Under everyone's gaze, the Cursed Warrior swaggered up to the device, raised both hands, and delivered a powerful blow.
Boom!
A terrifying surge of energy exploded, and in a flash of dazzling light, the entire device was instantly destroyed.
At the same time, the energy barrier outside the capital city, which was about to close completely, began to dissipate at a visible rate.
It quickly vanished without a trace.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Without the protection of the energy barrier, the Dark Elves' spacecraft outside began to advance unimpeded, flying directly into the capital city.
The cannons within the capital city immediately fired fiercely, attempting to block the Dark Elves' invasion, but without the energy barrier, it was impossible to achieve airtight defense.
Still, some spacecraft managed to break into the throne room.
Dark Elves and Asgardian soldiers clashed in the throne room.
Thor's expression was incredibly grim; that was the capital city of Asgard!
It was the very core of Asgard, symbolizing its supreme power and status, sacred and inviolable, high above all others.
Thor had never dared to imagine that one day, the flames of war would spread to the capital city!
But what angered Thor even more was yet to come: a Dark Elf, resembling a leader, strolled leisurely through the fighting crowds, as if taking a walk.
That person was indeed the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith.
Malekith walked up to the supreme throne in the hall, casually pulled out a bomb from a Dark Elf, and threw it.
Boom!
The throne, which only Odin was usually qualified to sit on, was directly blown to pieces.
Thor, watching the screen, couldn't help but clench his fists in anger, with arcs of electricity crackling around him, indicating his extreme fury.
Destroying the throne was an immense insult to Asgard, and an immense insult to Odin.
Thor absolutely could not tolerate such a deeply insulting act.
And so, Malekith led his Dark Elf kin on a rampage through the capital city, ultimately leaving behind a trail of bodies and widespread devastation.
By the time Odin arrived with a large contingent of men, Malekith and his followers had already vanished without a trace.
"Frigga!"
Odin suddenly realized something, his expression changed, and he immediately turned and left.
What he was going to do, everyone understood without needing to be told; he was surely going to rescue Thor's mother, Frigga.
The scene then switched.
The Dark Elf leader, Malekith, arrived at the entrance of a palace, pushed open the door, and strode inside.
A young woman, seeing someone suddenly intrude, involuntarily showed a look of panic and retreated to Frigga's side.
Frigga, holding a short sword, sternly shouted at Malekith, "Step back, monster, and I might spare your life."
"Who is that woman?"
Thor's face showed a hint of confusion.
For that woman to be with his mother at such a critical moment indicated she was no ordinary person.
But Thor racked his brain and couldn't recall anyone like her in Asgard.
"My life is too important!" Malekith said, his steps unceasing, walking directly up to Frigga.
"Who are you?" Frigga, fearless, held her short sword and stared at Malekith, asking in a deep voice.
"I am Malekith!" Malekith replied.
"Malekith, he is Malekith!" Thor's eyes blazed with intense killing intent as he stared fixedly at Malekith.
He used all his energy to engrave that face into his memory.
"I've come to reclaim what's mine!" Malekith said, walking directly towards the woman.
"Malekith's target is that woman!" Captain America said, somewhat surprised.
They had initially thought the Dark Elves' invasion of Asgard was for revenge, but now it seemed they were only after that woman.
"Thor, what is that woman's identity? What is her relationship with the Dark Elves? And why is your mother protecting her?"
Black Widow turned to Thor and asked.
"I don't know, I don't recognize her at all!" Thor shook his head.
Swish!
On the screen, Frigga and Malekith began to fight.
When Malekith tried to take the woman, Frigga immediately attacked, striking Malekith back with a single blow.
The two engaged in a back-and-forth battle.
It was somewhat surprising to everyone that Frigga's combat strength was remarkably powerful; she quickly overwhelmed Malekith in just a few moves.
However, just as Frigga subdued Malekith, the Cursed Warrior appeared.
If the Destroyer was Asgard's ultimate weapon, the Cursed Warrior was the Dark Elves' ultimate weapon, capable of suppressing even Thor and effortlessly batting away Mjolnir; Frigga was naturally no match for the Cursed Warrior.
She was subdued by the Cursed Warrior.
"You took something of mine, child, give it back to me." Malekith then walked towards the woman.
But when he tried to grab the woman, he discovered she was merely an illusion!
"Sorceress! Where is the Aether!" Malekith then angrily walked towards Frigga.
"That woman actually has the Aether?" Everyone present was very surprised.
It wasn't difficult to draw this conclusion from Malekith's words, but this conclusion still caught everyone off guard.
Hadn't the Aether already been destroyed?
However, they didn't have time to clarify these questions for now; they temporarily suppressed their doubts and continued watching the big screen.
"I will never tell you!" Frigga said with a determined and resolute expression to Malekith.
"That, I believe." Malekith nodded and gave a look to the Cursed Warrior.
The Cursed Warrior, holding Frigga, plunged the long sword into her body.
Frigga collapsed weakly to the ground.
"No! Mother!"
Thor roared in disbelief.
Although he knew this scene was from the future and hadn't happened yet, he still couldn't accept it.
That was his mother!
"No!"
Thor's roar echoed almost simultaneously on the screen, followed by a lightning bolt from the sky that struck Malekith directly in the face.
It knocked Malekith completely off his feet.
A fully armored Thor rushed over in a fury, raising his hammer and smashing it fiercely towards Malekith.
The Cursed Warrior hastily supported Malekith, trying to escape, but was sent plummeting from the city wall by Thor's hammer blow.
Whoosh!
But then, a spacecraft flew up into the air; clearly, Malekith and the Cursed Warrior had already entered the ship.
The spacecraft began to quickly streak across the sky, flying towards the Dark Elves' massive mothership.
Whoosh!
Thor recalled his hammer and swung it out again, attempting to strike down the escaping spacecraft.
Alas, he was a step too late; the enemy's spacecraft flew back into their mothership and then vanished into the vastness of the sky, leaving no trace.
Thor retrieved his hammer, looking at Frigga's body on the ground, his face filled with grief.
Odin also appeared at this moment, kneeling on the ground, holding Frigga's body, equally overcome with sorrow.
The scene ended there.
The atmosphere in the room was slightly heavy and subdued.
Thor's heart remained unsettled for a long time; he didn't utter any grand words, but his fists were tightly clenched, and his face was filled with anger and unconcealed killing intent.
Malekith must die!
"Thor, from this footage, it's clear that the Dark Elves invaded Asgard primarily to retrieve the Aether."
Captain America was the first to speak, breaking the silence in the room, addressing Thor.
"So the Aether wasn't actually destroyed, but for some unknown reason, it was acquired by that girl you don't even know. Or rather, that girl is the key to controlling the Aether."
Tony Stark also spoke to Thor with a serious expression, "Ultimately, that girl is the key to everything."
This was quite obvious, and Thor naturally agreed. He then remembered something and looked at Black Widow.
"Romanoff, I was a bit emotional earlier and forgot. Did you copy it with your Sharingan?" Thor urgently asked Black Widow.
"Don't worry, Thor, I've already copied it." Black Widow was very reliable; she would have copied such a crucial person without Thor even needing to ask.
Upon hearing this, Thor couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
He had already decided that as soon as he returned to Asgard, he would find that girl immediately!
The Dark Elves had instilled a great sense of apprehension in Thor; they were able to bypass Heimdall's sight and bring their fleet all the way to Asgard!
The threat to Asgard was simply too great.
Such a thing must be prevented from happening!
And the most fundamental way to do that was to find that key girl!
[Question: Who said "Hail Hydra" to Jasper Sitwell in the Stark Tower elevator and took possession of the scepter?]
[A. S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury]
[B. Crossbones Rumlow]
[C. Captain America Steve Rogers]
[D. Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes]
[Friendly reminder: The correct answer will receive one Senzu Bean as a reward;]
[Incorrect answers will result in a random deduction of one personal attribute, including but not limited to knowledge, experience, skills, possessions, etc...]
The latest question might not mean much to those unaware, like Dr. Banner and Hawkeye Barton, but for everyone else, it was quite explosive.
Because recently, everyone had been frantically trying to uncover Hydra's mole.
In fact, not long ago, they had just clashed with Hydra; although they successfully rescued the Winter Soldier from the base, they were also severely slapped in the face by the enemy.
All the intelligence they had gathered from the base and the captured combatants were instantly wiped out by the enemy's swift actions.
And this question was precisely about Hydra, even posing a very sharp question: the four individuals in the options could all be Hydra sleeper agents.
And among those options, it even included Nick Fury and Captain America, two extremely important figures in S.H.I.E.L.D.
"This question contains quite a bit of information," Tony Stark was the first to shrug and exclaim.
It was Stark Tower again, Hydra again, and Captain America was in the options; it was simply chaotic.
"Hydra? Didn't Hydra already die? Why would someone still shout that slogan?" Hawkeye Barton asked, very puzzled and confused.
"Barton, we wish that were the case, but unfortunately, Hydra is not dead," Black Widow said to Hawkeye Barton with a serious expression.
She then briefly explained Hydra's current situation to Barton.
Hawkeye Barton was completely stunned, feeling like his brain wasn't enough to process it all.
Hydra, which was supposed to have been destroyed, had not been eradicated; not only that, but it had grown to an appalling degree.
It had even infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. to the point of being riddled with holes, leaving Nick Fury and Natasha unsure who to trust.
This was just too exaggerated.
If Black Widow hadn't personally told him this news in such a serious moment, Hawkeye Barton would never have believed it.
"Alright everyone, let's get back to the question," Captain America said seriously after Black Widow finished explaining to Barton.
Hawkeye Barton then refocused his gaze on the big screen.
He looked at the question stem and said, "Jasper Sitwell? I remember that guy, he's under Agent Coulson. According to the question, is he Hydra?"
If not, why would someone shout Hydra's exclusive slogan at him?
"Barton, we can confirm that this person is indeed with Hydra," Captain America said to Barton with a serious expression.
Jasper Sitwell, the bald commander with glasses, had appeared in the questions more than once.
Through related questions, everyone had already confirmed that this guy was a Hydra mole.
"Then this question becomes interesting. If someone says 'Hail Hydra' to a Hydra agent, what does that indicate?" Tony Stark asked, implying a lot.
"The most logical conclusion is that the person is also Hydra," Dr. Banner said, picking up on Tony Stark's statement.
"Bingo!" Tony Stark snapped his fingers.
"So for this question, we just need to find the Hydra agent among the options!" Thor's face gleamed with intelligent light.
Following Thor's words, everyone began to focus their attention on the four individuals in the options.
"The Winter Soldier Bucky is controlled by Hydra, and Crossbones Rumlow, according to the intelligence we have, they should also be Hydra members."
Black Widow quickly stated.