Just as Loki was about to die at the hands of Hoder and the others, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the Great Hall, accompanied by Tony's teasing voice.
"Quite a party you've got here. So many people gathered together-have you finished everything?"
At his words, everyone in the Great Hall stopped what they were doing. Their expressions changed as they quickly turned to look behind them.
When they saw Tony, tension immediately spread across the faces of Hoder and the others.
By contrast, Thor, who had been despairing moments before, seemed to glimpse hope. He hurriedly shouted, "Tony, save Loki! They're going to kill him!"
Those words made Hoder and the others look even worse. Balder quickly stepped forward and said, "Sir, don't listen to Thor's nonsense. Loki betrayed the Gods. He's a traitor. We're merely purging a rebel."
Balder hurried to explain, afraid Tony would strike if he was even a moment too slow.
They had already witnessed Tony's strength. Even all of them together wouldn't stand a chance against him, and they had no desire to earn his hostility.
But as Tony listened to Balder, he made no move. He merely curled his lips into an inscrutable smile.
"Loki is a traitor?"
"Why do I remember him being one of my people?"
"One of my people betrayed me, and somehow I didn't know?"
Tony asked slowly, leaving Balder utterly dumbfounded.
He hadn't expected Loki to have that kind of connection with Tony, and panic began to set in.
Balder quickly turned toward the others, hoping they might have a solution. But when he looked at them, he discovered that every last one was avoiding his gaze.
His heart sank at the sight, and a dreadful sense of foreboding rose within him.
He forced a smile that looked worse than