Those time travelers that year

"These Asgardians are fucking idiots, or am I just genuinely stupid?!"

'Damn it! Next time, I will never sign that piece of crap with my real name again.'

'When I find that bastard Loki, I'll definitely punch him first...'

Looking at the Asgardian citizens and soldiers on duty around her, whose faces held a mixture of respect and amazement, the 'Valkyrie's' expression darkened even more. Of course, to outsiders, it was just a cool and serious expression that made her look heroic, and no one suspected anything.

After all, when 'she' passed through the forest with this appearance, even the god of the primeval forest didn't notice anything amiss. It's unclear whether the god simply didn't see anything suspicious about 'her' or simply chose not to pay attention. If a formal planetary god didn't suspect anything, then ordinary Asgardian citizens and soldiers, who hadn't yet reached the level of gods and lacked the superpowers to see through reality, naturally wouldn't be able to see through this disguise either.

Even the power to see through illusions probably wouldn't be enough! In other words, even if the gatekeeper looked over, he wouldn't be able to see through 'her' disguise. After all, she's not some useless dark elf. With the Aether present, why would she want to achieve such a ridiculous, chuunibyou-ish goal as plunging the universe into eternal darkness? Even if the Aether, as the Reality Stone, could accomplish that, how much power would it require, or how much backlash would it have to endure?

Even if they succeed, the next moment would likely be the arrival of a cosmic god to wipe them out and eliminate them. Especially for Galactus, who maintains cosmic order, although his combat power fluctuates due to constant hunger, annihilating dark elves without the protagonist's halo would be incredibly easy.

So the dark elves are utterly useless, wasting their huge advantage. I wonder if they were cursed by some kind of time-traveling jinx.

Let's get back to the topic.

I bet you can all guess who this 'she' is! It's not that Ciel doesn't understand how to disguise himself, but he has to follow the information left by Loki. It makes Ciel feel like he could just wipe out Asgard in a cataclysmic event. And with the amplitude of the aether particles, he really could wipe it out in a cataclysmic event.

Unfortunately, these were the terms of the contract. Even if he didn't intend to comply, the problem was that he couldn't arouse any discovery or suspicion. Thus, the Shire, who had just smuggled himself into Asgard, after much deliberation, discovered that the area outside his cave was entirely forest, and sensed the divine power constantly surrounding it.

After much deliberation, Ciel had to admit that infiltrating Asgard was no easy feat. He wasn't going to force his way in; he would sneak in, find an opportunity to go to where Loki was imprisoned, release him, and then make a trip to Mimir's Well, one of the forbidden areas of Asgard.

This is going to be difficult! Moreover, invisibility spells might not be very effective; some gods could easily see through them, such as the gatekeepers. Besides, with so many warriors in Asgard, it's not impossible to find someone with the extraordinary intuition to detect invisibility.

Moreover, once we arrive in Asgard, the longer we stay, the more likely we are to be discovered. If we are discovered, how will we explain it?

Alright! Looks like I'll just have to make do... Luckily, it's just a matter of losing face (yeah right!)... I just need to change my attire and conceal my appearance, then use the power of the Aether to simulate an Asgardian and create my own armor... Loki has already preserved some of the Valkyrie's energy system's manifestations in the information he left behind, and it seems like he's quite confident. He didn't even know the Aether was the Reality Stone before, so how did he come up with this method!?

This is unbelievable!

Despite cursing and swearing inwardly, Charles maintained a cold expression, and no one noticed anything amiss. Frankly, no one suspected this disguise; even after traversing the forest, Charles could sense a divine force probing him before vanishing completely.

Upon arriving here, not a single Asgardian citizen or soldier suspected anything, allowing Ciel to easily slip in. All he needed to do was avoid the Valkyries who happened to be there to join the fun. Although even if they discovered him, they probably wouldn't notice anything amiss, Ciel didn't want to cause trouble. He just wanted to find the prison quickly and release Loki to continue…

Give him a punch!

A long chapter of five thousand words, no padding this time, right? That would be a breach of the guest's custom!

241. Asgard (1)

Amid cheers, the victorious soldiers escorted the prisoners through the wide streets. Some went directly to the banquet hall, where another grand feast would be held that evening. Others, however, led the rebels, bound by special handcuffs, to Asgard's prison. The rebels were of many races, the vast majority being grotesque, towering humanoid creatures, along with some enormous trolls. But before the Asgardian soldiers, these prisoners, shackled with their special handcuffs, were powerless to resist.

Moreover, thousands of elite soldiers were watching them intently, with even more lurking in the distance. Each of these soldiers was equivalent to a Captain America. Their armor made them immune to ordinary firearms attacks; even laser weapons, unless they hit vital organs, couldn't kill them even if they breached their defenses. Furthermore, the weapons these soldiers wielded were all magical, capable of easily tearing apart high-strength alloys, even Iron Man's Mark 7.

This doesn't even include the combat power of those at the god-like level. In short, once these prisoners are captured, they're finished; their fate is basically sealed. Of course, this is assuming no unexpected events occur! However, this is the Marvel multiverse, a world teeming with superhero crimes and accidents. No one could have imagined that among these prisoners, an enemy from thousands of years ago had infiltrated back in Alfheim. And this enemy had fought a mortal foe against Asgard thousands of years ago.

This man, disguised as a member of the rebels, wore a fully enclosed helmet, clearly specially made, which the gatekeepers didn't notice anything amiss. The helmet also concealed his energy aura, making him indistinguishable from the other captured rebel members around him. This soldier was a dark elf, infiltrated into Asgard to assist the Dark Elf King in his attempt to storm Asgard and seize the Aether.

Of course, they didn't know that the Aether was not currently in the hands of the Asgardians. When the Aether initially awakened them, they discovered it was located in Midgar using the Dark Elves' dark energy technology. However, not long after, while they were on their way to Midgar, the Aether's signal disappeared from Midgar and then reappeared at the coordinates of Asgard recorded by the Dark Elves.

At first, the Dark Elves were utterly dumbfounded. How could the Aether particles, which were just a moment ago in Midgar, have vanished into Asgard in the blink of an eye?! However, Malekith, the ruler of the Dark Elves, quickly realized the truth. The Aether particles were once sealed away by Asgard, and while they didn't know why the seal had been broken, that didn't mean Asgard wouldn't reseal them! Having waited thousands of years, finally seeing the dawn of revival, how could they possibly give up so easily?

However, these meager troops, the remnants of the original war, and a single spaceship are utterly incapable of breaching Asgard. They'd likely be reduced to ashes the moment they showed their faces.

So, if a direct assault doesn't work, then a clever strategy will suffice. If a frontal attack is impossible, then a sneak attack will do. Besides, they've been in hiding for thousands of years, and Asgard has probably long forgotten about them, their enemy from thousands of years ago. Moreover, even a rotten log has three nails; although the Dark Elves have perished, the precious technological artifacts they left behind can still play a final role.

If their king could reclaim the Aether, then everything would be set in stone! If they knew that in the original course of fate, the one who obtained the Aether was an ordinary human, without superpowers or the ability to wield its power, then what if they knew that now, the one who could already defeat a planetary god, and now, with the amplification of the Aether, was even more capable of rivaling a Celestial-level being like Ciel? It wasn't that he couldn't use the Aether's power; on the contrary, Ciel, who already possessed the Mind Scepter, had long since become familiar with controlling the Aether through the connection between the Infinity Stones.

Furthermore, during this time, he continuously analyzed the power of the two Infinity Stones in his possession. Although he couldn't compare to Malekith, who was more familiar with the Aether, when it came to control... well...

Clearly, the dark elves were unaware of this and continued their invasion as if it were a scene from a movie. Soon, this last batch of prisoners was taken to Asgard's underground prison. The prison's unique force field generators were powerful enough to seal the prisoners' abilities, essentially giving them a weakening debuff. Furthermore, spatial interference was in place, making any spatial magic difficult to use.

Even if a planetary god were imprisoned here, he wouldn't be able to escape.

At the same time, although the transformation into a 'Valkyrie' was embarrassing, Ciel had to admit that the identity Loki gave him was truly convenient, though it completely eroded his morals. While in Norse mythology the Valkyries don't seem to hold a very high position, serving as Odin's handmaidens, in reality, their status is second only to the gods of Asgard. They are equivalent to the aristocratic class in the human world, and specifically, an elite class that holds both noble status and official positions.

The Asgardian soldiers didn't suspect Shire's identity at all. Even the genuine Valkyries who had come to the banquet at the same time didn't cast any suspicious glances their way. Perhaps, at most, they were just curious about the behavior of this 'comrade' before forgetting about it.

Without drawing attention, and guided by the information left behind by Loki, the Shire followed the flow of people and secretly made his way alone to the location of the prison. There he saw Asgardian soldiers escorting the last batch of rebels into the underground prison.

Hidden behind a pillar not far away, Shire watched as the soldiers escorted the prisoners into the prison, not rushing in immediately. Asgard's defenses remained tight, and this group of prisoners was being treated with particular care; they were mostly rebel leaders or the strongest warriors, so they were being closely guarded as a precaution. However, the defenses would loosen during the victory celebration, and that would be the best opportunity to enter the prison.

After all, the victory celebration would attract the attention of Odin, the Father God, and as for these defeated warriors, it's estimated that no one would come back to care about them.

Moreover, just as this last batch of prisoners was being brought into jail, Ciel clearly sensed a familiar power—an energy from the same source as the Aether particles he possessed. At that moment, Ciel suddenly remembered that in the Thor: The Dark World storyline, the Dark Elves had indeed gone to Asgard to cause trouble. In other words, a corrupted Dark Elf soldier had infiltrated this group.

Clearly, this would be a much better opportunity!

242. Asgard (2)

Lying on the mattress specially prepared for him in the prison, Loki idly tossed a cup in his hand. Compared to the other prisoners, his life was much more relaxed and comfortable. The other prisoners had nothing but to sleep on the floor, and even then, several people were crammed together. On the other hand, apart from the limited living space, he had a bed, a table, a chair, all sorts of daily necessities, and even books to pass the time. It was more like he was here to relax than to be imprisoned.

However, given his nature, he wouldn't consider staying here a cause for celebration. In fact, he had already heard that his brother, Thor, the God of Thunder, had once again led an army to quell a rebellion. And it was a resounding victory, utterly destroying the rebels on Alfheim. After this battle, the chaos in the Nine Realms, except for the fire giants, was essentially resolved in the other troubled kingdoms. In other words, Thor had once again proven himself with his military achievements, and probably no one would question whether he was qualified to ascend the throne of Asgard's next god-king.

Unfortunately, this has absolutely nothing to do with him.

In the past, perhaps he would have felt jealous of Thor because of these things, but that was then! Now, after learning some unsettling truths, Loki felt a chill run down his spine. No matter how glorious Asgard was, no matter how much attention Thor received, it was all an illusion. If the information he knew, enough to drive any Asgardian god mad, was true, then the so-called glory of Asgard and the wars of so many years were utterly meaningless.

It could even be said that, had no unforeseen circumstances, he would have been a part of this cycle, continuing his journey towards the predetermined fate of 'Ragnarok'. To be honest, Loki was truly furious when he found out. All his efforts throughout his life seemed like a farcical joke, and even his actions and thoughts had been artificially orchestrated.

No one likes this puppet-like life, and Loki was no exception. In fact, he was even more furious, furious at the actions of those behind the scenes. If fate had already sealed the end, then why must we encounter another predictable, predictable story?

Thinking this, a chilling smile crept across Loki's face. Treating him like a puppet and a clown, manipulating the cycle of reincarnation time and again—did they really think he was a pushover?! Or did those ancient beings think that because even the Heavenly Father couldn't escape the cycle of reincarnation they had woven, they could act with impunity? Since they had carelessly left so many flaws, then…

Wait to die!

More than one thing beyond their script appeared. Midgard, this land of miracles, this world known as Middlegard, truly exceeded everyone's expectations. Aether particles, the Tesseract—items that would be mythical even in the eyes of gods—along with artificially created mutants and numerous superhumans. It could be said that from the very beginning, Midgard in this era had far exceeded the predictions of these behind-the-scenes beings.

The balance of reincarnation has long been broken, and even if they are true cosmic gods, they cannot resist the tide of the times.

"Waiting until after the banquet to come in?" Loki muttered, taking the cup. "That's too cautious! Well! I'm probably in trouble later!" The disguise he gave his 'ally' to infiltrate Asgard, while convenient, was definitely not for a good person. Or rather, for someone with a normal sense of shame, it might cause some trouble. However! In Asgard, Valhalla and the Valkyrie Legion are Odin's direct forces, and their status surpasses that of most Asgardian soldiers. It can be said that, apart from Odin, the God-King, Valhalla and the Valkyrie Legion do not need to kneel before any other god.

With such a status, even if he were to enter the prison directly, it wouldn't arouse any suspicion. Besides, in all these years, who has actually invaded Asgard? Those idiotic ice giants were deliberately let in by him; as for the others, they're either dead or stuck here.

"Ah! Thor is attending a banquet, while I'm here keeping company with a bunch of mentally challenged children. What a difference... Hmm?" Just as Loki was bored and about to flip through some books to pass the time, he suddenly froze, and some commotion reached his ears.

"Coming in to rescue someone at this time? No way! He wouldn't be that impulsive, would he?" Loki quickly got up and walked to the closed, illuminated door of the cell. As he looked outside, he thought, "Even if she's a Valkyrie, her approaching me would seem strange to anyone with ulterior motives! Surely she wouldn't…"

'Wait! There are other guys too!'

A dark energy aura emanated from not far away. Unlike the dark powers used by that wizard, this power was far more violent, even directly plundering the user's life. The power it generated in an instant was no less than that of a planetary god, which immediately made Loki serious. The fact that an unexpected event could occur midway through his planned contingency was not a good thing for him.

Even at first glance, Loki thought he had exposed himself to those behind the scenes, but then he realized that those behind the scenes probably had serious problems themselves. Otherwise, why couldn't they stop the Dark Elves when they obtained the Aether, and the same was true for the appearance of the Tesseract?

So, this accident was simply—an enemy of Asgard?

……

In the other cell, the infiltrated dark elves activated the dark power hidden within their flesh and blood. The next moment, accompanied by surging, corrosive dark energy, amidst the terrified expressions of their fellow inmates, the overflowing energy nearly wiped out all the unfortunate souls in the same cell! The one who remained was seized by the dark elf, transformed into a demonic soldier, and slammed against the portal of light.

Two Asgardian soldiers rushed over, but before they could do anything, the demonized soldier punched the portal and the unfortunate soul he was holding. With a deafening roar, accompanied by eerie dark energy, the seemingly indestructible cage forged from light energy in the prison shattered instantly. The unfortunate soul he was holding was also instantly corrupted by the dark energy, turning into ashes.

To the horrified gazes of the two Asgardian soldiers, the demonized soldier stepped out of the prison gates. Immediately, one of the Asgardian soldiers reacted, a blinding white light emanating from his sword. He swung it at the demonized soldier, the blade striking his shoulder with a clang, but to no avail.

The demonized soldier completely ignored the blades slashing at him, slapping away another soldier's spear and grabbing the soldier by the neck. At the same time, he also smashed the shield of the sword-wielding soldier, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him up.

Dark energy surged in, and the two soldiers screamed in agony before being reduced to ashes in no time.

After killing two Asgardian soldiers, the demonic entity walked to another cell, looked at the terrified prisoners, and without a word, smashed the cage to pieces. It then moved on to the next cell and smashed it as well. The prisoners were stunned for a moment, then reacted, roaring and charging out of the cells.

PS (1) The knight is going to fight me today! Although I'm working overtime, I still have 10,000 words of drafts saved up, so welcome to come and court death, knight!

243. Asgard (3)

A prison riot and a prisoner escape occurred. What should have been a time for victory celebrations was far from the reality of the soldiers' dismay. They had only just brought the prisoners into the prison that morning. Now, as evening fell and the celebratory feast was underway, while all the residents of Asgard were indulging in laughter, food, and drink, a prisoner riot and escape suddenly broke out.

Unlike the small-scale prison break riot in Thor: The Dark World, which involved at most a few dozen or a hundred people, this time, the corrupted dark elf, with the power to instantly reach the planet's gods and its corrosive dark energy, single-handedly broke through the prison guards' defenses. No soldier was capable of facing this corrupted dark elf. Time and again, the prison cells were smashed to pieces by the dark elf. More and more prisoners seized the opportunity to rush out of the cells, catching the arriving guards off guard. Then, under the attack of the ever-growing number of prisoners, the vast majority of the guards were killed, their weapons and equipment looted by the escapees, and the chaos escalated.

Finally, on one of the several-level underground prisons, the force field generator was shattered by the corrupted dark elves. Immediately afterward, the light doors to most of the cells on that level opened. The number of escapees, far exceeding what was depicted in the movie, completely overwhelmed the prison guards. The riot of thousands of prisoners breached the guards' lines of defense. If the prison's spatial interference device hadn't functioned, widening the spatial distances within the prison and allowing the guards sufficient depth to reorganize their defenses at the exits, these prisoners would now be rushing into the city.

However, it seems that it is only a matter of time before this last line of defense is breached.

Confined in his cage, Loki pondered with interest. He hadn't anticipated the arrival of a troublemaker, but it had to be said that sometimes unexpected events are truly unavoidable. Like that massive creature emanating a black, corrosive energy—Loki couldn't fathom whether the returning soldiers were blind, or if the gatekeeper had been slacking off. This being, whose strength had risen to the level of a planetary god under unknown circumstances—no, it should be said, only approached it—possessed a corrosive power that would be troublesome even for a planetary god. Moreover, most planetary gods probably didn't possess the destructive force of that corrosive dark energy.

"Hey! Big guy over there!" Loki suddenly called out as the guy who had caused the chaos walked past, "Could you..." Loki pointed to the light screen in front of him, "...open this for me!"

The corrupted dark elf approached, surveying Loki and the building within the cell. Clean and tidy, not only the cell itself but also Loki himself seemed out of place. This dark elf wasn't stupid; at first glance, he could tell Loki's identity was extraordinary, otherwise, why would he have such a luxurious prison?

Judging from this, the prisoner before him must be a high-ranking figure in Asgard, perhaps imprisoned for some offense. Releasing him would likely cause trouble! So, after giving Loki a cold look, the corrupted dark elf decided to turn and leave. After all, the power he had gained wasn't without cost; this consumable item, originally created using the power of aether particles, would constantly drain his own life force, even if it allowed him to mass-produce powerful soldiers. This dark elf didn't want to waste his energy and time here.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Loki yelled again. "Why is it that you can release those useless trash, but those bastards won't even lend me a hand?"

"Shut up, Asgardian!" the dark elf roared in response to Loki's reply, "...or I'll snap your head off right now!"

"Oh! Is that so!" Loki shrugged, then pulled at his collar, dusted off his clothes, and put his hands behind his back, saying with a mocking expression, "Come on! You stray dog ​​who ran out from some corner!"

Crash!!!

The next moment, the light barrier blocking Loki's path was shattered. Enraged, the dark elf smashed the barrier and unleashed a fist carrying corrosive dark energy toward Loki's head.

“Idiot!” Loki sneered.

Pfft!!!

The dark elf stopped moving as a jeweled scepter pierced his chest and heart from behind. This was impossible; his enhanced body was incredibly tough, and now he had been stabbed in the back.

Moreover, the power gained from burning his life force was rapidly dissipating and disappearing... A familiar force was stripping him of his energy and life.

'ether……'

The thought flashed through the dark elf's mind, and then, in the next instant, darkness completely engulfed him. The light of the aether particles flashed and disappeared, and the previously majestic demonized dark elf instantly turned into black rubble and shattered into pieces. Revealing behind him was a 'girl' with long black hair and dark golden eyes, holding a golden scepter.

Surprisingly, at that moment, neither the escaped prisoners nor the Asgardian prison guards who were exchanging fire with them witnessed this scene, and were completely unaware that the culprit who caused the prison riot was being killed instantly right before their eyes.

"You're getting more and more skilled with the Mind Scepter!" Loki exclaimed, then strode out of the cell. "These good-for-nothings didn't notice a thing was amiss."

"How many years has it been since Asgard was attacked?" A neutral voice rang out, and the 'girl' dressed and dressed exactly like the 'Valkyrie' of Asgard responded with a cold laugh, "Born in hardship, die in comfort."

“You’re right…” Loki smiled in agreement. “By the way, you look much better this way than you did before!”

"...Fuck you!" The 'girl's' expression suddenly froze as she spat out a curse, then punched Loki in the face, knocking him to the ground, and followed up with a kick. "If you don't have a good explanation, I don't mind breaking your arms and legs right now, Loki!"

“Cough cough…wait, okay! If it weren’t for this disguise, could you have sneaked into Asgard without attracting attention?” Loki groaned as he got up from the ground, spreading his hands and saying, “…Besides, no ordinary soldier would dare to check the Valkyrie’s identity. Unless Odin speaks up himself, no one has the right to manage or question the members of Valhalla and the Valkyries.”

"Alright! I'll believe you for now!" the 'girl' said. "Also, you'd better forget about this, or I'd be happy to use a black hole to help you forget. But I'll remember this, and once the True Name Contract ends, I'll definitely find a chance to beat you half to death."

“We’ll see!” Loki straightened up, and in the next moment, golden divine power surged, the power of illusion unfolded, obscuring reality and deceiving the world with a golden halo. Within the halo, Loki vanished, replaced by a tall, black-haired, blue-eyed woman, also clad in the form-fitting armor of an Asgardian Valkyrie, with a green cloak draped behind her. “Perfect timing, let’s take advantage of this chaos to go to Mimir’s Well…”

"...Can you tell me why you are so skilled at this illusion spell derived from the illusion authority?" A conflicted look appeared on the 'girl's' face.

“Oh, this! When Thor first gained the power of illusion and began to use illusion magic, he asked me to take him to the lake where the Valkyries bathed…”