Sif Arrives

The last time Loki had hurried away, he had been rushing to Jotunheim to meet the Frost Giant King—Laufey!

When Thor and his group had fought their way into Jotunheim, Loki had discovered that he was not an Asgardian, but a Frost Giant.

During the battle, the moment his skin touched another Frost Giant, his body immediately turned the exact same icy blue.

After Odin rescued them, Loki went to the armory and found the Frost Giants' Source of Power, confirming his true race.

Seeing Loki's actions, Odin had no choice but to confess:

"Actually, you are the son of the Frost Giant King—Laufey!"

Then Odin slowly explained everything.

During the great war between the two realms, Odin had stormed the Frost Giants' temple and found an abandoned child, so he had adopted him.

As for why the Frost Giant King's son had been left behind in the temple, and how Odin had later confirmed Loki's identity, Odin offered no further explanation.

Loki was furious and had a fierce argument with Odin.

Yet the heart of his accusation was that, because he was not their biological son, Odin and the queen had favored Thor all these years.

Before Odin, he seemed more like a child fighting for affection.

It was not that he was unworthy of inheriting the throne. It was merely because he was adopted that the throne had been handed to the reckless Thor.

Amid their quarrel, Odin collapsed weakly.

His lifespan was nearing its end, and he could fade away at any moment.

In the end, Odin entered hibernation in a medical pod.

When the queen rushed over after hearing the news, she comforted Loki. "We hid it from you because we did not want you to feel like an outsider. We love you just as much as we love Thor."

But how could stubborn, petty Loki possibly listen?

A nation could not go a day without a ruler. As Odin's only prince remaining in Asgard, Loki temporarily inherited the throne.

Known as the God of Mischief, Loki devised a plan in his jealousy and fury.

He first went to Earth to meet Thor and told a monstrous lie, preventing Thor from returning. Then he went to Jotunheim once again.

During Thor's coronation ceremony, it had been Loki who helped the Frost Giants sneak across the border and told them how to enter the armory. His goal had been to stop Thor's coronation.

The armory contained the Frost Giants' treasure—the Source of Power. With it, they could restore the Frost Giant race to prosperity.

So long as there was even the slightest possibility, the Frost Giants would jump in even if they knew it was a trap.

Loki got his wish, and the chaos interrupted the coronation.

The results were even better than he had expected—Thor had been exiled!

Now, he had come to negotiate with the Frost Giants, saying that he would lead them in an attack on Asgard.

Frost Giant King Laufey demanded, "You are the king of Asgard. Why would you cooperate with us?"

"Heh heh heh." Loki sneered. "As everyone knows, I inherited the throne only because Odin suddenly fell unconscious and Thor was exiled. Once my dear brother returns, the throne will have to be given back to him."

"Hahahahaha..." Laufey laughed loudly. "Do you want me to kill Thor?"

"No! I will kill Thor myself. I want you to help me put on a show."

"What kind of show?"

"You attack Asgard, then pretend to be driven back by me. That way, I can gain enough prestige to become king in name and truth."

"Hmph... If we put on this show with you, many of my Frost Giant people will have to die. What do you have that could persuade me?"

"The Source of Power!"

Laufey leaned his towering body forward and roared, "Lies! The squad that infiltrated the armory last time learned that Odin left the Destroyer there. No one can steal anything from it."

"Heh heh, have you forgotten? I am king now. The Destroyer obeys the king's orders. I will move it away..."

Frost Giant King Laufey stared intently at Loki below the platform, his thoughts racing.

The entire plan seemed perfectly reasonable. Loki would use the Frost Giants' strength to secure his throne, while the Frost Giants would reclaim their ancestral treasure, the Source of Power.

It was a win-win situation—except for Thor!

Frost Giant King Laufey never imagined that Loki had an even stranger conspiracy.

Laufey did not even know that the new king of Asgard standing before him was actually his son.

And Loki had no intention of acknowledging him as family. Instead, he watched Laufey grimly, waiting for him to take the bait.

Heimdall, guardian of the Rainbow Bridge, dearly wanted to know what Loki had discussed with the Frost Giants. Unfortunately, he could neither see nor hear anything involving Loki.

He knew Loki had found a way to block his sight.

Then it became obvious who had helped conceal the Frost Giant squad that had slipped into Asgard from his eyes last time.

But Loki was now the newly crowned king. Heimdall had neither the power nor the evidence, so he did not dare act rashly.

At that moment, Thor's close companions—Sif, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, and the other four—refused to accept Loki's rule. While Loki was away, they came to Heimdall and asked to go to Earth to find Thor.

Heimdall used the Rainbow Bridge to send the four of them to Earth.

The instant the rainbow passage opened, S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately detected powerful spatial fluctuations.

Coulson hurriedly called Apocalypse. "Mr. Tang, we have detected a new wormhole."

After thinking briefly, Apocalypse knew that Sif and the others had come to find Thor. "If four people arrive, leave them alone. Do not come into conflict with them. Tell them the person they seek is in the town."

"If it is a massive metal humanoid machine, run immediately. Run as far as you can. Leave everything else to me."

Coulson nodded gravely. "Understood!"

The wormhole opened, and a beam of rainbow light crossed the vast starry distance to descend upon Earth. The dazzling seven-colored divine radiance lit up the surroundings so brightly that no one could see clearly.

When the seven-colored light faded, a massive ancient rune appeared on the ground. Its scorching energy had burned the sand into ash-black crystals, and four people stood at its center.

The Asgardian warriors Sif, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg had arrived!

The four stepped out of the rainbow teleportation rune, while Coulson had already been waiting for them in the distance.

Coulson said, "Are you here looking for someone? The person you seek is in the town. It is fifty kilometers east of here."

Sif asked strangely, "How do you know we are looking for someone? And who are we looking for?"

Coulson said, "A powerful person told me. I am only a messenger."

"Could it be Thor?"

"No, Thor has lost his divine power. He should not count as a powerful person now."

"How can you say that about Thor? He is still our prince."

"I am merely stating the facts. It is not as if I insulted him."

Sif stopped them. "Enough, stop arguing. Once we find Thor, won't everything become clear?"

The group of four quickly reached the town.

Sif and the others' medieval attire drew countless curious looks from passersby.

Sif in particular was tall and statuesque, wearing dark yellow leather armor on her upper body and carrying a longsword. She radiated heroic spirit, while her appearance and bearing surpassed those of many major stars.

In such a remote town, no one had ever seen such an extraordinary beauty. Any man's eyes would be unable to look away from her.

Sif simply continued walking, utterly unconcerned.

To Earthlings, they were gods.

Gods had no need to care about the opinions of ants.

Thor had become something of a celebrity in town lately. After asking around a little, Sif and the others found him in a bar.

"Thor!!!"

Thor turned toward the voice, overjoyed. "Hey, is that you?! Sif, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, why have you come?"

The group embraced in a tight cluster.

Once the joy of their reunion had settled slightly, Sif said, "We want to ask you to return and become our king again. We do not trust Loki."

Thor shook his head. "Mother will not allow me to return. I cannot go back. I am not qualified."

The four of them asked in confusion, "Who said the queen would not allow you to return? She has been hoping every moment that you would come back soon."

After comparing their stories, everyone realized that Loki had told an enormous lie.

Thor was enraged!

He wanted nothing more than to return to Asgard immediately and teach his willful younger brother a lesson. Loki had actually dared toy with his elder brother like this.

At this time, Thor still regarded Loki as his younger brother in his heart. He had not realized at all just how destructive the God of Mischief could be.

But he had yet to reclaim Mjolnir and had no divine power. Returning would be useless.

"Friends, although I truly want to return, I am still not qualified."

Fandral said irritably, "Are we supposed to let Loki remain king forever? He will destroy Asgard."

Hogun said, "Before we came, Heimdall told us that Loki had gone to Jotunheim. The new king of Asgard running to the Frost Giants' lair is probably not a good sign."

After discussing it for a while, they realized they truly had no way to deal with Loki for now.

The four of them were merely subordinates. They could not openly defy Loki, and they had no justification to do so, much less remove him from the throne.

Only Odin's son—Thor himself—could openly contend for royal power.

The problem was that Thor had no divine power now. Returning might instead put him in danger.

Thor said, "Let us not worry about that for now. It is enough that Father is alive. A day or two will make no difference. Let us drink first."

"Come, let me introduce you to a friend I met on Earth—Tang Tianqi."

Only then did the four notice the Eastern man who had been standing nearby, smiling without a word.

Sif and the others politely greeted him.

Earthlings lived less than a hundred years and could not lift more than a hundred pounds. In the eyes of Asgardians, they naturally did not belong on the same level.

The fact that they had greeted him at all was already out of consideration for Thor.

Thor saw through Sif and the others' thoughts. "Do not underestimate him. I fought him once, and he gave me two black eyes."

Sif, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg were startled. Was this Eastern man really that formidable?

Then they thought about it. Thor had lost his divine power and was only a little stronger than an ordinary Earthling. Beating him was not much of an accomplishment.

But Hogun's fiery temper could not endure it. "You dared strike an Asgardian prince? You have some nerve!"