"That's really impossible!" Thor shook his head repeatedly.
"To break into the Royal City, they'd need an army no less powerful than Asgard's. Frankly, I can't think of anyone in the universe who has such an army..."
"But since the question poses it, let's assume someone in the options actually does have such an army. They lead their forces and, after a fierce and brutal battle with Asgard, reach the Royal City."
"But the Royal City has a defensive barrier! That barrier... even my father couldn't break it through brute force!"
"I don't believe anyone could cripple the Asgardian army and still have the strength to penetrate the Royal City's defenses."
"Even if they did manage to break through the defensive barrier, the Royal City is also guarded by a powerful army, and there's me, Loki, and my father!"
"Leaving Loki and me aside, my father is the most powerful warrior in the entire universe. They'd have to defeat the army within the Royal City and then, under the protection of the three of us, kill my mother."
"It's simply not possible!"
After Thor said that, everyone present also felt it was unlikely, because that was almost equivalent to trampling Asgard into the ground.
Although everyone didn't know much about the structure of Asgard, that didn't stop their understanding and comprehension.
They had all studied history and could relate to it well.
It was like those countries in the Middle Ages. If the enemy reached the Royal City and even killed the queen, wouldn't that be equivalent to the entire country being crippled?
"In other words, no matter who the enemy is, they possess the strength to destroy Asgard while fighting on Asgard's home turf! Right?" Hawkeye summarized Thor's words.
Fighting on home turf and fighting away from home were completely different situations.
It wasn't just about having military power on par with Asgard to destroy it. If both sides were fighting in equally unfamiliar places, the comparison would be valid.
But this was an invasion of Asgard!
It would require a military force far superior to Asgard's to achieve that.
"Such a force is simply impossible!" Thor declared resolutely.
If such a massive power truly existed in the universe, how could he possibly know nothing about it? It didn't make sense.
Such a vast power, even if they kept a low profile, would undoubtedly be renowned throughout the entire universe, unless they deliberately concealed themselves, and concealed themselves meticulously.
But if they were already that powerful, what would be the point of hiding?
Besides, it's not like they could hide if they wanted to, unless they completely isolated themselves, never interacting with the outside world.
"In any case, let's take a look at the options," Hawkeye suggested from the side, "See if we can glean anything."
"Dark Elves? Thor, I recall that the Dark Elves also appeared as an option in the previous round of questions. Who are they?"
Captain America looked at Thor, asking the question in a serious manner.
"When I was a child, my mother told me stories about the Dark Elves. They were born at the beginning of the universe, existing even before light! They are elves born from darkness."
Thor, under everyone's gaze, spoke eloquently, providing an introduction.
"That doesn't sound like elves at all," Hawkeye Barton quipped.
"The Dark Elves possess a terrifying weapon, the Aether. With that weapon, they can even plunge the entire universe into endless darkness!" Thor continued.
"Another extremely dangerous individual," Black Widow interjected. "It even sounds more dangerous than Thanos."
Thanos was merely a cosmic overlord, and although he invaded Earth, he still failed even after wielding all six Infinity Stones.
Moreover, everyone had seen the recordings of him fighting Tony Stark, Captain America, Captain Marvel, and other enhanced individuals.
He wasn't overwhelmingly powerful.
The Dark Elves?
Born from darkness at the dawn of the universe – just listen to that origin.
They could plunge the entire universe into endless darkness – just listen to that power.
Compared to them, Thanos seems less dangerous and powerful.
"So, what happened next?" Dr. Banner asked from the side.
"Next? My grandfather, King Bor, led the Asgardian army in a long and brutal war against the Dark Elves. They were eventually extinguished, and their weapon, the Aether, was destroyed."
Thor explained to everyone.
"So, Thor, the news of the Dark Elves' extinction is just a story you heard as a child?"
Captain America asked seriously, hinting at something.
"Yes, that's right," Thor nodded.
"Thor, if that's the case, I have some disheartening news for you. The Dark Elves might not be extinct."
After Thor confirmed, Black Widow spoke to him seriously.
This was a lesson learned the hard way!
Back then, they were all certain that Hydra was finished. But what happened? Hydra not only hadn't been wiped out, but it was even stronger than they remembered! Even S.H.I.E.L.D. was riddled with holes.
Now Nick Fury and everyone else was in a lot of trouble. They didn't dare trust anyone except for a few of them.
And this was only after a few decades!
The Dark Elves were wiped out during Thor's grandfather's time, who knew how many thousands or tens of thousands of years had passed, making it even less reliable.
"Romanoff is right!" Tony Stark nodded in agreement, adding his support, "Based on the experience of answering these questions, the events described in the options, even if they're just distractions, are highly likely to happen."
"What's more, the Dark Elves have appeared in the options more than once. They were also mentioned in the last Rainbow Bridge question!"
"Fine!" Thor nodded, acknowledging everyone's opinions. "Let's assume, then, that the Dark Elves still exist."
"So, is it possible for the Dark Elves to destroy Asgard?" Black Widow shrugged.
"The Dark Elves were wiped out by my grandfather once. Even if there are remnants left, they're just defeated dogs, barely hanging on. How could they possibly cripple Asgard? Not to mention, their weapons were destroyed!"
Thor immediately ruled out the Dark Elves.
"Thanos is a possibility!" Tony Stark turned his attention to option B. "We've all seen it; Thanos has a massive interstellar fleet, and he eventually gathered all six Infinity Stones!"
Everyone agreed with Tony Stark's words.
"I agree with Stark," Black Widow nodded in agreement. "Thanos has a powerful force that can take on Asgard's army. He himself has the six Infinity Stones, which can break through defenses even Odin couldn't penetrate! He even ended up killing your mother!"
"If he can really do that, I think it's possible."
Thor also fell silent.
He hadn't seen Thanos's fleet, but he had shared information with Nick Fury and the others before, and they had described it.
So Thor had some understanding.
Thanos's fleet did indeed have the strength to go head-to-head with Asgard's army.
And for Thanos, who possessed six Infinity Stones, it was indeed reasonable for him to break into the Royal City and defeat Odin.
After all, those were the Infinity Stones!
"You make a good point." Thor nodded after some thought, indicating his agreement.
"What about Hela? We all know how powerful she is; she crushed Mjolnir with one hand." Captain America then turned his attention to option C.
"That's right, Hela is indeed very strong. She did crush my hammer, but I don't think she's stronger than my father! At most, she's on par with him."
Thor shook his head.
"Nothing is absolute. We don't fully understand Hela's strength. What if, just hypothetically, she's actually stronger than your father?"
"After all, the only thing we know about her is that she crushed your hammer with one hand, and that's it."
Tony Stark presented an opposing, and reasonable, hypothesis.
"So, Hela is a possibility, right?"
"Hela is undecided," Captain America concluded. "Let's move on to the next one."
Their understanding of Hela was simply too limited to make any effective judgments based on it.
"Surtur? If I remember correctly, he's a figure from mythology. I can't believe he actually exists," Hawkeye Barton exclaimed, clearly impressed. "Looks like I need to re-evaluate my understanding of the world."
"I think we can rule out Surtur," Thor said, picking up the conversation. "Because Surtur's artifact, the Eternal Flame, was taken by Asgard and is kept in the vaults there."
"Without the Eternal Flame, Surtur is nothing."
"But what if Surtur has the Eternal Flame?" Tony Stark countered, his voice serious.
"I've never seen it myself, but I heard my father tell stories about my grandfather's war with Surtur. He wasn't a match for him back then."
"That's why my grandfather had my father steal the Eternal Flame, greatly weakening Surtur and allowing them to defeat him."
"Well!" Tony Stark shrugged. "That's precisely the problem. We don't know if Surtur has the Eternal Flame in the future. Maybe something happened, and he obtained it?"
"That's impossible," Thor shook his head. "The vaults of Asgard are one of the most important locations there. The Destroyer guards it, so it's impossible for anyone to break in and steal the Eternal Flame."
Of course, Thor was being too absolute. Maybe someone in the future could break into the vault, you never know what the future holds.
But this kind of question is all about probability and possibilities; nothing can be confirmed 100%.
Judging the size of the possibilities is enough.
"So, our analysis results are that options A and D can be eliminated, B is the most likely, and C is pending?" Dr. Banner summarized.
"Thor, this is a question about you. You answer it," Captain America glanced at Thor.
"Wait a minute!" Just as Thor was about to choose, Tony Stark suddenly remembered something and immediately interrupted him.
"Stark, what have you thought of?" Thor immediately asked, a little excited.
He had already seen Tony Stark's intelligence, so he was very much looking forward to what insightful opinions Tony Stark could offer.
Everyone present, not just Thor, turned their attention to Tony Stark.
"Our previous analysis was based on a single premise: that the enemy, through a direct assault, killed Thor's mother."
"But that's just a fixed way of thinking, and things aren't necessarily that simple!"
"What if the enemy didn't attack head-on, but instead struck from within Asgard? What if they infiltrated Asgard, infiltrated the Royal City, by some means? Wouldn't that be much simpler?"
Tony Stark's words immediately brightened everyone's eyes.
Compared to the idea of devastating all of Asgard, Tony Stark's hypothesis did seem more logical.
"Stark, you've hit the nail on the head!" Thor, in particular, nodded in agreement. "A whole fleet bypassing Heimdall is indeed impossible. Infiltrating spies is definitely more reasonable."
"Then the problem arises: 'Infiltrating Asgard' isn't an effective filter. Theoretically, anyone could do it."
But then, Dr. Banner shook his head.
"Indeed, theoretically, anything's possible, but we can still judge the likelihood, whether it's high or low," Tony Stark continued, elaborating.
"To infiltrate Asgard, they need to understand Asgard well enough to carry out the necessary disguise."
"Even if they didn't know before, they must have a significant advantage in investigating Asgard and gathering information about it."
"Of course, most importantly, they need an opportunity to interact with Asgard! Only then can they have a chance to sneak someone in."
"For example, Asgard going out to purchase goods, fighting wars, or engaging in external exchanges... In other words, their circles must intersect with Asgard's circles!"
Tony Stark's analysis made the previously unclear topic gradually become clearer.
"If that's the case, I think Thanos and Hela are the least likely."
Black Widow followed Stark's train of thought, saying, "One of them is a cosmic overlord, and the other is so powerful, yet Thor has never heard of them!"
"That suggests their circles rarely intersect with Asgard! They might live in a galaxy far, far away from the Nine Realms, or something similar!"
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