Loki had never seen anyone take the blame for something. Your apology instantly destroyed his momentum. How could he possibly argue? He could have insisted that the Dark Warrior had forced him to come.
Whether you believe it or not is one thing, but whether you have an excuse or not is another.
"You should say sorry to me." Luke held a metal cane that appeared out of nowhere in his hand. He picked up the cane and walked towards Thor and the other man, pointing at the flames rising from all around.
Thor, already feeling guilty, glanced at the ruined surroundings and was speechless for a moment before Luke. Standing there, he felt incredibly awkward. He had never imagined he'd find himself defeated by someone's gaze. But looking at his brother, who was feigning death on the ground, he couldn't help but stand there and speak.
"I'll compensate you." Thor said awkwardly.
"Of course I should." Luke looked at Thor in surprise. "I was perfectly fine at home, and I suffered this unprovoked disaster for nothing. Do you think I should bear the loss myself? Of course I will seek compensation from the person who caused it."
"The mastermind is Malekith's henchman! Yes, the one fighting those two giants." Loki, lying on the ground, opened his eyes. "I'm just someone being coerced."
"Really?" Luke squatted down and looked at Loki with an inexplicable smile on his face.
"Of course! You see, I'm just a captive, and Malekith can't give me much trust. He sent me here purely to make my stupid brother afraid to act rashly and create opportunities for his trusted generals. I can only cooperate with him in whatever he wants to do." Loki explained sincerely.
"That makes sense. Then how did the other party know about Heiboren? Why did they choose my Heiboren as the target of attack? I heard that you also attacked the Raft Prison? Is he a know-it-all in the Atrium?" Luke stuck his cane into the ground and placed his hands on the top of the cane. While supporting his body, he turned his head to look at the dark warrior who was being trapped by the two giants of light and darkness in the distance, and asked with confusion in his sudden realization.
"That's the fault of those super criminals," Loki quickly threw out a huge black pot. Anyway, Vulture and the others were all dead, so the rest could just avoid this wave first.
"Do you think I believe it?" Luke smiled again.
"Okay, I admit that I made some suggestions, such as the Luft Prison and how to lure my brother out. But I promise that I have no opinion on you and your Hyperion." Loki raised his hands on the ground, and every expression on his face was sincere, so sincere that even Thor, who was familiar with his brother's bad character, believed that what his brother said this time was true.
"Is that a suggestion?" Luke loosened the head of his cane, and a virtual three-dimensional projection radiated from the top of the cane, rendering the image around it.
The picture looked like the cabin of a spaceship, with a row of people sitting or standing. Thor clearly recognized that these were the super criminals who attacked Heberon this time.
Luke thoughtfully included a voiceover when presenting the image. The next moment, Thor and Loki heard Loki delivering an impassioned speech on the screen, his voice full of vigor and power shouting out a line that made Thor dizzy.
"Capture Hebron!"
"Capture Hebron!"
"Capture Hebron!"
"…"
The image and sound seemed to be stuck, playing back and forth in a horrible loop, along with the image of Loki clenching his fists and shouting. Loki's face turned green as he lay on the ground. Thor's face also turned ashen.
The little trust he had in his new brother vanished in an instant. At the same time, he even felt a complex emotion in his heart, thinking that this kind of brother was normal, the brother he was familiar with.
"How did you get this image?" Loki gritted his teeth, enduring the repetition over and over again, bewildered and puzzled. He didn't believe Luke could have done anything to the Dark Elves' ship, much less that they knew of his arrival and plans so early that they'd arranged for surveillance. Besides, the ship's stealth and scanning systems weren't useless, especially with him and the Dark Warriors in charge.
Of course Luke ignored Loki's question and just looked at him in mysterious silence.
Without receiving the expected response, Loki was genuinely confused as to where Luke had gotten this image. He even suspected that Luke had spies among the supervillains rescued from Raft Prison, but then Loki dismissed the idea. Unless Luke knew he was coming back for trouble, knew he was going to attack Raft Prison, knew he was going to attack Hyperion, and so had arranged for an insider to help.
But this logic was so outrageous that Loki wanted to slap himself. Even Luke hadn't come up with this plan until after he arrived. Unless Luke possessed a gift of precise foresight, he wouldn't have been able to detect it. And as for deploying personnel beforehand? Since they already had the ability to predict the future, what use would that be?
Does Luke have precognitive abilities?
Loki didn't know.
But now he just wanted Luke to cancel this endlessly repetitive, idiotic projection. He was devastated by the cycle. Especially since he'd been around Thor since childhood, he was sensitive to the possibility that his brother might attack him again.
"Quickly turn off this stupid projection!" Loki looked at the panting Thor and shouted at Luke. If Mjolnir hadn't been pressing on him, immobilizing him, he would have rolled as far away from Thor as possible.
"I should have shown this video to King Odin and Queen Frigga, so they could see the good son they had raised." Luke smacked his lips, his tone filled with regret. Loki was practically going crazy after hearing his words.
Killing people and destroying their hearts!
It's not enough for you to do it in front of me and my brother Thor, but you're also thinking of doing it in front of Odin and the Queen Mother? Can you please stop for a moment? I admit defeat!
"It seems that you have realized your mistake and confessed to what you have done." Luke understood Loki's pleading eyes, reached out and pulled the ball off the head of the staff, and threw it to Thor, who was panting heavily and seemed like he would take action at the next moment.
"Then let's talk about the issue of compensation. Do you want me to talk to you, or do you want to talk to the God-King Odin?" Luke stood up, took out a metal sphere from the void, and deftly installed it on the handle of his cane. His eyes moved back and forth between Thor and Loki inquiringly.
"Talk to us!"
The two brothers showed great tacit understanding at this moment. Although their father might have known everything that happened here through Heimdall, the two would rather take a gamble on luck.
"Can you make the decision?" Faced with the two brothers speaking in unison, Luke took two steps back and spread his hands to express his doubt.
"Of course." Thor gritted his teeth again: "Let's talk, I will give the bill to father."
Loki pursed his lips at this, but remained silent. He figured if Luke wasn't too greedy, then he and Thor could probably repay the debt by using their accumulated wealth from over a thousand years. It was just an industrial zone, after all.
But think about Luke's appetite?
Loki couldn't guarantee it, but if Asgard truly needed Luke's help, and he had given him a handle, he wouldn't miss the opportunity to ask for more. The bill would be presented to Odin, no matter what.
Just thinking about it, Loki could imagine Odin roaring at him in the future, with a look of disappointment on his face. He could also imagine his mother, Queen Frigga, torn between him and Odin. So his mood became even worse.
This is clearly a very effective plan.
He led the Dark Warriors to Luke's side, creating a virtual conflict between them. Regardless of who won or lost, he would happily accept it. A Dark Warrior victory would be a vindication for him. He hadn't forgotten that his Chitauri army was defeated because of Luke, and he himself had been severely beaten by the green giant at Luke's behest.
If Luke were to win, it would mean the loss of a powerful warrior on Malekith's side, and he would regain his freedom. Perhaps he could even drag Midgard into the fray, giving Asgard a powerful ally. After all, those mortals aside, the people who had resisted his army were still quite powerful.
As for whether it would offend Malekith?
As long as his father Odin and brother Thor were still alive, Loki didn't worry about this problem. He had already offended Thanos, the leader of the Dark Realm, so he didn't care about another Malekith. Too many lice don't itch.
But why has the situation developed to this point?
Not only had he gained nothing, he'd just been beaten up by his own brother, and now he had a potentially exorbitant bill to hand over to Odin. He'd noticed a tendency in his life where his best plans always ended up going against his will. Simply put, everything he did seemed to reap a terrible, unwelcome outcome.
"That's good, of course." Luke admired Thor's responsibility very much. He walked up to him and patted his shoulders a few times with a smile on his face.
Who would want to bother negotiating with Odin, a cunning and treacherous guy, when they can negotiate with Thor, a simple and honest guy at the moment? If they talk to the other party, they may give some compensation if they need their help, but it can't be too much.
Luke's original intention was to let Thor and Loki take on the burden of the compensation negotiations. When the time came, the bill that both sons had acknowledged would be handed to Odin by the two of them personally. Could he still turn his back on it?
He needed help, and it was a fait accompli. He had two sons, one of whom would be the future king of Asgard. In addition, due to various factors such as neighborhood relations, even if Odin picked up Gungnir and gave his two sons a severe lecture as a father and filial son, they would have to accept it after the beating and clean up their messes honestly.
As for whether Odin would think Luke was bullying or get angry, that's unlikely. If Mephisto had acted this way, Odin would have definitely turned his back on him and even picked up Gungnir to show his displeasure.
But what about Luke?
A mortal from Midgard, barely a fraction of Thor and Loki's age, a half-dimensional demon in the accumulating stage of development, and apparently in the right, even if Odin knew there was something fishy going on, he could only pretend ignorance and wouldn't rush in to bully the weak. Even without considering Luke's strength and future, Odin also had to consider the attitude of the Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, who was also in Midgard.
The bill was acknowledged by his two sons. As long as Luke did not intend to empty his treasure house, what could Odin do in the face of this situation?
"Trust me, I'll give you a bill that doesn't exaggerate the losses and satisfies both parties! But first, let's resolve the situation on the field." Seeing the two men take the bait, Luke was satisfied. Asgard's Rainbow Bridge was already damaged, and Odin, still recovering from his injuries, couldn't expend the energy to instantly send over a skilled negotiator. So Luke wasn't worried about any accidents.
Even if there is an accident, it will just be a matter of missing something on the bill. It's not a big deal.
After the three of them finished their conversation, they finally had time to focus on the surrounding battlefield. In the distance, Tony, his long tail of flames, flashed back and forth in the night like a fish, blazing beams of light occasionally slashing from his palms like longswords. Faint, furious howls drifted softly on the night wind. The voices were filled with resentful anger and a subtle sense of weakness.
Deep in the industrial park, Hulk and Abomination were still fighting passionately. Judging from their performance, Hulk still had the upper hand, and Abomination's face was almost deformed by Hulk's beating.
The final battleground was the battle between the twin colossi of light and darkness and the Dark Warrior. While the Dark Warrior was being outmatched, he wasn't completely at a disadvantage. The opponent seemed to have fully activated the hidden energy within him and the dark armor he wore. A lava-like sheen shone faintly through the cracks in the armor. Every breath the Dark Warrior took was like a muffled thunderclap, and every punch carried such force and speed that it created a ring of sonic booms in the air.
However, the twin colossi of light and darkness worked in perfect harmony to block his escape. The Light Idol, in particular, would activate a massive energy shield whenever the Dark Warrior increased his strength and attempted to break free. The Light Idol's defense within the shield was nearly invincible, and unless the shield was removed after its duration expired, the Dark Warrior's attacks wouldn't even be able to penetrate it.
The Dark Idol will take advantage of this opportunity to prepare and surround the Dark Warrior when he escapes, restraining him again.