As time passed, Sif gave up trying to think it through.
Still, Sif had been personally placed in this group by Odin to assist Thor, and it wasn't entirely impossible that he intended her to become a daughter-in-law. The current situation could practically be described as the original wife showing up at the door!
"Hey, my friends! I never imagined I would see you here in the land of exile. I'm overjoyed!" Thor had been wondering who might seek him out, but he never expected it to be his former comrades. Letting out an exuberant shout, Thor pulled the fully armed warriors into bone-crushing embraces, then introduced them to everyone.
"These are my four warriors!"
Patting the female warrior heavily on the shoulder, Thor's grin was brilliant. He turned to Foster and said, "This is Sif, my…"
"Your wife?" Zod interjected with a mischievous smile.
"Wife… wife?!" Holding a half-finished cup of hot coffee, Foster heard this and went utterly blank. What followed was the sound of the coffee cup shattering, and the image flashing through her mind was of Sif, the original wife, rolling up her sleeves about to beat her, the mistress…
"Believe me, Sif is my best companion, but we are not the kind of relationship you're imagining. Truly!"
His eyes were earnest and sincere, impossible to find any trace of falsehood or evasion. Faced with such a look from Thor, Foster could only hold on to an attitude of skeptical half-belief, while Thor could only helplessly explain to her. Who the hell knew what your human myth writers were thinking? We were clearly just partners and comrades-in-arms…
Of course, Thor also had no idea that Zod had deliberately dug this pit for him. He didn't see Sif's eyes dimming.
After spending some time explaining to Foster, Thor finally remembered his comrades who had come to Midgard.
"Though seeing you brings me genuine joy, you shouldn't have come."
"No, we had to come to bring you back." Sif gathered her spirits and spoke with great seriousness.
"Asgard needs you, Thor."
"But the terms of the truce demand my permanent banishment. My father died in the war with Jotunheim because of my foolishness. I cannot go back… I cannot be the cause of another war." Thor sighed. Although Zod had analyzed for him that this might be a scheme of the Frost Giants, he could not give the other side an excuse or pretext to strike first, especially since he had yet to recover his strength.
It could only be said that Thor had truly absorbed some lessons during this time. In the past, he probably would have rushed straight back.
"Stop, stop for a moment, Thor." Raising a hand to cut off the sorrow about to spill from Thor, Sif lifted her head with a face full of bewilderment.
"When did the All-Father die? Who told you that?"
Fandral, the member of Thor's comrades skilled with a rapier, scratched his head, his expression also somewhat dumbfounded.
"The All-Father is safe and sound. He has merely fallen into a deep sleep for some reason. But if you don't return soon, Loki, who has betrayed you and betrayed the All-Father, will seize control of the kingdom."
"War hasn't broken out yet, but if you, Thor, do not go back to stop Loki, the Frost Giants of Jotunheim may very well launch a full-scale assault on the kingdom."
"Th-this is impossible. There's no reason for Loki to do something like this. Is this a prank you've all orchestrated with Loki? It's not funny at all, really…" A final struggle. Thor, who deeply trusted Loki, made his last rebuttal.
"Is it a prank or not? Won't you find out by going back to take a look?" Zod suddenly spoke up.
"If it really is a prank, maybe the talk of war breaking out is also false, isn't it? Try to recall the sheer might of your old father, Thor."
"But, didn't you say…"
"The wisdom of a mortal… That was merely the single most probable possibility I could analyze based on the information you provided. But if the information you give is personally biased or deceptive, then it's impossible for me to arrive at the truth either. What you call a wise man is merely someone who gathers information to deduce the greatest probability."
Zod stated flatly.
Thor slowly calmed down. In truth, he already believed it ninety-nine percent. He just couldn't imagine that Loki would deceive him, so he had fought his final struggle with all his might. Once he calmed down, he could no longer find any reason to doubt these comrades. He wanted only to return to Asgard and confront Loki. Why would he do this?
"Coulson has already prepared the car. Please head to the base where Mjolnir is kept and reclaim your power without delay." Zod glanced sidelong at Thor. Without reclaiming the power of the past, even if Thor returned to Asgard, it would be nothing more than offering his head on a platter. And these so-called four warriors were pathetically weak.
"I'll say it once more, Thor. You must return with us." Sif seized Thor's hand, her expression grave.
"After you, Mr. Thor." Standing beside the car, Coulson pulled the door open and made a beckoning gesture. Although headquarters still wished to study the hammer and Thor himself, if the flames of an alien civilization's war were to spread here, the losses would outweigh any possible gains.
Therefore, the final decision was to send Thor back immediately. If their attitude proved good enough, perhaps they could even form an alliance someday with a Thor who had regained his power?
"Thor, what have you come to understand during this banishment?" Amid the ceaseless arguments, Zod suddenly asked.
A face full of question marks appeared on Thor. He already understood the urgency of the situation.
"Why are you asking me this at a time like this?"
"It is the first condition for reclaiming your power."
"I… I have understood my foolishness, my rashness in action. I have failed to live up to my father's expectations of me…"
"Creatures like fathers have never been very good at knowing how to express paternal love. But no matter what, they always hold expectations for their sons, don't they? Now you know you were wrong. Go and admit your mistake to your father. He will forgive you."
Zod shifted his body slightly.
"Leave this place to me for now."
Almost at the very moment Zod's words fell, a strange light shimmered in the sky several kilometers away. A rainbow-hued beam descended from space, churning up tornado-like clouds of dust. The pillar of light falling from the heavens scattered with the wind. The warriors with sharper senses could already faintly make out a massive silhouette within it.
"Director… is that some kind of armor developed by Stark?" Coulson had a fairly deep impression of that egomaniac who didn't play by the rules and loved the spotlight. Gazing at the giant steel armor before him, his first thought was of that fellow.
"If Anthony Edward Stark possessed the technology behind that armor, we could probably rampage through the entire universe," Zod answered.
This immediately made it clear to Coulson and the others that the newcomer meant harm, and they swiftly drew their atomic pistols.
/-\
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