"This dead fatty, he's my brother?"
Loki, now much more cautious, was operating a small stealth-mode flying device, no longer approaching Earth with the arrogance he once displayed. After nearly a day of careful and covert maneuvering, he finally located his idiotic elder brother. However, he never expected to find a drunken brute with a full beard and a belly resembling a six-month pregnancy. If not for the familiar aura, he would never have guessed that the fat man before him was his brother. Seeing Thor's decadent state, he felt no anxiety; instead, he experienced a strange sense of pleasure. Just as Artoria had feared, this person's heart was clearly not very kind, perhaps even wicked.
"o(￣︶￣)o, Hahahaha!"
A joyous smile spread across his face as he fully savored the downfall of his fat brother. It made him feel as high as if he were drinking Vita Lemon Tea. Just as his happiness peaked, a bolt of lightning struck him directly on the forehead, and a hammer flew right in front of him, slamming hard into his chest. He couldn't feel high anymore; in fact, he felt rather miserable. His current appearance perfectly demonstrated the meaning of schadenfreude.
"I figured it was you, my dear brother. I could smell your foul stench from a mile away."
Thor, who had been drinking, suddenly sensed a familiar presence, especially one that felt extremely malicious. He immediately sent a lightning bolt and a hammer strike. When the hammer returned, he slowly walked over, bottle in hand, and saw Loki, blackened all over and twitching on the ground. That familiar sight caused Thor's eyes to redden, and two lines of tears involuntarily traced down his face. Yet, he still spoke mockingly to Loki. This was how they had interacted over the years—a brotherhood of 'you stab me, I hammer you.' Compared to his previous state of numbness, Thor's mood was clearly much better after seeing Loki. He took a gulp of strong liquor and poured the rest directly onto Loki.
"You're still so... barbaric."
Quickly recovering from the paralysis caused by the lightning strike, Loki summoned his Staff and cast a magic spell on himself, instantly reverting his blackened appearance back to normal. After doing all this, he glared fiercely at Thor, truly wanting to stab the guy in the kidney again, wondering if a knife could still penetrate that thick layer of fat. He used to be the one plotting against his brother, but he never expected Thor to get the jump on him this time. He shouldn't have come to this world; Midgard was truly his nemesis. If he hadn't sent the Destroyer to Earth back then and had obediently remained King, would none of this have happened? Sometimes, Loki asked himself this question internally.
"That's still better than your petty tricks."
Even when called barbaric by his younger brother, Thor refused to back down. In his view, his brother's method of sneak attacking was not the behavior of an Asgardian Warrior. He glared at Loki, but unfortunately, his current appearance was nothing like a majestic Warrior; instead, he looked like a slobby fatty. His huge belly, full beard, and unkempt look were a stark contrast to his previous mighty, eight-pack physique. This behavior did not make him look more imposing; rather, it gave him a comical resemblance to a large penguin.
"I say, big brother, you look way too much like our Father now. You're just missing an eye patch."
Loki smiled and poked Thor's belly with his Staff. As he did so, Thor's stomach jiggled like a water ripple. From beginning to end, Loki carried an air of superiority and mockery. Even though he was smiling, the malice radiated from his bones. That wicked smile made Loki look extremely punchable, and in the next moment, he stopped smiling because Thor actually stepped up and punched him, knocking him to the ground.
"Damn it! Don't think I'm afraid of you. Today, I'm going to let you know who the King of Asgard really is!"
Having been hit for the second time, Loki, who was not known for his good temper, pulled out his small knife, intending to perform a kidney-cutting operation on Thor first. Thor wasn't intimidated either. The two thousand-year-old 'big children' began brawling on the ground, looking like a pair of lunatics. Their actions wouldn't necessarily alarm the people in the small town, but unfortunately, there were surveillance cameras on this street. Artoria, knowing Thor was in this location, had already instructed Saturday to constantly monitor Thor's surroundings. This behavior immediately triggered Saturday's alert, and she began reporting the situation to Artoria.
"How old are these two guys? Why are they still acting like children? But it looks like things are improving for Thor."
With Saturday's report and the video, Artoria saw everything clearly: Loki had come to Earth. Although she didn't know his purpose, Artoria was certain that nothing was wrong with Asgard. All of this was meant to temper Thor and Loki in the future. This meant they must have relocated elsewhere. As for where, Artoria didn't know and didn't need to know. Now, she only needed to focus on how to fight Thanos. As long as the power to fight Thanos wasn't diminished, everything else was fine. The assembly work on the Hyperion was complete. She now needed to properly teach Wanda how to use her power—the power capable of fighting Thanos one-on-one. If possible, Wanda killing Thanos wouldn't be a bad outcome.
"Odin, what game are you playing?"
Unbeknownst to Artoria, Thanos and his subordinates were currently standing on the land of the abandoned Asgard. Although Odin and his people had long since moved away, the initial protective shield and the automatic enemy interception system they left behind were still intact, as these items held little value for removal. However, the presence of these systems prevented malicious individuals from brazenly approaching Asgard, which was why the interior of Asgard was still relatively complete. But Thanos's side was strong enough, and Thanos himself was bold enough to charge straight in, destroying the defensive measures instantly. Standing before the beautiful Heavenly Palace, Thanos still couldn't figure out what game Odin was playing.
"My Lord, we have located the Vault."
Thanos and his subordinates looked around the Heavenly Palace. There was nothing—it was completely empty. It looked like they had moved out a long time ago, but only Odin knew the exact time. Thanos was not interested in anything related to the Heavenly Palace. He desperately wanted to know if Odin had taken the Infinity Stones and if they were still there. He regretted handing the Infinity Stones over to Loki of Asgard back then; otherwise, he wouldn't be in this situation of 'losing both people and wealth.' Now, even obtaining a single Infinity Stone was difficult, as he had no idea of their whereabouts. Just as Thanos was pondering, his subordinate quickly ran over to report, which slightly lifted Thanos's spirits. However, this feeling wouldn't last long.
"Truly, nothing is left."
Opening the 'Vault,' which was so empty that not even a single rat hair remained, Thanos, who had held a sliver of hope, was now speechless. This was truly frustrating, like playing a treasure hunt game only to find that the final chest contained no gold coins—it was profoundly disappointing! But Thanos was who he was; his emotions only fluctuated slightly before he turned to leave. As he walked, he suddenly sensed something was wrong: the space beneath the Vault was hollow. Immediately understanding what to do, he raised his fist and smashed down hard. The ground instantly collapsed, and he and his subordinates fell through.
"This is...?"
Ebony Maw used Telekinesis to levitate Thanos and the others who were falling, suspending them in mid-air. They were like people standing on a transparent floor, looking down at the massive, dark space below. Ebony Maw glanced at a foot soldier, who immediately took out a Flare and tossed it down. Under Ebony Maw's Telekinesis, the Flare illuminated the area like a floodlight. They all saw clearly what was below: skeletons clad in Asgardian battle armor.
"Bring all of them onto the ship."
Just as Ebony Maw was about to ask Thanos what he intended to do, Thanos stared intently at the Giant Wolf Skeleton lying in the center. A smile appeared on his face, and he immediately ordered his subordinates to begin moving them. No one knew what he planned to do with these skeletons, but they all started working as commanded by their Master.
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