As the System's quiz appeared, the Chat Stream erupted into chaos.
[Baron Mordo: I have to ask, Thor... is your relationship with your brother truly this toxic? Or is this... simply the 'Asgardian way'?]
[Stephen Strange: I agree. Watching him leave you to die so callously... it's chilling.]
[Loki Odinson: ...]
[Thor Odinson: Hmph! What are you weakling wizards babbling about? The Loki on the screen is absolutely correct!]
[Baron Mordo: ????]
[Peter Parker: Huh? Thor... do you not care about your own life?]
[Thor Odinson: I am the God of Thunder! A noble warrior of Asgard! If I am defeated by an enemy, it is because my own strength was lacking!]
[Thor Odinson: Conversely, if this Thanos desires the Tesseract so badly, we must never let him have it! So... Loki! You did well! This is how an Asgardian handles business! Hahahaha!]
[Baron Mordo: You... you are insane.]
[Tony Stark: (sweatdrop) Are you sure you guys are Asgardians and not Spartans?]
Asgard.
Queen Frigga shook her head helplessly. On the throne, Odin felt a strong urge to bury his face in his hands.
My foolish son... why is his brain nothing but muscle?
Inside the Livestream Room, Loki exhaled a sigh of relief. His trademark smirk—part charm, part malice—returned to his face.
"Fortunately, my brother is an idiot..."
Chuckling to himself, Loki immediately focused on the System's question. He deliberated for less than a second before shouting his answer.
"The answer is A: Loki!"
To Loki, this was simple logic. The on-screen "Loki" had clearly chosen self-preservation. He would rather watch Thor die than hand over the Space Stone. All he had to do was use his illusions to distract Thanos, slip away from the ship, and he would win.
Sure, Thor was pitiful... but Loki wasn't going to die with him.
However, the System's cold voice shattered his confidence.
[DING! Answer locked: Loki Odinson.]
[JUDGMENT: INCORRECT.]
[PENALTY TRIGGERED: Stripping 33% of Loki Odinson's magical reserves. Execution: IMMEDIATE.]
"I'm wrong?"
Loki's eyes bulged in disbelief.
Before he could protest, a wave of debilitating weakness washed over him.
His magic, taught to him personally by Frigga and cultivated over a thousand years, began to evaporate. He was one of the Nine Realms' greatest sorcerers, yet in an instant, a third of his power was simply... deleted.
Loki's face turned ghastly pale. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Anger and confusion warred in his heart.
At that moment, a calm voice spoke from beside him.
"I choose Answer C: Thanos."
Loki whipped his head around. The middle-aged man in monk robes was speaking.
[DING! Answer locked: Stephen Strange.]
[JUDGMENT: CORRECT.]
"Hah..."
Stephen Strange let out a long breath, a small smile playing on his lips.
It was obvious to him. On that ship, Thanos held absolute dominance. Neither Thor nor Loki had any realistic path of escape. Logic dictated that the Tesseract would inevitably fall into the Titan's hands.
[REWARD: Stephen Strange receives 100 Livestream Points.]
[REWARD: Random Item Draw...]
[CONGRATULATIONS! You have obtained: GUNGNIR, THE SPEAR OF HEAVEN.]
...What?
High on Hlidskjalf, Odin stared at the screen, convinced he had misheard.
Gungnir is my weapon. Who dares offer it as a prize?
Suddenly, Odin felt his right hand lighten. He turned his head mechanically.
His hand was empty. The golden spear, the symbol of his rule, had vanished without a trace.
[Gungnir has been transferred to Stephen Strange.]
[Binding Complete.]
[From this moment, Stephen Strange is the sole master of the Eternal Spear.]
Asgard. The Great Hall.
Thousands of citizens stood paralyzed, staring blankly at their King's empty hand. Their expressions were numb, their eyes glassy with shock.
The weapon of the Allfather... the spear that never missed... had been forcibly "confiscated" right in front of them.
How is this possible?
"My King, you..." Frigga's face was a mask of awkward concern, struggling to find words of comfort.
"Damn it."
Odin clenched his empty fist until the knuckles cracked. The muscles in his face twitched, his cheeks flushing red with humiliation.
As a Skyfather, as the King of the Gods, when had he ever suffered such disgrace?
But beneath the rage lay a deep, unfamiliar terror.
Unbelievable.
Someone had stripped him of his primary weapon in plain sight, and he hadn't felt a thing. Just how powerful was this System?
Back in the Livestream Room, Loki stared at Strange with naked envy. He pointed a trembling finger at the mortal.
"Mortal! You have no right to wield such a divine artifact! Drop Gungnir immediately!"
"Hm?"
Strange's eyes flashed. He looked coldly at the God of Mischief.
Responding to his will, the golden spear in his hand erupted with brilliant, divine light.
...What?!
Feeling the infinite power radiating from the light, Loki's scalp tingled with fear. He stumbled back, gasping.
"You... you actually control it?"
Gungnir was no ordinary weapon. It fired devastating energy beams. It could pierce any substance. And most terrifying of all: once thrown, it never missed.
It was the ultimate weapon of Asgard, the physical manifestation of Odin's authority.
Just looking at the golden glow, Loki felt the hairs on his neck stand up.
Death.
If that spear was thrown, Loki knew—with absolute certainty—that he would die. Ten lives wouldn't be enough to save him.
But how? How can a mortal control a Skyfather's weapon?