New King

The power of thunder and fire raged within Thor's body, and amidst an indescribable, intense pain, Thor's will rose ever higher, the conflict intensified, and the faster it climbed.

Just as Thor was about to break through the barrier of Single Universe, the fusion of lightning and fire was completed, and a new power of light appeared within Thor body.

With the combined power of cosmic thunder and the fire of civilization, the God of Light, Thor, was born.

The primordial lightning of the universe fell into his hands, merging with the spear, while the flames of civilization rested on his shoulders, becoming a flowing cloak.

Thor floated in the sky, a dazzling halo behind him. He wielded lightning in one hand and fire in the other, and like the declaration of the Asgard gods upon assuming their divine office, Thor's voice echoed throughout the universe:

"I will wield the first thunderbolt in the universe to ignite the flame for all civilizations. I am the pioneer in the darkness and the guardian in times of prosperity. I will be in charge of all the light in the universe. Thunder, fire, and light will be bestowed upon me, and the past, present, and future will become one."

"As long as the light remains... I will remain forever."

In the Nine Realms of Asgard, all the Asgard looked up and heard the oath, and with the oath sprouted new branches of the World Tree.

Then leaves danced, flames rose, and all the Asgard knelt down as they heard the deep voice of the All-Father, Odin, from his sleeping palace. "The New King."

"The New King?"

"The New King..."

"The New King!"

In the dark and desolate Netherworld, a female figure draped in the River Styx let out a faint sigh, "... The New King."

A wisp of cold smoke rose slowly from the Death Qi landscape, the white smoke thinning ever thinner. As the incense stick rose, ash fell, and the soft clatter of chess pieces landing on the board echoed in the room. Ancient One sighed, "It seems Asgard is about to have a powerful New King."

Strange sat across from her and asked, "So Loki came to you asking you to take him to Planet Sakaar for this?"

"It's not just Loki, it's also Odin's idea. If Odin hadn't agreed, I wouldn't have let his two sons go so far away to cause trouble."

Strange placed a piece and asked, "So you knew all along?"

Ancient One shook her head and said, "Odin knew the Truth Ragnarok all along."

What is that?

"Asgard has taken too much from the universe, and one day they will have to pay it back. Ragnarok is their way of paying back the debt they have owed to the universe."

Ancient One shook her head slightly again and said, "The strength of the gods is not without reason. They are also borrowing money, but their creditors are much more powerful."

"I remember you once mentioned that Ragnarok was inevitable, is that true?"

Ancient One sighed and said, "This has nothing to do with humanity. It is the Destiny of the gods, and there is no way to avoid it."

"But now, Thor has a new divine office..."

Ancient One shook her head again and said, "The God of Light is not a new divine office. Odin's true eldest son, Baldur, was once the God of Light."

Ancient One's tone revealed a hint of doubt as she said, "Thor's inherited God of Light is a bit strange. Baldur's God of Light represents spring and joy, and is also the god of budding and new life, but Thor has nothing to do with this divine office."

"Moreover, even if he were to be promoted to a true god, he should inherit the divine office of the God of Thunder, not the God of Light."

Ancient One picked up a chess piece and said, "In Asgard, the divine office of the God of Light is far inferior to that of the God of God of Thunder. Moreover, compared to the divine office of the God of Light, isn't the power of the God of God of Thunder, which Odin left to him long ago, easier to obtain?"

The Grandmaster was equally puzzled. Although he had some understanding of the Asgard divine system, he was too far away from Asgard to know the difference between the God of Light and the God of Thunder. He only knew that Odin was the God of Thunder, so his son should also be the God of Thunder. Why did it seem like they had changed the divine office?

Thor landed very ordinary, showing no trace of the almost divine power he had displayed during his earlier outburst. Only the flashing lightning on his spear indicated that his power had been restored.

"You've been promoted?" the Grandmaster asked Thor.

"Almost," Thor shrugged. "I hit that barrier."

"That's a huge difference." The Grandmaster curled his lip and said, "In that case, I don't want to cause you any trouble, and you shouldn't cause me any trouble either. Anyway, you can't kill me."

"But you hurt Loki."

"I hurt him???" The Grandmaster raised his voice, "He conspired with Mephisto to swindle a huge sum of money from me, and he still dares to come to me! I'm already being lenient with your father by not killing him!!"

Thor scoffed, "It's as if you could defeat the All-Father."

"Hmph." The Grandmaster snorted coldly, "You underestimate me, and you overestimate Odin. I'm not going to bother with him, simply because Asgard is destined to one day..."

He paused here, didn't continue, then opened a portal and left, clearly accepting his defeat.

Thor's spear vanished in a flash of lightning, and he walked to Loki's side.

Loki had woken up. He was lying on the ground, staring blankly at the sky. When he saw Thor walking over, Loki turned his gaze to him.

Thor looked down at Loki, his shadow falling over him. Loki looked away and said, "What are you going to do? Beat me up, like I did after I tricked you before?"

"No." Thor's expression was calm. Loki frowned and struggled painfully in place, but he couldn't move at all. After losing his divine power and divine authority, such a serious injury left him with no room to move.

He saw Thor squat down, untie the chain from his wrist, then tear off the iron chain and put the iron ring that was fixed to his wrist on his own wrist.

Then, Thor used that hand to grab the spear that had transformed into lightning and thrust it into his own shoulder.

Blood splattered on Loki's face, and he stared wide-eyed at Thor.

Thor frowned, a fleeting look of pain crossing his face. He braced himself on his knees and looked at Loki, saying, "I apologize for neglecting you, and for everyone in Asgard who has been overlooked because they were not strong enough or able to fight."

"Our civilization should not consist only of violence and destruction. The fault lies not with the world, but with us."

"I shouldn't only have eyes for battle achievements and honors. It's not only when you are wounded on the battlefield that you can be considered Asgard."

"If the corrupt dogma has seeped into the very marrow of every Asgard ..." Thor threw down his spear, touched the wound on his shoulder with his other hand, blood trickling from between his fingers, and said, "...this scar and these chains will serve as a constant reminder of the price of shortsightedness."

Loki squeezed his eyes shut, turned his head to one side, and showed a look of resentment on his face. He grabbed the soil with One Hand, but after squeezing it tightly, he couldn't hold onto anything.

Thor looked directly at Loki and said, "I don't believe Ragnarok is inevitable. I must lead Asgard out of this Destiny, so I need your help. I beg you, Loki..."

Loki pursed his lips, his chest heaving violently, clearly in great pain.

He discovered that whenever he received the answers he wanted, or rather, thought he wanted, he was filled not with joy, but with more resentment.

Thor bowed to him, apologized, and even begged for his help, but Loki felt no joy whatsoever.

Because of this, Thor truly became the rightful heir to Asgard.

Loki never believed that the blindly arrogant Thor of the past was worthy of his status; he mocked, scorned, and disdained him.

But when Thor truly became worthy of his position, Loki felt a deep resentment. If Thor was good enough, then he would become a clown who lurked in the shadows, only capable of scheming and plotting.

The fact that Thor was unworthy of his status was the best excuse Loki used for his ugly pranks. But when Thor became worthy of his status, Loki found that he was not as magnanimous as Thor, and he was unwilling to sincerely repent.

He discovered that he was far more despicable Thor. He had used every means and tried every method, but he still lost. In terms of blood ties, family affection, ability, and magnanimity, he lost completely.

Seeing that Loki did not answer, Thor said, "I swear to you, past, present, and future, I will always forgive you..."

Thor's final words pierced Loki's heart like a sharp sword.

"If Ragnarok is truly inevitable, at least I can guarantee that I will die before you, my brother."

After the storm subsided, the dark clouds over Planet Sakaar disappeared, and the atmosphere, split open by lightning, let in even stronger sunlight. The intense light made Loki wonder if he was shedding tears.

But in the end, on the desolate, ruined land, the young prince's voice drifted away on the wind, fading into the distance.

"... the New King."

Bonus chapter for 10,000 monthly votes

Exhausted to the point of vomiting blood

I haven't even finished my own work yet; I'll probably have to stay up all night.

Hello everyone! (laughs)

Fun-seeker eventually become good at making others laugh.

I understand.