Chapter 101.
"Everyone, Loki has left! We don't need to keep pretending!"
T'Challa, Anne, and the others rushed in, relief clear on their faces. As soon as they confirmed Loki's departure, they quickly relayed the message to the rest of the team.
"Alright, the plan worked! Thor, calm Hulk down before he tears the entire Helicarrier apart! If he keeps this up, Fury will have my head," Tony said, smirking — a smirk that was almost identical to Loki's own.
In the aftermath, order gradually returned. But the damage was severe. The mighty S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier was left battered, its decks scorched and torn. Agents scrambled to repair vital systems, their faces grim. This mission had cost S.H.I.E.L.D. dearly.
"Stark, how are we supposed to know where Loki went?" Steve asked, eyeing Tony curiously.
"Relax, Cap. I put a tracker on him earlier. All we need to do is follow it," Tony replied, his confidence unshaken.
Steve gave a short nod.
"Then let's move."
With no further questions, the team boarded the aircraft Tony had designed. Engines roared to life as the Justice League soared off in pursuit.
Back on the Helicarrier, Maria Hill hurried into the command center. "Sir, latest report — Stark and his team have departed. Thor and Captain Rogers went with them. What are your orders?"
"What the hell are they up to now?" Fury muttered, suspicion narrowing his gaze. Stark's hand was all over this, he was sure of it. But with his roster depleted and the only combat-ready operatives — Natasha and Barton — still recovering, his options were limited.
"Tell Natasha to wait for Barton to wake up. Once he's ready, they're to take off and follow Stark's team. Whatever they're doing, I want confirmation — fast."
"Yes, sir."
"Also, accelerate repairs on the Helicarrier. We need at least partial combat readiness as soon as possible. And… it's time to move forward with the Pegasus weapon systems. War might be closer than we think."
Fury moved to the command deck, staring into the sky, his jaw set.
"But, sir…" Hill hesitated, as though she had more to say.
"No. Execute the orders," Fury cut in. "We can't entrust the safety of the planet to a group that answers to no one — not the U.N., not any government. Not even us."
It wasn't mistrust without reason. If Stark and the others had been official Avengers, Fury could have placed his faith in them without question. But they operated outside any command structure, answering only to themselves. That uncertainty forced his hand.
Hill recognized the finality in his tone and simply nodded. "Yes, sir."
Orders spread quickly through the crew. Moments later, a Quinjet peeled away from the Helicarrier, streaking toward the same path Stark's team had taken.
On Tony's craft, Banner studied the tracking display.
"Stark, Loki's stopped moving. Location's downtown Manhattan. Any idea what he's doing there?"
Tony leaned over, and the red dot on the map made his eyes widen. "Damn it. Stark Tower. He's going to use my Arc Reactor to power the Tesseract."
The realization tightened his jaw. That tower was his latest creation, his pride.
"The jet's too slow. I'm going ahead. If he's just siphoning energy, fine. But if he damages my building, we've got a serious problem."
Without waiting for debate, Tony activated the Nano Armor. The sleek plates formed around him, and he leapt from the aircraft, engines blazing as he sped toward Manhattan.
"Let's pick up the pace and back him up," Steve ordered.
Tony's speed pushed the suit to its limit. In minutes, the city skyline loomed ahead, and there — tall, gleaming, untarnished — was Stark Tower.
"Good. Still standing," Tony muttered in relief. But that relief was short-lived.
On the rooftop, Loki stood beside a towering device, directing an older man — Dr. Selvig, clearly under mind control — as he connected it to the Arc Reactor.
Tony hovered above them. "Hey, reindeer games. Shouldn't you be back at the petting zoo?"
Loki's head snapped up, eyes narrowing in shock.
"You… How are you here so quickly?"
His plan had been simple: use the chaos aboard the Helicarrier to buy enough time to open the wormhole and summon the Chitauri army. Even if the heroes regrouped, it would be too late. But Stark's sudden arrival shattered that calculation — and his device wasn't even ready yet.
Tony's arrival posed another problem. The armored Midgardian was dangerously powerful, enough that Loki couldn't be certain of victory in a straight fight. If Stark destroyed the device now, the entire invasion would collapse before it began.
Loki's expression darkened. Gripping the scepter tightly, he aimed skyward and unleashed a blinding beam of blue light toward Tony
Loki's eyes narrowed, –the scepter in his hand glowing with boundless energy. He intended to keep Tony occupied — to pin him down personally so the billionaire couldn't interfere with the device's power supply.
"Oh, are you getting irritated?" Tony dodged the blue energy beam with a smooth sideways roll, his voice dripping with casual mockery. "If you want a fight, I'll be happy to entertain you."
Without hesitation, Tony surged forward in a burst of thrusters. Boom! His armored shoulder slammed into Loki, sending the trickster god tumbling off the platform. Tony barely spared a glance toward Dr. Selvig — still frantically working on the machine — and instead pursued Loki without pause.
"Hah! He took the bait," Loki thought, smirking through his disheveled state. "What an arrogant and foolish human."
As long as he kept Tony distracted for another minute, the device would activate, and victory would be his.
Rather than confront Tony head-on, Loki danced away, his movements a blur of feints and evasions. Every so often, he lashed out with the scepter, forcing Tony to keep his attention fixed on him.
Tony, in turn, treated the god like a cat would a mouse — firing repulsor blasts in calculated bursts, pressing Loki into retreat after retreat. At one point, he even landed on the rooftop to trade direct blows, the clang of metal against enchanted armor ringing out over the city.
Their skirmish scorched the Stark Tower's upper floors. Energy beams seared into walls and support columns, leaving blackened craters and sending plumes of smoke curling into the air.
And then, almost unnoticed in the chaos, the crucial minute passed. Behind them, Dr. Selvig's machine flared to life, bathing the rooftop in a cold, blue radiance.
"Ha! Foolish human," Loki declared triumphantly, hurling a blast from his scepter that forced Tony backward. "In just moments, my army will arrive, and this city — your world—will burn. Your interference has only doomed it faster."
Tony glanced over his –shoulder at the humming device, his expression unreadable. "You look a little too happy for someone about to be disappointed. And for the record… I'm done playing around."
He took a step toward Loki, but made no immediate move to attack.
Loki laughed, sneering. "Do you really believe you can best me? I am a god. Crushing an Midgardian like you is effortless for me."
As he spoke, a second figure appeared behind Tony — identical to the Loki standing in front of him — scepter raised and crackling with blue light. The double moved in silently, aiming to plunge the weapon into Tony's back.
To anyone else, the illusion would have been flawless. But Tony didn't even flinch.
"It's adorable you think I'd fall for that trick twice," he said calmly, his voice low but carrying.
The Loki behind him froze, recognition flashing across his face. He remembered — vividly — the last time his scepter had wrenched itself from his grip, floating into Tony's hands as if by magic.
Panicked, he thrust the weapon forward anyway, hoping to strike before Tony reacted.
"You really don't learn," Tony sighed.
With a thought, he unleashed the magnetic abilities he'd honed over the past year. The scepter halted mid-swing, suspended inches from his back. Loki gritted his teeth and tried to force it forward with all his strength, divine energy flooding through his arms.
It didn't budge.
A desperate energy blast from the weapon streaked past as Tony sidestepped smoothly. Loki pulled again, harder this time — nothing. Finally, with a snarl of frustration, he released the scepter entirely and darted backward.
"Trying to run? Too late."
Tony extended both arms. Instantly, every piece of metal on the rooftop tore free from its place — railings, beams, scaffolding, even structural rods from nearby walls — all hurtling toward Loki like a living storm.
The mass of blackened steel twisted together, forming long, serpentine shapes that lashed across the rooftop. Even from the surrounding streets, iron and steel bars ripped free from their anchors, writhing through the air toward their target.
"What—?! He's human?!" Loki's eyes widened in disbelief. "No mortal should have this kind of power."
He was fast, weaving between the incoming strikes with inhuman agility, his illusions flickering around him. But speed alone couldn't keep him aloft, and Loki had no means of flight. He was trapped on the Stark Tower's rooftop, forced to dodge with diminishing space to maneuver.
"This fool had better open the wormhole now," Loki thought desperately, hoping Dr. Selvig would hurry. "If he doesn't, I'm finished."
Even with his speed and agility, Loki couldn't dodge forever. A pair of thick –steel beams–, writhing like serpents under Tony's control, coiled tightly around his arms and legs. In moments, he was immobilized.
Other pieces of twisted metal swarmed in, layering over one another until the god of mischief was bound head-to-toe like a mummy. Only his eyes and mouth remained uncovered — the rest of his body locked in place, helpless.
Above them, the device powered by the Tesseract finally roared to life. A massive column of blue energy shot skyward, punching through the clouds. A few hundred meters up, the beam began to ripple outward, expanding in a shimmering circle. Within seconds, a wormhole formed — its swirling blue edges encircling a yawning black void, tens of meters across, as if it were ready to swallow the sky itself.
Loki grinned through his restraints, his voice brimming with arrogance.
"Hahaha! You've lost, Stark! My army will soon reduce this city to rubble and annihilate the Earth. Any who resist will face my wrath. You… you will be the first to go down. I'll make your death the slowest and most agonizing. Let me go now, and I might grant you the mercy of a quick end. Soon, I will be the sole ruler of mankind — the great god they worship!"
Tony gave a dry cough, shaking his head.
"You really don't get it, do you, 'Mr. God'? You're not the one in control here. Forget it, I don't have time for your speeches. Just sit tight and watch while I dismantle your unstoppable army."
Truthfully, Tony was baffled at Loki's ability to keep boasting even in this situation. If not for Thor's connection to him, he'd have been tempted to deal with Loki in a much less polite manner.
With a thought, Tony released his magnetic hold just enough for Loki's bound body to topple backward. The Asgardian hit the rooftop hard, lying on his back with the wormhole in full view above.
"You… what are you doing?" Loki demanded, glaring up at him.
"Shut up and watch," Tony replied, waving his hand. A panel of metal snapped over Loki's mouth, silencing him completely.
Tony turned his gaze upward, eyes narrowing at the wormhole. "Alright… time to see what this so-called alien army looks like."
He was confident in his own abilities and those of the Justice –League, but there was still a sliver of uncertainty. –He'd never seen this enemy firsthand.
Figures began to emerge from the rift, and as Tony got a better look, his brows shot up.
"…Seriously? These are the Chitauri? Did they just deliver me a buffet?"
The metal composition of the incoming vanguard was like Christmas for him.
"This is going to be easier than I thought… unless they've got some kind of trick up their sleeves."
As the first wave dove toward the city, Tony acted. With a burst of power, he seized control of their craft's metal frames. Before the pilots even realized, their ships veered wildly off-course — colliding midair with their own allies.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In a chain of explosions, dozens of Chitauri fliers erupted into fireballs, scattering debris across the skyline.
"Wow… these guys really are idiots. Who crashes into their own troops?"
Loki, still gagged and bound on the ground, stared in disbelief. His mind raced. "Wait… this can't be coincidence. Is he doing this?"
Realization struck him — and with it, a flicker of unease. The Midgardian who had bested him might actually be capable of crippling his invasion.
Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. and governments across the globe received the same urgent report: a wormhole had appeared over New York, and hostile alien forces were crossing through.
Panic spread like wildfire. News of an extraterrestrial assault swept the planet, leaving no doubt that Earth was under attack.
"Stark, we've arrived," Steve's voice crackled over the comms. "What's the plan?"
Tony's lips curled into a confident smile. "Relax. I had a ninety percent chance of stopping them before. Now? I'm at a hundred."
He clenched his fist. "Let's turn this into a trap. Jarvis, deploy the large protective shield."
"At once, sir."
A brilliant blue dome of energy erupted from the top of Stark Tower, racing outward in all directions. Within moments, it had enveloped the entirety of New York City, sealing it off beneath a shimmering barrier.
"It's time," Tony said, his voice calm but resolute, "for the world to see exactly what the Justice League can do."
......…
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