"Thor! Stop right there!"
Loki finally couldn't take it anymore and waved his hands repeatedly, cutting Thor off. "We're not here to sing Zeus's praises! We're here to get something done."
"Oh, right—yes, of course. We're here to take the Mirror of Insight," Thor said, finally stopping, though he still added reluctantly, "Afterward, I'll properly tell you all about Zeus."
"You're hopeless," Loki said with a look of utter disdain before turning serious. "This place is Zeus's domain. You need an invitation from Zeus himself to enter."
"And obviously, we don't have one," Thor added helpfully from the side.
"Is that so?"
A meaningful smile appeared on Loki's face.
He glanced at a god who had just walked out of the temple and, with a thought—
Whoosh!
A flash of light, and Loki instantly transformed into that god's appearance.
"Brilliant, Loki!"
"This trick of yours is finally being used for something proper!"
Thor clapped and laughed. For years, Loki's illusions had mostly been used to mess with Thor.
"Wait a moment," Thor said, then silently followed the god who had just exited the temple.
Bang!
He struck from behind. The poor fellow didn't sense a thing and was knocked unconscious on the spot.
So weak it was almost embarrassing—probably not even as strong as some of Krakoa's mutants.
Then again, considering how mixed the crowd in Omnipotence City was—where even gods of dumplings existed—Alex found it understandable.
Not every god specialized in combat.
After quietly dragging the unlucky god into nearby bushes and hiding him, Thor dusted off his hands and returned cheerfully.
"All right, let's go in!"
With no risk of that fellow suddenly reappearing, they were clear.
"Let's go," Loki said, wasting no more words, and led Alex and Thor toward the temple.
"Lord Television God, and these two are…?"
The guards at the entrance immediately stopped them and questioned Loki.
Television God…
Alex's face went blank for a moment.
What kind of god was that?
"Oh, these are my friends. I'm bringing them in," Loki replied calmly. "That means we don't need invitations, right?"
"Of course. Please, go ahead."
And just like that, the three of them walked straight in.
"Alex, welcome to the Golden Temple," Thor said enthusiastically as he led the way. "This is where the most powerful god in the universe—Zeus, yes, Zeus—holds his gatherings."
"That's the God of Magic, that's the God of Dreams, over there are the Carpenter Gods, and that one's the Dumpling God."
Alex's eyes started to spin.
He'd never imagined there could be so many gods in existence—and some of them sounded absurdly casual.
They chatted as they walked and soon found some empty seats to sit down.
At that moment, Loki spoke in a solemn tone:
"The Mirror of Insight is Zeus's divine artifact. Borrowing it requires someone skilled in diplomacy and eloquence. That someone is me."
"So when Zeus arrives, I'll handle the negotiations. Got it?"
Alex had no objections. If Loki could resolve this just by talking, that would be ideal.
It was only a pity that the Mirror of Insight belonged to Zeus—meaning it probably couldn't be extracted or absorbed.
"Well, fine by me. I'm terrible at that kind of thing anyway," Thor agreed, showing rare self-awareness.
And so, they waited.
After about twenty or thirty minutes—
A mass of clouds suddenly materialized in the great hall, crackling with lightning.
"Zeus!"
"Zeus!"
"Zeus!"
The entire hall erupted into synchronized cheers, like fans welcoming their idol.
There was no denying it—Zeus's popularity was absolutely real.
As the cheers grew louder, the clouds expanded, golden lightning blazing so brightly it was almost blinding.
Crack!
With a flash of lightning, the clouds vanished.
A towering man clad in golden armor appeared, holding a lightning-shaped divine weapon.
Without question—Zeus himself.
"Yes, that's right!"
"I am Zeus!"
Zeus spread his arms wide, basking in the worship of the assembled gods.
He even tossed his lightning weapon into the air, creating bursts of golden fireworks.
Excessive. Extremely excessive.
Alex's mental image of Zeus shattered on the spot.
"All right!"
"I have convened this sacred assembly because we have many serious matters to discuss."
"For example—where should this year's super party be held?"
With that, Zeus's booming voice echoed through the hall.
That was the final blow. Any lingering sense of majesty Alex had imagined was completely destroyed.
This guy didn't act like a god at all.
He looked even less godly than Thor.
"How boring," Alex muttered.
He stopped listening altogether and began quietly absorbing cosmic energy instead.
Just like that, the excruciatingly dull meeting dragged on for a full three hours before finally ending.
Worth mentioning: during all that time, the real Television God—still unconscious in the bushes—was never discovered.
Apparently, no one expected anyone to dare commit such an act right under Zeus's nose.
"All right, everyone, today's meeting is adjourned," Zeus announced.
"I'll send out invitations for the next one."
With that, he stepped down from the platform, preparing to leave.
"Great and mighty Lord Zeus!"
Loki finally seized his chance.
He rushed forward at once, blocking Zeus with the humblest attitude imaginable.
"Oh? You're the Television God… what was your name again?"
Zeus, unreliable as ever, didn't even remember the guests he'd invited.
But suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
He stared straight at Loki.
"Wait a moment. You're not the Television God. Who are you?"
—Crack.
The smile on Loki's face froze solid.
His flawless disguise… had been seen through?
"Oh no," Thor muttered, frowning. "This just got bad."
Alex, however, finally looked at Zeus with fresh eyes.
For all his ridiculous behavior—
Zeus's strength really was no joke.
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