Chapter 1108: Father and Son (43)

Ten minutes later, President Loki sat on a sofa at the side of the tent, clutching his blood-soaked arm and grimacing.

"So, you mean that troublesome female judge deliberately let us out, with the goal of having us deal with the Time Variance Authority's director for them?"

A glow gradually appeared on his other hand, and healing magic spread along his arm.

Crocodile Loki had consumed quite a bit of stamina during his struggle with Helen, so he hadn't bitten off President Loki's arm directly; he had only punctured a few holes in Loki's arm with his sharp teeth. This level of injury could still be treated with magic.

President Loki, while healing himself, said with some disdain:

"Why should I listen to her orders and fight someone to the death? What benefit is there in that for me?"

"But she has already thrown you here now. If you don't do the work for her, I'm afraid you'll never be able to leave this place..." Loki shook his head and said.

Seeing the glares from the other Lokis, Loki offered a smile and said, "That's right, I am an accomplice, but we are all Lokis; we all understand ourselves. Without using such methods to force you, you wouldn't do the work."

"The Time Variance Authority director's target is actually only the female Loki. We have no conflict of interest with him. Even if we are trapped here, isn't that better than risking our lives against him?" Black Loki spoke up.

"Of course, you can choose to stay here forever. The Time Variance Authority employees can't do much about you, but whether this place is always this peaceful, you know better than I do."

Loki didn't look at Black Loki, but instead fixed his gaze on Old Loki. Old Loki pursed his lips and said, "It seems the Time Variance Authority let you go to the archives. You learned about the situation here from there."

"In the Void at the End of Time, the dark clouds never disperse. Here, the storm coming from afar only signifies one thing..." Old Loki stood up slowly and walked to the tent entrance, looking toward the distance.

Suddenly, a mournful howling wind came from afar. Amidst the flying sand and rocks, the dark clouds grew thicker, and the originally dim sky turned completely pitch black. The sudden chill made all the Lokis shiver.

"What is that?" President Loki's arm trembled, while Kid Loki had already hidden in the corner of the tent.

"Alioth," Old Loki slowly spat out the name.

Everyone saw that at the edge of the horizon in the Void, a pair of blood-red eyes suddenly lit up. Immediately after, the thick dark clouds gathered into its massive physical form, with countless time fragments and nebulae flickering within.

Amidst the howling wind, Old Loki shouted loudly, "Or, you could call it the God-Storm! It is Odin's opponent, the source of Lei Shen's Hammer's power, and its heart is the graveyard of cosmic gods!"

In a roar that sounded like an aria, the massive monster called Alioth approached the small tent. Sylvie blocked her face with her arm and shouted, "Look! It wants to eat us!!"

"Of course! Its mission is to devour all gods!" Old Loki's staff appeared in his hand, and he raised it high, slamming it hard against the ground.

With a "Swish," the entire tent, along with all the Lokis inside, disappeared completely, reappearing in a place far away from the dark cloud monster.

Moving from the plains to the mountains, several Lokis walked out of the tent and looked at the terrifying monster's figure on the distant horizon devouring everything in sight. Everyone's expression turned heavy.

But at this moment, Loki stared at Old Loki's face and said, "If I'm not mistaken, Alioth was summoned by you, right?"

Old Loki's expression didn't change at all; he just looked at Loki and said, "What nonsense are you spouting? What benefit would summoning such a monster have for me?"

"Because you want to take the initiative in the upcoming conversation. You want everyone to listen to your explanation and obtain a method for self-preservation from you, so naturally, you have to create a little crisis for everyone."

Loki walked up to Old Loki and looked at him, saying, "We are the same person; we understand ourselves best."

Old Loki suddenly offered a playful smile. He lowered his head slowly and then shook it lightly, saying, "No... the only one who understands me might be you, while the other Lokis are just foolish and arrogant trash."

"Look, you're trying to use that rhetoric to pull me into your camp again, but I'm sorry, from now on, you have to listen to me." Loki took two steps back and said with a smile.

"That's assuming you have something worth saying." Old Loki didn't give an inch. He looked into Loki's eyes and asked, "Do you know what Alioth is?"

Loki shook his head, but he took Mjolnir out from his waist and said, "I don't need to know what it is. You only need to know that I am the only Loki among everyone who can lift Mjolnir."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the Lokis turned their gazes toward him. Mjolnir emitted a burst of light, and the sparks from the tiny lightning bolts reflected the metallic luster, undoubtedly telling all the Lokis that this thing was the real deal.

Old Loki narrowed his eyes, but he still didn't intend to give up. He looked into Loki's eyes and asked, "What price did you pay to obtain Mjolnir?"

"There was no price. In my universe, Lei Shen has become the new King of Asgard. There was no war, no struggle; he succeeded to the throne smoothly, and I am the Prince of Asgard."

"So, you are admitting your failure?" Old Loki continued to press him.

Loki didn't fear him at all. He walked forward, staring straight into Old Loki's eyes, and said, "Every Loki here is a failure, but the difference is that I have the courage to admit my failure, while some people are still dreaming unrealistic dreams."

Old Loki's face darkened, but Loki went further, saying, "You told Mobius that you always wanted to return to Asgard to find Lei Shen, because you missed him and wanted to see your brother one more time."

"But if you really loved him, you wouldn't have faked your death and left in the first place. A deserter who abandoned the honor of the Northern Gods doesn't need to spout nonsense here."

"Zzzzt—Bang!"

A blinding beam of magic shot from the tip of Old Loki's staff. Loki, holding Mjolnir, instinctively raised his arm to block his chest.

Instantly, Mjolnir emitted a soft golden light, forming a shield that blocked Old Loki's attack.

The magic beam vanished. Old Loki lowered his staff, looking somewhat disheartened. He stared at the Mjolnir in Loki's hand and said in disbelief, "How is this possible... How can you use Mjolnir? This is impossible..."

Loki lowered the hammer and stood straight, looking at him, saying, "What's impossible about it? This thing was lent to me by Lei Shen. He said I could use it, so naturally, I can."

"You're spouting nonsense!" Old Loki gritted his teeth and said, "Lei Shen doesn't decide who can use Mjolnir; only Odin can!"

Loki frowned, a faint trace of doubt appearing between his brows. Seeing his expression, the look in Old Loki's eyes shifted from disbelief to a more complex emotion. He said, "You actually don't know?"

"What should I know?"

Old Loki stood in place, took a few deep breaths, and tried hard to calm his mood. He threw his staff aside, sat on the sofa somewhat dejectedly, and said to Loki, "Don't you know the origin of Alioth?"

The other Lokis also watched their confrontation, feeling puzzled. Seeing Old Loki about to open up, everyone gathered around slowly.

"The monster made of dark clouds you see isn't actually named Alioth; its full name is the God-Storm."

"The God-Storm was the first storm to howl out of the Void; some also call it the 'Mother of Thunder'."

"Many years ago, the God-Storm invaded Asgard. Odin fought a fierce battle with it and ultimately achieved victory."

"He used his spear to shatter the storm and sealed a fragment of it into Uru metal."

"Odin gave this special metal to the dwarves, and the dwarves forged it into a hammer—Mjolnir."

"The defeated God-Storm didn't vanish; countless fragments still wander the universe. The Alioth we see is exactly one of its parts. It shares the same origin as Mjolnir..."

After speaking, Old Loki fixed his gaze on Mjolnir. He stared at it for a while, then shifted his gaze to Loki's face, saying:

"It was Odin who defeated the God-Storm. The God-Storm only acknowledges Odin as the strongest thunder in the universe, and therefore, it only obeys him and will never submit to others."

Loki wasn't sure if he saw a trace of jealousy in Old Loki's eyes, but soon, he heard Old Loki continue:

"The so-called 'only those who are kind and righteous can lift Mjolnir' is actually just because only those acknowledged by Odin can use this hammer."

"And if you can use it, that means..."

As Old Loki's voice trailed off, Loki felt as if he could no longer hear any other sounds. A deafening "rumbling" sound echoed in his ears, as if he were already in the midst of a thunderous storm.

When he projected his attention onto the hammer, he felt, amidst the violence, power, and unstoppable force, another subtle emotion.

It was like the hazy sunset reflecting off armor on a battlefield where swords clashed and battle cries never ceased, and like the sound of bagpipes filled with homesickness amidst the thundering of hooves and cannons.

Loki turned his head and looked toward the horizon of the Void. There was only a gray mist there, but he seemed to be standing on the bridge of the Xiangong once again.

When Loki closed his eyes, the backs of Odin leading Lei Shen away had just disappeared at the end of the bridge.

And when Loki opened his eyes again, he didn't look in the direction they had left, but turned to look at the sky of Asgard.

The sunset that day was as beautiful as a painting. The Xiangong under the sunset shimmered with golden light, hazy and dreamlike.

Just because he hadn't looked at it didn't mean he hadn't possessed it; just because he hadn't noticed it didn't mean it hadn't descended; just because he hadn't heard it didn't mean it had always been silent; just because he hadn't discovered it didn't mean it hadn't been there.

Odin, the All-Father, a sun that forever shone upon Asgard—every pine and cypress of Asgard had been bathed in such intense, bright light.

But this sun also had a moment when it was willing to sink to the horizon, giving the moss that would never grow into a pine a gentle twilight.

Loki thought that at this very moment, what he saw was his first twilight. If this was the only thing he had ever possessed, then after this, there would be no need for another twilight.

From this day on, he would ensure the sun of Asgard never set, and every tomorrow and every day of the gods would be bright and brilliant.