Marvel: Umbrella Corporation-Chapter 177: Ascending the Throne

Even though Sif didn't use much force, as an Asgardian, her strength was still far beyond what Jane could endure.

Within moments, Jane's face began turning purple as she struggled to breathe.

Thor, already troubled, immediately noticed Jane's distress and stepped forward, grabbing Sif's hand.

"Sif, calm down. She didn't mean any harm."

A moment later, seeing Thor's concerned expression, Sif finally released Jane.

"Sorry, but I hope you won't say something like that again. My brother will be fine."

"Cough... cough..."

Jane coughed violently and nodded, indicating that she understood.

She hadn't expected that a simple speculation on her part would provoke such a strong reaction. It seemed like she needed to keep her distance from this woman in the future.

What she didn't know was that Sif had always harbored feelings for Thor.

Seeing Thor being so close to Jane had already made her extremely unhappy. This was merely an outlet for her frustration.

At that moment, Fandral walked over with a worried expression, "Sif, as much as I hate to admit it, Jane might have a point."

Hogun and Volstagg nodded in agreement.

They couldn't explain why Heimdall refused to open the Bifrost. After all, Heimdall had always supported Thor and was Sif's brother—he had no reason to betray them.

But Sif refused to accept this reasoning and continued shaking her head.

"No way! My brother must be delayed by something. Right, he mentioned drinking before—he must have gotten drunk and didn't hear us calling him.

That's why the Destroyer was able to come through the Bifrost. Yes, that has to be the reason!"

Although she had never seen her brother drunk before, what if this time was different?

As she spoke, tears welled up in Sif's eyes.

Despite making countless excuses for Heimdall's silence, deep down, she knew her brother was a responsible man. These justifications didn't hold up.

But he was her beloved brother. Even if she understood the grim reality, she couldn't bring herself to accept it.

Seeing Sif on the verge of breaking down, Thor felt a deep ache in his heart. He stepped forward and pulled her into a comforting embrace.

"It's going to be okay. Everything will be fine."

After consoling her for a while, he looked up and called out, trying one last time.

"Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!"

But as expected, there was no response.

Minutes later, Umbrella's people had finished collecting the remnants of the Destroyer and were preparing to leave.

At that moment, Psylocke approached Thor and his companions.

"If you don't have anywhere to go, you're welcome to join Umbrella anytime."

Thor and the others merely shot her a cold glance and remained silent.

To them, Midgard was nothing more than a primitive backwater. They were noble Asgardians. Even if they were stranded here, they wouldn't lower themselves to serve mere mortals.

Let alone throw in their lot with a group of commoners.

Seeing their indifferent attitude, Psylocke lost interest. From a distance, Frank, noticing her awkward situation, called out to her.

"Psylocke, we're waiting on you."

Grateful for the escape, Psylocke smiled slightly.

"I'll be going now. If you change your mind, you can find me at Umbrella. Remember, my name is Psylocke."

With that, she ran towards Frank, leaped into the vehicle, and wrapped her arms around his.

As Umbrella's convoy disappeared into the distance, Thor and his group remained where they were, still clinging to a sliver of hope.

In Asgard

Eventually, Odin was discovered by Loki and struck down by Laufey.

Lying on the ground, Odin's gaze was filled with sorrow and hatred as he stared at Loki.

"Why? Why did you kill your mother?"

Loki raised Gungnir—the most powerful weapon of Asgard—aiming it at its former owner, "If you hadn't woken up, Mother wouldn't have died. This is all your fault!"

Laufey stepped forward impatiently, "Enough talking. Kill him before anything else goes wrong."

He conjured a two-meter-long ice sword in his hand and thrust it toward Odin.

Just then, the clash of weapons and pained cries erupted outside. Loki and Laufey exchanged uneasy glances.

*Bang!*

The door burst open, and a bloodied Frost Giant stumbled inside, "Chieftain, bad news! The Asgardian warriors have broken through!"

They had taken too long. The Asgardian soldiers had reacted and were now storming the palace.

Hearing this, Laufey wasted no time. He charged at Odin and plunged his ice blade into his chest.

*Pfft...*

The ice sword pierced through Odin's body, but in his final act of defiance, Odin unleashed a surge of divine power, sending Laufey flying.

Before he could pull the sword from his chest, Loki suddenly retrieved the Casket of Ancient Winters and unleashed a surge of frost.

In an instant, Odin, Laufey, and the injured Frost Giant were frozen solid.

Panting slightly, Loki stowed away the Casket and returned to his normal form. Then, he raised Gungnir and shattered Odin's frozen body.

With a single strike, the Allfather was reduced to icy fragments.

Next, Loki turned to the frozen Frost Giant and shattered him as well.

Only Laufey was spared.

Moments later, as the sounds of battle drew closer, Loki dispelled the frost encasing Laufey and suddenly plunged Gungnir into his chest.

*Pfft...*

Laufey had no time to react as the spear pierced his heart.

Loki then let out a mournful wail.

"Father! No!"

Tears streamed down his face as he cried out, perfectly timed with the arrival of Asgardian warriors.

Seeing the shattered remains of Odin on the ground, their fury erupted.

"The Allfather!"

"No!"

"Kill him!"

Consumed by rage, the warriors charged forward, hacking Laufey to pieces.

Loki's plan had met a few obstacles, but in the end, it had worked perfectly. Yet, he continued to kneel before Odin's remains, tears streaming down his face.

"Father...!"

Some warriors immediately approached to console him.

And just like that, Laufey became the villain who had slain Odin, while Loki emerged as the avenging hero.

He no longer needed to act as the acting king.

Loki was now the true ruler of Asgard.

...........

The Next Morning~

As the sun rose over Asgard, Loki opened his weary eyes and smiled. He hadn't slept at all, instead reviewing his plans for any possible loose ends.

After a night of careful consideration, he realized only one threat remained—his brother, stranded on Midgard.

But with Heimdall dead, that foolish brother would never return.

It was time to move forward. Time to destroy Jotunheim.

After donning an expression of sorrow and adjusting his attire, Loki stepped outside.

A host of warriors and attendants awaited him.

Several powerful gods approached.

"Loki, you must stay strong."

"We grieve with you."

"Your Majesty, we have convened the Council of Gods."

"Your Majesty, please come. We must prepare your coronation attire."

Loki, dressed in the regal garments of the Allfather, stepped into the Hall of the Gods, surrounded by a throng of Asgardians.

His gaze immediately fell upon the throne—the seat of power he had long yearned for. But this time, he wasn't looking up at it from below.

His breath quickened as he approached, step by step, before finally sitting down. A deep, almost intoxicating satisfaction flooded his heart.

Especially as he looked upon the assembled gods, all waiting for his command, his chest swelled with triumph.

"The Council of the Gods shall commence!"

As the handmaiden's voice echoed through the hall, a high-ranking deity stepped forward, "We must investigate how the Frost Giants managed to infiltrate Asgard!"

Loki nodded in agreement. "Yes. But the most pressing matter is avenging my father!"

At his declaration, the gathered Asgardians immediately erupted into a fervent cry.

"Revenge!"

"Blood for blood!"

"Exterminate the Frost Giants!"

"Conquer Jotunheim!"

It had to be said—Asgardians had enjoyed peace for too long. Some of them had even begun to crave war.

The mere suggestion from Loki was enough to make them disregard the reason and clamor for the annihilation of Jotunheim and its inhabitants.

But Loki had no intention of letting them march to battle.

If an all-out war occurred, there was a risk that his schemes would be exposed. He couldn't allow that.

So, after a moment, he raised his hand to silence the crowd.

"Vengeance is necessary, but war is not the only way. I have a far better method—one that will ensure Jotunheim's complete destruction!

We shall erase that filthy, wretched land from existence!"

With those words, Loki proposed a bold plan—using the Bifrost to annihilate Jotunheim.

Naturally, opposition arose swiftly.

"Jotunheim is one of the Nine Realms. If we destroy it, Yggdrasil's balance could be thrown into chaos, leading to unforeseen consequences."

"Yes! Even Odin once considered using the Bifrost to conquer the Nine Realms, but he abandoned the idea due to certain... forces."

"I've heard that the balance between the Nine Realms is what keeps Yggdrasil stable. If one world falls, it could shatter that equilibrium."

But Loki had his own counterarguments ready.

He insisted that they would only target the Frost Giants' domain, sparing the rest of Jotunheim. He dismissed the so-called balance of the Nine Realms as nothing more than superstition.

After two hours of persuasion, he finally won over the majority.

And so, Loki led a group of Asgardians to the Bifrost. With ruthless precision, they directed the bridge's full power upon Jotunheim.

*BOOOM!!*

A deafening hum filled the air as immense energy descended upon the Frost Giants' homeland. The ground cracked, the land fractured, and the very world itself began to crumble.

Though Loki had initially claimed they wouldn't destroy all of Jotunheim, now that the realm was collapsing, he showed no intention of stopping.

For over half an hour, the devastating energy poured forth.

Until, at last—Jotunheim was no more.

A sense of unease settled over some of the Asgardians as they witnessed the realm's annihilation.

But Loki swiftly redirected their focus.

"See? Nothing has happened. The Frost Giants are no more, and we have avenged our kin. Now, let us prepare the farewell rites for my father and mother."

Under Loki's guidance, the people's attention shifted.

Yet, unbeknownst to all, a crack had appeared within the great cosmic tree—Yggdrasil itself.

.........

Earth, New York—Umbrella Corporation's Underground Facility~

In a heavily secured research lab beneath New York City, within an Umbrella Corporation facility, Felia examined the remains of the Destroyer armor with a look of intrigue.

"This metal... I've never seen anything like it before. It's more brittle than Vibranium or Adamantium, but its electrical conductivity is nearly perfect—almost zero resistance.

If we can mass-produce this material, it could revolutionize Earth's energy industry."

Beside her, Adam merely nodded. "Can you replicate it?"

"Uh..." Felia hesitated, then finally admitted, "I'm a biologist. I don't specialize in material sciences..."

Adam sighed. "I see. So I can't count on you for this."

Turning away, he called out, "Red Queen, where is our little genius, Richards?"

"Sir, Richards is currently aboard the starship, working on the electromagnetic railgun project."

Unlike the fiction of comics and films, real-world technological advancements weren't as simple as flipping a page.

Developing an electromagnetic railgun required overcoming thousands of technological barriers. Even at a pace of solving one per day, it would still take years.

"Have him put that on hold and come here."

"Yes, sir."

Felia nodded in agreement.

"That's a good call. Richards' reputation precedes him. In just the past two years, he's made hundreds of breakthroughs. If anyone can crack this material, it's him."

.........

Three hours later, Reed Richards finally arrived at Umbrella's underground facility—though only its uppermost level.

"Boss, what's so urgent that you had to pull me from my work?"

Compared to two years ago, Reed now looked older, his hair noticeably thinner, and his entire demeanor fatigued.

Adam frowned slightly. "When was the last time you got a full night's sleep?"

Reed hesitated before quickly lowering his head. "Um... not too long ago..."

Seeing him evade the question, Adam turned to the AI.

"Red Queen?"

"Sir, Mr. Richards has not slept more than four hours a night in the past year."

Of course.

Genius didn't come without a price.

Richards' rapid succession of breakthroughs over the past two years had been paid for with his sleep.

But even so, what he had accomplished was nothing short of terrifying.

Many could work endlessly and still never achieve such results.

Adam sighed. "I have a new project you'll be interested in—zero-resistance material. But first, you're going to get some rest."

"Zero-resistance material?!"

Richards' exhaustion vanished in an instant, replaced by sheer excitement.

"Where is it?!"

He had already ignored the second part of the sentence.

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