Ambush

"Nothing. Thor is Asgard’s king. If he is willing to fulfill his responsibilities, I will return the throne to him."

Valkyrie shook her head. "In the end, I’m only a Valkyrie, not a king."

Wang Bert said, "To be honest, I find it hard to understand you Asgardians. Where I come from, there’s a saying: ‘Are kings and nobles born different from the rest of us?’"

"Maybe it’s because we live longer. You know, when people get old, their thinking tends to become conservative."

Valkyrie smiled. "Of course, more importantly, Asgard is a complete mess. Every day it’s either fishing or eating fish. The smell of fish makes me nauseous now."

Everyone laughed. Asgard’s current situation was truly far from optimistic. Thor leaving at a time like this was not open-mindedness—it was passing the buck.

At that moment, a hologram appeared across from them. It was Old Tony. The instant Hawkeye saw him, he cursed, "Traitor!"

Falcon shouted, "Tony Stark, we will kill you and avenge Captain!"

Old Tony sneered. "No matter how you run, you will never escape my grasp. The future does not need Super Heroes. You have been eliminated."

"You’re the one who’s been eliminated—"

Falcon was about to curse him out, only to realize no sound came from his mouth. His physical body turned toward the young Tony beside him and asked, "What’s going on?"

Tony said, "That guy muted us. Don’t worry, I’ll crack it right away."

Everyone suddenly understood and collectively raised their middle fingers at Old Tony. That bastard was too shameless. He had actually cheated.

Old Tony could not be bothered with Hawkeye and the others. He looked at Wang Bert and said, "Blood God, what happens in this universe has nothing to do with you. You should leave."

Wang Bert used telepathy to say, "Old Tony, they are my friends, and so are you. Don’t keep making the same mistake."

"I am not wrong. This is the only way to protect Earth."

Old Tony spoke stubbornly. He could not allow Earth to continue like this.

"Old Tony’s idea isn’t actually wrong. His mistake is that he’s too radical."

Wang Bert said to the others, "Things that would take ten years, or even a hundred years, to accomplish—he wants to finish them in a few months. That is impossible. Even I spent years shaping Earth into what I wanted."

Dr. Banner said, "I don’t know exactly what Old Tony experienced, but it is obvious that he suffered an enormous shock."

"I have no interest in what shocked him. All I know is that he killed Captain and Spider-Man. He must pay with his life!"

Falcon said bitterly. Everyone nodded. If Old Tony had not killed Captain and the others, there might still have been room for discussion. But now, the nature of things had changed.

Tony Stark was a genuine supervillain.

Before long, Tony successfully broke Old Tony’s lockdown. But no one could be bothered cursing him anymore. They quietly watched the arena, waiting for Thor and Loki’s battle.

In the arena, hearing the cheers around him, Loki cursed, "Again. They only ever support you, the eldest prince. They have always ignored me, the Second Prince. Forget that I’m not Odin’s biological child—even if I were, Odin still would not have chosen me to be king."

"Asgardians worship strength and valor. I may not have much brains, but I can fight. Of course they support me."

Thor walked up to Loki and said, "Forget that I’m Odin’s biological son. Even if I weren’t, they would still support me. That is Asgard."

"I know. I challenged you today to prove that I am stronger than you."

Loki said, "Thor, you and I are different. When you encounter trouble, you only know how to run away. I think. I think about why I keep losing.

"In the end, I figured it out. I kept failing because I relied too much on intelligence and neglected strength."

Thor shook his head. "Uh, I don’t want to interrupt you, but you have no intelligence. You only have schemes. True great wisdom should be like Blood God’s."

Loki’s face darkened slightly. Ignoring Thor, she continued, "Thor, I will defeat you openly and fairly. Only then will the Asgardians truly acknowledge me as the ruler of Asgard."

"If you can really defeat me, I would be happy to give you the throne."

Thor smiled. "By the way, have you figured out how to rebuild Asgard?"

Valkyrie rolled her eyes in the stands. I may not care about the throne, but I’m the king now. Are these two former princes seriously ignoring me this much? Loki said matter-of-factly, "No. We can talk about that after I defeat you. I successfully developed the Frost Kingdom. Rebuilding Asgard definitely won’t be a problem."

Thor smiled. "Just as expected. What you really care about is not the throne. What you really care about is beating me and showing off. You really have not changed since childhood."

"What is that tone supposed to mean? Are you Odin reincarnated?"

Loki raised her hand. "Enough nonsense, Thor, Son of Odin. Let us begin."

"Fine, Loki, Daughter of Odin. In Odin’s name, we shall officially begin this battle. The winner will become Asgard’s new king."

Lightning flashed in Thor’s eyes. Then he raised his hand, and Stormbreaker appeared in his grasp out of thin air. He shouted as electricity crackled all over his body, like the incarnation of thunder itself.

"Thor!"

The audience erupted in cheers. Loki sneered and said, "Ever since I was little, I have envied you for having Thor’s Hammer. Now, I have one too."

As Loki spoke, the Reality Stone in her left hand glowed. Immediately afterward, a Thor’s Hammer appeared in her hand. She raised it high, and immense lightning burst from her body. Her aura was not the least bit weaker than Thor’s.

The audience was utterly stunned. Loki could actually lift Thor’s Hammer? And use its power?

"That’s impossible. How could Thor’s Hammer acknowledge you?"

Thor asked in astonishment, "There is not a single thing about you that meets Thor’s Hammer’s requirements."

"Are you insulting me? Thor, go to hell!"

Loki swung the hammer, smashing it toward Thor with dazzling lightning. Thor raised Stormbreaker to block it. With a boom, lightning exploded and spread wildly in every direction.

Thor was stunned. "It really is Mjolnir!"

"Of course it is Thor’s Hammer!"

Loki did not waste time. She swung the hammer and smashed it toward Thor again and again. Thor counterattacked somewhat clumsily. The two exchanged blows fiercely, and the scattering lightning even melted the ground.

"Great fight!"

The audience generously applauded. Thor and Loki had fought many times, but without question, this was the most exciting one. This was the battle Asgardian princes should have—displaying their courage and strength through absolute violence.

Wang Bert said, "Although Loki is a comic-relief character, her close-combat ability is not bad."

"After all, she grew up in Asgard."

Valkyrie nodded first, then said, "But she is still far inferior to Thor. Once Thor adapts to her attacks, she will immediately get beaten senseless."

Thinking of something, Valkyrie sighed. "If this were Thor from five years ago, he could have instantly killed Loki with one move."

"Loki’s true strength is not the hammer, but the Infinity Stones. This battle is far from over."

Wang Bert smiled. At that moment, he noticed Black Widow was absent. Frowning slightly, he sent a message to Nick Fury. "Where is Natasha?"

"I know what you are worried about. Don’t worry, I’m not that despicable."

Director Fury replied, "I merely had Natasha go talk to her. If she is unwilling, Natasha will not do anything."

Wang Bert said, "That is for the best. Don’t forget, you are Super Heroes."

"The situation has not reached that point yet."

Director Fury said quietly. If the situation truly reached that point, he would do anything. He had never been a righteous man. He was Earth’s guardian.

"Thor, go die!"

Inside the arena, Loki leaped high into the air, swinging Thor’s Hammer as she slammed down at Thor amid a sky full of lightning.

"Good!"

Thor gripped Stormbreaker tightly and swung with all his might. A massive bolt of lightning blasted toward Loki in the sky, warping even the void before it.

At that moment, another Loki suddenly appeared behind Thor and viciously stabbed a dagger into his lower back. At the same time, the mighty Loki in the sky vanished along with Thor’s Hammer.

"Loki!"

Thor flew into a rage. Lightning burst from his body, crackling toward Loki. Loki smiled disdainfully as the Space Stone in her hand glowed, taking her away in an instant.

"Loki, you are too despicable!"

The audience broke into boos. Wang Bert shook his head. "Loki is still the same old Loki. She has not changed at all."

Valkyrie slapped her forehead. "I must have lost my mind to think Loki would become a fierce warrior. That woman has always been a Viper."

"And a Viper with no sense of restraint. Thor has lost both his kidneys. The only one suffering will be him."

Ant-Man said lewdly. Everyone burst into laughter. Wasp, Hope, rolled her eyes at Ant-Man. That guy’s mind had never been normal.

In the arena, Thor clutched his lower back and angrily asked Loki, "Loki, didn’t you say you would defeat me openly and fairly? Why did you ambush me again?"

"Of course. If I don’t ambush you, am I still Loki?"

Loki said matter-of-factly, "Everything before that was just to fool you. I don’t want to defeat you. I want to kill you. Kill you in one-on-one combat. Only then can I truly become the ruler of Asgard."

As Loki spoke, her body rapidly swelled and turned green. In the blink of an eye, she became Green Loki.

That was right, Loki had gone green! Everyone stared in astonishment before turning to Dr. Banner. Wang Bert asked, "Banner, could Loki be your long-lost little sister?"

"My Hulk bloodline did not come from my parents."

Dr. Banner complained. "I don’t understand what is happening either, but what Loki has is indeed Hulk blood."

"It is probably related to the Reality Stone. Before she transformed, the Reality Stone flashed."

Tony said, "But using the Reality Stone comes at a price. Thor’s Hammer and Hulk blood are both extremely precious treasures. Why is Loki completely fine?"

Wang Bert said, "Maybe she used the Reality Stone at the cost of Infinity Stones. Right now, the one thing she does not lack is Infinity Stones."

"Loki, invincible!"

After transforming, Loki became not only stronger but also more violent. She roared and smashed her fist down at Thor like a giant hammer. The void immediately caved in. Everyone was secretly alarmed. This was undoubtedly genuine Hulk blood.

Thor did not dare be careless. Drawing lightning to himself, he swung his axe at Loki. At the same time, he kept part of his attention behind him so Loki could not ambush him again.

Boom! Loki’s fist collided directly with Thor’s axe. Airwaves surged, and both Loki and Thor were sent flying backward.

Loki landed on the ground, braking herself rapidly with her fingers. Then she growled and charged toward Thor with a series of booming steps.

Thor was huge and rather clumsy. He had only just climbed up from the ground when Loki’s fist arrived. He hurriedly raised his axe to block.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Loki’s fists struck Thor’s axe again and again. Thor kept retreating, every step leaving a deep crater in the ground.

The audience cheered once more. This was the battle they wanted to see. Wang Bert and the others could not help sighing at the strength of Hulk blood. It had actually turned even Loki into a fierce warrior.

At that moment, Thor revealed an opening. Loki grabbed his leg and wildly slammed him from side to side. Bang! Bang! Bang! Clouds of dust burst from the ground.

Finally, Loki hurled Thor away with all her strength, then clenched both fists and roared at the audience. She was indescribably exhilarated and savage. The audience applauded one after another, making Loki even more excited. She loved this feeling.

"Loki!"

At that moment, Thor flew up from the ground amid lightning. He roared, and the sky suddenly darkened as countless lightning snakes writhed madly through the storm clouds.

Thor then drew the lightning from above into Stormbreaker. After that, he hurled Stormbreaker at Loki with all his might, carving a straight black line even through the void.

At that moment, another Loki appeared out of thin air behind Thor and viciously stabbed a dagger into Thor’s lower back.

That was right, his lower back again. Last time had been the left side; this time was the right. Asgardians, like humans, only had two kidneys. In other words, Thor was finished.

Thor crashed to the ground. Loki teleported to the side and elegantly bowed to the audience, looking exceptionally poised.

"Damn it, again?"

Unfortunately, the audience was not buying it. They clutched their kidneys as they booed. This Loki truly refused to change. Not even Hulk blood could turn her into a true warrior.

Dr. Banner said, "Loki does have some skill. At the very least, she has not been controlled by rage and still retains her own style."

Valkyrie snorted. "She can stay calm because she is cold-blooded."

Loki asked with a smile, "Thor, how many more daggers can you take? I told you, today I will kill you."

"Loki!"

Thor barely climbed to his feet. He cursed, raising his hand to summon Stormbreaker. At that moment, Loki grabbed Stormbreaker. Then the Mind Stone in her hand glowed, and Stormbreaker immediately slipped beyond Thor’s control.

"A king’s weapon! Odin truly was biased. He gave you two king’s weapons, but he never gave me anything."

Loki grabbed Stormbreaker and leaped high into the air. Then she swung the axe down at Thor with all her might, carrying countless bolts of lightning.