Chapter Fifty-Five: I Knew It Was a Trap

Unlike Thor, who charges ahead without hesitation, Loki is not lacking in intelligence—he simply chooses not to use it. Yet at this very moment, he sensed something was amiss.

Loki furrowed his brow, carefully casting spells to probe his surroundings. Though he found nothing, and his power had waned due to the crossing of realms, an ominous feeling relentlessly warned him.

“What’s wrong? Where’s the problem?”

He pondered and observed, and at last, he discovered it—his sensory energy was being siphoned by something. Besides the cunning recluse before him, there might be a third person here, perhaps more. The reason was the abundance of negative emotions he felt.

He realized that the disturbances and chaos around him served one main purpose: someone sought to generate a surge of negative emotions, allowing certain entities to absorb that energy to their heart’s content.

In an instant, Loki’s shrewd mind deduced Roald’s intentions. Logically, his reasoning was correct, though not entirely so.

From the moment he first encountered Natasha, Roald’s original plan had merely been to control an informant, giving himself timely access to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s movements and intelligence. Leaving a Spider card on Natasha, and having Erica manipulate the local gangs and found a cult, were simple distractions to pull S.H.I.E.L.D.’s attention elsewhere, buying himself more time.

Roald hadn’t foreseen so many variables, yet plans never keep pace with change. When he was interviewed by Peter at the scene he engineered, and realized Peter knew nothing of S.H.I.E.L.D., a new plan formed.

He used the Spider card from the start of the interview onward, positioning Peter, in a sense, against S.H.I.E.L.D., effectively eliminating any chance of Peter Parker joining them. Then, sending Wiccan to Afghanistan to subtly influence Tony’s judgment through “infection,” he leveraged the name of “Apocalypse” to prompt Tony to forge his armor. Once Tony became Iron Man, Roald used the name of an ancient organization and its guardians to ensure Tony rejected Nick Fury’s recruitment.

After all, Tony disliked Fury’s lofty attitude—not only due to Wiccan’s meddling, but because a mysterious organization with supernatural power was far more appealing to him.

With Tony out of reach, Nick Fury lost his financial and technological support, as well as Spider-Man as a potential ally.

When Zazira faked her death, she transformed her consciousness into that of a child and, with Erica, absorbed the surrounding gangs. She then disguised herself as a Hydra member, launching attacks on Roald and Coulson in the streets.

By once again shifting all blame onto Hydra, Roald muddled his own identity and introduced the concept of biological weapons, refining intelligence about the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, the Eight-Legged Spider, and other organizations.

Buying into Oscorp, forging ties with the military, and utilizing so-called gene technology together with Oscorp’s vast resources, Roald helped Ross secure the position of Secretary of State, creating a favorable political environment. Through the military’s super-soldier enhancement technology, he lured other departments to suppress S.H.I.E.L.D.’s development.

Using Natasha to locate the Cosmic Cube, he persuaded her to defect and forged Hawkeye’s Hydra identity, causing Fury to lose two more allies. After stealing the Cube, Roald used Natasha’s intelligence from Mexico to orchestrate this event, hoping to draw out either Loki or Thor.

He never expected both would appear.

The initial plan was to borrow a bit of their blood and, using gems or other objects, see if he could forge new hero units—ideally, Thor’s blood would serve as a colossal energy battery.

But upon seeing Loki arrive, Roald realized Loki’s frost lineage might allow Sindragosa to emerge.

In the distance, Thor and Grommash battled fiercely, while tension mounted on Loki’s side.

Refusing to dwell on how the man before him was as despicable as himself, Loki suddenly swung his scepter, igniting pale blue flames of frost. The explosion of cold instantly froze Kel’Thuzad, under Loki’s control.

He felt that a decisive blow with his scepter would shatter the vile creature before him into shards of ice. Then he could hunt for the lurking vermin nearby.

Yet he failed to consider that Kel’Thuzad was utterly unfazed by frost.

Heavy chill and ice enveloped Kel’Thuzad’s body. The surging magical energy made the lich inhale deeply with satisfaction.

Amid the spreading mist, as Loki’s scepter struck, a gigantic hand glowing with blue light extended from Kel’Thuzad’s back, formed into a fist, and swung straight at Loki. The massive frost fist, imbued with decay, chill, evil, and filth, engulfed Loki’s form.

Kel’Thuzad’s body was now encased in sinister ice, his entire form submerged in the block of frost. Numerous blue runes flashed, and Loki saw within the ice a skeletal figure wrapped in chains of cold.

The form was immense, evil and death coursing through the entwined chains. As the azure gaze beneath the crown shifted—

Loki immediately sensed an overwhelming threat.

Roald stood calmly to the side, merging “True King” and “Anti-Spell Shield” cards for both Kel’Thuzad and himself, always ready to unleash “Death Coil.”

When it came to draining blood, nothing worked better than “Death Coil.”

“Oh, damn it, I knew the abilities Odin gave me were unreliable. I despise this spell!” Loki cursed inwardly, instantly casting a speed and lightness spell.

His pace increased at once; with a flick of his scepter, he retreated swiftly, his green cloak making him seem to vanish like a wisp of smoke.

Missing his strike and sensing grave danger, he immediately prepared to disengage.

“Oh, you’re so mischievous, very well… Mr. Bigglesworth, I know—unruly children must be grounded!” Kel’Thuzad stroked the orange cat with his bony hand, his voice turning stern.

Suddenly, purple magical energy surged from his raised palm, his entire body ablaze with white ice flames. In the next instant, the chains wrapped around him shot out, twisting toward Loki. Loki was yanked from midair and slammed hard into the ground, frost spreading over him at once.

“Master, now is the time!”

As Kel’Thuzad mimicked Loki’s mirror spell, Roald immediately cast “Death Coil” on Loki.

Scarlet blood pooled, swiftly drawn from Loki and shaped in Roald’s hand. Armored, he stepped forth from the shadow of the obelisk.

“I knew it was a trap!”