Laufey' face was grim as he said in a deep voice, "Malekith, you have convinced me. The Frost Giants will not withdraw from the alliance. Now, tell me, what is your next battle plan?"
Seeing that Laufey was persuaded and abandoned his plan to withdraw troops, Malekith grinned.
"If Odin and the Asgardians can hide in their shell and not come out, then we will force him out."
Laufey asked, "How do we force him out?"
Malekith stretched out his fingers and counted them one by one.
"The Vanir of Vanaheim, the Light Elves of Alfheim, and the Dwarves of Nidavellir—they are all loyal supporters of Odin."
"Laufey, tell me. If we conquer these Four Realms, and slaughter the Vanir, Light Elves, and Dwarves, can Odin still sit idly by?"
"After all, what Odin has always been proud of is conquering the Nine Realms and safeguarding the peace of the Nine Realms."
Laufey frowned.
These Four Realms are indeed Odin's loyal followers, obedient to Asgard's rule. But these Four Realms, with the exception of Vanaheim, might not necessarily oppose their rebellion against Odin.
"Involving these Four Realms might not be a good thing, especially the Light Elves and the Dwarves. They are gentle by nature, and their friendship with Asgard is not as deep as that of the Vanir. As long as we don't provoke them, they are likely to remain neutral, helping neither side."
"Heheheh." Malekith chuckled softly.
"Malekith, what are you laughing at?" Laufey asked with a frown.
"Nothing, I'm just happy that you offered a good suggestion. Otherwise, I would have made a wrong decision."
Malekith stopped laughing.
"Laufey is right, we really shouldn't needlessly make enemies and involve these Four Realms. How about we change the plan?"
"We'll feign an attack on these four realms, our army will make a round there, and while we're at it, we'll eliminate the Asgardian garrisons stationed outside."
Laufey frowned and pondered for a while, but couldn't think of a better solution.
So, he nodded in agreement with Malekith's new battle plan.
The Angel Queen also expressed her agreement, she had been swayed by Malekith's promise to help her destroy Asgard.
Among the allied forces of the Four Realms, she was the one who hated Odin the most.
Under her rule, Heven was severed from its connection to the World Tree by Odin, losing its very roots.
Seeing this, the smile on Malekith's lips grew wider.
Outsiders only thought he was happy that the plan was smoothly approved. Only he himself knew the other objective hidden beneath his plan.
Using the momentum of the Four Realms alliance to enter Vanaheim, Alfheim, and Nidavellir to search for the Aether.
Speaking of the Aether, Malekith still felt a headache.
He didn't know if it was because the Dark Elves had been dormant for too long, and their connection with the Aether had weakened.
He only felt a fleeting trace of the Aether's aura during the Convergence. After that, he couldn't feel it at all.
"Oh, and Midgard." Malekith suddenly remembered this mortal world.
"Since we cannot push the Light Elves and Dwarves towards Odin, then let's make an example of the mortals of Midgard."
Midgard?
"I agree."
A fierce glint flashed in Laufey' eyes, and he immediately expressed his agreement.
He remembered the sorcerer who had humiliated him a few years ago. He seemed to come from Midgard, a place called Kamar-Taj, right?
Although that young sorcerer's combat power was impressive, and his ten stars technique was particularly daunting, that was because he had lost the casket of ancient winters at that time, and his strength was greatly reduced.
Now, having regained the casket of ancient winters, it was the perfect opportunity to avenge his past humiliation.
"I also agree."
The Angel Queen had already expressed her support for Malekith.
As long as it didn't conflict with the goal of destroying Asgard, she didn't mind supporting Malekith as the spokesperson for the allied forces.
As for Sindr, Malekith, Laufey, and the Angel Queen all intentionally or unintentionally ignored her. After being thwarted in two consecutive encounters, her standing in their hearts had plummeted.
Malekith and the others knew that Sindr's true combat power was not inferior to their own.
But who told her to be careless?
Malekith said, "If there are no objections, then let's begin operations. We will each leave a portion of our forces to guard here, continuing to cut off Asgard's connection with the outside world, preventing Odin from easily getting news from outside."
"The rest of us will go to the other realms and make a show of it. Then, we will lift the blockade and inform Odin of the news, forcing him to come out and fight."
— — —
Tony's action of publishing the Avengers' contact information and address in the media caused dissatisfaction at S.W.O.R.D..
S.W.O.R.D. believed that all extraordinary powers within the United States should be under their command.
And the Avengers, as a once well-known private organization of super-powered individuals, publicly publishing their contact information and address in the media...
In S.W.O.R.D.'s view, this was a subtle recruitment of super-powered individuals.
If S.W.O.R.D. wasn't currently overwhelmed by the Rochester explosion and busy dealing with impeachment motions from New York and Rochester council members, they would definitely show the Avengers a thing or two.
In fact, after Tony publicly released the Avengers' contact information, many enthusiastic citizens (hidden super-powered individuals) did indeed inquire if the Avengers were recruiting new members.
Apparently, compared to serving the government, free citizens of the United States believed that forming a superhero team with billionaire public idol Iron Man Tony Stark was cooler.
However, to the disappointment of these enthusiastic citizens, the replies they received were, without exception, rejections.
Moreover, they didn't even know that they had already been marked by Ultron and were being secretly monitored.
The next day, Sif and The Warriors Three arrived at Avengers Tower.
At this time, outside Avengers Tower, reporters from major media outlets, super-powered individuals hidden among the reporters, and S.W.O.R.D. Agents were already everywhere.
Although S.W.O.R.D. couldn't currently spare the resources to target the Avengers, they could still dispatch a few Agents to stake out the location.
Sif and her group entered Avengers Tower under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
This action instantly ignited the hidden super-powered individuals and reporters.
For a time, the crowd was abuzz with discussion.
"Didn't the Avengers say they weren't recruiting new members? Why did they just go straight in? From what I remember, none of them are members of the Avengers."
"Yeah, and looking at how those people are dressed, it's really strange."
Leaving aside the discussions outside Avengers Tower for now.
Inside the reception room, Thor and Loki finally met Sif and the others, and learned a series of bad news.
Asgard was attacked, the Bifrost Bridge was destroyed, Heimdall was killed in battle, and Asgard was besieged.