When Nero and Mephisto arrived at Asgard, they ran into Odin himself right at the entrance.
At his enthusiastic invitation, Nero and Mephisto also watched a prince's adventure story together.
"Your son has quite a comedic talent," Nero chuckled when she saw Thor being taken down by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
"Hehe... Thor still needs some time," Odin laughed awkwardly.
On the surface, he had entered Odin's sleep, and was currently using the secret art of soul-travel to converse with Nero.
His days were numbered; his physical body could no longer bear the excess divine power, requiring sleep for recuperation.
But Nero's appearance disrupted all predetermined fate, and he had no choice but to come out and build a relationship with Nero, to fight for the future of Asgard.
But to be honest, it was very awkward; he was not some lackey. He was an emperor who had built a vast empire, and in his prime, he had nearly conquered the entire universe.
If it weren't for the Celestials, his territory would not be limited to the small Nine Realms.
So he wouldn't curry favor with people, hence the awkwardness. He had always been the strongest, but now an even stronger one had arrived.
But soon, he no longer had time to think about these things. The scene before him made his face completely darken.
Nero, completely abandoning all pretense, held her stomach and laughed, and even 'Morgen' (Mephisto) curled his lips into a mocking arc.
"Loki, what are you doing here?" Thor looked up in surprise.
"I had to come see you," Loki's voice was much calmer in comparison, carrying a hint of solemnity.
"What happened?"
Thor and Loki had been together for so long that he immediately sensed the unusual tone in his voice.
"Loki, you have to let me see Father, let me explain things clearly to him..."
"Father is dead," Loki's words quickened, as if he didn't want to utter those words.
Thor suddenly froze, his breathing quickening, trying his best to suppress something. After a pause of about three seconds, he asked as if he hadn't heard clearly: "What?"
"Your banishment... The painstaking efforts over a long time, yet you seem to have shown no growth," Loki's eyes lowered. "Father grew old, and the forces of The Nine Realms were stirring. All these combined became too much for him to bear."
"Thor, you don't need to blame yourself. We all know you love him, and your banishment was too sudden, but you know..."
At this point, Loki paused. Seeing Thor's broken expression, he still spoke: "He was just... very disappointed. Knowing you could no longer lift mjolnir, yet still placing it by your side, was too cruel."
"No, Loki... Bro, he really should be disappointed in me. I only know how to charge through enemies and show off my strength... Father was right."
Thor choked, his eyes red, but he forced himself not to cry.
Loki didn't comfort him this time, but suddenly said, "Now the throne has fallen to me."
This also interrupted Thor's original emotions. He looked up at Loki cautiously: "Can I go back?"
"Thor, you must know that you were the original heir to the throne, and now you have no divine power," Loki seemed to find it difficult to speak. "Many marginalized old gods, and the enemies of The Nine Realms, all prefer a god-king without divine power on the throne of Asgard."
"I'm sorry, for the stability of Asgard, Thor, I cannot agree to your request. You should know by now that the throne is not just power; it is responsibility."
"Alright... But don't we have any other way...?" Thor still didn't give up, at least he wanted to apologize to his father.
"Mama... Mama also won't allow you to come home."
This sentence was the true fatal blow to Thor. He couldn't hold back his tears, and his entire being froze.
"I came to say goodbye, brother."
Thor came back to his senses and realized Loki was wearing a dark gray formal suit, as if he were attending some solemn occasion.
"I'm very sorry," Loki shook his head slightly.
"I... I should be the one to apologize," Thor sniffled. "Thank you, thank you for coming to see me."
"Farewell," Loki turned and left.
"Goodbye," Thor replied with a goodbye, clearly still holding a glimmer of hope for the future.
Compared to the solemnity of Thor and Loki, Nero was laughing so hard in Asgard that her stomach was cramping.
"Umu, I'm very sorry!" Nero suppressed her laughter, putting on a straight face.
"No, I'm sorry!" 'Morgen' (Mephisto) picked up on Nero's gag in perfect sync: "Loki, thank you for coming to see me..."
"Father is dead..."
"What?"
"Oh! Poor Thor, your Mama doesn't want you either..."
"Mwahahahahaha..."
"Ha... hahaha..."
Nero and 'Morgen's' back-and-forth made Odin's face darken even more.
As the saying goes, one should not air dirty laundry, but he not only aired it, but also invited people to watch it in 360-degree high definition with no blind spots.
Odin closed his eyes wearily... What an unfortunate family!
And Loki, he had heard Odin's command to mjolnir at the time. Although the hammer had rejected him before, it had been a thousand years, and it was possible it might have some new ideas.
Numerous agents came and went, passing by Loki as if they couldn't see him.
Loki took a deep breath and grasped mjolnir with one hand... both hands... sinking his qi into his dantian, his waist and horse united... Loki shook his head and gave up.
This damned hammer was as unappreciative as ever, but perhaps... Loki looked up at the sky, as if someone was watching from there.
He knew that Odin, though in slumber, could still see all this, but Loki's goal was not the throne.
He just wanted to prove one thing: that he was more capable than that idiot Thor; he wanted to receive the same treatment Thor once had.
"Odin, your methods of raising children have truly opened my eyes. Let this one called Loki also join the game!" Nero still had a smile on her face.
"All that you crave, all that you hope for, let's see what brilliant drama your offspring can perform!"
Odin relaxed completely upon hearing this. Regardless, his goal had been achieved. Hela, Thor, Loki—as long as one succeeded, Asgard would be saved.
This was far better than the predetermined Ragnarok, and a smile finally appeared on Odin's lips: "Thank you for your benevolence, Goddess Nero!"
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