"What do I want? That's a good question."
Spreading his arms with a sly grin, Loki stepped forward and looked directly at Malekith.
"The reward I desire is simple," he said smoothly. "I want to watch Asgard burn to ashes… and then sit on its throne as the new king."
Malekith smiled coldly. "As you wish."
He raised his hands, and a surge of dark energy lifted Kai and Jane Foster into the air.
Ether particles began peeling away from their bodies, swirling between them before condensing into a pulsating orb.
The moment the last traces of Aether were extracted, Thor shouted—
"Now, Loki!"
Loki snapped his fingers, dispelling his illusion magic.
Thor's arm instantly regenerated — the "injury" had been a trick all along.
Thor summoned Mjolnir, lightning exploding across the field as he blasted the orb of Aether energy!
At the same time, the supposedly "weak" Kai suddenly shot up.
His body shimmered into photons, and he flashed toward Malekith — kicking him square in the chest before the Dark Elf leader could even react.
The lightning struck the condensed Aether, triggering a massive explosion.
The shockwave hurled everyone back several meters as Ether fragments scattered across the battlefield.
But those scattered fragments began to gather again—slowly reforming into a solid shape.
Seeing the Reality Stone beginning to condense, Malekith lunged forward to absorb it.
But Kai appeared in his path, blocking him with a confident smirk.
"The leader of the oldest race in the universe, huh? Sounds terrifying," Kai said dryly.
"Get out of my way!" Malekith roared, striking with dark energy—
But Kai sidestepped smoothly. Armament Haki wrapped around his fist as he countered with a crushing blow, slamming Malekith into the dirt!
Thor charged toward the Cursed Warrior, hammer blazing with lightning.
Meanwhile, Loki hesitated for a second—then drew his dagger and dove into battle with the Dark Elves.
"Point the gun!"
"Crack!"
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
The battlefield erupted with flashes and explosions.
Kai and Malekith's duel was ferocious.
As the ancient ruler of the Dark Elves, Malekith's power was immense — but Kai's attacks were faster, sharper, and relentless.
Whenever Malekith tried to teleport toward the Reality Stone, Kai was already there, blocking him.
Each exchange ended with the Dark Elf being pummeled again and again.
Malekith's attacks landed — but Kai's elemental body absorbed every physical hit without harm.
In return, the light on Kai's fingertips left glowing cuts all over Malekith's body.
"Speed is weight. Have you ever been kicked by light?"
With a burst of radiance, Kai's foot flashed like a comet, slamming into Malekith's chest.
Before the Dark Elf could even fly back, Kai appeared behind him, fingertips glowing and aimed for his head.
"It's too slow!" Kai smirked. "At this speed, you'll never touch me!"
Malekith snarled, drawing his twin blades and thrusting wildly.
"Oh, so that's your big move?" Kai mocked, dodging effortlessly. He grabbed Malekith's arm mid-swing, his Haki-covered hand twisting hard—
Crack!
"AHHHHHHHHHH-!!"
Malekith screamed as his wrist snapped.
"Is this the mighty leader of the Dark Elves? Too weak."
While Kai was enjoying himself, Thor wasn't having it easy.
The Cursed Warrior shrugged off his lightning, catching Mjolnir mid-strike and slamming Thor into the ground.
The creature pounded Thor again and again — until suddenly—
"Pfft!"
A blade pierced straight through the Cursed Warrior's chest.
Loki stood behind him, panting and bloodied, having impaled the monster with a Dark Elf sword.
Thor gasped, "Loki!"
But before he could even smile, the Cursed Warrior growled and — as if unfazed — grabbed Loki by the neck and drove the blade straight through him!
"NO!!!"
Thor roared in agony, hurling Mjolnir with everything he had.
The hammer smashed into the Cursed Warrior, staggering him backward.
Loki, barely standing, threw a small black device to the ground, voice trembling but resolute.
"See you in hell… monster."
The black hole grenade detonated instantly.
The Cursed Warrior howled as his massive body was sucked in and crushed into oblivion.
"LOKI!!!"
Thor dashed forward, catching his brother as he collapsed. Blood poured from Loki's wound.
Even though Loki had betrayed him countless times… this time felt different.
"Hold on, Loki! You'll be fine!" Thor said, voice breaking.
Loki smiled faintly. "Sorry… I really am an idiot."
Thor's eyes filled with tears. "It's okay, Loki. I'll tell Father what you did. You'll die a hero."
"I'm not… doing this… for him…" Loki whispered — and his body went limp.
"NOOO!!!"
Thor's anguished scream echoed across the battlefield as he cradled his brother's lifeless body.
No one knew how much time passed until Kai walked over, dragging Malekith's corpse behind him.
Jane knelt beside Thor, murmuring softly, trying to comfort him.
Kai tossed Malekith's body aside like trash, then picked up a strange bracelet from the ground — the one Malekith had tried to use in his final attack.
He pressed the newly formed Reality Stone into it.
The bracelet transformed instantly into a sleek ring inlaid with the red gem.
Sliding it onto his finger, Kai looked at Thor and asked casually, "So… you really think Loki's dead?"
Thor glanced up, eyes red. "Kai…"
"Don't forget," Kai said with a small grin, "he's your God of Mischief."
A faint light flickered at his fingertips as he crouched and reached toward Loki's forehead.
Just before the light touched—
Loki's "corpse" suddenly twisted away. "Damn it, how did you know I wasn't dead!?"
"LOKI!!!"
Thor's grief turned to rage in an instant. He summoned Mjolnir.
Loki threw up his hands and backed away, laughing. "It was just a joke, brother! You didn't seriously think I'd die for real, did you? Oh, and I did feel your sadness earlier — it was touching, really. So, maybe—"
WHAM!
Thor's hammer struck him square in the chest, launching him across the ground.
"You are the biggest asshole in Asgard!" Thor yelled.
Loki, lying flat and wheezing, burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Kai chuckled, breaking another orange in half and offering it to Jane. "You gotta admit, that was worth watching. I'll never get tired of this brotherly drama."
Jane took the orange, shaking her head with a smile. "Thanks."
Watching Thor chase Loki around, she asked, "Kai, how did you know he was faking it? I thought he was really gone."
Kai shrugged. "Just a hunch. Worst case, if I was wrong, I'd have shot a hole in his head — he's already dead, so what's one more hole?"
Jane nearly choked on her orange. "You're insane."
Kai grinned. "Takes one to beat a god."