Marvel: AS A PRINCE IN ASGARD

Ragna 's immediate refusal, paired with his utter disdain, ignited the fury of the Kree Empire's Starforce.

"I had no intention of starting a fight," one of them snarled, tightening his grip on his weapon. "But your arrogance leaves me no choice! Hand over the energy core now!"

As the elite warriors of the Kree Empire, the Starforce was backed by one of the most advanced and dominant civilizations in the galaxy.

Few could challenge them.

Fewer still could force them into retreat.

And yet, the two figures standing before them—Ragna and Valina—were not among the names in their database that warranted caution.

Summoning their energy weapons, the Starforce warriors aimed at Ragna .

Still, their leader, Yon-Rogg, hesitated. His instincts, honed through countless battles, screamed that something was wrong.

That man—Ragna —was too calm. Too fearless.

"Arrogant?" Ragna scoffed, his golden eyes glinting as he ignored the Kree's energy scanners.

"If you mistake reality for arrogance, then by all means—consider me arrogant."

At that moment, he unleashed his divine power.

A golden shockwave exploded outward, sending an overwhelming force rippling through the confined corridors of the Accuser-class cruiser.

In an instant, every member of Starforce—except Yon-Rogg—was hurled back, crashing into the cruiser's reinforced walls before crumpling to the floor.

Yon-Rogg braced himself, gritting his teeth as he struggled to stay upright. His eyes stung from the sheer energy radiating from Ragna , and his mind reeled.

How is this possible? he thought. How could someone this powerful exist near this planet?

One of the fallen Starforce members, clutching a damaged scanner, gasped, "Commander… the readings… the energy scanner…"

His voice trembled as he relayed the results.

"Aesir. One second-tier… and one fourth-tier."

A hush fell over what remained of Starforce.

A second-tier Aesir alone was a formidable force. But a fourth-tier?

That was beyond classification. Beyond threat assessment.

Yon-Rogg's stomach twisted. He had fought countless battles, but this was different.

A fourth-tier Aesir meant Asgard was involved.

And if Asgard was involved, then this battle was already lost.

Not even Ronan the Accuser's fleet would be enough—it would only add to the wreckage.

Yon-Rogg swallowed his pride.

Perhaps… there was another way.

As the golden storm settled, Yon-Rogg motioned for his team to lower their weapons. He forced a respectful smile and gave a small bow.

"My best regards to the great All-Father, Odin."

The Kree Empire knew well of Asgard. Kree scholars still whispered of the time when Odin All-Father nearly brought the universe to its knees.

"We Kree have always honored our peaceful relationship with Asgard," Yon-Rogg continued, choosing his words carefully. "The energy core in your hands is… a precious artifact of our empire. Surely, you can see that this is the Kree Empire's cruiser?"

Despite his rank and strength—his third-tier energy classification making him one of the Empire's strongest warriors—Yon-Rogg was no fool.

Asgard, following its mysterious civil war thousands of years ago, had seemingly abandoned conquest. They spent their days feasting, singing, and pretending the past never happened.

Odin, once the Butcher-King, had become the voice of peace.

Perhaps—just perhaps—this god before him could be reasoned with.

Ragna sneered, tossing the Tesseract in his palm as though it were nothing more than a toy.

"If you want to greet Odin," he said coolly, "then I suggest you do it in person."

His smirk widened.

"And when, exactly, did the Tesseract become a treasure of the Kree Empire? Because that's news to me."

Yon-Rogg fought to maintain his composure, but inwardly, he cursed.

Calling Odin by name—so casually—

This was no mere warrior. This was an Aesir beyond reason, beyond diplomacy.

The tension thickened.

The tall, bearded Starforce member, Bron-Char, glanced at his commander and gave the slightest nod.

A signal.

Yon-Rogg's hesitation was costing them time. If they struck now—if they both struck together—they could hold Ragna back long enough for Ronan's fleet to arrive.

And once the Accuser's ships were in position, they would turn the gods into dust.

Asgard was a relic of the past.

For a thousand years, they had not fought a single battle worthy of record.

What did they have now? A dying king and a shattered legacy.

Bron-Char tensed, ready to strike.

But before he could make his move, Yon-Rogg grabbed his arm, stopping him.

Yon-Rogg knew better.

A fourth-tier Aesir was beyond logic.

A fourth-tier Aesir was a walking cataclysm, a force strong enough to rival an entire intergalactic empire.

It wasn't a question of if they would win.

It was a question of how long they could survive.

Even if Ronan's fleet arrived now, there was no guarantee of victory.

And the Kree Empire wasn't about to waste its resources in a war it couldn't afford.

Yon-Rogg exhaled and lowered his hand, making his decision.

He forced a smile, his tone shifting to one of appeasement.

"My lord," he said smoothly, stepping aside, "the Tesseract is yours."

Behind him, the remaining members of Starforce hesitated, but they knew better than to question their commander.

They parted, clearing the path.

Ragna studied Yon-Rogg's expression and smirked.

"Not bad."

Despite everything, the Kree commander was smart enough to recognize the difference between power and arrogance.

Without another word, Ragna strode past them, the Tesseract still spinning between his fingers.

He reached the docking bay, stepping toward his ship, preparing to leave this pitiful cruiser behind.

But then—

"Alas…"

A deep sigh echoed through the chamber.

And suddenly—

Time itself seemed to freeze.