Time on the road passed with Loki beaming and Thor downcast, as Thor finally couldn't bear Loki's sarcastic and indirect jibes.
He hadn't planned how to face the people after defeat, intending to stall on the road for a while.
"Heimdall, take us back!"
Thor raised the Warhammer, shouting towards the sky.
However, everything around was quiet, without a sign of the Rainbow Bridge appearing.
What's going on? Didn't Odin just come through the Rainbow Bridge? Why does it seem like Heimdall is ignoring them now?
"Heimdall? Do you hear your prince? Open the Rainbow Bridge!" Thor shouted again, but still got no response.
Loki, the instigator of the previous illusion, realized something was off when the Rainbow Bridge couldn't open.
Heimdall watching over the Nine Realms, yet refusing to open the door for two princes, could only mean that something happened there. Considering that Heimdall had recalled part of the army, Loki felt even more certain about his suspicion.
"Stop shouting; Heimdall is probably dealing with an enemy. He recalled some of the army, probably because the Immortal Palace has also been invaded."
Loki walked up to Thor, addressing his foolish brother.
The surrounding temperature was getting higher and higher, with a mixture of blood and sweat dripping down Thor's beard.
But he wasn't willing to give up, nor believe Loki's words. If there was time to send Odin, why wasn't there time to bring the army back? It didn't make sense.
"Heimdall!"
Suddenly, not far in front of them, a black-green light pillar appeared, but it didn't descend from the sky, instead seeming to emerge from underground.
Yet Thor breathed a sigh of relief; the door was open, though the color was a bit off. But he still recognized the Teleportation Gate.
But Loki pulled the reins of his goat, causing them to step back a few steps.
"The Rainbow Bridge is open, why are you pulling me?"
"Oh my foolish brother, when did rainbows have black in them?"
Loki sighed helplessly, having noticed the oddity just by the color, let alone that the other side of the gate was filled with strong darkness and death energy.
This was not the feel of the Immortal Palace.
It was more like...
Just as Thor was about to argue, the green light pillar in front of him gradually expanded, initially only the size of a wellhead, but in a moment became as thick as the World Tree, enough to accommodate an entire army inside.
And from the dark green light emerged a shaggy, disheveled figure.
"Thor, you should really listen to Loki, or get yourself a new head."
Thor squinted, the silhouette was somewhat familiar, but with the strong light behind them, he couldn't see clearly.
But Loki recognized it; he saw that arm: "Tyr? Is that you?"
The newcomer was Tyr, and he had brought his Netherworld army. Hearing Loki's question, he couldn't help but smile.
But on his pale face, the smile looked as stiff as a corpse.
"Yes, my brothers, Asgard's War God is back!"
Thor relaxed a lot, jumping off the goat to go hug Tyr, but suddenly stopped in his tracks: "Long time no see, where have you been... wait, weren't you dead?"
"Isn't it confusing, that I died gloriously yet didn't enter the Heroic Spirit Hall?" Tyr answered hoarsely, yet his voice was loud, like a resonance from his chest.
"Yes, it's confusing." Thor scratched his head, completely unable to understand. If even the War God didn't qualify to enter the Heroic Spirit Hall, who did?
Tyr looked behind Thor at the half-dead Three Warriors and then at the Asgard army, among whom were many familiar faces.
"Someone simply outran the Valkyrie," he activated his prosthetic limb, the Uru metal-made fake hand with powerful magic, instantly turning into a Great Sword: "So, you understand my purpose here, right?"
"Uh... is it to go to the Heroic Spirit Hall?" Thor stroked his beard, first to speak: "You certainly can, but not the Undead behind you; they're not all Asgardians, and their deaths are not honorable."
"Sigh..." Tyr shook his head; letting Thor solve riddles would never get to the right answer, better to answer with action.
In an instant, he lunged, thrusting the Great Sword at Thor.
Tyr not only didn't want to return to the Heroic Spirit Hall but also wanted to take others with him to the Netherworld.
"Watch out!"
Vostag immediately raised a shield in front of the Thunder God, saving the prince from a through-heart wound, but Tyr's force was immense, and Vostag, despite being a super fatty, flew back like a ball in an instant.
Tyr twisted his wrist, changing the sword move from a thrust to a slash, swinging at Thor's head. This time Sif blocked with her shield but was still knocked to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Thor finally reacted, finding it hard to imagine Tyr would attack them; they got along well before, so why suddenly fight to the death?
Yet with another weapon strike, he had no choice but to raise Mjolnir, engaging in a fierce battle with Tyr.
Tyr had more martial arts skills and experience, while Thor had better equipment, resulting in a tit-for-tat battle.
Loki had already slipped away.
Leaving an illusion behind to watch the drama, as the undead army surged in, engaging in a melee with the Asgard army.
Their numbers were countless, and from the dark green light pillar, more and more of the dead continued to emerge.
Many of these guys weren't even humanoid, from different eras of death, with some holding Stone Axes likened to primitives, and others equipped with the Midgard Fire Guns.
Their bodies were decaying, their clothes were almost rags, and their eyes gleamed with black light.
Loki had seen something similar before, in the Netherworld.
But he didn't know there was an army in the Netherworld, and it was clearly not very friendly towards Asgard. They were led by the War God who had died in battle and were now planning to take revenge on the living.
Thor might be able to defeat Tyr, but the Asgardian army could not defeat an undead army tens of times its size.
In a place with no defensible terrain and no reinforcements, the dead needed no rest or food. Even a war of attrition could drag everyone to their deaths.
So Loki already saw the outcome: the entire army wiped out, but Thor would be able to escape with the Three Warriors and Sif, and nobody could stop them.
Therefore, there was no point in Loki staying here anymore.
He had heard of a secret passageway from the Flame World leading to Warnerheim and planned to sneak away through there, return to Asgard first, and then place all the blame for the lost army on Thor.
So when Thor, after a long time, was finally persuaded by others to look for his brother to retreat together, all he saw was a smiling illusion gradually fading away in place...
...........
At this moment, it wasn't just Thor who felt confused about the world. Ronan and Malekith did as well.
Earlier, they saw Odin standing in front of the Golden Palace watching their fleets battle, each with their own thoughts.
Malekith was thinking of fleeing if things went south. Odin was someone he couldn't afford to offend unless he could recover the Dark Elves' treasure, the Ether Particles; otherwise, facing Odin now would mean certain death.
Meanwhile, Ronan was commanding his fleet with greater zeal, full firepower, to show himself as more dedicated and brave in front of Odin, trying to gain favor.
But they didn't expect Odin to merely look up at them for a moment, then leisurely turn around and return to the Golden Palace.
Now they didn't know what to do.
Isn't Asgard your kingdom? Why do you ignore the fleet battling overhead?
Did you see that cruiser? It's about to crash... Ah, it hit the ground, exploding and destroying hundreds of buildings. Do you really not care?
Odin's reaction answered them; he truly didn't care.
The gates of the Golden Palace were open, with the wind blowing a leaf gently across the front, it was silent, with no intention from Odin to come out.
This kind of approach left both of them completely baffled. What is this supposed to be?
If the battle continues, the Immortal Palace will turn to scorched earth.
Meanwhile, Su Ming had already returned to the throne room, sitting on Odin's throne, one hand holding a counterfeit Eternal Spear, the other propping up his head on the armrest, napping with his eyes closed.
Gin and Brynhild were at a table in the corridor, eating and drinking.
Let the fight rage on, let the explosion happen, weaken the armies, and the productivity as well. Once half of the Immortal Palace is dismantled, Su Ming would go out to negotiate with Ronan.
Spicy Chicken Strips is of no concern, it will have to be dealt with eventually, but Ronan is still of some use. Eliminating the Supreme Wisdom depends on Ronan.
If he helps the Queen restore her throne, his power in the Kree Empire would be almost second to none, and Ronan just has a grudge against Sandaar and the Nova Corps. His attitude towards Earth, more precisely, the Inhuman Race, was relatively benign.
Ronan had some sympathy for those gene experiment subjects, while many Inhumans still considered themselves Earthlings.
Ronan was a very conflicted individual; he looked down on Earthlings but had a part of him that sympathized with them. There were qualities in Earthlings that he quite liked.
Such as music and dance.
The Kree was a military empire, almost devoid of entertainment, with warfare being their form of entertainment.
The Skrulls and Kree People balance each other out, and together they balance the Xi'a Empire. That's how the balance in the cosmos works.
If given a choice, Su Ming would rather see the whole cosmos descend into internal strife, so that Earth could remain peaceful.
But it's just wishful thinking because Earth is the center of the Marvel Universe, someone will always set their sights on it.
The Golden Palace was very quiet, as if there was only Su Ming there. Faced with the vast and empty hall, a palace large enough to hold thousands, he silently contemplated.
Hel was very likely not showing up; the cunning deceiver should have already realized that the fire on the World Tree was merely a bait, so everyone present was probably everyone there would be.
It was time to prepare to conclude matters, just waiting on a loss report and negotiations with other forces.
Just as he was pondering whether to have a maid bring a pot of wine, Frigga and the Gullveig sisters instead came looking for him.
"Mighty one from Midgard, we wish to speak with you."
Frigga was full of a regal demeanor, even upon knowing Su Ming's true identity, seeing him impersonate Odin sitting on the throne, her expression remained natural without a hint of displeasure.
Instead, her voice was clear and pleasant, her tone gentle and kind, without any rudeness.
Gullveig on the side, however, was still holding a laptop, the black notebook in slight discord with the opulence of the hall.
"Greetings, Queen of Asgard, Queen of Warnerheim." Su Ming stood up, his disguise lifting, as he walked down the golden Imperial Steps, nodding to the two: "May I ask why you have sought me out?"
Seeing his innocent expression, Frigga was momentarily stunned.
This should really be me asking you, shouldn't it?
Yet her poise and sophistication were deep, and she quickly shifted the topic: "We don't yet know your name, warrior from Earth."
Su Ming took out a cigarette and lit it, speaking vaguely: "Names are just codes, without any inherent meaning, but I do have a codename, Deathstroke."
The many large fireplaces in the hall burned whole trees, with the firelight gently spreading over every inch of the floor.
But in the warm room, Frigga suddenly seemed to feel a chill.