Loki didn't really change much after coming into contact with the Everfrost. Just like when he touched the Casket of Ancient Winters, his skin turned blue and he showed some traits of the Frost Giants.
But Loki clearly didn't like this state. He immediately tried to put the Everfrost away, only to be stopped by Josh.
"Feel this power. Absorb it completely. I told you—you need to learn to control this power, not reject it! If you can tame it, then when you're not using it, you won't change into a Frost Giant just from a little stimulation. At the same time, your body will become much stronger—your physical strength is way too weak compared to your magic," Josh said.
"…I understand." Loki thought for a few seconds and nodded. Then he looked at himself, trying to find a place to store the Everfrost. He couldn't just keep holding it in his hand all the time, right?
"Oh, I forgot about that!" Seeing Loki hesitate, Josh realized what he was thinking. Acting like he just remembered, he pointed forward, and a cool-looking two-handed sword appeared in front of Loki.
The sword had a ram skull at the hilt, and in the skull's mouth was a clamp that could hold the Everfrost perfectly.
"This sword… feels really evil…" Loki said, eyes wide as he stared at the sword.
"This sword is called Frostmourne. You're right—it is a bit evil. The metal it's made from was soaked in the blood of a terrifying demon, so it can eat away at the soul and drain life. It's very resistant to holy and life-based magic, and it greatly boosts ice and dark magic. But honestly, I'm not sure if I should give it to you yet… I don't know if you can control it," Josh said with a hint of hesitation on his face as he explained the sword.
Yes, this sword was a replica of the famous Frostmourne from Azeroth. The real one might not even exist yet.
Even though it was just a copy, this version of Frostmourne was still a top-quality magical weapon.
At this time, Northrend hadn't yet been developed by the Scourge, and it was full of untapped resources. The races living there didn't know how to use these resources, so Josh and Abbendis took full advantage.
The sword's material wasn't ordinary. It came from Northrend and was called Saronite—a metal formed from the blood of Yogg-Saron.
Normally, mortals can't use this metal because it carries the curse of the Old God Yogg-Saron. Long-term exposure can drive people mad due to the whispers coming from the metal.
But Josh had traded many robots to Abbendis over the years. These robots weren't affected by the whispers, so they could mine Saronite without losing people.
And once the Saronite went into the system, its connection with Yogg-Saron was automatically cut off.
That's why Abbendis wasn't affected by the whispers of the Old Gods.
As for Josh—he was in another universe entirely. The Old Gods couldn't touch him at all in the Marvel Universe.
Even without the whispers of the Old Gods, this thing was still a product of dark power—very sinister.
If someone with weak strength or a weak will used the sword too much, they might seem fine at first. But after facing enough killing or emotional triggers, the dark energy could still influence them, making their desires grow stronger and slowly driving them insane.
Just like those cursed swords in legends.
That's why Josh never made this metal a standard part of his army's equipment. Only a few elite warriors were allowed to use weapons made from it.
But now, Josh had forged a Frostmourne out of that metal specifically for Loki.
This move clearly had a deeper meaning.
But Loki didn't seem to realize it.
Following the rule of "never pass up a freebie," he grabbed the sword before Josh even finished speaking.
As soon as he touched it, a chill ran through his hand. But just like with the Everfrost, Loki felt no discomfort. As the Frost Giant king's descendant, he actually found the sword surprisingly light despite its heavy look.
This was another trait of Saronite—it looked thick and heavy but was actually much lighter than most metals, about as light as aluminum.
Still, going from using daggers to swinging a greatsword felt a bit strange.
"I don't think this sword will affect me much," Loki said proudly after swinging it a few times, still adjusting to the change.
"Good. I know you're used to different weapons, but I still want you to get comfortable with this. After all, the sword is a king's weapon. I'll also arrange a proper swordsmanship teacher for you," Josh said with a satisfied nod, casually dropping that hint.
A king's weapon, huh? Loki looked down at Frostmourne in his hand and silently made up his mind.
Josh, watching Loki stare at the sword in a daze, let a strange smile appear on his face.
Turning the "Number One Sorcerer of the Nine Realms" who loved his daggers into Marvel's own Lich King—what a fun idea.
Now all he needed was the Plate of the Damned and Helm of Domination.
But… it wasn't time for that yet.
To celebrate Loki joining them, Josh held a grand welcome banquet that evening.
"Won't being away from Asgard for too long cause you trouble?" Josh asked Loki at the feast. He wasn't really worried about Heimdall finding out what was going on between them—Heimdall's sight wasn't as unbeatable as the legends claimed.
Not only could Loki avoid Heimdall's gaze, but Josh, his top men, and most of the base were protected by magical barriers to block Heimdall's vision. While they hadn't tested this directly on Heimdall, even the Ancient One had agreed it should work.
Still, even if they couldn't be discovered, Loki staying away from Asgard too long might raise suspicion—and that wouldn't be good.
"Relax, it's fine. I'm not a little kid. Being out having fun for a few months is nothing unusual," Loki said, a little drunk, waving his hand to reassure him.
The Elven wine was strong—even a Frost Giant like Loki couldn't completely handle it.
"Good, that's perfect. I'm planning to make a trip to Xandar soon—come with me," Josh said with a nod, clearly more at ease now.
Dracula's efficiency was truly impressive. In just a few days, his men had already tracked down the Ogords.
Just as Thalorien and the others had guessed, the Ogords had indeed escaped to Xandar and were hiding there under fake identities. Their spaceship was also docked at Xandar's port.
Clearly, the Ogords knew they had caused massive destruction on Starfarer, even wiping out a powerful fleet. They understood well that the mysterious force under Josh wouldn't let them go so easily.
Stark Ogord was still relatively confident. Thanks to the battle on Starfarer, he had gradually learned to use the power of the Starhawk and felt he was strong enough to deal with Josh's group.
But the real issue was—he wasn't alone.
With him were his father, Lyan Ogord, and a few hundred Ravagers. So before figuring out who exactly Josh and his mysterious forces were, they needed to find a safe enough place to hide.
Based on what they knew about the strength of the Ranger Fleet, there were only a few major civilizations that could offer them protection.
The most powerful of them—the Shi'ar Empire—was immediately ruled out. Their territory was far away, deep within the Andromeda galaxy, and though they were lenient with outer territories, they were very strict in their core regions.
As Ravagers, the Ogords had no chance of blending in there.
The Kree Empire was the second to be ruled out. Even if it was the Ranger Fleet that attacked the Kree convoy, the Ogords were involved in that assault. And with how ruthless the Kree were, they would never listen to any explanations.
The Skrulls? Forget it. They were still one of the "Big Three" empires in name, but for the last hundred years, the Kree had beaten them so badly they could barely protect themselves. There was no way they could help, even if the Ogords brought them an FTL ship.
So after weighing all options, they chose the Nova Empire—Xandar.
The Nova Empire had strong military power, but was generally more flexible and easier to deal with across the board.
According to the intel Dracula provided, while the Ogords had reached Xandar, they hadn't made any contact with the official government.
That meant the Ravagers, led by the Ogords, hadn't yet exposed the secret of the FTL engine.
They weren't fools—they knew how valuable the tech was. Without the right price, they wouldn't reveal it easily.
And that gave Josh time to act.
Those Ravagers had to die. In fact, everyone on Xandar who knew the secret needed to die.
Only the dead keep secrets.
Yes—if things couldn't be handled cleanly, Josh was prepared to repeat what Ronan had once planned for Xandar in Guardians of the Galaxy.
And this time, there would be no half-Celestial Star-Lord to save them.
If someone had to be blamed, they could only blame the Ogords.
The reason Josh was bringing Loki along wasn't because he needed his help—it was just to give him a clear and painful warning.
He didn't want this guy to suddenly change sides again just because Thor gave him a sentimental speech about "family."
"Go to Xandar? That might be a bit risky," Loki replied, sobering up a little. He hesitated.
Even though he had joined Josh, it was a secret. If he showed up in a place like Xandar—full of people from all over the galaxy—alongside Josh, wouldn't that expose their connection?
Josh saw through his worry and just chuckled. "Take a look in the mirror. With your current look, do you really think anyone could recognize you—especially after a wardrobe change?"
He pointed toward the shiny silver plate in front of Loki.
Loki looked down—and froze.
Because he had been wearing Frostmourne on his waist the whole time, and the sword still held the Everfrost, his appearance had completely changed under its influence. His skin was now blue, and his features looked just like a Frost Giant's—except he wasn't as tall as a normal one.
Unless someone knew him very, very well, no one would ever guess it was him.
"In that case, no problem. I'm more than happy to help you!" Loki responded quickly and confidently. He assumed Josh had something important planned for him on Xandar.
After receiving so many benefits from Josh, Loki didn't mind doing a bit of work in return—especially since he didn't want to give Josh any excuse to take back Frostmourne and the Everfrost.
Because the matter was urgent, Josh set off the very next morning.
He didn't take a large team—just one luxury ship that had been fully modified and didn't look anything like his existing fleet.
The crew aboard was entirely made up of Vrykul who had never appeared in the Marvel Universe.
On top of that, they were all disguised—skin painted in icy blue tones.
Since Vrykul were already very tall and muscular, after the disguise, they looked nearly identical to Jotunheim's Frost Giants.
Add in Loki—an actual Frost Giant—and anyone who saw this squad would easily believe they were from Jotunheim.
Loki quickly figured out Josh's plan: he clearly intended to cause major trouble on Xandar and pin the blame on the Frost Giants.
But Loki had no objection.
Even though he had accepted his Frost Giant heritage, he'd lived in Asgard for over a thousand years. He felt no attachment to Jotunheim or its people.
And just like in the movies, once he found out Laufey had abandoned him as a child, Loki's feelings toward the Frost Giants turned into hatred.
Framing them? That was nothing. If he ever had the chance to wipe them out, he wouldn't hesitate.
But after talking with Josh, Loki dropped that idea.
Josh told him: if the opportunity ever came to kill Laufey and take over Jotunheim, the Frost Giants would make excellent cannon fodder in his hands.
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