The days of being a spiritual mentor in Meiman.

Chapter 3733 Doomsday (26)

Chapter 3733 Doomsday (Twenty-Six)

Fortunately, the mages seemed to prioritize the structures of Asgard, immediately casting shields on the sky islands and Asgard upon landing. The Ancient One didn't act overly aggressively, simply remaining on the front lines, blocking all fleets charging towards Asgard.

Although they didn't inflict any real damage on the three great empires, the mages' defenses allowed the Asgardians to launch another unrestrained attack. Thus, the situation returned to its initial state, and the casualties of the three great empires began to rise rapidly again.

This tug-of-war went on for at least four or five rounds, lasting almost three full days. The three great empires still hadn't even gotten a foothold in Asgard, and the interstellar public opinion situation was spiraling out of control.

The three great empires mobilized their main forces, but after three days, they hadn't even reached the enemy's home base, and had lost tens of billions of troops. Asgard's casualties barely reached three digits, with most ending up in Valhalla.

The strategic objectives of the three empires in attacking the nine kingdoms have essentially failed. But the problem now is that they can't leave even if they want to.

Odin appears to have used certain properties of the World Tree to completely seal off the dimensions of the nine realms. Not only are the warp drives unusable, but the dimensional severing devices are also completely ineffective. The main forces of the three great empires are now trapped.

Jarvis, meanwhile, was still actively spreading this information online, acting as an insider. Many advanced civilizations were prepared to take a gamble and harass the defenses of the three great empires. Finding no response, they became increasingly brazen, even openly attacking major mining areas, clearly intending to take advantage of the situation.

Although the battle lines within the nine kingdoms can still be maintained, this war has resulted in enormous losses. The supreme commanders of the three great empires are now scratching their heads in frustration.

They tried to access Asgard's communication channels to negotiate, but Odin had no intention of talking to them, uttering a curse before hanging up. They also tried contacting humans, who were more agreeable, but their responses were all platitudes, essentially saying they had no say and told them to go find Lord Asgard.

The three great empires are now on the verge of collapse from top to bottom. They can't fight back, they can't leave, the new house is on fire, and the old house is smoking. They want to do something, but there's nothing they can do; it's like experiencing a painful and protracted death.

"This can't go on any longer!" On the fourth day of the war, Lilandra's voice rang out on the channel. "We have to think of a way."

"What can you do?" Emperor Skrull's tone was initially sarcastic, but he suddenly remembered that Lilandra had had an affair with the mutant leader, so he immediately said, "Why don't you go talk to your lover?"

"Shut up!" Lilandra snapped. "What I'm saying is that the Nine Realms aren't necessarily a unified whole. Humans and Asgard share common interests, but what about the other races? Quite a few races have been invaded by Asgard, haven't they?"

There was a moment of silence in the channel, then the Supreme Intelligence said, "As far as I know, the Frost Giants were almost wiped out by Odin. The Dark Elves have always been subservient to Asgard, but they are dissatisfied with Thor's rule. The Fire Giant King also has some grudges against Odin."

"You're trying to turn them against us?" Emperor Skrull's tone held a hint of doubt. "We're attacking the Nine Kingdoms. Even for the sake of their own homes, they'll have to come to our aid..."

"Their homeland?" Lilandra said with no small amount of sarcasm. "A desolate place on the edge of nowhere, with a harsh natural environment and no resources whatsoever? Which of the three great empires' defense zones isn't hundreds of times better than their homeland?"

Emperor Skrull suddenly seemed to realize something. He stood up again and said, "That's right, the resources among the nine kingdoms are also unevenly distributed. Asgard, Vanaheim, and Midgard occupy too many resources, while the other places are either desolate or have harsh natural conditions. Will the races there be content with that?"

“I think we can start with the Frost Giants,” Lilandra said, tapping his fingers on the throne. “First, many years ago, Odin, the Allfather, and Laufey, the King of the Frost Giants, fought a life-or-death battle. Odin beheaded Laufey and killed almost all the Frost Giant warriors. Their hatred for each other is irreconcilable.”

"Secondly, I learned from mutants that Loki, the current prince of Asgard, is a Frost Giant."

The other two rulers were not surprised by this, as all three empires possessed life-scanning devices. They could see that Loki's life form was significantly different from Thor's, but they didn't know his specific race.

“The two brothers didn’t have a very good relationship before,” Lilandra said. “Loki even framed Thor, sending him to a faraway planet. Do you think things like that will just get over so easily?”

“But he did become a prince after all,” said the Supreme Wisdom.

"That's the key point. Thor's position isn't as secure as Odin's; he couldn't possibly purge immediately after taking power, but I think he's somewhat wary of Loki. Otherwise, why wouldn't Loki have any real control over the military?"

The three empires were all aware of the internal situation in Asgard. In general, Thor held military power, and he made all the decisions regarding war and defense; Loki managed logistics and internal affairs, and he made all the decisions except for military operations.

This is certainly not fair. Everyone knows Asgard is the sharpest sword; if you can't control the warriors of Asgard, what's the point of controlling them? It's just working for free.

“That’s how carbon-based life forms are,” Lilandra said. “They may appear amicable on the surface, but that doesn’t mean they really think that way. I don’t believe that Loki, with a right to the throne, wouldn’t have any ambition for it.”

"What do you mean?" Emperor Skrull asked.

"I think we can try contacting him."

"But Odin..."

"Are you all stupid? We don't actually intend to put anyone on the throne; we're just using him. As long as he's willing to cooperate with us, we can push Asgard into the abyss of destruction. Have you forgotten that prophecy?"

"You mean... Ragnarok?"

"That's right. According to the prophecy, when the rooster crows atop the World Tree, Loki, the trapped god of trickery and lies, will awaken; the supreme god-king will be devoured by the wolf Fenrir; the son of the god-king will be defeated in battle against the world serpent Jormungandr; and the dark dragon Nidhogg will gnaw through the roots of the World Tree, causing the nine kingdoms to burn fiercely along with the World Tree until they are destroyed."

“You’re right, we can actively trigger Ragnarok.” Emperor Skrull’s tone became somewhat excited.

“But how can you be sure that Ragnarok will definitely come after these things happen? There’s no basis for that,” said the Supreme Wisdom.

“Even if the World Tree hadn’t been destroyed, we could still use the power of Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Nidhogg to fight Asgard. Isn’t that right?”

The Supreme Intelligence remained silent. Emperor Skrull said, "These are creatures from within the Nine Realms; it would be difficult for us to find them on our own. We certainly need to find someone to cooperate with. Do you think Loki is reliable?"

“The god of lies and trickery is never reliable, but we can conceal our purpose and make contact with him. Even if he is unwilling, he probably won’t realize what we’re trying to do and will just think it’s a routine defection attempt… I’ll go,” Lilandra said.

The other two didn't object either, simply waiting quietly for news. Not long after, Lilandra said angrily, "He actually refused! That ungrateful bastard!"

“If he agrees, you should be the one to think there’s a problem,” Emperor Skrull said. “Right now, the Nine Kingdoms are in the lead, and we don’t have that many bargaining chips to negotiate with him. This kind of opportunist won’t offer help in times of need; he’s probably too busy currying favor with Odin right now.”

“It’s alright, we still have another option, which is the Dark Elves. They also have a deep grudge against Odin, and they hate Asgard even more.”

"What do you mean?"

"Their territory is the most remote of the lands, lacking in resources and sparsely populated, and their technology and culture are highly dependent on and imitate Asgard. You should have seen this kind of civilization before, right?"

His words immediately made the other two understand. Whom do imitators hate most? Of course, it's the person they imitate—the one who truly possesses it all. This is true even between civilizations; there have been far too many examples of subservient entities rebelling against their lords.

"The current leader of the Dark Elves is Argolim, the cursed warrior, a subordinate of the former leader Malekith. I will go and speak with him," said the Skrull Emperor. "If he can do something for us in the Nine Kingdoms, this situation will be much easier to resolve."

Emperor Skrull was gone for a short time, but he soon returned with good news. He said, "Just as you thought, Lilandra. They hate Asgard to the core. In the several conflicts that broke out among the Nine Realms, Asgard did not stand by their side. Instead, they always sided with humanity and even caused their former leader to disappear. Now they are not here to help, but to see if the three great empires can really defeat Asgard. If they can, they will take advantage of their misfortune."

“How despicable and shameless,” Lilandra said. “But it’s a good thing for us. Did you tell him about Ragnarok?”

“I wouldn’t dare. That muscle-bound idiot might leak the information. We need to find a way to control him first. I’ve already set up the brainwave modification device. Give me a few hours, and I’ll make him work for us obediently.”

“The Cursed Warrior has been taken away,” Loki said. “Now it’s my turn. Thor, this scene is crucial, so don’t act rashly…”

Thor sat down next to Sif, his expression unfriendly, and rolled his eyes, saying, "To fulfill some bullshit prophecy, you have to get caught first. If they dare to touch a hair on your head, I'll smash them into mincemeat!"

Loki said somewhat helplessly, "This is our plan. To ensure Ragnarok's success, every detail must be perfect. You absolutely cannot make a mistake at this time. Sif, you must keep an eye on him..."

Sif picked at her ear and said, "You've said it eight times already."

Loki kept turning back as he left, afraid that Thor would rush out while he wasn't looking. Fortunately, Thor didn't move until Loki's figure disappeared. Loki breathed a sigh of relief, flew out of Asgard, and came to Frigga's side.

“Okay, Mom. Here’s the plan: I’ll go with my uncle and the others to maintain the magic shield. The human superheroes will deliberately leave an opening in the line, and then the dark elf cursed warriors will come and grab me. Please, please don’t interfere with them. Just let them take me away. I’ll do my best to protect myself and won’t really get hurt. Okay?”

Although Frigga's expression suggested things weren't looking good, Loki went anyway. He just hoped the cursed warrior would be quick, capture him, and run away, otherwise, he'd be doomed if those angry brutes charged out.

(End of this chapter)