Chương 101: Chapter 101: Frost Giants Looking for Trouble 

After officially welcoming the various Lords of the Nine Realms, Loki instructed the Einherjar guards to escort their delegations to their respective quarters to settle their luggage and tribute. 

Once that was handled, Loki led Luke toward the High Council Chamber, where the pre-banquet political summit would take place. 

"What do you think of them?" Loki asked casually as they walked down the golden corridors. 

"They certainly all have their unique... characteristics," Luke replied, recalling the diverse groups he had just met. 

The Vanir of Vanaheim were considered the 'brother race' to the Aesir of Asgard. For thousands of years, they had peacefully recognized Asgard as the supreme authority. However, with the recent destruction of the Bifrost, massive political instability had erupted within their realm. 

A radical 'youth faction' within Vanaheim firmly believed that their race was strong enough to stand independently against the myriad cosmic threats and expand their own empire. The 'elder faction,' however, understood the terrifying, apocalyptic realities of the wider universe and vehemently opposed this. This ideological schism eventually erupted into a brutal civil war. 

The Vanaheim delegation that had just arrived represented the elder faction. They were here to honor Asgard's summons, but primarily to desperately request Asgardian military intervention to crush the youth rebellion. 

As for the Dwarves of Nidavellir? They were completely fine. They had originally sought Asgard's protection simply so they could forge their legendary weapons in absolute peace. Without Asgard's protection, their realm would be constantly besieged and harassed by countless cosmic warlords demanding their services. 

Under Asgard's absolute protection, Nidavellir had enjoyed millennia of uninterrupted peace. They spent their days drinking fine ale, singing boisterous songs, and forging legendary artifacts in the heart of a dying star. It was an incredibly comfortable existence. 

Therefore, even when the Bifrost was temporarily destroyed, the Dwarves didn't panic or cause any trouble. In fact, they were so thoroughly isolated and focused on their craftsmanship that they literally had no idea anything was wrong in Asgard. (This explained why, in Avengers: Infinity War, the Dwarves had absolutely no idea Asgard had been completely destroyed by Surtur and Thanos). 

Alfheim, the legendary realm of the Light Elves, was a different story. In traditional Norse mythology, Light Elves were often depicted as tiny, ethereal beings. However, based on Luke's observations, these Elves were roughly the same size as normal humans. 

I guess the mythological scale for these races was based entirely on the perspective of massive Frost Giants and Titans... 

The Light Elves were relatively peaceful; they abhorred war and generally preferred to spend their time tending to their magical flora and fauna. However, recent reports indicated that unknown alien fleets had been spotted probing their borders, clearly harboring malicious intent. After all, Light Elves were naturally gifted sorcerers and possessed breathtaking beauty, making them incredibly valuable commodities on the galactic black market. 

(Though, to Luke, they just looked 'alright.' He was notoriously bad at recognizing or appreciating conventional beauty standards). 

And finally, the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. Their delegation looked absolutely miserable and furious. After all, Loki had just ordered Heimdall to blast their planet with the Bifrost a few hours ago, likely causing catastrophic environmental damage. Interestingly, they had brought the largest amount of tribute. After Heimdall—acting as a living, breathing cosmic metal detector—confirmed they weren't smuggling any concealed weapons or Caskets of Ancient Winters, they were permitted entry. 

Loki nodded in agreement with Luke's assessment as they finally reached the towering, ornate doors of the High Council Chamber. 

Entering the massive, circular room, Loki strode purposefully toward the grand, elevated throne at the absolute head of the table and sat down, firmly gripping Gungnir. He watched Luke casually wandering around the table, looking for a comfortable chair to slouch in. 

"The seating arrangement for the Lords of the Nine Realms is strictly dictated by absolute military and political power," Loki instructed smoothly. "You should be seated in the second position, directly to my right." 

Luke raised an eyebrow, looking at Loki skeptically. "Are you absolutely sure I should only be sitting in the second position?" 

"Please, Uncle. Leave Asgard some face," Loki sighed, spreading his hands helplessly. "Or would you prefer to officially chair this summit yourself and usurp my authority completely?" 

"Alright, alright. Second position it is." Luke smoothly slid into the luxurious, high-backed chair next to Loki. 

Instantly, a Shadow Ninja materialized from the floor and respectfully placed a massive platter of freshly peeled, exotic fruits on the table in front of him. Two more ninjas silently appeared behind his chair and began expertly massaging his shoulders. 

Honestly, Luke looked significantly more comfortable and pampered than Loki, who was currently sitting rigidly on the throne. 

Loki shook his head helplessly. The two of them waited in silence for a few minutes as the other Realm Lords slowly filtered into the chamber. 

The first to arrive was Eitri, the massive King of the Dwarves. He strode in, holding a small, compressed metallic cube. Seeing Luke lounging comfortably in the second seat, Eitri blinked in surprise and looked questioningly at Loki. 

Loki offered a subtle nod of confirmation. Eitri didn't question it. He walked over to the third position at the table, casually shoved the standard-sized chair aside, and tossed the metallic cube onto the floor. 

Clank! Whirrr! 

The cube instantly unfolded and expanded, transforming into a massive, incredibly sturdy metallic throne capable of supporting his immense weight. 

This is much better! Honestly, you'd think Asgard would just permanently install a proper chair for me! Having to bring my own furniture every time is incredibly annoying! 

Eitri shook his massive head, grumbling internally. He then noticed Luke, who was currently popping grapes into his mouth while scrolling on his smartphone. 

"Want some?" Luke asked casually, noticing the Dwarf King staring at him. He snapped his fingers. 

Two Shadow Ninjas immediately materialized, struggling slightly to carry a massive, unpeeled watermelon, which they respectfully placed directly in front of Eitri. 

"You can just peel the rind off and eat it. Enjoy," Luke smiled warmly. 

Eitri was slightly taken aback. This new Lord of Midgard is surprisingly informal and friendly. 

He didn't decline the offer. His massive, calloused hand easily grasped the watermelon—which was larger than Luke's head—and casually smashed it against the reinforced table. The thick green rind shattered perfectly, falling away like a cracked eggshell. Eitri casually tossed the massive chunk of red fruit into his mouth and swallowed it whole. 

"Not bad," Eitri nodded appreciatively at Luke. 

"Glad you like it. I was slightly worried it might be too small for you. After all, on Earth, most of our fruit is roughly this size," Luke said, holding up a standard-sized apple before taking a loud, crisp bite. 

Eitri chuckled, deciding he rather liked this eccentric new Lord. Usually, these inter-realm summits were incredibly stiff, formal, and overwhelmingly tedious affairs, entirely focused on negotiating trade tariffs and territorial disputes. Having someone so casually irreverent present was a refreshing change of pace. 

"If you wish, you should consider trading some of those seeds with the Light Elves of Alfheim," Eitri suggested. "They possess unparalleled mastery over agricultural magic. They could easily cultivate those fruits to be significantly larger and far more flavorful." 

"That's a fantastic idea! I'll have someone gather a massive variety of seeds from Earth and send a delegation over to learn their agricultural techniques," Luke nodded enthusiastically. Imagine a single grape the size of an apple! That would be incredible! 

As they chatted casually, the other Realm Lords slowly filed into the chamber. 

Seeing the current seating arrangement, they were all momentarily stunned. The elegant Queen of the Light Elves quietly took the fifth seat. The imposing leader of the Vanir (Asgard's 'brother race') took the sixth seat. 

The new King of the Frost Giants was the last to arrive. He strode into the hall, his face dark and furious. Seeing the seating arrangement, he scowled deeply before aggressively taking the fourth seat. 

Seeing that all the Lords were finally present and seated, Loki raised Gungnir and struck the butt of the spear heavily against the golden floor. The resonant CLANG instantly silenced the room, drawing everyone's attention. 

Loki slowly stood up from the throne. He opened his mouth to begin his grand, majestic opening address... 

CRUNCH! 

A loud, incredibly crisp sound of someone aggressively biting into an apple echoed clearly through the silent hall. 

Loki closed his eyes and sighed heavily, shooting a deeply exasperated glare at Luke. Luke looked back, feigning absolute innocence. 

"It's the apple's fault! It's just too incredibly crisp!" Luke defended himself, holding up the half-eaten apple before taking another loud, completely unapologetic bite. 

Loki took a deep, centering breath, actively suppressing the overwhelming urge to run back to the palace and beg Odin to take the throne back. He turned his attention to the confused assembly. 

"The primary reason Asgard has convened this summit and hosted this grand banquet is due to the numerous, unprecedented events that have transpired recently. Fortunately, these crises have either been successfully resolved or are currently trending toward a highly favorable outcome," Loki stated smoothly, his gaze lingering significantly on the seething King of the Frost Giants. 

"Furthermore, a monumental shift in leadership has occurred within Asgard. It is my duty to formally announce these changes to the Nine Realms." 

Loki raised Gungnir high. "As you can see, I, Loki Odinson, have been formally entrusted with Gungnir by the All-Father himself. From this day forward, I shall act as the sovereign Regent, handling all administrative and political affairs of Asgard. My brother, Thor Odinson, has been appointed Supreme Commander of the Asgardian Armies, tasked with maintaining absolute peace and order across the Nine Realms." 

"Furthermore..." Loki turned and gestured toward Luke. "Regarding Midgard—known to its natives as Earth—the All-Father has officially and permanently relinquished all claims of dominion, gifting the realm entirely to this unparalleled warrior: Luke. He joins this High Council today as the new, absolute Lord of the Earth." 

Loki motioned for Luke to stand and formally address the assembly. Luke rolled his eyes. He felt that completely ignoring Loki's introduction would make things incredibly awkward for his 'nephew,' so he lazily stood up and offered a half-hearted wave to the other Lords. 

He was just about to sit back down and resume eating his apple when a harsh, grating voice echoed through the hall. 

"I am, of course, entirely welcoming of a new Lord joining our esteemed Council. However, seating arrangements within this chamber have always been strictly dictated by absolute military and magical supremacy! What possible capabilities does this mortal possess to warrant the second seat?! Or rather, what capabilities does the primitive mud-ball of Midgard possess to claim such a high rank?!" 

Luke frowned, feeling deeply annoyed by the interruption. He turned his head toward the source of the voice. 

Oh. It's you. 

Luke stared at the newly crowned King of the Frost Giants and smirked dangerously. "I was wondering who had the absolute audacity to interrupt my snack. It's the Frost Giant in the third seat." 

Luke slowly, deliberately began walking toward him. "Are you actively questioning my personal strength, or the military capabilities of Earth?" 

The Frost Giant King sneered and stood up. He towered over Luke, standing easily over ten feet tall, glaring down at the 'puny mortal.' 

"Earth? I only know of Midgard. A primitive, pathetic realm. Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't your people literally fighting wild beasts with sharpened rocks a mere few millennia ago? Have you finally evolved past throwing mud at each other?" 

Luke chuckled softly. He smoothly levitated off the floor, rising just high enough so that he was looking directly into the Frost Giant's eyes, perfectly level. 

"What can I say? Our evolutionary and technological development is incredibly rapid. Unlike you pathetic icicles. Thousands of years have passed, and you haven't progressed a single inch. In fact, if we're strictly ranking by military power, I strongly suggest you vacate the third seat and move down to the seventh." 

Luke casually pointed toward the leader of the Vanir in the sixth seat. "After all, even though they might currently be slightly weaker than you due to their civil war, at least their civilization is actively trying to advance." 

Hearing this blatant, humiliating insult—especially so soon after Asgard had blasted his home planet with the Bifrost—the Frost Giant King's suppressed fury finally erupted! 

With a roar of pure rage, he violently swung a massive, ice-encrusted fist directly at Luke's head! 

Eitri immediately started to stand up, intending to intervene and protect the relatively small Midgardian. But Loki quickly stepped to his side, gently placing a hand on the Dwarf King's arm and offering a highly amused, knowing smile. 

Eitri frowned in confusion, but trusted Loki's judgment and sat back down. 

Luke didn't even flinch as the massive, icy fist rapidly approached his face. 

A terrifying, overwhelming surge of pure, apocalyptic dark energy violently erupted from Luke's body! The dense energy slammed into the Frost Giant King like a freight train, violently blasting the massive creature backward and pinning him brutally against the reinforced golden wall of the chamber! 

CRACK! 

The sheer concussive force caused chunks of solid ice to violently shear off the King's body, shattering on the floor. 

"You know," Luke said casually, his voice dripping with venom, "the last time you Frost Giants sent a strike team to Earth to cause trouble, I didn't bother hunting you down. And now, you actually have the absolute audacity to come here and annoy me?!" 

Luke slowly twisted his wrist. 

The dark energy pinning the King rapidly condensed, transforming into thick, writhing, pitch-black tentacles that securely bound the Giant's limbs, pinning him to the wall in a spread-eagle crucifixion. 

As Luke slowly, sadistically rotated his wrist further, the dark energy tentacles gripping the King's limbs began to violently, mechanically twist! 

CRUNCH! SNAP! 

The Frost Giant King let out an agonizing, blood-curdling scream as his right arm was violently, forcefully twisted completely around in its socket! Massive chunks of ice and frozen blue blood violently exploded from his shoulder joint! 

Hearing their King's agonizing screams, the massive double doors of the Council Chamber were violently thrown open. Dozens of heavily armed, furious Frost Giant royal guards roared and charged into the room, their weapons raised! 

However, before they could even take three steps... 

Several colossal, terrifyingly massive figures seamlessly materialized from the shadows directly in front of them! 

The massive Troll Ninjas, standing significantly taller and wider than the Frost Giants, cracked their knuckles menacingly. 

The lead Troll Ninja didn't hesitate. It violently swung a fist the size of a boulder, completely shattering the lead Frost Giant's icy armor and blasting him across the room! The unfortunate guard violently cratered into the far wall and completely stopped moving. 

The other Troll Ninjas eagerly joined the fray. It was an absolute, one-sided massacre. Right in front of the Lords of the Nine Realms, the Shadowkhan executed a flawless, brutal demonstration of 'breaking ice blocks with bare hands.' 

In less than three seconds, the dozens of elite Frost Giant guards were reduced to a massive pile of shattered ice and frozen gore covering the floor. Only a handful of guards, who had been lagging behind and hadn't fully entered the room yet, remained standing in the hallway. 

Staring at the horrific, bloody pile of shattered ice that used to be their comrades, the remaining guards were completely paralyzed by absolute terror. They didn't dare take a single step forward. 

Luke didn't even bother looking at the slaughter. The Frost Giants were completely outmatched; it wasn't even a fight. 

He stared at the agonizingly screaming Frost Giant King pinned to the wall and smiled warmly. He slowly raised his other hand. 

A thin, razor-sharp tendril of dark energy slithered out, slowly and deliberately coiling tightly around the King's thick neck. 

As Luke gently tightened his grip, the dark energy violently constricted. The horrifying, sickening sound of ice cracking and bone splintering echoed clearly from the King's throat as he began to suffocate. 

"I believe that is quite enough." 

Loki finally stepped forward, walking slowly toward the center of the room. He didn't look the slightest bit angry about the violent disruption of his diplomatic summit. In fact, he looked incredibly amused. 

"For the sake of the All-Father, O' Mighty Dragonslayer, Sworn Brother of Odin, and Foreign Prince of Asgard... please, let us not ruin the harmonious atmosphere of this summit," Loki said smoothly, intentionally projecting his voice so every Realm Lord could clearly hear Luke's terrifying list of titles. 

Luke chuckled softly. He casually dismissed the dark energy, allowing the brutally mangled, suffocating Frost Giant King to collapse heavily onto the floor like a severed marionette. 

Luke slowly floated back to his seat and sat down. Simultaneously, the massive Troll Ninjas seamlessly melted back into the shadows and completely vanished. 

The few surviving Frost Giant guards in the hallway cautiously crept into the room. They frantically gathered the severed icy limbs and shattered chunks of their fallen comrades and piled them onto the groaning King's body. 

Because Frost Giant physiology was highly resilient and capable of extreme localized regeneration using ice magic, the severed limbs slowly melded back into the King's body. 

After several agonizing minutes, the King finally managed to shakily pull himself to his feet. However, the look of absolute, soul-crushing terror in his eyes as he stared at Luke was unmistakable. 

He didn't dare say another word. He kept his head bowed and silently shuffled over to the very last, lowest-ranking seat at the table. 

Luke watched him sit down, the playful smile vanishing from his face. He sat up straight, his expression turning incredibly serious. 

"I suppose I should officially announce a few things as well." 

Luke slowly swept his gaze over the remaining Realm Lords. The room was absolutely silent; no one dared interrupt him. 

"From this day forward, 'Midgard' is officially renamed 'Earth.' Furthermore, Earth is highly receptive to establishing mutually beneficial trade and diplomatic relations with any of your realms. However, I must clarify: I am solely the Lord of Earth. I am not its Chief Administrator. I have absolutely no interest in micromanaging the planet's internal affairs or economy. Therefore, if you wish to negotiate trade agreements or import Earth goods, you will need to establish contact and negotiate directly with the human governments and organizations on the planet." 

Luke paused for a moment. Suddenly, a terrifying, incredibly dark and malicious smile spread across his face. 

"Of course, while I have absolutely zero interest in micromanaging their politics... I will personally, absolutely guarantee that Earth will never be subjected to invasion, oppression, or exploitation by any external force." 

Luke leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with barely suppressed violence. "And after what you all just witnessed... I am incredibly confident that absolutely no one here would be foolish enough to attempt such a thing. Am I correct?" 

The exact microsecond the final word left his lips, the brilliant, magical lighting within the High Council Chamber was instantaneously, violently extinguished! 

The entire massive hall was plunged into absolute, pitch-black darkness. 

Suddenly, thousands upon thousands of glowing, blood-red eyes ignited within the shadows surrounding the council table! A terrifying, suffocating aura of absolute, concentrated killing intent washed over every single person in the room! 

Even Loki felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. The Shadowkhan were glaring at him, too! 

After letting the terrifying, suffocating tension hang in the air for several agonizing seconds, the lights instantly flickered back on. 

The thousands of glowing red eyes vanished. 

Luke leaned back in his chair, his expression shifting back to an incredibly warm, bright, sunny smile. 

"As long as you don't do anything stupid like trying to invade my planet, I'm actually an incredibly friendly, easygoing guy! Please, feel free to chat with me anytime! After all, I'm just a total newbie to this whole 'Intergalactic Politics' thing. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing!"