Chapter 1224 Suprise

Boom!

Crack!

Thunder rumbled from afar and drew a circle above the Asgardian army before directly striking down towards the central command hall. Clearly, Thor had located Loki, and he wasn't here for a friendly chat. He intended to split the command hall wide open, with Loki inside, and give him a taste of his fury!

Bang!

Despite the command hall's strong defenses, it was still cleaved open by Thor's enraged strike. Thor descended from the sky amidst countless thunderstorms, gripping his hammer tightly, ready to deliver a heavy blow to Loki, who stood in the center of the hall.

As Thor swung his hammer down with force, Loki merely raised his head, gazing upwards. The collapsing command hall seemed to crumble in slow motion compared to Thor's attack and Loki's reaction. When Thor's hammer struck Loki's head, the hall's rooftop burst open slightly.

Clang! ~~

The next moment, Thor's anticipated scene of Loki being smashed into the ground by his hammer did not unfold. Loki effortlessly blocked Thor's mighty blow, using Odin's scepter that he held in his hand as a shield.

In terms of weapon rank, Thor's Mjölnir was no match for Odin's scepter. Although Loki couldn't fully unleash the power of Odin's scepter, he had enough to fend off Thor's furious strike.

Sizzle!

As the command hall continued to collapse, Thor maintained his posture of descent, and the head of his hammer met the scepter Loki held up. At the point where their weapons made contact, blue lightning, and golden radiance intermittently sparked.

"Loki! You—"

Surprisingly, Loki's apparent ease in blocking Thor's strike left Thor momentarily stunned. After all, Thor had always believed that Loki's raw strength was inferior to his own. Despite being pranked by Loki with mischief from childhood to adulthood, Thor had always thought that Loki resorted to these antics because of his weaker abilities.

But now, Loki, holding Odin's scepter, looked calmly up at Thor. It was evident that Loki had no fear of Thor's return to Asgard and pursuit. He possessed the strength to contend with Thor!

Throughout Asgard, and even beyond the Nine Realms, people had a clear understanding of Loki, the second prince: Loki was the mischievous god who enjoyed toying with magic and, while powerful, had not reached the pinnacle of strength.

Compared to Thor, whose reputation had been built through relentless hammer strikes since his youth, Loki was, at best, a mascot of Asgard. Of course, this perception might have been shaped by Loki's own behavior, or perhaps it was a result of Odin, Frigga, and even Thor's neglect of him.

During the Dormammu's invasion of Earth, Loki had shown his strength, which was more than considerable. However, he still failed to earn Thor's respect. 

So, this time, Thor had naturally assumed that he could stop Loki once he arrived at the battlefield. However, after this exchange, Thor started to realize that things weren't as straightforward as he thought.

Buzzing!

Amidst Thor's astonishment, Loki, who had blocked his strike, reacted differently. He clenched his hand firmly around Odin's scepter, and a tremendous surge of power instantly emanated from it, directly shattering the thunderous force surrounding Mjölnir and slamming into Thor's chest.

Bang!

With a resounding boom, Thor was sent flying backward in the same direction he had charged in, not much slower than before. As Loki's counterattack blasted Thor out of the command hall, the once-sturdy structure rapidly crumbled into ruins. Before the command hall could collapse entirely, Loki also soared out from above.

Then, the battle between Loki and Thor erupted in the skies above Asgard. Thor, infuriated by being blocked and counterattacked after his initial strike, struggled to comprehend the extent of Loki's newfound power.

"Loki!" Bathed in various potent forms of thunder, Thor hovered in mid-air, shouting loudly at his opponent.

Following their recent exchange, Thor had no intention of questioning Loki about his motives for seizing power and starting a war. At this point, he only wanted to pummel Loki into submission, stomp on him, and toss him into Asgard's dungeons. At least, by then, whatever reasons Loki had wouldn't matter.

Both Asgardian princes were inherently proud, with Thor having made significant improvements after his time exiled on Earth. However, he still commanded a certain authority as Loki's elder brother. So, this time, he was determined to knock some sense into Loki.

However, facing Thor's shouts, Loki remained calm. In Thor's eyes, this calm demeanor was a sign of Loki's contempt for him after seizing power. Thus, Thor saw no reason to hold back.

Boom!

In the next instant, Thor's body was engulfed by countless thunderbolts. The once-darkened sky above the battlefield became even more overcast, rapidly gathering clouds above Thor's head. 

Soon, lightning bolts of various kinds began to spark within that cloud cover. This battlefield suited Thor well, as it allowed him to extend the reach of his lightning control.

While Thor prepared to unleash his most powerful attack with a serious expression, Loki on the other side remained still, clutching Odin's scepter without making any visible movements. However, Loki's aura was steadily intensifying, and it was no less formidable than the gathering storm clouds and thunder overhead.

"Let's end this farce!" Thor shouted.

Once the storm clouds above his head had gathered enough electrical power, Thor forcefully hurled his Hammer toward Loki. As Thor Hammer streaked toward Loki, it not only carried its inherent thunderous force but also continued to draw in lightning from the cloud cover above.

By the time Thor's Hammer reached Loki, the radius of its thunderous power had grown to the size of a mountain. Loki, hovering in mid-air, appeared somewhat diminutive in comparison, as though he might be shattered by the impending onslaught of violent thunderbolts at any moment.

The lightning grew closer in Loki's eyes, and an unusual glint appeared in his calm gaze. In the next instant, Loki's Odin's scepter stabbed forward, meeting the onslaught of lightning head-on!

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