Marvel: Starting with the Glint-Glint Fruit

Natasha would not be impolite in a conversation of this level.

"Natasha, the War General".

Loki gracefully held Gungnir, the spear of eternity, in one hand, and placed the other hand on his chest in return to Natasha.

He cleverly dropped the word "deputy" from his mouth.

Natasha's expression remained unchanged, and she did not correct Loki's little trick.

After all the proper formalities were completed, Natasha continued speaking.

It wasn't an interrogation, but a calm inquiry.

"Lord Loki, you've gone to great lengths to find me, so just tell me the real purpose of your visit."

Natasha was a top spy painstakingly cultivated by the Red Room.

Whether it's insight into people's hearts or intellectual intelligence, she is arguably the pinnacle of human potential on Earth.

This can be seen in the original timeline, where she used a little acting and interrogation skills to extract information from Loki during the Battle of New York.

Now, with the super gene serum as a base, her brain has been enhanced, and she also has the ability of Observation Haki, allowing Natasha to develop a unique system for recognizing people.

To some extent, even the most skilled imposter wouldn't last three minutes in front of Natasha. A few words, a few glances, and a few observations are enough for her to analyze the person almost like an autopsy.

When Natasha arrived, Zack's communication channel was on, and she heard their conversation.

Zack may seem to be stalling for time, but Loki's abilities make it impossible for him not to see through it.

But Loki's willingness to cooperate with Zack to delay means that he was deliberately waiting. Waiting for what?

Naturally, they were waiting for the supreme leader here, who was her.

Loki must have his own purpose in creating this dialogue.

“My esteemed Warlord, then let me speak frankly.” Loki made no attempt to conceal his intentions, taking a step forward with the Spear of Eternity in his hand.

His actions sent a chill down the spines of all the Astartes warriors present.

Loki instantly sensed the surge of pressure, which startled him so much that he immediately stopped in his tracks, fearing that these rude Astartes soldiers would rush up and attack him.

Despite having Gungnir, the spear of eternity, Loki didn't believe he could single-handedly contend with so many warriors.

So Loki honestly continued, "I think my brother should be in the Terra Empire, right?"

"So?" Natasha watched Loki's performance quietly, giving him a "please continue" look.

Chapter 401 The Oppressive Force of the Terra Empire's Deputy War Marshal (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Loki gently stroked the cool patterns on the Spear of Eternity with his fingertips, his eyes concealing unfathomable calculations beneath the deliberate gentleness.

He knew very well that the Terran vice commander in front of him was far better at weighing the pros and cons than he appeared, and that only an equal exchange would give him the right to negotiate.

Loki raised his eyes, his posture elegant yet exuding a natural royal aura. His tone was that of a standard negotiator, straightforward yet tactful: "Thor is the rightful prince of Asgard. The matters between us brothers, the rules and punishments within Asgard, are ultimately our own family affairs."

"No matter how strong Terra is, it is still a force of Midgard. It is unreasonable and unwise for it to rashly intervene in the internal strife of Asgard and to take in the Asgardian royal family. It is not a wise choice for Terra and Asgard."

Natasha stood silently in the cold wind, her gilded crimson cloak swaying gently. Her eyes and brows were stunningly beautiful, yet utterly cold. Her tone was calm, yet carried the decisiveness of a top negotiator: "So what exactly do you want, Your Highness Loki? Just say it."

Loki smiled subtly, neither humble nor arrogant, and stated his conditions directly: "I want Terra to stop protecting Thor, hand him over to me, and take him back to Asgard for punishment."

"Of course, I will not let you make concessions for nothing. On behalf of Asgard, I offer a sufficiently equal and sincere offer for cooperation."

He raised his hand in a half-open grip, and the faint light of the Eternal Spear flashed and disappeared under the icy skylight.

"Asgard possesses unimaginable treasures, knowledge, materials, and artifacts. Asgard can provide anything you desire, and even the Terra Empire can gain Asgard's friendship."

"Asgard will become Terra's most loyal ally."

"I can take the lead in finalizing a permanent non-aggression pact between Asgard and Terra. From now on, if anyone in the Nine Realms dares to encroach on Terra's territory, you are free to send troops across the realm to quell them. Asgard will tacitly approve the entire process and will never interfere or obstruct it."

Loki's gaze was resolute, confident that this offer was enough to sway any empire.

In his eyes, no matter how powerful Terra was, it was ultimately just a newly risen human empire.

Its foundation is nowhere near that of an established civilization, and the bargaining chips he offered were an irresistible temptation for Terra.

Loki's gaze was resolute, confident that he had grasped the pros and cons of human nature, and his tone was full of certainty.

"In my opinion, this is a sure-fire deal. Handing over a mortal who has no connection to you and has been stripped of his divine power in exchange for Asgard's friendship can only bring benefits and no harm."

A golden ray of light from the sky shone on Natasha, making her appear as if shrouded in holiness and mystery.

She showed almost no extra emotion in response to Loki's words, which made Loki, who was very good at dissecting and manipulating human nature, very uncomfortable.

A person he can't understand makes him feel uneasy, as if he has lost control of the overall situation.

Natasha's cloak and her slightly wavy, burgundy short hair swayed in the breeze.

Her alluring eyes, which seemed to see right through people, glanced at Loki, causing Loki's gaze to wander slightly. Then, her pink lips curved into a slight smile.

His words were like thunderclaps.

"Your Highness Loki, why did Laufey suddenly invade Terra? And why did he use the Rainbow Bridge?"

One sentence silenced Loki.

Was he planning to use the Rainbow Bridge to send Laufey and the others to Earth?

That was something we had no other choice but to do.

At the same time, he underestimated the Terran Empire. He originally thought that Laufey, leading the Frost Giants, could force Terra to hand over Thor, and at the same time, he dared not offend Asgard.

While we're at it, let's also probe Terra's true strengths and weaknesses.

Who knew that the Terran Empire was so aggressive, launching a war without a word and even inflicting a terrible defeat on Laufey's Frost Giants.

It was precisely because of this series of unexpected events that Loki had no choice but to risk going to Jotunheim under the pretext of cooperation to force Terra to hand over Thor.

"Warlord, this is Asgard's mistake, and we can give you an explanation. But no matter what, Thor is an Asgardian, and this is an internal Asgardian matter. I still hope that you can hand Thor over to me."

Loki had no choice but to bite the bullet and say it.

Natasha strode forward, her long legs echoing as her metal boots clicked on the icy ground, and walked up to Loki under his tense gaze.

The two were less than half a meter apart.

Loki then realized that the woman in front of him was no shorter than him.

Natasha stared directly at Loki.

"Terra indeed had no intention of getting involved in your Asgardian internal struggles, but because of your struggles, war has been brought to Terra, and you do have to give us an explanation."

"That is, if you are still alive."

Natasha's pupils glowed red, and a terrifying, overwhelming aura slowly spread out, causing the surrounding earth and air to tremble slightly.

This domineering aura sent chills down Loki's spine.

An unprecedented sense of crisis rose in his heart. If it weren't for reason holding him back, he might have already lost control and attacked Natasha in front of him.

Loki, however, was more concerned about what Natasha had just said.

What does it mean that the premise is that he is still alive?

Is this woman going to attack me?

Loki's vigilance was at its peak, ready to open the Rainbow Bridge and escape at any moment.

Loki knew all too well that he was outnumbered and outmatched at this moment. He might not be able to defeat the woman in front of him alone, not to mention the terrifying Astartes warriors around him who were eyeing him covetously, as well as the ravens and grey knights in the sky.

Fortunately, Natasha had no intention of attacking Loki.

Instead, he tossed his cloak, turned and walked away, raising his hand.

As if it were a signal, the ravens in the sky and the gray knights simultaneously made handprints, and a powerful surge of magic instantly spread out.

The surrounding space trembled for a fleeting moment.

Then, golden ripples spread across everyone's bodies, transforming into beams of light that shot straight into the sky. And above them, a giant magic teleportation array appeared out of nowhere.

Once Natasha and all the other warriors had entered the teleportation array, the array instantly contracted and exploded into a ring of air.

Soon, the dark clouds and gloom that had been dispersed from the sky returned, and a strong wind blew, with snowflakes falling and whistling along with the wind.

The entire planet returned to peace once more.

Simple, efficient, and swift.

Loki stood there, listening to the howling wind and snow, looking up at the empty sky shrouded in gloom. The shock he felt was unimaginable.

After a long while, he lowered his head and slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

The pressure that Natasha and the three warbands had put on him was immense.

It's bigger than you can imagine.

As he looked at the corpses of young and old frost giants gradually being buried by the wind and snow, Loki clutched his heart, gritted his teeth, and was truly terrified.

Chapter 402 Why can't we hold a referendum to join the Terra Empire? (Seeking monthly votes)

Loki originally thought he was not afraid of anyone.

Yes, he doesn't even feel fear towards Odin.

If he fears Odin, he will not develop ambition, nor will he feel anger towards Odin.

Odin was undoubtedly powerful in Loki's eyes, so powerful that Loki himself didn't even know the extent of his power.

He couldn't imagine it.

But Loki believed he had disguised himself well, and that Odin was now nothing more than an old, senile idiot.

Despite possessing immense divine power, he was so easily deceived and even exploited.

That's the reason for Loki's arrogance.

Now Loki finds himself truly terrified. He faces the power of Astartes, Natasha's insightful gaze, wisdom, terrifying strength, and domineering aura.

Loki believed he could use Terra to form a partnership with her.

But he now realizes that he is nothing more than a clown jumping around in front of those humans.

Everyone knows everything about me.

They simply didn't harm him because of his status as a prince of Asgard.

Loki's pride in his intelligence, knowledge, and status was completely overwhelmed; his intelligence and status were utterly disregarded.

Natasha's calm words deeply stung Loki.

Why?

Why should a human being be so domineering towards me?

Loki couldn't have imagined this?

No, he had already realized that it all came down to power; Loki himself wasn't strong enough.

If he were strong enough, he should have been in control of the situation just now, instead of pretending to be fearless while being afraid, and even offering conditions that were almost appeasing.

Loki had previously looked down on Thor, the Warriors Three, and even Odin, believing they were mindless and merely tools to be manipulated and schemed against in the face of immense power and intelligence.

He could easily manipulate those far more powerful than himself, especially after he bewitched Thor, causing him to anger Odin, who stripped Thor of his godhood, sealed his divine power, and banished him from Asgard.

This mindset has reached its absolute peak.

He proudly believed that his era was about to begin.

But harsh reality dealt him a heavy blow.

In Natasha's presence, he felt as if he had been stripped naked, everything about him laid bare before that woman's beautiful eyes.

This is an insult, a contempt.

Loki was powerless, and this sense of helplessness and fear filled his heart, shattering his self-righteousness.