"Asgard is in danger. We all need you!"
"Thor, come back quickly!"
The familiar voice echoed in his ears, and the color immediately drained from Thor's face.
"It's Loki!"
"Loki is asking me for help through the Destroyer!"
"What happened to Asgard? What could possibly have forced Loki to send me a message like that?"
The sudden revelation instantly threw Thor into a panic.
Asgard held an immeasurable place in his heart. Everything he treasured was there.
His family, his friends, his glory…
All of Thor's pride was founded upon Asgard. The moment he learned that something had happened there, his mind seemed to explode with a deafening boom before going completely blank.
"What do I do? What do I do?"
Thor anxiously paced in circles.
Asgard's power was beyond question. Who could possibly dare launch an open attack against it? More importantly, what kind of enemy could force Loki—whose pride surpassed even Thor's—to send out such a desperate plea?
"Thor, calm down!"
Thor's eyes were unfocused, and he had nearly lost control of himself completely. He muttered incessantly under his breath, not resembling the confident and spirited prince he had once been in the slightest.
After Loki's power faded completely from the Destroyer, Fenris frowned and fell into thought.
Looking at the panicking Thor, he barked, "What good will panicking do? Will it solve anything?"
"Right. Yes, you're right!"
Fenris's words struck Thor like the peal of an enormous bell, instantly shocking him back to his senses. He stopped pacing and took several deep breaths, finally allowing his overheated mind to cool.
"No, wait!"
Thor carefully connected everything that had happened, and his expression immediately darkened.
"Fenris, I met Loki not long ago. He told me he had temporarily taken up Gungnir and assumed control of Asgard."
"But Sif, Fandral, and the others told me that my father was still alive and had merely fallen into the Odinsleep. They also said Loki was consumed by ambition and determined to wage war against Jotunheim."
"If my understanding of Loki is correct, then the real reason he sent the Destroyer to Midgard was most likely to eliminate me, Sif, Fandral, and the others…"
Between Loki, who lied as naturally as he breathed, and the Warriors Three and Sif, who had fought alongside him for nearly a thousand years, Thor was clearly more inclined to trust the latter.
As the clues gradually came together in his mind, Thor's keen intellect began working at full speed again. The deeper his analysis went, the more confident his voice became.
"In other words, this is most likely another false message Loki created. His sole purpose is to confuse me, lure me back to Asgard, and imprison me for eternity."
"The moment I return to Asgard, I'll fall completely under his control. Once I'm no longer a threat, he'll be free to carry out his plan of extermination. He can keep me imprisoned until Asgard's army achieves a decisive victory, then release me afterward."
"He could even fabricate an enormous lie for my mother and father, completely concealing what happened to me. After all, the universe is so vast…"
The more Thor analyzed the situation, the brighter his eyes became. By the time he finished, he was utterly convinced that his theory was correct.
He gave Fenris a heavy pat on the shoulder.
"Fenris, what do you think of my analysis?"
"Hahaha!"
Thor suddenly let out several smug chuckles.
"Loki, Loki… Do you still believe I'm the same mindless Thor who only knows how to solve every problem with brute force?"
"After spending so long on Midgard, how could I possibly have learned nothing?"
…
Meanwhile, in Asgard.
Within the golden throne room, Odin's former throne had somehow been shattered into fragments scattered across the floor.
Without divine power sustaining it, the entire hall had become dim and lifeless.
A thick layer of ice silently covered the throne room. At its center stood an enormous ice sculpture.
Trapped within the ice, Loki was frozen in midair with fury filling his eyes. Gungnir remained raised high in his hands, its spearhead poised to crash downward.
Clearly, his attack had failed.
Instead, Loki himself had been frozen in that instant. He could only watch helplessly as the ice sealed him away completely.
Fortunately, his Frost Giant heritage prevented him from being fully frozen and deprived of all ability to resist. While no one around him noticed, the power belonging to the God of Mischief quietly flowed through Gungnir and reached the outside world.
"Hahaha! My foolish brother, you're far too naive!"
"If you think you can deceive me with such a simple trick, then you've greatly underestimated me! I will not fall into your trap!"
Thor's triumphant laughter reached Loki's ears, making his vision go dark. His already ice-cold heart sank into even deeper despair.
"That idiot Thor!"
"Do you truly believe I would lie to you about Asgard being in danger?"
Loki stared at the countless Frost Giants filling the throne room.
At that very moment, an unending stream of Frost Giant warriors continued pouring into Asgard from Jotunheim. Loki was nearly frantic with anxiety.
A catastrophe that threatened to engulf all of Asgard was already taking shape.
"Save your strength, little princess. With your pitiful power and that severely wounded body, what makes you think you can fight me to the death?"
Laufey tapped the ice, producing a crisp ringing sound. Seemingly convinced that victory was already his, he smiled smugly.
"That Gungnir in your hands? You can't even unleash half of its true power."
Laufey sneered at the resentment and fury frozen on Loki's face.
The humiliation Jotunheim had endured beneath Asgard's oppression for countless years surged through his heart. In the next instant, he raised his right hand high.
"All warriors, heed my command!"
"Yes!"
The giant warriors behind Laufey answered in perfect unison.
"Since our dear little Princess Loki refuses to surrender the Casket of Ancient Winters, today we will purge every corner of Asgard!"
Laufey gave Loki one final glance, making no attempt to conceal the mockery and satisfaction in his eyes.
"You're far too young to play these games with me."
With that, he turned away without hesitation, and the Frost Giants parted to clear a path for him.
"Kill every Asgardian!"
Amid the disorderly shouts, Loki's eyes turned bloodshot. He could only watch helplessly as the Frost Giants departed.
"Damn it!"
Powerless to stop them, Loki was overwhelmed by regret.
"If only I had…"
"Thor, I think something may truly be wrong."
A familiar voice reached Loki, rekindling a spark of hope in his heart.
Was that the Midgardian?
The voice continued.
"Whatever Loki's reason for sending you that message, we were already planning to go to Asgard."
"Besides, Loki doesn't strike me as someone who would joke about something like this. What do you think?"
(End of Chapter)
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