Chapter 162: Loki's Thoughts

Unable to fully comprehend the thoughts of Celestial at that level, Bi Xiao found it impossible to predict their actions with his own thinking.

Moreover, these Celestial are not constrained by time; they can alter history at will and travel far into the future.

As for the transformation within his body and whether it posed a hidden danger, Bi Xiao was uncertain.

From his conversations with Ancient One, it seemed that the Celestial Judgement hadn't immediately descended, indicating that the death of Tiamut wasn't of significant concern to them. It might be that they genuinely didn't care, or perhaps they were temporarily preoccupied with something else.

Regardless of the reason, Bi Xiao knew one thing for sure: he would not die.

The Celestials enjoy interfering with life, but it's not just life they like to meddle with; they interfere with everything. They fill the void with stars, light up the dark universe, and sow seeds of life on barren planets, bringing them to life.

In this regard, the Celestials are definitely positive figures. After all, they have created many magnificent worlds and many unique beings.

As previously mentioned, they observe a unique value. For example, after planting seeds of life on a planet, they wait for it to evolve, then observe a million years later to see if the beings have "succeeded." If deemed successful, the beings continue to exist; if deemed a "failure," the Celestials destroy them mercilessly.

Bi Xiao believed his own value wouldn't lead to their destructive thoughts.

Furthermore, although he couldn't currently defeat the Celestials, those gardeners couldn't kill him either. When it comes to survival, Bi Xiao is always serious.

His perception of the Celestials was straightforward: any threat to him must die.

If he couldn't win, he would run, fighting while fleeing. Many Celestials were not adept at combat, and many had died in the past. This gave him the confidence to kill Tiamut.

Ancient One wasn't surprised by Bi Xiao's confidence.

Considering how he had grown from a mortal to this level in just two or three years, his arrogance was understandable. She also believed that the Celestials couldn't act recklessly. Though powerful, they wouldn't easily face the combined force of her, Bi Xiao, and Odin without suffering.

Upon confirming the Celestial's death, Ancient One chose to leave, acting as if nothing had happened.

As for Bi Xiao, he returned to his estate to continue observing the changes in his body. He needed to understand the purpose of the golden life essence. If it was indeed a threat, he would not hesitate to remove it from his body.

.....

Loki had noticed something strange lately; he found that his beloved brother Thor had changed significantly.

Loki, adept at observation and manipulation, had keenly detected Thor's astonishing transformation over the past two months.

Thor's demeanor had become more mature and composed, and Loki sensed a new danger emanating from him—something that had never been there before. Despite Loki's numerous betrayals, Thor had always loved him unconditionally, never harboring murderous intent, which allowed Loki to be so brazen with him.

This unconditional love was the reason Loki dared to manipulate Thor.

However, since Thor's frequent visits to Midgard two months ago, Loki had sensed a growing, pervasive danger from his brother. In a moment of eye contact, Loki felt a flicker of fear and avoided Thor's gaze, realizing a sense of humiliation.

Loki was proud, having grown up with Thor, he believed himself equally excellent. Yet, everyone preferred Thor's radiance, overshadowing Loki's brilliance.

Since then, Loki had always been jealous of Thor. Everyone believed Thor was the rightful future ruler of Asgard, never considering Loki for the throne or truly following him.

To garner attention, Loki resorted to mischief, hoping to prove himself superior to Thor. Yet, Thor's recklessness and hammer always shattered Loki's plans.

People loved Thor for his boldness, enthusiasm in battle, and charisma. Loki, however, saw him as a brainless brute—an unfit king relying solely on a hammer.

Despite this, Loki felt a subtle shift in Thor's power dynamics, unsettling him.

During a rebellion in the Nine Realms, Thor led Loki, Sif, the Warriors Three, and the royal guard to suppress it.

Amidst the vast army, the Asgardians fought fiercely. Yet, all eyes were on Thor.

Thor, wielding Mjolnir, moved through the enemy like lightning, each strike causing bloodshed. His punches and kicks held unprecedented power, and his combat style had become more efficient and potent.

Facing a stone giant, Thor, enveloped in lightning, delivered a punch that obliterated it completely.

At this moment, Thor resembled a god, and thus, won the victory in this war. Thor stood tall on the battlefield, raising Mjolnir and roaring with anger. All the enemies around him knelt down, submitting to this deity.

All the Asgardian warriors raised their weapons, shouting and cheering for their commander.

The atmosphere reached its peak at this moment.

Loki stood silently beside Sif and the Warriors Three, gazing at the radiant Thor ahead. It was always like this, always this scene and setting.

What made Loki furious and helpless was that he clearly sensed Thor's growth.

Loki realized that if he faced Thor, he might be easily defeated, which filled him with unwillingness.

Why was it like this?

With this doubt, Asgard welcomed the celebrations after the victory. Banquets were a common tradition in Asgard, often held for victories, dueling victories, and other celebrations.

But there was never a lack of a lively atmosphere here.

At night, the banquet in Asgard was filled with the shouts of the Asgardian warriors. Some were eating roasted meat and drinking while bragging about how many enemies they had killed, and how many heads they had chopped off.

Some were arm-wrestling, some were dueling, and many Asgardians gathered to watch and cheer.

Loki sat beside Thor, not silent, but at least not inferior to the crowd in this aspect. After all, Thor was deeply loved, and if he showed a cold and lonely demeanor, the throne would be completely out of his reach.

Thus, the skilled actor Loki actually had considerable popularity among the Asgardian warriors and people, second only to Thor.

But being second was enough for Loki to ignore those who supported him.

Moreover, the most important people, whether it was Sif, the Warriors Three, or Odin, all favored Thor. Only his mother Frigga treated him equally.

When the lively banquet ended, Thor had drunk heartily, but his strong physique kept him from getting drunk, remaining somewhat clear-headed.

The warriors around him were lying about in various states of disarray, completely unrecognizable. At this moment, Loki questioned Thor.

"You seem to have changed, Thor."

"Haha, you noticed, Loki."

Thor laughed, as he also felt his own growth, becoming more outstanding on the battlefield and clearer in his combat decisions.

"Yes~~~ you."

Loki hadn't finished speaking when the burly Volstagg staggered over drunkenly, hugging Thor's neck and shouting loudly, "Our Thor is an invincible god, no one can withstand the judgment of Mjolnir."

"Our enemies will be torn apart by lightning under Thor's command."

"Yes, my brother," Thor laughed heartily, echoing.

Loki's eyes flashed.

Volstagg shouted twice, burped, and then sat down on the ground, snoring loudly.

Thor patted his good friend's shoulder with amusement, not minding, as Asgardian warriors could survive even in the most extreme conditions. Sleeping here for a few days was no problem at all.

"My brother, what do you want to say?"

He looked at Loki, who didn't hide his thoughts, directly asking, "Why have you become so strong in such a short time? You know this strength exceeds my expectations, my brother."

"Do you remember that time?"

"Do you mean when the hell upheaval caused demons to escape to other realms?"

"Yes, we all know that a powerful figure entered hell, killed a powerful hell lord named Asmodeus, and his wife Lilith also disappeared, reportedly killed by him."

Thor didn't conceal anything.

"I'm not sure about that."

"This was the information we obtained afterward, costing a lot of money." This money was universal currency in the cosmos, which could be used to buy much information from brokers.

This time, the information was bought with money, though Asgard had no concept of money because they were too rich, never lacking in wealth.

Especially for a prince of Asgard like him.

"Mother once made us choose, and after that, I wanted to find him, but he was well-hidden, and Heimdall couldn't see him until two months ago when he appeared, and I visited him on Midgard."

"So your change is because of him?"

"Yes, he is a respectable warrior. Additionally, I met two interesting friends there. We fought fiercely and grew together in those battles."

"But you never mentioned this," Loki was somewhat dissatisfied, actually very dissatisfied.

He didn't expect Thor to hide this from him. It had never happened before, even when Thor met those women, he never concealed it. This inevitably led to some dark thoughts in his mind.

Was Thor doing this on purpose?

He didn't expect that Thor, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, would also play these little tricks with his brother.

Thor did not notice Loki's venomous glare and continued speaking to himself, "I'm very sorry, my brother. Each battle with them has been a wonderful and thrilling journey, which made me forget many things, immersed in the joy of combat."

Thor was lying.

In fact, when fighting Pietro and Wanda, he was always beaten to a pulp. The first time, Bi Xiao helped him recover quickly, but afterward, Bi Xiao did not assist him.

As a result, every time he was beaten, his body suffered severe injuries, and it took him several days to recover, even with his physique.

After his defeats, he focused entirely on recalling the details of the battles, pondering how to defeat Pietro and Wanda.

He had no time to pay attention to Loki.

Of course, this did not stop him from embellishing the truth a bit with words, but Loki, who grew up with him, could easily see through his lies. This only confirmed to Loki that his seemingly guileless brother was wary of and guarding against him.

Loki believed his excellence still posed a threat to Thor. Thor wanted to ascend to the throne, and Loki was the biggest obstacle.

Thor did not want him to become more outstanding than he was.

Loki's heart was full of bitterness. Indeed, the struggle for the throne was filled with conspiracy, cruelty, cold-bloodedness, and slaughter everywhere.

The brother who once devoted himself unconditionally to Loki was now also starting to understand how to guard against, be wary of, and scheme for the throne.

Was Thor preparing to frame and kill him next?

Thinking of this, Loki couldn't help but shiver inwardly. Thor's conspiratorial expression seemed a bit amusing and somewhat unbelievable, but Loki knew he could not easily trust Thor.

Perhaps in the future, he would have to kill Thor with his own hands.

For the throne and survival, this was something he must go through.

Loki's mind turned, but his face remained expressionless. He began to probe, "Those two friends are strong? They actually earned your recognition?"

"Yes, Pietro and Wanda are the youngest and most powerful warriors and mages I've ever known."

Gathering critical information, Loki silently praised himself.

"They sound like Midgardians. I didn't expect such a poor place to produce such strong individuals."

"This also surprised me. But Pietro and Wanda were excellent warriors trained by Shaw. They are very young and have great potential. In the future, they will surely become true gods like us. Loki, don't underestimate them," Thor said solemnly.

"Moreover, Midgard might not be what we think. Strong protectors have emerged there, and it will rise in the future. Though it may not surpass Asgard, it will become a legend."

Seeing Thor speak so earnestly, Loki couldn't help but feel astonished.

He had never seen Thor give anyone such high praise, which made him feel a bit jealous.

"I heard you mention there is a mage among them?"

"Yes, her name is Wanda. She is a young, beautiful girl and an outstanding mage. She can proficiently use many spells and combine them. Many of her spells give me a headache," Thor said, looking frustrated.

During his fights with Wanda, he had no chance to retaliate.

He couldn't get close to her. Her reactions were too fast, and her spellcasting speed was extraordinary. She didn't need incantations or hand signs, casting spells instantly with just a thought.

Moreover, her combat intelligence was high, using various defensive spells on herself and then bombarding from a distance while setting traps.

This turned the fight into a game of trying to get close to Wanda. If he couldn't, he got bombed.

"She sounds incredible, a young and outstanding mage. Perhaps I should exchange a few words with her," Loki said, displeased with Thor's praise. He should be the most outstanding mage in Thor's mind.

Thor suddenly seemed to realize something.

"Yes, Loki, maybe you should come to Midgard with me. Both you and Wanda are exceptional mages, and you could grow more by exchanging ideas."

In reality, Thor wanted to see his brother get frustrated, believing the scene would be amusing.

But Loki found Thor's words suspicious. Thor, whom he believed was guarding against him, actually suggested such a thing. Was there a hidden plot?

Or was Thor planning to kill him when he reached Midgard?

That didn't seem right. After all, Heimdall was not easy to deceive and would see through any plot. Though Heimdall was a guardian and never involved himself in the Odinson family's royal matters, loyal only to Asgard and Odin, Loki still felt Heimdall leaned towards the most promising candidate for the next ruler, which was Thor.

~~~

It's been almost a week without an update, but don't worry! This fanfic is already completed on Patreon.

Like my other completed fanfic, *[Part-Time Employee in Konoha]*, this one will receive two updates every day until it's finished. And who knows—if I'm feeling generous, you might even see three updates in a day!

Anyway, I won't bore you with too much talk since it will take about 1-2 months to reach the final chapters. Also, Thank you!

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— Completed (Chapter 277: Finale)