Chapter 726 Brothers Reunite

Thor’s eyes flickered. He watched the Lizardian and a few stealthy scavengers leave one after another before striding off in the opposite direction.

Clearly, he had not taken his warning to heart.

Danger? Thor, who had campaigned across the Nine Realms, what danger had he not seen?

The chaotic land of Sakaar and that Grandmaster fellow could not scare him at all.

“Newcomer? You only have the right to leave if you hand over five hundred space credits.” On the outskirts of the junkyard, two fully armed guards blocked Thor’s path.

Having identified Thor as a newcomer, they did not make things too difficult for him.

They were merely collecting the initial protection fee as per custom.

This fee also included the cost of a Sakaar civilian ID.

“Get out of the way, I don’t have time to haggle with you!” Thor, who didn’t have a single coin on him, frowned unhappily.

At the same time, he gained a new understanding of the Grandmaster’s tyranny.

“No money? Then go obediently pick up trash and come back when you’ve gathered enough credits.” The guard’s expression also turned sour.

Collecting protection money was a rule set by the Grandmaster, and the guards had no authority to change it.

Furthermore, what they disliked most was encountering clueless newcomers who didn’t understand the rules, as that often meant trouble.

“I said, GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!”

Seeing the guards continue to pester him, Thor, whose patience had long run out, charged straight toward the exit.

Meanwhile, out of the corner of his eye, he kept track of the high-tech weapons in the hands of the two guards.

This was a warrior’s instinct.

The two guards’ physiques were no different from ordinary people; they did not look very strong.

However, the laser weapons in their hands genuinely gave the God of Thunder a sense of danger.

“Warning! Intruder!!!”

Realizing Thor was hostile, one guard immediately blew his whistle, alerting surrounding colleagues and simultaneously calling for backup.

The other guard raised his weapon, preparing to subdue the intruder.

However, Thor, who was already prepared, performed a savage tackle the moment that guard grabbed his weapon, sending the man flying while seizing his weapon.

Next, holding the laser weapon upside down like a hammer, he swung it upwards, knocking down the nearby guard who was blowing the warning whistle.

The entire process was incredibly smooth and took less than two seconds.

“Hmph, Xandarian warriors are nothing special, and their weapons are flimsy. It looks like that Grandmaster fellow isn’t much either…” Thor, having ended the fight in two moves, did not immediately flee.

Instead, he disdainfully tossed away the high-tech weapon he had violently destroyed and casually waited for the other surrounding guards to gather.

Only the weak needed to run.

Thor believed he had gauged the fighting power of the Xandarian warriors and did not think he would lose.

Even if his opponents outnumbered him.

“Intruder is violent. Initiate armed strike…”

Then, Thor was hit by a dozen laser blasts, and he was completely engulfed in thick smoke.

“Cough… That had some kick, but that’s all it was!!!…”

When the smoke cleared, Thor looked slightly disheveled, but protected by the surrounding lightning, he had not suffered any fatal injuries.

Evidently, in that split second, having awakened the power of the God of Thunder, he used his speed advantage to dodge all the laser attacks.

“Now, it’s my turn!”

Thor, wreathed in lightning, immediately charged toward the team of guards.

Xandar’s high-tech weapons might be powerful, but it depended on who was using them.

Otherwise, if they couldn’t hit anyone, they were no different from a useless stick.

Thor happened to be physically stronger, faster, and rich in combat experience.

After dodging several more laser attacks, he plunged into the crowd.

Now, even with high-tech weapons, the guards no longer dared to shoot carelessly, fearing friendly fire.

Thus, the situation became one-sided.

Amidst the painful cries of the guards, Thor was like a lion walking into a flock of sheep, using only his fists to knock down all dozen or so guards in just a few minutes.

“Sure enough, not a single one of them can fight!” Thor, filled with heroic spirit, stood in the center of the battlefield and sighed with emotion.

He looked as though he hadn’t had enough fun fighting yet.

“Don’t be so smug, outsider. If you have the guts, don’t leave. Wait until Valkyrie comes; she will avenge us…”

Seeing Thor’s arrogant demeanor, the guards lying on the ground protested indignantly.

“Valkyrie? Is she your leader? Why does that name sound a bit familiar…” Thor was startled by the guards’ confident assurances, then said, “Never mind, it’s not important. If she hangs out with you lot, she probably isn’t very strong either.”

Thor, still preoccupied with reuniting with his people, shook his head and prepared to leave.

“Hey, look here!”

Just then, a woman’s voice suddenly came from the side.

When Thor turned his head, he saw a woman dressed in black leather armor toss away the bottle in her hand and raise her fists, which were clad in two high-tech gauntlets.

Immediately, two powerful laser beams shot out from the gauntlets, striking the God of Thunder and instantly paralyzing him.

“Valkyrie forever—” (xN)

Recognizing the newcomer, the guards became excited and successively scrambled up from the ground, gathering around Valkyrie.

Judging by their “lively” demeanor, they looked nothing like men who had just been defeated.

At this point, only Thor was left suffering.

Unable to get up after wriggling on the ground a few times, he looked defiantly at Valkyrie and shouted, “That’s not fair! That was a sneak attack! If you’ve got guts, let’s fight fairly.”

Logically speaking, Thor, having initially awakened the power of the God of Thunder, should not have been defeated by two laser beams.

It was just that he had drifted in the spatial turbulence for so long and had neither rested nor replenished his energy since arriving on Xandar.

Thor was currently in a genuinely weakened state.

And Valkyrie’s sudden move definitely had the suspicion of an unfair victory.

“Fair? There’s never been such a thing as fair…” Valkyrie stared at Thor’s face, lost in thought for a moment, then sneered aloud.

Next, she tossed a circular shock device, which embedded itself on Thor’s neck. “Pray, outsider. I hope your current offense doesn’t get you disposed of like trash.”

Valkyrie reached out to grab Thor, preparing to take him to see the Grandmaster.

It was this reaching motion that allowed Thor to see the unique tattoo on Valkyrie’s wrist.

“Valkyrie? A Valkyrie Corps member! You’re an Asgardian too!” Thor shouted, as if seeing a relative.

When Odin campaigned across the Nine Realms, he had established an elite guard composed entirely of female warriors, collectively named the Valkyrie Corps.

They held the right to protect Odin and judge traitors of Asgard.

And every member of this Valkyrie Corps had a unique Asgardian mark tattooed on her wrist.

Discovering that the woman before him was “one of his own,” Thor felt a surge of renewed hope.

“You have the wrong person. There is no Valkyrie Corps here, only a lone Valkyrie.” The Valkyrie seemed to recall an unpleasant memory; hatred flared on her face, and every word sounded as if it was squeezed through her teeth.

Her gnashing of teeth was equivalent to throwing a bucket of cold water on Thor.

“No, I’m certain you’re part of the Valkyrie Corps…” Thor, still unwilling to give up, continued to argue loudly.

Anyone who wasn’t foolish could tell that Valkyrie Valkyrie’s attitude toward Asgard was strange.

That emotion was complex: there was hatred, disappointment, and a hint of nostalgia.

“Zzzzt… Zzz…”

Before the God of Thunder could continue speaking, Valkyrie had already taken out a remote control and activated the shock device embedded on his neck.

Trembling, the God of Thunder was thus spectacularly knocked unconscious.

“Alright, you all continue guarding the junkyard. I’m taking this guy to see the Grandmaster.” With the annoying noise gone, Valkyrie gave the guards instructions and then carried the God of Thunder away…

“Grandmaster… Grandmaster…”

“You have five seconds remaining until you meet the esteemed Grandmaster. Please prepare yourself…”

“5… 4… 3… 2…”

While unconscious, Thor had a long nightmare. The flickering lights and shadows made his already groggy head even more confused.

As the countdown “1” ended, Thor abruptly opened his eyes, finally waking from the nightmare.

At the same time, the name “Grandmaster” remained imprinted in his mind.

“Where is this now? Valkyrie!! Let me go…”

Coming to his senses, Thor realized he was locked in a chair, located in a high-rise hall.

Dozens of fully armored and armed warriors were lined up around him, each looking far stronger than the guards back at the junkyard.

And next to the steps in the hall, several scantily clad serving girls were waiting.

As for Valkyrie, whom Thor had been thinking about, she was standing not far across from him.

She was talking to a white-haired man seated on a magnificent chair.

“Are you sure the captive you brought this time is male?” As Thor observed the white-haired man, the man was scrutinizing him with the gaze of someone selecting merchandise.

Thor’s flowing long hair, however, caused the Grandmaster to feel suspicious.

“I believe… he is.” Valkyrie replied with a smile.

“I knew it. Number 142, you always bring back the best gladiators for me…” The Grandmaster suddenly burst into laughter, turning to look at the fully armored, stout woman on the other side. He said, “Topaz, tell me. What do we usually call Number 142 when we talk about her…”

“I’ll give you a hint: it starts with ‘best’.”

It was obvious that after confirming the God of Thunder’s gender, the Grandmaster was in a very good mood.

He even started joking with Valkyrie.

In fact, although the Valkyrie worked for the Grandmaster, their relationship was more like an employer-employee partnership.

The Valkyrie had to pay protection fees to the Grandmaster to live on Sakaar, while she also received high compensation for working for him.

This was unlike Topaz, the heavy-set woman beside her, who was completely reliant on the Grandmaster, did not need to pay protection fees, but also did not get paid for her work.

In comparison, the Valkyrie’s life was clearly more carefree and independent.

Therefore, even if Topaz didn’t say it aloud, she held some resentment toward the Valkyrie, so after the Grandmaster asked his question, she replied expressionlessly, “Trash!”

“No, not trash. Are you deliberately insulting her? And that doesn’t start with ‘Best’…” The Grandmaster was caught off guard by Topaz and signaled with his eyes for her to rephrase her answer.

“‘Drunkard!” Topaz gave her answer again.

“I am terribly sorry, it’s ‘Best’…” Facing the Valkyrie’s scornful gaze, the Grandmaster had no choice but to reveal the answer directly, then said soothingly, “I often say you’re the best one. My favorite Champion fighter was brought here by you.”

The Grandmaster awkwardly offered two more sentences of explanation, but judging by the Valkyrie’s expression, the effect seemed less than ideal.

At this point, the Grandmaster’s spur-of-the-moment little joke was deemed a complete failure.

“Alright, could you move me a little closer? Let me get a good look at my gladiator, thank you!” To end the awkward situation, the Grandmaster changed the subject and made a request to Topaz.

Afterward, pushed by Topaz, the Grandmaster, seated in his chair, moved closer to Thor.

“What is going on? What gladiator? Did you really buy me??” Thor, who was still confused by what he had heard, kept his eyes fixed on the approaching Valkyrie.

Unfortunately, his questions were destined to remain unanswered by the Valkyrie.

As for the reason, it’s a long story.

Back then, when the Valkyrie Valkyrie was still serving Odin, the last mission she received was to eliminate the “traitor” Hela.

At that time, Hela had fought across the Nine Realms, and her prestige and combat power were nearly equal to Odin’s.

It reached a point where Odin feared her.

Therefore, the Valkyrie squad being sent to deal with Hela was essentially a suicide mission.

And that was exactly the result; Hela quickly eliminated all the Valkyrie warriors, leaving Valkyrie as the only lucky survivor.

However, she was also knocked into a spacetime anomaly and eventually drifted to Sakaar.

To this day, there has been no word of Odin offering any compensation or recall to the former Valkyrie squad.

Under these circumstances, Valkyrie had every reason to hate Odin.

Extending that hatred, Thor, the Son of the Allfather, naturally became a target of her resentment.

Of course, the Valkyrie selling Thor to the Grandmaster was not entirely motivated by malice.

After all, to survive on Sakaar, one must be valuable, or they will be discarded as trash.

For Thor, who did not want to scavenge, becoming a gladiator was not a bad option.

By “selling” Thor, the Valkyrie received money to buy alcohol, and Thor got a new job without being treated as trash.

It could barely be considered a win-win.

“How much do you want?” The Grandmaster went up to Thor, nodding repeatedly as he looked at the other party’s strong physique.

He then turned to look at the Valkyrie.

“Ten million!” The Valkyrie named an exorbitant price.

“Pay her.” Perhaps overly satisfied with the God of Thunder’s physique, the Grandmaster surprisingly did not haggle and immediately ordered Topaz to pay.

With the deal concluded, the Valkyrie also showed a satisfied smile.

After lightly stroking the Grandmaster’s cheek, she finally walked toward the exit of the hall.

As for Thor, the God of Thunder, he could only pray for the best.

Ten million interstellar credits—that was a substantial amount.

“Where do you come from? Do you have a catchy name? Because, you know, the audience loves gladiators with good hype…” After watching the Valkyrie leave, the Grandmaster turned his attention to Thor.

“I am Thor, the God of Thunder, from Asgard. You had better release me.” Thor, whose hands were magnetically fixed to the chair, spoke irritably.

“Thunder Man… ah… Egg Tart?? Never heard of it…” The Grandmaster looked puzzled, clearly dissatisfied with Thor’s name.

As for Asgard and the Nine Realms, given Sakaar’s geographical location, they were considered a remote area.

Therefore, it was normal for the Grandmaster not to have heard of them.

“It’s the God of Thunder and the Realm of Asgard…” Feeling offended, Thor corrected him aloud, then said, “Forget it. Just release me quickly, or I’ll make you regret it.”

“Regret? No one can make me regret anything. You probably don’t know me yet. Perfect, I’ll take you to see the sights…” The Grandmaster paid no mind to Thor’s threat, personally stood up, and pushed Thor’s chair toward the next room. “Now, welcome to my kingdom!!!”

Next to the hall was a leisure room, currently hosting a salon, and the room was filled with lights, music, and fine wine.

As the absolute master of the place, the Grandmaster went directly to the bar, pushed the DJ aside, and took over the turntable himself.

“No one cares more about Sakaar than the Grandmaster…”

“He is the Founder, the Forgotten One, and the First to be Found…”

“He is the Architect of Sakaar…”

“He is the Creator of the Heart of the Champion…”

…As the Grandmaster’s self-aggrandizing rap performance began, Thor felt that everything was utterly psychedelic.

Bored out of his mind, he listlessly looked toward the other guests in the room.

With one glance, he spotted Loki, wearing a dark green robe, among the crowd.

“Loki… Hey… Over here…”

Meeting an acquaintance in a foreign land made Thor excitedly call out to his younger brother.

“Excuse me, please—” Hearing the call, Loki greeted the surrounding guests, then elegantly approached Thor, holding his drink.

“Loki, how are you here too?” Thor asked curiously.

“Actually, there’s a time differential in the spacetime anomaly. I arrived here weeks ago.” After speaking, Loki quietly boasted, “And I’ve become good friends with the Grandmaster…”

“That’s great! Then quickly tell him to release me. The people of Asgard need me.” Thor interrupted Loki’s boasting at the perfect moment while making his request.

After all, in his view, if Loki and the Grandmaster were friends, the Grandmaster was “one of them.”

Getting his freedom back shouldn’t be difficult.

“Uh, that might be a bit difficult. You should know, you’re now one of the gladiators the Grandmaster values most.” Loki looked troubled.

Loki, who had only just managed to gain freedom from the Grandmaster by relying on flattery and smooth talk.

He was actually more like the Grandmaster’s lackey.

In this situation, how could he be qualified to make demands of him?

His bragging in front of his older brother just now was entirely due to vanity.

Just then, the Grandmaster, having finished a spirited rap performance, noticed the situation with Thor.

He walked over, stared at the two brothers in surprise, and asked, “You two know each other?”

“Yes…”

“No, we do not!!!”

The former was Thor, the latter was Loki.

“No, we are actually brothers. He is my younger brother.” Seeing Loki desperately trying to distance himself, Thor spoke up irritably to expose him.

“Adopted.” Loki, for his part, continued to quickly distance himself.

Judging by his demeanor, he seemed very afraid that the Grandmaster would misunderstand.

“Is that so? Based on what I just saw, I thought you two had a very good relationship.” The Grandmaster looked scrutinizingly at Loki.

“No, our relationship is actually quite bad.” Loki immediately agreed again.

“That’s good, which means you have no objection to me making your brother a gladiator, right?” The Grandmaster was able to build Sakaar, a place of chaos, into a vibrant realm entirely thanks to his business acumen.

Opening the bloody gladiatorial arena was one of his methods to attract consumption from foreign visitors and Sakaar residents.

For the arena to attract attention, it naturally needed its own draw.

That was to forge his Champion of the Arena through a series of spectacular battles.

Thor’s strong physique made him, fortunately, a target for the Grandmaster.

Using him to pave the way for the current Champion of the Arena would certainly attract more spectators to the arena.

At the same time, it would make the title of Champion of the Arena more “valuable.”

Yes, Thor was valued by the Grandmaster precisely because his strong physique gave him the value needed to pave the way for the current Champion of the Arena.

“I have no objection, and I even welcome it.” Loki likely guessed the Grandmaster’s intentions and decisively sold out his older brother.

“Very good. Send him to the gladiator quarters to prepare thoroughly. Next week, I want to see the most exciting gladiatorial performance.” The Grandmaster nodded with satisfaction, then sealed Thor’s fate.

Subsequently, amid Thor’s angry expression and Loki’s innocent look, Thor was pushed by the guards toward the gladiator quarters.

According to Sakaar’s rule of one gladiatorial match per week, Thor would take the stage seven days later.

He would deliver a bloody gladiatorial performance to forge the reputation of the current Champion of the Arena…