Chương 100: Chapter 100: The Lords of the Nine Realms Arrive 

Leaving Fat Thor—who was currently enduring an incredibly aggressive, highly masculine beating from multiple massive, muscular Troll Ninjas—trapped within the Mirror Dimension, Luke returned to the material plane. 

Looking out the window, he realized that night had already fallen over Asgard. He hadn't expected time to pass so quickly; he had originally intended to go watch the sunset. 

Luke shook his head and exited the private lounge. He found an Einherjar guard standing at attention right outside the door, clearly waiting for him. 

Seeing Luke emerge, the guard immediately stepped forward and dropped to one knee. 

"Your Highness, Prince Luke. His Royal Highness, Prince Loki, has requested your presence. The other Lords of the Nine Realms are scheduled to arrive shortly, and he requests that you join him to officially receive them." 

"The other Lords of the Nine Realms?" Luke rubbed his chin. He didn't know exactly what Loki was planning, but watching the incredibly proud Asgardian guard kneeling before him still felt somewhat bizarre. 

"You can stand up," Luke gestured. "Do you know exactly why he wants me there?" 

The guard stood up smoothly but kept his head respectfully bowed. "Before every grand, realm-wide banquet, Asgard traditionally invites the leaders of our allied and subjugated realms. Since the Nine Realms officially fall under Asgardian dominion, their respective leaders are required to arrive a day early. Furthermore, preceding the banquet, the Lords of the Nine Realms convene a formal summit to discuss matters of state and inter-realm politics." 

Luke nodded, dismissing the guard. 

I didn't expect that being the 'Lord of the Earth' actually required me to attend boring political meetings. 

However, since his 'nephew' Loki had specifically requested his presence, Luke decided he should probably go make an appearance. If any of the other Realm Lords decided to look down on Loki or cause trouble, Luke could step in and intimidate them. 

Luke stretched lazily and took flight, heading toward the Bifrost Observatory. 

Inside the Observatory, Loki stood tall, gripping the legendary spear Gungnir. Heimdall stood silently nearby, leaning on his massive greatsword, gazing out into the vast expanse of the cosmos. 

Loki had a wide, irrepressible smile plastered across his face. He kept nervously shifting Gungnir between his left and right hands, trying to find the most comfortable, 'kingly' grip. 

"Try not to appear overly eager. If the King of Asgard appears too easily excited, it will severely diminish the realm's perceived majesty," Heimdall noted mildly, not taking his eyes off the stars. 

Loki paused. He instantly wiped the eager smile off his face, gripped Gungnir firmly in his right hand—mimicking Odin's exact posture—and turned to Heimdall. 

"Do you finally acknowledge me as your King?" 

"Naturally. The moment the All-Father willingly entrusted you with Gungnir, you became the undisputed King of Asgard. However, I observed that you were not entirely composed, which is why I offered my counsel," Heimdall replied evenly. 

"Good. Because I absolutely refuse to allow Asgard to lose face in front of the other realms, especially considering the current, widespread political instability across the Nine Realms," Loki said solemnly. He consciously shifted his posture, standing perfectly straight, exuding a chilling, commanding aura, perfectly mimicking Odin's oppressive majesty. 

"Your outward posture is currently flawless. The true test will be whether you possess the mental fortitude to back it up," Heimdall nodded. 

"Wow. Getting a genuine compliment out of you is truly a miraculous event," Loki exhaled softly. "By the way... do you now possess absolute, unconditional loyalty to my commands?" 

"Of course, my King," Heimdall stated, his posture stiffening into a perfect military salute. 

"Then..." Loki thought for a moment, a wicked glint appearing in his eyes. "Target Jotunheim with the Bifrost! I order you to completely annihilate the realm that dared to invade Asgard!" 

"As you command!" Heimdall didn't hesitate for a microsecond. He violently thrust Hofund into the control pedestal. 

Instantly, a blinding, apocalyptic pillar of destructive energy violently erupted from the Observatory, piercing through the cosmos directly toward the frozen realm of the Frost Giants! 

Loki watched Heimdall closely. The Gatekeeper's expression remained perfectly stoic; he showed absolutely no intention of shutting down the catastrophic beam. 

Seconds ticked by. The Bifrost's destructive energy steadily intensified, beginning to inflict catastrophic structural and environmental damage upon Jotunheim. Yet, Loki made absolutely no move to stop him. 

Finally, Loki seemed to remember something trivial. "Ah... actually, Father is quite fond of drinking mead infused with crushed Frost-Grass. Let's not completely annihilate Jotunheim today." 

"Understood," Heimdall replied evenly. He calmly pulled the sword, shutting down the Bifrost. 

Heimdall's orange eyes easily perceived the devastation currently ravaging Jotunheim. Although the beam had only been active for a short duration, the sheer destructive output of the Bifrost had inflicted massive, widespread damage upon the realm. 

"I suspect the quality of this year's Frost-Grass harvest will be significantly lower," Heimdall noted casually to Loki. 

"It's fine," Loki replied indifferently. "I am confident the Frost Giants will still manage to secure the finest quality Frost-Grass for us. It will just require a bit more... 'effort' on their part." 

Heimdall offered a faint smile. "I sincerely hope this incident does not foster any negative sentiments toward Asgard." 

"What is there to fear?" Loki smiled coldly at the Gatekeeper. "If it weren't for our appreciation of fine mead, Jotunheim would have completely ceased to exist just now, wouldn't it?" 

Without the Casket of Ancient Winters, the Frost Giants were completely powerless to retaliate. Asgard didn't even need to deploy its armies or Odin; a single operator at the Bifrost could effortlessly grind their entire civilization into cosmic dust. 

"Indeed. For the sake of good mead, we shall spare their lives," Heimdall agreed, a rare smile gracing his stoic features. He also quite enjoyed the Frost-Grass mead. 

Far away in the Royal Palace, Odin was currently listening intently to Rocket Raccoon recounting the tragic future. Odin's fingers dug deeply into the armrests of his throne as he felt the apocalyptic power of the Bifrost engage and disengage. However, he remained completely silent, choosing not to intervene. 

Luke flew lazily toward the Observatory. Seeing the Bifrost suddenly fire and shut down, he was slightly confused. Arriving in the main hall and overhearing the tail end of their conversation, Luke rolled his eyes. 

"You guys have way too much free time. Isn't randomly firing the Bifrost like that a massive waste of energy?" 

"Currently, aside from Asgard and Midgard, widespread rebellions and insurrections are occurring across the remaining realms. In order to ensure the Frost Giants don't attempt to cause any trouble during the banquet, I deemed it necessary to send a highly visible 'warning'," Loki offered a plausible excuse, continuing to meticulously adjust his posture to mimic Odin. 

After all, as Heimdall had pointed out, he couldn't afford to embarrass Asgard in front of the other realms. 

Luke nodded, not particularly caring. As long as they didn't aim the planet-killer weapon at Earth, Loki could use it as a laser pointer for all he cared. Besides, the Frost Giants had previously attempted to cause trouble on Earth. As Earth's newly appointed 'Lord,' Luke fully supported giving them a hard time. 

"When exactly are you receiving the other Realm Lords?" Luke asked, glancing at the artificial sky. 

"We will commence the reception shortly," Loki said, dropping his rigid posture slightly and looking at Heimdall. 

"The designated arrival window for the Vanaheim delegation approaches. I shall summon them precisely on schedule," Heimdall confirmed. 

"We can wait over here," Loki gestured, attempting to stride over to the side of the room with an aura of immense, crushing majesty. 

Luke followed, watching Loki constantly twitch and adjust his gait. 

"Are you really that nervous?" 

Loki shot him a defensive glare. "Admittedly, yes. Previously, when I acted as Regent, I remained isolated within the palace and only interacted with our own ministers. But now, I am officially representing the absolute authority of the King of Asgard while receiving the leaders of the Nine Realms. The political pressure is immense." 

Luke watched Loki continuing to twist and contort his body, trying to find the perfect 'kingly' stance. If one didn't know better, they would assume he was suffering from a sudden, severe neurological disorder. 

Luke tried to ignore it, but Loki actually began pacing back and forth in front of him, actively practicing his 'majestic stride.' 

"Can you please stop wiggling around like that?" Luke finally sighed in exasperation. 

Loki stopped awkwardly. 

Luke shook his head. "Honestly, you don't need to force this fake, overwhelming aura of majesty. Even Odin isn't this incredibly stiff and awkward on a normal day." 

"But I do not possess Father's overwhelming, absolute power," Loki admitted, a hint of insecurity bleeding into his voice. 

Luke rolled his eyes aggressively. "You talk as if Odin is dead." 

Luke stepped forward and slung an arm around Loki's tense shoulders, pointing toward the distant Royal Palace. "Odin is currently sitting comfortably in the palace, listening to a raccoon tell stories. If you ever find yourself in actual danger, or if anyone dares to disrespect you, he will absolutely step in to crush them! His sheer existence is your absolute political leverage." 

Seeing that Loki was starting to understand, Luke pointed casually out at the cosmos. "Why do you think the massive, intergalactic empires respect Asgard? It's solely because of Asgard's overwhelming, absolute military supremacy. Under the terrifying shadow of that power, even if we put the glorified doorman over there on the throne, absolutely no one would dare look down on him!" 

Heimdall (internally): Excuse me? How incredibly disrespectful. 

Completely ignoring Heimdall's subtle glare, Luke released Loki. "Therefore, regardless of your personal posture or demeanor, they will not dare disrespect you. Unless, of course, you actively decide to do something incredibly pathetic or humiliating." 

Loki nodded slowly, beginning to grasp the underlying truth. He looked at Luke, then turned to gaze at the magnificent, golden spires of Asgard behind him. 

"You are absolutely correct. The ones who should be nervous and careful today... are them." 

Seeing Loki seamlessly revert to his usual, dangerously arrogant, and playfully malicious demeanor, Luke nodded in satisfaction. However, seeing Loki's incredibly punchable, smug smirk return, Luke felt a familiar, involuntary twitch in his right leg... 

Cough. Luke awkwardly shifted his weight, suppressing the urge to kick his nephew. 

At that moment, the Bifrost engaged once more, and a blinding pillar of light shot out. 

Shortly after, a delegation of elegantly dressed guards materialized, carrying numerous chests of tribute. 

A figure wearing incredibly ornate, flowing robes stepped forward. Seeing Loki securely gripping Gungnir, the leader didn't dare show the slightest hint of disrespect. He immediately bowed deeply, offering formal greetings to Loki. 

Loki glanced back at Luke, then looked down at Gungnir in his hand. He offered the Vanaheim delegation a casual, somewhat indifferent welcome. Surprisingly, this aloof, arrogant demeanor actually made the leader of Vanaheim feel deeply honored that the 'King' had acknowledged him at all. 

"See? Incredibly simple, right?" Luke casually nudged Loki with his elbow. 

The leader of Vanaheim watched the Midgardian casually elbow the King of Asgard, his eyes widening in shock, but he absolutely didn't dare say a word. 

Loki shot Luke an exasperated look before turning back to the Vanaheim delegation. 

"Allow me to introduce the newly appointed Lord of the Nine Realms, the absolute ruler of Midgard—Earth. Furthermore, he is the sworn brother of the All-Father Odin, and officially recognized as a Foreign Prince of the Aesir!" 

Loki offered a brief, highly intimidating introduction for Luke. As the Bifrost engaged again, Loki nodded slightly to Luke and waved his hand, ordering the Asgardian guards to escort the terrified Vanaheim delegation to their quarters. 

As the Bifrost fired repeatedly, the leaders of the Nine Realms arrived in Asgard one by one. 

However, despite being called the "Nine Realms," only four external delegations actually arrived. Including Asgard and Midgard (Earth), only six of the Nine Realms were represented. 

The three absent realms were Svartalfheim (the realm of the Dark Elves), Helheim (the realm of the Dead), and Muspelheim (the realm of Fire). 

If delegations from those three realms had actually shown up, Asgard would have immediately mobilized for all-out war. 

Svartalfheim was the ancestral home of the Dark Elves. During the reign of Odin's father, King Bor, the Dark Elves engaged in an apocalyptic war against Asgard. Bor ultimately defeated them, and the Dark Elves were officially believed to be completely extinct. 

Helheim was ruled by Hela, the Goddess of Death and Odin's firstborn daughter. Since Odin had violently sealed Hela away, Helheim had effectively severed all diplomatic ties with Asgard. 

Muspelheim was the fiery domain of Surtur, the demonic entity prophesied to initiate Ragnarok and destroy Asgard. To prevent this prophecy, Odin had invaded Muspelheim millennia ago, defeated Surtur, and stolen his primary source of power, the Eternal Flame. 

Therefore, considering the history, if any of those three realms sent 'diplomats,' it would basically be a declaration of war. 

But it didn't really matter. It's like how the "Four Heavenly Kings" in anime sometimes have five members. Having only six Lords show up to a "Nine Realms" summit was perfectly normal! 

After officially receiving the Realm Lords, Loki instructed them to deposit their luggage and tribute before convening in the High Council chamber. 

Luke also took the opportunity to briefly introduce himself to the various leaders—if only to ensure he didn't accidentally assassinate the wrong person later. 

Among the arrivals, Luke easily recognized the legendary Dwarf King Eitri, who stood an imposing 3.16 meters tall. Eitri was no ordinary blacksmith; he was the legendary artisan who forged Thor's Mjolnir, Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet, and eventually, Thor's Stormbreaker. He was unarguably the greatest weaponsmith in the universe. 

In order to ensure that Fat Thor could happily return to his timeline swinging a proper weapon, Luke made sure to engage in a lengthy, incredibly friendly conversation with Eitri, laying the groundwork to commission a brand-new hammer.