Ready for War

To some extent, Thor was right.

The universe was far more dangerous than Earth's people knew, and the reason Earth had avoided interstellar wars for thousands of years was Asgard. Even throughout the universe, Asgard was a legend.

"Excellent." Tony nodded. "Then why are those people daring to come now?"

"Because the Bifrost was destroyed by my brother, Thor, the Son of Odin." Loki cut in. "It was Asgard's most powerful weapon. It could not only teleport Asgard's armies to every corner of other planets, but also possessed enough destructive power to annihilate an entire planet."

All the people from Earth present wore utterly bewildered expressions.

Was destroying a planet really that simple?

"Asgard is at its weakest now. With the Bifrost destroyed, wars are breaking out throughout the Nine Realms. My father expended considerable energy just sending me here, so you can't count on Asgard." Thor paused and raised his hammer. "But I, the Son of Odin, will fight alongside you until the very last moment!"

"Well, that's, uh, thanks." Tony let out two dry laughs.

He wasn't used to this feeling, the feeling of having companions.

But he could roughly tell how bad the situation was now.

Earth had always been beset by crises. It was simply being protected.

But once something went wrong with its protectors,

Earth would have to face those covetous invaders directly.

"So I have a plan." Loki suddenly spoke, successfully drawing everyone's attention to himself. "I'll still open a portal, choose a battlefield favorable to us, and eliminate the Chitauri. That way, we can at least buy ourselves a period of peace."

This was the plan Loki had been considering all along.

Since he had decided to face his own ambitions head-on and let that lord see his courage,

he should play for