CHAPTER 234: CHAPTER 235: ODIN, COME OUT!

"Listen, Lothar."

"You should already know why the four of us are here."

"You are not allowed to leave the Penal Zone. That is a direct order from Lord Thanos."

"You of all people understand what it means to defy Lord Thanos’ command."

"Don’t do anything reckless."

"What happened with Hela is Asgard’s internal matter, it has nothing to do with us."

Ebony Maw spoke flatly, one hand clasped behind his back, laying out the consequences with chilling clarity.

"I do understand exactly what happens when I defy my father’s orders."

Lothar raised his head proudly, energy surging in his palm, reaching a blinding climax.

BOOM!

A pillar of silver-white light tore into the sky, blasting clean through the Black Order’s "barrier"!

"Lothar!"

Like a scythe of death descending from the heavens, Corvus Glaive, strongest among the Black Order in individual might, materialized before Lothar, halting his advance.

"Move."

Lothar tilted his head slightly to the side, as if gesturing for Corvus to step aside.

Crack—Crack—

While Corvus distracted Lothar, the terrain of the Penal Zone twisted violently under Ebony Maw’s telekinetic will.

Churning rock and molten earth surged up, binding Lothar from head to toe in an instant, leaving only his head exposed, gasping for the earthy scent of soil.

THUD!

With a seismic crash, Cull Obsidian slammed down onto the battlefield, bearing a seated Proxima Midnight on his shoulder, her legs crossed casually.

The shockwave silenced even The Other, who had emerged from the ruins, ready to speak but forced to cover his mouth by the impact.

"Lothar, stop this foolishness."

"She’s just some reckless woman. With your power and status now, if you so much as hinted at a desire, every beautiful woman in the Centauri System would line up for you."

Proxima Midnight, who had essentially watched Lothar grow up, leapt down from Cull’s shoulder, speaking with patient persuasion.

She wasn’t like Ebony Maw, cold and detached. She cared.

"She’s right," Cull grunted in agreement, scratching the back of his head with the haft of his axe.

"First: I don’t like Hela."

Lothar’s expression remained stone cold, his face half-buried in the earth Ebony Maw had used to imprison him.

"Second: I know the consequences of defying my father."

"Third: Do you want to die?"

Lothar’s voice dropped an octave, his eyes flashing with a razor’s edge.

Though softly spoken, the threat hit like a storm surge.

The Other trembled, dread prickling his spine.

This is bad. Really bad. His Highness Lothar is angry!

Having served Lothar for years, The Other could read his tone like a map. And this one screamed: danger.

"Lord Ebony Maw, perhaps we should—"

THWACK!

Before he could finish, The Other was slapped into the ground by Ebony Maw, silencing him completely.

"He’s your subordinate, Lothar. You should discipline him. Our conversation doesn’t concern him."

Ebony Maw spoke lightly, as if swatting a fly.

"Indeed," Cull Obsidian rumbled in agreement.

"’Qualified?’"

Lothar chuckled bitterly, his eyes narrowing as amusement turned to scorn.

"In that case, let’s settle this. Properly."

"Woz."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Unfazed, the mechanical cat Woz appeared beside Lothar, pulling a small blue notebook from its belly pouch.

"Day 1 of assessment begins today. Ebony Maw is my proctor. He is cruel... and powerful. He did this to me..."

"Day 33. I met Corvus Glaive for the first time. They say he is Father’s fiercest warrior. The moment we met, he slashed me. I nearly died..."

"Day..."

One after another, page after page.

Each line from Lothar’s childhood battle diary, though clumsy and childlike, pulled the Black Order into memories they thought long buried.

"All this time, I’ve wanted another chance to fight you all again. I just never found the right moment."

"Now, I think I have."

"Don’t you agree?"

Woz’s robotic voice blended with Lothar’s own steely words.

"I—"

Proxima sensed something shift, but before she could speak, an explosion of shattered rock silenced her.

"I’ll ask just one thing: May I kill you now?"

"...You don’t have to answer."

A golden surge of ki erupted from the ground, light blazing like a newborn sun.

When they blinked again, Lothar was already at Ebony Maw’s side.

A blade-hand strike came first, Ebony dodged by instinct alone, but the following elbow, the crushing knee, those struck their mark, breaking through Ebony Maw’s vulnerable frame!

"You enjoy burying people, don’t you?"

Lothar hissed, grabbing Ebony Maw’s skull and slamming it into the Penal Zone’s unbreakable stone.

CRACK!

Dust rose like a storm cloud.

"Gack!"

Ebony Maw coughed blood, collapsing motionless.

"Ebony Maw!"

Corvus hurled his scythe toward Lothar’s back, but before he could adjust, a focused energy beam shot through his chest.

"Naive."

A brutal whip kick followed, flinging Corvus’ bleeding body directly into Proxima.

Then Lothar opened his palm toward Cull across the field, an energy cannon erupted.

Cull’s massive axe, once soaked in the blood of fallen warriors, crumbled into ash.

The battle was over before The Other could even pull himself from the crater. He stared, slack-jawed.

"L-Lo... Lothar... Your Highness...?"

What had he just witnessed?

Had His Highness really turned on the Black Order, Lord Thanos’ elite?

"Let’s go. It’s time to move."

Without looking back, Lothar walked away.

"W-Wait! Wait for me, Your Highness!"

The Other clutched his bruised nose and scrambled after him.

"Meow!"

Late to the fight, the orange tabby sniffed Ebony Maw’s crumpled body suspiciously.

With a leap of feline grace, it landed on Lothar’s shoulder, refusing to be left behind.

"Wait, Lothar! Have you really thought this through?! Do you know what defying Lord Thanos means?!"

Proxima Midnight, still trying to stop Corvus’ bleeding, looked around at the devastation, her heart sinking.

"Of course I know. Thirty more days of solitary confinement. Thirty more self-critique reports."

Lothar smirked, dragging The Other along with Woz and the cat as he boarded Ebony Maw’s warship.

Leaving the four of them behind, amid shattered stone and silence.

Solitary? Reports?

...

Asgard, Bifrost Bridge.

Thor was nowhere in sight. As usual, the idiot couldn’t sit still.

Rocket crouched low in the shadows, waiting alone at the source of all this chaos.

Almost time... Almost... Where the hell is that moron Thor?!

The tension made his breathing shallow. He wanted to curse.

Fuc—!!

BOOM!!!

Just as the word exploded in his head, a crimson-gold energy beam slammed down before him!

His adrenaline spiked.

He’s here.

He’s finally here.

And he’s brought the Flerken with him.

"ODIN, COME OUT!!!"

A roar like thunder shook the skies.

From the heart of the golden light stepped a figure, golden-haired, green-eyed—

Exactly as the secret annals of Asgard once foretold.

He strode forth from the pillar of divine energy.

"Give me Hela."

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