Loki exited the temple and pulled Heimdall, who was walking ahead of him.
"What is it, Loki?"
Heimdall, the black-skinned guardian, looked at Loki in confusion.
"Nothing, just a bit worried."
Loki smiled and asked,
"Heimdall, can you defeat Laufey?"
"No," Heimdall replied without hesitation.
"You have the power of the Bifrost, the Rainbow Sword, and you still can't defeat Laufey?" Loki asked, frowning.
"I can't. Laufey, with the Casket of Ancient Winters, can only be defeated by Odin, who wields the Spear of Destiny, in all of Asgard. Of course, if Thor were still here, he could defeat Laufey with Mjolnir, but Thor is gone."
"I see. You didn't refute me in the hall earlier. Do you also think the enemy is very strong?"
"The enemy is naturally very strong. Laufey, King of the Frost Giants, combined with Surtur, the Fire Giant who wields the Twilight Sword, your sister, the Goddess of Death, has also been resurrected, and Geyl, the God-Butcher who wields the God-Slayer Sword. None of them are opponents I can handle. Furthermore, there are also the terrifying demons that General Shang mentioned. This battle will likely be difficult."
Loki was greatly surprised and quickly asked,
"Wait a moment, who is Hela, the Goddess of Death? Why is she called my sister? And who is Geyl, the God-Butcher? Why have I never heard of them?"
"Hela was executed by Odin before you were born. Her combat power is not much weaker than Odin's, only her ambition was too great. As for Geyl, the God-Butcher, I haven't heard of him either, but I know of the God-Slayer Sword. Legend has it that whoever wields that sword can gain the power to slay gods. I estimate that Geyl's combat power has already surpassed that of Odin and Laufey."
"With so many powerful beings, can we defeat them?" Loki asked with great worry.
"It seems Ragnarok is upon us this time. But we are not without options. Don't we have the garrison of the Five Elements Hall to help us? Loki, if you want to know how strong the enemy is, and if we can defeat them, why not pick up your sword and try it yourself?"
After saying that, Heimdall flew towards the Bifrost. Loki stood rooted to the spot, smiling. He was well aware of his own strength. In terms of intelligence, he could outwit a hundred Thors, but in terms of combat power, he was far inferior. He looked around and then flew south, towards the camp of the Five Elements Hall army.
More than a decade ago, a group of visitors from outside the heavens suddenly arrived in Asgard, claiming to protect them and defend them against some damned demons. Naturally, Asgard did not agree. Although the army of the Five Elements Hall repeatedly stated they had no ill intentions, Asgard did not believe them and wanted to drive them away. In desperation, the general of the Five Elements Hall army, Shang Liu, proposed a one-on-one duel with Odin. If he won, Asgard would accept them. That battle was earth-shattering, and in the end, General Shang Liu narrowly defeated Odin. Odin, true to his word, agreed to let the Five Elements Hall station there.
Over the next decade, they found that the Five Elements Hall had not harmed any of them, nor did they have any ambitions; they truly came to protect them, and thus, they were put at ease. Through their interactions, the people of Asgard learned just how vast and terrifying the Five Elements Hall was. They were the leaders of countless universes, with countless powerhouses like General Shang Liu. It would be easy for the Five Elements Hall to destroy Asgard. For the past decade, General Shang Liu had also helped Asgard train its troops, and now Asgard was much stronger than before.
Now, with the demons and Frost Giants allied, only the Five Elements Hall could save Asgard. Loki soon arrived at the Five Elements Hall camp. At this time, the Five Elements Hall army was ready for battle, with various defensive fortifications prepared and spacecraft already in the air, on high alert.
Loki stood on a lookout post and met the mighty General Shang Liu.
"General, I heard the enemy this time is very powerful. Can your army, along with us Asgardians, defeat them?" Loki asked directly.
Shang Liu glanced at Loki and said calmly,
"In the past fifty thousand years, the demon race has invaded countless positive-plane universes. There are almost no cases where invading armies were defeated solely by stationed troops."
Loki was momentarily speechless. He wanted to ask General Shang, since the stationed troops definitely couldn't defeat the demons, what were they there to defend?
General Shang saw Loki's confusion and explained,
"The invading demons are not foolish. Before invading your world, they would have thoroughly understood its situation. Then, they would send troops to invade. Do you think they would send a small force to fight a guaranteed losing battle? They would certainly send a large number of powerful beings and troops to overwhelm you all at once. They understand your strength, knowing yourself and your enemy, but we can only passively endure. However, you don't need to worry. The purpose of the stationed troops is to immediately request reinforcements from headquarters in case of an emergency, and to serve as vanguards to resist the enemy's main forces, protect the people of the host universe, and delay the enemy, waiting for reinforcements to arrive."
"Will our reinforcements come? Will they arrive in time?" Loki quickly asked.
"That's uncertain. Who can guarantee it? Sometimes they arrive very quickly, and sometimes an entire universe is wiped out, the Heart of the Universe is plundered by demons, and reinforcements still haven't arrived. It depends on the allocation from headquarters."
"This… can't it be more reliable?" Hearing Shang Liu's words, Loki wanted to punch him.
"The Five Elements Hall controls billions of universes, and battles are constant. It's normal not to handle reinforcement requests in a timely manner. From receiving information, to verification, to mobilizing troops, to debugging spatial jumps, all require time. My request for reinforcements this time is considered early; I requested reinforcements as soon as the demons arrived. The rest is up to fate after doing our best."
After speaking, Shang Liu went to command the army's defense. He wasn't particularly fond of this outwardly sweet-tongued and inwardly cunning prince of Asgard.
After Loki left, he flew away with great worry. He intended to return to his residence but stopped. His palace was too conspicuous; the Frost Giants and demons would be the first to attack. Returning there now would be suicidal. Thinking of this, Loki's appearance instantly changed, and he transformed into the guise of an ordinary Asgardian citizen, quietly finding a corner on a mountainside and squatting down. This location was both inconspicuous and offered a view of the entire Asgard, allowing him to observe the progress of the war. He squatted on the ground, his eyes full of worry. He was not a foolish person like Tyrshif, who would charge headfirst into battle. He understood the enemy's strength too well. Heimdall said this was Ragnarok, and General Shang Liu of the Five Elements Hall said they had no hope of defeating the enemy and could only rely on reinforcements.