Loki was dead, supposedly killed in Svartalfheim while protecting the Warriors Three?
Mike listened to Odin’s account of Loki’s death through the fading projection of Asgard, but his expression remained completely unchanged.
If Mike hadn’t been a transmigrator, he might actually have believed Odin, but there was one obvious problem: would someone as selfish as Loki willingly sacrifice himself for other people?
Maybe he would for Thor, his brother in all but blood.
Mike couldn’t deny that Loki was capable of sacrificing himself for Thor because he really would do so eventually, but that was something that would happen in the future, not now.
The current Loki sacrificing himself for someone else was nothing more than a joke.
Yet Odin was still claiming exactly that, which meant there was only one possible explanation.
Mike’s thoughts raced as he stared at Odin’s projected image.
Then he gave a mocking laugh and went straight to the point.
“So what should I call you now, Loki Odinson or Loki Laufeyson?” As everyone knew, Loki had two surnames.
One came from his biological father, Laufey, king of the Frost Giants, which made him Loki Laufeyson, while the other came from his adoptive father, Odin, making Loki Odinson another name he could use.
Mike remembered what Loki had done in the original timeline.
He had fooled Thor by faking his death, secretly returned to Asgard, exiled Odin, and then disguised himself as Odin to take his place.
No matter how Mike looked at it, the Odin in front of him was probably Loki after successfully carrying out that very plan.
It also explained why Thor had suddenly been taken away by the Bifrost.
Loki and Thor had always had a love-hate relationship.
They constantly clashed with each other, but whenever an outsider became involved, they would still close ranks.
If someone attacked one of them, the other would usually step in.
Sure enough, the moment Mike finished speaking, the dignified presence of the Odin before him suddenly faltered.
Most of Odin’s body and face were hidden in the shadows of the Golden Palace, and until that moment, he had even carried what seemed like genuine grief over the death of his adopted son.
For just an instant, however, that composure disappeared before quickly returning.
Mike still caught the change.
A look of realization appeared on his face, and his tone became certain.
“So you really are Loki.
Let me guess: you did die in Svartalfheim, and the Warriors Three really did see you die, but it was only a fake death.
Afterward, you secretly returned to Asgard disguised as an Asgardian soldier, got close to Odin, sealed away his divine power, and exiled him.” Mike’s smile deepened slightly.
“And if I’m guessing correctly, you probably dumped him in some nursing home in New York.” The Odin in the projection was stunned because Mike’s description was almost exactly what he had done.
The Odin standing before him really was Loki in disguise.
Mike’s interference had caused the events that should have followed the original course of Thor: The Dark World to change considerably, but one thing had remained the same: Frigga had still been killed.
Because of Frigga’s death, as well as Loki’s refusal to remain imprisoned in Asgard’s dungeons, Loki had chosen to help Thor travel to Svartalfheim.
Then Thor learned that Malekith had appeared on Earth and hurried there, leaving Loki and the Warriors Three behind in the Dark Elf realm.
When Malekith’s death caused the remaining Dark Elves to begin destroying themselves, an idea suddenly came to Loki: he could fake his death and escape.
There was no chance he would obediently return to that dungeon, and by then he had also begun to resent Odin because of what had happened.
Loki might not have loved Odin, but he had truly regarded Frigga as his mother.
In Loki’s view, if Odin hadn’t imprisoned him, then when Malekith attacked Asgard, Loki would definitely have been able to protect Frigga.
Of course, Loki himself had stood by and watched while the Kursed warrior broke free from confinement, but rather than blame himself, it was much easier to blame someone else.
Loki had mastered that principle perfectly.
At first, he hadn’t actually planned to exile Odin.
But after faking his death and returning to Asgard, Loki unexpectedly discovered that Odin’s divine power had weakened to an extreme degree.
In fact, Loki barely had to exert himself to seal Odin’s power.
Afterward, he sent Odin to a nursing home somewhere in New York and sealed away his memories as well.
Everything had gone almost absurdly smoothly, and even Loki still found it difficult to believe.
Now, after hearing Mike’s words, he couldn’t understand how Mike knew not only what he had done, but even where he had sent Odin.
He had absolutely no idea.
After recovering from his shock, Loki let out a laugh that sounded completely wrong coming from Odin’s appearance.
“Heh…
heh.” Light rippled across his body as the illusion faded, and in the next moment, Loki’s true form appeared before Mike.
He wore an elegant green-and-gold battle outfit beneath a dark green cloak, with his iconic golden horned helmet resting on his head.
His eyes carried the same cunning and dangerous gleam they always did.
Seeing Loki reveal himself, Mike smiled as though everything had turned out exactly as expected.
Then he looked at Loki’s projection with obvious satisfaction.
“Good.
You really aren’t dead.” Loki raised an eyebrow.
“And what’s so good about that?” Mike stared at him.
“It means I can kill you myself.” Loki frowned.
“I don’t even know you.
Perhaps we can discuss this properly.” He had heard everything about Mike’s earlier confrontation with Thor.
While disguised as Odin in Asgard, Loki had listened as Heimdall reported the entire exchange.
When Heimdall mentioned that Mike’s strength appeared to be roughly on par with Thor’s, it had been Loki who ordered him to activate the Bifrost and bring Thor back.
But Loki genuinely didn’t remember who Mike was.
From Mike’s conversation with Thor, he understood that Mike’s parents had died during Loki’s invasion of Earth the previous year.
But plenty of humans had died by Loki’s hand that day, so how was he supposed to know whose child Mike was?
Mike’s expression remained cold, and he made no attempt to explain.
“You’ll get to know me soon enough.
When I finally reach you and have your head in my hands, I’ll give you plenty of time to talk.” That settled it.
There was no negotiating with him.
Loki understood that much immediately, though his trademark wicked smile remained on his face.
The spatial rift between them had already shrunk to a narrow slit.
Before it closed completely, Loki gave Mike an elegant, inviting gesture.
“Very well.
Come talk to me when you actually manage to reach Asgard.” He didn’t take Mike’s threat seriously at all, for one very simple reason: even if Mike’s strength was comparable to Thor’s, Asgard was still the realm of the gods.
Mike said nothing and simply stood quietly on the Arctic ice cap, watching as the shrinking spatial rift finally closed and took Loki’s image with it.