Chapter 374: The Stubborn Trickster (Patreon)

The core agenda of the meeting wasn't overly complex; it simply boiled down to formulating a plan to prepare for Thanos's inevitable arrival.

Lucas even went so far as to expose the existence and abilities of the Black Order—Thanos's five elite lieutenants who had yet to make an appearance. His primary goal was to ensure that none of the heroes present would be blindsided and killed by a sneak attack, unlike Vision in the original cinematic timeline.

"Do we humans truly have no chance at all?" President Ellis asked, letting out a heavy sigh.

Lucas looked at Ellis and replied, "I can personally hold off Thanos. The Guardians can hold off his five elite generals and his other heavy hitters. But as for the rest of his cosmic armada... do you honestly believe Earth's current conventional military forces can withstand them?"

Ellis desperately wanted to declare that humanity would never surrender so easily, but given the bleak reality of the situation, the words caught in his throat.

"Lucas, I have never seen this Thanos you speak of. But the mere fact that he makes you act with such extreme caution is proof enough of his terrifying power," Nick Fury said in a grave tone. "According to your assessment, the most critical issue right now is that Earth's military forces simply cannot hold the line against his alien armada, correct?"

"What if we approach this from a different angle? We have Superman engage Thanos directly. In the meantime, you use your overwhelming power to eradicate the enemy's military forces as quickly as possible. What do you think of this strategy?"

Hearing this, Clark nodded confidently. "If needed, I can definitely stall him."

Lucas shook his head firmly. "You can't. Thanos wields the Power Stone. Aside from me, no one here can withstand a direct, sustained clash with it."

"I can," Hela suddenly interjected.

Everyone instantly turned their gazes toward the God-Queen.

Lucas tapped his knuckles against the table. "Do you realize what you are saying? I know you possess the Odin-force. But even without the Power Stone, Thanos's baseline strength already vastly surpasses that of an ordinary god. With the Power Stone in his grasp, the power he can unleash is far beyond anything you can imagine."

A proud, unyielding look surfaced on Hela's face. "I am the God-Queen of Asgard. If Thanos wishes to bring war to my domain, I absolutely will not allow him to run rampant. No matter who the enemy is, I will never permit them to simply come and go as they please!"

Looking at Hela's resolute expression, Lucas knew that since this proud woman had spoken those words, she would undoubtedly follow through with them.

"Alright, if you insist," Lucas relented, deciding not to force the issue. After all, when the actual battle commenced, whether they could strictly stick to any predetermined plan would be an entirely different question.

"Lucas, how much time do we have to prepare?" Kara asked.

Lucas chuckled lightly. "For that answer, we'll have to ask a certain prisoner of ours."

He then glanced at Lucian, who gave a slight nod.

Silver light flashed in Lucian's eyes, and a pitch-black spatial portal abruptly materialized in the air in front of him.

"Whoa!"

With a yelp, a figure tumbled out of the black void, slamming hard onto the floor and letting out a groan of pain.

"Shit! Doesn't your Earth have laws about the humane treatment of prisoners?!" Loki complained, rubbing his bruised shoulder.

Lucas just laughed. "But you aren't an Earthling, Loki. You don't qualify for the legal protections of any nation on this planet. Besides, according to Asgardian law, your treatment would likely be far worse."

Hearing this, Loki instantly snapped his mouth shut.

However, as he gathered his bearings and realized he was being gawked at like a zoo animal by a room full of people, his arrogant nature flared up. He stood tall, lifted his chin haughtily, and glared at the assembled leaders. "What exactly do you want?"

"You're asking what I want?" Lucas walked right up to Loki. "Tell me everything about the deal you struck with Thanos."

Loki sneered. "And why should I?"

Before Lucas could even respond, Thor lunged forward, his fist rocketing out and slamming brutally into Loki's face.

Thwack!

The sheer force of the blow sent Loki flying sideways, crashing violently into the wall. The punch was so heavy that Loki couldn't stop himself from spitting out a mouthful of blood; one of his front teeth even looked slightly loose.

"What the hell is going through your head, you bastard?!" Thor roared in fury. "You barely escaped with your life earlier, yet you still refuse to see sense?!"

Loki spat out another mouthful of bloody saliva, then looked at Thor with a mocking, derisive sneer. "Just look at you, my dear brother. Look at what you've become. You and that woman have practically turned Asgard into a subservient vassal of Midgard! Have you forgotten how reverent and submissive these Midgardians used to be when they looked upon us?!"

Thor's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he buried another vicious punch into the other side of Loki's face.

"What the hell are you even talking about?! Has your brain been beaten into mush?!" Thor genuinely couldn't fathom it. Why, even at this utterly hopeless stage, was Loki still acting so stubbornly and running his mouth?

"Do you really want to break Mother's heart?!" Thor finally resorted to his ultimate weapon, desperate to get through to his brother.

"Break her heart?" Loki's pupils trembled slightly, and his arrogant facade cracked, showing a flash of unnatural vulnerability.

But he quickly gritted his teeth, suppressing the emotion. "Do they even have a place for me in their hearts anymore? I am currently a captive, yet they haven't made a single move to save me. Why should I care about their feelings?!"

"My dear brother, the winner takes all. It is that simple," Loki continued, putting on an air of cynical world-weariness. "The worst that can happen is death. At the very least, I have accomplished what I set out to do."

"Unreasonable," Hela muttered, shaking her head in disgust.

In her past, Hela had been mad, stubborn, and had harbored a deep, burning hatred for Odin. But in her heart, she had never once entertained the thought of betraying Asgard itself. But this wretch before her... in his desperate bid to prove himself, he had gone completely insane, treating even Asgard as a disposable tool to be tossed aside.

Hela stood up, grasping Gungnir tightly, and declared in a booming voice, "In accordance with Asgardian law, and utilizing my absolute authority as God-Queen, I hereby banish you from Asgard entirely. Effective immediately!"

"Hela!" Thor turned to her, shocked.

Hela met Thor's gaze and rebuked him without holding back. "He has lost his mind! He is willing to casually betray Asgard. Or would you rather I execute him with my own hands right now?!"

Thor instantly fell silent.

"Hahahaha! If you want to kill me, then kill me! Why waste so much breath?!" Loki continued to mock the room.

At that moment, Lucas stepped forward, thoroughly observing the Trickster.

"Honestly, if I didn't know exactly what kind of person you were, I might have actually fallen for your little act," Lucas said leisurely. "Besides, did you really think I needed you to tell me this information?"

Loki seemed to realize something, but he stubbornly ground his teeth. "Then why did you ask?!"

"I asked to give Thor and Hela an out—a way to step down gracefully," Lucas replied. However, he didn't speak the words aloud; he transmitted them directly into Loki's mind using ki, ensuring no one else in the room could hear. "But since you've decided to smash the very stepping stone I offered, don't blame me for what happens next."

Lucas then turned to look at Lucian. With a casual flick of his wrist, Lucian tossed a faintly glowing yellow gem across the room.

Lucas caught it smoothly, then turned his gaze back to Loki.

"No... you can't do this!"