*Chapter 155: Loki's Dark Past (First Update)*

Meanwhile, despite being busy with post-battle duties, one of the Warriors Three, Fandral, felt something was off when he heard that Sif had been entertaining the human warrior who saved Frigga for three whole hours and still hadn’t come out.

Recently, the love triangle between Thor, Jane, and Sif had been causing quite a stir among the Asgardian elite.

If it weren’t for Asgard being under attack, this would have been the biggest gossip of the year.

As Sif’s close friend and comrade in arms for thousands of years, Fandral naturally hoped she would become the real crown princess. He couldn’t stand the idea of "the childhood friend losing to a newcomer."

But wasn't Sif supposed to be getting information?

Why had it taken hours?

Could it be that Thor was infatuated with Jane Foster on one side, and something was happening to Sif on the other?

Feeling a bit uneasy, Fandral finished his work and rushed to the guest palace, only to hear a song as soon as he reached the door.

“Fake! Fake!”

“Her chest is padded!”

“Her chest is padded—”

The extremely catchy tune was simple yet impossible to ignore.

Just listening to it made Fandral feel uncomfortable. There was no doubt someone was being roasted terribly.

As he pushed the door open, he found not only the musicians but even the dwarves of the band, and Sif herself, happily raising their glasses and singing along.

What the heck?

“Ah! You’re Sif’s friend, right? Thank goodness! She’s drunk,” Atreus said with relief upon seeing Fandral.

“I’m not drunk! Look, I can still drink,” Sif proclaimed, grabbing Atreus’s glass and chugging it down.

“Hello, Mr. Kratos. I’m sorry for the trouble,” Fandral quickly took the completely wasted Sif, feeling relieved inside.

If Sif had passed out drunk with some foreign human man in the room, things would’ve been much harder to explain.

Luckily, he arrived before the small party ended, and with the musicians and dancers still around, it was a standard banquet.

Thank goodness! It’s all fine!

Today’s events should be nothing more than a minor hiccup.

On the other side, the aftermath of Asgard’s invasion was causing tremendous waves.

The rebellions across the Nine Realms, which had been calming down, suddenly reignited as if someone had thrown a torch into a half-burned warehouse of wood, setting it ablaze once more.

With the destruction of Asgard’s wide-area divine shield generator, the kingdom lost half its defenses.

Asgard was now in a very passive position.

To maintain control over the Nine Realms, they had to quickly quell the rebellions and silence the dissenters.

But if they sent their elite forces out, the homefront could be left defenseless.

After all, the Dark Elves’ mothership had bypassed Heimdall’s all-seeing gaze.

And who can guard against an enemy forever?

Because of this, Odin and Thor were having a serious disagreement.

Thor suggested, “Since the Dark Elves want the Aether, we should use it as bait, set a trap outside Asgard, lure Malekith out, and finish him once and for all.”

Odin glanced at his son, whose head used to be filled only with muscles. He secretly appreciated Thor’s growth, but as the King of Asgard, he had his own considerations. “What if you fail to capture Malekith, and he takes the Aether instead?”

“Then what do we do?”

“We’ll keep the Aether in Asgard. If he dares come, I’ll drown him and his men with tens of thousands of Asgardian soldiers.”

Thor’s voice rose sharply, “Father! Look at the wreckage in the civilian district! Another battle in Asgard would cost so many innocent lives!”

“Asgard’s glory isn’t earned by mere words. To be Asgardian is to be ready to pay the price for that glory. We will defeat Malekith, even if it means spilling the last drop of Asgardian blood!”

Thor’s eyes widened like saucers. “How is that any different from Malekith’s actions?”

Odin roared with finality, “The difference is—I will be the victor!”

That shut down the conversation completely. Thor couldn’t accept his father’s decision but had no way to oppose it.

Was his father wrong?

It was hard to say.

Odin wanted a risk-free, absolute victory, using Malekith’s head to intimidate all rebels.

In truth, Asgard wasn’t particularly weakened at this point. The various races under its rule, after thousands of years of peace and recovery, had simply started challenging Asgard’s dominance.

This was a rebellion against the old order!

Thus, Odin was acting with sheer dominance.

Thor’s proposal, on the other hand, was a classic display of benevolent rule, preferring to take on the risks himself to protect his people.

Neither father nor son could be called wrong. It was just that Thor’s plan had more individual heroism, which brought uncertainty—something Odin did not favor.

A *king* must always have strong convictions.

A king without convictions is just a puppet, and both Odin and Thor had strong ones.

Later that night, during a private gathering with Sif and the Warriors Three, Thor shared his thoughts.

Fandral frowned. “ Bifrost is closed, and Tesseract is locked in the vault. We have no way out.”

Sif suddenly spoke up, “We do! If it’s Kratos…”

Thor interrupted her, “No, I won’t let Kratos face my father’s wrath! That’s not how we treat our guests. He’s helped us enough.”

Suddenly, the dwarf Volstagg got excited. “Wait, you’re not talking about Loki, are you!?”

The whole room erupted, their expressions all saying the same thing: No way, Thor, you’re really thinking of trusting that trickster Loki again!?

Thor gestured for calm. “Everyone, hear me out. First, Loki loves our mother deeply, and her injury must have moved him. Second, I have an insurance—let me show you something.”

Thor pulled out a tablet.

Having visited Earth twice, Thor, though still a bit unfamiliar with the tech, managed to turn it on and open a short video Tony Stark had placed on the home screen.

The 10-inch display played a scene from the Battle of New York, featuring the iconic showdown atop Stark Tower.

It showed Kratos brutally beating Loki.

Not just one punch!

Not two punches!

But a flurry of storm-like punches and a hellish windmill throw.

Even Thor, who resented Loki to the core, had never given him such a thorough beating.

Kratos did it!

Not once, but twice!

Seeing this, Sif and the Warriors Three were immediately thrilled.

(End of Chapter)