The transformation was visible to the naked eye. Although Loki's appearance and attire hadn't changed, the unconscious him underwent a dramatic change in temperament.
Previously, he resembled a schemer or assassin, but now, he looked like an ordinary young man lost in slumber... if you ignored the feathers and chunks of meat he was spewing from his mouth.
Those expelled remnants were rapidly reconstructing. Broken bones came together first, followed by thread-like muscles and blood vessels covered with skin and then feathered, forming a bird right before their eyes.
"Take this chance to reform yourself, start anew. Go!" Su Ming said, not waiting for the future Loki to speak, and knocked him out before handing him to the Secret Guest. "Throw him into the future as a spare."
"Gah!"
The black crow that Loki turned into was swept away by the suddenly appearing purple teleportation gate. From within the gate emerged numerous tiny tentacles that grabbed the little bird, making it look like a sea anemone catching a fish.
In an instant, it vanished as if it never existed.
Odin watched as the purple teleportation gate disappeared, sighed slightly with a hint of melancholy, then uncorked the wineskin from his belt and poured it on Loki's face who was lying on the ground unconscious.
The transparent liquid formed a straight line in the air, and soon, the God of Mischief sputtered back to consciousness.
"Father?" Loki wiped his face, coughing repeatedly as the strong liquor burned his nasal cavity, causing him to lose composure uncontrollably.
The light in Odin's eyes flickered but was soon masked by his anger: "Go back to your palace, ungrateful son! How dare you steal Heimdall's weapon and manipulate the Rainbow Bridge, you are grounded!"
Loki then noticed he was still holding the Great Sword. When did this happen? Was he sleepwalking?
No, something's wrong...
"No, Father, it wasn't me. It was my future self. He's a bad guy, and he was wearing a red hat!" Loki flung the Great Sword away as if it burned him, clutching the back of his head as he staggered to his feet.
"You're lying! Heimdall!"
Odin's rage boiled over, veins bulging on the hand gripping the spear.
"Your Majesty."
The Immortal Palace Guard appeared out of nowhere, as if he had always been lurking beneath the Rainbow Bridge.
"Was it him?" Odin, trembling with fury, pointed a finger at Loki.
"Yes, Your Majesty, it was indeed the Second Prince who deceived me and took my Treasure Sword. He even used the Rainbow Bridge to travel to Midgard to find women." Heimdall immediately recited his lines.
His acting was a bit lacking, unable to convey anger or shame. His face, hardened by years of seriousness, now seemed to twitch unnaturally when required to emote.
Loki looked at Heimdall in surprise. Although he didn't remember doing anything of the sort, he found it hard to believe he'd go looking for women. Did they think he was like Thor?
Thor liked the women of Midgard because he was too shy to mess around at home. But Loki didn't care for that. Many women in Asgard were willing to throw themselves at the Second Prince. He didn't need to use the Rainbow Bridge for that.
At that moment, he saw the Long-Horned Helmet fall to the ground. Right, that helmet!
This was the helmet his future self had worn!
Just as he reached out to grab it, another hand moved faster and picked up the golden helmet, gently dusting it as if cleaning an imaginary speck.
"I dropped my hat, pardon me." The stranger in black and yellow armor wore an apologetic smile, but there was no trace of humor in his eyes.
"You... I... that's not yours!" Loki's face turned red as he pointed at the helmet, lost for words.
Su Ming casually placed the helmet on his head; it fit perfectly: "It's mine. His Majesty the God King can vouch for me."
He threw the ball in Odin's court.
Odin responded with action, driving the Eternal Spear hard into the ground under his feet, the spear's haft sinking deep, illustrating his anger.
"You even dare to steal a helmet? Asgard is disgraced by you! Pillaging brings courage and honor, but theft?! Despicable! Shameless! Worthless!"
Odin declared a string of crooked logic with a justified tone while Ciri, in the corner, rolled her eyes, wondering what kind of kingdom this was.
"I didn't steal! I am innocent, believe me, Father!"
"...And now you dare argue! Every witness and evidence is right here! You've brought nothing but shame upon your mother. I'll soon inquire of her how she raised such a disgrace and lock you both in the dungeon!"
"No, don't involve Mother; it's all my doing, just me." Loki collapsed, pounding his chest, pleading tearfully for Odin not to blame Frigga.
Odin exhaled slowly through his nostrils, seemingly restraining his temper, but he lifted Loki with the haft of the Eternal Spear and tossed him onto the Rainbow Bridge.
The green figure skidded across the surface as if he were a rag, making a sound like a palm rubbing glass.
"Get back! Wretched son! Without my permission, you shall not leave!"
Thunderous roars echoed from the observatory. Loki fled in a hurry, unable to oppose Odin's authority.
He felt greatly wronged, his entire body ached, and his mind was filled with questions about his memory.
But as long as it didn't implicate Mother, that was enough...
"Tsk... you're ensuring Loki must become Loki." Su Ming touched his chin, watching Loki's sorry figure disappear on the resplendent Rainbow Bridge.
Odin had returned to calm, as though nothing had happened: "Gods are not only to be revered, they have duties as gods. This is our fate."
"So you treat him unjustly to lead him down that path?" the Secret Guest, now understanding some aspects, had the standing to question Odin.
Odin pulled out the Ether Particles he had hidden. The deep red haze swirled continuously in his hand. He sealed it within a semi-transparent cubic energy shield and handed it to Heimdall for safekeeping.
"You and I have always known that what Loki needs is never fairness," Odin said nonchalantly, as if it was not a big deal.
"Well, stories need an ending, but he doesn't need it."
Su Ming nodded, casually storing the Long-Horned Helmet in his bag. Odin had declared it Deathstroke's helmet.
Solid gold, quite large, it would make a fine ornament in the office.
"Next, we have to face questioning from the God of Gods. This matter must remain private," Odin changed the subject, stroking his beard, gazing into the endless starry sky.
Su Ming pretended to yawn, while in reality, he whispered quickly and softly: "Accompany you? Sure, but God King, didn't you forget to confirm our previous deal? Or do you plan to have everyone learn about your penchant for women's attire?"
"You're referring to the Valkyries? They're free now... The affairs of Warnerheim have also shown me past issues, and procrastination solves nothing, so we'll proceed as per our previous agreement."
Odin seemed unbothered by Su Ming's threat, known as a Transformer across the Nine Realms, reckoned it wasn't a secret.
Because even if Warnerheim is self-governing, this world remains on the World Tree; even if the Valkyries are resurrected, their place is only Midgard. Isn't Midgard still on the World Tree?
Odin lost nothing; it was truly a win-win agreement, yet he still needed to negotiate.
Deathstroke is a mercenary with no sense of honor, greedy like a ravenous wolf. If you don't haggle, he'll just demand more and more.
"But under one condition, you must help me either retrieve the Destruction Maidens or banish them again. It's too dangerous if they fall into Mephisto's hands."
"Dangerous? Haha..." Su Ming chuckled; Odin's excuse wasn't convincing: "A god who allows a Celestial Father Level mad brother to wreak havoc on Earth is telling me twelve undead half-demons are dangerous? Do you think I'll believe that?"
Odin led Su Ming to another place. Under his control, the Rainbow Bridge became a radiant path reaching into the sky, connecting to an unknown space.
"In some sense, Mephisto is better than my brother."
"We usually refer to that sense as intelligence on Earth," Su Ming noted calmly, the black and yellow mask spreading over his face: "But there's always a mountain higher than the other. Let us deal with the God of Gods first, then discuss the deal details."
Odin looked at him, the Eternal Spear used as a cane, its end tapping rhythmically against the Rainbow Bridge with each step.
But Deathstroke's combat boots resonated with their rhythm, unwavering and unaffected.
He almost instantly slipped into the role of Supreme Mage, or perhaps he hadn't changed at all. Was the Ancient One really wrong in doing this...