Asgard, in a side hall of the Royal Palace, Frigga wearily retracted her divine power.
The Bifröst, as Asgard's core weapon, bore the dual responsibilities of transporting armies and serving as a star-destroying weapon.
Bypassing the physical integrity of the Bifröst bridge and directly harnessing its power through dark magic imposed an immense burden on the user!
Even with Frigga and Odin sharing the strain, Frigga was already utterly exhausted.
She gasped twice, her gaze heavy as she looked toward the distant sky, then somberly walked toward the royal treasury.
No one knew that child better than she did. If her calculations were correct, she would find Loki in the treasury!
Thus, Frigga bypassed the palace maids and everyone else, entering the treasury alone.
She had barely arrived when Loki appeared before her!
Blue light flickered, the Space Stone's energy vanished in an instant, and Loki wore his usual mischievous smile, confidently scanning his surroundings.
Unfortunately, that confidence vanished within seconds.
"Mother?!?!"
He furrowed his brow, greeting her while walking toward Frigga with confusion.
"It's been a while. You're as radiant as ever, which truly makes me happy.
But why are you waiting here? Do you want to see firsthand how your rebellious son destroys the realm Odin cherished most?"
"Call him Father, child. He is your father!"
Frigga struggled to remind him, but Loki paid no heed to her words.
He merely shrugged indifferently, brushing past Frigga and heading to where the Casket of Ancient Winters was stored.
The artifact he had once used to freeze Heimdall now lay quietly on the display stand, as it always had.
Loki picked it up, his voice tinged with regret.
"Unfortunately, this realm remains unchanged, even after millennia!
They are barbaric, arrogant, dismissive of wisdom, and value brute strength.
They are proud, conceited, unchanging, and unwavering until death.
There are some virtues here, but compared to their flaws, those virtues are almost imperceptible.
Like this weapon—it has the power to destroy all of Asgard, yet their pride prevents them from sealing it away completely!"
At this, Loki turned slightly, aiming the Casket of Ancient Winters at his mother.
"Odin doesn't love me, the people of this realm don't love me, the army doesn't love me, and the warriors don't love me!
I've worked harder than anyone, I can do better than anyone, but whenever I show my ambition for that throne, they only sneer.
Even if I ascend through intellect, they scorn me, resist me, and cheer for my future failure.
Prejudice is like a mountain, Mother!"
As he spoke, Loki activated the Casket of Ancient Winters, freezing Frigga's body solid.
Yet Frigga offered no resistance, and Loki ultimately did not seal her away completely.
Frigga's exposed head suddenly smiled, her gaze softening as she looked at her son.
"I know you won't hurt me, child."
"That's because I know you won't hurt me either, Mother!!!"
Gazing at his ever-kind mother, Loki suddenly erupted.
His expression crumbled, his tone growing sharper!
"Do you know, Frigga, as a child, I loved you most because I felt that in all of Asgard, only you truly cared for me!
But now, you've become the source of my greatest pain!
You know I've always been rejected by this realm, you know I hate them as I would an enemy, yet your love traps me between destroying it and forgiving it, unable to escape!!!
If you had never loved me, I would die in peace, for then, whether alive or dead, I would have true value!
If I destroyed this realm while alive, that moment would be my lifelong joy and honor!
And if I died in rebellion, I could face death calmly, knowing I hadn't lived in vain, without feeling guilty toward you as I do now!
But it's because of you that I can't fully commit to revenge while alive, nor reflect peacefully after death.
Especially, no matter how much pain your existence causes me, I can't forget your love for me!"
At this, Loki turned away, refusing to look at his mother again.
He couldn't bear to see Frigga's tearful eyes.
Without looking back, he said to her one last time:
"This time, I'm destined to succeed, for I've found an incredibly powerful ally.
Not Thanos, but a great native god of Midgard.
I'll kill Odin to prove my ability and show him his mistakes.
But I won't destroy Asgard—I'll even protect it, as you've always hoped!
If this painful, twisted heart is what you wanted, you've succeeded.
Never being loved isn't true pain. What truly tears me apart is that I must avenge myself against those who never loved me, and in doing so, betray the only one who did—you!"
Having spoken these resolute words, Loki quietly left the palace. The moment he stepped through the gates, the Casket of Ancient Winters in his hand erupted.
Endless frost swiftly engulfed every corner of the palace, instantly freezing Asgard's most glorious hall into a delicate work of art!
Simultaneously, Loki retracted the Casket and retrieved the Tesseract.
In an instant, unlike the frost, the spatial power of the Tesseract surged.
The space-destroying vortex expanded, and fifteen Chitauri Leviathan warships suddenly appeared in Asgard's skies!
Heimdall, rushing toward the scene, halted abruptly. After a brief assessment, he wielded his sword and charged toward the warships.
In his eyes, the palace was already lost. His most crucial task now was to stabilize Asgard's civilians.
Whether in Midgard or Asgard, civilians and hearts were the most important!
As for Loki…
After completing these tasks, he aimlessly arrived at the palace gates, leaning against the thick ice wall and slumping to the ground, all composure gone.
In the distance, the Chitauri battled the remaining palace guards and Asgardian civilians relentlessly.
But Loki paid them no mind.
He was waiting—for someone, or a group, to return.
With the Bifröst still unrepaired, how much force could his hated father, Odin, muster through teleportation?
…
On Earth, at the United Nations, the five permanent members of the Security Council argued endlessly over the impending war.
Of course, the so-called argument was primarily the other four ganging up on the U.S.
Undoubtedly, with each nation possessing powerful intelligence systems, no secret remained truly secret.
Everyone knew why the aliens were attacking.
Wasn't it because of the destructive weapons experiments conducted on U.S. soil?
Specifically, experiments on the Tesseract!
The U.S. had little to explain, and after the brief meeting, they could only bid farewell to the other ambassadors with unprecedented humility.
Though the UN meeting ended, each nation's work had just begun.
Interests might compete between nations, but in the face of species survival, nothing else mattered.
Nearly all mobilizable armies were urgently assembled, and within half a day, the world's nations were ready!
They awaited the outcome of the inexplicable war in the skies.
Meanwhile, Heisenberg had bid farewell to the Ancient One and others, resting alone in the courtyard.
It was 7:20 PM Earth time. Dr. Erik Selvig awaited the election results two hours later, while Agent Hill led her team, enduring pressure from both the UN and the U.S. government.
After all, the alien invasion was due to SHIELD's research on the Tesseract—a responsibility Hill and SHIELD couldn't escape.
As for Asgard, it had to be said—Asgard was truly in ruins.
Though only fifteen Chitauri Leviathans had invaded, and the warriors they brought numbered no more than eight thousand,
Asgardians never left many guards behind.
Even with Heimdall leading the few guards in relentless combat, nearly destroying all fifteen Leviathans, they couldn't prevent the immense damage to Asgard.
Flames raged in the city below the palace, screams and fleeing cries echoed endlessly.
Heimdall clearly saw the remaining Chitauri warriors systematically charging toward the refugees.
He and his warriors were still held back by the stubborn Chitauri soldiers.
They could indeed defeat these foes, but time was of the essence.
The city could be damaged, buildings rebuilt, but Asgard's civilians couldn't all perish.
No matter the cost, he couldn't let those people suffer unacceptable harm!
After eight hours of struggle, Heimdall had to admit—he needed reinforcements!
…
Meanwhile, in the heavens above.
Thor wielded his fists, relentlessly tearing apart Chitauri warriors crashing onto Odin's flagship!
Yes, he fought with his bare hands, not his hammer!
Unlike before, when he wielded Mjolnir to dominate the cosmos, destroying enemy ships,
he now fought like a berserker, dealing with small groups of enemies boarding their flagship.
Only now did Thor realize his weakness. Without his damn hammer, he couldn't even pilot a ship to destroy the Chitauri vessels like his friend Volstagg and the others!
Once, he relied on Mjolnir to conquer the Nine Realms, never bothering to learn ship combat systematically.
Now, the roaring ships in his hands were barely controllable—like a freshly licensed driver, capable of driving but not racing!
Yet, this very realization marked Thor's growth. He suddenly discovered a blind spot he'd never noticed before: his entire existence seemed built upon his hammer!
But realizing this only now was perhaps too late.
At that moment, Heimdall's voice reached Odin's ears:
"Your Majesty, the Chitauri have assaulted the palace. It's likely Loki's scheme. The battle is uncontrollable, and civilians are in peril!"
"Hmm!"
Odin nodded heavily, then deeply gazed at Thor battling on the ship.
"Sending you now to face your brother, who's abandoned everything to betray you, would mean defeat.
So, I leave this to you, Thor!"
Odin whispered, then fiercely thrust Gungnir.
In an instant, he and his guards vanished.
The battlefield now belonged to Asgard's future king…
and the more rational legion commanders.