If there was one soft spot in Loki's heart, it was his mother, Queen Frigga.
He wasn't sure if his father, Odin, was biased. But he knew for a fact that Frigga wasn't. She loved both her sons equally.
So, if possible, Loki wanted to maintain his perfect image in her eyes. He didn't want it shattered even a little bit.
But he knew that was impossible now.
In the next second, he attacked. A blast of magic sent Thor flying out of Odin's bedroom.
Before Frigga could react—before even Lucas could move—Loki turned and fled. He sprinted out of the palace, mounted a horse, and galloped toward the Bifrost.
Lucas just watched him go. He didn't chase. This was an internal dispute of the Asgardian royal family. As an outsider, it wasn't his place to interfere.
Besides, Thor had specifically asked him on the way here: Let me handle Loki. Please don't kill him.
Thor knew Lucas had no concept of "holding back." If Lucas got involved, he might accidentally punch Loki into a fine red mist.
So Lucas stayed put, watching from afar as Loki initiated the Bifrost's overload sequence to destroy Jotunheim.
Theoretically, that was Loki's true home.
But to Loki, Jotunheim meant nothing. He was destroying it to secure his foothold in Asgard, to gain the legitimacy and power he needed to become King.
"Stop!"
Thor shouted as he arrived at the Bifrost Observatory.
He knew exactly what Loki was planning.
In the past, Thor might have done the same thing. He used to think strength justified everything. But now, he understood his father's lesson: power is for protection, not slaughter. Starting a war without cause makes you a tyrant.
And that was exactly why he couldn't let Loki have the throne.
"You can't stop it!" Loki yelled over the roar of the energy beam. "The Bifrost will build until it rips Jotunheim apart!"
The terrifying power of the Rainbow Bridge was projecting straight onto the frozen planet. The beam was already tearing through the crust, drilling toward the core. If it hit the center, Jotunheim would shatter into asteroids.
That was Loki's plan.
If he destroyed the Frost Giants, he would have an undeniable achievement. No matter what crimes he committed along the way, he could justify them as "necessary measures to end the ancient threat."
There was still a chance to be the hero. He wouldn't give up.
"Why are you doing this?" Thor demanded.
He knew Loki was a Frost Giant. Jotunheim was his birthright. Why would he destroy his own people?
"To prove to Father that I am a worthy son! That I am no less than you, Thor!" Loki roared, his voice thick with jealousy. "When he wakes up, I will be the one who saved his life. I will be the one who destroyed the monster race. And I will be the true heir!"
From a distance, Lucas watched Loki monologue and shook his head.
Villains were all the same. The moment they thought they had won, they just had to explain their entire plan. It was like they couldn't hold it in anymore.
It was funny, really. If they just kept their mouths shut and focused on the objective, the heroes would be dead ten times over.
But Lucas understood Loki. This was a kid desperate for attention, for love, for fairness.
From start to finish, he just wanted to prove he wasn't inferior to his brother. He wanted his father to look at him with pride, just once.
"You can't kill an entire race!" Thor shouted.
Even in his arrogant youth, Thor only wanted to force Jotunheim to submit. He wanted to be King of the Nine Realms, which included the Frost Giants. They were his subjects too.
A king didn't slaughter his own people.
"Why not?" Loki laughed, his signature shark-like grin stretching across his face. "Since when did you develop such compassion for Frost Giants? This isn't like you. Didn't you want to teach them a lesson? Didn't you want them crawling at your feet? What, are you a saint now?"
"You could crush them all with your bare hands!" Loki sneered.
Thor's expression was grave. "I never wanted them crawling. I wanted them to respect my authority, to understand my strength so they wouldn't challenge my rule. The Nine Realms are Asgard's territory. The people of the Nine Realms are our people. If you want to be King, why are you murdering your own subjects?"
"And more importantly," Thor pressed, "you are a Frost Giant yourself, aren't you?"
That was the part Thor couldn't grasp. Why did Loki hate his own origin so much?
Hearing this, Loki's eyes flashed with insane hatred.
"I am not a Frost Giant!" he screamed. "I am the Second Prince of Asgard! I am Odin's son! I am not a monster! Those blue-skinned freaks aren't my people! Their existence is an insult to me! A savage race that only judges worth by size? They are primitive! They deserve to die!"
"Their existence threatens Asgard's peace!" Loki continued, his voice cracking. "If I destroy Jotunheim, I remove the threat forever! Whether you become King or I do, we both benefit from this! I'm solving a problem you'll have to face anyway! So what right do you have to stand there and judge me from your high horse?"
Loki was pouring every ounce of his frustration into the scream.
To him, Thor's morality was hypocrisy. Thor was just pretending to be benevolent to look like a better king.
What a laughable, stupid reason.
"Let me end this primitive race for you," Loki hissed.