Chapter 178: Protection and Extremes
Thinking back to his past life, he remembered how Loki, despite his reluctance to admit it, truly cared for Thor. Loki had even been willing to sacrifice himself for his brother's sake. Though Loki wouldn't acknowledge it now, his affection for Thor ran deep.
"Of course, if there's a next time, don't hold back," Thor said, nodding earnestly at Tony's words.
While Tony might not be able to overpower him, Loki was a different story. To Tony, Loki was just a tough opponent—nothing more. If Loki ever faced Tony at full strength, it wouldn't take long before he'd be beaten.
Thor suspected that the mysterious, deep purple energy Tony wielded came from Harvey. He had scoured countless books but could never trace its exact origins. With a fraction of Harvey's power combined with advanced technology, Tony's strength was formidable—even on a cosmic scale.
Loki, overhearing his brother's conversation with Tony, felt a flicker of doubt. If his plan failed this time, it was unlikely he'd get another chance to cause trouble on Earth. If anything, his next attempt would have to be somewhere far from Earth.
"Well, we've got an agreement," Tony said, noticing Thor's willingness to compromise. He then asked, "So, what kept you from coming to Earth for so long? Something holding you back?"
Thor, taking this as an opportunity to explain, responded, "The Bifrost was destroyed, so Asgard can't easily descend to other realms anymore. We need the Tesseract to repair the Bifrost and reconnect the Nine Realms."
"The Bifrost is powered by the Tesseract?" Tony asked, surprised.
"Yeah, according to my father, the Tesseract originally belonged in Asgard's vaults. But it was lost on Earth, in Norway. As long as the Bifrost was intact, and the Tesseract remained on Earth, my father didn't see the need to retrieve it," Thor explained.
Tony had always wondered why such a powerful object—capable of connecting distant points across the universe—ended up on Earth. But now that he knew it belonged to Odin, the Allfather, it all made sense.
"The Tesseract can open portals across space," Tony mused aloud. "When the time is right, think you could lend it to me for research?"
"I owe you a favor," Thor replied thoughtfully. "As long as you promise not to misuse it, I don't see why not."
Natasha, observing this exchange, felt a knot form in her stomach. The Avengers had been assembled to retrieve the Tesseract, and now these two were casually talking about borrowing it like it was their personal property. She wanted to speak up but knew better than to argue with men of their power.
Steve, on the other hand, was more pragmatic. He understood that the Tesseract—a powerful artifact he had encountered decades ago—belonged to Thor's people. It was only natural that it would return to its rightful owner. Besides, keeping it on Earth had always been problematic. Just look at what Hydra had done with it, sparking a whole series of catastrophic events.
If returning the Tesseract to Thor meant fewer threats to Earth, it was probably for the best.
While Natasha held back her frustration, and Steve found peace with the situation, one person was far from happy—Loki.
"The Tesseract is still mine, you know," Loki chimed in, interrupting Thor and Tony's conversation.
"If you're still interested in staying alive, I suggest you keep your mouth shut," Tony said coldly, turning his attention to Loki. "Your brother doesn't want to kill you because of some misplaced sibling loyalty. And I've promised him I wouldn't either. But if you think you can provoke me into a fight—hoping to escape while we're at each other's throats—then you're welcome to try."
Tony's voice turned icy. "Let's see who's faster: you, trying to run, or me, catching you and tearing your head off. If I'd wanted you dead earlier, you wouldn't be here talking right now."
Thor, sensing Tony's rising anger, turned to Loki. "Loki, stop making things harder. After all this is over, I'm taking you home. Mother misses you."
"Oh, now you want to talk to me about family? After all, I'm adopted, remember?" Loki sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Adopted or not, Mother's taken care of you for over 1,500 years. Don't forget, she's the one who taught you magic—she's never treated you any differently," Thor replied, his voice firm. "We both learned that nurturing is more important than birthright. Now, take back what you just said about Mother."
Thor stepped forward, grabbing Loki by the collar, his anger simmering. "If you can't appreciate 1,500 years of care and love, then even if Father orders me to watch over you in other words, I won't. You'll be on your own—whether you live or die."
Thor was frustrated. He was trying his best to protect Loki, all while keeping Tony's wrath at bay. But Loki just kept pushing, making things worse. Though Thor hadn't known Tony for long, he could tell that Tony was no pushover. If pushed too far, Tony might kill Loki to protect Earth.
After a moment of silence, Loki finally relented. "Fine. I take back what I said."
"Good. Now, hand over the Tesseract," Tony said, his tone still cold.
"It's not on me," Loki admitted, much more subdued than before.
"I figured. Take us to where it is," Tony replied curtly.