World Traveler Villain-Chapter 240: CH: 237 The Casket of Ancient Winter!

{Chapter: 237 The Casket of Ancient Winter!}

Thor and his companions arrived at the strange, circular crater where Sif and the other warriors had originally landed. The air was tense, and the wind whispered across the desolate terrain. Thor raised his hammer slightly and looked up to the heavens.

"Heimdall," he called out with authority, his voice echoing across the sky, "open the Bifrost!"

The sky remained eerily silent. There was no shimmering light, no swirling energy, no response from the gatekeeper of Asgard.

Thor furrowed his brows, clearly puzzled. "Heimdall?" he called again, his voice now edged with concern.

Sif exchanged a glance with the others, her expression serious. "This doesn't make sense," she said. "When we came down to Midgard, Heimdall was at his post. And now—nothing?" She turned her gaze upward with suspicion. "And where is my brother? Something's not right."

---

In Asgard, atop the majestic Rainbow Bridge, Heimdall stood frozen—literally. Encased in thick, glistening ice, his powerful form had been immobilized by frost. Yet deep within his being, he heard the distant echoes of Thor's voice cutting through space and time.

A faint crack appeared on the icy prison around Heimdall's chest. Then another. As Thor's calls grew louder and more desperate, Heimdall's will surged. With a defiant roar, he shattered the frost that had trapped him, shards of ice flying in all directions.

From the shadows nearby, two towering frost giants, brought to Asgard by Loki's schemes, emerged and charged toward the newly freed guardian.

Heimdall's golden eyes blazed with fury. Gripping his massive sword tightly, he let out a thunderous war cry and unleashed a powerful slash of golden energy. In one sweeping motion, the blade cleaved through the frost giants, sending their frozen corpses crumbling to the floor like brittle stone.

---

Meanwhile, Thor was still shouting at the sky. "Heimdall!" His voice carried across dimensions for him to hear and see.

At last, the sky swirled with cosmic energy. A brilliant, multi-colored beam of light erupted from the skies and descended upon the group. The Bifrost had opened.

"Finally," Thor muttered, stepping forward into the beam. His companions—Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun—followed closely behind, their bodies beginning to lift into sparkling energy. In a flash, they were gone, the light retracting into the heavens.

Back in Asgard, the group reappeared on the gleaming surface of the Rainbow Bridge. The familiar golden light surrounded them, but something was clearly wrong.

Heimdall lay slumped on the ground, weakened and injured.

"Brother!" Sif cried, rushing to his side. Her voice trembled with worry.

Thor stepped forward, his expression grim. "Take Heimdall to receive healing immediately," he commanded. "I must go find Loki before it's too late."

With that, Thor leapt into the air and soared along the Rainbow Bridge, his red cape billowing behind him as he vanished into the distance.

Sif and the others gently helped Heimdall to his feet, supporting his weight between them as they began the walk toward the palace.

In her haste, Sif failed to notice the subtle transformation taking place at her waist. The sword she carried, the very one William had tampered with, shimmered faintly, its texture shifting. A moment later, it shrank unnaturally, condensing into a small, metallic sphere that slipped from her belt unnoticed. The sphere rolled silently across the polished bridge and disappeared behind a pillar.

Once the others were gone, the sphere began to stir.

With a strange hum, it dissolved into a cloud of deformed particles. These particles spiraled together in midair, merging and taking the shape of a man—William.

He opened his eyes and grinned.

"So this is Asgard," he muttered to himself, slowly taking in the magnificent golden structures and endless sky. "Spectacular. Glorious. And ripe for a little chaos."

There was a glint of mischief in his eye as he stepped toward the gleaming metal wall of the Rainbow Bridge. "It would be such a shame not to leave my mark on a place like this."

With a ripple of power, his body once again disintegrated into a swarm of deformed particles. These particles clung to the spherical metal wall, morphing and blending until William was completely absorbed into it—hidden, watching, waiting.

Moments later, the sound of hooves echoed along the bridge. A lone figure on horseback approached with measured steps, his face grim and determined.

It was Loki.

He dismounted and walked toward the far end of the Rainbow Bridge. His eyes were filled with a manic gleam, and his movements were deliberate.

In his hand, Loki held a sword pulsing with energy. He stepped up to the center mechanism and inserted the sword into a glowing slot. Instantly, the massive spherical wall before him began to rotate, emitting a deep hum that resonated through the bridge.

On the outer layer of the sphere, a cone-shaped construct formed—crackling with raw energy. It began to glow brighter, charging up. Then, with a blast of power, it fired a narrow, piercing beam into space. The beam tore through the fabric of the cosmos and struck a distant, frost-covered planet.

Loki was far from finished. He retrieved a small rectangular object from within a dark blue, coffin-shaped case.

It was the Casket of Ancient Winters.

As he opened it, an overwhelming surge of ice-blue energy burst forth. The air around him froze instantly. Lightning that had been arcing around the sword became suspended in time, encased in thick layers of shimmering ice.

William's voice echoed out of nowhere, laced with curiosity and amusement.

"Is that what I think it is?" he asked with a chuckle. "The Casket of Ancient Winters. Such magnificent frost power... Truly formidable."

"Who?"

Loki's eyes darted wildly as he felt a blur of movement in front of him—so swift it almost seemed like an illusion. Before he could even react, The Casket of Ancient Winters was no longer in his grasp.

"Who dares?" Loki snarled, clutching the empty air where the casket had been. "Show yourself!"

His voice echoed across the Rainbow Bridge, but no reply came. The theft had happened right under his nose—silent, precise, and humiliating. His hands trembled with fury as his mind raced to identify the culprit.

"Thief!" he shouted again, his voice cracking from rage. "Come out, now!"

But the silence was absolute. Whoever had stolen the casket had vanished without a trace, leaving Loki seething. His thoughts twisted with betrayal and fury. His greatest weapon, stolen at the cusp of victory.

Then, a booming voice cut through the tension like a blade:

"Stop this madness!"

Thor descended from the sky, Mjolnir spinning in his hand. His red cape armor gleamed with the light of Asgard's skies, and his eyes burned with purpose.

Loki's gaze flicked toward his brother. Though the casket was gone, he knew that the real conflict—the one that mattered—was just beginning.

"You can't stop what's coming, Thor," Loki said, his tone venomous but laced with pride. "The Casket of Ancient Winters was just the beginning. It will be opened—Jotunheim will be reduced to fragments!"

"When our father wakes, he will see me as the true heir—as the son worthy of the throne!"

"You would destroy an entire race for your pride?" Thor shouted, voice ringing with disbelief and sorrow.

Loki's expression twisted into a sinister smirk. "Thor, listen to yourself. When did you become the frost giants' defender? What happened to the arrogant warrior who hated them?"

"I have changed," Thor said solemnly. "I've learned that power alone doesn't make a king. Mercy and wisdom do."

Unseen by either of them, William watched the confrontation from a concealed vantage point. His arms were crossed, the stolen casket now in his possession and tucked safely within his inventory.

'So much drama,' he mused, expression lazy and amused. Sibling rivalry, betrayal, grand speeches... How dull.

William had no interest in their personal squabbles or noble ideals. He wasn't here to take sides or interfere. He was here to take—and leave. With the casket secured, he knew Odin's awakening was near. And Odin... Odin would not be fooled by any trick, not even his.

Time to go, he thought, vanishing into the winds like smoke.

—

Elsewhere in Asgard, inside the shimmering halls of the healing chambers, golden light pulsed over Heimdall's battered body as he lay upon a stone bed. His breathing was steady, but his wounds had taken a toll.

A healer stood beside him, weaving energy over his chest and arms. Sif, hovering nearby, asked with anxious eyes, "Healer, is my brother going to be alright?"

The healer gave her a reassuring nod. "He'll recover. His spirit is strong, and his injuries are not fatal."

Relieved, Sif stepped back—but Fandral's voice drew her attention.

"Sif... where's your sword? Didn't I see it with you earlier?"

Startled, she reached for her waist. Her fingers met nothing but empty leather.

"What? No... I had it just now," she murmured, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Could it have fallen during the battle?" Hogan suggested.

Without wasting another moment, Sif turned. "Stay with Heimdall—I'll go find it."

Volstagg grinned and gave a nod. "Don't worry, we've got him covered." freeweɓnovel.cøm

Sif retraced her steps quickly, her sharp eyes scanning every inch of the Rainbow Bridge. Then, amid the glowing path, something caught her eye. "There you are!"

She rushed forward and bent to pick up the blade. But as her fingers closed around the hilt, she noticed something was wrong.

The sword's tip—snapped.

Her heart sank.

This wasn't just any sword. It had once belonged to her grandfather, a relic of the old days, a treasured keepsake.

"That damned mortal," she muttered, brushing her fingers across the damaged edge. "You harmed it... but I'll fix you soon, I promise."

Unbeknownst to her, the very "mortal" she cursed was now hiding in plain sight—woven into the very sword she was holding.

—

Suddenly, a powerful light burst from the Rainbow Bridge, drawing Sif's attention upward.

What now?

She turned just as the air thundered with hammer blows—one, two, three... five deafening strikes. The sound reverberated through the bridge like a heartbeat of destruction.

Cracks raced along the bridge's surface. And then—

BOOM.

The front portion of the Rainbow Bridge shattered violently, torn apart by an overwhelming force. Brilliant energy erupted from the break, scattering like stars before the structure plummeted into the endless abyss of space.

Sif gasped in horror, unable to comprehend the scale of the destruction. "The Rainbow Bridge... it's broken."

At the heart of the chaos, Loki vanished—his body swallowed by the broken remnants of the bridge, falling into the space. And far away in the royal chambers, Odin's eyes fluttered open. The All-Father had awoken.

Golden light swept across Asgard once more, bathing the city in its divine radiance. Though broken, Asgard remained regal, shimmering like a holy kingdom carved from eternity.

—

High upon a nearby mountain peak, William stood watching it all unfold. The golden towers of Asgard loomed before him, majestic and timeless.

He smirked, eyes glinting with wicked curiosity.

"I wonder..." he whispered to himself. "What kind of beauty will this place show when it finally collapses? The explosion will be... spectacular. I can't wait."

*****

You can support me by joining my Patreon and get upto 60 Chapters in advance.

patreon.com/Eden_Translation