The Rainbow Bridge was the linchpin of Asgard's dominion.
For eons, it had allowed the Aesir to reign unchallenged over the Nine Realms. With its power to tear open space, their armies could strike anywhere—*anytime*—like a blade poised at the throat of rebellion.
But Lin Fan cared little for ruling realms.
His focus was Earth. *Midgard*.
The blue planet teemed with superheroes, chaos, and—most crucially—two unclaimed Infinity Stones. And the Bridge was the key to reaching it.
---
Time had stretched since Lin Fan's arrival in this universe.
Thanos lay dead, the Dark Quadrant reshaped under his fist. The Mind Stone pulsed in his grip, its whispers weaving through his thoughts. The dwarves' forge had gifted him the Gauntlet; the Three Empires' starfields now bowed to his legions.
Yet Earth lingered, *just beyond reach*.
---
The Bridge's control room hummed with latent energy.
Lin Fan dismissed Ebony Maw and Supergiant with a flick of his wrist. "Wait outside."
Alone, he surveyed the circular dais at the room's heart—*intact*, but barren. The sword-key was gone. Odin's work, no doubt.
A smirk curled his lips.
*"But not irreversible."*
From the ether, a Psionic clone materialized, its form rippling with golden light. The Mind Stone's power surged as the clone pressed spectral hands against the dais. Space itself groaned in protest—
Then *split*.
A beam of prismatic light erupted, piercing the Sea of Stars. The Bridge awoke, its path carving through the cosmos toward a distant blue speck.
*Earth.*
Lin Fan stepped into the light.
---