On the planet Sakaar, inside a luxurious prison cell.
Thor sat on the ground, his head bowed in a long, sullen silence. His striking golden hair had been forcibly shaved off, and his hands and feet were bound in chains.
The reason he didn't dare attempt a breakout was the mysterious device embedded in his chest and the chip on his neck. The high-voltage current they produced was unbearable, even for him, the Asgardian God of Thunder. He had already tried ten times in the past four days, and the results were always gruesome.
"What do you want?!" Thor grumbled, annoyed, especially when the Grandmaster opened the cell door and appeared before him again.
"Why, I've come to find some entertainment that will cheer me up."
The Grandmaster ignored Thor's angry glare and continued to size up the God of Thunder, whom he had been tormenting for the past four days. He was having a great time. The only downside was that Thor wasn't Hela, or even Lothar. But it was fine; he had a long lifespan. When the two of them were near the end of their lives, he could finally catch them and get his revenge.
In response to the Grandmaster's mocking gaze, Thor instinctively tried to lash out, but the heavy chains held him down, unable to move.
Thud!
The sound of chains hitting the floor echoed through the luxurious cell, snapping the Grandmaster out of his reverie.
"Don't worry, I have no interest in using you as a punching bag today. I've grown tired of it."
"Now, I'm more interested in seeing another side of you."
The Grandmaster raised an eyebrow, picking at his nails as he spoke.
"What do you mean?" Thor remained on high alert. His four days of being beaten had taught him that not a single word from this man could be trusted.
"The Cosmic Auction House." With a flick of his hand, the Grandmaster conjured a chair and sat down in front of Thor.
"I can give you a chance to leave Sakaar alive. All you have to do is defeat the rabble from across the universe and win the Gladiator Championship."
As if afraid Thor might miss a detail, the Grandmaster spoke very slowly.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what I said."
The Grandmaster smiled and casually snapped his fingers. The door opened again, but this time, it was a female arena staff member in a blue uniform. The crow's feet at the corners of her eyes showed her age, but her face was still quite beautiful.
"Zora, take our Asgardian God of Thunder and bring him to the armory so he can choose his weapons and armor."
Without giving Thor a chance to ask more questions, the Grandmaster ordered the woman to take him away.
"Yes."
Zora, who had been working in the arena for nearly two thousand years, bowed respectfully. Then she grabbed the dazed Thor like a little chick and dragged him out of the prison cell.
"???"
"Wait! I still have—"
"Please, no more outbursts, Lord Thor."
"It's a nuisance."
Having been promoted to management within the Cosmic Auction House's service industry, Zora was no longer the timid woman she once was. Thor felt that he would remember her for the rest of his life for the cool confidence with which she pressed the electric switch.
Zzzzz…
After being shocked into submission, Thor was noticeably more well-behaved. He didn't need Zora to drag him anymore; he quietly followed her on his own.
"Here we are."
Thor, who had been discreetly memorizing the location of every building along the way, was led by Zora into a changing room specially prepared for him inside the arena.
The room was large. Racks of various weapons filled the left side, while the right side was lined with cabinets holding a single uniform style of armor. The central area was clearly a living space. A large floor-to-ceiling window was covered by a curtain, blocking out all light.
"Is this…?"
"This is your future residence. Our arena staff built it for you at the Grandmaster's command."
"Until your journey of challenges is over, this is your home."
"The Grandmaster? He built it specifically for me?" Thor sounded like he was hearing something unbelievable.
"Of course. You're the brother of Lady Hela. It's only right that you receive special treatment." Zora's measured response made a vein throb in Thor's forehead.
Special treatment?
Thanks, but no thanks!
Phew… Since he was in no position to argue, Thor had no choice but to suppress his urge to curse. He took a few deep breaths and asked the question that was most on his mind.
"The Grandmaster said I can leave here if I win the championship. What did he mean?"
"It's a rule of the Cosmic Auction House." Zora's face wore a professional, insincere smile as she explained the rule to Thor: as long as you participate in the arena's gladiatorial contest and win the championship, you can leave Sakaar safely.
Thor listened, dumbfounded.
There was a rule like that?
"Has anyone actually won and left?" Thor still didn't believe that pervert could be true to his word.
"Of course. As far as I know, the champions of the first and second tournaments both left Sakaar with their heads held high."
"Only the first and second?" Thor keenly picked up on the missing information.
"Of course not. It's just that after that, I was rewarded by the Grandmaster for my excellent work and took a bath in the Fountain of Life to extend my life."
Zora smiled and pulled back the blue curtain covering the window.
Whoosh!
Blinding sunlight streamed into Thor's eyes, illuminating the several heads carved into the arena's stone wall.
Thor recognized the top one. He would know that face even if it were a pile of ash.
Lothar!
"Lothar was also an arena champion?!" Thor's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.
"Of course. Lord Lothar was the champion of the Cosmic Auction House's first Gladiator Championship. He was also the one who single-handedly defeated the Celestial, Ego, who came to seek revenge."
"He is a true godslayer."
When she mentioned that figure from her memories, the smile on Zora's face became genuine. She had just been exiled to Sakaar and somehow became Lothar's personal attendant in the arena. Later, she witnessed with her own eyes the moment Lothar killed Ego.
"A godslayer…" Thor's pupils constricted. He thought of his own father, Odin, who had also died at Lothar's hands.
"You knew him well?"
"Two thousand years ago, when I had just started, I was Lord Lothar's exclusive attendant." A hint of pride crossed Zora's beautiful face. She was one of the few who had witnessed it all.
"What's the deal with these busts?" Thor asked, confused. Seeing how the Grandmaster had gritted his teeth when he mentioned Lothar, it was clear he wouldn't have kept his bust unless he had to.
Wouldn't it be an eyesore?
"Every champion of the gladiatorial tournament has the right to have their bust carved up there."
"It's a rule that Lady Hela and the Grandmaster agreed upon back then."
"..." Thor's eye twitched. He figured it out: his sister and her lover must have beaten the Grandmaster into submission a long time ago. So the Grandmaster, being a bully, would rather be annoyed by the busts than dare to remove them.
"What about the second one? Why is he wearing a mask?" Thor's gaze fell on the bust below Lothar's. It had long hair but no face, only a horse mask.
"I don't know. He wasn't one of my clients. Nobody on all of Sakaar knows his true name." Zora shook her head.
"At the time, he was known as…"
"Horse-Faced God of Thunder."
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This fanfic has been fully translated!