At that moment, Tony Stark's heart was pounding with anxiety. The tension in the room felt unbearable. But strangely, as soon as Joseph began to speak, his voice seemed to carry an inexplicable calmness—an unseen magic that swept away all of Tony's frantic thoughts.
The chaos in Tony's mind faded.
Clarity returned.
He turned his gaze to Joseph and waited in silence, knowing that whatever came next would be important.
"You've taken control of almost everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D.," Joseph began calmly, "but here's what I don't understand—why did you intentionally let Nick Fury slip away? A man with no superpowers, long absent from the battlefield, nothing more than a seasoned strategist… why let him go?"
Loki's smirk froze on his face. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. It was clear he hadn't anticipated this line of questioning—especially not from a human under such stressful conditions.
"Don't say it was a careless mistake," Joseph continued, his voice cutting through the room like a scalpel.
His gaze locked onto Loki's, as if peering through his soul. "You're the so-called greatest magician in the Nine Realms, right? People can escape from many things… but you? You don't just miss someone like Nick Fury."
Loki opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Joseph didn't wait. "You had control of the Avengers. You could've sent them after him. You could've had S.H.I.E.L.D. sweep every corner of the Earth. But you didn't. Why?"
Tony leaned in, frowning. If it were the Loki he remembered—the impulsive, overconfident trickster—Joseph's suspicions might've seemed far-fetched. But the Loki standing before them now? This version had plotted a massive invasion, utilized the psychic scepter, and turned S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources inside out. He was cunning. Strategic. Calculated.
And that Loki… would never just let Nick Fury escape by accident.
"You let him go," Joseph declared.
Loki tried to brush it off with disdain. "He's just an ant," he muttered.
Joseph's eyes glinted. "Maybe that's what you tell yourself. Maybe you think Earthlings are beneath you. But deep down, I believe you let him go for a reason."
Tony's breath caught in his throat.
Joseph leaned forward slightly, voice steady but filled with purpose. "What if… what if you don't want this invasion to succeed?"
The words stunned everyone into silence.
"The Earth," Joseph continued, "is just a wild, remote planet in an insignificant star system. Why would someone like you—someone who dreams of ruling Asgard, commanding the Nine Realms—waste so much time and effort here?"
His voice dropped a notch, sharper now. "Unless you had no choice."
Loki's jaw clenched.
"Unless," Joseph said, "you're not the true leader of this invasion."
Tony's mind raced, pieces clicking into place with every word.
Joseph gestured toward the Chitauri army swarming the sky above. "Look at them. He's not even commanding this army. He's hiding inside a protective shield like a prisoner."
"Enough!!" Loki roared, smashing the glass in his hand.
The sharp crack echoed through the room. Tony flinched, but his eyes never left Loki.
Joseph didn't react to the outburst. "A real commander stands with his troops," he said coolly. "He leads from the front. But you? You hold a weapon that isn't yours, direct an army that doesn't belong to you, and hide behind a barrier."
He pointed at the scepter in Loki's hand. "You're not in control. You're just a pawn."
Loki was trembling with rage now, the façade of power cracking around him.
Joseph's voice remained calm, surgical in its precision. "The only reason you're working this hard is because you're afraid of what happens if you fail."
He paused, then added with quiet intensity: "Whoever sent you… must be terrifying."
Loki stood abruptly, his eyes wild.
"And now we arrive at an interesting question," Joseph mused aloud. "If your master is so powerful—so obsessed with Earth—why doesn't he come here himself? What's stopping him?"
He didn't expect an answer. The question was meant for Tony.
It was a hypothesis, an idea pieced together from Joseph's memories—both from this world and beyond. A theory that, if true, would change everything.
"Why send Loki as a vanguard?" Joseph continued. "Why use the Chitauri, a second-rate army from across the stars?"
Tony looked at him, puzzled.
Joseph nodded at the sky. "If you've read between the lines, you'd see it too. Loki is nothing more than a lead scout. The Chitauri? Cannon fodder. Disposable."
Tony's eyes widened. "Wait… then this invasion…?"
Joseph confirmed with a solemn nod. "A test. Nothing more."
He turned to Loki once again. "You knew that, didn't you? You're not here to win. You're here to gauge Earth's resistance."
Loki's lips pressed into a thin line, but his eyes betrayed him.
"Your master," Joseph pressed, "offered you something you couldn't refuse. Maybe he dangled power, or maybe he threatened your life. Either way, you accepted… but you never fully believed in the plan, did you?"
The tension in the room grew suffocating.
"And now that the war has begun, you're realizing the truth," Joseph said. "That the promises he made… will never be kept."
Loki's body shook with fury. His face contorted with a mix of shock and rage. He—Loki, the god of tricks—was being read like an open book by a mortal magician?
Impossible.
Unforgivable.
But he couldn't deny it.
Joseph took a slow step forward. "That's why you let Nick Fury go. You hoped… just maybe… he could stop you. That S.H.I.E.L.D. might pull off a miracle."
Tony was stunned. His world tilted under his feet. The mighty war that had shaken the planet… was just a move in someone else's game?
"So in your mind," Joseph went on, "it's better to be defeated by Earth than to fail your master and face his punishment. Once beaten, you'd be taken back to Asgard by your brother Thor. Captured, yes—but alive. Safe."
Joseph smiled grimly. "A good deal, if you ask me."
Tony turned to Loki, seeing the god in a new light. A pawn… a player in a bigger scheme. Just like them.
Joseph nodded slowly. "It all fits. The God of Tricks playing both sides, hoping to be defeated."
Loki's expression twisted.
"You..." he hissed through clenched teeth, but Joseph cut him off.
"And that brings us to the bigger picture."
His voice dropped lower.
"This entire invasion—these legions in the sky, your dramatic entrance, all of it—it's not about conquest. It's a signal."
Tony's heart dropped.
A signal?
"Yes, Tony," Joseph confirmed, reading the horror in his eyes. "This is how cosmic empires probe for weaknesses. How they find out what planets are worth taking—and which ones have teeth."
He turned back to Loki. "And in that game… you're just one of the pieces."
The magician's eyes gleamed, sharp as a blade.
"The universe is a chessboard, Mr. Loki," Joseph said, voice colder now. "And you're nothing but a pawn."
Loki's hands clenched at his sides. "What do you want, magician?!"
Joseph's tone changed—no longer just curious or accusatory.
But commanding.
"I want what your master fears," he said.
A long pause filled the air.
Joseph's eyes flashed.
"I want it to be our turn."
He raised his hand slightly, as if invoking an unseen force.
"If the enemy has moved their pieces, then now…"
He looked at the skyline lit with explosions and alien ships and declared:
"It's the Mutants' turn to move."
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[End of Chapter 96]
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