Apocalypse and the others flew at high speed within the rainbow light. Beyond the Bifrost, countless stars glittered, only to be flung behind them in an instant.
No one knew how many universes and stretches of spacetime they had crossed.
Nor did they know how much time had passed. It seemed like an instant, yet also like a very long time.
Then, the rainbow light before them abruptly vanished, and the group of six appeared in the Rainbow Control Room.
At the center of the Rainbow Control Room stood a raised platform, upon which rested the Guardian Sword. It was still connected to the Bifrost, its entire body crackling with white lightning.
Heimdall lay unconscious beside the Guardian Sword.
Loki had previously frozen him with the Source of Power, severely injuring him. After hearing the call, he had forcibly shattered the seal of ice and exhausted the last of his strength.
Thor hurried forward to examine him. Seeing that he was merely unconscious, he let out a sigh of relief.
He said to Fandral, "Take him to the infirmary. The rest of you, come with me to the palace."
"Yes!"
Apocalypse hurriedly looked around the control room. It was magnificent and resplendent, built beneath a hemispherical dome.
The walls were covered in overlapping circular patterns, each one etched with ancient, enigmatic runes.
Beyond the control room lay the true body of the Rainbow Bridge.
The Prismatic Divine Light that usually carried Asgardians to and from planets throughout the various universes was also called the Rainbow Bridge, but strictly speaking, it was merely an energy passage created by the Rainbow Bridge.
The Rainbow Bridge itself was dozens of meters wide and several kilometers long, spanning the Sea of Asgard. One end connected to the Rainbow Control Room, while the other led to the land of the Asgardian kingdom.
Its surface was a dark yellow, translucent crystal of unknown material, constantly flashing with Prismatic Divine Light day and night.
Looking down the bridge, they could already see fires blazing in the distance, while cries of battle could be heard from miles away.
Thor grew frantic. "Loki has already made his move. I'm going to the palace first. Follow me!"
With a whooshing swing of his hammer, he vanished from their sight in the blink of an eye.
Damn it! Apocalypse cursed inwardly. At least take me with you!
He could jump very far, but he did not know the palace's exact location. If he started leaping around recklessly without anyone to guide him, he might easily be mistaken for an enemy.
Apocalypse found Sif, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg far too slow, so he directly scooped Sif up.
"Point me in the right direction."
With that, he shot into the sky.
Sif instinctively struggled at first, but then she thought of the bigger picture. She could not break free anyway. So she stopped resisting and pointed the way from the air.
Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg exchanged glances, their expressions instead relaxing.
With those two powerhouses joining the fight, they no longer had to worry about the palace. If those two could not handle something, the three of them would not be much help either.
They might as well clear out the Frost Giant foot soldiers causing destruction along the way.
Asgard Royal Palace.
The Allfather Odin lay peacefully inside the hibernation chamber in his bedchamber.
Queen Frigga guarded her husband at the door. Whenever she saw Frost Giants rush in, she drew her longsword and fought them.
However, she specialized in sorcery and was a witch. Her frontal combat ability was not particularly strong. After cutting down one foot soldier, she was sent flying by a single palm strike from Frost Giant King Laufey, unable to resist.
Laufey stepped forward. His icy blue hands passed through the golden energy barrier and reached into the hibernation chamber, slowly lifting Odin's eyelids.
"I know you can still hear me and see everything around you! Remember this: the one who kills you is the Frost Giant King—Laufey!"
Laufey stretched out his hand, conjuring an ice blade that he raised high, ready to kill Odin.
Suddenly, a divine light appeared behind him and, with a bang, blasted him off the hibernation chamber.
Laufey suffered heavy injuries. He struggled to raise his head, his face filled with shock.
He could not believe that the one who had ambushed him was the very God of Mischief who had conspired with him—Loki!
Loki raised his scepter again, his expression dark. "The one who kills you is Odin's son!"
With a sizzling sound, another beam of divine light struck, completely annihilating Laufey.
The leader of a race died just like that beside Odin's bed, for no apparent reason.
Even until his death, Laufey could not understand why Loki had killed him.
What he never expected was that Loki was his own biological son!
In his mind, Loki had wanted to seize the throne and used him to kill his brother and father. That fit the cruel, cold nature of the God of Mischief perfectly.
That was how a great villain ought to be!
To those in power, it was the most reasonable and logical explanation imaginable.
Yet Laufey never imagined that everything Loki had done had not been for the throne or reputation. It had only been to prove to Odin and Frigga that he was a more qualified, more outstanding son than Thor.
He had even ruthlessly killed his own biological father on the spot and intended to wipe out the Frost Giants, completely severing himself from his former bloodline.
All those schemes and all that bloodshed had merely been for Loki to put on this performance before the Queen.
When Apocalypse had watched this plot unfold, he had nearly coughed up three liters of blood!
Anyone whose mind had not twisted itself into knots could not do something so childish, willful, and cruel.
Yet this was Loki—the God of Mischief!
And Frigga, who had been knocked aside, had truly been fooled. She said emotionally to Loki, "You saved your father!"
Then she gave Loki a loving embrace.
A trace of smugness hid at the corner of Loki's mouth as he said, "Mother, I swore to you that they would pay for their actions! I did it."
The moment he finished speaking, Thor and Apocalypse arrived one after the other.
Thor shouted, "Loki!"
Apocalypse looked over and saw Loki clad in armor, a cloak fastened over his shoulders, a golden scepter in his right hand, and a helmet upon his head.
The helmet was dark gold, with two horns rising high from its brow before curving backward. It was strange, yet carried a measure of majesty.
Compared to Thor's burly frame, Loki was leaner and more slender, with handsome features. Combined with his smile, he possessed a kind of sinister beauty.
This counted as Apocalypse's official first meeting with Loki.
The last time, beside Thor's Hammer, Loki had been invisible and Apocalypse had not revealed himself. They had only sensed each other's presence.
Frigga looked over, released Loki, and smiled as she gracefully approached. "You've finally come."
Thor was overwhelmed with emotion, tears glistening in his eyes as he strode forward. "Yes, Mother, I'm back."
To his surprise, Frigga walked right past Thor and stopped before Apocalypse. "My husband Odin invited you only a few days ago. I thought it might be years before we met, but who would have thought we would meet after only a few days?"
As she spoke, she warmly took Apocalypse's hand like an elder greeting family.
Thor froze awkwardly in place, a thought flashing through his mind. Did the Frost Giants knock Mother senseless? How could she mistake her own son?
No, no. I can't think that about Mother.
He circled around to stand before Frigga again. "Ahem, Mother, I'm here. I'm Thor, the son you've been longing for has returned."
A faintly reproachful expression appeared on Frigga's face. "I know. You're over a thousand years old, yet you're still so rash. Can't you see that I'm receiving a guest?"
"Asgard is in the midst of a crisis, and the palace is already in chaos. That is discourteous enough. As a prince, you should be even more courteous to our guest."
Her words left not only Thor baffled, but Apocalypse as well.
Even if he could lift Thor's Hammer, being treated as an ordinary guest would have been understandable. But there was no reason for the Queen to abandon her two sons and welcome him so formally, was there?
"Him?" Thor burst out laughing. "Mother, he's a brother I met on Earth. We've drunk together and fought together. You don't need to be so polite to him. If we're talking rank, he's an Earthling under Asgard's rule. He should be the one bowing to you."
"What do you know?" Frigga rebuked him. "He may be your brother, but that does not prevent him from being Asgard's honored guest. Strictly speaking, he is an Earthling, but not entirely. He comes from a higher dimension—a truer dimension."
Before you continue