"You cannot breach the Ancient One's defenses, Lothar."
Thanos shook his head, flicking his right finger. The galactic map on the throne suddenly transformed into a diagram illustrating the abilities of the six Infinity Stones.
"The Time Stone, the supreme treasure of the Sorcerer Supreme lineage."
"You should be familiar with the Time Stone's effects, Lothar."
"I know, it alters the flow of time. Hela and I entered Agamotto's time training ground," Lothar nodded. That was his last trip to Midgard.
"It's more than just that."
"Altering the flow of time is merely one application of the Time Stone's power."
Thanos pointed his right index finger at the image of the Time Stone. Immediately, a simulated combat video appeared before Lothar, created by Thanos based on his own personal experience. It was definitely educational.
The scene depicted an unending battle. The virtual Agamotto, holding the Time Stone, made no attempt to defend against the virtual Thanos's attack. A dazzling flash of the blade, but the scene Lothar expected, Agamotto being split in two, didn't occur. Time seemed to rewind, and again, the virtual Thanos slowly walked towards Agamotto, greatsword in hand. This cycle repeated, endlessly.
"This is..." Lothar's pupils constricted sharply.
"A time loop."
"Anyone who hasn't transcended time is bound to be caught within it."
"And this ability isn't exclusive to Agamotto; the current Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, can also do it."
Though Lothar was powerful, this time loop technique was clearly an insurmountable obstacle for him.
"..." Lothar fell silent.
This ability was even more underhanded than Odin's spatial banishment. You couldn't defeat your opponent, yet they could still disgust you to death, and you wouldn't even realize it because you couldn't transcend time.
"Your return must have already been detected by Odin. He might even have already broken his agreement and gone to Midgard to retrieve the Space Stone."
"Tell me, Lothar, what will you do next?"
Thanos asked calmly, his hands behind his back.
"Go to Asgard."
Lothar stated his answer. He was betting that Odin was still in Asgard and didn't have the Space Stone.
"Foolish!"
Thanos admonished him without mercy.
"Are you so certain the Space Stone is still on Midgard?"
"Are you so certain Agamotto's successor isn't waiting for you in Asgard?"
"Your return caused such a commotion, Odin couldn't possibly not sense it, Lothar."
Thanos had once suffered a similar loss after receiving news of Agamotto's death, and he would absolutely not allow Lothar to make the same mistake again.
"Father..." Lothar frowned.
"Do you see that throne, Lothar?" Thanos slowly turned, standing shoulder to shoulder with Lothar, pointing to the throne atop the steps.
"One day, you will take my place on that throne and become the new master of the Black Quadrant."
"So, now, you need to learn to change your way of thinking, Lothar."
"Learn to think and solve problems like a king."
"A king's way?"
"Every king has his subordinates."
"There's no need to do everything yourself."
"Just as the Black Order serves me, The Other serves you."
"Isn't that right?"
Thanos patted Lothar's shoulder, and his figure slowly vanished before Lothar's eyes.
"The Other, then?"
...
Earth, USA, Jane Foster's house. The doorbell rang incessantly.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Coulson." Coulson, standing at the door, gestured to the people waiting in the distance, then adopted his polite, gentlemanly demeanor once more. This was his disguise as a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. With this amiable and mild-mannered appearance, Coulson had almost always completed his missions flawlessly.
Creak~
The door opened. The person who appeared before Coulson wasn't Jane Foster, the owner of the house, but a bare-chested, muscular, blonde man—Thor, the heir to the Asgardian throne.
"You again?" Thor, opening the door, looked at the man before him.
"May I come in and sit down, Mr. Thor?" Coulson raised an eyebrow. His highly deceptive appearance was his infallible weapon. The title "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s social butterfly" wasn't just for show.
"Let me guess, you've been watching Jane?" Thor showed no intention of moving aside, instead radiating a signal of danger.
"No, believe me, we don't have that many spare hands."
"I'm here because of you, Mr. Thor." Coulson's demeanor remained gentle and refined.
"Hah," Thor grunted noncommittally, then moved aside.
"Good morning, Ms. Foster."
Coulson, entering the living room, greeted Jane Foster, the Thunder God's girlfriend, with utmost politeness.
"Perfect timing, saves me the trouble of finding you." Thor plopped down on the sofa, gesturing for Coulson to come over, implicitly telling him not to bother his girlfriend with idle chat.
"Find me?" Coulson was puzzled.
"My father says, please return what belongs to Asgard."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Coulson's heart pounded. Thor's father? Odin, the All-Father?!
"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you mean."
"Are you saying we have something that Asgard needs?" Coulson parsed Thor's words.
"No, not something we need, but something that belongs to us." The tall and imposing Thor stood up and projected an image of the Space Stone before Coulson.
The Tesseract?!
As a veteran Captain America fan and a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Coulson recognized it immediately.
"Sorry, what... what is this?" Coulson asked.
"Something that will save the world." Seeing that Coulson's expression wasn't feigned, Thor retracted the Space Stone image.
"Save the world?"
"Yes, my father said a terrifying demon has returned from hell."
"Only it can re-seal that demon."
"Demon? Who?" Coulson's mood grew heavy. A terrifying demon, in the words of Odin, King of the Gods...
"They say his name is Lothar, the Son of Thanos."
...
"Take the Mind Stone in Midgard. Once you find the Space Stone, use it to open a spatial tunnel for my Chitauri army to descend."
"Succeed, and I can help you with your revenge."
In the dark, damp dungeon, Lothar, leaning back, his eyes flashing with fierce intent, tossed The Other's Mind Scepter at Loki's feet.
"Do... do I have another choice?" The dying Loki lay on the ground, struggling to look up at the man before him.
"Have your limbs broken and be sent back to Asgard." Lothar's words sent a chill down Loki's spine. Having his limbs broken and being sent back to Asgard... No! He would never allow them to see him reduced to such a state! He, Loki, needed no sympathy.
"Deal."
Loki gasped, grabbing the Mind Scepter Lothar had tossed before him.
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