DC Heroes in Marvel

As Heimdall had suspected, the Dark Elves—disguised to appear weak and unthreatening—were planning to destroy the Rainbow Bridge.

On one hand, the Rainbow Bridge was a crucial gateway to Asgard. On the other, its central hub, equipped with the Star Destroyer, was Asgard's most important military fortress.

If the Dark Elves succeeded in destroying the bridge, they could unleash their fleet into the cosmos, navigate through the universal passageway, and launch a direct assault on Asgard's heart: the royal palace.

With their entire planetary military force awakened, they would be capable of launching a full-scale bombardment, dealing Asgard a devastating blow in an instant.

At that critical moment, the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith, planned to infiltrate the palace, track down the host of the Aether, and reclaim control of the powerful entity.

The plan was, in fact, nearly flawless—perfectly aligned with the current circumstances.

The hatred between the Dark Elves and Asgard needed no explanation. Thousands of years ago, it was Odin's father, King Bor, who had led the Asgardian army in seizing and sealing away the Aether.

That victory solidified Asgard's dominance over the Nine Realms, laying the foundation for Odin's later conquests.

In the final battle, Bor had forced the Dark Elves to retreat into the void, where they chose to enter a deep slumber, waiting for the Aether to resurface.

Now, after millennia, the Aether had been unsealed. The time had come. The Dark Elves had awakened.

Their mission was not only to reclaim the Aether and seize control of the Nine Realms but also to exact vengeance.

Revenge.

It was one of their greatest motivations upon awakening.

The blood feud between them and Asgard had lasted thousands of years, and there would be no reconciliation.

According to their tracking, the Aether was currently in Asgard. If they could reclaim it, they wouldn't just settle an ancient score—they would wield a power strong enough to annihilate any opposition.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion erupted, shaking the heavens and spreading across the land like a deafening roar.

At the same time—

A massive fireball shot into the sky, releasing violent energy ripples that sent shockwaves through the atmosphere.

Above the Rainbow Bridge, the once-pristine white clouds were shredded apart by the blast, giving way to pulsing waves of raw energy.

The most shocking sight, however, was the bridge itself—fracturing before their eyes.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Following the explosion, a sharp, cracking sound echoed through Heimdall's ears.

The Rainbow Bridge, appearing as a seamless, flowing construct, was in fact an energy conduit that powered its central hub. But now, the bridge's surface—the main energy transmission path—was riddled with cracks, each as thick as a finger.

Like an intricate spiderweb, the fractures spread rapidly, snaking across the bridge toward its energy core.

Heimdall, stationed at the end of the bridge near its center, felt the unstable structure beneath him tremble. His body swayed with the collapsing bridge, and for the first time, a look of despair crossed his face.

He could no longer stop it.

At this moment, his heart burned with anger—at himself and at the enemy.

He hated himself for failing to prevent this.

He hated himself even more for seeing the enemy's suspicious actions, realizing something was wrong—yet still giving them the opportunity to act.

…

A group of Asgardians stood frozen, staring at the flames erupting from the distant Rainbow Bridge.

The scene felt eerily familiar.

Not long ago, when King Odin's old injuries had flared up and sent him into deep slumber, chaos had erupted in the palace. Loki, along with a woman so powerful that she rivaled the King of the Gods—Odin's illegitimate daughter—had fought a fierce battle on that very bridge.

In the aftermath, Loki had been imprisoned by Odin for reasons unknown to the public.

Of course, the full details of the palace upheaval had been tightly controlled, with only high-ranking officials and noble Asgardians privy to the truth.

For common citizens, all they had were rumors.

It was well-known that Loki had made a grave mistake, angering Odin and forfeiting any chance of inheriting the throne. Now, Odin had turned his full attention to grooming Thor as his successor.

As Asgard's greatest warrior and the strongest of the younger generation, Thor enjoyed widespread admiration. In a society that revered martial strength, his popularity far surpassed that of his mischievous younger brother.

Most people had no issue with this—they simply accepted and supported it.

But that drama had already become old news. These days, the hottest topic in Asgard was Thor's love life.

Rumor had it that King Odin was growing increasingly frustrated over Thor's reluctance to marry.

Thor refused arranged marriages, insisting on choosing his own partner.

Because of this, he had even rejected Princess Zhuma, a potential bride of noble lineage, as well as the famed Valkyrie, Sif.

When the explosion erupted on the Rainbow Bridge, the citizens' first reaction was: Not again?

Their second reaction: Wait… did the Rainbow Bridge just explode?

Then, realization struck. They stood in stunned silence, gripped by an overwhelming sense of shock.

The Rainbow Bridge had exploded.

In thousands of years, this was without a doubt the worst attack Asgard had ever suffered.

Who could have done this?

Panic flickered through the minds of the onlookers. One by one, they rushed to open spaces, craning their necks to get a better view of the destruction. Their faces reflected a growing sense of unease.

This was different from the palace chaos of the past—this time, something far more terrifying was happening.

Every Asgardian knew how vital the Rainbow Bridge was.

Now that it had been destroyed, its central hub—the Star Destroyer, a weapon Asgardians had spent immense effort constructing—would be lost to the void, drifting into deep space.

Retrieving it would be incredibly difficult and time-consuming.

And if an enemy attacked during this vulnerable period, Asgard would find itself in an extremely precarious position.

Even the common folk understood these implications. The gravity of the situation was not lost on them.

But if they could grasp this, then surely the high-ranking officials within the palace and Heimdall—who had witnessed the explosion firsthand—understood it even more deeply.

The moment the Rainbow Bridge shattered, Heimdall turned his gaze toward the Star Destroyer, gritted his teeth, and bent his knees.

Then—like a cannonball fired from a gun—he launched himself nearly a hundred meters forward, landing at the epicenter of the explosion.

The air was still thick with unstable energy, clinging to the atmosphere like mist lingering after a storm.

Heimdall found it difficult to breathe.

The intense energy fluctuations and the lingering traces of destruction weighed heavily on his heart.

He scanned his surroundings.

The area was in complete ruin—nothing but devastation in every direction.

And there was no sign of life.

Neither the intruders who had detonated the explosives nor the guards who had been stationed at the bridge had survived.

They had all been vaporized in an instant.

As expected, no one could have survived such a terrifying explosion.

If anyone had, the Rainbow Bridge wouldn't have been destroyed.

Dead men.

Heimdall realized another grim truth.

The invaders who detonated the bombs—the dark elves—had never intended to survive. From the moment they arrived in Asgard, they were prepared to die. They dragged the guards down with them, committing a devastating act just before their demise.

The Rainbow Bridge is ruined…

Standing at the jagged edge of the shattered bridge, Heimdall looked down at the destruction beneath his feet. His face had never been heavier.

He didn't waste time lamenting his own failure.

Instead, he mourned for Asgard.

The dark elves—vanished from the Nine Realms for thousands of years—had returned, and they had sacrificed their own warriors to destroy the Rainbow Bridge at any cost.

It was clear this attack wasn't just about the bridge itself.

Their true target was Asgard.

"This is trouble."

Yet, despite the gravity of the situation, Heimdall let out a slow breath. His initial panic had faded.

Knowing the enemy was always better than facing an unknown threat.

In the grand scheme of the Nine Realms, Asgard remained the absolute dominant force. It had ruled for millennia, crushing all threats that arose. Under Odin's reign, Asgard had purged its enemies and grown stronger than ever.

And as Asgard's guardian, Heimdall knew this better than anyone.

No power in the Nine Realms would dare challenge them.

Even Midgard, which had been rapidly rising in prominence, wouldn't provoke a long-established overlord like Asgard.

For the dark elves to reignite this war… it was a fatal mistake.

Of course, while one could dismiss them strategically, they could not be ignored tactically.

The dark elves had remained hidden for centuries. If they chose this moment to reemerge, it meant they had some kind of trump card.

Heimdall narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. Then, without hesitation, he turned and strode toward the palace.

Someone had to take control of the situation.

And that person would not be him. It would be someone within the palace.

Inside the palace, Odin, Thor, Anton, and Jane Foster had been in discussion when they heard the massive explosion just outside.

The shockwave sent violent energy ripples through the air, followed by gusts of wind that swept through the halls.

Everyone immediately knew something was wrong.

They rushed to the balcony, eyes locking onto the Rainbow Bridge.

Odin and Thor, both hardened warriors, stood momentarily stunned.

They had never imagined a day when the Rainbow Bridge would be destroyed.

Even Anton, despite his Superman-like resilience, was taken aback.

Of course, this outcome wasn't entirely unexpected for him.

With the Aether in Asgard, an attack from the dark elves had been inevitable.

But this time, they had been smarter.

By destroying the Rainbow Bridge and eliminating the Star Destroyer, the dark elves had made an undeniably strategic move.

Among the group, the most bewildered person was Jane Foster.

She had no idea what was happening.

Yet, ironically, the one who understood the least was also the least innocent.

Because at the end of the day—this entire incident revolved around her.

In fact, Jane Foster was the catalyst for everything that had just transpired.

"The Rainbow Bridge has exploded… Someone has invaded!"

The shocking reality unfolded before Thor's eyes.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand.

A deafening thunderclap echoed in the air.

In the distance, Mjolnir streaked across the sky like a blazing meteor, rushing toward the palace. In the blink of an eye, it shot onto the balcony outside the great hall and landed firmly in Thor's palm.

"Father!"

Thor turned to Odin, his expression grim.

"Don't worry."

Odin raised a hand, his gaze fixed on a small black figure standing at the fractured edge of the Rainbow Bridge.

For a moment, the figure remained motionless—then it sprang forward, racing toward them.

Heimdall.

With a swift and powerful stride, Heimdall reached the palace.

The moment he saw Odin, he fell to one knee, his face full of regret.

"Your Majesty Odin, I have failed you."

His voice was filled with guilt as he bowed his head.

"The enemy is the dark elves. They have returned after thousands of years. They disguised themselves as travelers from another world to infiltrate Asgard. After I let my guard down, they seized the opportunity to destroy the Rainbow Bridge. Your Majesty, this disaster is my fault. I accept whatever punishment you see fit."

Odin regarded Heimdall in silence for a moment. Then, his voice came, calm but firm.

"You will be punished—but not now."

His gaze swept across the group as he continued,

"Prepare all our forces. Place Asgard on high alert. Send our spies across the Nine Realms to track the dark elves. Their sudden reappearance and their attack on the Rainbow Bridge… this is no coincidence."

"Understood."

Heimdall bowed his head in acknowledgment.

The destruction of the Rainbow Bridge was a major loss—it had been Asgard's most reliable gateway to the Nine Realms, as well as the home of the Star Destroyer that maintained order throughout the realms.

But it did not mean Asgard was helpless.

Their mobility had been weakened, but their power remained intact.

As long as Odin and Thor still stood, Asgard remained the dominant force in the Nine Realms.

For Asgard, the true weapons weren't just their ships or bridges.

They were Odin. They were Thor. They were the gods.

It was much like Earth—where there were many extraordinary individuals.

Without them, Earth was just another planet with technology. In the grand scheme of the cosmos, who would truly take it seriously?

Anton, watching Asgard's preparations, couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

Odin's response was cautious and measured.

But he was underestimating something.

The dark elves weren't just here for revenge.

They were here for the Aether.

That thought had barely flickered in Anton's mind when—

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!

A violent wind tore through Asgard's skies, sweeping away the clouds above the palace.

And behind those clouds—

A colossal spaceship, nearly the size of the palace itself, emerged from the void of space.

It barreled through the Asgardian atmosphere, descending at an unstoppable speed.

Surrounding it was an overwhelming swarm of smaller warships—so many that they blanketed the sky like a living storm.

For anyone with a fear of crowds, the sheer density of this fleet would have been enough to send them into shock.

But no one needed a phobia to feel the crushing weight of what was happening.

Everyone understood.

The enemy had arrived.

The destruction of the Rainbow Bridge had only been the beginning.

Now, the true invasion had begun.

…

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