Trying to escape? It was never going to be that simple.
Soon, Sif and the Warriors Three finished their discussion with Thor and Loki.
Nolan walked back into the room.
The atmosphere immediately shifted the moment he entered.
Thor's expression turned serious as he spoke.
"Nolan Locke, as the Prince of Asgard, I formally request a dialogue with you."
"Your actions have seriously disrupted the peace between Earth and Asgard."
"If you continue down this path, I will officially declare that Asgard's full military forces will be mobilized."
"If war breaks out, the responsibility will be entirely yours."
His words carried weight. They were enough to intimidate most people.
But Nolan was not one of them.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Oh? That sounds like a very serious threat."
"I also heard there are two realms dealing with internal unrest again?"
"You!"
Everyone looked shocked, except Loki, who remained calm as ever in the corner.
He even curled his lip slightly.
Idiots. They still don't realize this is Locke Technology. Of course there are surveillance systems everywhere.
Nolan would never let them speak freely without monitoring everything.
But Thor and the others clearly had not noticed anything unusual.
At least, not anything they could see.
Thor's expression darkened.
"What exactly do you want?"
Nolan looked at them casually and replied.
"Escape is not that simple. I already said it. If you want to leave, you need to provide compensation that satisfies me."
"Do you think I actually enjoy keeping you here? This benefits me in no way."
Thor's face turned black.
"Then tell me what you want!"
"Just say it!"
Nolan shrugged slightly.
"I want many things. Unfortunately, I don't think you can provide them."
Then he smiled faintly.
"I assume you know the name Hela."
The moment that name was spoken, everyone's expression changed drastically.
Even Loki's face turned grim.
"Where did you hear that name?" Thor demanded sharply.
Nolan didn't answer.
"That's not important."
"If you insist on hearing it clearly, then fine."
"Give me the Reality Stone… or Hela's power of death."
"Fuck!"
Thor exploded instantly.
"You're robbing us! No, you're insane! I will never agree to any of this!"
"We only destroyed a piece of your glass!"
"And you're demanding something like this?"
He turned sharply toward Sif.
"Sif!"
"Go back to Asgard! Wake the 100,000 Asgardian warriors!"
"If Nolan Locke wants war, then we give him war!"
Thor's roar echoed through the room.
Sif and the Warriors Three were also furious.
But when they heard this, their expressions still stiffened.
They did not respond immediately.
The Nine Realms were already unstable. Two realms were in open rebellion.
And Earth was not even something Asgard truly ruled anymore.
Odin had long forbidden interference with Earth.
That was exactly why Nolan dared to act so boldly.
Even with Asgard's military strength, they were already stretched thin.
And worse, much of their army now relied on Locke Technology's weapons and systems, including advanced combat machines.
Intelligence reports had already confirmed Nolan Locke's influence on Earth was far greater than expected.
And now Odin was gone.
Thor and Loki were effectively their strongest assets.
Yet both of them were currently imprisoned here.
Declaring war under these conditions?
It was not impossible.
But it was absolutely not realistic.
None of them spoke, but none of them left either.
Thor was impulsive, but not stupid. He quickly realized their hesitation.
And Nolan's calm expression only made things worse.
For a moment, the situation froze.
What now?
They had already gone this far. It was impossible to simply beg Nolan to release them.
And even if they did, would he actually agree?
Thor seriously doubted it.
Finally, he exhaled heavily.
"Fine. You all leave first."
Sif and the Warriors Three exchanged looks.
Then Sif said:
"We will speak with Earth's authorities."
"Nolan Locke cannot keep you here forever. You are the prince of Asgard. The heir to the throne."
"No. With Odin gone, you are now the King of Asgard."
As she spoke, her gaze remained fixed on Nolan.
Those words were meant for him.
A warning.
Even if things were difficult now, detaining the King of Asgard would not end quietly.
But Nolan only smiled.
Talk all you want. It has nothing to do with me.
What he cared about was simple.
Training these two so-called gods.
After that, he didn't care what happened.
Sif's expression darkened further.
This man was completely unmoved.
No matter what she said, he had no intention of releasing them.
She finally understood.
He was not bluffing.
He really did not care.
Reluctantly, Sif and the Warriors Three left.
Thor slammed his fist into the wall in frustration.
Loki, meanwhile, sat up slowly and sighed.
"Honestly, do you really plan to keep us here forever?"
"I don't know where you heard the name Hela, but I assume that's not your real goal."
"Keeping us locked up without explanation benefits you in no way."
"So just be honest. What are you really planning?"
Nolan glanced at him with mild surprise.
As expected of the God of Mischief. Even now, his mind was sharp.
Unlike Thor.
Nolan smiled.
"You're right. I do have other intentions."
"Asgard is more complicated than you think."
"And Hela… from what I know, she's close to breaking her seal."
"I don't want to deal with her directly. That would be troublesome."
"But someone has to stop her."
He looked at them calmly.
"And that responsibility belongs to Asgard."
"So I expect you two to handle it."
"But frankly…"
His tone turned slightly mocking.
"You are both useless."
"Compared to Odin, you are disappointing."
"To be honest, if I were him, I would consider you a waste of oxygen."
Thor exploded instantly.
Loki's expression also darkened.
He was the Nine Realms' greatest mage.
Being called useless?
He almost laughed from anger.
Almost.
Because standing in front of Nolan Locke, he had to admit one thing.
He was weaker.
Still, Loki narrowed his eyes.
"I will show you what the greatest mage in the Nine Realms can do."
Nolan chuckled.
"The greatest mage?"
"In the entire Earth, there are already people who can beat you."
"That's impossible!" Loki snapped.
"Do you know the Ancient One?"
"Who?"
Loki had never heard the name.
Nolan was not surprised.
Asgard called itself ruler of the Nine Realms. If Odin had allowed knowledge of the Ancient One, their authority would mean nothing.
The Ancient One rarely left Earth and kept a low profile.
No one outside Earth would know her.
"She is the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth," Nolan said calmly.
"The one who suppresses interdimensional threats."
"In terms of power, she is no weaker than Odin."
"If there is a true number one mage in the Nine Realms, it has always been her."
"And now…"
He smiled slightly.
"She is gone."
"But the new Sorcerer Supreme has already taken her place."
"You?"
Nolan looked Loki up and down.
"Far too weak."
Loki clenched his fists.
But he said nothing.
Because deep down, he knew Nolan might actually be right.
Nolan stretched slightly.
"Anyway, since we're here, I'll help you train a bit."
"Consider it preparation for Hela."
"Be grateful. I'm wasting my time on this."
Thor's eyes lit up instantly.
Training.
He liked that word.
A grin appeared on his face.
"I like this idea."
"But I suggest you get yourself some stronger armor."
"Otherwise, you're going to regret it."
Nolan smiled.
"Then let's start today."
"Red Queen, open the door."
The door opened.
Nolan stepped in.
He gestured casually.
Thor immediately frowned.
"Where's your armor?"
"I don't want to win unfairly."
But Loki had already vanished.
He had no intention of playing fair.
Nolan didn't wear armor last time either.
Thor's idea of fairness was laughable.
Nolan shrugged.
"Armor?"
"You'll see it after you beat me."
At that moment, Loki suddenly appeared beside him and struck.
A sneak attack.
But Nolan reacted instantly.
A single kick.
BOOM!
Loki slammed into the wall.
His body cracked with pain.
He struggled to get up, but failed.
"Your instincts are decent," Nolan said calmly.
"But your strength is trash."
"First time I've seen a mage trying to act like an assassin."
"Idiot."
Loki gritted his teeth.
Every rib in his body felt like it was broken.
Nolan didn't care.
Odin only said to train them.
He never said how gently.
Thor finally reacted and charged forward with a roar.
A true warrior.
Much stronger than Loki.
His fist came down with full force.
BOOM!
Thor staggered back.
Confused.
Before he could react—
BOOM!
Another hit.
This time he didn't even step back properly.
His vision blurred.
Stars.
Then darkness.
Two panda-like eyes formed on his face.
Nolan didn't stop.
One punch after another.
Pure satisfaction.
A human-shaped sandbag.
What better training target could there be?
Ten minutes later, both Thor and Loki were lying on the ground, bruised and exhausted.
Nolan exhaled lightly.
"Feels good."
"Your level is still too low."
"That's it for today. I'll come back tomorrow."
Loki gritted his teeth.
"This is your idea of training?"
Nolan looked at him calmly.
"In my experience, nothing improves faster than real combat."
"One more thing."
"If you don't want to die…"
"Get stronger."
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