"Do you mean that a heart entwined with envy and greed has become a breeding ground for sin?"
Fischl lowered her eyes in thought.
Oz said, "Are you saying this is all Loki's scheme?"
Sif nodded with absolute certainty:
"Loki has always envied Thor. Odin is only unconscious, yet he's already proclaimed himself king."
"He wants to seize the throne!"
Hogun spoke bitterly, his eyes seeming to blaze.
"We begged him to end Thor's exile, but he used Odin as an excuse to brush us off."
"He also wants to wage war on Jotunheim, claiming it's Odin's will. That's impossible."
Thor had been banished precisely because he had gone to Jotunheim to fight the Frost Giants and nearly started a war.
How could Odin, the All-Father, possibly have decided to wage war against the Frost Giants before falling unconscious?
"Ahem. This Prinzessin has heard your pleas."
Fischl gently touched her left eye, her voice firm:
"To condemn those deserving of punishment and sanctify those favored by fate is the heavy duty borne by the bloodline of the Prinzessin der Verurteilung."
"I am truth itself, and I bestow glory upon you."
"Does that... mean yes?"
Sif looked pleadingly at Oz, who was responsible for translating.
The night raven smiled:
"Milady means she has agreed to help you."
Only then did smiles appear on their faces.
"Thank you."
Fischl waved her hand bashfully:
"My will is the power bestowed upon me by the Holy Spirit, the glory granted unto me. I have chosen this path to prove my name as a holy spirit. Should I fail, I shall surely crumble to dust."
Oz waved his wings:
"Please rest assured, everyone. Milady is very confident about this operation."
After accepting Sif and the others' request, Fischl decided to find Thor first, then work out how to expose Loki's true colors.
However, since Thor had fallen into the Bifrost's machinery at the time, even Sif and the others did not know which planet he had been banished to.
Hill explained, "Heimdall knows where he is. He's the Bifrost's guardian, and his eyes can see worlds beyond the sea of stars."
Volstagg looked deeply troubled:
"But Heimdall won't help us. Loki gave him strict orders: anyone who leaves Asgard to find Thor will be guilty of treason."
"Our actions are bound to put Loki on his guard."
Hogun clutched his head in frustration. "Heimdall is so stubborn! He opposed us going to find the Frost Giants back then, too. If he hadn't been so slow and we'd made it back in time, Odin wouldn't have banished Thor."
"There's no point talking about that now. Let's figure out how to get past Heimdall instead."
After a long silence, Fischl suddenly said:
"Hmph, treason. I have traversed countless worlds, and none have dared show insolence to the Prinzessin der Verurteilung."
"O most loyal of my familiars, in the name of the Prinzessin, spread your Wings of Sanctification! Shroud the sun, moon, and stars, and bring forth everlasting Evernight!"
"Yes, understood."
Oz caught her meaning.
???
Faced with the others' puzzled expressions, he quietly explained Fischl's plan.
"We want to see Heimdall."
Sif and the others gathered at the entrance to Heimdall's great hall at the Bifrost.
"You wish to defy the orders of our king, Loki."
"To break the oaths you once swore as warriors."
Although Heimdall felt somewhat sympathetic upon hearing their unreasonable request, his loyalty lay solely with Wong of Asgard.
Odin had fallen unconscious, and now only Loki could hold Asgard together. With war imminent and the threat of the Frost Giants looming, he could not agree to defy the king's will at such a time.
"Do not force my hand. I will report this to the king."
Heimdall remained unmoved. "Now leave," he said sternly.
With no other choice, the disappointed group headed for the door.
"This is all your fault! Why did you agree to Thor's plan back then?"
As though realizing there was no chance left of going to find Thor, Hill began angrily blaming Hogun beside her.
Smack!
She slapped Hogun hard.
"He wasn't thinking straight, and you went along with his nonsense? If we hadn't gone looking for trouble with the Frost Giants, we wouldn't be in this situation!"
Hogun, who had simply been walking along when he was suddenly struck, flared up as well.
"You agreed to go to Jotunheim, too! Why are you blaming me now that something's gone wrong?"
His voice brimmed with grievance. "I nearly died back there! Why don't you mention that?"
"All right, all right. Everyone, calm down."
Seeing things taking a bad turn, Volstagg stepped between them to mediate. "Let's all say a little less."
But neither appreciated his good intentions.
Hogun rounded on him first:
"You're no different! Our dear friend has been banished, Loki has taken the throne, and Asgard faces war."
"And you!"
Hogun pulled a half-eaten chicken drumstick from Volstagg's trouser pocket and roared:
"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever do is eat! In this short walk, you've eaten four wild boars! Six pheasants! Half a cow!"
"Is there anything in your head besides food? I'm embarrassed for you!"
Ignoring Volstagg's attempts to stop him, Hogun raised his arm and threw the half-eaten drumstick to the ground.
That infuriated Volstagg, who lived to eat.
"Don't mistake my appetite for indifference toward my friends!"
Furious, he grabbed Hogun by the shoulders and hoisted him into the air.
"Aaargh!"
"Let me go!" Hogun struggled desperately.
"You damned fool! How dare you throw away my drumstick!"
Volstagg hurled Hogun away with all his strength. "How do you like that, boy?"
"Try throwing my food away again!"
Hogun staggered to his feet, his face tomato-red. He drew his sword from behind his back and pointed it at Volstagg.
"I'll teach you a lesson!"
He charged straight at him.
Sif moved as though to stop him, only to "accidentally" give Hogun a shove.
Hogun lost his balance, his foot slipping sideways.
The tip of his sword jabbed straight into Heimdall's backside.
"Ow!"
"What are you doing?!" "It wasn't me! He did it!"
"You're slandering me! It was obviously you!" "I did no such thing!"
The scene descended into chaos as the three grappled in front of Heimdall.
Heimdall's backside hurt as though it had been torn open, yet the others kept shoving and jostling around him.
"What the hell, you hit a woman?!" "It wasn't me! It was him!"
"Bullshit! You put your hand on Sif's chest! I saw it!" "What?! You were groping me, too!"
The situation spiraled completely out of control.
Amid the chaos, Heimdall felt a tug below his waist. Through the gaps between flailing thick arms and pale legs, he spotted a slender, fair hand gently resting on his sword's hilt.
"Reveal yourself, Oz!"
"As you command, milady."
A flash of purple lightning streaked past, and the night raven suddenly appeared. He circled her once, and Fischl appeared beside the Bifrost's controls.
Heimdall looked again. Wasn't that his sword in the girl's hand?
"Sword of Judgment! This Prinzessin commands you to cleave the void!"
She thrust the sword into the center of the upright formation and twisted it hard to the right.
Lightning swirled amid a thunderous rumble. A rainbow glow emerged from the formation, instantly enveloping the girl and raven.
"Hahaha." Fischl rested a hand against her forehead and chuckled as the night raven alighted on her slender wrist. "In the name of condemnation!"
Boom!
Through the still night, a rainbow beam shot straight into the sky.
Earth.
Coulson stared gravely at the monitor, which had turned to static in an instant.
"What happened?"
"We don't know, sir. An incredibly powerful surge of energy just appeared at one of our monitoring sites."
"Location."
"About twenty-five miles southeast."
Having learned the location, Coulson wasted no time. He strode toward the door. "Let's go take a look!"
"Achoo!"
Fischl and Oz appeared on the ground.
The girl vigorously fanned the air before her face with one hand. "Cough, cough, cough! The mists of sin cannot obscure the Eye of Judgment! The burdens and suffering of truth, delusions and lies, shall have nowhere to hide! Ah... ah... achoo!"
Oz said helplessly, "Milady, please get up off the ground first."