Chapter 116: Where Do So Many Schemes Come From?

"???"

The Dark Elves in the midst of their charge were utterly bewildered. What was going on? One moment he was shouting for them to fight to the death, and the next, their leader was the first to flee? The Dark Elves could not fathom it, but for Malekith, this was a necessary course of action. As their leader, he could not allow all of them to be wiped out here. Abandoning the pawns to save the king was essential.

"Although we have been defeated today, the mission and plan of the Dark Elves will not end so easily. We Dark Elves shall never become a mere memory. When we return, it will be the moment darkness consumes the universe..."

"Asgard and the Frost Giants, wait for us. We shall return."

Standing upon his flagship, Malekith delivered these harsh words before vanishing with the surviving Dark Elves in a flash. Only his mocking laughter and the roar of engines remained in the wind, leaving the approaching Thor and Odin momentarily stunned.

Relying on the speed of his steed, Odin pursued Malekith, while the slower Thor, having just readied his Mjolnir, heard Jane's cry. Asgardian warriors were locked in a fierce battle with the remaining Dark Elves and Scourge soldiers. Malekith’s departure had sapped the Dark Elves' courage, and hearing Jane’s voice, Thor immediately changed direction. When he saw Frigga held in Jane’s arms, he fell to his knees.

Dusty and disheveled, Thor felt as though his world were collapsing. He practically crawled to the side of Frigga, held by Jane, unable to believe the reality before his eyes. Jane Foster wiped blood from her forehead, her expression filled with lingering fear and terror. She shook her head in agony as she held Frigga.

"Thor..."

In broken sentences, Jane explained everything to Thor. That Frigga’s death was tied to the Dark Elves was something Thor could naturally grasp, but one thing made no sense. Logically, as the Dark Elves' greatest adversary, Asgard had no reason to ignore Odin and persecute Frigga and Jane instead; it defied reason. Their actions suggested that there must be something about Jane that attracted them, perhaps related to the cause of her unconsciousness, and furthermore...

The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Thor looked at Jane, his intellect finally kicking in. But just as he was about to ask her why, he saw Jane place a sword against her own throat.

Thor’s eyes widened. "Jane?"

"Thor, sometimes fate is so cruel... forcing people to make choices." Feigning a complex expression, Jane looked at Thor with sorrow and remarked with a sigh, "I am merely a human, an ordinary doctor from Earth. Just as your father said, perhaps we were never meant to be together. You are truly too naive..."

Jane acted out her part, her face filled with grief. "These people were actually coming for me. Because of saving me, your mother even paid with her life. Even if I live, I will condemn myself forever."

Seeing Jane prepared to commit suicide, Thor subconsciously took two steps forward. His mind was in chaos; he had just lost his mother, and if he could not do something, he feared he would lose his beloved as well. He felt exceptionally lost and helpless at that moment.

"Oh, what a heart-wrenching display of love. Unfortunately, we Frost Giants lack such tedious things."

Amidst the standoff, Kel'Thuzad appeared from the shadows. He watched Jane and Thor from afar, then raised his hands, and the obelisks shrouded the entire area around him.

"Let me put it this way: you—oh, I mean this beautiful lady—her soul no longer belongs to her. It now belongs to the great Scourge. No existence can take anything from me without paying an equal price, especially when her soul is currently in my grasp."

Kel'Thuzad bowed elegantly to Thor, then gestured with his hand. To Thor’s astonishment, chains locked onto Jane, pulling her beneath the obelisk to be frozen.

"Also, you may take this message back to your old father: the Aether particles within her body are mine now that they are in my hands. Stop having your gatekeeper stare at us; be careful, or he might go blind one day. Furthermore, please tell him that this incident is merely the beginning. If you want your mother’s remains and your little girlfriend back, please trade them for the Casket of Ancient Winters, the treasure of the Frost Giants."

After speaking, Kel'Thuzad gave Thor no time to attack. Scourge soldiers swarmed toward Thor, while he himself vanished using a teleportation circle.

With a surge of electricity, Thor blasted the surrounding Scourge soldiers away, but by the time he looked again, Kel'Thuzad was gone. He hesitated for a moment before heading toward the vault. This was his second encounter with Kel'Thuzad, and once again, he had lost.

However, he had managed to clear his head of a few things. Jane was just an ordinary person; where would she find the strength to assassinate his mother? All of this was the work of that damnable skeleton; it was all his conspiracy, including the Dark Elves. Just like when he had stolen his brother's scepter, their goal was the Infinity Stones.

Thinking of this, Thor suddenly remembered his clever brother, Loki. Loki was still locked in the dungeon; perhaps he would have a way to utilize the Casket of Ancient Winters and his own Frost Giant lineage to resolve this. Thor made up his mind to secretly release Loki, avenge his mother, rescue Jane, and settle the score for his brother.

Through Kel'Thuzad's mind-eye, Rolde saw everything clearly. As Thor rushed toward the vault, he, hidden in the shadows, also learned its location. He and Sindragosa had found the vault but could not open it, so they had to let Kel'Thuzad and Jane temporarily change their strategy.

Watching Thor’s actions, Sindragosa sighed. "This child is truly simple-minded and easily deceived."

"He is not just simple-minded; it is what the plot requires. Once he opens the vault, if we take those treasures, we may face the greatest crisis. Whether it is the Casket or the Eternal Flame, we must obtain them. With them, our strength will advance further. In any case, Odin won't live much longer."

"Hmm? It seems my Knight already has a new plan." Sindragosa watched Thor through the mind-eye, her smile turning bright. "Then how shall we use Kel'Thuzad to play out this drama?"

Thor would definitely seek out Loki to help him find Kel'Thuzad. Although the timeline had become a tangled mess because of him, in order to maintain certain rules of the timeline, Rolde could only have Kel'Thuzad take over the plot and roles after Malekith's escape. The plot had occurred, but the actors had changed.