Ch: 131-142
Chapter 131 Cosmic Cube and Devouring Beast
"Ahhhhhh, you damned fellow! That's my hammer! That's my divine battle suit! He stole everything from me! He's a thief!"
A foul roar startled Daisy, who was infatuated, and Jane, who was also staring intently at the television. They looked up to see Thor rushing forward, hugging the television suspended in the RV, shaking it and shouting.
Thor's words instantly displeased Daisy, a loyal fan of Captain America. She pulled out the taser that had previously knocked Thor down and aimed it at him, threateningly saying:
"Hey, big guy, you'd better watch your words. Captain is the greatest Super Hero on Earth right now. Without him, the World would have been occupied by Nazis and Skrulls long ago. He saved this Worldtwice!
Even if you're mentally ill, you can't slander our Captain so casually!"
Thor swallowed, very afraid of the object in Daisy's hand. He never expected that after playing with lightning his whole life, he would one day be knocked down by such a small thing. This was simply the shame of his life!
But now, the truth was in her hands, and he hadn't found his Earth mount yet, so he could only hitch a ride on Jane's metal 'mount' to the thief's location to retrieve his hammer.
So, when under someone else's roof, even Thor had to bow his head. He retreated alone to a corner of the RV, sulking and muttering softly:
"Hmph! I'm not mentally ill; I am Thor! When I get my hammer back, I'll definitely teach that damned thief a good lesson and prove to you all that I am the real Thor!"
Seeing Thor back down and not daring to badmouth her idol in front of her, Daisy smugly put away her taser, cupped her hands to her face, and once again looked at Steve's majestic figure on the RV's television.
"Hmph, what Thor or lightning god, even if you're real, you're not even worth a hair on our Captain!"
"He's so handsome. How great would it be if I woke up one day and opened my eyes to see Captain, naked, lying beside me, hehehe....."
Jane, also staring at the television, heard Daisy's silly chuckle. She withdrew her gaze from the passenger seat and silently shook her head.
Compared to the infatuated Daisy, the rational Jane was well aware that Daisy's wish could only remain a fantasy.
Captain America, as the Super Hero with the greatest global influence, and ordinary people like them were simply from two different Worlds.
What's more, Captain's sunny and righteous handsome face clearly showed he wasn't a casual person, nor a philanderer. How could he possibly like an infatuated person like Daisy!
Right?
Dr. Erik, in the driver's seat, reached out and patted Jane, who was in the passenger seat feeling sorry for Daisy. With an ugly, forced smile on his face, he glanced at Thor in the corner and asked in a low voice:
"Jane, are we really going to Avengers Tower with this lunatic to question Captain America about the ownership of that electrified hammer?"
Jane flinched at his words and quickly corrected him: "Erik, we're going to request to meet Captain and inquire about Asgard and mjolnir, which Thor mentioned, not to question Captain!"
"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! I don't want to be arrested for crimes against humanity!"
With Steve having just cleared the Skrulls for all humanity, if news got out that they were 'questioning' Captain America, Jane was afraid they wouldn't even make it to Avengers Tower before being beaten to death halfway!
Dr. Erik remained pessimistic about this; he didn't feel there was any difference between the two, and his face was bitter:
"Alright, alright, we're going to request to inquire with Captain, alright. But I just hope Captain's redneck fans will think the same way, and not pull out their Winchesters on us....."
Jane opened her mouth, speechless, but her gaze remained firm.
Seeing this, Dr. Erik could only shake his head helplessly and sigh:
"ε=(´ο｀*))) Alas, I really don't know what about this big guy, besides his good physique and handsome looks, attracted you enough to take risks for someone you just met. Love truly makes one blind....."
Jane's face flushed, and she whispered: "This isn't love. I just feel that since we hit him, we should be responsible for him and do something for him..."
Dr. Erik curled his lips. Do you believe it? I, this old man, certainly don't!
You say Daisy is infatuated with Captain America, but how are you any different with Thor? It's just that Daisy's Captain is out of reach, while your Thor is within reach~
With a knowing expression, Dr. Erik stopped trying to persuade the woman lost in love and stepped on the gas, driving towards New York, whose outline was already visible.
As an ancient Eastern saying goes: if you've come, then settle in.
Since I'm here, perhaps being buried here wouldn't be so bad.....
S.H.I.E.L.D., Triskelion.
In the Director's office at this moment, the chaos had vanished, and the true Master was back in his rightful place.
Steve leaned back in what used to be Nick Fury's chair, looking at the mementos he and Carol had left behind.
Each of them had left Steve an important legacy.
On the desk, a captivating, deep blue glowing cube was placed, and beside it, an orange cat lay on its side, steadily pushing the cube little by little towards the edge of the desk with its small paws.
Just as the orange cat pushed the cube off the edge of the desk, a large hand caught the blue cube, saving it from falling to the ground.
Steve held the cube in one hand and gently rubbed the mischievous cat's head on the desk with the other.
"Stop messing around, be good, meow~"
"Meow~~~"
The orange cat rubbed against Steve's hand, rolling onto its belly. After a meow, it narrowed its eyes and purred contentedly.
The cube and the orange cat were, naturally, the Tesseract and the Flerken.
The Tesseract was found in one of Nick Fury's sealed safe houses, while the Flerken was discovered in the spaceship Carol had flown back.
There's no need to say much about the Tesseract; it's the Space Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones, which everyone is extremely familiar with.
Compared to the Space Stone, the Flerken is actually not much weaker. Its ability to devour everything, its dimensional stomach that can contain an entire Universe, and its magical ability to cause incurable damage all prove its extraordinary nature!
However, the Flerken's aggressive tendencies are actually very low; it rarely actively attacks enemies and acts more like a regular cat towards those it feels close to.
In the comics, the Flerken spent eight years with Captain Marvel, and Captain Marvel thought her cat was just an ordinary orange cat until she met the Guardians of the Galaxy and learned of Goose's true identity.
And towards Steve, the one who killed its previous Master, the Flerken 'Goose' apparently has no resistance, but rather seems very close to him.
Chapter 132 Steve Loses His Mood? Space Gem Awakening Plan
Steve gently stroked the Flerken's belly, looking at the Tesseract in his hand, wondering how to make the most of these two extraordinary beings.
The Space Stone's primary spatial abilities didn't seem to be of much use to him; he already had portal magic for spatial teleportation and Mirror Dimension for spatial domain magic, so he wasn't lacking in space-type abilities.
However, he was more interested in the fact that the Space Stone could bestow miraculous abilities upon others.
Or rather, all Infinity Stones had a certain probability of bestowing special abilities upon others.
For example, the Space Stone had granted Captain Marvel her invincible power.
Another example was the Mind Stone, which gave Quicksilver his Marvel speedster abilities and activated the latent Chaos Magic within Wanda.
However, awakening through an Infinity Stone wasn't guaranteed to succeed; ordinary people would likely explode and die from being unable to withstand the Infinity Stone's energy.
Just like in the original story, when Baron Strucker used the Mind Stone to create superhumans, countless people died before he successfully awakened the Maximoff siblings, who already possessed Chaos Magic and some talent.
Thinking of this, Steve mused, a bold idea forming in his mind.
"Since the Mind Stone can activate the Chaos Magic within Wanda, can the Space Stone, also an Infinity Stone, do the same...?"
Originally, he had planned to wait for the third princess to send him the Mind Stone, and then, as in the original story, awaken Wanda and Pietro's abilities through the Mind Stone.
But now with the Space Stone in hand, he couldn't help but want to unlock this beautiful treasure, Wanda, ahead of time~
Steve's eyes flickered, and he snapped his fingers.
The office door immediately pushed open, and a pair of sexy black silk long legs, accompanied by a charming head of red hair, rushed into the room like a blazing Fire, inexplicably raising the room's temperature by two degrees~
"Boss, what are your orders~"
Natasha, dressed in a sexy secretary outfit, walked in, leaning forward with her hands on the desk, half-crouching on the desktop with Goose, staring at Steve with her big eyes.
Steve glanced at the dazzling White in front of him, choosing to only glance as a true gentleman, but that one glance lingered.
Natasha showed no disgust at Steve's unrestrained gaze; instead, she leaned even lower and moved closer to Steve, her voice soft and alluring:
"Boss, do You want me to help You with 'official business' or 'private matters'~"
Steve felt Natasha's warm breath on his face and couldn't help but reach out to her alluring face, which was so close, and then... he pressed her face with his palm and pushed her away slightly.
"Sorry, You're too close, it's a bit spicy for my eyes..."
Goodness, this time it seemed to have been over-enhanced. It was fine when his physique was 50 points, but now with a physique of 130, when Natasha leaned in, his super vision, even without intentionally staring, would clearly see the pores and even mites on her face.
So, no matter how alluring Natasha was, Steve truly couldn't muster an ounce of desire...
What, You ask why Steve's physique is 130?
That's because for the wealthy Skrulls investigation mission, once Steve reached 100% on the Avengers official website mission points, the system automatically settled these massive missions, rewarding a total of 2000 enhancement points, so Steve's physique increased by another 20 points.
"What a heartless man. It seems I've been disliked..."
Natasha consciously retreated, but a hint of imperceptible disappointment flashed in her eyes.
Steve, who was trying to keep his gaze off Natasha's skin and focused on her still pure eyes, naturally noticed the disappointment in her eyes.
So, like a warm-hearted man, he casually offered a word of comfort: "Don't misunderstand, Natasha, I'm not disliking You; I dislike everyone's face being too close to me..."
Hearing Steve's 'comfort,' Natasha showed a speechless smile: "Really? So You wouldn't get too close to the faces of your previous nineteen girlfriends, or your current girlfriend Sharon, either?"
"Let me think, so You only like it from behind, so You don't have to see their faces?"
Steve:?
What kind of tiger-wolf words are those? It'll be fun if the River Crab Beast seals this Universe later.
However, now that Natasha mentioned it, Steve realized that after his physique increased to 50 points, he hadn't touched Sharon in a long time.
It wasn't that he was tired of Sharon or no longer interested; rather, he was consciously avoiding his increasingly enhanced vision from seeing every 'detail' of her, to prevent a physiological repulsion from too much contact.
And the solution to this was simple, there were two: one was to blind himself, the second...
"It seems that awakening abilities is an urgent matter..."
Steve murmured, becoming even more resolute about awakening their abilities with the Space Stone.
As long as abilities awaken, physique will naturally improve. Even if the physique doesn't improve much, most abilities can give a person a second spring and purify themselves.
For example, Chaos Magic~
Natasha's ears twitched, and a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes: "What awakening abilities?"
Steve looked at her, reached out to gently stroke her curious, kitten-like face, and smiled slightly: "You'll know about this later, but not now. Right now, there's a more important mission I need You to do~"
Upon hearing the word 'mission,' Natasha's body stiffened, her smile gradually faded, and she lowered her head, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes again.
She had originally thought that after Steve took over and transferred her to the Director's assistant position, her destiny would be different.
But did she still need to sell her cheap body to do those disgusting infiltration and seduction missions...?
Steve naturally noticed Natasha's emotional change, but this time he didn't offer comfort. Instead, he placed a file in front of her and said calmly:
"These are your mission targets, or rather, they are all your mission targets this time. I believe You'll be very interested~"
Natasha, with her head down, just glanced casually, but that one glance made her unable to tear her eyes away.
The target photo in the file was not the greasy old man she had imagined, but a woman in a black, tight-fitting combat suit, with golden hair braided, and an unusually cold expression.
"Yelena..."
Natasha picked up the file on the desk, her face filled with disbelief and hidden joy.
"And Sam, Sheila... they're all still alive. How is this possible? Clint and I killed Dreykov in Budapest and destroyed the Red Room. I thought they were all dead..."
Steve nodded noncommittally, leisurely saying, "That's what Nick Fury told You, right?"
Natasha, whose mind was in utter Chaos at the moment, just nodded blankly.
Steve sneered dismissively:
"Not bad. Nick Fury, that idiot, his brain has been turned green by his Skrull green-skinned wife. With his mind entirely on the Skrulls, how much could he really care about You pure-blood humans of S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
Chapter 133 Natasha with a squinting gaze~
Upon hearing this, Natasha felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart, and her face darkened.
She thought that by joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she had finally escaped the evil Red Room.
She thought she had broken free from the darkness and become a part of the light.
But in the end, it was all just what she thought....
It wasn't until the Skrulls were exposed and Nick Fury's reputation collapsed that she realized she had merely jumped from the devil's left hand to his right.
From the white hand of a tyrannical killer to the black hand of another anti-human.
In some ways, her working for Nick Fury was a greater crime than killing for the Red Room!
She couldn't even tell now how many of the missions Nick Fury had given her were for the Skrulls, or if the 'Nick Fury' who gave her missions was a Skrull all along!
The reason why she and Hawkeye, who were once Nick Fury's trusted Agents, haven't been arrested by Pierce for anti-human crimes is because Captain America intervened to protect them.
Otherwise, after Nick Fury's downfall, they would have been the first to be purged!
Come to think of it, including this time, Steve has saved her twice!
Natasha couldn't help but recall the warm feeling of leaning against Steve that day she was attacked by the Winter Soldier, a sense of security she hadn't felt in over twenty years. (The movie version of Black Widow was born in 1984, as mentioned by Dr. Zola in captain america 2)
Natasha looked up at Steve, her eyes filled with extremely complex emotions.
It was a burning gaze of extreme self-abasement and extreme longing.
She felt inferior about her origins and past, yet longed for more acceptance and love from Steve.
"Ma'am, I know I'm tempting, but could you please not look at me like you're going to eat me?
And even if you insist on eating me, you'll have to wait in line. You know, the ladies, and even gentlemen, who crave my body would line up from Avengers Tower to the Golden Gate Bridge~"
Steve pretended to cross his arms, making a funny expression of guarding against Natasha, the female pervert.
"Screw you, Steve, you're the one who wants to eat people! The people who chase me could line up from S.H.I.E.L.D. to the Monument. Would I ever throw myself at you?"
Watching the playful Steve, Natasha's mood lifted from the betrayal by Nick Fury and her self-abasement towards Steve. She smiled brightly and lightly patted Steve's arm with the document in her hand.
It was truly good. Although Nick Fury was two-faced, colluded with the Skrulls, and betrayed her and everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D., at least Steve was still the Steve she knew.
Though he always appeared flippant on the surface, he would always care for others' emotions in his own way, and being around him always brought warmth and peace of mind.
Such a person was truly worth following for her entire life!
Natasha smiled brightly: "I'll take this mission, but may I ask, what do you plan to do with these Black Widows?"
Then, her tone paused, and she requested again: "They were all controlled by the Red Room. Many of their wrongdoings, like mine in the past, were out of necessity. Can they be given a chance?"
Steve listened to Natasha's question and revealed a faint smile:
"Give them a chance? No, Natasha, for this mission I'm giving you, I will authorize you with full authority to handle it."
"Remember, this is not a stealth or assassination mission. This is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s first rescue mission since becoming a subordinate department of the Avengers."
"Your sister Yelena and the other Black Widows, like Bucky, had their minds enslaved and are not inherently at fault. I will not hold them accountable for their past actions."
"After being rescued, those who have nowhere to go can choose to join S.H.I.E.L.D. If anyone wants to live a normal life, I can also arrange normal identities for them. They can freely choose to live the life they desire."
"And... this also includes you after this mission is over."
Natasha, who had been somewhat apprehensive about whether her request was too presumptuous, suddenly looked up, her eyes wide with shock, staring at Steve, too stunned to speak by this sudden'surprise'!
As a Black Widow from the Red Room, Natasha knew her hands were stained with blood, so she never dared to hope for that distant freedom...
Even when she joined S.H.I.E.L.D., it was only to escape the darkness, still pursuing her old profession...
Now Steve had placed that unattainable 'freedom' of choice before her, making Natasha so dizzy with happiness.
After a long pause, Natasha still felt somewhat incredulous and confirmed with Steve again:
"I... can we really choose our own... lives?"
"Of course." Steve nodded as a matter of course, and slowly asked, "Natasha, what do you think S.H.I.E.L.D. is?"
Natasha was stunned, but she answered without hesitation: "The largest intelligence organization in the World, and the only global supernatural intelligence organization recognized by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council."
Steve shook his head and said faintly: "No, that's just the surface."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. was originally a heroic organization established by Carter and Howard, among others, with the purpose of saving humanity by combating the evil HYDRA and better responding to extraordinary events on Earth."
"However, as time passed, that initial group of founders either grew old, retired, or died. Later, due to the involvement of certain outwardly good but inwardly corrupt troublemakers, S.H.I.E.L.D. transformed into the current intelligence organization full of self-interest and hypocrisy."
"But now that I'm here, and the parasites within S.H.I.E.L.D. have been completely eradicated by me, I will certainly not allow the S.H.I.E.L.D. that Carter and others painstakingly founded to continue to degenerate. I will restore its original intention and do what I believe is right in my own way."
"From now on, S.H.I.E.L.D. will not compromise, will not negotiate, and will not require Agents to sell their bodies for intelligence. We only need a target and coordinates to act; we don't need reasons or evidence. If anyone has objections, tell them to come find me, and I will personally speak with them!"
'No compromise, no negotiation, and no need for Agents to sell themselves'
Every word from Steve resonated deeply with Natasha, especially the last few paragraphs, which kept echoing in her mind, giving her a sense of unreality.
She couldn't believe that one day she would hear such a powerful declaration from an intelligence organization!
Is this still an intelligence organization?
However, thinking that these words came from Steve's mouth, Natasha felt that everything made sense again.
After all, this guy was a ruthless individual who, during World War II, dared to single-handedly charge into HYDRA's stronghold with a shield and a motorcycle just to save his good friend!
Strong, kind, just, brave, fearless, and protective of his own—he truly possessed all six excellent qualities. How could there be such a perfect person in the World!
The more Natasha looked at Steve, the more her eyes lingered, and she finally understood why Steve's fervent fans would get as excited as if they were on drugs when they saw him!
This guy was like a drug, making everyone who came into contact with him madly want to get closer to him!
Including herself!
Chapter 134 Bambi lacks love
Seeing Natasha about to pounce, Steve felt his 'talk therapy' brainwashing was probably complete. To avoid any accidental discharge, he quickly interjected:
"For this mission, I'll have Bucky and Sharon assist you. You can also command any S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents below Level 9."
"After the mission, if you're still willing to stay in S.H.I.E.L.D., I'll promote your Agent level to 9 and appoint you as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence department."
"Furthermore, the Black Widows rescued this time, if they're willing to join S.H.I.E.L.D., will all be assigned to your intelligence department. From now on, besides me, they only need to obey your personal commands."
"If you have no objections, you can go prepare for the mission. I'm sure you're eager to see your sister soon, right?"
Natasha complained with a resentful look at Steve's obvious dismissal: "You're such a boring man. Couldn't you tell I wanted to spend more time with you? I really don't know how you sweet-talked your ex-girlfriends into bed with you..."
Steve shrugged: "The answer is I don't need to sweet-talk them. I'm the one who gets sweet-talked~"
Natasha: (ㅍ_ㅍ)
Heh, you're a stat monster, you must think you're so good at this, right!
"Alright, since you don't need me to solve your 'private matters' for you, I'll go busy myself with the public matters you assigned me. And..."
"Thank you for everything you've done for me..." Natasha stepped forward and hugged Steve, kissed his cheek, and whispered her thanks in his ear before leaving the office with light steps.
"Tsk, I told you not to get too close. Your lipstick is too thick..." Steve casually wiped off the red lip print on his face, his heart undisturbed.
At least before Natasha's enhancement, Steve had no sexual interest in her.
So now this scumbag is going to find someone he's interested in~
Steve took out his phone and sent a message to Wanda, asking her and Pietro to come to Avengers Tower after school.
Steve hadn't even put down his phone when Wanda instantly replied.
Wanda: OK, Pietro and I will be there right away (≧▽≦)!
Seeing this, Steve raised an eyebrow: "Oh, such a quick reply, are you slacking off in class~"
Wanda, who had Steve set as her only special contact, pouted and poked her fingers....
Originally, he had planned to wait for Wanda to get out of school, but since Wanda could come back immediately, Steve took the Tesseract and Goose and flew away from S.H.I.E.L.D., preparing to return to Avengers Tower to wait for Wanda.
However, Steve didn't know that besides him and Wanda, there were two other groups of people currently on their way to Avengers Tower.
Or rather, one group of people, and one person.
And that one person had already infiltrated Avengers Tower.
Greasy slicked-back hair, dark green long suit, cunning hooked nose, narrow green eyes—it's him! It's him! It's him! Our Third Prince, Loki!
The invisible Loki entered Avengers Tower as if it were an No Man's Land, walking with elegant steps and taking the elevator directly to the hundredth floor.
He easily entered Steve's office without any hindrance along the way.
Jarvis: Excellent! Excellent!
Jarvis, who was spread throughout every corner of Avengers Tower,'saw' this invisible friend using a thermal imaging camera as soon as Loki entered the building.
At the same time, he immediately notified Steve, the Master of the Tower.
However, after seeing the photo Jarvis sent, which showed who it was just from the thermal outline, Steve directly allowed Jarvis to let the person into his exclusive elevator, allowing Loki to take the elevator into his office.
Otherwise, Loki, without permission, would probably have had to climb the stairs to reach his hundredth-floor exclusive floor~
Loki didn't know any of this. Arrogant as he was, he didn't believe that the lowly mortal realm of Midgard could see through the invisibility spell taught by his Mother, Frigga.
After all, he was the Nine Realms' greatest sorcerer!
Loki, with a confident smile, walked step by step to Mjolnir, which was casually placed on the desk, his eyes filled with fiery passion:
"mjolnir, as long as I lift You, I can prove my worth to Father. Father will then acknowledge me as he acknowledges Thor, and the people of Asgard will worship me as they worship Thor!"
"I will be the future King of Asgard, I am worthy of that throne!"
Loki quietly encouraged himself, then took a deep breath and gripped the hammer handle. He lifted, instantly demonstrating what's called a smile disappearance act.
"No, no, how is this possible? That lowly Midgard mortal can lift it, so why can't I!"
"I am the Crown Prince, I am the future new King of Asgard, I don't believe it!"
Loki, who had started with a casual one-handed grip, then used both hands with force, and finally even pushed his feet against the desk. Veins popped out on his forehead, and even the hard ebony desktop cracked under his feet!
But, it was useless, completely useless! It wouldn't budge, it just wouldn't budge, no matter how hard Loki tried, it was useless!
Only when he was exhausted did Loki release the hammer handle, stumbling back two steps in a daze, staring blankly at the ceiling, as if conversing with another person across an infinite distance:
"Why, Father, why are you still favoring Thor? Why would you rather let a mortal lift mjolnir than let me lift it? I'm your son too, tell me, why!!!"
Loki's scream was heart-wrenching. In a fit of rage, dark green divine power surged from his body, blowing the documents on the desk scattering everywhere!
But no matter how much he raged in impotent fury, this poor child, deprived of his Father's love, was destined to receive no response from Odin.
Even though Odin was watching here...
However, while Loki wouldn't receive Father's love, he was about to receive a 'Fatherly' beating.
"Poor Little Bambi, let your Father tell You why. It's simple, because You're not worthy!"
A sudden voice appeared in the office, causing Loki, who was angrily staring at the ceiling, cosplaying Yuan Hua amidst the falling papers, to suddenly look towards the source of the voice.
He saw that a man in a black suit was sitting in the boss's chair in front of the desk, having appeared there at some unknown time!
Loki recognized the man's identity at a glance: he was the second Midgard mortal in history, besides Thor, who could lift mjolnir!
Loki, already in a fit of rage, could not tolerate this. He stretched out both hands, and two dark green daggers instantly appeared in his grasp. He lunged forward, charging towards Steve's kidneys, determined to make green blades go in and red blades come out!
"You lowly mortal, I am a god! What are you? How dare you say I'm not worthy! I'll just..."
Slap—
The next second, the furious Loki was slammed onto the desk by Steve's hand on his head, and his face was used as a rag, furiously rubbing the desktop where he had just left footprints!
Chapter 135: Loki is so shocked that he doubts his life
While wiping the desk back and forth with Loki, Steve asked insincerely:
"Sorry, I'm a bit of a clean freak. Would you mind wiping clean the footprints you just left on my desk, please?"
Loki, whose face was being furiously rubbed against the desk, couldn't answer at all. He only felt his face burning from being scraped by the desk that had been cracked earlier!
Fortunately, being a God of Asgard, his skin was thick enough that his handsome face wasn't disfigured!
But for Loki, a God, while his face suffered no major physical harm, his 'face' in a spiritual sense was completely lost!
"Enough, you lowly creature! I am a God, and I will not be bullied by a foolish creature like you!"
Loki roared, slamming his hands with all his might onto the desk. The green divine power instantly shattered the entire desk beneath his face, finally freeing him from Steve's grip on his head!
However, before Loki, who had just gained his freedom, could get up, he felt his ankle tighten. The next second, he, who couldn't fly, felt himself flying!
"Aww—"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Amidst Loki's Tom Cat-like scream, Steve picked him up and swung him left and right several times, smashing several human-shaped craters into the ground!
"Ugh...." Loki lay on the ground, his eyes full of existential doubt, emitting a faint groan...
"What a weak God~"
Steve clapped his hands, his tone disdainful.
Without waiting for Loki to recover from the fall, he casually picked up Mjolnir, which had fallen to the ground, and placed it on Loki's chest.
"Are You convinced now?"
Loki was stunned, but unable to lift the hammer, he was as helpless as a flipped turtle, flailing his limbs constantly.
"You damned..."
Before Loki could curse again, Steve tapped Mjolnir's handle on his body with a bent finger. Mjolnirimmediately shocked Loki with an electric sound, like a leaking iPhone charger. (Author's personal experience)
"Bastard~~~~"
It wasn't until black smoke came out of Loki's mouth that Steve stopped Mjolnir's 'electrotherapy' on him, smiling as he looked down at the electro-roasted 'fawn' at his feet, and said leisurely:
"Third Princess, have You calmed down now? If You've calmed down, we can have a good talk. If not, I can let You experience that leaking hammer You've always dreamed of for a little longer~"
As he spoke, Steve made a gesture to tap the hammer again, scaring the charred Loki so much that he played dead, quickly raising his hands:
"No, no, no, I feel absolutely no interest in this hammer now! Respected Midgard strongman, I think we can have a good talk!"
"A sensible child~" Steve smiled faintly and picked up the hammer from Loki's body.
Loki, now free, sat up, feeling pain all over his body, accompanied by a tingling, numb sensation.
But to avoid losing face in front of this mortal, Loki endured the pain. With a flash of green light, his charred suit instantly transformed into a clean green and gold Asgardian attire.
He even glanced at Steve smugly, as if to say, 'You fool, You Earth bumpkin, You've never seen elegant and mysterious magic, have You!'
In response, Steve merely gave him a faint glance and snapped his fingers with a smile.
The next second, the surrounding World shattered like glass, and the two appeared in the real World.
Loki's pupils constricted, and he blurted out, "Space magic?!"
Damn it, when did he get caught?!
He, the Nine Realms' foremost sorcerer, hadn't noticed anything!
At this moment, Loki no longer dared to underestimate Steve.
If Your strength was greater than his, Loki would only call You a brute.
If You could lift Mjolnir, Loki would only say You were lucky.
But if You were stronger than him in magic, Loki would have no more excuses.
Having diligently studied magic with Frigga since childhood, he knew very well that in the path of magic, there were no shortcuts besides talent and effort!
Especially for advanced magic like space and time, only Odin in all of Asgard could wield them!
Besides that, Asgard's spatial ability was limited to Bifrost Bridge.
Loki's gaze towards Steve was no longer filled with contempt for mortals but treated him as a strongman of equal standing.
This guy's magical attainments are probably second only to mine; he deserves to be called the Nine Realms' second sorcerer!
Steve sat back in his boss chair, facing a perfectly intact ebony desk.
Since Jarvis had informed him of Loki's infiltration in advance, how could Steve allow Loki to wreak havoc in his office?
So from the very beginning, when Loki stepped out of the elevator and into his private floor, he had already entered Steve's Mirror Dimension.
This was also why Loki didn't see Steve's personal secretary, Felicia, after coming up.
Here, except for Mjolnir, everything else was a product of the Mirror Dimension and would not cause any damage to real objects.
Therefore, the real office remained pristine.
"Have a seat, Your Highness, the self-proclaimed God, the Third Princess."
Hearing Steve's invitation, Loki was about to sit down, only to realize he was already sitting in a chair without knowing when.
"Tea?"
A bewildered Loki subconsciously nodded: "Uh... sure..."
The next second, a steaming cup of tea appeared in Loki's hand.
Loki:....
Oh no, why does it feel like my position as the Nine Realms' foremost sorcerer is about to be lost.....
To save face, Loki decided to leverage his identity. He straightened his collar and said proudly:
"This Midgard strongman, first of all, I am not the Third Princess You speak of. I am the second son of Odin, the All-Father, the Second Prince of Asgard, and the future new King of Asgard, Loki Odinson!"
Steve nodded knowingly: "Okay, Third Princess, understood, Third Princess."
Loki:....
"Why do You keep calling me Third Princess? Odin only has two children, Thor and me, and I'm a male!"
Steve smiled slightly: "You'll know why I call You Third Princess later. As for the latter two points You mentioned, I can only tell You that it's hard to say~"
Odin indeed only had two children, but unfortunately, You were not among them.
As for the gender issue, not to mention Frost Giants having the extremely politically correct setting of being hermaphroditic, there was also a certain You from a previous Universe who could conjure a blanket to flirt with himself—a truly outrageous fellow~
Seeing that Steve only answered but didn't change, Loki said helplessly:
"Forget it, call me whatever You like. Your Midgard is isolated in terms of information; You probably don't even know much about the Nine Realms, so I don't blame You."
Earth is isolated in terms of information?
Well, that's true.
Although many people from Earth have appeared in the Universe, some have even done quite well, like Captain Marvel before, and Star-Lord, who is still a space thief now.
Chapter 136 Send Loki undercover?
But as for those who brought information from beyond the Universe back to Earth to share, there was truly not a single one.
Only Kamar-Taj, during the Ancient One's travels before her time, had recorded information about this Universe and even other multiverses.
However, while Kamar-Taj's knowledge was said to be taught without discrimination, accessible to anyone who could see and learn, the prerequisite was that You first had to find Kamar-Taj.
And those who found Kamar-Taj were mostly tricked by the Ancient One into becoming her own mages, so in reality, only the mages of Kamar-Taj knew this knowledge.
"Alright, enough small talk. Now let's talk about compensation."
Loki was startled at first, then his face lit up with joy:
"Compensation? Are You talking about compensation for the physical and mental torment You inflicted on me? I have to say, You Midgardian are quite good. So tell me, how should You compensate me (｡•̀ᴗ-)ok"
"Or rather, let me say it directly: if You teach me the space magic You just used, I will let bygones be bygones regarding Your previous disrespect towards the future God King. How about that?"
Loki was eagerly rubbing his hands like a fly.jpg
In his opinion, the title he had just announced had worked; the other party was indeed wary of his identity and had chickened out!
Steve glanced at him: "You are dreaming. I am talking about Your compensation to me. You and Your brother illegally invaded my Earth territory, illegally broke into my building, and the material damage You caused—a series of compensations."
Loki listened with a puzzled expression, then angrily stood up, slapping the intact tabletop in front of him:
"You are saying that I was beaten by You, and now I still have to compensate You?!"
"I did break into Your building, but what damage did I cause? Even Your table is completely intact!"
"And what do You mean by 'Your Earth'? Midgard is one of the Nine Realms, and by rights, it belongs to Asgard's territory!"
"Finally, why should Thor, that bastard, breaking into Midgard be counted against me? It was Odin who exiled him to Midgard. If You have the guts, go find Odin!"
Facing Loki's questioning, Steve narrowed his eyes, and his tone became dangerous:
"Didn't You say You were the future new King of Asgard? So now You are going to renege on Your debt? Well, according to the rules here, for illegal intrusion, I can kill You on the spot."
As Steve spoke, he raised his index finger and drew a circle in the air.
The next second, a glowing ring with flying sparks appeared around Loki's neck, making him look as if he had an Angel's halo.
But the sharp spatial aura on it made Loki not doubt whether this portal could cut off his head if it contracted!
Loki's face changed, and he swallowed, then sat back down, a serious expression on his face, and said:
"I think what You just said isn't entirely unreasonable. I should indeed bear the responsibility of the future God King and not avoid problems, but rather solve them."
"My Lord, how should I compensate You? Money, treasures, status—all are fine!"
Steve saw Loki back down and casually dispersed the portal around Loki's neck.
He was completely uninterested in all the compensations Loki mentioned, because he lacked none of them. What he needed now was something else.
"I need You to go to the Universe, infiltrate someone's side, obtain all information about him and his subordinates, and then bring an item from his side back to me."
"As long as You complete this task for me, I will not only let bygones be bygones regarding Your past actions, but I can also represent Earth in supporting You as the next person in charge of Asgard."
Upon hearing this, Loki's serious expression immediately crumbled. He thought, "There's such a good thing!"
Although Midgard's influence on the Asgardian throne could be said to be almost non-existent, if he could use this to win over such a strong person to his side, even Odin would look at him with new eyes!
After all, even the Four Warriors of Asgard around Thor were just a bunch of useless people!
And the partner he recruited was a super strong person who could lift Mjolnir and possessed magicpower!
Who among him and Thor was more capable, Odin, even with one eye blind, would know at a glance!
As for the conditions Steve mentioned, Loki didn't take them seriously at all.
Don't misunderstand, he was unpopular in Asgard, and everyone detested his identity as the God of Mischief.
But outside of Asgard, he was an awesome social butterfly. Infiltrating someone's side and gaining trust was simply too easy for him.
Forget taking an item; even if he emptied the other party's entire fortune, the other party might even have to thank him in the end!
Loki was full of confidence, raising his head and puffing out his chest:
"No problem, tell me, who is that person, and what is the item needed? I'll get it done for You in minutes!"
Steve looked at the confident Loki, a slight curve forming on his lips, and slowly said: "His name is... Thanos, and the item to be brought back is the Mind Stone in his hand."
Loki didn't even think about it, and said with a relaxed expression:
"Oh, so it's Thanos, that's a piece of cake... Wait, who did You just say?!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Loki realized something was wrong and couldn't help but exclaim:
"Thanos?! Is it that Mad Titan, the Universe tyrant Thanos, who massacres half a Planet at the drop of a hat?!"
It was no wonder he lost his composure so much.
Thanos's reputation at this time had reached a point in the Universe where it could stop a child from crying!
In the Universe, whenever a child was disobedient, an adult would say: "Cry again, cry again and that bad guy Thanos with the purple chin will come to get You!"
This trick worked every time.
Loki indicated that his thousand-year-old baby heart couldn't help but tremble fiercely when he heard the name Thanos.
Especially his own neck, he inexplicably felt a chill, as if an invisible large hand was clutching his neck, making him suffocate!
Loki's smile was uglier than a cry: "Can we change the target? It's not that I'm afraid of him, it's because ever since Titan was massacred by Thanos, his whereabouts have been erratic, and no one knows exactly where he and his army are."
"Even if I go searching in the Universe, I wouldn't know where to start..."
Steve nodded; Loki's words were indeed true.
That guy Thanos, with two Sanctuary-class Universe battleships, was either carrying out planned parenthood on Planets or on his way to other Planets to carry out planned parenthood.
Having massacred so many Planets, there were bound to be a few with powerful backing. To avoid their patrons seeking revenge later, Thanos was very cautious and had no fixed base of operations.
But it didn't matter; finding Thanos was a problem for others, but for Loki, it was no problem at all.
Steve looked at Loki and smiled mysteriously:
"Don't worry, You don't need to find him; he will come to find You. You just need to gain his trust once he finds You, and then bring back his specific information and the Mind Stone in his hand to me."
Chapter 137: Asgard's Desperate Future
Thanos had always been gathering information about the locations of the Infinity Stones, and there were three of them just within the Nine Realms, two of which were on Earth.
Therefore, Thanos had long coveted Earth.
However, due to the Nine Realms being Odin's territory, and with the mysterious Sorcerer Supremealso on Earth, Thanos had been patiently biding his time, waiting for an opportunity.
An opportunity for Odin to pass away and the Ancient One to depart.
But if Loki were to appear in the Universe now, Thanos would absolutely not mind using Loki to get one or two Infinity Stones in advance, like the Space Stone he had just 'inherited' from Nick Fury.
Seeing Loki's indecisive expression, Steve was not in a hurry; instead, he slowly extended his hand towards Loki's forehead.
"What are You doing?" Loki asked, looking puzzled.
"To give You a little push to make up Your mind...."
Steve smiled slightly, flicked his finger, and gave Loki a sharp tap on the forehead.
The next moment, multiple soul afterimages appeared behind Loki, and several terrifying scenes instantly flashed through his mind.
It started with a bang, the first scene was him, full of heartbreaking despair, falling into the endless star sea beneath the Bifrost Bridge, under the gaze of Thor and Odin!
He died?
The second scene: the long-missing Dark Elves appeared for some unknown reason, stabbing Frigga, the only one in Asgard who loved him, in the heart from behind!
Mother died.
The third scene: on a grassy field, Odin, standing in front of him and Thor, with a kind smile, expressed his deep love for them before dissipating into specks of golden light!
Father died.
The fourth scene: he and the one-eyed Thor stood on a spaceship, below them Asgard was engulfed in a sea of Fire, a giant at least hundreds of meters tall, burning with molten flames, and a woman stepping on a giant sword, radiating terrifying aura, perished together!
Asgard was gone.
The fifth scene: it should have been not long after the fourth scene; he and Thor were still on that spaceship, but unlike the previous scene crowded with Asgardian citizens, the spaceship was now littered with corpses, all of them Asgardian citizens, and he, in the end, to save Thor, had his neck crushed by a large purple brute!
He truly... died this time!
Loki himself knew that this last scene could absolutely not be some illusion he cast; he was truly dead in that scene!
The images ended, and the multiple afterimages behind Loki returned to his body, causing his body, which had been suspended in the air, to violently hit the back of the chair and fall to the ground.
Loki, who had fallen to the ground, for the first time did not care about his image, but let his disheveled self lie on the ground like a dog.
Loki trembled all over, then looked up fiercely at Steve, the instigator of all this, and shrieked, feigning courage:
"Fake, this is all fake, this is all Your illusion, isn't it!"
"Tell me, isn't it!!!"
Loki's eyes were panicked and desperate, urgently wanting to hear the answer he desired from Steve's mouth.
Steve, however, simply rested his chin on one hand, looking down at Loki who was lying on the ground with pleading eyes, and mercilessly shattered his last fantasy:
"As a sorcerer, You know very well in Your heart whether this is an illusion, don't You? You know very well that all of this is real."
"If I hadn't interfered, this would be the future of Your family, and the future of Asgard, Death and destruction."
Upon hearing this, Loki's intelligent mind, unlike his brother's rusty one, immediately caught the keywords.
Like a drowning man grasping at a last straw, he scrambled up from the ground, propped his hands on the desk, leaned his upper body sharply towards Steve, and his eyes burst with hope:
"You mean, if You interfere, all of this can be changed, Mother and Father won't die, and Asgard won't be destroyed?!"
"Then I promise You, I promise to help You infiltrate Thanos's side, I will get all of Thanos's information for You, and I will also get back that Mind Stone for You, and You help me save Asgard!"
Steve scoffed upon hearing this, shaking his head mercilessly: "Heh, this is already Your compensation for my invasion of Earth and the tower, not a deal to save Asgard."
"Besides, interfering in Your desperate future in Asgard doesn't benefit me in any way, why should I do it?"
Loki frowned; although he wanted to retort that his minor mistake was not a fair trade for him risking stealing something from the Universe tyrant Thanos for Steve, he was afraid that the future Steveshowed him might actually happen.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Aren't You just trying to raise the stakes? Just say it, whatever You want from me, I can promise You!"
For Father and Mother, for Asgard, and also for... that bastard Thor, he was truly all in!
Steve did not answer immediately; instead, he examined the skin on Loki's close-up face, finding that as a god, his skin was indeed much better than that of ordinary people; under his super vision, there were not many impurities.
If he could elevate Sharon and the others to this physique, that would be great....
But Loki clearly misunderstood him, retreating a few steps in horror, moving away from Steve, and swallowing hard:
"You... You don't have some special fetish, do You? Let me tell You, I am not that kind of casual person!"
Steve snapped back to reality and gave the misguided Loki a speechless look.
"Who has a special fetish for You? Even if You were willing, I wouldn't be!"
Unless it's a female version of You, that's more like it....
Steve silently added another sentence in his mind.
Loki breathed a sigh of relief; he had just been thinking in his mind whether he should grit his teeth and agree for Father, Mother, and Asgard if the other party insisted on that.
Thankfully, it wasn't!
Loki's expression relaxed a little, and he asked, "Then what exactly do You want?"
"You..." Steve pointed at Loki without hesitation.
Loki, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, gasped and took a few more steps back, pressing himself against the office door.
Steve then continued leisurely, "I want Your allegiance, the allegiance of Asgard!"
Loki: You Mother!
Can't You just speak without such dramatic pauses? You scared the little deer out of me!
Steve ignored the terrified little deer who had retreated to the door, and simply stated his terms again:
"I can support You to become the next God King, and I can also solve those desperate futures for You, but You must pledge eternal allegiance to me, and Asgard under Your rule must also pledge allegiance to me."
"Future, survival or destruction, choose, Your Majesty God King Loki...."
Chapter 138 Loki chooses to surrender
"Crawl and live? Or stand and die?"
Loki, leaning against the door, fell into endless entanglement.
"Can I choose neither, and pick 'or' in the middle?"
Evidently, that was not an option.
"But if my brother Thor were here, what would he choose?"
"He'd probably say something foolish like, 'Asgard will never be enslaved! Without you, I can still protect Asgard!'"
"And if Father were here, what would he choose?"
"Uh, it seems if Father were here, Asgard wouldn't have been destroyed."
"But… in the future, Father also died."
"Mother, what should I choose?"
Loki finally extended his hand, and with divine power, Frigga's gentle face materialized in his palm. Looking at this most important woman in his life, and recalling the scene of her lying in a pool of blood, his eyes gradually firmed.
In the face of his Mother's life and Death, the glory of Asgard was worthless!
Only an Asgard where all Asgardians were still alive was the true Asgard!
An Asgard where everyone was dead and everything was lost, what kind of Asgard was that?
With his eyes firm, Loki walked step by step towards Steve. The slipperiness and unreliability on him faded with each resolute step, replaced by a sense of responsibility only a true monarch would possess. He bowed and solemnly swore:
"Mighty One of Midgard, I agree to your terms. As long as You can protect all that I possess, I swear by the name of Asgard's past God-Kings that Asgard, under my rule, will forever be subservient to You!"
At this moment, the gears of destiny began to shift. Even the light of the stars cast upon Asgard grew warmer, and all the citizens of Asgard felt a heavy shadow being purified from their bodies by this sudden warm radiance!
It was as if… they had been saved by someone unseen!
That person was…
"Loki…"
On the throne of Asgard, Odin, holding the Spear of Destiny, shed a tear of profound relief from his one eye.
This time, what was meant to be a trial for Thor, instead showed him the deep love his other son held for his family and for Asgard.
And deep within Asgard, Frigga, who was embroidering new clothes for Loki and Thor, seemed to sense something. She stopped her work and gracefully walked to the wardrobe, opening one of its doors. Inside were two chests, one black-gold and one green-gold.
She picked up the green-gold chest, opened it, and took out a magnificent green-gold outfit. A radiant smile appeared on her face:
"It seems it won't be long until Loki can wear this God-King attire I embroidered myself. My son will look very handsome on the day of his ascension."
As the Queen, Frigga did not have much decision-making power regarding the succession of the next God-King.
But as a Mother, she always treated her two sons equally. Whether it was ordinary daily clothing or exclusive God-King attire, she always prepared two sets.
Even though Loki was not her biological son, she never showed favoritism. In fact, when Odin used to favor Thor, she would lean towards Loki. And compared to Thor, who enjoyed constant warfare, Loki, who had studied magic by her side since childhood, was actually the child who had accompanied her the longest.
She was not afraid of Death, but she was afraid that after her Death, Loki would have to face a life even more difficult and tragic than Thor's.
Now that her own destiny had been quietly changed, and she could accompany Loki further down a smooth and bright path, it truly was good.
"You… are… better… than… me…"
In the unknown void, on the Throne of Eternity, the Shadow, who could only remain seated there forever, murmured, tightening its grip on the 'Threads of Destiny' wrapped around its palm.
"What did You say? I'm better than You?"
Loki, in Avengers Tower, suddenly seemed to hear something and looked up at Steve.
Steve looked at Loki with an expression as if he were looking at an idiot, wondering if Loki had been stunned by the images he had just shown him, to the point of hallucinating.
"I haven't said anything, but congratulations, You've saved the future of Asgard. Happy trading~"
Steve extended his hand, and Loki shook it.
But then, Loki immediately showed his trademark sly smile and said, "I've already agreed to your terms. So shouldn't You also prove to me whether You possess the strength You claim, enough to protect Asgard?"
Steve was not surprised by Loki's request. If Loki fully believed Steve had the power to solve everything just because he lifted Mjolnir and performed some high-level magic, that would be strange.
Perfect, I'll take this opportunity to do a system quest and warm up.
Steve stood up, twisted his neck, and revealed a chilling smile:
"Your request is reasonable. Displaying strength is an important part of collecting protection fees."
"Haven't You always wanted to eliminate the Frost Giants, Asgard's perennial threat, to prove yourself to Odin?"
"Then let it be today. This time, I won't charge You an extra fee. Consider it compensation for You acquiring the Mind Stone from Thanos. Is that acceptable?"
Loki's eyes widened at his words, and he nodded frantically.
"Acceptable? It's more than acceptable! This isn't just acceptable, this is a huge gain for me!"
The fact that stealing an item from Thanos could lead to the extinction of the Frost Giants made him feel like he was the one getting the huge bargain!
Steve, facing Loki's excited belief that he was getting a bargain, appeared dismissive.
"Are You kidding? How could I lose out?"
Loki's nod meant the quest was issued, and Steve successfully converted it into a system quest, allowing him to earn enhancement points!
He couldn't lose either way.
Furthermore, he could earn several more lucrative system quests from Loki in future Asgard-related events such as Frigga's Death, Surtur, Hela, Thanos, and so on.
So Asgard's subjugation to him was just an incidental benefit; only the enhancement points from the system rewards were his true goal!
After the two reached an agreement, Loki displayed the coordinates of Jotunheim and the visual using illusion magic.
With a thought, a portal to a frozen, snowy land appeared before Steve, and he stepped through without hesitation.
Loki hesitated for only a moment before following him through.
Jotunheim.
The sky here was always gloomy and oppressive, especially in this valley. The cold wind was knife-sharp and bone-chilling; an ordinary person couldn't even survive here for more than ten minutes.
And in this human forbidden zone lived a group of massive creatures, the Frost Giants!
And this valley was the territory of Laufey, the King of the Frost Giants!
From high on his icy throne, Laufey's blood-red eyes looked down at the two suddenly appearing figures, showing no surprise or panic, only lofty disdain:
"Second Prince of Asgard, why have You come to Jotunheim this time? Do You want to make another unspeakable deal with me? Or does Odin still look down on You, and You want me to help You disrupt Thor Odinson's coronation ceremony once more?"
Chapter 139 Loki: Let me see your full strength!
Hearing this, Loki couldn't help but recall his last visit here, and his deal with Laufey...
As Laufey said, he would send people to disrupt Thor's coronation, while Loki would provide Laufeywith a route to Asgard's treasury, helping him retrieve the Frost Giants' greatest treasure, the Casket of Ancient Winters.
But how could Loki truly allow the Frost Giants to regain the Casket of Ancient Winters and pose a threat to Asgard? This was merely his plan to exploit these blue fools!
His plan was very successful that time; Thor's coronation ceremony was successfully interrupted by the Frost Giants' infiltration, and the Destroyer guarding the treasury also successfully killed the Frost Giants who infiltrated the treasury!
Asgard suffered no losses, and he, in turn, had another chance to ascend the throne!
Next, the impulsive Thor was instigated by him to go to Jotunheim to settle scores with Laufey, because Laufey's remark of 'little princess' successfully enraged the big-chested, brainless Thor, who then started fighting with the Frost Giants!
This conflict caused the already icy relationship between Jotunheim and Asgard to once again escalate to the point of impending war!
This, as he expected, aroused Odin's dissatisfaction with Thor, and Odin, to his surprise, directly stripped Thor of his divine power and banished him to the godforsaken Midgard!
Loki Odinson became the sole winner, the only candidate for the throne!
Everything seemed to be going smoothly, right?
But life is never smooth sailing; that time, during the conflict between Thor and the Frost Giants, he was accidentally attacked by a Frost Giant in battle, and his arm temporarily turned icy blue, which made him question his identity!
Could he be a Frost Giant?!
He couldn't believe it, nor was he willing to admit it!
He was the future God-King of Asgard; how could he be a Frost Giant, despised by all Asgardians!
But no matter how much he denied it, the scene of his arm turning blue these past few days kept replaying in his nightmares; as soon as he closed his eyes, it was the image of himself entirely blue, hated by all of Asgard!
Just as he was about to go to the treasury to confirm his identity with the Casket of Ancient Winters...
Heaven helps those who help themselves; a lightning strike in Midgard interrupted his steps, changing his direction from going to the treasury to going to Midgard.
Compared to his identity, he wanted to know more about who lifted Mjolnir, or rather... he subconsciously avoided the identity issue.
Then he met Steve, this Midgardian who said destroying the Frost Giants was as simple as eating and drinking!
This also gave rise to a crazy idea: as long as the Frost Giants disappeared forever, no one would discover his Frost Giant identity!
Then he would still be the Prince of Asgard, still the future God-King of Asgard!
As Loki thought of this, his face was already covered with a cold, murderous expression, and he raised his hand, pointing it towards Laufey on the throne:
"Shut up! You lowly Frost Giant, you have no right to make deals with me! And even less right to mention my father, Odin!"
"Jotunheim, as one of the Nine Realms under Asgard's rule, has long been at odds with Asgard. I am here today as the future God-King to issue the Frost Giants a final ultimatum!"
"Survival or destruction, kneel before the future God-King of Asgard now, or I will make the Frost Giants disappear forever right now. Choose, King of the Frost Giants, Laufey!"
Silence—
The Frost Canyon fell into an uncanny silence for a moment. Countless red eyes on the mountain walls and in the caves stared at Loki, who was unusually defiant, then burst into wild, mocking laughter!
Even Laufey raised a sneer of disdain, his tall body slowly rising from the throne, a sharp ice blade forming on his arm, also pointing at Loki:
"The Odin family are indeed a bunch of traitors; their ability to turn hostile and disown others is truly identical!"
"Little princess of Asgard, you are indeed somewhat different now compared to when you were as lowly as a dog begging me last time. You have a bit of Odin's Shadow, but if you don't have Odin's strength today, then today will likely be your doomsday!"
Loki did not retort Laufey's mockery; he merely silently lowered his hand that was pointing at Laufey. He had given the Frost Giants, who could be his own kin, a chance to live, but unfortunately, these ungrateful beasts did not understand gratitude!
Therefore, this long-standing threat to Asgard must be eliminated today!
For Asgard, and for himself!
Loki gave Laufey a murderous look, then made a gesture for Steve beside him to proceed:
"Midgardian strongman, our deal begins now. Please let me witness your full strength..."
Seeing Loki and Laufey's 'fatherly kindness and filial piety' exchange conclude, Steve looked disdainful:
"My full strength? Do these mere scumbags deserve it?"
He casually threw his suit jacket into Loki's arms, then unbuttoned the top two buttons of his black shirt, slowly walking step by step towards the condescending Laufey.
In Steve's eyes, a King of the Frost Giants who had lost his clan's greatest treasure, the Casket of Ancient Winters, was no different from a tiger with its teeth pulled out—completely harmless!
Killing him was as simple as killing a chicken!
Roar—
In response to Steve's blatant contempt, countless Frost Giants around them roared in anger, shaking the accumulated snow throughout the valley!
They picked up various giant, primitive cold weapons, each poised and ready, waiting only for their king's command to launch a full assault and tear this disrespectful person to shreds!
However, Laufey's eyes narrowed, sensing that things were not so simple!
Because he also saw Odin's Shadow on this person!
The difference was, the Shadow he saw on Loki was similar to Odin's personality in his twilight years...
While this person, it was purely that invincible self-confidence on him, exactly like Odin in his prime!
Equally arrogant, looking down on everyone!
A strongman!
Another Odin?
No, it is absolutely impossible for a second Odin to appear in Asgard; the only person who could possibly do that has already been personally sealed by that old man Odin, which even caused Odin's strength to be restricted!
Therefore, there is only one truth: this guy is just a fool like Odin's second son, Thor, who has a bit of strength but doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth!
"Hmph! It seems you Asgardians think that since I've lost the Casket of Ancient Winters, I pose no threat at all, and you can just send any random cat or dog to challenge us, is that it!"
Chapter 140: The End of the Frost Giants
Laufey snorted, raising his hand to stop the restless Frost Giants, and pointed his ice blade at Steve:
"Today I will personally cut off the heads of you and this foolish prince, who grew up protected in Asgard's greenhouse by Odin, as a declaration of bloody vengeance against Asgard!"
What? Their King is warming up!
The other Frost Giants, seeing their King about to enter the fray personally, all excitedly beat their sturdy chests, letting out encouraging growls for their King!
Laufey and Steve met each other's gaze.
One's eyes were blood-red, and the other's were also blood-red!
Wait, why are this guy's eyes also blood-red?!
Buhao!!!
Laufey, who could exchange a few blows with Odin in the past, was naturally not to be trifled with. The moment he saw the red glow in Steve's eyes, he realized something was wrong and crossed his ice blades in front of his face!
Indeed, the next moment, a scorching heat, which Frost Giants detested the most, emanated from his crossed arms!
Laufey breathed a sigh of relief: "Good thing I reacted quickly!"
But then, a drop of Water landed on his foot.
"Hmm? Is it sweat?"
But he is a Frost Giant, how could he sweat?
Laufey's pupils constricted as he discovered that his ice blades, condensed with divine power and comparable to divine weapons, were already close to being melted by that crimson light beam in just a few seconds!
This tells us a truth: just because you can react doesn't mean you can necessarily block it!
Steve's eyes narrowed, and the Impact of his heat vision instantly doubled. He looked up, then down again, and with a whoosh!
Congratulations, Mr. King Laufey, for receiving the same treatment as Thanos, split directly in half from head to toe!
Ah???
The head coach was warming up, and the head coach was instantly killed?!
The bewildered Frost Giant race stared blankly at King Laufey, who could 'go fifty-fifty' with the God King Odin back then, now physically 'fifty-fifty.' For a moment, they simply couldn't accept this result!
Frost Giant: I dare not open my eyes, I hope it's my illusion~
Steve: I stand by Jotunheim's edge, watching the snow~
Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah!!!!
However, the snow Steve saw was not snow, but the blood sprayed by the Frost Giants!
Tens of thousands of degrees of high temperature + invincible Impact were enough to make these Frost Giants, who lived in a World of ice and snow, feel an unprecedented 'warmth,' and to 'move' the valley that served as their palace.
If the scorching heat from the heat vision landing on them, and the violent vibration caused by the mountain wall collapsing, could be considered warmth and emotion.....
Of course, Frost Giants are not fools; they wouldn't stand there and let Steve shoot them like living targets.
After he used his heat vision to cut off a large section of the cliff, killing a large number of Frost Giants, the remaining Frost Giants also reacted.
"He killed our King! Kill him! Avenge our King!!!"
"Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!"
"Release all the Frost Beasts and charge him!!!"
The next moment, in the surrounding caves, dozens of steel cages were opened, and enormous, big-headed monsters, roaring like they had drunk too much Sanlu milk powder, rushed out!
And from all directions, even more Frost Giants surged towards him and Loki like a tide!
"This is your solo performance; I won't steal your thunder. See you after~"
Seeing this, Loki said to Steve, took a step back, disappeared by becoming invisible, and quickly made his escape.
Steve didn't pay attention. Loki, that weakling, would only be a mere combatant if he stayed here and wouldn't be of much help.
"Want to play close combat with me? Just right to try out the combination of my new toy and old toy~"
Looking at the dozens of giant beasts that charged first, Steve stretched out his hands to his sides, and Mjolnir and Vibranium Shield appeared in his left and right hands respectively!
Shield in left hand, hammer raised in right hand, he struck the shield with the hammer!
Boom—
Instantly, a powerful Impact swept forward, devastating everything in its path for over a thousand meters. Regardless of whether they were Frost Giants or Frost Beasts, they were all vibrated into a sky full of flesh and mud under this Impact!
With just one strike, countless enemies in a straight line were instantly cleared!
As for those surrounding him, Steve paid no attention. He threw up the shield in his left hand, gripped the hammer handle with both hands, and made a golf swing motion!
Go!
Duang!!!
At the moment of Impact, lightning burst from Mjolnir and attached to the falling shield. The shield, like an eight-part light wheel, cut through everything in an arc!
The shield, shining with electricity, was just like a true eight-part light wheel, rotating at high speed and cutting a circle of super beasts... No, it cut the Frost Giants and giant beasts in half at the waist!
The cuts were smooth and charred White, absolutely ensuring that the severed Frost Giants felt no pain, just like super beasts!
Ace: Well done, Captain!
With just one hammer and one flying shield, Steve shattered the Frost Giants' dream of revenge with two strikes.
The remaining Frost Giants, looking at their clansmen on the ground who were 'fifty-fifty' and those who couldn't even be pieced back together, were not true super beasts; they also had fear.
One Frost Giant took a step back, immediately causing a chain reaction. Without a King to restrain them, they frantically fled out of the valley one by one!
But, want to escape?
If escaping was useful, wouldn't the Captain have come in vain?
If they didn't escape, Steve would have played with the shield and hammer combination for a while longer.
If they escaped, then they shouldn't blame him for activating the lock-on!
Steve flew into the sky of Jotunheim, his eyes beginning to perspective and self-aim, starting a full-map sweep!
Under his gaze, all the Frost Giants seemed confused, because their heads were all shot off, haha!
In his exhilaration, Steve even summoned a lightning purgatory covering a hundred-mile radius around him, bringing down a terrifying scene like a natural disaster!
And it was a mobile natural disaster. Wherever Steve flew, the lightning purgatory followed him, leaving nothing alive in its wake!
Although this lightning was not as powerful as Steve's heat vision, it had a large coverage area, and it was certainly no problem to blast ordinary Frost Giants into dust!
At the shattered peak of the valley, the invisible Loki appeared in a green light, staring dumbfounded at Steve, who was traversing Jotunheim with a 'lightning tribulation,' as if he had already seen the future of Asgard after he no longer obeyed Steve!
"Odin above, this guy is the true Thor, isn't he? Thor looks as naive as a rookie in front of him. Thor's should be called 'little sparks'!
In Asgard, Odin, who was also watching from there, also had a look of surprise:
"Bor above, if Thor had such strength now, even if I returned to Valhalla immediately, I would not have the slightest worry..."
Chapter 141 Odin's Little Thoughts
Unfortunately, there are no ifs.
Because if Thor truly possessed such strength now, he wouldn't be the 'God of Hammers,' but the true Thor....
With Odin's power, he could tell at a glance that Steve's ability to wield Mjolnir to a catastrophic, terrifying extent had little to do with the hammer itself; it was entirely because he was strong enough!
Mjolnir, in his hands, was merely a conduit, converting the boundless energy within him into lightning for release. Even without the hammer, he possessed power comparable to a God!
And Thor... Sigh... Without the hammer, he's truly nothing.
Odin: (Disgusted face) (ノへ￣,)
"Loki has undergone a transformative growth this time. My son, Thor, I hope you can also have such growth as your brother, even half of it would suffice....."
Odin sighed, not quite believing his own words. After all, Thor loved his hammer too much. Even if Thorwere to enthrone Mjolnir as his Queen after ascending, Odin wouldn't be surprised in the slightest....
ε=(´ο｀*))) Alas, compared to the hammer's previous Master, Thor is still far too lacking....
Thinking of this, Odin's single eye suddenly flashed with brilliant light.
That's right, mjolnir's previous Master, perhaps... could something be arranged?
First this... then that... and finally, success!
Odin extended his left hand, and a blue cubic illusion appeared in his palm—it was the Tesseract!
A smile spread across Odin's face, his tone somewhat smug:
"Boy, though I placed the Tesseract on Earth, it is still an Asgardian artifact, not so easily taken. There's a price~"
Whoosh—
Above Jotunheim, a whooshing sound echoed as Steve, hammer in one hand and shield in the other, descended from the sky.
In less than an hour, Steve had already circled Jotunheim several times, enveloped by a hundred kilometers of lightning.
He was striking lightning while intermittently banging his hammer on his shield, creating a thunderous explosion that descended from the sky with immense penetrative power, specifically targeting the Frost Giants' hiding spots deep underground that the lightning couldn't pierce!
Now, this ice-blue Planet was scorched black by these explosions, and the Frost Giants of Jotunheimwere completely annihilated by the lightning, not even ashes remaining~
When Steve landed back in front of Loki, Loki's gaze had completely changed. From the original pie chart of five parts trust, three parts suspicion, and two parts calculation, it had transformed into pure reverence.
This Midgardian powerhouse, based on his performance alone, was far more powerful than Thor, and even comparable to Odin!
Originally, he had planned to play some tricks with the other party, and after he inherited the throne and the future crises passed, he would transfer the throne to someone else, like... that scoundrel Thor!
Anyway, his agreement with Steve was only that he and Asgard under his rule would pledge allegiance to him; it didn't say that Asgard under the rule of others also had to pledge allegiance to him.
So, if he abdicated, Asgard naturally wouldn't have to continue submitting to him. At most, he would endure a bit of hardship and continue to serve him while slacking off.
But now, he dared not play such petty tricks anymore, because in front of such a strong person with absolute power, any conspiracy or trickery was futile!
If he played clever and displeased the other party, then Asgard might very well become the next Jotunheim!
Steve glanced at Loki's reverent gaze, feeling very satisfied.
When dealing with Loki, the God of Mischief, Steve didn't want to waste energy on a battle of wits. The best way was to make an example, making Loki realize the gap in hard power between them, and resolve it once and for all!
If, after all this, Loki still tried to play mind games with him, then he could only say that Asgard was fated to have Ragnarok!
And he wouldn't mind personally fulfilling the mission of Ragnarok!
However, thankfully, Loki was quite sensible.
"I have already solved the threat of the Frost Giant race for you. Now it's time for you to fulfill your promise and bring Thanos and the Mind Stone back to me."
Steve's tone was flat, as if annihilating the Frost Giant race was just a trivial matter.
Loki bowed slightly, hand over his chest, and saluted Steve: "Of course, esteemed Midgardian powerhouse, this is what I should do for You~"
"But I need to return to Asgard first to bring back the good news that the threat of the Frost Giant race has been eliminated. After the celebration banquet, I will immediately set off for the Universe."
Steve nodded slightly, having no objection to this.
The credit for the demise of the Frost Giant race was necessary for Loki's future ascension as the new God-King. This was also one of the reasons why he helped Loki eliminate the Frost Giants.
As Odin's children, Loki was looked down upon by most Asgardians compared to Thor, and there were various reasons for this.
Firstly, his cunning and calculating nature did not align with Asgard's martial and valorous traditional style.
On the other hand, Thor, at least, had been constantly fighting in the Nine Realms for years. Although they weren't major battles, his achievements had been continuously accumulating.
But Loki? He had no achievements to speak of. He was like a mama's boy, constantly by Frigga's side, or playing pranks on Thor with a small knife.
Combining these two, it was difficult for the people of Asgard to like Loki.
However, it is believed that Loki's 'righteous extermination of relatives' this time will definitely change the Asgardians' perception of him, and his subsequent ascension to the new King will be smoother.
"Since you are returning to Asgard, I won't see you off. I presume you are very familiar with the spatial passages between the realms. I will return to Earth and await your good news....."
For Loki, the 'King of Loopholes in the Nine Realms,' no one knew the locations of the spatial passages to Asgard in various realms better than he did.
Loki did not deny this, nodded with a slight smile, and left after turning invisible.
With Loki gone, Steve had no intention of staying on this half-cooked Planet. He waved his hand, opening a portal to Earth, and stepped through.
But what he didn't notice was that the Tesseract inside his suit jacket flashed blue the moment he stepped into the portal.
And then.....
Steve looked at the verdant green space before him, lost in thought.
No, buddy, where did this take me?
Did I just get transported again?
A speechless Steve was about to turn and leave, but the portal behind him suddenly dissipated.
Just as he was about to open the portal again, a clear, cold voice came from behind him.
"Interesting, after thousands of years, a living creature has appeared in Hel. You, turn around."
The voice carried an undeniable tone, more like a command than a request!
Chapter 142 Goddess of Death, Hela
Steve, however, hated being ordered around the most!
He didn't even turn his head to see who it was, simply waving his hand and throwing Mjolnir behind him!
There's an old saying, 'When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail!'
With Mjolnir in hand, Steve now wanted to hit anything that displeased him with the hammer!
And the tone of the person behind him made him very unhappy! Naturally, he had to hit them!
But the imagined scene of the person behind him being smashed to bits by the hammer did not appear.
A woman with dark green hair loosely draped, wearing a dark green tight-fitting battle suit, even with a green cape behind her, simply held Mjolnir with one slender hand!
The woman glanced at the hammer in her hand, a hint of icy coldness flashing in her green eyes: "mjolnir, are You sent by Odin?"
Steve turned to look at the woman, and with just one glance, he recognized who this person was....
Isn't this Odin's eldest daughter, the Goddess of Death, Hela Odinsdottir!
After Hela caught Mjolnir, her expression turned cold, and she looked down at Steve with an all-encompassing gaze, uttering only two words:
"Kneel."
Steve's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing in them: "Kneel? Are You talking about me?"
Hela's slender fingers, gripping Mjolnir, began to exert force, her tone indifferent: "Not kneeling? Then there is only Death!"
As Hela's fingers tightened, Steve suddenly felt Mjolnir crying out for help!
Mjolnir: Save me! Save me!
Is Hela trying to replicate the famous scene from Thor 3 where she crushed Thor's hammer?
But now the hammer had been NTR'd by him, and he hadn't played enough with it yet, so how could he let an old woman like her crush it!
Steve reached out his hand, mobilizing his power, and recalled Mjolnir.
As Mjolnir's former Master, Hela initially didn't care about Steve's attempt to recall the hammer, because she didn't believe anyone could forcibly reclaim her former artifact from her hands.
But immediately, a pulling force beyond her expectation came from the hammer, pulling her along with it towards Steve!
Hela was startled, 'Damn it, what kind of terrifying suction is this?!'
And Steve showed no mercy, the moment he caught the flying hammer, a powerful uppercut heavily struck Hela's abdomen, who was flying along with the hammer!
Bang ——————
With that punch, Steve held nothing back. The instant his fist connected with Hela's abdomen, her form-fitting battle suit and the surrounding air exploded into fragments, and she herself flew out like a cannonball, accompanied by a sonic boom!
It wasn't until she flew tens of thousands of meters away that Hela forcibly stopped herself, looked down at the obvious red fist print on her abdomen, exposed by her battle suit's explosion, revealing her perfect mermaid line, and a hint of red-green blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.
After that punch, Hela was not afraid; instead, her eyes lit up with excitement:
"No wonder that old guy Odin gave You mjolnir; You truly deserve it. Tell me Your name. If You choose to surrender to me now, I can give You a lenient opportunity!"
Steve:?
Where did this woman get her confidence, from Odin, or from Liang Jingru?
Steve sneered, his body slowly rising. Now it was his turn to look down at Hela:
"How about I give You an opportunity? Surrender to me now, and I'll spare Your life!"
When two strong-willed people meet, communication is bound to be anything but smooth....
Both of them had only one word in their minds regarding the other's words, and that was....
Seeking Death!
Hela extended a hand, and a uniquely shaped dark green longsword appeared in her hand from thin air.
This was her exclusive artifact, the Sword of Night Sky!
And Hela was not Loki; clearly a mage, yet still wielding short blades like an assassin. She directly transformed into a ninja, fiercely throwing the Sword of Night Sky in her hand towards Steve!
As the Sword of Night Sky flew, one became two, two became three, and three gave birth to all things. Countless Swords of Night Sky densely filled the sky, raining down on Steve!
Facing this unavoidable attack, Steve had no intention of dodging. He hooked his finger into Mjolnir's strap and began to spin it, and countless bolts of lightning were unleashed from the hammer as he spun, forming a giant shield of lightning!
As soon as those Swords of Night Sky touched the lightning shield, they were immediately electrified into dust, unable to even touch Steve's clothes!
But this overwhelming rain of swords was merely Hela's feint; the true killing blow was yet to come!
Hela: Look behind You!
A hundred meters behind Steve, Hela flashed out like a green light, a giant hundred-meter-long Sword of Night Sky raised high above her head!
With this one strike, Hela couldn't imagine anyone other than Odin being able to withstand it head-on!
Ah, well, You're about to see it today!
Clang ——————
The clash of metal was incredibly ear-piercing. Hela looked at the forty-meter greatsword resting on Steve's shoulder, her face filled with astonishment!
She felt as if she wasn't striking a person, but rather striking a piece of Uru metal!
How could there be such a tough person? Neither Odin nor she possessed this level of defense!
Steve turned his head and calmly glanced at Hela, then tilted his head slightly and blew a breath of cold air onto the hundred-meter greatsword on his shoulder!
Crack crack crack ——————
Although Steve only blew a gentle breath, the effect was astonishing. The cold air instantly spread along the blade, covering the entire forty-meter sword body!
If Hela hadn't let go quickly, even she would have been frozen by that strange and dangerous cold air!
Steve, with a flick of his finger, turned the frozen greatsword into a pile of ice fragments!
Hela cautiously distanced herself, wary of Steve using that strange cold air again, and questioned coldly:
"You also possess the abilities of a Frost Giant. Does Asgard now have half-breed bastards with Frost Giants?"
Mjolnir from Asgard, the freezing ability of a Frost Giant—in Hela's eyes, as a pure-blooded Asgardian warrior, what else could it be but a bastard?
Right, Loki?
However, Steve was not.
What was the freezing ability of a Frost Giant? His was a much more advanced existence!
This was his third power, Freezing Breath!
It was also the third ability he awakened after his physique reached one hundred points.
Steve didn't explain, taking a deep breath, a white frost sprayed from his mouth, turning into an ice and snow storm that swept towards Hela!
Facing the ice and snow storm, Hela advanced instead of retreating, leaping up and slamming her hand, imbued with the power of Death, heavily onto the ground. A thousand-meter-high wave of eerie green light instantly rose from the ground, colliding with the ice and snow storm Steve exhaled!
Freezing Breath's freezing vs. Death Power's corrosion—which one would prevail in the end?