Lothar never thought Woz, who usually disdained The Other, would one day imitate him.
That familiar "Rejoice!" almost made Lothar feel like he was back on Asgard. It was the last place he'd heard praises sung in his original world.
"Whenever you achieve victory in battle, a song of triumph must be sung. It's tradition, it cannot be discarded."
"Since there is no The Other in this world, Woz shall celebrate for you, Your Highness Lothar."
The blue robotic cat produced an e-book and bowed respectfully to Lothar. As it bent, Lothar clearly glimpsed the content displayed on the e-book's screen: Rejoice! Great Son of Titan, Your Highness Lothar, Lord of the Chitauri, revered by all... The cover of this e-book read: Complete Collection of Praises for His Highness Lothar. And the author was none other than Lothar's number one sycophant: The Other.
"Your Highness Lothar, please rest assured, Woz will quickly capture the essence of The Other's style." Coughing twice, Woz, performing this for the first time, seemed a bit rusty.
"..." Lothar suddenly felt that the bushy-browed, big-eyed Woz must have been corrupted by The Other. Otherwise, with Woz's previous personality, it would never do such a thing. Lothar was certain.
"Arthur!"
"Arthur, are you alright?!"
Although Mera wasn't very familiar with Arthur Curry, he was, after all, Queen Atlanna's eldest son. Mera naturally couldn't stand idly by. Water currents, controlled as if by an extension of her will, pried Arthur Curry, who had been brutally embedded in the mural by Lothar, out of the wall.
After glaring fiercely at Lothar, Mera jogged to the unconscious Arthur Curry's side, patting his cheek worriedly.
"Get lost."
Arthur Curry, who had directly fainted from the sudden, intense pain, gradually regained consciousness. Seeing the person he detested before him, the man tried to wave his arm to push her away.
"Hiss!" As he lifted his arm, a searing pain made Arthur Curry's face contort.
"Lothar, what are you trying to do?!"
"Arthur is Queen Atlanna's eldest son, you can't kill him!" Mera, who had received Atlanna's care many times, spread her arms, shielding Arthur from Lothar.
"Who he is, what does it have to do with me?" Lothar sneered.
Mera was momentarily speechless. It seemed... he had a point.
"This is actually a misunderstanding, Lothar. Listen, I know about you. Woz told me a lot about you during the seven days you were in a coma recovering."
"Including the love story between you and Hela, the effort you put into reviving your subordinates—"
"Silence." Lothar's face instantly turned cold as ice.
The bushy-browed, big-eyed Woz silently pulled out a scarf-like object from its abdominal pouch and wrapped it around its almost nonexistent neck, its eyes darting around nervously.
As a loyal subordinate, when introducing its master to someone from another world, it naturally had to choose the most shocking details.
Woz could swear on its life that it truly didn't exaggerate! It merely used its database a little, adding a bit of rhetorical flair, absolutely no exaggeration!
"Your Highness Lothar, Woz only added a tiny bit of rhetorical flourish, just a tiny bit." Facing Lothar's gaze, Woz raised its plump, rounded little hand, gesturing with the tip of its index finger, its round, pie-like face serious.
It believed this gesture perfectly and vividly explained what "a tiny bit" meant. It was perfect.
Lothar said nothing more, simply staring directly at Woz. The latter shifted uncomfortably for a few steps, then its eyes lit up. It promptly absorbed the Norse Mythology series of books from Lothar's hand into its abdominal pouch, grinning.
Helpless, Lothar turned and walked away without hesitation.
"Lothar?"
"Lothar, where are you going?!"
The ignored Mera asked worriedly, but received no response from the man. Glancing at Arthur Curry, who had regained his senses beside her, Mera quickly ran after Lothar.
Given the man's behavior just now, he clearly didn't understand the rules of the human world. Letting him leave like this, her conscience wouldn't allow it.
"Wait!"
"Lothar!"
"Where are you going?!"
Mera ran directly in front of Lothar.
"Move." Lothar simply pushed Mera, causing her to stumble and almost fall.
"You don't have human currency, and you don't understand the rules of the human world. Even if you did, you don't even have a place to rest tonight—"
BOOM!
A silvery-white energy wave flashed before Mera's eyes. Inside the library, Arthur Curry, who had barely managed to stand, instantly collapsed.
"I am the rules."
Under the dim streetlights, Lothar's left hand gripped Mera's chin, looking down at her, thanks to his height advantage. If it weren't for the fact that this woman had saved him, Lothar would have reduced her to dust long ago.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Mera stood rooted to the spot, her expression blank. She could even hear her own accelerated heartbeat.
It was fear.
Lothar, in that moment, filled Mera with dread. If she didn't teach him the rules, he would go on a rampage over unnecessary misunderstandings.
"Wait, Lothar!"
"I'll go with you!"
"I saved you, I must be responsible for you."
"I must teach you the rules of this world."
Mera, under the streetlight, still clung to her principles.
"Catch up if you can." Lothar couldn't be bothered to waste more words on her. In the blink of an eye, he was in the sky.
"Don't underestimate me."
Mera's body, lifted by the water, locked onto Lothar's direction of flight...
...
"Bruce, I'm in Kansas."
"Where exactly is that man you told me about last night?"
Outside the Kansas airport, the recently arrived Diana took off her sunglasses, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, and dialed Bruce Wayne's satellite phone.
"In the hospital."
"What?" The answer from the other end of the phone almost made Diana think she'd misheard.
"Unfortunately, our protector of the oceans had a conflict with a stranger at the library last night, and he ended up in the hospital."
In Central City, Bruce Wayne, staying at a Wayne Enterprises hotel, watched the surveillance footage sent by Alfred, his butler, speaking unhurriedly.
"..."
Silence fell on the other end of the line.
"Is he the opponent you said was targeting us?" Diana asked gravely.
"Probably not."
Scrolling his mouse, Bruce Wayne zoomed in on the surveillance footage, seeing a thick stack of books in the man's hand. The top one was the only book whose cover text Bruce Wayne could make out on the surveillance screen.
"Diana, let me ask you something. During World War I, you killed Ares, the God of War, correct?" Bruce Wayne's tone grew increasingly serious.
"Bruce?"
"I think we might be about to encounter another deity, or perhaps a descendant of a deity..."
After a long pause, Bruce Wayne hung up the satellite phone and got up to pour himself a glass of red wine. The chair, no longer constrained by a human body, spun idly. On the computer screen, the cover text captured by the surveillance camera was exceptionally clear—
Norse Mythology: Ragnarök.
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