God Descends! (Part One)

Asgard at night is an incomparably dazzling golden city. The rainbow of the setting sun shines on the rows of tall buildings at the horizon. Looking down from above, the classical arches cast Shade like dense combs in the sunset. Viking-style patterns and sculptures can be seen everywhere, adding a wild and passionate charm to the city.

The tavern boss was dozing off against a wooden barrel when a large man next to him took off his helmet, which was adorned with bull Helmet. The soft sound of the Helmet hitting the table startled the tavern boss. He tugged at his braided Big Beard, looked up, and saw the setting sun shining through the narrow doorway, sharp as a gleaming knife.

Outside the gate, a carriage flew low overhead, the neighing of the celestial horse echoing through the street. Many people opened their windows, watching the carriage bearing the royal insignia kick up countless plumes of dust.

Upon arriving at the bridge leading to the Asgard Palace, a tall guard, clad in golden armor and wielding an axe taller than the archway, blocked the gate with the Asgard Palace crossed weapons upon seeing someone approaching.

Loki stepped out of the carriage, and two Asgard Palace guards knelt on one knee to salute him. The clanging of their armor mingled with their deep voices. "Your Highness, welcome back."

Loki nodded, got off the carriage, and walked through the arch of the bridge.

The bridge leading to the Asgard Palace stretched as far as the eye could see. Looking down from above, Loki's figure appeared tiny compared to the towering buildings of Asgard. He passed through the Shade of archway after archway and arrived at the steps of the Asgard Palace before the radiance completely faded.

As he ascended the cascading steps, the cool spray from the fountain gently caressed his face. Spirits emerged from the fountain on the platform and bowed to Loki.

The laughter of goddesses drifted from afar. These goddesses, who had displayed great bravery on the battlefield, were now weaving garlands from laurel branches. Seeing Loki approach, one of the goddesses bowed to him and said, "Your Highness, the All-Father requests that you proceed directly to the highest reception room."

The goddess, dressed in a pure white gown, approached Loki and whispered, "The Sorcerer Supreme from Earth is also here. The God King wants you to change your clothes before you go over."

Loki smiled and nodded at her. His handsome appearance made the goddesses not far away blush, and they laughed and joked as they hid behind the fountain.

Upon arriving at the gates of the Asgard Palace, the two armored statues at the main entrance stirred, then returned to their calm upon recognizing Loki.

Stepping into the incredibly spacious and magnificent hall, dozens of pillars extend forward in succession, and the glass facing the setting sun is covered with a golden grid, cutting the Shade cast on the floor into golden fragments.

Loki walked through the hall, turned right into the corridor where two rows of lush green plants were placed. He passed through the passageway, and a pointed archway slowly opened. After Loki stepped onto it, the floor began to rise.

Loki, standing inside the elevator, looked out through the transparent elevator cabin and saw many Asgard warriors fighting in the plaza on one side of the Asgard Palace.

As night slowly falls, steaming hot roasted meat is served on trays, goddesses carry baskets of bread and fresh fruit on their heads, and children carry jugs of spring water. When the bonfire is lit, the noise grows louder, and even from such a distance, the lively atmosphere can still be felt.

Loki's busy schedule had kept him away from Asgard for a long time. When he returned, he felt that nothing had changed, yet everything seemed to have changed as well.

The elevator shuddered slightly, and the door in front of Loki slowly opened. He stepped out, his boots making a soft sound on the polished floor.

Arriving at the door of his own bedroom, two palace guards opened it for him. After Loki went inside, he looked at the unchanging bedroom and felt somewhat relaxed.

He couldn't pinpoint when it started, but he began to tire of everything there and desperately wanted to find some excitement. Yet, he also couldn't pinpoint when it started, but he began to miss the peaceful life in Asgard.

When Loki came out of the dressing room, he changed out of his travel-worn clothes and into his robes.

Asgard clothing is always inseparable from the element of armor. Even the robes are still made of light armor for the upper and lower body, except for an outer robe and cloak with intricate patterns.

Loki hesitated for a moment, then picked up his staff but didn't put on his Helmet before walking out of the room.

Loki takes the elevator again to the very top of the Asgard Palace, the residence of All-Father Odin. But Loki first encounters Queen Frigga.

The Queen of the Gods was also dressed in a blue gown, with her long hair tied back with gold jewelry. Loki walked over and bowed to her. Frigga took Loki's One Hand and said, "The Sorcerer Supreme of Earth has arrived. Several Dimensional Lords will also be coming soon."

"Your father will formally introduce you to them. I think you know what to do. By the way..." Frigga glanced at Loki and said, "Where's your Helmet? Why aren't you wearing it?"

"Never mind..." Frigga said to Loki as if she had remembered something, "Your new crown is finished. I'll have someone send it over later."

Before Loki could say anything, Frigga parted ways with him around the corner, seemingly in a hurry to attend to other matters.

Loki wanted to chase after them, but then glanced back at the direction of the reception room and finally headed back to his original destination.

When he pushed open the door, only Odin and the Ancient One were in the reception room, Loki bowed to Odin.

Odin, who was talking with the Ancient One, stopped his conversation when he saw his youngest son enter. He nodded to Loki, which made Loki feel extremely flattered.

Odin carries the fierce spirit of his early conquests of the universe. He is a powerful emperor and a stern father. Thor and Loki rarely receive affirmation from him, especially Loki.

Loki was not the kind of war hero that the Asgard liked the most. Compared to Thor, he was neither strong nor imposing enough. Although his handsome appearance made him popular with the goddesses, Loki rarely received the attention of the All-Father in formal occasions.

Or rather, when Odin was around, the two princes were always just supporting characters. When talking about military exploits, Thor would appear briefly, but it was always just a supporting character in the grand scenes. The focus of the gods was only on Odin.

Loki always felt that the God King was unfair and that he favored Thor, but when Odin, the true All-Father, paid attention to him, Loki still felt very nervous.

Where's your Helmet?

Loki did not look up; he maintained his bowing posture, glanced at Odin's expression, and then knelt down on one knee, saying, "Mother sent someone to fetch the newly made crown, but it has not yet arrived."

"The most important thing for the warriors of Asgard is their Helmet; it is a symbol of their honor." After saying this, Odin ordered the guards behind him to fetch Loki Helmet.

Loki gripped the staff tightly, his heart filled with both joy and trepidation. This was the first time he had heard Odin address him as "the warrior of Asgard."

At that moment, the Ancient One's voice came. "How is the situation in Andromeda?"

Loki glanced at Odin 'Odin expression and, finding no sign of displeasure, stood up and said to the Ancient One, "I just came back from there. The structure of Clint's planet is very peculiar; it has been transformed into a prison by those parasitic creatures."

"There were too many Symbiote living there. If I just barged in, I would definitely be discovered. So I found an opportunity to sneak in and found that the cage was indeed very sturdy. The imprisoned Knull showed no signs of being able to escape."

"Then what about his power?"

"There was indeed some leakage. I tampered with that cage, disrupting its stability, making it easier for Knull's power to break through."

"You did a great job."

As Odin's voice rang out, Loki felt his heart pounding in his chest; he had never been praised like this by the All-Father before.

"You must have noticed when the Seed of Knull's Power entered, right?" the Ancient One asked Odin from the side.

"When that Symbiote entered the Nine Realms with Knull's power, I originally wanted to intercept him directly, but then I realized that if he opened the passage and projected his power, I would gain more, so I ignored him. Later, the Agents of the Cosmos found me and wanted to enter the Nine Realms, and I knew that there would be a battle between them."

"I originally planned to wait until a portion of Knull's power was projected before severing the passage and using that power for my own purposes. Who knew that your student would come up with such a grand plan..."

Odin glanced at the Ancient One and continued, "Simply cutting off the passage and intercepting the power is no longer enough to satisfy our appetite."

"Things are developing faster than I expected," the Ancient One said with some emotion. "When I sensed a force directly attacking Earth's defense system, I had no idea who would dare to do it."

"Then, I summoned you here." Odin smiled and said, "It turns out you're an ancient relic that has been sleeping for thousands of years. But only someone like that would dare to set his sights on this place, right?"

"He caught a good time." Ancient One smiled as well. "If it were before, I would have done the same as you, waiting for him to project some of his power in before cutting off the passage."

Loki listened below, somewhat bewildered, but he didn't dare to ask. Just then, the Ancient One suddenly moved, then pulled a cell phone from her robes and said into the other end, "Really?... No, I'm fine. I'm in Asgard Palace. Do you want to come over?... Never mind, you should come over."

After hanging up the phone, the Ancient One said to Odin, "My student Strange is coming over. Could you please use the Bifrost to pick him up?"

A few minutes later, the guard led Strange to the meeting room. Seeing Strange's even more bewildered expression than his own, Loki knew that the automated question machine had arrived.

"What exactly is going on?" Strange looked around and noticed that the other three seemed confident.

"Loki, explain it to him," Odin said.

Loki was taken aback. He really wanted to say that he had been busy with business and hadn't figured out what the plan was all about.

But he was just praised by Odin, so he can't afford to mess up now, can he?

And so, the mind of this God of Trickery began to race: the Totem Prosperity Project, Knull's Power Seed, Odin sending himself to Andromeda to investigate, the arrival of the Ancient One...

Connecting all the dots, Loki quickly deduced a general outline.