บท 166: Chapter 166: What Is Your Relationship with the Emperor?
Ebony Maw stared blankly into the darkness before him.
Why was this so different from what he had envisioned?
Initially, he had intended to use the Space Stone within the Tesseract, channeling a bit of its space-transmitting power to transport Loki to Earth.
But... where was that power?
Ebony Maw was stunned.
Loki, who had been waiting for some time, was equally bewildered.
Weren't they supposed to send him to Earth today to start causing trouble?
"Is it not working?"
Loki walked over to Ebony Maw and asked directly.
Already feeling at fault, Ebony Maw had no temper left. He could only mutter in a low, uncertain voice, "Could it be that those Earthlings have figured out how to use the Tesseract?"
Considering this possibility, Ebony Maw immediately shook his head. With Earth's current technological means, discovering the Space Stone hidden within the Tesseract was nearly impossible.
Could it be...
Ebony Maw glanced at Loki and asked, "Asgardian, let me ask you."
"When the son of Odin goes to Earth, is it really without any other mission?"
"Is it really just because he was exiled by Odin?"
"What do you mean by that?" Loki frowned.
Thor's banishment from Asgard certainly had little to do with Odin; it was more due to Loki's own scheming.
Ebony Maw didn't hide anything and responded, "Originally, the Space Stone had been activated."
"But when I was about to open the space portal, that power suddenly vanished."
"I was wondering if the son of Odin had revealed the way to use the Tesseract to the humans."
Loki immediately shook his head. "Impossible. If Thor truly knew how to use the Tesseract," he said, "he wouldn't have hesitated when breaking the Bifröst."
Loki then looked at Ebony Maw with suspicion.
"Could it be that your magic has failed, and now you're trying to shift the blame?"
"If we delay that person's plan, you know better than I do what the consequences will be," Loki added.
"Asgardian, I don't need you to remind me!"
"I assure you, the King's plan will proceed smoothly," Ebony Maw said with conviction, stepping menacingly toward Loki. "Keep waiting!"
"Asgardian!"
"Then I'll keep waiting," Loki replied.
With that, Ebony Maw returned to the edge of the asteroid, forming a triangular shape with his hands and chanting under his breath.
Loki's lips curled into a faint smile, his mind scheming. Glancing at the Scepter of Mind in his hand, Loki sat down and murmured, "Thor, I will become the new king."
"Wait for me on Earth."
On the Other Side, Countless Light-Years Away
At the broken end of the Bifröst Bridge in Asgard.
Thor stood with a troubled expression, gazing deeply into the black void below.
Beside him, Heimdall stood like a statue, motionless.
"Heimdall, where is Loki now?"
After a moment, Thor turned and asked Heimdall.
"Prince, you know Loki's abilities," Heimdall replied.
"Apart from confirming that he is safe, it is nearly impossible to pinpoint his location."
Heimdall wasn't lying. It was well known that Loki held another title:
The Finest Sorcerer of the Nine Realms!
Although Loki wasn't entirely reliable, his mastery of magic was rivaled only by Odin in all of Asgard.
Deceiving Heimdall's all-seeing eyes? That was a mere trifle for Loki.
"Then...," Thor hesitated.
"What about Midgard...?"
Understanding what Thor was trying to ask, Heimdall nodded and said, "Rest assured, she is well."
"Prince, I suggest you don't rush."
"Though the Bifröst cannot be repaired, that doesn't mean there isn't another way to reach Midgard."
"What?" Thor looked at Heimdall incredulously. "You mean that besides the Bifröst,"
"there's another way to get to Midgard?"
Heimdall's eyes glowed as he looked at Thor, then made a knowing gesture.
Thor instantly understood, turned, and left.
Shouting loudly as he departed, "Father!"
In the palace of Asgard.
Sitting on the throne of the King of Gods, Odin seemed to hear Thor's shout through the fabric of space.
He glanced at his queen beside him and smiled, saying, "He will be back soon."
"Is there anything you need to tell him?"
"Heading to Midgard again, the enemy he will face this time will not be so simple."
The queen by Odin's side smiled lightly and said, "If those two brothers don't go through these experiences, they won't be able to rule Asgard in the future, nor face the calamities that Asgard will encounter."
Although she spoke with conviction, a trace of concern still appeared on her face.
"But using Midgard as a battlefield just to train them — isn't that a bit too much?"
Odin shook his head. "The reason Midgard is becoming a battlefield this time is solely because of their own greed. They foolishly attempted to study the power of the Tesseract, an artifact they are not meant to control."
"Don't worry, Midgard will endure this challenge. And Thor and Loki will return to us."
Hearing Odin's explanation, the queen nodded in understanding.
Not long after, Thor rushed in with excitement and respect, bowing deeply to Odin and queen Frigga.
"Father! Mother!"
At Odin's signal, Frigga stood up and returned to her chambers, leaving Odin and Thor alone in the grand hall.
"Thor, what brings you here?" Odin asked.
Thor spoke eagerly, "Father, I want to know if there is any way to travel to Midgard. I wish to go and see it for myself. After I do, I promise to return to Asgard immediately!"
Perhaps fearing Odin's refusal, Thor even added this pledge to strengthen his case.
Odin pretended to deliberate before replying solemnly, "There is indeed a way to go to Earth."
Thor's face lit up with joy. "Really, Father?"
"Yes." Odin confirmed. "However, it requires preparation. By using dark magic to harness dark energy, you can be transported to Earth, but it is a one-way journey. Once you arrive, you will need to collect dark energy on your own to return to Asgard."
"How long will it take to prepare, Father?" Thor asked.
A one-way trip! Gathering dark energy! Thor was thrilled at the thought of staying on Earth a bit longer — this was even better.
Odin, of course, saw through Thor's intentions but chose not to expose him, knowing that Thor would rush back when needed.
"Go now," Odin instructed. "I'll notify you as soon as it's ready. Don't worry, it won't be long."
Thor left the hall with great excitement. Watching his son's retreating figure, a moment of comfort swept over Odin. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if an invisible hand had gripped his heart. His face turned pale, and he gasped several times to regain composure.
Clutching his chest, the discomfort slowly subsided, and a hint of fear crossed Odin's face as he murmured, "Hela, are you breaking through my seal so soon? Or could it be that Mephisto…"
Somewhere in the depths of Hell, crimson flames roared, and the terrifying heat warped the space around them.
In the center of these flames stood a woman with disheveled hair and a green robe, her expression cold as she stared at Mephisto before her.
"Hela, it seems the day you break your seal is drawing near," Mephisto said. "Do you need my help when the time comes, to strike back at Asgard together?"
Bound in dark chains, Hela looked at Mephisto with disdain. "Do you dare? If not for your current need for me, you wouldn't even step foot into this sealed domain of Odin's."
"Lord of Hell... Isn't that laughable? Hahaha…"
Hela's laughter resounded throughout the sealed realm. Despite her mockery, the usually temperamental Mephisto merely displayed a hint of displeasure, making no retort.
Others might not know Hela's true nature, but Mephisto knew all too well. The woman before him, no matter how disheveled she appeared, was a true god of slaughter — Hela, Goddess of Death, daughter of Odin.
During Odin's war with the Frost Giants, victory would have been impossible without her. Yet for reasons unknown, Odin later decided she was too bloodthirsty and exiled her. Even then, Odin led the elite Valkyrie force to capture her, but the result was disastrous. It took all of Odin's strength to seal Hela in Hell, while the once-glorious Valkyrie forces were annihilated, leaving no survivors.
Even now, with Hela sealed, Mephisto dared not act rashly. Provoking Odin was one thing; accidentally unleashing this god of death would spell true disaster.
"Hela, don't forget our deal," Mephisto reminded her. "I have weakened Odin's seal for you, and you will lend your power to my servant. The seal is already loosened, and it may have alerted Odin."
A flicker of annoyance crossed Mephisto's face. "Now, tell me how to release the power of your artifact."
Hela smirked at Mephisto's obvious fear of Odin. "I didn't tamper with anything. Your servant simply needs to fight without restraint."
Satisfied, Mephisto grinned. "Good, then I wish you success in breaking free."
"Wait, I am curious about one thing," Hela said.
"Oh? Go on."
Hela narrowed her eyes. "Who is worth you risking Odin's wrath to borrow my power? And for a mere servant at that?"
A mysterious smile played on Mephisto's lips. "You'll find out soon enough. Once this matter is resolved, if you haven't yet broken free, I'll personally unseal you."
With that, Mephisto laughed as he left the sealed domain.
Hela's brows knitted slightly as she murmured, "Could it be he's aiming to devour someone's power…?"
After mulling it over, this seemed the only plausible reason. Only such a motive could embolden Mephisto to make such bold claims about unsealing Odin's work himself.
After all, when Odin first placed the seal at his doorstep, Mephisto hadn't dared utter a word of protest.
Hela sneered. "But I won't need you to unseal me, Mephisto."
Crack…
One of the black chains binding Hela shattered slightly, causing the other chains to rattle in response.
"Odin, I'm coming for you soon!"
"I am the true king of Asgard…"
With a fierce expression, Hela clenched her fists. A chain behind her shattered completely into iron fragments before dissipating into black smoke.
…
Inside the New York police precinct office.
George was holding a document and immediately pressed the button on the phone next to him: "Get in here right now!"
"I have something very important that I need you to handle personally."
After a short while, one of George's most trusted subordinates pushed the door open. "Chief, you called for me?"
"Take this document to the state courthouse immediately and apply for a search warrant for Osborn Industries."
"And an arrest warrant for Norman Osborn!"
The subordinate took the document from George's hand and glanced at it, excitement clear in his voice as he said, "Chief, do we have substantial evidence now?"
George nodded. "Hurry, this case has been pending too long."
"Norman Osborn has been getting away for too long. It's time he faces the consequences."
"Yes, Chief!"
George watched his subordinate leave, and his mood lightened significantly. So many big cases had been piling up lately, and finally, one was about to be resolved.
However...
George's expression grew darker again. After all, behind Osborn Industries was the Green Goblin.
He was well aware of the Green Goblin's strength. Back when Spider-Woman and Iron Man joined forces, they still couldn't defeat the Green Goblin. If these mere mortal police officers encountered the Green Goblin... wouldn't they just be... easy prey?
"If only we could contact Emperor..."
George rested his chin in his hands, deep in thought, considering how he could contact Emperor.
He needed his help to capture Norman Osborn.
After thinking for a while, George still couldn't come up with a way to contact Emperor.
"Guess I'll have to take things step by step."
"Let's first get the arrest and search warrants approved."
Considering the amount of capital involved with Osborn Industries, it would be difficult to get the warrants approved in a short time.
So, George thought he still had some time to prepare.
...
In the afternoon.
The setting sun cast long shadows.
Anna drove and parked outside Alan's new apartment building. She checked the address Gwen had sent her on her phone.
"It should be here, no mistake."
Anna looked up at the building, then took a deep breath. Her gaze hardened.
"Alan..."
"What exactly is your relationship with the Emperor? I'm going to find out today!"
...
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