Odin was indeed still alive — but waiting for him to wake?
Give it a year, at least.
"During this time, just live comfortably in Midgard."
"With your mortal girlfriend."
"It's not like you were doing poorly there anyway."
In the memory replica, had it not been for Jane's lack of goddess potential and Odin's opposition, Thor and Jane might never have broken up in the first place.
Maybe after Odin died, years from now, the two of them might have rekindled their old flame.
With a final look at Thor, Loki prepared to leave.
"Heimdall."
He spoke to the sky.
The light of the Bifrost — the rainbow bridge that symbolized parting — appeared once more. Loki bathed in its glow, his form dissolving bit by bit.
"Wait, Loki!"
Thor instinctively reached out, trying to stop Loki from returning.
Thinking about how, for the foreseeable future, he wouldn't be able to see Mother, Loki, and the others — Thor couldn't help but feel a pang of loss.
It was then that Loki's fading voice reached Thor's ears.
"Tell your little followers — if they don't want to face punishment, they'll comply and stay in Midgard with you."
"You should know what kind of punishment awaits those who leave without permission during the preparation period."
"For your sake, as long as they stay in Midgard, I'll let them off once."
"Otherwise—"
The rest needed no explanation from Loki. Thor already knew.
Sif and the others had violated Asgard's unforgivable iron rule.
Even if it was because of him—
Thor glanced at the light that had fully faded away, rose with a heavy heart, and flew toward where Sif and the others waited.
As for the Bifrost?
The ones who'd transgressed weren't just Sif and the others — Heimdall was equally at fault for transporting them to Midgard.
It hadn't mattered while Loki was still in Midgard. But now Loki had returned.
Besides — Thor needed time to cool down.
Inside the palace of Asgard—
"These Frost Giants… there really are a lot of them. So many points."
Su Yunqing's face broke into a money-grubber's expression.
The Frost Giant race itself carried a decent point value to begin with, and with the addition of death-god power on top — stacked up in quantity, it was absolutely an impressive number.
Dōgenza Samako and the others nodded along. Their combat strength was weak, so they hadn't killed many — but even those points alone were a tidy sum for them.
That said, the lion's share of those points went to Dōgenza Samako, since Kasumigaoka Utaha and Umaru had both been playing support roles throughout.
For them, stepping onto the battlefield for the first time and immediately facing Frost Giants, managing to keep calm and provide backup for Dōgenza Samako — that was already pretty impressive.
For them, the haul was good. But for Vovin? Beyond watching a decent show, there was nothing remotely entertaining for him.
The points were chicken feed. He couldn't be bothered.
And Hela, the one he'd been so eagerly anticipating — she never showed. He couldn't even get a fight out of her.
"Loki, could you maybe tone down that grin a little?"
Su Yunqing watched Loki's expression — that smile he'd been wearing since entering the palace with no sign of letting up — and felt completely at a loss for words.
Just how happy was this guy, exactly?!
"You do not understand my current joy."
Loki's delight showed no signs of diminishing in the slightest.
Are you kidding?
All that time spent being denied by Odin, denied by the people of Asgard — even Thor and Frigga's treatment of him had been nothing more than affection, never any recognition of his actual abilities.
Now that he'd finally risen to power, you wanted him to play it cool?
Not a chance!
Right now he was practically soaring!
"Phase one of the script is wrapped up, then. The next matter is Hela."
Tony Stark rubbed his chin, then turned to Loki and asked:
"How do you rate this harvest?"
"Absolutely perfect!"
Loki didn't hesitate for a moment!
"Jotunheim is destroyed. Laufey has been reclaimed by me. Odin has been given both an excuse to sleep and an excuse to die. My reputation among the people has been completely rehabilitated. He's surrendered his claim to the throne, and his most steadfast supporters can't return to Asgard."
"Heimdall has been punished for his actions as well."
"Even in Midgard, my reputation has risen tremendously — not that it matters much to me there."
"But this is undoubtedly the best possible script!"
Loki genuinely marveled at the intelligence of Baixuan, Aizen, and the others. To think they could craft a script like this.
Beyond that, Ying Zi'nian and Tony had been perfectly able to keep pace with their rhythm.
Were brilliant minds just naturally on the same wavelength?
Or was it that the moment one of them so much as hinted at something, the others could instantly grasp their meaning?
Unbelievable!
"It's a shame faith doesn't do anything useful. Otherwise, with a divine spectacle like this, Loki's strength would have skyrocketed."
Su Yunqing lamented.
Because, in a sense, Loki had been fighting for Midgard — for Earth — and that had been reflected in Laufey's own words.
Jotunheim was the aggressor trying to invade and conquer the world; Asgard was their savior, their protector.
Though everything they'd said had used "Midgard" — anyone who wasn't an idiot could think it through and realize Midgard was Earth.
At that point, Loki's popularity on Earth would surpass even that guy in the West.
After all, Loki had manifested in reality, while that guy was still stuck in mythology.
"The faith of mortals is worthless."
Loki waved a hand dismissively.
Faith, reputation, glory — none of it meant anything to Loki. On Earth, these things were the most useless commodities.
The true audience for this projection had always been Thor. Everyone else was just incidental.
But still — who actually wants to be hated when they could be loved?
Of course Loki wanted his story to spread far and wide.
Though, in a sense, the name "Loki" was already widely known — but given the choice, he'd prefer a more dignified reputation.
Like his father, Odin.
"Though Hela is definitely a problem."
The thought of his sister — a woman he'd never even met — made Loki's brow furrow.
If it were just about strength — Hela was powerful, yes, but it all stemmed from her connection to Asgard. Armed with Gungnir, Loki truly had no reason to fear Hela.
No matter how strong she was elsewhere, within Asgard, the amplification Loki received was absolutely greater than hers!
Odin's bloodline was also divided — in quantity and in purity.
The Odin bloodline Loki had spent so many points to acquire was naturally the most refined portion.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible for him to wield Gungnir outside of Asgard — let alone within it — with the spear showing not a trace of resistance.
What truly gave Loki a headache about Hela was how difficult she was to kill.
Because, just like Loki, she held a bond with Asgard. Unless Asgard itself was destroyed, Hela was effectively immortal.
And that was before even accounting for the power she'd awakened in herself — the power of death itself.
———
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