Stuttgart, Germany.
Due to the global time difference, it was still night there.
"Kneel——!"
Loki held his scepter, arms outstretched, looking down imperiously at the crowd outside the concert hall. Light shimmered around him, his Genjutsu making him appear in Asgardian gold and green attire.
"Or——die."
He pressed the scepter to the ground, unleashing a shockwave that sent the crowd reeling.
"I am Loki, god of mischief and lies, King of Asgard and Midgard, born with glorious purpose, while you are born to servitude, destined to be ruled by me..."
On the Quinjet, Black Widow watched Captain America jump out without a parachute, then glanced at Qingshui, who was spacing out.
"Aren't you going to help?"
"Let the ninety-year-old geezer stretch his legs first, I'll just cover the rear."
Qingshui tapped the watch on his wrist, and the Electrolight Puppet Armor materialized around him.
"Watt, I can hear you on the radio."
Captain America had just used his shield to save an elderly German man when he heard the disrespectful comment about seniors through his earpiece.
Qingshui had actually just been spacing out.
One of the two most valuable Infinity Stones, the Mind Stone, had already appeared.
If Loki still followed the original storyline, then the Mind Stone landing on Earth was a certainty. As long as he planned well afterward, there was a possibility of acquiring the Mind Stone.
Even if his individual influence wasn't enough to secure it, by bringing Stark into the fold and making some concessions to S.H.I.E.L.D., he could at least gain partial control over the Stone's use.
Once that door was open, if he wanted to put the item in his own pocket later, there would be room to maneuver.
Now, he needed to consider how to handle the Space Stone.
Currently, most people on Earth were unaware of the value of the scepter in Loki's hand, their attention entirely focused on the Tesseract.
After all, the latter had already demonstrated to humanity the power that could be obtained from it, while S.H.I.E.L.D. and other factions knew very little about the Mind Stone on the scepter.
There was still considerable room to manipulate the Mind Stone, but too many people were eyeing the Tesseract.
Not just factions on Earth, but also...
Qingshui extended a hand downwards.
Captain America had likely only recently thawed out, and his movements felt a bit stiff.
Loki, as a Frost Giant, possessed immense physical strength, and having endured numerous wars with Thor and others over millennia, his combat skills were far from lacking.
Not to mention, his Genjutsu and magic were not things Captain America was adept at countering.
While Captain America, relying on his incredibly sharp combat instincts and his shield, could frequently block Loki's attacks, continuing this way would only result in a forced stalemate.
Loki's Genjutsu was highly sophisticated, incredibly realistic, even replicating the aura and shadows of the original. However, Qingshui, with his Transparent World enhanced by high spiritual power, could barely see through it when concentrating fully.
Besides, he didn't intend to see through it.
"Captain, please take cover."
Qingshui reminded him over the radio, then manipulated the Electrolight Puppet Armor to fire several modified Concussion Grenades downwards.
These were non-lethal weapons, producing not only loud bangs and bright flashes but also shockwaves and infrasound. They were quite suitable for use in crowded areas—those Germans, far from being scared away by the commotion, were watching Captain America and Loki's fight from a distance as if it were a circus act.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
The massive explosions finally scared away the onlookers.
Steve Rogers used the shield strapped to his shoulder to block in front of him, half-crouching with his body turned sideways, covering his ears with both hands.
Loki's Genjutsu clones burst like bubbles, and his true body staggered, extending his scepter towards Qingshui.
Blue energy blasts collided with plasma pulse beams, exploding mid-air. Qingshui quickly swooped down, extending a longsword forged from Gold-Titanium Alloy from his right arm, and forming a single-handed seal with his left.
"Separation Release: Snake Lightning."
The air crackled as bright blue, high-temperature plasma, shaped like lightning, struck towards Loki, accompanied by a sword shadow resembling a hornless dragon.
Separation Release, as a combination of Wind Release and Lightning Release, could utilize most techniques from both. Snake Lightning was a relatively simple C-rank Ninjutsu from Lightning Release, with moderate power and a wide range. Most importantly, its wind-up was minimal.
With Qingshui's current mastery of Ninjutsu, even without related abilities, he could achieve near-instantaneous execution.
"I don't like things that look like lightning."
Loki's eyes darkened. He flipped his scepter and intended to deliver a close-range strike to Qingshui.
However, at that moment, a shield emblazoned with the Stars and Stripes flew in, accurately hitting Loki's knee and forcing him to one knee.
Qingshui easily delivered a hand cannon blast to Loki, and then held the Gold-Titanium Alloy longsword across Loki's face.
At the same time, a cacophony of heavy metal rock music blared.
"Stark, turn down your noise."
Qingshui shouted into the radio.
"Alright, looks like I'm a little late. You've already caught this... Sorry, what was this Bambi called again, rabbit?"
"Not a rabbit, it's Loki."
Captain America walked to Loki's side, retrieving his Vibranium Shield.
"Well, I guess old relics from seventy years ago lack a sense of humor."
A Gold-Titanium Alloy Iron Suit flew down from mid-air, its faceplate retracting.
"I don't think puns count as humor. In our military camps back then, we weren't allowed to make such jokes to avoid misjudgment among comrades on the battlefield. I imagine it's the same in military camps now."
The young, ninety-year-old man said with a straightforward expression.
"Alright, I guess there really is a huge generation gap between me and people your age."
Tony Stark put on an indifferent expression.
"Mortal, you will sooner or later suffer for offending the name of the great god Loki... Mmph!"
Loki, who was about to threaten Tony, had his mouth gagged with a cloth by Natasha and handcuffs slapped on.
"Mr. Great God, it's time to come with me to the jail cell for interrogation."
Natasha led Loki onto the Quinjet like she was leading a pet dog.
Qingshui, Captain America, and Tony followed close behind.
However, before the Quinjet could even fly out of Europe, lightning and thunder began to erupt in the sky.
Qingshui put away his Electrolight Puppet Armor and plopped down in a seat to the side. He didn't bother with Captain America and Tony bickering, nor did he intend to participate in Tony and Thor's fight.
"You're not going to help?"
Natasha, in the pilot's seat, asked Qingshui.
"A meaningless fight. Besides, we need someone to keep an eye on Loki, don't we?"
Qingshui played with the newly acquired scepter in one hand, while pointing with the other at Loki, who was leaning against a rock wall in the woods below.
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