"You're looking for death!!!"
He was furious; the daggers in his hands transformed into two venomous snakes, sealing off all of Lin Huai's angles for evasion.
"Flame Leap!!!"
At the very instant the tips of the daggers were about to pierce Lin Huai's skin, a burst of crimson flame appeared out of thin air, enveloping him completely. In the next second, he vanished and reappeared over ten meters away.
Loki's strike missed, and the rage on his face intensified. Without even looking, he flicked his wrist and threw the other dagger with a backhand motion.
But this time, Lin Huai didn't dodge.
He stood calmly in place, facing the lethal, high-speed dagger. He unhurriedly raised his right hand and pursed his lips.
"Bang!"
A muffled sound.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing was incredibly crisp. Loki's dagger was struck, spinning several times in the air before falling listlessly to the ground.
This resonant Air Cannon became a signal.
"Stop!!!"
With a roar, a tall figure rushed in.
It was Thor, who had rushed over after hearing the noise. As soon as he entered the Door, he saw his younger brother facing the Mentor with a murderous expression, a dagger lying on the ground, and the atmosphere in the room was deathly tense.
"Loki!" Thor rushed over in a few large strides and grabbed Loki by the shoulder, his blue eyes filled with shock and disappointment. "What are you doing?!!"
"Brother?!" Loki hadn't expected Thor to arrive. He shook off Thor's hand and pointed at Lin Huai in angry accusation, "It's him! This mortal is desecrating Mother! He is doubting Mother!"
"Shut up!!!" Lin Huai's voice wasn't loud, but it carried authority.
He walked up to the two brothers and looked at Thor: "Your Highness, look at Loki's behavior now. Is this how he usually acts?"
Thor was stunned. He looked closely at his brother. Loki's face was still full of rage, but beneath that anger was a sense of paranoia and chaos; his eyes were bloodshot, and he had lost his usual wit.
Something was indeed wrong.
Thor was simple-minded, but not stupid. After everything that had happened, he had learned to think. He recalled that after Loki returned from Mother's place, he had become particularly impulsive, exploding at the slightest provocation.
"Subdue him!!!" Lin Huai ordered.
Thor didn't hesitate any longer and lunged forward. Before Loki could react, Thor used the combat techniques of an Asgardian Warrior to swiftly and firmly pin him to the ground.
"What are you doing?! Let me go! I am a prince of Asgard!!!" Loki struggled frantically, but in terms of strength, he was no match for Thor.
"Thor, think carefully." Lin Huai crouched down, looking at the subdued Loki, and analyzed in a low voice to Thor, "When did Loki start acting strange? Was it after he went to see Mother? He came back insisting that I was the one spreading the plague, even going so far as to turn against you. This conflict came too suddenly, too deliberately."
He paused, then threw out a conjecture that made Thor's hair stand on end.
"I suspect that your Mother... bah, the Queen of the Gods has met with an accident. In fact..." Lin Huai's expression turned solemn. "The person Loki saw in your Mother's bedchamber wasn't the real Queen of the Gods Frigga at all!!!"
These words left Thor utterly shocked.
Mother is in danger?!
That kind and noble Mother, who always silently supported them from behind, something happened to her?!
"Roar...!!!"
Thor flew into a rage, his eyes turning bloodshot as lightning crackled all over his body. He released Loki and was about to charge out.
"Stop!!!"
Lin Huai grabbed him and shouted sternly, "If you rush in so impulsively, won't you just alert the enemy?! If I'm right and the enemy could replace the Queen of the Gods without anyone noticing, what use is there in you going there like this, other than throwing your life away?!!"
Thor's steps came to a sudden halt, his chest heaving violently. The power of thunder and lightning surged around him, showing how agitated he was.
He looked at Lin Huai, his bloodshot eyes filled with anxiety and confusion.
Lin Huai patted his shoulder, signaling him to maintain Calmness. He leaned into his ear and whispered something quickly.
"...We'll do this: first, take him to your training room and lock him up, and then we'll... do this and that... like so..."
As Thor listened to Lin Huai's plan, the fire in his eyes slowly receded. He gave a heavy nod.
With the plan set, the two didn't delay any further.
Thor easily hoisted the still-cursing Loki onto his shoulder and strode toward his private training room. That place was made of special Asgardian Metal and was the most suitable temporary cell in the entire Golden Palace.
After settling Loki and setting several restrictions, Thor walked out and said solemnly to Lin Huai, who was waiting at the Door:
"Mentor, everything will be according to your arrangements."
Lin Huai nodded, his gaze fixed on the quiet and magnificent harem complex in the distance.
"Let's go. Let us pay a visit to... Her respected Highness, the Queen of the Gods."
The corridor bridge to the harem was very silent, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing through the vast and magnificent architecture. Thor was anxious, his steps heavy; he didn't dare think about what kind of tragedy he would face if Lin Huai's guess was true. Lin Huai said nothing, his expression normal, yet he remained silent.
Frigga's bedchamber was as quiet and beautiful as ever, with a faint floral scent drifting in the air.
Thor pushed open the heavy palace Door, and warm light spilled out from within. Queen of the Gods Frigga, dressed in a White dress, was kneeling before a magnificent floor-to-ceiling window with her back to the Door, praying to the stars.
Hearing the noise, she slowly turned around. Her elegant and noble face showed some fatigue from the interrupted prayer, but when she saw Thor, an affectionate expression immediately appeared on her face.
"Thor, my dear child," her voice was very gentle, "you are finally safe and sound."
She stood up and opened her arms. Thor could no longer hold back; he stepped forward in a few large strides and buried his head in Mother's embrace. "Mother! I'm back!"
Lin Huai stood to the side, silently watching this scene of deep Mother-son affection.
"Your Highness the Queen of the Gods, the plague outside is getting more and more serious." Lin Huai bowed, his tone neither humble nor arrogant. "Many people have fallen. This symptom is more like some kind of vicious curse. I wonder if you have sensed any abnormalities through your divine perception?"
"A curse..." Frigga gently released Thor, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as a look of worry and compassion appeared on her face. "Yes, I have felt it too. An ominous aura is shrouding the skies of Asgard. It is hidden very well, making it difficult for even my perception to capture. I have never seen such a strange and evil power."
Her answer was seamless, showing the Queen of the Gods's concern while also explaining why she was powerless.
"I understand." Lin Huai nodded. "Your Highness, I believe I have found a lead to resolve the plague. I need to immediately prepare a special herb. The refining process is complex and cannot be disturbed."
He turned to Thor, a gentle smile on his face. "Prince Thor, you haven't seen Mother in a long time. Stay here and keep her company. Sometimes, the companionship of family is more effective than any antidote."
"That's right, Thor. Stay and talk with me." Frigga also took Thor's hand, speaking with great affection.
Hearing this, Thor gave a heavy nod and agreed, watching Lin Huai turn and leave.
Lin Huai's footsteps disappeared at a leisurely pace at the end of the corridor.
"Mother, I..." Thor was just about to recount his experiences during this time.
At that moment, as the distant Lin Huai rounded a pillar, his figure was covered by a thin layer of Shadow.
In the next second, a burst of crimson Fire burned silently beneath his feet, swallowing him whole.
Almost simultaneously, within the Shadow of a statue dozens of meters outside the bedchamber, the same flames appeared out of thin air. Lin Huai's figure stepped slowly out of them. The entire process was extremely rapid and did not alert anyone.
He looked up at the brightly lit, magnificent palace and smiled coldly.
From his pocket, he slowly took out a badge emitting a soft glow. This was one of the few items he possessed from the homeland of the deity he worshipped... the Badge of the Evernight Goddess, which excelled in protection and concealment.
Lin Huai gripped the badge and activated its power with his spirituality. A layer of serene black veil, invisible to mortals, covered him, isolating all prying eyes.
He stared in the direction of the bedchamber and whispered to himself:
"Goddess above... this acting is truly seamless."
"Even someone as devious as Loki, who considers himself a master of manipulation, could be provoked into a fist-swinging brute with just a few words."
He paused, feeling a sense of pity.
"Poor Thor, in front of such a high-Sequence Demoness, he really is just an inexperienced simpleton."