his eyes.
"Nah. He has transcended that limit quite some time ago."