"Cough!"
"Cough, cough, cough!!!!"
The once-thriving city of New York was now nothing but ruins. The stray energy from the battle between Lothar and Odin had destroyed buildings and caused countless casualties in one of America's most developed cities. And now, Odin lay in the rubble of New York, struggling to remove the faceplate of his Destroyer Armor, coughing up blood for a solid thirty seconds.
"Father!"
"Father!!!"
Thor, who had been held back miles away by The Other, his eyes bloodshot, shook his Mjolnir, ready to join the fight! He couldn't just stand there and watch!
"Wait, Thor!"
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Quick-thinking Loki abandoned his feigned helplessness and instantly broke free from the ropes the Avengers had tied him with, grabbing a nearly berserk Thor by the shoulder.
"Don't stop me!"
"Don't you dare stop me, Loki."
"This is all your fault, so don't you dare make me kill you." The enraged Thor swung his hammer right past Loki's face. The close proximity of the divine power sent a shiver down Loki's spine. He had never felt this from Thor before.
"I understand, I understand, Thor, listen to me, calm down."
"Lothar and I just made a deal, okay?!"
"The Black Quadrant people saved me when I fell from the Bifrost! In return, I had to come to Midgard to get them the Space Stone, do you understand?!" Seeing that Odin really did seem to be on the verge of death at Lothar's hands, Loki also began to panic.
What kind of joke was this? The only reason he had let Lothar in was because he believed his father Odin would repel him just as he had a thousand years ago! So what in the hell was this now?! Miscalculating, Loki's mind was in turmoil.
Did he hate Odin?
Of course, but he only hated his favoritism, always favoring Thor. Yet, the spells and fighting techniques Odin had used in his fight with Lothar were repeatedly reminding Loki of something: Odin had not been playing favorites.
Those were all the things Odin had taught him when he was a child. It was laughable that he had always thought Odin was holding back on him just because he was Laufey's son.
Loki licked his dry lips, his heart filled with bitterness.
"Father's dying!"
"Loki!"
"Don't you understand?!"
"If we don't go save him, he's going to die! Die!"
The image of Odin coughing up blood kept flashing in Thor's mind. The voice of the man who always seemed like an unshakeable tough guy was now filled with a choked sob.
"I know! I know! I know everything!"
"But we can't go!"
"We are not a match for Lothar! We're not his match, do you understand?!"
With an enraged Thor gripping his collar and yelling in his face, Loki yelled back with just as much spittle flying.
"...I was wrong about you, Loki."
Thor's shouting stopped, and he slowly released his grip on his brother's collar. Shaking his head, he turned and walked away, Mjolnir in hand. Loki's lips trembled as he closed his eyes, desperately trying to find a way to save Odin.
Back then, how did Father defeat Lothar...?
Think... remember!
Loki, having shut out all sound by closing his eyes, desperately searched his memories. He vaguely recalled seeing a record of it in a secret chamber in Jotunheim.
And Thor, Mjolnir in hand, was now surrounded by what seemed like an endless Chitauri army.
"Go, wear him out even if it kills him." The Other, commanding the Chitauri army, waved his hand coldly, and the fleet swarmed Thor.
Rumble!
Thunder roared in the sky, but no clouds gathered.
"You lose, Odin."
The black-haired, golden-eyed Lothar slowly descended next to the rubble where Odin had been slammed.
"Cough, cough... cough, cough..." Odin, his teeth stained with crimson blood, planted the Gungnir on the ground, used it to support himself, and slowly stood up.
"The Power Stone, the Reality Stone..."
"Thanos, he really went to great lengths... cough, cough..."
Odin staggered, fighting to stay on his feet.
"Have you thought about how you'll explain this to Hela in hell?" Lothar walked one step at a time toward Odin.
"This new power form of yours... stable energy, a formidable body."
"Your rate of progress truly exceeds my imagination."
After a punch from a Super Saiyan 4 wielding the Power Stone, Odin could still stand and speak only thanks to the protection of the Destroyer helmet.
"You're just too weak," Lothar said with a cold face, stopping in front of Odin.
Then, he punched the already cracked Destroyer Armor on Odin's body. There was no Power Stone energy, no surge of power, just a simple fist.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
One punch, then another, then another. The expressionless Lothar poured all the long-suppressed anger in his heart into his fists, venting his rage and stretching his body.
"Lothar, this is the first time I've ever asked you for help."
"Please, save me."
"Please!"
Clang!
The already cracked Destroyer Armor could no longer withstand Lothar's unleashed fury. The shattered pieces of armor fell away like wildflowers in a winter street. Lothar's ears suddenly seemed to be filled with an auditory hallucination. He heard Hela's voice, and the memory of her first and last plea for help, in a moment of distress, flashed in his mind.
Hela...
"Be banished once again, Lothar!"
Lothar's punching motion froze, and his gaze shifted to the source of the danger. The screaming Loki had somehow fooled The Other and the Avengers, and was now floating a thousand meters away with the Space Stone in his hand.
Whum!
The unlocked Space Stone shot out a beam of light!
"You're the one getting banished," Lothar said, clenching his right fist, the golden glow in his eyes suddenly intensifying, complementing the light bursting from the Power Stone!
Rumble!!!
With one punch, storm clouds gathered, lightning flashed, and the skies and earth changed color! A shocked Loki was blasted directly into the shattered space!
"No!!!"
"Loki!!!!"
Thor, bogged down by the fearless Chitauri swarming him, roared out in anguish! However, the truth was that he was just a helpless madman.
After the punch, Lothar still stood in place, only Loki had completely vanished from everyone's sight.
Clatter!
The square Space Stone fell to the ground, kicking up a little dust, but no one dared to reach for it.
"Now..."
"It's your turn, Odin."
Lothar bent down and swatted away the remaining shattered pieces of Destroyer Armor from Odin's body. Then, he placed his right hand on Odin's head, lifting him up.
"Lothar..."
"Our feud is settled." A weakened Odin offered no resistance, simply smiling and closing his eyes.
"No!"
"No!!"
"No!!!"
"No!!!!"
From afar, Thor was still bogged down by the Chitauri army, his hoarse screams unable to summon a miracle. With a surge of immense power, Odin's head disintegrated. His headless body did not shed a single drop of blood as it fell to the ground at Lothar's feet, slowly dissolving into a wisp of wind in the air.
The expressionless Lothar slowly lowered his right arm.
He looked up at the sky, silent.
"Hela..."
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