Loki said in a deep voice, "I sense the aura of Hell from you."
Mephisto chuckled, "I am Mephisto. Your father should have told you about me."
"You are Mephisto?"
Loki was startled but quickly calmed down. This was Earth, so Mephisto could only use a projection. He said, "Odin did mention you, the most cunning Hell Demon King."
In his mind, Loki secretly added, "The most shameless Hell Demon King."
"Thank you for the compliment. I merely see things others cannot."
Mephisto continued, "Recently, my situation hasn't been great, so I've been keeping an eye on Earth to see if I can find a way to turn things around.
Ever since Mjolnir fell, I've been following this matter. Loki, did you truly not notice that something was off?"
Loki asked, "What's wrong with Thor defying Odin and being banished to Midgard?"
"The problem is, why did this Hammer come along?"
Mephisto pointed at Mjolnir and asked, "If Odin truly wanted to banish Thor, he should have kept the Hammer in the treasury, not thrown it near Thor. Loki, it's obvious this is a trial Odin specifically arranged for Thor."
Loki frowned, "A trial?"
"Yes, the result of the trial is that Thor will comprehend things like love and justice, and once again become the mighty Thor."
Mephisto scoffed, "Unfortunately, in this trial, you are the villain, which means you are Thor's stepping stone."
Loki retorted, "Nonsense. Odin is my father. How could he use me as Thor's stepping stone?"
"I'm not sure what your relationship with Odin is like, but I'm certain you're a stepping stone."
Mephisto said with a smile, "Everything you said to Thor earlier was false, wasn't it? You want Thor to stay on Earth and never return, so you can become the King of Asgard.
The problem is, Odin won't let you have your way. Next, he will arrange for someone to find Thor, expose your lies, and then, to silence them, you will try to kill Thor.
At a critical moment, Thor will have a great epiphany, and then Mjolnir will automatically fly back into his hand, making him Thor again.
To be honest, this trope is super old-fashioned, even Hollywood doesn't use it anymore. It would definitely flop if filmed."
"Nonsense, Mephisto! You can't possibly sow discord between me and Odin."
Loki shouted excitedly, which showed his heart was already wavering. This was normal; he wasn't Odin's biological son; he was the son of Frost Giant King Laufey.
Loki had only learned this a few days ago, and to be honest, he was devastated. Not only was the Frost Giant Kingdom an enemy of Asgard, but it was also as primitive as cavemen. How could Loki, who always considered himself noble, accept being one of them?
Frost Giant had always been synonymous with backwardness, ignorance, savagery, and primitiveness in Asgard.
"This kid is too green. Odin's two sons: one is stupid, and the other only has petty cleverness. It seems Asgard is not far from its demise."
Mephisto sneered inwardly. He said, "First, tell me, what is Odin's current state? He certainly isn't dead. How could a dignified Father God be angered to death by his own son?"
Loki hesitated, then replied, "He has entered the Odin Sleep."
"He just banished his son and immediately entered the Odin Sleep? Do you believe that? This is clearly him intentionally giving you an opportunity to take power and act as Thor's stepping stone."
Mephisto scoffed with disdain. He pointed to the upper left, saying, "I know you don't believe it. Look over there, what is it?"
Loki subconsciously looked up but saw nothing. Mephisto said, "Look closely, concentrate your magic in your eyes, and use the Eye of Truth."
Loki did as told. The next second, he saw a black raven lazily flying in the air. His expression immediately changed drastically. That was Huginn, one of Odin's two raven gods.
"Odin is monitoring me?" Loki felt a chill run through him.
"He should be monitoring Thor; you just walked right into it."
Mephisto said indifferently, "Don't worry, it can't see me. It only sees you staring blankly next to the Hammer. I imagine it's probably despising you, thinking, 'Someone like you wants to lift Mjolnir?' That's something Odin specifically prepared for Thor."
Loki's face was extremely grim. Could Odin truly be treating him as Thor's stepping stone?
"Odin is a very cunning person. This elaborate scheme he's set up might have more than one purpose."
Mephisto continued, "If I'm not mistaken, he has other conspiracies as well, wanting to kill two birds with one stone."
"Other conspiracies?"
Loki thought for a moment, and his expression changed. Could Odin be planning to use him to kill Laufey?
Loki really did have such a thought. He planned to lure Laufey into Asgard, then stab him in the back. This way, he could prove to Odin that he had nothing to do with the Frost Giant, that he was the Prince of Asgard!
"I kill Laufey, exterminate the Frost Giant, and then Thor returns as king, defeats me righteously, and ascends the throne to become the King of Asgard amidst the cheers of the Asgardians. Odin, is that your plan?"
Loki was both shocked and enraged, his body even trembling.
Mephisto didn't know what Loki was imagining, but he knew his provocation had succeeded.
Whether what Mephisto said was true or not didn't matter. What mattered was that Loki believed it was true.
Loki's nature was prone to darkness; he always thought of the worst, so leading him into darkness was not difficult for Mephisto, who was the most cunning Demon King.
Mephisto feigned a sigh, "It seems it won't be long before you, like your sister and uncle, are sealed on Earth by Odin."
Loki was stunned, "Sister, uncle? Where did I get a sister and uncle?"
"You actually have no idea they exist? Odin is even more ruthless than I thought."
Mephisto clicked his tongue in wonder. He said, "Your uncle is called Kur, nicknamed 'The Serpent.' He was the former God King of Asgard. Later, Odin led people to overthrow him and sealed him on Earth.
Your sister is called Hela, nicknamed the Death Goddess. Most of the Nine Realms were conquered by her for Odin. Unfortunately, she was too strong, so Odin, for the sake of his own divine position, sealed her on Earth."
"Why do I know nothing about this? And why are they all sealed on Earth?"
Loki was dumbfounded. He realized that he didn't understand Odin at all; Odin's past benevolence was all a facade.
"I will never be sealed on Earth!"
Loki clenched his fists and shouted excitedly. Mephisto secretly scoffed, "You think you're worthy of being sealed?"
The Serpent is the God of Fear; as long as there is fear, he cannot die. Hela is the Death Goddess; as long as Asgard exists, she is immortal. Therefore, Odin could only seal them.
As for Loki, who would waste energy sealing him? Just smack him dead and be done with it.
Mephisto continued, "Loki, to break free, you need to release Hela or The Serpent. I can tell you their coordinates. Just blast those two coordinates with the Bifrost Bridge, and you can break the seals Odin left behind."