c50 Russell: I want to destroy Asgard
"Thousands of years ago, the Frost Giants of Jotunheim invaded Midgard.
They sought to plunge the human world into a new ice age.
In response, Odin, the All-Father of Asgard, summoned his mighty army and allied with the forces of Midgard to confront the invaders.
Under Odin's leadership, the combined forces of Asgard and Midgard were able to repel the Frost Giants and preserve the peace of the Nine Realms.
This victory became known as the Battle of Tønsberg."
As guests and servants at the Asgardian banquet eagerly discussed the glorious history of Asgard's conquests, their chests swelled with pride.
Though Thor's coronation ceremony had been abruptly interrupted by the appearance of the Frost Giants, the Asgardians still carried on their celebrations with several banquets.
Russell, feeling somewhat bored, followed the servants and joined one of the festivities.
"Mage Russell."
"Mage Russell."
"Mage Russell."
As Russell made his way through the banquet, various guests greeted him, and he responded with polite smiles and nods.
As one of the two most celebrated mages in Asgard, Russell was well-known throughout the realm. Many were curious about his magical abilities.
While the adults maintained their composure and refrained from overly prying, the children could not contain their curiosity.
As Russell found a seat and prepared to enjoy the Asgardian delicacies, a child suddenly approached him, looking up with wide eyes.
"Master Russell, do you know magic? Like Lord Loki, can you create many versions of yourself?"
The question drew the attention of everyone around, and the assembled guests were eager to learn about Russell's magical powers.
Russell smiled at the child but did not immediately respond. Instead, he took a sip of the honey wine Asgard was famous for and continued listening to the tales of Asgard told by the guests.
As the crowd began to wonder why Russell had not answered, the child grew a little disappointed. But before the situation could get awkward, Russell's voice cut through the silence.
"Are you referring to something like this?"
In an instant, Russell's original form remained seated, still sipping his honey wine, while his clone, unnoticed by anyone, appeared in front of the child, standing next to him.
"Wow!" the child exclaimed, eyes wide in amazement.
The crowd responded with enthusiastic applause.
Russell raised his glass and said, "Drink!"
"Drink!" the crowd echoed.
Russell's clone was not the same as Loki's illusions. While Loki often created realistic illusions of himself, Russell's clones were tangible, existing as separate entities that could interact with the environment. Loki's illusions were mere projections, without substance.
Asgardians were a simple and jovial people, easily entertained by magic and merrymaking.
Hours passed, and Russell was still going strong. He had been drinking and eating, but his tolerance for alcohol seemed far greater than that of his hosts.
Just then, a tall figure in armor approached and sat down before him.
"Thor?"
Russell was surprised. Shouldn't Thor be preparing to lead an assault on Jotunheim, the home of the Frost Giants who had disrupted his coronation?
Despite his evident frustration, Thor managed to grin.
"I heard that Master Russell has already out-drunk hundreds of Asgard's finest warriors and is still not satisfied. Let us join you in your revelry."
Looking up, Russell saw not just Thor but also Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg all gathered around him.
Russell raised an eyebrow. They were on their way to Jotunheim to take on the Frost Giants, yet they decided to stop and drink with him first?
How reckless.
"Drink!" Russell said without hesitation, raising his glass high.
No matter how many people joined him, tonight, he was determined to drink them all under the table.
Three thousand rounds of mead and five hundred dishes later, Thor and the others were all clearly intoxicated, but Russell still appeared unaffected.
As an immortal mage, his body was not bound by the same limitations as Asgardians. He could consume vast quantities of food and drink without feeling the usual effects of intoxication. To him, alcohol and food were simply experiences to be savored, not sources of indulgence or satisfaction.
Perhaps he realized that if he continued this charade, he would miss the more important task of investigating the Frost Giants' attack on Asgard.
Meanwhile, Sif and the Warriors Three continued to encourage Thor to drink more.
"Thor, I toast you!" said Fandral. "You led us in one of the most glorious battles."
"A toast to you, Thor!" Volstagg chimed in. "For bringing me such delicious food and drink that I feel truly blessed!"
"I raise a glass to you, Thor!" Sif added. "For standing by me when I proved that a girl could be the bravest warrior in the kingdom."
The friends surrounded Thor, coaxing him into drinking, knowing full well that this celebration ran contrary to Odin's orders. But since they now had the chance to defy Odin's will, they took full advantage of it.
Thor, already teetering on the edge of drunkenness, accepted their toasts, repeating words that sounded suspiciously familiar to him. "Okay, drink!" he muttered, his head swimming in a haze of drink.
Loki, who had drunk sparingly, watched the scene with a mixture of exasperation and disbelief.
He had worked hard to engineer this plan, but everything seemed to be falling apart.
First, the Frost Giants had successfully infiltrated Asgard and disrupted Thor's coronation. Then, Loki had goaded Thor into disobeying Odin's orders by leading an impromptu assault on Jotunheim with his companions.
Though the plan had gone smoothly up to that point, Russell's resilience to alcohol had totally upended everything.
Loki's frustration grew as he watched Russell drink glass after glass without showing any signs of impairment. Despite his own considerable magical powers, Loki couldn't fathom how Russell was managing this feat. Asgardians, even gods like Thor, had a much higher tolerance than mortals, yet Russell was drinking them all under the table without so much as a hiccup.
"Master Russell," Loki finally asked, his curiosity piqued. "Are you from Midgard?"
Russell shook his head and smiled. "No."
He was not from the Midgard of this universe but from an alternate Earth Huaxia, a world with a different time and space altogether.
Loki's eyes widened in realization. Now it made sense. Russell was not just a powerful mage, but also likely a formidable warrior one who had come to Midgard from another dimension and had trained both his magical and physical abilities to extraordinary levels.
Could he be convinced to join Loki's cause and support his claim to the throne of Asgard?
Loki pondered silently, calculating the potential benefits of aligning with Russell. After all, his own standing in Asgard could never rival Thor's, but with a powerful ally, he might just have a chance.
Russell, however, was well aware of Loki's thoughts, even if he didn't actively engage in the conversation. After all, with such a strong focus on his own abilities, Loki had allowed his mind to wander, revealing his schemes to Russell, who listened silently.
...
visit patreon.com/Mgoldtranslation to view 40+ chapters