Those time travelers that year

"Tch! You talk like you have the upper hand!" Charles said. "How many illusions do you have left for me to cut down?"

“If I wanted, I could still command a thousand armies.” Loki sneered, tapping the ground with his scepter. A golden light flashed, and another batch of illusions appeared before the Shire. This time, there were over a thousand illusions.

"Now, choose! Either kneel down and beg for mercy..." Thousands of 'Loki's' spoke simultaneously, their voices overlapping, creating an immense sense of oppression... "Or, die!"

And the Shire's answer to Loki.

It's a universal hand gesture that's held vertically!

I'm currently writing, please do not disturb me...

181.

There are many common hand gestures, but the most famous one is probably the one where you point the back of your hand at the enemy, then lower four of your fingers, leaving only the middle finger in the middle position in a "sun-shaped" gesture.

This gesture is indeed very common. Even Loki, who came from Asgard, might not know what the gesture represents, but the blatant sarcasm in it made the god of deception laugh in anger.

"Hahahaha, good, good, a mere mortal dares to act like this..." Thousands of 'Loki's' laughed angrily, their voices merging into a thunderous roar. "Then, mortal, are you prepared to face the wrath of the King of Asgard?"

“First, I have no intention of being Odin’s enemy!” Sharl said, spreading his hands. “Second, you’ve been running and jumping around in this lava zone I created, using the artifact. Don’t you have any doubts?”

"What!?"

"So that's why I'm telling you! You're really not a qualified king! You actually have to personally go into battle and fight with others, don't you know that?"

Boom! Boom! Behind the army of thousands of Lokis, a colossal arm, burning with raging flames and constructed of rock and lava, emerged from the earth. The arm pressed down on the ground, pushing off with all its might, and a colossal creature, tens of meters tall and engulfed in flames, burst forth from the earth.

"Any problem that my underlings can handle isn't a problem at all!"

At the same time, a colossal structure of rock and lava rose from beneath Charles' feet, lifting him up. These two 'monsters' were none other than 'Hellfire', constructed from fire and rock. Of course, these were not the Burning Legion's siege constructs, but rather 'constructs' uniquely his own, created through Charles's own power, incorporating both fire and earth elements!

"What did I just say?" Looking down from Hellfire's shoulder, Ciel saw the astonished looks on Loki's eyes and used magic to echo his voice throughout the area. "Oh, right, you're planning to kill me, aren't you? Sure!"

"Kill him!"

Roar! ! !

The two Hellfire roared, their flames spreading rapidly. Simultaneously, their massive flaming arms, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, slammed down upon Loki's army. It was like swatting ants, striking down on the Lokis. What does it mean to be crushed like Mount Tai? This was it.

"Is a thousand men a lot?" Standing atop Hellfire's shoulders, Ciel looked down at Loki's army, mercilessly crushed by the two Hellfires, and said, "If you really want to outnumber me, then bring ten thousand men at once! God of Deception!"

"You think you've won?!" Loki's furious voice echoed the Shire. "Fool, this is all an illusion. I've been in Asgard from the beginning, ha ha ha ha..."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Charles scoffed. "If you were really here, I would have already given you an artificial black hole. Why would I have spent half a day playing around with you?"

The two 'Hellfires' only took a few minutes to smash all of 'Loki' to pieces. Looking at the battle that had ended below, Ciel shrugged, then canceled the existence of the 'Hellfires,' turning them into scorched earth that crumbled apart.

——————————Divider Line——————————

For Coulson, today was an unlucky day. Not only were his worldview shattered, but he was also forced into a battle that escalated to the point of nuclear war. Although he was only grazed by a distant shockwave, he still suffered losses. Of course, these weren't personnel losses; the losses were merely some supplies. However, the blow to morale was substantial.

After all, chaos continued after the mushroom cloud rose, even though it was eventually proven that the mushroom cloud had absolutely nothing to do with the nuclear explosion...

"This is really..." Coulson rubbed his head. These things are not easy to handle, especially since they've caused such a big commotion. Covering up these things won't be an easy task. Moreover, it's even more difficult to explain to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and the World Security Council. His own black-skinned Wu Ke is easier to talk to, but once the World Security Council gets involved, this matter will be difficult to handle.

Those lazy, unhelpful teammates won't care about such things; they're always trying to get something for nothing. Once they find out what's going on here, who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause. Fortunately, lately those guys have been distracted by Tony Stark's Iron Man armor and haven't had time to deal with this place.

"Hey! What are you thinking about?" Just as Coulson was worrying about how to cover up this, Charles's voice came from beside him.

“I’m thinking about how to handle that mushroom cloud!” Coulson turned around and saw Charles, who had returned sometime earlier, expertly pulling out a laptop from somewhere and connecting to their organization’s satellite link. “Next time, before using those weapons of mass destruction on this poor planet, could Mr. Gretel please inform us beforehand?”

"Oh! Oh! Well, I'm really sorry to trouble you!" Ciel replied carelessly. "After all, he's the God of Deception of Asgard, so fighting him will be extremely difficult!"

"Really? But to me, Mr. Grett, you seem quite relaxed."

"hey-hey!!!"

Seeing Charles's nonchalant demeanor, Coulson mentally raised his assessment of Charles's danger level several notches higher. A nuclear weapon isn't scary; what's scary is when that nuclear weapon is possessed by a being with its own will and the ability to act. Similarly, on poor Earth, there are quite a few superpowered individuals capable of threatening the entire world. At least, at Coulson's level, he already knew that among the few Alpha-level mutants—the largest group of superpowered individuals—there existed a being known as a weapon of mass destruction capable of wiping out all of humanity in one fell swoop.

If it weren't for that powerful weapon's commitment to friendly relations between mutants and humans, coupled with the potential threat of wiping out the entire world, S.H.I.E.L.D. would have already gone to have a chat with him. Of course, they could go now, but the one being "chatted with" would become one of their own.

Shaking his head to dismiss these unnecessary thoughts, Coulson asked, "So, what brings the God of Deception to this tiny planet?"

Why should I tell you?

"Aren't we friends?" Coulson said with a friendly expression. "As friends, it's always right to help each other out!"

"Haha! Interesting, mortals... a bunch of ants want to be friends with a dragon without enough deterrence!?" Charles laughed. "Alright then! Considering you helped me get rid of some idiots..."

"Why did that god of deception come to Midgard? I think you should ask that unfortunate thunder god instead!"

"Once you know why, you'll realize it's all just a boring family farce!"

It's dawn! Here, the author wishes every reader a Happy New Year!!!

P.S.: In the last post, I cast the "Give Up on Healing" spell on the main character, and nobody noticed...

182.

Thor, locked in the interrogation room, sat anxiously in his chair, his face filled with deep unease. No matter what had just happened—an earthquake, a hurricane, or any other chaos outside—the Midgards who had imprisoned him were unwilling to let him leave the room.

In the past, he would have smashed the door to pieces with a hammer, rushed out to confront these mortals of Midgard, and taught them a lesson about the wrath of Thor. But that was in the past. Now, he was merely a mortal. Having lost his divine power and status and been exiled, he was no longer the Thor of Asgard.

Just as Thor was filled with anxiety, the alloy door was opened from the outside with a thud. The first person to enter was a human in a suit. Thor recognized him; this man, named Coulson, was the officer or centurion among these Midgardians. This Midgardian had interrogated him before. The mighty Asgardian Thor, captured by a group of mortals—in the past, Thor would have considered this an insulting joke.

However, Thor can no longer laugh now.

"It's you! Where's Jane? How is Jane?!" Upon seeing Coulson enter, Thor immediately shouted anxiously, "What happened outside? Did you encounter the Frost Giants?!" Although he had lost his power and was trapped in a weak mortal body, Thor could still sense the familiar cold aura from the energy clash that had erupted not long ago. It was the aura of Jotunheim, and there couldn't be the cold aura of Jotunheim on Midgar. The only possibility was that an ice giant from Jotunheim had come to Midgar.

"Frost Giants!?" Coulson looked at the anxious Thor and said, "The lady who brought you here is fine now. When the sandstorm broke out outside, our agents on guard brought her in... As for the Frost Giants you mentioned... what are those?"

“They are the rulers of Jotunheim, those cruel and powerful giants who can wield the power of ice.” Thor breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Jane was alright, but then became tense again. “I have dealt with them before and I know their power very well. Just now, I could feel the presence of frost giants outside. Tell me, have those frost giants come to Midgard?”

“I think someone will explain this to you.” With that, Coulson moved closer, revealing Charles standing behind him.

"Who are you!?" Thor asked instinctively as Ciel took a step forward.

"Like you, I am an outsider in the world of Midgard!"

"Midgard World!? Are you from another country?" Thor looked at the boy with dark gold eyes in surprise.

"Ah! That's right. I'm currently staying in Midgard for some reasons. Speaking of which, Thor, the God of Thunder of Asgard, are you asking if the Frost Giants just came to this world?!" Shire said with a malicious smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't find any Frost Giants, but I did find someone related to you."

"It concerns me?! Damn it!" Thor seemed to realize something, and said with a grim expression, "I was exiled from Asgard, and Laufey, the Frost Giant King, will definitely not be satisfied with just being exiled..."

"No, no, no! Thor, you seem to have misunderstood something!" Charles waved his hand and continued, "Just now, there was indeed ice magic, and it was fighting against me personally. In other words, the person using ice magic engaged in a sudden battle with me."

"And that person called himself the ruler of Asgard—Loki!"

“Impossible, my brother. Loki may be skilled at illusions and magic, but he has never used the power of ice.” Thor denied loudly. “On Asgard, no warrior or god would use the ice magic of the frost giants. Loki is my brother, he is an Asgardian, and he could not possibly use it.”

"Unfortunately, the one I fought was none other than Loki, the god of deception of Asgard!"

“Slander! You are slandering the glory of Asgard!” Thor roared angrily and charged at the Shire.

"Sit down!" Ciel said directly, and then Thor, who had rushed over, was pressed back into the chair by an invisible force.

"You!" Thor stared into those dark golden eyes and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His head, which had been clouded by anger, suddenly felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over it.

"No matter what you think, the one I just fought was Loki, the god of deception from Asgard. That's a fact," Shire said in a low voice. "Thor, no matter how angry you are, the facts won't change. Besides, I gave you and your brother time to talk, didn't I?!"

"How could an Asgardian god wield the power of Jotunheim, and this person is your brother, Thor!"

“This is slander! Slander of Asgard and the honor and reputation of my brother!” Thor gritted his teeth, glaring at the Shire. “You despicable troublemaker!”

"Heh!" Charles sneered. "Did your brother come here to deliver some bad news, like—you've been permanently exiled, or your father is dead?"

"You!" Thor trembled slightly and slumped into his chair, speechless.

“I told you! This is just a boring farce!” Charles turned around and whispered to Coulson, “See!”

“It really is!” Coulson glanced at Thor’s expression. His psychological expertise, honed through agent training and interrogation, far surpassed that of many psychologists. Coulson instantly conjured up a series of conspiracies. And the likelihood of this guess was extremely high. “A court farce? That kind of thing is outdated on Earth.”

“But people who aren’t quick-witted fall for that.” With that, Charles turned and walked out of the room.

Indeed, seeing Thor's impulsive behavior, Coulson could understand. After all, a brute is easier to deceive and fool than a calm and intelligent person. And if the one doing this is someone skilled in lies and trickery, then there's even less of a problem.

……

"Sir, there's a visitor outside. He's here to see you." Just then, Coulson heard his agent's voice through his earpiece. "A scientist who calls himself Eric Scharvig..."

Coulson frowned, glanced at Thor's expression, and then followed Shire out.

183. The Arrival of the Destroyer (Part 1)

Far beyond the stars, in another world separated by the Chillunga Gap, a world called Asgard, in a magnificent golden palace, the person who once sat in the place where the god-king Odin had sat suddenly opened his eyes.

"Damn it!" Holding Gungnir, the symbol of Asgardian god-king's authority, Loki rose angrily from his throne, surging magic transforming into a whirlwind that swirled around him.

"Lord Loki, what happened?" Sensing Loki's movement, a soldier guarding the hall came over to inquire.

"It's nothing! You may leave. Leave me alone." Having suppressed his anger, Loki returned to his throne and waved for the Asgardian soldiers guarding the hall to withdraw. Although they didn't know what had happened, Loki was now the regent of Asgard. With Odin, the king of the gods, asleep and the queen of the gods attending to him, Loki essentially managed all affairs of Asgard. The soldiers who had come to investigate bowed to Loki, who had returned to his throne, and then slowly withdrew from the hall.

"Who exactly is that guy?" Loki's face darkened as the guards withdrew. In Midgard, the world of the gods, he had witnessed his brother Thor lose all his power, and Mjolnir, Thor's hammer, was sealed away.

At first, it all started with some less-than-ideal ideas; he simply wanted to interrupt Thor's investiture ceremony. However, after experiencing the taste of power, an inevitable ambition began to grow within him. He wanted to prove to all Asgardians that he was no less capable than Thor. But all of this depended on Thor failing to regain his divine powers and return to Asgard after reclaiming his original identity. Only after achieving this, and after resolving all the problems at Jotunheim…

Thinking of this, Loki's expression brightened.

Although it's unclear why a powerful wizard, seemingly from another realm, would appear on the weak land of Midgar, what does it matter? A mere wizard couldn't possibly help Thor regain his divine power after losing it, much less bridge the countless chasms of Ginnunga. With the Rainbow Bridge closed, there's essentially no possibility of a connection between Midgar and Asgard. Once he's on the throne of Asgard, a mere wizard can be easily killed with a flick of his wrist.

Loki knew all the secret paths that could be traversed through the Nine Kingdoms. Apart from him, no one in Asgard knew exactly how many of these tunnels were or where they were located.

Compared to the mere destruction of one of Odin's avatars, the events in Asgard and the plans to follow were far more pressing for Loki. After all, there were quite a few sons of Odin with a claim to the throne in Asgard. Besides Thor, who had already been exiled, and Loki himself, there was also Tyr, the god of war; Baldr, the god of light; and his twin brother, the blind god Hoard, all of whom also had a claim to the throne.

However, Tyr has been leading his army on the border, guarding against Surtr, the Land of Fire, and is rarely seen in Asgard. Baldr, the god of light, dislikes power struggles, while Hold, the god of blindness, is weak-willed. Vidar, the god of the primeval forest and a bastard, also has a right to succession in a sense, but his status as a bastard is the biggest problem.

Brunhilde, the Valkyrie who commands Valhalla, has always stayed in Asgard. Although she is comparable to Tyr and commands the largest army of Heroes, she is a goddess and cannot have the right to inherit the throne.

After much deliberation, the greatest threat to him was indeed the exiled Thor. However, Thor's exile was Odin's decree; either Thor regained his divine power, or Odin rescinded his punishment. Odin was currently in a deep sleep, and while Loki, as regent, certainly had the authority to rescind Thor's punishment, he could easily use the Allfather's command to dispel any doubts from others.

It's time to prepare for the next step of the plan. He'll have plenty of time to settle scores with that wizard who humiliated him on Midgar after this is done.

……

The next day, at the edge of the Rainbow Bridge.

"Are you willing to defy the orders of our current King Loki and break the oath you once made to bring Thor back from exile?" the gatekeeper asked the Warriors Three and Sif with a serious expression.

“Yes, Gatekeeper.” Sif stepped forward, looking firmly at Heimdall, and said, “Are you going to help us?”

“I am ordered to serve our great King.” Heimdall walked over, bypassing the Warriors Three and Sif, and left the Rainbow Bridge without looking back. “I cannot open the Rainbow Bridge for you…” Although he said this, the gatekeeper left his sword on the Rainbow Bridge and then walked away from the four of them.