Odin did not like this risky plan but understood that such decisiveness was needed in these dire circumstances. "I'm getting old," he sighed. His younger self had this kind of boldness and ruthlessness. However, in his old age, he prioritized caution above everything.
"I understand how you feel," added the Ancient One. "That's why I chose him." Edward gave her a strange look. Although he looked young, he was older than the Ancient One since she was only 700 years old and was already in his 2000s. However, their demeanor was vastly different. He kept his young mindset, while she felt like an old, tired, and wise elder.
"Let's get this done as soon as possible since Odin can't last long," Edward said, leading them to another universe he designated Earth-232. The Empire had long mastered the technology of navigating the Blank Realm to find other timelines, so this was not an issue.
At his destination, Edward immediately started working. He extended his hand to cast the best Reincarnation Spell he had created, which was not as simple as sending a piece of his soul and taking over a body. No, this spell would use a brief connection to the Universe Will to get a proper identity and thus become a citizen of whatever places they were reincarnated into.
"Wait," Morgana suddenly said in his mind.
"What is it?"
"Give me a moment. I found a way to make the process safer."
"Is something the matter?" The Ancient One asked after seeing him standing with his arm extended, but nothing occurred.
"Huh? Oh, no. I just thought of a way to make this experiment safer. Give me a moment." Edward closed his eyes to contact Morgana.
"What happened?"
"It's done," she said a few seconds later. "I've developed a way to determine the relative strength of a universe/timeline."
"What way?"
"I'm basically reading the universe's aura," Morgana explained. "Powerful entities have their own natural aura; by that logic, so do different universes. I have theorized that based on how many Tier 10 or above a timeline contains, they will have different auras, and by reading this energy, I can determine their relative strength."
"Brilliant," Edward praised. "It seems your new update was beyond what I thought."
"It also came at the right time; otherwise, I might have been useless once you reached Tier 10," Morgana replied with an arrogant look.
"Alright. Lead us to the weakest universes you can detect."
"No problem."
"Let's go," Edward announced to the others.
"What happened?" Odin asked.
"I've developed a way to detect the relative strength of a timeline. We will experiment with a weak universe in case something goes wrong, and we can immediately destroy it."
"You never cease to amaze me," praised the Ancient One with a gentle smile.
"Indeed," nodded Odin. Meanwhile, the silent Ra thought this was a normal thing. Otherwise, how could his master create him?
Edward led them to Earth-777 before casting the spell. Of course, he did not use his own soul for the reincarnation. He would never use his own soul in case something occurred, and he lost it. As paranoid as he was, he knew the terrible consequences of some unknown entity getting hold of a piece of his soul.
After successfully casting the spell, the group waited, but nothing occurred. "Did it work?" Odin asked.
"It did."
"Are you sure?"
"I have accelerated the reincarnation process and can feel the soul already born. So, yes, it did work."
"In other words, traversing the multiverse through reincarnation does not create an early convergence?" The Ancient One suggested.
"Let's repeat the experiment before we make any decisions," Edward said. Following Morgana's new ability, they rested on relatively weak timelines, and a few were close to their own, and the result was the same.
"That is crucial information," Odin said. "We can send spies to infiltrate these timelines, gather information, and weaken them internally."
"We can do even more," Edward said with a glint in his eyes.
"What do you have in mind?"
"I call it Project Speedster," he replied before vaguely explaining his plan.
"Cruel but effective," The Ancient One commented, and Odin was briefly quiet. "Can you teach my wife this spell? If you want, I can pay for it."
"I don't mind, but can you tell me what you plan to do with it?"
"I want to send my people to try and take control of other timelines' Valhalla," Odin stated. "If we want warriors for the upcoming war, the warriors from Valhalla will be useful, so I thought of extending its power."
"That's a good idea." Although he guessed Odin was not telling the entire truth, that did not matter for now.
"What do you want in exchange?" asked the Allfather.
"Five captured Middle Demon Gods," he replied after thinking. Without his Floating City, it would have taken too much time and effort for him to capture these creatures. So, he gave the task to Odin, who had overwhelming strength from the Destroyer's power.
"That's not much of an issue except for the time it will take to track them down. However, do you think dealing with these things is a good idea? They might be useful for the upcoming battle.
"You're wrong," said the Ancient One. "These creatures are beings of chaos. They would turn their fangs against us before helping. They are, in fact, unstable variables, and we should deal with them before the true convergence starts.
"If you say so," Odin replied. He felt she was biased since these creatures lusted after Earth for some reason, and she had a negative opinion of them after fighting them for so long. However, he also realized his views might have been also screwed since he did not have to deal with them as much as hers.
"Can you help him track the Demon Gods?" Edward asked.
"No problem," the Ancient One nodded. She had finished her task of helping build the new Sanctum Santoriums, and she was more than happy to help.
"Is there anything else?" Odin asked. He was getting tired after using the Destroyer for so long.
"How is Thor's training going?"
"Why are you asking this?"
"Something came up, and we may need to accelerate all our plans," Edward stated before explaining the situation with Hydra.
"This is a problem," the Ancient One said. "Mephisto might only rank ninth amongst the Hell Lords, but according to records, he's the hardest to deal with due to his scheming nature."
"That snake has reared its ugly head?" Odin snorted him.
"You know him?"
"He has tried to take over Valhalla many times, including once when I was young. I almost died due to that bastard."
"I guess Mephisto has been busy," Edward commented.
"You can call me if you need any help to deal with that Hell Lord," Odin stated. "You can also contact me to accelerate the plan since Thor is indeed ready." After three years of being humbled and training in his dream, Odin was more than satisfied with his son's progress.
"Alright. It's time for me to leave."
The Destroyer turned into a rainbow before disappearing.
'Interesting. It seems I underestimate the Bifrost Bridge's capabilities,' Edward thought.
"I'll immediately start hunting down the Demon Gods," The Ancient One stated, and with the Space Gem, she opened a portal home.
"I should also return to the agency," stated Ra. "So, master, please give me a ride." Edward waved his hand to open a portal for him.
"We have much work to do, so let's start with Project Speedster," Edward declared once he was alone.