Chapter 159: Captain America and Iron Man's Rupture

As Tony Stark, the Iron Man, approached, Steve Rogers still held his shield, and Bucky Barnes pointed his gun at Tony Stark.

"You seem quite cautious," Tony Stark said as he walked toward Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.

"It's been a long day," Steve Rogers replied.

"At ease, soldier. I didn't come for you," Tony Stark said to Bucky Barnes.

"Then why are you here?" Steve Rogers asked.

"Perhaps your assumptions aren't entirely baseless, or maybe they are," Tony Stark said, approaching Steve Rogers. "Ross doesn't know I'm here, and I prefer to keep it that way; otherwise, I'd have to arrest myself."

"That sounds like a lot of paperwork," Steve Rogers put down his shield. "Good to see you, Tony."

"I'm glad to see you too, Captain," Tony Stark replied. He then looked at Bucky Barnes, who still had his gun aimed at him, and said, "The brainwashed soldier here, you defeated him. We have a truce now, so you can put the gun down."

Steve Rogers gestured, and Bucky Barnes finally put down the gun. The three of them continued exploring the area together.

"I detected a heat signal," Tony Stark said after walking for a while.

"How many people?" Steve Rogers asked.

"Just one," Tony Stark replied.

As they entered the hall, the lights around them turned on. Steve Rogers took a closer look and noticed that they weren't lights but rather glass containers, similar to the one Bucky Barnes was thawed from.

Under each glass container lay a person, but all of them had their eyes closed, and they appeared lifeless.

"If it's any consolation, they died in their sleep," a voice came from somewhere. "Do you think I still want more people like you?"

"What's going on?" Bucky Barnes was completely confused, holding his gun cautiously.

"But I'm grateful for them; they led you here," suddenly, a small room lit up, and Zemo Baron's face appeared.

Tony Stark immediately raised his arm and aimed at Zemo Baron. Steve Rogers also threw his shield, but Zemo Baron's hiding place was exceptionally sturdy, and the shield bounced back.

"Don't bother, Captain," Zemo Baron said. "The Soviets designed this room to withstand UR100 missiles."

"I bet I have more firepower," Tony Stark said.

"I believe you do, Mr. Stark, in due time," Zemo Baron replied. "But that way, you won't know why you're here."

"Did you cause mayhem in Vienna just to lure us here?" Steve Rogers approached the small room and stood in front of Zemo Baron.

"For over a year, you've been on my mind," Zemo Baron stared at Steve Rogers. "Studying you, tracking you, but now that you're here, I realize there's a hint of green in your blue eyes. It's good to discover imperfections."

"You're a Sokovian," Steve Rogers said. "Is that what this is about?"

"Sokovia was beyond salvation before you bombed it. No," Zemo Baron shook his head, "I'm here because I made a promise."

"You lost someone," Steve Rogers guessed Zemo Baron's motive.

"I lost everyone, just as you will," Zemo Baron turned on a computer that was already there. "An empire undermined by enemies can rise again, but an empire that collapses from within is doomed forever."

Steve Rogers turned around and approached the laptop, followed by Tony Stark and Bucky Barnes. The laptop had a date written on it, "December 16, 1991." After the three gathered around, a video started playing.

"I recognize this road," Tony Stark exclaimed loudly upon seeing the beginning. "What is this?"

Zemo Baron didn't answer.

Tony Stark continued watching and saw that the video showed the Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes) killing Howard Stark's wife.

After watching the video, Tony Stark was about to take action against Bucky Barnes but was stopped by Steve Rogers. Tony Stark looked at Steve Rogers and asked, "Do you know?"

"I didn't know it was him," Steve Rogers said.

"Don't lie to me, Rogers. Do you know?" Tony Stark said in a low voice.

"I know," Steve Rogers remained silent for two seconds before choosing to tell the truth.

"Captain, I'm not on Stark's side," Stephen Strange spoke within the answering space. "But what you're doing isn't fair."

"I think I understand, Captain. You don't know how to approach this," Thor said. "One friend from 70 years ago, another from 70 years later. Once this comes to light, you'll inevitably lose one of them."

"But deception is always wrong," Bruce Banner said.

Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, the two parties involved, remained silent, staring at the video.

In the video, Tony Stark couldn't tolerate this kind of deception either. He punched Steve Rogers in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Bucky Barnes wasn't a fool. Seeing the situation, he quickly raised his gun, but before he could shoot, Tony Stark delivered a powerful palm strike, knocking him down.

With his gun gone, Bucky Barnes swung his metal arm towards Tony Stark, but Tony Stark caught it and then grabbed Bucky Barnes by the neck, lifting him off the ground.

Bang!

Thrown several meters away, Tony Stark slammed Bucky Barnes onto the ground and pressed his metal arm against his head, preparing to deliver a palm strike.

But at that moment, a shield flew in with a loud bang, hitting Tony Stark's back. His palm strike veered off course and hit the ground instead of Bucky Barnes' head.

Undoubtedly, it was Steve Rogers who made the move. There was no other shield-wielder in the vicinity.

Steve Rogers rushed over, using his shield to push Tony Stark back a few steps. However, Tony Stark wasn't backing down either. He activated the thrusters on his feet, flying towards Steve Rogers and punching him, sending him flying.

The clash between Captain America and Iron Man had officially begun.

Seeing this, the people inside the answering space couldn't help but sigh. Captain America and Iron Man, arguably the most important superheroes, had come to the point of confrontation.

After knocking Steve Rogers down, Tony Stark extended his arms and shot several pieces of metal at his feet, creating a lock that immobilized Steve Rogers' legs.

Though Bucky Barnes was the one who killed Tony Stark's parents, he couldn't just sit there and wait to die. He rushed towards Tony Stark, but in just a few moves, Tony Stark caught him by the neck and slammed him against a wall.

Holding Bucky Barnes by the neck, Tony Stark aimed to strike his face, but before he could fire, Bucky Barnes grabbed his right hand, thwarting the attack. With a swift move, Bucky Barnes twisted Tony Stark's arm, causing the energy blast to miss and hit the wall.

Steve Rogers had managed to free himself by smashing the lock on his legs with his shield. He now rushed towards the two.

Tony Stark had just been hit hard by the power of his own blast, causing a collapse in the area. He was trapped under a piece of metal, and Bucky Barnes had managed to dodge the falling debris and locked eyes with Steve Rogers.

"Go!" Steve Rogers shouted to Bucky Barnes.

Without a moment of hesitation, Bucky Barnes immediately continued to climb upwards.

If the villains in movies and TV shows were as agile as Bucky Barnes, they wouldn't be defeated by those idiotic protagonists.

Tony Stark wouldn't let Bucky Barnes escape so easily. He flew up again.

Steve Rogers wouldn't stand by and watch Tony Stark kill his friend. He leaped towards Tony Stark, firing a rope in mid-air and entangling it around his neck. Both of them fell down together.

By now, Bucky Barnes had reached the top step and was about to exit. But Tony Stark fired a missile, blasting the iron cover, which came down heavily.

With no hope of escaping, Bucky Barnes had no choice but to fight back. He grabbed an iron rod from the ground.

Tony Stark, after leaving Steve Rogers, also rushed upwards. Just as he was about to catch Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes swung the iron rod at his face.

Iron Man himself might be just an ordinary person, but once he donned his armor, there weren't many people who could match him. After taking that swing, Bucky Barnes was quickly overpowered by Tony Stark, who grabbed him from behind by the neck.

"Do you remember them?" Tony Stark asked angrily.

"I remember every single one of them," Bucky Barnes replied.

Steve Rogers rushed at them again, pouncing on both of them, and all three fell together. Bucky Barnes landed on the lower step, while Tony Stark and Steve Rogers fell to the ground.

Both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers stood up, facing each other.

"This won't change the past," Steve Rogers said.

"I don't care," Tony Stark replied, "He killed my mom." With that, Tony Stark flew up to Steve Rogers and landed a punch on his face, and the two engaged in a fierce fight.

Bucky Barnes couldn't just watch this happen. He picked up a shield from the steps and jumped down, joining the battle against Tony Stark with Steve Rogers.

After a brief fight, Bucky Barnes pinned Tony Stark against the wall, holding his face with one hand and grabbing the Arc Reactor on his chest with the other.

"Ah!!!" Bucky Barnes yelled, desperately squeezing the Arc Reactor on Tony Stark's chest.

The reactor began to eject energy fragments, and it seemed like it would be crushed, but with a swift motion, a dazzling energy beam shot out from the chest, causing Bucky Barnes to stumble and his metal arm to be severed.

By this time, Steve Rogers, who had been knocked down, had recovered. He got up again and rushed towards Tony Stark, engaging in another intense battle.

"You should have seen his little face. Come back as soon as possible, okay? I'm going to sleep. I love you." While Iron Man and Captain America were fighting underground, Baron Zemo was sitting in the snowy ground, listening to a recording.

"I almost killed the wrong person," Baron Zemo said.

"He wasn't innocent," Black Panther, T'Challa, approached from behind.

"Is this what you wanted?" Black Panther stood beside Baron Zemo. "To see them fight each other?"

"My father lived outside the city, and I thought it would be safe there. My son would be excited; he could see Iron Man through the car window. I told my wife, 'Don't worry, they are fighting in the city, and we are far away, so nothing will happen.' But when the ashes settled, and the screams ended, it took me two days to find their bodies. My father, still hugging my wife and child, and the Avengers, they just went home like nothing happened."

Black Panther remained silent, listening quietly.

"I know I can't kill them. People stronger than me have failed, but what if I make them fight each other?" Baron Zemo said. "I'm sorry about your father; he seemed like a good man, with a good son."

"Revenge has consumed you, and it has consumed them. I won't let it consume me too," Black Panther retracted his claws. "Justice will come soon."

"Go talk to the dead," Baron Zemo pointed the gun at his own chin and pulled the trigger.

But he didn't die. Black Panther acted quickly, blocking the gunshot with his palm, causing the bullet to hit his hand.

"Living people still need to find you." Black Panther apprehended Baron Zemo.

Meanwhile, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers underground were unaware of what was happening on the surface. They were still engaged in a fierce battle.

However, the situation had changed. Instead of overpowering Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes on his own, Tony Stark was now getting beaten up in a corner by Steve Rogers.

"You can't defeat him with brute force," the new successor of J.A.R.V.I.S., Friday, reminded Tony Stark.

"Analyze his attack patterns," Tony Stark ordered.

"Scanning... Analysis complete," Friday started scanning and analyzing Steve Rogers' attack patterns, then informed Tony Stark, "Counter-strategy ready."

Bang!

The next moment, Tony Stark's armor grabbed the shield that Steve Rogers had swung at him.

"Let's give him a good beating." Tony Stark effortlessly tore the shield from Steve Rogers' hands. As Steve Rogers threw punches, Tony Stark easily blocked them and then fired a repulsor blast at his chest, sending Steve Rogers flying.

Now it was Steve Rogers' turn to struggle. He was quickly brought down by Tony Stark, falling to his knees on the ground.

"He's my friend," Steve Rogers didn't give up, gasping for breath.

"I was too," Tony Stark replied as he delivered two punches to Steve Rogers' face, then picked him up and threw him to the side, warning him, "Don't get up, this is your last warning."

But Steve Rogers still managed to stagger to his feet, holding his fist up, saying, "I can keep this up all day with you."

Tony Stark slowly reached out his hand, preparing to fire a repulsor blast at Steve Rogers, but before he could shoot, Bucky Barnes, from the ground, grabbed his leg.

Tony Stark turned around and kicked Bucky Barnes' head with one foot.

Steve Rogers made a decisive move, rushing at Tony Stark and lifting him high above his head before smashing him forcefully into the ground.

Then Steve Rogers pounced on Tony Stark, repeatedly pounding him. He grabbed the shield lying nearby and shattered the Arc Reactor on Tony Stark's chest with a sharp crack.

The Arc Reactor, emitting a blue light, immediately went dark, and the armor lost its power.

After finishing all of this, Steve Rogers breathed heavily, while Tony Stark lay there, glaring at him with hatred.

The scene faded to black, and the video stopped there.

"I think T'Challa, Black Panther, was right," Bruce Banner said. "We shouldn't let revenge consume us."

"Black Panther?" Pietro Maximoff exclaimed, "That last person was Black Panther? So he was wearing the Black Panther suit?"

"That's right," Bruce Banner confirmed.

"He looks pretty cool," Pietro Maximoff remarked.

"Tony, it's evident that this guy, in the end, triggered the conflict between us," Steve Rogers hesitated for a moment, then looked at Tony Stark and said, "He did it out of revenge."

"Rogers, but the Winter Soldier really killed my parents," Tony Stark said coldly. "As a son, if I don't avenge my parents, am I still a person?"

"Stark, can you stop being so stubborn?" Steve Rogers replied.

"Sure, when you stop being so hypocritical," Tony Stark retorted, "or do you think you can talk me out of seeking revenge?"

"Stark, can't you just let it go?"

"I can, when you're not being so sanctimonious."

"Guys! I don't think you're calm enough right now. Obviously, arguing won't get us anywhere. Can we just shut up for now, okay?" Natasha Romanoff stepped in between the two, trying to mediate.

"I think our focus should be on something else," Bruce Banner also joined them in the center, standing with Natasha Romanoff. "That Sokovian is behind all of this, and it's evident that he did it to avenge his family. His family died in the midst of the Avengers' battles."

"So, from now on, we have to be extremely careful and avoid causing casualties among civilians," Natasha Romanoff said. "For those we accidentally harm, we're not heroes to them; we're murderers, executioners."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 160: Loki Cuts Off Thor's Hand

"This person must be talking about the Age of Ultron, right?" Stephen Strange spoke up. "He said Sokovia was beyond salvation before the Avengers destroyed it. Why would the Avengers destroy a city unless it was necessary? It must have been the city used by Ultron as a meteor."

"Pietro and Wanda were there, so it's likely Sokovia," Clint Barton said. "I don't want to make excuses for causing casualties or killing, but that situation was really hard to manage."

"Regardless, this issue deserves attention," Bruce Banner said. "If we can't ensure that innocents won't be harmed, it's better to cancel the operation altogether."

"Who are those people inside the glass chambers? They seem to be some kind of experiments too," Thor chimed in.

"Considering how Bucky was thawed from a glass chamber to carry out missions, those people might be super-soldiers like Bucky," Stephen Strange speculated.

"That's very likely," Natasha Romanoff said. "From the words of the mastermind, we know it's a Soviet territory. And when Bucky first arrived, he said something like 'you'd better wake them up,' so it's possible they're super-soldiers just like Bucky."

"The world is becoming increasingly crazy," Pietro Maximoff said. "We thought there was only one super-soldier in the world, Captain, and then Winter Soldier appeared. Now we have a whole group of them."

"At least those people are dead," Natasha Romanoff said. "The mastermind killed all the super-soldiers. Captain and Winter Soldier thought he wanted to wake them up, but he ended up killing them."

"Maybe they died on their own?" Thor offered a different perspective. "Freezing super-soldiers like that seems to be prone to problems."

"That's unlikely," Steve Rogers said. "The mastermind said, 'If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep.' So it's highly probable that he personally ended their lives."

"So we should be glad that he has no ambitions, otherwise, discovering such a group of super-soldiers would be a disaster," Bruce Banner said.

"Maybe it's just me overthinking, but it is a strange situation, right? It's quite suspicious," Stephen Strange added. "Remember the conversation between Captain and Stark when they first met? Stark said Ross didn't know he was coming; otherwise, he would have arrested himself. Captain said it sounded like a lot of paperwork. It sounds like Stark has to follow Ross's orders and deal with paperwork?"

"I can't imagine I'd listen to anyone's orders," Tony Stark said. "No one can command me! And I certainly wouldn't deal with paperwork. It does seem strange."

"So what happened in the future that made you choose to follow someone else's orders?" Natasha Romanoff asked.

"There's too little information; I can't analyze it right now," Tony Stark said.

[Question 7 begins, please get ready.]

[Please watch the following video.]

"We still can't restore the palace's barrier; our cannons can't detect them, and Heimdall can't see them," Fandral said. "Your Majesty, we are completely defenseless."

"You imprisoned her?" Thor walked over to Odin before he could speak.

"Everyone, leave us," Odin ordered everyone to step back and spoke privately with Thor. "I don't want to argue with you."

"I don't want to argue with you either," Thor said. "But I want to pursue Malekith."

"The Aether is in our hands, and Malekith will come to us," Odin turned and left.

"That's right, he'll destroy us," Thor followed closely behind Odin.

"You overestimate these monsters," Odin said.

"No, I just cherish the lives of our people," Thor came up with a plan. "I'll take Jane to the Dark World and draw the enemy away from Asgard. When Malekith takes the Aether out of Jane, it'll be exposed and vulnerable. I'll then eliminate them all at once."

"You're taking a risk," Odin turned around, tapping the ground with his staff. "If you fail, the weapon will fall into the enemy's hands."

"If we sit here and wait, we'll be even more dangerous," Thor argued. "Their fleet might be hovering over our heads right now, and we have no way of knowing."

"When he comes, his minions will fall under the blades of tens of thousands of Asgardian soldiers," Odin said.

"How many more people will we sacrifice?" Thor asked.

"We will sacrifice as many as it takes!" Odin's voice raised, "We will fight until the last drop of Asgardian blood!"

"Then how are you any different from Malekith?" Thor questioned.

"Hahaha!" Odin laughed heartily. "The difference is, my son, I will ultimately triumph."

"I never expected Thor to have moments of wisdom," Stephen Strange commented in the answer space. "Although the plan seems risky, it's still wiser than waiting for the enemy to come to Asgard as Odin insists."

"It's not just a little risky, it's quite risky," Tony Stark said. "As Odin said, if it fails, it's like suicide. If Malekith succeeds in getting the Aether, you won't have a chance of coming back alive from the Dark World."

"Are we just going to wait for Malekith to come knocking at our door, waiting for war to ignite in Asgard again?" Thor retorted.

"I'm not against your proactive spirit, but your plan is too risky. It allows for no failure, only success," Tony Stark said. "And a slight mistake means utter doom."

"Plus, there's the 'Thor's Law' to consider, which makes people worry," Natasha Romanoff added.

"..." Thor glared fiercely at Tony Stark upon hearing this. It was all his fault for spreading that silly 'Thor's Law.' Now everyone knew about it.

If it wasn't for the fact that Tony Stark had just learned the truth about his parents' deaths, Thor would have seriously asked him if his conscience didn't hurt from spreading such rumors.

The video continued to play.

Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three, Fandral and Volstagg, were seated together while Heimdall stood nearby. Thor solemnly explained his plan.

"What I'm asking you to do is the most serious act of treason. Even if we succeed, we'll be banished, and if we fail, death is certain. Malekith knows the Aether is here; he can sense its energy. If we don't take action, he'll attack again, but this time, he'll destroy Asgard. We need to take Jane away from here."

"The Rainbow Bridge has been closed, and the Tesseract is locked in the basement," Sif said.

"There are other ways to leave Asgard," Thor replied.

"Few know about those ways," Heimdall added.

"More accurately, only one person knows," Thor said.

The video paused here, and the question appeared.

[Question: To leave Asgard and go to the Dark World, who does Thor seek help from?]

[A) Loki]

[B) Hogun]

[Correct answers will be rewarded with a Dark Elf Locator, which can locate Dark Elves once with a 1% accuracy.]

"The Dark Elf Locator sounds like a nice reward, but the accuracy is too low, isn't it?" Thor complained.

"Don't worry, Thor. Didn't you see that this question is not the only one?" Steve Rogers said. "I believe the following questions will increase the accuracy of the locator."

"It does seem that way," Clint Barton said. "So this first question is crucial; we must answer it correctly. Otherwise, even if the accuracy improves later, what's the use without the locator?"

"This question seems pretty simple," Natasha Romanoff said. "It must be Loki without a doubt. Thor's beloved brother is imprisoned, and he must be constantly thinking of releasing him. Now he has such a legitimate reason, he must be ecstatic, right?"

"Romanoff!" Thor's face turned dark. "Loki committed significant crimes. It's already a mercy that he's still alive in prison. Would I release him just because of personal emotions and ignore his sins?"

"You would," Clint Barton said. "There's no doubt about that."

"Thor, can you choose Hogun while ignoring your conscience?" Stephen Strange asked.

"It won't be Hogun," Bruce Banner said. "Didn't you see how their faces changed when Thor said there was only one person who knows? It's clear that the person is someone nobody wants to deal with. And if it were Hogun, there wouldn't have been that reaction."

"Bruce is right. If that person were Hogun, it wouldn't be true that only he knows about the situation," Thor said. "If he knows, that means all the Warriors Three know, which means I would also know." At this point, Thor's mouth curved into a smile. "So, the answer is Loki."

"Thor, you said you didn't want to release Loki, but you just smiled!" Natasha Romanoff said. "As soon as Loki was mentioned, you smiled!"

"No, I didn't smile. Did I?" Thor put on an innocent look. "I didn't smile at all."

"Come on, Thor, your mind is full of Loki; everyone knows about it. There's no need to hide it. Everyone will just look down on you," Tony Stark said. "Just answer the question already."

"I choose A!" Thor made his choice.

[Correct answer! Reward granted!]

A rather inconspicuous little round ball appeared on the ground, and Thor bent down to pick it up.

"This is the locator. How does it work?" Tony Stark curiously asked.

"I just need to infuse a bit of lightning, and it'll start locating," Thor explained. "But the accuracy is only 1% for now, and the locator can only be used once. I don't dare to use it lightly."

"There will be one or two more questions later, and the accuracy will increase," Tony Stark said.

The video continued to play.

Thor arrived at Loki's prison cell.

"Thor, it's been so long. Why have you come to see me now? To revel in my misfortune?" Even in captivity, Loki remained dressed elegantly, with a noble and refined manner.

"Loki, enough. Don't use illusions anymore," Thor saw through Loki's disguise at a glance.

A flash of light filled the cell, and the suave Loki standing before Thor disappeared. Instead, there was a disheveled and exhausted Loki sitting slumped on the floor, barefoot, looking like a beggar under a bridge.

"Now you see me, brother," Loki said weakly.

Thor walked closer.

"Was she in pain when she died?" Loki turned to look at Thor.

"I didn't come to mourn our mother with you," Thor said. "I'm here to give you a chance to get something even better."

"Speak," Loki said.

"I know you want revenge, just like me," Thor said, looking at Loki. "Help me escape from Asgard, and I'll give you the opportunity. Let you have your revenge. Then come back here."

"You must be desperate to come to me for help," Loki chuckled, and then asked with a soul probe, "Why do you think you can trust me?"

"I don't trust you, Mother did," Thor said, gazing at Loki. "But you should know that even when we fought each other, I still held a glimmer of hope, believing that my brother hadn't completely vanished. That hope is gone now, and I can no longer protect you. If you dare to betray me, I'll kill you."

"When do we depart?" Loki smiled.

"Thor, even though we all know you won't be able to kill Loki, you can still speak so harshly to him. That's progress," Stephen Strange commented.

"Strange, I can kill anyone without hesitation," Thor said.

"But not your brother Loki," Tony Stark said. "We all know that Loki is your weakness, and without Loki, Thor can't survive. To be honest, I think it's unfair to Loki to be your brother."

"Is he still being treated unfairly?" Thor questioned. "Is it wrong to have me as a brother?"

"Thor, what I mean is, Loki shouldn't just be your brother; he should be your spouse," Tony Stark said. "The love between you and Loki is epic and profound, deeper than any couple in this world."

"Stark!"

"Unfortunately, Loki is male. If Loki were female, you could just marry him," Tony Stark said. "Regardless of whether he's your brother, there's no blood relationship anyway."

"Unfortunately?" Stephen Strange said. "Stark, you're being too narrow-minded. Why can't Thor marry Loki just because Loki is male? In true love, everything is permissible."

"Just like Alan Turing?" Clint Barton said.

"Just like Alan Turing, but I'm sure Thor's situation is better than Turing's," Stephen Strange said.

The video continued to play. Thor, Jane Foster, and Loki walked together in a desolate and ruined place. The sky was dark, and even the sun was obscured—clearly the "Dark World."

On the other side of the Dark World, a large spaceship was parked. Malekith led the cursed warriors and some soldiers, marching quickly towards Thor and the others.

"Are you ready?" Thor asked Jane Foster beside him. She nodded, and Loki said, "I'm ready."

As the two sides got closer, Malekith approached them. Loki couldn't help but say to Thor, "Your plan will get us all killed."

"Perhaps," Thor stared at the enemy ahead.

"Still don't trust me, brother?" Loki raised both hands, revealing a pair of handcuffs on his wrist.

"I wouldn't trust you," Thor replied, but he still unlocked the handcuffs for Loki.

"No, I wouldn't trust me either," Loki said as he took out a dagger and stabbed it into Thor's abdomen. There was a slope below, and Thor rolled down.

"Do you really think I care about Frigga? Or any of you?" Loki strode toward Thor and kicked him in the face, sending him rolling several times. "The only thing I desire is to see you and Odin die at my feet!"

Thor lay on the ground, reaching out his hand. Mjölnir flew toward him, but before he could grasp it, Loki picked up the dagger and forcefully severed Thor's right wrist!

"Ah!!!"

In the midst of the prolonged scream, Thor lay on the ground, and Mjölnir crashed to the ground.

The scene stopped there, and the question appeared.

[Question: Why did Loki do this?]

[A) Loki betrayed Thor]

[B) Loki and Thor staged a play for Malekith to see]

[Correct answers will be rewarded with a 30% accuracy Dark Elf Locator. Incorrect answers will deduct one year of life.]

"Thor, I take back what I said about you marrying Loki," Tony Stark patted Thor's shoulder in a tone of an elder advising a junior. "This person is too poisonous, and with your intelligence, you won't even realize it until he plays you to death. For the sake of your life, find a simple girl on Earth. I remember there was a girl who was quite popular on the Internet recently, named Feng Jie. She should be a good choice."

"Stark, shut up. You're a chatterbox," Thor retorted, raising a middle finger at him.

What an innocent child; he even learned to raise his middle finger. Truly pitiful.

"Thor, Stark's words are actually worth considering," Stephen Strange said. "Your feelings for Loki will eventually harm you. Just like in this video, everyone knows that Loki can't be trusted, but you stubbornly stick with him. What's the result? Loki hasn't disappointed anyone and cut off your hand."

"And it's your right hand," Tony Stark said. "It's unforgivable."

"Just because you say so means you already think Loki betrayed me. It's not necessarily true," Thor argued. "Maybe this is Loki and my plan, putting up a show for Malekith."

"Acting?" Clint Barton looked at Thor with suspicion. "You? Really?"

"Barton, what's with that look in your eyes?" Thor asked.

"I think acting is a serious burden for someone of your intelligence," Clint Barton said. "Just pick up your hammer and smash things away; that's the most suitable thing for you to do."

"Clint, I thought we were friends," Thor looked extremely sad at Clint Barton.

"Friends shouldn't be afraid to tell you the truth," Clint Barton said.

"Thor, Loki murdered you, guided the cursed warriors, and helped the Dark Elves breach the shield to successfully attack Asgard. He not only wanted to kill you but also to destroy the whole of Asgard," Natasha Romanoff said. "With such heinous acts, I don't understand why you still have confidence in Loki. From what I see, this betrayal is just a trivial matter for Loki, something he can do easily."

"Yes, Thor, it's quite surprising," Bruce Banner added.

"I know you all have reservations about Loki and dislike him, but you don't understand Loki like I do. We grew up together, and I know him," Thor glanced at everyone and slowly said, "I believe Loki. At that moment, his actions were part of the plan to deceive Malekith."

Then he made his choice: "I choose B!"

[Correct answer! Reward distributed!]

"Hahaha!" The result was announced, and Thor laughed happily. "See! Loki didn't betray me! He didn't betray me!"

"That's unexpected," Clint Barton said.

"Thor, don't get too happy just yet," Natasha Romanoff said. "That only means he didn't betray you by cutting off your hand, but how can you be sure he won't betray you later?"

"He won't," Thor smiled brightly.

The video continued to play.

"Malekith, I am Loki of Jotunheim, and I bring you a gift," Loki tossed Jane Foster in front of Malekith. "My request in return is simple: let me watch Asgard turn to ashes!"

"He is an enemy of Asgard," one of the cursed warriors said to Malekith. "He was also imprisoned in their dungeon."

Malekith walked forward, first stepping on Thor's body, then reaching out to Jane Foster. She floated into the air, and the Aether particles began to gather inside her and flow into Malekith.

"Loki, now!" When all the Aether particles exited Jane Foster's body, Thor roared.

Loki pointed his finger, and a beam of light flashed from Thor's right hand, which had disappeared earlier. His right hand reappeared, and he reached out, summoning Mjölnir without hesitation.

Then, he raised his hammer, and a massive and dazzling lightning shot from it, hitting the Aether particles in mid-air. Finally, there was a loud bang, and the Aether particles exploded.

However, when the ashes dissipated, dark red crystals floated up from the ground, reassembling into Aether particles, which entered Malekith's body.

Thor's plan failed; he didn't destroy the Aether particles, the immensely powerful weapon capable of destroying the universe. It ended up in the hands of the enemy.

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[END OF CHAPTER]