A calm yet deeply provocative statement. In response, Lothar was met with a special round of bullets from Natasha's gun.
Bang bang bang bang bang!!!!
Dozens of bullets struck the energy shield on Lothar's body, but they simply bounced off as if hitting a Vibranium shield. Not a single bullet head made a dent.
"Wait, Agent Romanoff, you..."
Dr. Banner, who had been standing behind Natasha and Barton because he was reluctant to unleash the Hulk's power, looked utterly bewildered.
"Go check on Thor, now!"
Natasha held her gun, its dark barrel aimed at Lothar, who stood with his hands behind his back.
"What's your name?" Lothar gestured for The Other not to be angry. Based on his previous deductions, this group of people was likely to be one of his and his adoptive father Thanos's future enemies. This meant that someone among them would be able to find the Soul Stone in the near future. Or, at the very least, know its location. After all, they were all working with Thor.
"Natasha, Natasha Romanoff."
Rumble!!!
Just as Natasha finished speaking, a nearby building was obliterated by the Chitauri's bombardment. The sudden blaze of fire illuminated Lothar's cruel, cold face.
Crack!
The S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued gun was twisted into a pretzel by the suddenly appearing Lothar, its shattered pieces scattering on the ground. He reached out with his powerful arm, clamping down on Natasha's throat with lightning speed. Her crimson lips immediately turned purple, and her beautiful face struggled for breath.
"Natasha!"
Hawkeye, Barton, who had been her colleague for years, immediately tried to rescue her. He flung an arrow at Lothar, but it was destroyed instantly by the energy beam that shot from Lothar's eyes. The blast also rendered Barton's arms, the tools of his trade as a master archer, useless. The bloody holes revealed the raw white bone beneath.
"Ahhhhhhh!!!!!"
Barton, on the ground, his forehead veins bulging, screamed in agony from the unbearable, heart-wrenching pain.
"Since Odin is too cowardly to show his face..."
With his hand still effortlessly gripping Natasha's throat, Lothar's gaze shifted to Thor, who had finally caught his breath and re-gripped Mjolnir.
"Then you will tell me."
"Where is the Soul Stone?"
As planned, Lothar mentioned the "Soul Stone" right in front of Thor and his companions.
Boom!
The moment the words left his mouth, another landmark building in New York fell. The fighter jets sent by the American military were no match for the Black Quadrant warships. They were instantly destroyed on impact. If not for the fact that some of the fighter jets were made with Stark Industries materials, Tony Stark, the former arms tycoon, would have suspected that someone in the military was skimming money for political donations.
"Hey, can you still move?"
Tony Stark, who had removed his repulsors, nudged Steve Rogers, who stood in front of him with his Vibranium shield.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Despite their previous arguments and disagreements, Steve Rogers had no time to think about such things with a greater enemy before them.
"Then let's go, time to save them!"
Whoosh!
The manually charged repulsor blasted out. Without a single word exchanged, Steve Rogers seemed to read his mind, charging forward with his shield raised.
"Oh?"
As if watching ants struggle, Lothar flung Natasha, who was on the verge of suffocating, to the side. An energy blast from his fingertip pierced right through Steve Rogers' Vibranium shield, Earth's supposedly strongest shield, and through his lungs as well. It also tore through Tony Stark's manually controlled repulsor beam.
"Die!!!"
A torrent of lightning descended from the sky.
Thor, with Mjolnir raised, was instantly slammed to the ground by Lothar, who had leaped up and stomped down on him!
Bang!
The concentrated divine power was shattered by Lothar's single stomp, and Thor was embedded into the stone floor of the rooftop in the blink of an eye!
"ROAR!!!"
Extreme anger ripped through Dr. Banner's clothes. The green giant, whose pants seemed eternally intact, roared at the sky, swinging his fists at Lothar's location!
"Power comparable to the Asgardian gods?"
"Does Midgard have humans like this?"
Lothar's eyes were calm.
The released Hulk was full of rage, but Lothar easily caught his fists.
Bang!
The fierce punch flew past Lothar's cheek, and the Hulk, whose rage was still mounting, made Lothar take half a step back for the first time.
"Your Highness Lothar, something's not right."
"His power is still increasing, it seems he's far from his limit!" Woz, who had given up on stealing The Other's job after being bribed with more machine oil and had been drinking it, sounded very serious.
"Interesting."
"He must be an exception on Midgard."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't be the only one here right now."
What started as an utterly boring intimidation tactic had now piqued Lothar's interest. The Hulk's power, which grew with his anger, fascinated Lothar.
"Woz is analyzing the cause. Please wait a moment, Your Highness Lothar."
Inside the wristband's storage space, Woz's honest, friendly face was all business.
"No need."
"He is just a green 'giant.'"
Lothar kicked the Hulk in the knee. The powerful force made the "child," whose only thought was anger, collapse to the ground, crying in pain.
"ROAR!!!"
Smack!
The roaring Hulk was instantly sent flying by a slap from Lothar, and the roar was cut short!
"Hulk... Hulk... hurts!! Roar!!!"
The Hulk, who had crashed through the rooftop wall, was frantically clawing at the window, his muscles bulging as his rage threatened to burst out. He was met with another slap to the right side of his face, making his eyes water with pain.
Smack!
"So that's it."
"No advanced combat intelligence, only the most primal fighting instincts."
The Hulk, who had just gotten up, hadn't had a chance to vent his rage when Lothar's demonic whisper came from behind him.
Smack!
The Hulk turned around and was met with another solid slap to the cheek.
Lothar, with one hand remaining idle and the other doing all the work, had instilled fear in the Hulk. For the first time since his birth, the Hulk was afraid. It was a complete and utter beatdown in both power and speed. The Hulk's instincts told him he was no match for this man.
"Come on."
Lothar turned sideways, raised his hand to the Hulk, and beckoned with his index finger, his expression full of contempt.
Bang!
The enraged Hulk slammed his fists into the ground, sending countless shards of stone flying!
"ROAR!!!"
After an incredibly sharp roar, the Hulk... disappeared. When the dust from the shattered rock cleared, all that remained was a shirtless Dr. Banner, looking at his hands, bewildered.
Tony Stark, who had just finished stemming the bleeding from Steve Rogers' wound, stared in shock. What the heck?! The invincible Hulk was slapped out of existence with a few hits?!
"Boring."
Lothar waved his hand dismissively, not even glancing at the scattered, injured people on the rooftop. He walked straight to the unconscious Thor. He bent down, clamped his hand around his throat, and pulled him out of the stone floor.
Boom!
Golden energy flared around Lothar's body. His blond hair and green eyes stunned everyone present.
"I'm giving you one last chance."
"I will not say the same thing a third time."
The surging energy and Lothar's expression grew more and more bloodthirsty.
"Get out here, Odin."
In the desolate cold wind, a crimson-gold spear, accompanied by a sigh, streaked across the sky.
"It's been a long time, Lothar."
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