Chapter 80: Taking on Laufy Behind Closed Doors

"Great to see you again, Captain Blake! I'm Phil Coulson, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! I'm your biggest fan…"

"Hold on, hold on!" Thor interrupted, stopping him mid-sentence. "I thought your idol was Steve? Since when did you become a fan of mine? Just get to the point, I'm in a hurry."

A hint of embarrassment crossed Agent Phil Coulson's face, but he managed a polite smile. "Right…well, although this battle avoided residential areas, it still caused quite a bit of environmental damage, and all of New York saw what happened here. So, S.H.I.E.L.D. needs an explanation for the higher-ups, at least to convince Washington about the existence of aliens…"

Thor shook his head dismissively. "They'll believe it, sooner or later. And if they don't, it won't matter—soon the entire world will know about aliens."

With that, he turned away from Coulson's confused expression to face Natasha and the others.

"Are you going back?" Natasha asked, a hint of reluctance in her voice.

Thor understood—he often disappeared without warning, sometimes for years at a time.

He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his face serious. "My brother's causing trouble again, and with Father asleep, only I can take charge. I need to go back and handle him. But don't worry; I'll be back soon. This time, it won't be as long."

To handle Loki's latest chaos, Thor decided to leave Nebula and Minerva on Earth. He would bring only Sif and the Warriors Three back to Asgard.

Looking up at the sky, he called out, "Heimdall! Take us home!"

Up in Asgard, Heimdall, frozen in place by Loki's Ice spell, heard Thor's call. With all his strength, he shattered the ice around him, swiftly cutting down nearby Frost Giants, and plunged his sword into the Bifrost controls.

The radiant light of Bifrost descended, and Thor and his allies disappeared in the brilliant halo.

In Asgard, inside Odin's palace, the All-Father lay unconscious on his bed with Queen Frigga watching over him.

Suddenly, a loud commotion echoed outside, and Frigga tensed, gripping her sword. She kept a wary eye on the palace doors as frost crept slowly across them. Though she was more skilled in sorcery, Frigga had trained in swordsmanship as well.

With a resounding crash, the doors burst open, revealing a towering, dark-blue figure.

Frost Giants!

Frigga's eyes widened. How had the Jotunheim forces breached Asgard's palace?

Without hesitation, she charged at the intruding giants, sword at the ready. But she was blindsided by Laufey, who struck her down with a single swipe of his paw, sending her sprawling to the ground.

Laufey ignored her, focusing his gaze on Odin lying defenseless on the bed. An ugly grin spread across his face. "At last, the conflict between Asgard and Jotunheim ends today—with Asgard's destruction as the final Chapter!"

He sneered, leaning closer. "They say that, even in this state, you can still see and hear everything around you. I hope that's true. I want you to know it was Laufey, King of the Frost Giants, who killed you."

Laufey raised an ice spear, preparing to drive it into Odin's heart.

Suddenly, a beam of golden light pierced through Laufey, sending him crashing to the ground. Shocked, he turned to see Loki, standing with Gungnir in hand.

Loki's eyes were cold as he spoke. "Then let it also be known that it was I, Loki Odinson, who killed you."