The Thor Ball showed no great elation in response. In the past, he would have been overjoyed to hear all the Asgardians celebrating for him, but now he simply said indifferently, "Really? It seems the fuss this time is quite big..."
Sif noticed the change in Thor. The powerful strength and authoritative aura emanating from him now naturally earned him respect. Sif reached out and touched Thor's face, saying, "You've changed a lot..."
"Why don't you return to Asgard? There's a grand victory celebration waiting for you there, you know..."
Thor shook his head and said, "I'm not that interested in such occasions anymore. I'm staying here because there are more important things to do."
As Thor shared his time on Sakaar with Sif, Venom, the alien symbiote inside Loki, spoke up. "How did Phantom get into this goddess?"
Loki looked at Sif, who turned her head as if sensing his gaze. A hint of purple gleamed in her eyes. Phantom, speaking through Sif's mouth, said to Loki, "Isn't this your doing? You controlled that huge robot and almost killed Sif. Agent Hill wanted to save her, so I entered Sif to repair her body…"
"Afterwards, I thought we worked together quite well, so I stayed. Now I also have a God Clan host, Venom. Do you want to compete?"
"You don't want a God Clan host to compete with me. You just don't like seeing someone die without doing anything. Phantom, you cosmic special agents are all still like that... providing aid and help without a limit."
"At least we're better than you, you madman! When you return to your home planet, Thunder and I will teach you a lesson!"
Seeing Sif and Loki conversing more smoothly than he did, Thor scratched his head but wasn't bothered. He figured it was simply because of the two alien symbiotes within them.
Or rather, Thor was quite pleased. Previously, Loki and Sif were arch-enemies, and he always had a headache trying to mediate between them. Now with two familiar symbiotes coordinating, things seemed somewhat more harmonious.
However, to Loki, things started to feel weird. He couldn't help but stare at Sif, urged on by some compulsion coming from Venom. On their journey to Red Ring Mine, Loki often slapped his head when alone to shake the feeling.
"Venom! What are you up to? What are you thinking? Sif is Thor's betrothed bride designated by Odin! They both know this!"
"What's the problem? I'm not interested in Sif."
"You..." Loki was taken aback, and then asked confusedly, "Don't you symbiotes reproduce asexually?"
"Yeah, but does that mean I can't have a relationship?"
Loki opened his mouth in shock, biting down hard as he returned to his senses. He said to the air, "Listen, Venom, you can't do this. Even if you're attracted to Phantom, her host is Sif now. She's my future sister-in-law and Asgard's Queen of Gods. If we make a move on her, Odin will strike us dead!"
"What does that matter? You and Thor aren't biologically related, and neither are you and Odin."
"Moreover, who said Odin arranged for Thor and Sif's engagement? Did they hold a ceremony? Wear rings? Or engage in deeper interaction? Since none of these happened, why can't the one who comes first..."
In the parlor, the few who heard all this exchanged glances. They looked at Loki contemptuously. Strange spoke first, "You're not really about to... This is unethical. Even if they're not married, it's still immoral..."
"That being said, you've really stirred up trouble..." Steve added tactfully, "Your father could be really angry."
Loki undemonstratively responded, "Nothing happened between us."
"Then your 'big basket'..." Someone asked hesitantly.
"...Is much more serious than that."
In a station on Sakaar, Loki took a deep breath as if stifling. He said to himself, "I don't even like Sif! That annoying woman is always causing me trouble. We are enemies, understand?"
"Phantom and I are also enemies. The cosmic special agents have been hunting me for ages. But that's fine, sleeping together is the best way to turn enemies into friends..."
Loki realized that there was no reasoning with this suddenly lustful symbiote.
During the tug-of-war between Loki and Venom, they arrived at the Red Ring Mine and then proceeded to the dangerous cave where Thor had previously mined. It was here that an intense conflict between the three of them exploded – or rather, Sif finally couldn't endure it any longer.
Just as Loki and Venom were pulling in their own directions, Sif was doing the same with Phantom. It was well-known that Venom had merged part of Bruce and Stark's personalities. These two playboys had irresistible charm, and Phantom, the symbiote with a soul and emotions, had had her impression of Venom significantly changed along the way. She was even somewhat moved.
Sif naturally sensed Phantom's emotions. She didn't think symbiotes couldn't fall in love. To Sif, any beings with independent souls should be able to experience love; love should be free.
There was nothing wrong with Phantom loving Venom, but she couldn't be attracted to Loki. They were adversaries and Sif despised Loki immensely.
Moreover, she clearly understood that she was the future Queen of Gods that Odin had arranged for Thor. Thor and Loki were biological brothers. If something were to happen between her and Loki, the royal family of Asgard would be shamed.
Back then, when Sif was on the verge of death due to the Destroyer, it was Phantom who had saved her, and helped her quickly recover. Phantom had saved Sif's life, so Sif didn't have the right to stop her. The atmosphere between her and Loki thus became somewhat awkward.
But Sif simply couldn't stand it. She hated Loki more than he hated her. In fact, she could say she had a deep hatred for him.
While the three were investigating the mine, Sif and Loki finally exploded. They had a big argument, brought up all past grievances, and ultimately began to fight.
You might ask what Thor was doing amidst all this. Well, he was trying hard to mediate. However, even though his strength had returned and his level had increased, his emotional quotient remained the same. There was no magic that could increase it overnight. Although Thor was more understanding about a lot of things, his ability to handle interpersonal relationships was still the same. His mediating was largely ineffective, and didn't work in the slightest.
When Loki and Sif started fighting, Thor wanted to stop them, but Loki wasn't using his own divine power; he was still an ordinary person without any divine power. What he was using was the Divine Light Power Thor had infused in him. This power didn't belong to Loki and he couldn't properly control it.
As he was using this unfamiliar ability to block Sif's attack, the unstable power exploded violently. It caused the entire underground mine of the Red Ring Mine to collapse, and catapulted Loki into the endless void where the Sakaar Star Rocks were located.
Accompanied by Thor's scream and the violent explosion, countless void fragments shattered before Loki's eyes. They formed a storm that followed an endless space storm, flinging Loki into an unfamiliar space...