Chapter 408: New Umbrella (Part 1)

Asgard, the Immortal Palace, inside Loki's bedroom, Thor looked at his brother Loki with an expression of anger, while Loki was nonchalantly admiring the newly crafted crown. Thor said in a deep voice:

"Loki, do you truly know what you are doing?!"

His chest rose and fell, as if he were holding all his fury inside. He waved his arm and said in a tone of utter disbelief: "You know full well what they intend to do! You know they are leading Asgard toward destruction, yet you still choose to stand with them!"

Loki sat on the carpet by the window, playing with the glittering, ornate crown, and said dismissively: "Yes, it wasn't until recently that I realized I had been wasting my time all along."

"Thor," Loki looked at Thor and said, "I have discovered that rather than waiting for you to learn everything a king should know, it is better if I do it myself."

"You..."

Loki set the crown aside, stood up, walked before Thor, looked into his eyes, and said: "What are you angry about?"

"Thor, you keep saying that as long as someone can save Asgard, you are willing to pay any price. What is it? When it comes to the throne, you can't bear to let it go?"

Thor looked coldly into Loki's jewel-like eyes and said: "Do you think you can save Asgard? Together with that group of lunatics who only know destruction and war?"

"Loki, haven't you already seen the scenery above the universe? Haven't you already decided to stand with me?!"

"Before, I did indeed think so, but Thor, do you know? In these recent days, I have never received so much praise..."

【Author's Note: Silu Ke】

Loki turned and began to pace the room, lifting his head with an expression of enjoyment, and said: "Those were things I once craved above all else but could never obtain... All of this is easy for you, so naturally, you can discard it like worn-out shoes, but I cannot."

Thor opened his mouth; the words of reproach were on the tip of his tongue, but he could not speak them.

Now, he understood that Loki lacked too much love. This was not only Odin's dereliction of duty as a father but also his own dereliction of duty as an older brother.

Thor could not say, "Do you really think they are praising you?" because he knew that with Loki's intelligence, it was impossible for him not to know it was fake. Yet, even if it were fake, he was still chasing after it.

Then, who caused all of this?

Whenever Thor thought this way, he felt both painful and helpless. He knew Loki's actions would lead Asgard to destruction, yet he could not bear to shatter Loki's self-deceiving dream.

If he did not hand the throne to Loki and fought him to the end, perhaps Thor would have a chance to truly save Asgard, but the price would be that he must abandon his brother, destroy everything he possessed, and not even allow him to dream a beautiful dream.

Handing the throne to Loki would destroy Asgard, but at the very least, before he died, he would possess everything he had once wanted: the praise, the honor, the passion, and the supreme position of the All-Father.

Loki or Asgard—who was he to choose?

When pondering this question, Thor suddenly discovered that the first answer in his heart was beyond his expectations.

The scene of Thor walking out of Loki's bedroom with a gloomy face was seen by more than one Asgardian; everyone felt the tension of a coming storm.

Every Asgardian knew that both princes had reached adulthood and Odin was already old. In the period to follow, the treacherous clouds of a succession struggle would always hang over Asgard.

But no one expected that the first thunderclap beneath those clouds would come so quickly.

Just under a night as calm as any other in Asgard, people suddenly heard the clash of weapons and war cries ringing out. The light of divine power erupted suddenly at various nodes across Asgard, and shouts of battle rose from all directions, disturbing not only the birds sleeping in Asgard but also waking every Asgardian.

Asgardians, startled awake from their beds, saw the firelight outside their windows. They needed no speculation; in an instant, they understood that Loki had staged a coup.

Everyone knew that this little prince would not wait too long. After Thor's coronation, Odin had fallen into a deep sleep, and no disturbance would wake him.

And those old ministers who had followed Odin in battle across the four corners of the world would not be satisfied with a new king who was good at maintaining the status quo but lacked the drive for conquest. Even though he was powerful and majestic, they would rather have a puppet they could manipulate.

Loki, a poor little thing—his father didn't care about him, his brother didn't concern himself with him, he had no friends, no foundation, no support. Aside from the luck of being born with noble royal blood, he had nothing.

Such a person, even if wearing magnificent armor, carrying a shining crown, and sitting on that supreme throne, could never become an All-Father like Odin. And many felt that Asgard no longer needed an All-Father.

The sound of warhorses galloping across the sky was like thunder exploding in one's ears. The dust kicked up as they skimmed over the eaves surged like a raging sea under the moonlight. The warriors leaning over their horses held sharp spears whose tips shimmered with a chilling luster.

As the lights reflected off one another, Asgard's fleet moved without orders, rising from all sides. When the horns blew, the whole city was clad in golden armor.

Before the long Immortal Palace Bridge, Loki, dressed in magnificent armor, led a troop of men to the Immortal Palace guards. The guards stood silently in place, their crossed spears blocking the entrance to the bridge. Upon seeing Loki, they showed no intention of stepping aside.

For the first time, Loki did not hold his magic staff; instead, like other Asgardian warriors, he held a long spear. He struck the spear heavily against the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust that stained his golden boots. He spoke: "Move aside."

The Immortal Palace guards did not move. Loki seemed to feel he had lost face and raised his voice: "I command you in the name of the Prince of Asgard and the future new King: move aside!"

The guards still did not move. Loki closed his eyes and sighed. He stretched out a hand and waved to the people behind him.

Amidst the splashing of blood, two tall figures fell. In Loki's field of vision, he still remembered that time long ago when they had knelt before him on one knee, calling him "Your Highness."

But this time, they said nothing, dying silently in this chaotic night in Asgard.

Unfortunately, Loki was not Thor; he would not feel guilty.

Loki's expression did not change in the slightest. He stepped over the corpses, head held high, and walked quickly across the long bridge. In the night wind of Asgard, his hair flew backward like a surging black tide. Those jewel-like eyes shone brightly in the reflection of the Immortal Palace glass, even more dazzling than the gems on his crown.

The soft sound of boots stepping onto the stairs was more deafening than artillery fire. Only at this moment did Loki take a deep breath, then stop his steps before the first stair.

"Your Highness, you can no longer turn back." A bearded general behind him walked up and said in a low voice, "This is already the territory of Xiangong. Trespassing in Xiangong is a capital offense."

"Do not command me." Loki turned his head slightly, gritting his teeth as he spoke. He took a deep breath, then walked up the stairs in front of the Xiangong gate, step by step.

The moment he stepped into the main hall of Xiangong, countless imperial guards surged out. The two sides immediately clashed in battle. The general on Loki's side shouted, "Protect the Prince! Protect the Prince!"

Loki also joined the fight, but in a corner where no one could see, a look of extreme disgust appeared on his face.

Just then, a bolt of lightning from afar landed in the center of Xiangong. The moment the light flared, everyone stopped. They all watched silently as Thor landed in the middle of the field.

"Loki, stop! Retreat! I will not blame you," Thor said.

As he raised his hand, several bolts of lightning cleared the area. The surrounding people retreated out of fear of the new King's divine power. Only the two brothers remained in the entire hall, but Loki knew that the crowd had not left; they were just watching all of this from outside the hall's gate.

Loki revealed a contemptuous smile and looked at Thor, saying, "Retreat? Retreat to where? Leave Xiangong? Leave Asgard? Or leave the Nine Realms?"

"This is not just your home!" Loki said, gritting his teeth word by word. "Thor, no one has the qualifications to make me retreat from here, including you and Odin!"

Hearing him call the All-Father by his name, Thor understood that things would likely not end well today.

With a wave of his hand, a long spear made of golden lightning appeared in his hand. Thor gripped the weapon and said, "Take out your true weapon, let us have a fight. If I lose, the throne will be yours."

Loki said nothing. He took out a scepter that Thor had never seen before. In an instant, magical radiance and lightning shone together.

Loki floated into the air, the gem at the top of the scepter emitting a dazzling light. A magical shield attached itself to him. Just as the magical shield had finished forming, a spear carrying the power of unrivaled lightning thrust toward him.

A flash of light appeared on the magic shield. Loki, who had been pushed back, revealed a mocking smile. The shield suddenly shattered like a bubble, and the Loki behind it dissipated like a phantom. Another figure appeared behind Thor.

But Thor was not panicked at all. He turned around, his long spear sweeping horizontally. Loki condensed a magic shield on his arm to take the blow head-on. The moment he was knocked flying, he used the force of his retreat to release two huge magical sword auras.

Lightning followed in quick succession. Loki's figure flashed repeatedly. Golden lightning and purple magical radiance fought fiercely in the sky above Asgard.

Just as Thor pierced through Loki's magic shield with another thrust of his spear, Loki said with a gloomy face, "Enough!"

His voice echoed through the night sky of Asgard, and everyone in Asgard could hear it. Just then, Loki's figure slowly began to change; his stature began to shrink gradually, and his hair became longer and longer.

A female figure appeared within the magical radiance, followed by a shining halo. Loki's melodious voice rang out opposite Thor:

"Although I am no longer the only one above the universe, the power of the universe's peak is enough to deal with you."