"Is that the extent of your power?"
In the depths of subspace, standing tall upon a barren wasteland, Lothar casually shattered the crimson ropes Hela had wrapped around him. With a flick of his fingers, he pointed directly at her location.
Zzzap!
A blinding beam of light tore clean through Hela's body!
"Such a tiresome trick."
The beam-blasting Lothar didn't even glance at the impaled Hela. As if he had eyes on the back of his head, he turned sharply—and in an instant, reappeared beside the real Hela, his hand clamping firmly around her throat.
Not far off, the imitation doll snapped in half at the waist and fell lifelessly to the ground.
"Aren't you the boring one?" Hela's expression remained unreadable despite being held captive. Her tone was icy.
"No." Lothar replied flatly.
"…"
"You're in Asgard right now—oh, forget it. There's no reasoning with someone like you." Hela gave up on trying to engage him any further.
She had never encountered someone with such a bizarre way of thinking. And what infuriated her most… was that she couldn't even beat this bizarre idiot?
What kind of absurdity was this?
Trading intelligence for brute strength?
She contemplated visiting the royal circus grounds when she returned to Asgard—perhaps adopting a low-IQ animal and naming it Lothar.
My power… it's fading. Why?
Unconcerned with Hela's inner thoughts, Lothar, who had merely been using her to test his own capabilities, frowned deeply. He could feel it now—his power was steadily draining at a disturbingly stable rate.
Is it because of that light from Astra? Is that what's causing the decline?
Reflexively, an image flashed across his mind—a mysterious light he had glimpsed after Shafrin sealed off his senses. Somehow, despite the suppression, he had seen it.
Astra had called it the enigmatic Power of the Grand Cosmos. This mysterious energy was instrumental in shaping him into what he had become.
Even a mere fraction of Astra's cosmic energy had been enough to temporarily amplify his strength to its current, world-shattering level. So then…
What if he could obtain the complete Power of the Grand Cosmos?
Lothar narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.
If he could, he had no intention of letting go of this unimaginable power. But reality, it seemed, cared little for his desires.
The light within him was fading.
Yet even as it waned, the temporary surge had shown him a glimpse of a different realm—a realm belonging to the truly mighty.
Shafrin of Planet U40 was one such being from that world.
BOOOOM!
As Lothar was lost in thought, the skies of subspace suddenly cracked with thunder and lightning!
A formless pressure washed over him, setting his nerves on edge. He immediately glanced around with caution. And then—
CRACK!
Space itself shattered! Dazzling sunlight refracted through a resplendent palace and spilled onto Lothar's white cloak, blooming into a cascade of mesmerizing hues.
"Eh?? Lord Lothar, where did you go just now?" came the confused voice of The Other, who clutched his azure scepter as he stared dumbfounded at the sudden shift in scenery—and at Lothar's unexpected reappearance.
Standing before Lothar was Odin, hands clasped behind his back. The sight of his single, piercing eye instinctively made Lothar release his grip on Hela.
"Father."
"It has been quite some time, Hela," Odin said, casting a sweeping gaze over both her and Lothar. His tone carried a subtle weight that made Hela immediately drop to one knee, her pride forgotten, her eyes wide in astonishment.
As the creator of the very subspace she had just fought in, Hela had clearly sensed the boundless, divine power Odin had wielded when transporting her and Lothar out of it.
Was that… truly Father's full power?
"Lothar, as your father requested, I will have the Bifrost send you to Midgard. Your father's forces await you there."
After negotiations with Thanos, Odin abandoned the idea of simply lending Lothar a warship to return to the Black Quadrant. Thanos didn't trust him—and Odin returned the sentiment.
For two warlords commanding vast empires, forging genuine trust would take time.
This was one reason Thanos had chosen the war-torn Midgard as the rendezvous point. Now one of the Nine Realms' main battlegrounds, Odin couldn't fully control it until the allied Nine Realms' forces were defeated. More importantly, Thanos sought to observe just how far the war had progressed—crucial in deciding whether to pursue further cooperation with Odin.
"Midgard?" Lothar echoed, unfamiliar with the name.
"On your star charts, it's catalogued as C53."
As Odin spoke, Lothar's HUD flickered—displaying details of C53: a backwater planet of negligible strategic value.
It was the Kree Empire who first designated it C53. When Ebony Maw was drafting the star maps, he couldn't even be bothered to investigate the obscure location personally—especially with it now embroiled in Odin's Nine Realms war. So, he simply defaulted to the Kree classification.
"Hela, escort Lothar to our encampment on Midgard."
"Yes, Father."
Swallowing her resentment toward Lothar, Hela lowered her gaze and obeyed.
"Midgard is in chaos right now. With Hela at your side, you'll avoid a great deal of unnecessary trouble."
As Hela led Lothar and The Other toward the Bifrost, Odin raised a hand. Behind him, Heimdall activated the Bifrost.
In an instant, shimmering rainbow light enveloped Lothar—spiriting him away to his destination:
Midgard.
"I look forward to our next meeting, Lothar."
...
"Waaaahhhhh!!"
"Ahhh!!!"
Shrieks of panic echoed as The Other, utterly unprepared for the landing, stumbled and faceplanted into the snow.
"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow... damn!" he groaned, rubbing his aching limbs while surveying the desolate surroundings.
"Lord Lothar, we've arrived on Planet C53," came the rare voice of Woz, who had remained silent through most of their Asgardian mission.
"There's nobody here... Prince Lothar, are we to wait for Lord Thanos in this wasteland?" The Other planted his sapphire staff in the snow, clearly perplexed.
"Yes."
Lothar's gaze remained fixed on the data flooding his HUD since departing Asgard. His eyes narrowed.
And then—suddenly!
Above him, dozens of hulking, blue-skinned giants—each wielding massive axes—leapt from the cliffs, their forms agile despite their size, perfectly sculpted muscles gleaming in the cold sun.
"Prince Lothar! Look out!"
"Die, Asgardian scum!!"
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