Avengers.
The guardians of Midgard, a group of arrogant mortals, a collection of freaks, and a bunch of self-righteous, ignorant fools.
They call themselves the Avengers.
But what are they avenging? Against whom do they seek vengeance? How exactly did their enemies humiliate and crush them to the point that they spend every waking moment obsessed with revenge?
They are no Avengers; quite the opposite, in fact.
I am the one who should be called the Avenger.
Loki, Prince of Asgard and brother to Thor, lay in his cell. As he brooded, he tossed his throwing knife into the air. At that moment, a faint sound echoed from outside the cell. Loki broke into a smile and flipped over to sit on his bed, watching the sorceress outside as she opened a portal with magic.
"Amora, my Enchantress. Honestly, I was starting to get a little impatient."
Loki looked at the golden-haired beauty in her green robes standing outside the bars, offering his habitual smirk. "I trust you didn't draw Odin's attention, my dear."
"The All-Father is preoccupied with the wars across the Nine Realms. Ever since you killed Laufey, Malekith has occupied Jotunheim. The army of Dark Elves already rules over two realms and has begun its march toward Alfheim."
"Naturally. Malekith is a far more threatening enemy than Laufey ever was. Odin will certainly be on high alert. What I am curious about is why my foolish brother hasn't made a move. Surely he hasn't forgotten he isn't a mortal while playing house with those humans in Midgard?"
The Enchantress did not respond to his jab, choosing instead to continue reporting her findings.
Previously, when Thor had been banished to Earth, Loki had orchestrated a series of elaborate schemes to prove to Odin that he was the more suitable heir to the throne. Utilizing his heritage as the scion of the Frost Giant King Laufey, he had lured Laufey to Asgard under the pretense of an assassination attempt on Odin, only to backstab his biological father and kill him.
But what happened afterward?
Laufey's body had been taken by Odin. As one of the monarchs of the Nine Realms, Laufey's remains held immense value, and locating his corpse was one of the tasks Amora had been investigating during this time.
"Laufey's body was buried beneath Atlantis."
"The territory of the Olympian gods. Clever. Even Malekith wouldn't think to look there, let alone consider interfering." Loki pondered this for a moment before his smile widened. He asked rhetorically, "And what about those mortals? The ones who self-righteously think they can harvest power from the Elder Gods?"
"You mean Hydra?"
Amora arched an eyebrow, then asked with a touch of confusion, "Are they really necessary?"
"Of course they are. Rather, if we are to set the stage for war in Midgard, it is impossible to do so without the help of the locals." Loki laughed with delight. "Draw them into the game, Amora. Lead them all into Malekith's conspiracy."
"And all we need to do is claim our share of the spoils from within."
Dario Agger was the CEO of Roxxon Energy Corporation. Roxxon was a North American energy titan, a conglomerate on par with Stark Industries and Oscorp. By developing new exploration technologies and funding environmentally friendly extraction, it had stood firm since World War II.
Dario Agger was often called the modern-day Rockefeller. However, Roxxon was far more than just an energy company.
It was actually one of the countless enterprises invested in by Hydra—a legacy of Hydra's attempt to control the United States through economic means. It was also one of Hydra's most successful ventures.
Of course, following the collapse of the Hydra base in Hungary, Hydra branches across the globe had entered a state of dormancy, and Roxxon was no exception. Furthermore, for some reason, the Avengers seemed to have set their sights on Roxxon, launching several investigations, though they had so far come up empty-handed.
Dario walked into his office as he did every day, but today was different. A golden-haired woman in a green dress was already standing there. Startled, Dario turned pale and immediately demanded nervously, "Who are you?!"
"Don't be nervous, young Minotaur. I mean no harm. On the contrary, I have come to offer some assistance to you and your masters."
The woman gave a brilliant smile, but Dario did not relax his guard.
She had just spoken one of his secrets. Dario was not human; due to past events, he had been transformed into a bull-man—a Minotaur. The fact that she had seen through him at a glance made him even more tense.
"...I don't know what you're talking about, lady. I only know you aren't here for business."
"On the contrary, I am here precisely for business. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Amora, an Asgardian. I serve a great tyrant, and he is willing to grant Roxxon Corporation the mining rights for the entire Nine Realms, including those mythical resources."
Dario fell silent for a moment, then realized that this brief hesitation was enough for her to confirm his identity. He asked coldly, "This isn't a joke. Besides, aren't the Nine Realms of Norse mythology held in the hands of you Asgardians? Is Odin really so generous? Or are you actually not serving Odin?"
"Correct. I do not serve Odin, but another king—his enemy. To seize the Nine Realms from Odin's grasp, we require the services of you and your master, mortal."
A bunch of condescending, arrogant types. Dario internally sneered at her before asking tentatively, "And what must we give in return? Surely you aren't giving us something for nothing?"
"We need more power. For instance, Jotunheim has already been conquered. It was originally the realm of the Frost Giants, but their king died at Odin's hands, leaving the realm in shambles. The good news, however, is that we know where Odin buried Laufey. As long as we have Laufey's remains, I can resurrect the King of the Frost Giants."
Dario felt quite surprised. He was then presented with a map showing the location where the woman wanted Roxxon to drill under the guise of offshore oil exploration.
With just one look, Dario nearly exploded.
"Excavate the seabed of Atlantis? Who could possibly pull that off?!"
Facing this question, the Enchantress Amora simply smiled slightly.
"There is no need to worry. Perhaps in this matter, Atlantis will be our ally as well."