"Horse-Faced… God of Thunder???"
Thor was stunned. What a strange title.
And... God of Thunder? Thor was instinctively sensitive to that term.
"Because no one knew his real name. He never spoke to anyone; he just quietly participated in the matches and swept his way to the championship."
"And because he used his lightning powers with such divine skill, everyone in the arena at the time called him Horse-Faced God of Thunder."
Although he wasn't her client, Zora had witnessed Horse-Faced God of Thunder's crushing victories, so she felt she had the authority to speak. As for the champions who came after him, she was busy in the Fountain of Life because of her outstanding performance, so she wasn't aware of them.
"Divine lightning powers, you say..."
"In short, your only way to leave Sakaar is to participate in the gladiatorial tournament and win the championship."
"That's all."
"This is my comms device. You can contact me with it anytime if you need anything, and I will do my best to help you."
Zora placed the comms device she had on her waist in front of Thor, then unlocked the chains on his hands and feet. She bowed and turned to leave, leaving Thor to frown and ponder in the changing room.
He wondered what trick the Grandmaster was up to. He had his restraints removed for no reason and was given a path to leave Sakaar? Thor felt like something was wrong no matter how he looked at it.
But for now, no matter what the Grandmaster was thinking, he had to follow this path. He had to leave this place and return to Asgard, back to where he belonged.
He could give up the throne, he didn't even want it, but Hela could not have it. The Asgard he knew could not be ruled by a tyrant; this was what he had been taught since childhood.
Furthermore, his mother, Frigga, was still on Asgard.
"What are you thinking?"
At the same time, in the Grandmaster's private lounge in the Sakaar palace, a man in a horse mask stood with his hands behind his back, looking out the large window at the distant landscape of Sakaar.
His clothes billowed, and there were streaks of gray in his hair. He was the champion of the second Gladiator Championship—Horse-Faced God of Thunder.
The Grandmaster, who had just entered, was very dissatisfied. If this man's power wasn't so unpredictable, he would have stabbed him in the back long ago. On Sakaar, besides Lothar and Hela, this Horse-Faced God of Thunder was the third person to truly threaten him, and the one that left him the most bewildered.
After winning the championship, he had broken through the Grandmaster's blockade and left Sakaar. But just a few days later, he returned and took up residence on his planet. The most infuriating thing was that the Grandmaster had no idea of this man's origin.
They had been at peace for two thousand years, but just a few days after the Asgardian God of Thunder was thrown onto Sakaar, the Horse-Faced God of Thunder, who had been his "neighbor" for two millennia, came knocking.
"Let the Asgardian participate in the gladiatorial tournament. I want to see his strength."
Those were the exact words Horse-Faced God of Thunder spoke to the Grandmaster.
"Do you feel your time is up and you want to find an heir?"
"I'll remind you, that Thor is an Asgardian, and he has Odin's mark on him. It's impossible for him to inherit your power."
After two millennia, they were familiar with each other. Although the Grandmaster couldn't figure out Horse-Faced God of Thunder's background, he held little hostility towards him.
Peace, peace, peace is paramount.
The Grandmaster, obsessed with his games, didn't want to cause any trouble, though this was mainly because of the terrifying power that Horse-Faced God of Thunder had displayed years ago.
"How would you know if you don't try?"
A weathered voice spoke, and a pleasant smile appeared on the face beneath the mask.
"...Are you really going to die?" The Grandmaster's hand, which was pouring tea, paused. He looked at the figure by the window in surprise.
"I don't know, but probably soon."
The man's voice was tinged with emotion about the passage of time. Blue lightning arcs suddenly surged around his body. The glass of the window shattered.
"That's the 77th window you've broken." The Grandmaster didn't even flinch, clearly used to it.
"Compared to what you've done to me, this is just a small interest payment."
"I never really gave you trouble back then. Don't make things up." The Grandmaster chuckled. This man was one of the most interesting people he had met in his long life.
Horse-Faced God of Thunder didn't comment.
"In any case, the Asgardian is a good prospect. I'll take him."
"Good prospect, my butt. Does he even know his own identity?"
"He's an Asgardian God of Thunder, and he was knocked out by an electric shock."
"If Odin knew, he'd probably come back from the dead just to beat him up."
The Grandmaster mercilessly exposed Thor as a "false God of Thunder."
The corner of Horse-Faced God of Thunder's mouth under the mask twitched. He wanted to retort but had nothing to say. Upon reflection, his past self really was too dependent on the hammer and had forgotten that he was the God of Thunder, not the God of Hammers.
"He's in your old room. Go see him yourself." The Grandmaster waved his hand, wanting the man to leave.
"Oh, by the way, one more thing."
"I'll be increasing the difficulty of this tournament. Your chosen heir had better be careful, or he might very well die."
The Grandmaster took a sip of his fragrant tea and muttered the last sentence. He looked up, and the man was gone.
"After all these years, still so impatient…" He slowly put the teacup lid back on, and a smile spread across his face.
At the changing room door, Thor, who had just finished his warm-up, was about to follow the dining guide on the table to get some food. He opened the door and saw a dense mass of lightning currents in front of him. The currents converged and slowly formed the shape of Horse-Faced God of Thunder.
Thor was dumbfounded. Energy… manifestation???
Wait a minute! This man is?!
Snapping out of his shock, Thor saw the old horse mask and instantly remembered the second Gladiator Championship champion Zora had told him about—Horse-Faced God of Thunder.
How was he here? Didn't she say the champions had left?
"The Asgardian God of Hammers, Thor?" The old, gravelly voice was low. It was a question, but his tone was filled with certainty.
"What?!" Thor's eyes widened in anger.
What God of Hammers? That was a slander! An outright slander! An insult to his divine status! A grave insult!
"No, I am the God of Thunder," a recollected Thor seriously corrected him.
And then, he was knocked out. Directly by the lightning bolt shot from Horse-Faced God of Thunder's fingertip.
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This fanfic has been fully translated!