Chapter 201: Loki
Luca has arrived.
At this moment, he slowly straightened his body.
A black battle suit enveloped his entire body, and a pair of red and blue eyes appeared particularly glaring in the dark.
"Goodness, Luca is here!" Seeing Luca, Frank immediately let out a sigh of relief.
Madame Gao widened her eyes in terror.
"You... Who are you?! How could you ignore the defensive magic array?!"
"Me?"
Luca chuckled and tilted his head.
"It seems you never watch the news, old hag."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Madame Gao felt a terrifying suction force erupting from Luca!
Clearly Luca didn't even move his hands, just standing there.
However, the dragon bone energy inside Madame Gao's body, which she relied on to maintain her centuries-long lifespan, was crazily devoured by Luca out of control!
"No! This is impossible! My power!"
Madame Gao screamed out.
At this moment, her already wrinkled face quickly shriveled and aged.
In just a few seconds, she turned into a mummified corpse and turned into a pile of flying ashes!
"This..."
Black Sky, who was fighting with Matt and Frank, seemed to have also felt that terrifying devouring power.
She also stopped attacking, her emotionless eyes staring fixedly at Luca.
After observing for a while, Black Sky let out a beast-like roar and pounced toward Luca!
"Elektra! No!"
Matt cried out in alarm, wanting to stop her.
Are you kidding?!
What level are you at? What level is Luca at?
An ant still wants to shake a tree?!
But Luca just slightly raised his hand and casually grabbed forward.
"Bang!"
Black Sky was slammed fiercely against the wall by the Biokinetic Field released by Luca from afar, unable to move.
Following closely, Luca's gaze fell upon the red-glowing dragon bone beneath the altar.
"Pure biokinetic energy... Although the quality is not as good as Hulk, the quantity is quite considerable."
Luca nodded with satisfaction.
Then he took a deep breath, and the battle suit instantly boiled.
Countless black tentacles extended from the battle suit and quickly pierced into the dragon bone!
"Bzz bzz bzz!!!"
Massive and ancient energy continuously poured into his body along the tentacles.
Luca closed his eyes and couldn't help but sigh softly.
He could feel that his cells were devouring this energy, and his body was once again ushering in a small-scale rise.
A few minutes later.
The dragon bone completely lost its light, turned into a pile of fossils, and then turned into powder in the breeze.
And Black Sky, who had been pinned to the wall by the Biokinetic Field, was not left behind; the energy inside her body was also sucked clean along the way.
Then, she gave a muffled groan and passed out.
The battle was over.
Luca retracted his tentacles and looked at the dumbfounded Matt and Frank.
"Good job, gentlemen."
"Although we encountered a small trouble, your action efficiency is very high."
"Starting today, Hells Kitchen's underworld officially belongs to Stark Industries. Leave the remnant party of these guys to Happy to clean up."
Matt first stepped forward to look at Elektra, and then looked at Luca with a complex expression.
"Luca... Did you just... suck dry their power?"
"You're welcome, Matt. I just happened to help you solve your ex-girlfriend's trouble."
Luca smiled and walked to Matt's side, patted the other's shoulder, and said in a low voice.
"Remember my words. Justice without power is just a pale slogan. Only by trampling the rules underfoot can you protect the people you want to protect."
Luca didn't say much more, leaving this sentence and then starting to arrange.
"Jarvis, send an engineering team over."
"Then clean up here and transform the underground tunnel into Stark Industries' underground experimental base."
"Okay, sir."
At the same time.
Near Times Square, New York.
On the flashing-lit street, traffic was bustling.
"Whoa! The buildings here are actually this tall! And this road surface... is it some kind of smooth material?"
At this moment, Thor was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, holding a half-eaten hot dog in his hand, looking around like a curious baby.
His eyes were filled with amazement.
Although Asgard's technology far exceeded Earth's, able to build the Bifrost spanning galaxies, and the buildings were also resplendent shrines.
But this was his first time walking in person in the modern city of Midgard.
The city of towering buildings and colorful nightlife gave him a completely different visual impact.
"Buddy, don't scream like a country bumpkin, it's very embarrassing."
Pietro was wearing trendy sportswear, walking beside Thor.
As he walked, he unhappily rolled his eyes.
Originally tonight he wanted to go to a nightclub to find a few pretty girls to discuss life.
As a result, Luca actually assigned him a task.
That was to bring Thor this silly blockhead out to experience human society.
"This is New York, one of the most developed cities in the world." Pietro explained impatiently.
"Here there are cotton machines and zero-dollar purchases, as well as those drivers who only know how to honk horns."
Thor swallowed the hot dog in two or three bites and burped contentedly.
"This food called hot dog tastes really good, although the meat inside is a little less. However, you Midgardians really know how to enjoy yourselves."
Speaking of this, Thor looked at Pietro excitedly.
"Hey, silver-haired kid. Since you call me brother."
"Then to express my gratitude, when I recover my divine power and return to Asgard, I will definitely invite you to visit Asgardian Palace!"
"I will let you taste the most delicious roasted wild boar in the Nine Realms, and the Asgardian Palace mead brewed with centuries-old immortal honey!"
Thor patted his chest and made a promise with grand heroism.
Pietro curled his lips upon hearing this.
"Come on, with your current pathetic look where you can't even pull out a hammer, and you still want to go back to Asgard? You'd better think about what to eat for breakfast tomorrow first."
Pietro pointed to a bar ahead.
"Let's go, Luca said, let me take you to taste the real man's drink on Earth."
The two pushed open the door of the bar and walked in.
Deafening music played in the bar, and men and women were twisting their bodies on the dance floor.
Pietro walked familiarly to the bar counter to order a glass of tequila, and then ordered a large mug of dark beer for Thor.
"Taste this."
Pietro pushed the mug of dark beer with a capacity of about one liter in front of Thor.
"This is a man's favorite on Earth, beer."
Thor curiously picked up the beer and smelled the foam.
"The taste is a bit light."
He muttered a sentence, and then raised his head.
"Gulp gulp gulp..."
In the shocked gazes of Pietro and the bartender, Thorpoured a whole mug of beer into his stomach like drinking water.
"Ha!"
Thor wiped the foam from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes lit up instantly.
"Refreshing! Although this drink is not strong enough, it has a unique wheat aroma and icy coolness when drinking! It's much more exciting than Asgardian Palace's fruit wine!"
Thor turned his head excitedly and looked at the bartender.
"Boss! Give me ten more cups of this drink called beer!"
"Give me a whole roasted sheep too!"
The bartender looked at Thor, and then at Pietro, looking as if he were looking at two madmen.
Pietro covered his face awkwardly and quickly pulled out the black card given by Luca and handed it over.
"Serve him wine, as much as he wants. There is no whole roasted sheep, give him ten hamburgers."
Pietro sighed.
"Running into such a big eater, I'm afraid this card will be maxed out tonight."
In the next hour.
Thor completely let himself go.
Glass after glass, he poured beer into his belly.
Although his divine power was stripped away, the Asgardian constitution still made his immunity to alcohol far exceed ordinary people.
Dozens of cups of beer went down, not only did he not get drunk, but the more he drank, the more spirited he became.
"Hahahaha! Cheers! For the fine wine of Midgard!"
Thor raised his glass, arm-in-arm with a few stout men who were conquered by his drinking capacity.
He also loudly sang Asgard's battle song, causing people around to cast sideways glances.
Pietro sat in the corner, rubbing his temples helplessly.
"Why on Earth does Luca want to take in this idiot? Even if he is Thor, this IQ is too touching, right?"
However.
Just when Pietro was complaining.
He didn't notice that in an alley across the street outside the bar.
A slender figure stood quietly in the dark.
That was a man wearing a dark green robe, and his eyes were full of coldness and cunning.
Loki.
Asgard's God of Mischief, Thor's younger brother.
He used illusion magic to descend to Earth silently.
At this time, Loki gazed coldly at Thor inside through the glass window of the bar.
"How pathetic, my good brother."
Loki sneered.
"The future king of Asgard, now acting like a clown making a show of oneself in a Midgard tavern."
"If Father saw you like this now, he would definitely be disappointed in you."
Thinking of this, Loki's eyes became more and more sarcastic.
"However, this is fine. Since you have fallen into a mortal, then you stay in this garbage dump forever."
"The throne of Asgard can only belong to me, Loki."
Loki slowly raised his hand, a touch of green light gathering at his fingertips.
He prepared to leave a profound surprise for this foolish brother before leaving.
Chapter 202: He's Playing You, Thor! (Two-in-one)
In the bar.
Deafening music resounded.
On the dance floor, red and blue lights flickered constantly.
Hitting the young men and women twisting their bodies, pushing the atmosphere to one climax after another.
Thor was currently dancing in the center of the dance floor, holding a giant mug of draft beer.
"Hahahaha! Satisfying! Although the wine in Midgard isn't strong enough, it has a unique taste!"
Thor laughed and tilted his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing rapidly.
Amidst the incredulous gazes of the surrounding burly men, he downed the large mug of beer in one go.
"Bang!"
Afterward, he slammed the glass heavily onto the bar counter.
"Ten more! Tonight, I will drink to my heart's content with all you warriors of Midgard!"
Thor waved his hand heroically, drawing enthusiastic cheers and whistles from the crowd around him.
Although he couldn't understand the slang these Midgardians were speaking, he enjoyed the atmosphere of being surrounded by the crowd and treated like a warrior.
It made him feel as if he had returned to the Asgardian Palace of Asgard, back to the days of drinking and reveling with his comrades after a great battle.
However, whenever he stopped to look at his hands, a flash of loneliness and pain would always cross his eyes.
He didn't know when he would be able to return to Asgard...
Meanwhile, in a dim booth in the bar.
Pietro lay on the sofa, legs crossed, bored out of his mind.
He held a glass of tequila in his hand, his brows knitted like a pretzel.
"Has this guy not had water for hundreds of years?"
Seeing Thor still crazily chugging beer, Pietro couldn't help but roll his eyes and mutter.
"Luca is enjoying beautiful women and good food every night, yet he sent me out to be a babysitter for this muscle-brained hobo? What kind of employee benefit is this, for fuck's sake?"
The more Pietro thought about it, the angrier he got, and he took a fierce bite of his french fries.
He had originally wanted to take advantage of tonight to pick up girls.
But as soon as he stood up, Thor would shout and look for him everywhere, causing the whole bar to stare at them.
"This is even more torturous than running in the lab."
Pietro sighed and began to scan the bar boredly.
Just then.
A subtle energy fluctuation suddenly caught Pietro's attention.
As a mutant with Super Speed, Pietro's neural reaction speed and perception of his surroundings were extremely powerful.
This energy fluctuation was very weak and silent.
"Hmm?"
Pietro sat up straight instantly, the laziness in his eyes swept away.
"This energy... it doesn't seem like magic, nor is it a technological weapon... It feels like some kind of mental interference?"
Thinking of this, Pietro's gaze quickly cut through the crowded dance floor, following the trajectory of the energy fluctuation, and locked onto a dark alley outside the bar.
"Interesting. Looks like I won't have to boredly watch this big oaf drink tonight."
Pietro was already excited.
So, he put down his glass and leaned forward slightly.
The next second.
Super Speed, activated!
From Pietro's perspective, time in the bar seemed to have frozen.
The music turned into a low hum.
The twisting crowd on the dance floor froze in funny poses.
The beer foam that had just spilled from the corner of Thor's mouth hung suspended in mid-air.
Pietro stood up, passed through the frozen crowd, pushed open the bar door, and walked onto the street.
Following the source of the energy, Pietro walked into an alley without streetlights.
Deep in the alley, a man wearing green robes stood quietly in the shadows.
Loki, the God of Mischief of Asgard.
At this moment, Loki was staring at the dead-drunk Thorinside the bar.
A ball of green light swirled around his fingertips.
"Foolish brother."
Loki smiled lightly, his eyes full of malice.
"Do you think that by being exiled to Midgard, you can live a carefree life?"
"No, I want you to experience what true despair is!"
"I want to make you make a fool of yourself in front of these lowly mortals, and I want to use illusions to make you see the tragic destruction of Asgard!"
"I want to completely destroy your will and let you rot in the quagmire of Midgard forever!"
While cursing in his heart, Loki prepared to release the gathered illusion magic.
However.
Just as the magic energy was about to leave his hand.
"Hey, Bambi! Hiding next to a trash can in the middle of the night to peek isn't a good habit."
A mocking young male voice suddenly sounded in Loki's ear.
The voice was right there, as if it had been spoken right against his ear!
"Who is it?!"
Loki was horrified.
As a top-tier mage, he was not only proficient in various illusion magic but also had very keen perception of his surroundings.
Yet, he hadn't noticed when or how this person had approached him!
So, Loki turned his head sharply.
He saw a teenager with silver hair appear in front of him.
The other party had his arms crossed, leaning against the brick wall less than a meter away, looking at him with a smirk.
What made Loki feel even more creeped out was that the teenager had somehow taken the magic short staff he had been using to cast the spell!
"Give it back to you."
Pietro casually threw the short staff at Loki's feet.
"Although I don't know what this stick of yours is for, the energy it emits is even more disgusting than that cotton machine of Fury's."
Pietro clapped his hands and raised an eyebrow at Loki.
"Tell me, what is your relationship with Thor inside? Why are you using such insidious means to plot against him from the shadows?"
After a brief shock.
Loki quickly reined in his panic, restoring the arrogance and indifference of a god.
He didn't know how the human in front of him had managed to evade his perception.
But he didn't think a mortal of Midgard could pose any threat to him.
"Lowly mortal, you dare to interrupt a god's spellcasting."
Loki straightened his back, his eyes full of condescending contempt.
"You have no idea who you are facing. I am the Prince of Asgard, Loki Odinson!"
"I command you, get out of my sight immediately, or I will make you taste the price of angering a god!"
"A god?"
Pietro paused for a moment, then clutched his stomach and laughed out loud.
"Hahaha! Goodness, what day is it today? Did they not lock the door of the mental hospital properly?"
"Thor claims to be the God of Thunder, and you claim to be a god?"
Pietro shook his head and gave Loki the middle finger.
"Listen, green-skirted pervert."
"In New York, on the Justice League's turf, no matter what kind of god you are, whether it's God or Jesus, you have to follow the rules here."
"Since you dare to make a move on the person I'm protecting, don't blame me for being impolite."
Pietro put away his smile, his gaze becoming sharp.
"The price of angering a god? I'd like to see it!"
Loki sneered, murderous intent bared in his eyes.
"Since you insist on seeking death, I will grant your wish."
Afterward, Loki waved his hands.
"Hum!"
Accompanied by strange magic fluctuations, Loki's figure instantly split into two, then into four.
Within just one second, a dozen identical Lokis appeared in the alley!
They surrounded Pietro, and each of them held a dagger gleaming with a cold light.
"Mortal, tremble in despair. You have no idea which one is my true form."
The dozen Lokis said in unison, their voices echoing in the narrow alley.
Seeing this, Pietro sighed helplessly.
"That's it?"
"I thought you had some world-destroying ultimate move. Turns out, it's just this kind of trick to fool children?"
"Honestly, your illusion magic is weak compared to my sister's!"
"Arrogant!"
Loki was enraged.
The dozen clones raised their daggers and stabbed fiercely toward Pietro in the center.
In Loki's view, this mortal would soon be stabbed into a sieve by him.
However.
Pietro had already moved.
"Boom!"
A dull sonic boom exploded in the alley.
In Loki's line of sight, Pietro disappeared instantly!
Wait, not disappeared.
It should be that his speed was too fast for his eyes to capture!
The next second.
A violent hurricane swept up in the alley!
Pietro pushed his speed to the limit.
Turning into a streak of silver lightning, he ran around in circles crazily in the alley!
One lap! Ten laps! One hundred laps!
In just two seconds, Pietro ran thousands of laps in the alley!
High-speed movement brought powerful kinetic energy and air pressure changes.
The air in the alley was instantly evacuated, forming a small tornado!
"This... what is this speed?!"
Loki was blown by this violent hurricane, unable to even stand steady.
His clones also dissipated one after another!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The illusions shattered one after another.
AI Model: gemini-3.5-flash-lite
In less than five seconds, out of a dozen or so Lokis, only the last one remained.
Loki's true body pressed panic-stricken against the wall, his hands gripping the bricks tightly so he barely avoided being blown away by the hurricane.
At this moment, his meticulously combed black hair had been blown into a bird's nest, and his robes had become crumpled.
There was not a shred of the Asgard prince's elegance and nobility left.
"Found you, little magician."
The hurricane stopped abruptly.
Pietro's figure instantly appeared in front of Loki.
The distance between the two was close at hand.
"In the face of Super Speed, your illusions aren't worth a damn."
Before his voice fell.
Pietro swung his right fist, carrying the kinetic energy generated by Super Speed, and smashed it fiercely onto his face.
"Bang!!!"
Loki didn't even have time to scream as he was sent flying backward directly.
"Boom!"
Loki crashed heavily into a large dumpster at the end of the alley.
The huge impact directly dented the dumpster.
He slid off the dumpster, collapsing limply onto the wastewater-filled ground.
"Cough cough..."
Loki covered his face in pain, coughing violently.
At this moment, he felt that his nasal bone must be broken, and his mouth was full of the taste of blood.
The formidable physique of an Asgardian kept him from passing out on the spot.
But the humiliation and shock brought by this punch made him close to collapse.
"You... What kind of monster are you..."
Loki struggled to raise his head, looking unwillingly at Pietro as he walked over step by step.
Unacceptable!
Completely unacceptable!!
He was a god! The smartest mage in Asgard!
And now, he was actually beaten to the point of having no power to fight back by a mortal from Midgard!
"Monster? That word doesn't suit me."
Pietro squatted down and patted Loki's mud-stained face.
"If you had seen Luka, you would know what a real monster is."
"Compared to him, I'm not even a warm-up mob."
Pietro stood up and shook off the wastewater with disgust.
"Alright, the magic show is over. Now, come with me to see your silly brother."
Right at that moment.
Outside the alley, stumbling footsteps suddenly came.
"Pietro! My good brother! Where did you run off to? Hiccup..."
Thor staggered into the alley.
With a goofy smile on his face, he had clearly drunk happily and run out to find Pietro to continue drinking.
However, Thor saw the disheveled Loki.
Then, the empty wine bottle in his hand dropped to the ground with a snap.
"Lo... Loki?!"
Thor shuddered all over, his drunken brain sobering up by more than half instantly.
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, rushed over in big strides, and pulled the fallen Loki up from the ground in one go.
"Loki! My brother! Why are you here?!"
Seeing Loki's swollen cheeks and the blood at the corner of his mouth, Thor's eyes were filled with anxiety and heartache.
Feeling he understood something, he turned his head and glared fiercely at Pietro.
"Did you do this?! Why did you hurt my brother?!"
Facing Thor's questioning, Pietro spread his hands innocently.
"Hey hey hey, big guy, get the situation straight, will you?"
"It was this guy who was hiding in the dark just now, trying to ambush you with those green magic tricks! I was just protecting you and taught him a lesson along the way."
Pietro pointed at Loki with a look of disdain.
"This guy is extremely malicious; you'd better watch out."
Hearing Pietro's words, Thor froze.
He turned his head and looked at Loki in his arms.
"Loki... Is what he said true? Why did you try to ambush me?"
Loki leaned in Thor's arms, his eyes flashing a few times.
As the God of Mischief, how could he possibly admit to his conspiracy at this time?
Then, his brain raced, and a scheme instantly came to mind.
Loki put on a weak and sorrowful look, his eye sockets turning red, and grabbed Thor's arm.
"Brother... I didn't try to ambush you. I just wanted to come and see you..."
Loki's words carried a crying tone, paired with a miserable appearance that would break the heart of anyone who heard it and bring tears to anyone who saw it.
"I went through all sorts of hardships to come to Midgard, just to tell you some unfortunate news."
"Father... To punish you, Father consumed too much divine power. He has... already fallen into the endless Odinsleep and can never wake up again!"
"What?!"
Thor was struck as if by lightning, freezing in place entirely.
"Father... No, this is impossible! Father is the God King of the Nine Realms, how could he..."
Thor hugged his head in agony, tears streaming from his eyes.
Seeing the collapsing Thor, Loki sneered inwardly.
Following that, he continued to deal a blow with a sorrowful tone.
"It's true, Brother."
"Now Asgard has lost its king, and everything is in chaos everywhere. Laufey and the Frost Giants are gathering an army, preparing to invade Asgardian Palace at any time."
Loki grabbed Thor's hand tightly, his tone full of concern and helplessness.
"You cannot go back, Brother."
"Before falling into slumber, Father issued a final command."
"That is, if you dare to step foot into Asgard, you will be regarded as a traitor and executed directly."
"For your safety, to preserve Odin's bloodline... you must stay in Midgard forever and never return."
After hearing Loki's words, Thor fell into complete despair.
In despair, he knelt down onto the wastewater-filled ground and pounded it in agony.
"I harmed Father! I harmed Asgard!"
On the side, Pietro's mouth twitched.
He was about to be driven to tears of stupidity by these two brothers' IQ.
"I say, big guy, did drinking fake wine break your brain?"
Pietro really couldn't bear to watch anymore and mercilessly mocked.
"This guy just tried to stab me with a dagger a moment ago, and in the blink of an eye, he's crying so aggrievedly in your arms."
"Can't you tell he's acting?"
"Squeezing out tears is harder than when I'm constipated!"
"I can tell at a glance he wants to use lies to trick you into staying on Earth as a good-for-nothing, so he can go back and be the king of Asgard."
Pietro rolled his eyes and pointed at Loki's nose.
"This guy is even more black-hearted than Luka!"
Having his scheme exposed in one word by Pietro, a trace of panic and malice flashed in Loki's eyes.
But he reacted extremely quickly, immediately putting on an even weaker and more aggrieved appearance and tightly hugging Thor.
"Brother... He is driving a wedge between our relationship!"
"Could it be that you'd rather believe a Midgardian who beat me up than your brother of over a thousand years?"
Thor raised his head, his face full of tears.
He looked at the mocking Pietro, then looked at the dying Loki in his arms.
Smart as he was, he immediately made a judgment.
"Enough! You are not allowed to insult my brother!"
Thor roared at Pietro.
"Although Loki occasionally plays some pranks, he would never joke about Father's life! And he would never deceive me!"
Thor stood up, shielding Loki behind him, blocking in front of Pietro like an iron tower.
"Midgardian, you hurt my brother."
"Considering you bought me a drink, I won't hold it against you today."
"But if you dare to step forward one more step, I swear, I will defeat you!"
Seeing this scene.
Pietro was completely speechless.
"Good grief, I finally know why Luka calls you a blonde dummy. Your head isn't filled with muscles, it's all Water!"
Pietro shook his head helplessly, too lazy to talk nonsense with this guy whose IQ was offline anymore.
He pulled a miniature communicator from his pocket and pressed the call button.
"Hello? Is this Jarvis? Put me through to Luka."
A few seconds later, Luka's dissatisfied voice came from the communicator.
"Pietro, you better have something very important."
"If it's because you failed to chat up a girl at a bar and got splashed with drinks, and you need me to reimburse your dry cleaning bill, I'll throw you into the sea to feed the sharks tomorrow."
Pietro first glanced at the battle-ready Thor brothers, then laughed gloatingly.
"Boss, no girl-chasing. I ran into something fun over here."
Pietro raised his volume to make sure both Thor and Lokicould hear.
"I caught a Bambi here who claims to be an Asgard god, wears a green skirt, and can do magic tricks."
"Oh right, he also coincidentally fooled Thor around with a few clumsy lies."
"So, do you want to come over and see this good show in person? By the way, teach them what true sophistication is?"
Chapter 203: Such a Weak God
Streetlights cast several swaying shadows on the puddle-covered road.
Trash cans emitted a foul odor, and a few stray cats, startled by the commotion just now, scrambled up the wall and peered down from the darkness.
In the middle of the alley.
Thor knelt in the muddy water on both knees like a helpless child.
At this moment, he was carefully supporting Loki.
Loki looked utterly miserable at this time.
He leaned weakly against Thor's chest, his breathing faint and intermittent, as if he might take his last breath at any second.
"Brother..."
Loki's voice was faint, carrying a deep sense of sorrow and attachment.
"I can't go on... I have reached the end of my life. But before I die, being able to look at you one more time, I... I can die without regrets."
"No! Loki! You cannot die!"
Thor hugged his younger brother tightly, his eye sockets red, and huge teardrops kept rolling down.
"You will be fine! I will take you to find the best physician in Midgard right away! You must hold on!"
Thor was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
He turned his head and looked at Pietro standing a few meters away.
"You cruel mortal!"
"If my brother dies here today, I swear to the Allfather, I will tear you into pieces and banish your soul to Helheim forever!"
Facing Thor's fierce gaze and furious roar,
Pietro rolled his eyes.
"God, what kind of top-tier family melodrama is this?"
"Is this guy's head filled entirely with fermented beer?"
"That guy was clearly full of vigor just now, casting clone magic to try to kill me, and I just gently punched him."
"I swear, I didn't even use one-third of my speed!"
"With that kind of strength, even Hulk couldn't be beaten, how could it beat him to the verge of death?"
Seeing Loki's half-dead, miserable appearance and Thor's grief-stricken look,
Pietro felt like he was about to be angered to the point of laughter by this pair of brothers.
"I say, Thor."
"Can you use some brainpower?"
"If your brother went to Hollywood to play an extra with this acting skill, people would find it too exaggerated. And when he was hiding in the dark plotting against you just now, he was much more energetic than he is now."
"Shut up! You are not allowed to insult him!" Thor roared out.
Pietro shrugged, completely giving up the thought of reasoning with Thor.
"Fine, believe it or not."
"Anyway, I've already called Luca. When he comes, let's see how he deals with you two freaks."
The very moment Pietro finished speaking,
"Whoosh!!"
A slight sound of breaking through the air suddenly came from the sky.
Pietro caught this sound.
Then his tensed nerves instantly relaxed, revealing a smile of watching a good show.
The next second.
A slender and upright figure steadily landed at the entrance of the alley.
At this moment, Luca had one hand in his pocket, and was holding a cup of coffee in the other.
"Yo, it seems I missed quite a good show."
Luca leisurely took a sip of coffee, swept his gaze around, and finally landed on Thor and Loki hugging and weeping.
"Luca, you've finally come."
Seeing Luca, Pietro immediately went up to him.
"If you didn't come, Thor would flood this street with his tears."
"He insists that I punched his younger brother to death and wants to tear me into pieces."
Luca smiled slightly and ignored Pietro's complaint.
Then, his gaze turned towards Loki, who was closing his eyes and pretending to be dead.
In Luca's perception, the world had no secrets.
He could clearly hear that the guy in Thor's arms had a very strong and steady heartbeat.
About seventy beats per minute, completely the normal heart rate of a healthy adult.
He could see that although this guy's eyes were tightly closed, his eyeballs were moving rapidly and restlessly.
He could perceive even more that although this guy seemed relaxed, he was actually in a state of tension.
Most crucially, Luca felt a cold and cunning energy fluctuation from this person.
This energy was completely different from Thor's straightforward kind.
"Critically injured and near death? Heh, this acting skill couldn't even fool an Agent."
Luca sneered, instantly setting the tone for this farce.
Then, he walked to Thor's side.
"Thor, my friend."
He bent down slightly and gently patted Thor's slightly trembling shoulder.
"You look very sad. Is this your family member?"
Hearing this familiar and gentle voice, Thor raised his head, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Luca... my friend. Why are you here?"
Thor's voice was hoarse, like a child who had suffered all kinds of grievances.
"You've come just in time. Isn't Midgard's medical science quite advanced? Quickly save my younger brother Loki! He's not going to make it!"
Thor grabbed Luca's wrist tightly and pleaded.
"As long as you can save him, I am willing to do anything for you!"
Hearing Thor's words, the pretending-to-be-dead Lokicouldn't help but sneer inwardly.
"Stupid Thor, not only is his head full of muscles, but now he actually pins his hopes on a lowly Midgardian."
"It is truly pathetic to the extreme."
Loki prepared to keep up the act.
When Thor's sorrow and despair reached their peak, he would suddenly burst out and give the opponent a fatal blow, completely destroying his spirit.
However,
Luca instead grabbed Thor's wrist in reverse and pressed down the other's hand.
"Thor, I sympathize with your encounter."
"However, as the boss of Stark Industries, I must tell you a cruel fact."
Luca straightened his body, looking down at Thor, his tone suddenly becoming extremely calm.
"In this world, never waste your sorrow on a liar who tries to cheat money out of your pocket or stab you in the back."
Thor was stunned.
He blankly looked at Luca, completely not understanding what this sentence meant.
"You... what are you talking about, Luca?"
Luca did not directly answer Thor, but instead turned his gaze to Loki.
"Stop pretending, Bambi."
"As the head of a multinational conglomerate with a market value of tens of trillions of dollars, every day I have to face hundreds of liars trying to cheat investments out of my pocket with all sorts of sweet-talking words."
"I can tell you very responsibly that your little trick, in my eyes, doesn't even count as a failing grade."
Luca pointed at Loki's chest.
"The dying younger brother in your arms has a heartbeat steadier than mine, and his muscles are tensed enough to give you a knife at any moment."
"The blood circulation speed in his body is completely normal, and even the frequency of his breathing is deliberately controlled."
"Therefore, he was not seriously injured at all; he is simply exploiting your emotions and treating you as a fool who can be played with at will."
These words were like a thunderclap on a flat ground.
"What?!"
Thor widened his eyes, abruptly lowered his head, and stared fixedly at Loki.
"Loki... is what he said true? You are lying to me?!"
Thor trembled, his eyes full of disbelief and heartbreak.
He couldn't believe that the younger brother he grew up with since childhood would actually use despicable means to deceive his emotions!
At this moment, Loki could no longer keep up the act.
Anger instantly occupied his brain.
He, the smartest god of Asgard, the greatest God of Mischief in the Nine Realms!
Was actually exposed of his tricks by a Midgardian mortal right in front of the brother he hated the most!
This was a trampling on his intelligence and dignity!
"Enough!!!"
Loki abruptly opened his eyes, pushed Thor away, and leaped up from the mud filled with sewage.
"You lowly and arrogant ant!"
"How dare you speak to a god in such a tone! How dare you use your pitiful wisdom to conjecture the great power of a god!"
Hum!
Accompanied by Loki's roar, he waved his hands along.
Two daggers flashing with dim green cold light instantly appeared in his hands.
"I am Loki! Prince of Asgard! Future King of the Nine Realms!"
"Since you insist on courting death, I will use your blood to wash away your blasphemy against the gods!"
Before his voice fell,
Loki transformed into a green afterimage, wielding the daggers straight for Luca's throat!
"Watch out!"
Pietro in the rear exclaimed.
Although he knew Luca was a freak, Loki was an Asgardian after all.
This sudden strike indeed looked very dangerous.
However,
Luca still stood quietly in place, his expression calm.
Must have to say, he admired the other's courage.
Loki was getting closer and closer, but Luca just slightly tilted to the left to avoid the blade.
Right after that,
In the terrified gazes of Pietro and Thor,
Luca's right hand reached out like lightning.
"Clap!"
A crisp sound.
Luca grabbed Loki's right foot, which was raised due to his forward rush.
Loki's charging movement froze mid-air.
He widened his eyes, not yet reacting to what had happened.
"A god?"
Luca smiled slightly.
"In my territory, there are no gods."
"There are only rules."
The moment the voice fell,
Luca exerted force instantly.
"Get down here!"
Luca let out a low shout.
Then, he swung Loki in a semicircle in mid-air.
Then fiercely smashed him toward the road surface!
"Bang!!!"
Loki's face had an intimate contact with the ground solidly.
The road surface was instantly smashed into a crater.
Gravel splashed, and smoke and dust rose everywhere.
"Ughah!"
Loki let out a miserable scream, feeling like his internal organs had shifted places.
However, this was only the beginning.
Luca didn't give Loki a chance to breathe, transforming into an emotionless pile driver.
Grabbing Loki's ankle, he pulled him out of the pit,
Turned around,
Backhanded,
And smashed him fiercely toward the ground on the left side again!
"Bang!!!"
Another large crater.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In the next five seconds,
Luca held Loki, smashing him left and right, crazily back and forth!
Every single smash was accompanied by a deafening roar and the sound of the ground shattering.
After smashing more than a dozen times,
Luca finally stopped.
He casually tossed, throwing Loki, who was no longer in human shape, into the corner a few meters away.
"Clatter."
Loki collapsed limply on the ground.
His robe was filthy, covered in muddy water and blood.
His face was covered in bruises and abrasions everywhere, along with a dumbfounded expression.
Dead silence filled the scene.
Pietro was already dumbfounded watching.
Then swallowing a mouthful of saliva, he couldn't help taking two steps back, pressing tightly against the wall.
"Fuck... this is fucking too brutal..."
"I take back what I said before. Luca is really too gentle to me usually."
And Thor on the side was also extremely dumbfounded.
Luca could actually swing around and beat Loki, who was an Asgardian prince?!
Th-Th-This... then would he also...?
Luca straightened his slightly messy collar.
Then, he disgustedly patted the dust off his hands.
Following that, he shook his head, leaving behind a sentence that Loki would never forget for the rest of his life.
"Such a weak god."
This sentence pierced through Loki's remaining self-esteem.
Such a weak god...
Such a weak god...
Loki looked blankly at the sky with lifeless eyes, his heart as dead as ashes.
He, the prince of Asgard, the God of Mischief.
But today, he didn't even have the qualification to resist in front of a Midgardian mortal.
magic, noble bloodline, all turned into a pathetic joke.
Humiliation and unwillingness submerged Loki's reason.
He knew that if he continued to stay here, this guy would really kill him.
"I... I will remember you... mortal..."
Loki bit the tip of his tongue, forcibly squeezing dry the remaining magical energy in his body.
"Hum!"
A dazzling green light instantly enveloped his entire body.
Right after,
With a whoosh,
Loki fled like a stray dog from this alley he would never forget for the rest of his life.
The speed was so fast that even Pietro didn't react in time.
"Boss! He ran away!"
Pietro shouted after reacting, just wanting to activate Super Speed to chase.
"Don't chase."
Luca raised his hand and stopped Pietro.
Why not chase?
Because there was no need.
Kill Loki? That was the most foolish approach.
If he killed his younger brother right in front of Thor now, even if Loki was a liar, Thor would fall out with him due to blood ties.
This was the crown prince of Asgard!
It was a fat sheep that could lay golden eggs!
Keeping Loki alive and making Thor feel grateful to him was the correct choice.
And...
A flash of shrewd light passed through Luca's eyes.
When he was grabbing Loki just now, he had already clearly remembered that special energy frequency inside Loki's body.
"magic circuits of space folding and illusion construction..."
Luca secretly calculated.
"Tony is worried that the nano armor has no breakthrough point. The data collected now is enough to study for a good while."
I wonder how Tony is learning, and whether he has become the Sorcerer Supreme.
Luca put away his thoughts, turned around, and put on a gentle expression.
Then he walked to Thor, who was still in shock and confusion.
"Thor, my friend."
Luca patted Thor's shoulder and comforted him.
"Don't be sad."
"Your younger brother may have received some bad influences during his growth process."
"Every family has a scripture that is hard to recite; this kind of thing is also very common on Earth."
Hearing this, Thor raised his head.
Having experienced the anger of being deceived by his younger brother, Thor at this moment was very confused.
Therefore, looking at Luca right now, he was like looking at an older brother he could rely on.
"Luca... thank you."
"If it weren't for you, I might still be deceived by Loki."
"And you not only didn't punish him, but also let him leave... Thank you, you really are a good person."
A good person?
Hearing this word, Pietro almost choked to death on his own saliva.
Fuck!!
Does Thor have some misunderstanding of the word good person?
Where does a guy who was just tossing people around look like a good person?!
Luca smiled and nodded, unceremoniously accepting the good person card.
"The doors of the Justice League are always open for you, my friend."
Luca put his arm around Thor's shoulder and led him out of the alley.
"Let's go, the air here is too bad."
"I'll take you to drink the best wine in the world."
"By the way, let's talk about your work arrangement on Earth next."
"Since you can't go home now, you have to find a job to support yourself, right?"
Thor nodded repeatedly, moved.
"Luca, you are truly the most generous person I have ever met! As long as you can help me regain my divine power, I am willing to do anything for you!"
"Then it's a deal."
Chapter 204 Tesseract (Two-in-One)
On the outskirts of New York, a barren abandoned industrial area.
The cold night wind mixed with a few raindrops mercilessly beat against the wall.
"Bang!"
Accompanied by the collision, a figure fell from mid-air.
Heavily smashing onto the water-logged ground.
Without a doubt, this was Loki.
This second prince of Asgard fancied himself the smartest God of Mischief in the Nine Realms.
At this moment, however, he lay prone in a dirty puddle, panting violently.
His handsome face was swollen high, and fresh blood constantly overflowed from the corners of his mouth and nostrils.
His whole body ached, and even breathing brought a heart-rending, excruciating pain.
"Damn it... Damn mortal..."
Loki gritted his teeth and tremblingly tried to prop up his body.
But only halfway up, his arms softened, and he smashed hard back into the muddy water.
Helpless, he could only gasp for breath heavily, his eyes filled with undisguisable fear.
Everything that had just happened was like an inescapable nightmare, constantly replaying in his mind.
Luka!!
Loki could never forget the look the other party gave him.
That was an all-defying indifference.
It was as if he was just a mortal in front of him who could be easily pinched to death.
"Gods? In my territory, there are no gods, only rules."
This sentence lingered in Loki's ears like the whisper of a nightmare.
Immediately following that was a brutal beating too painful to recall.
At that time, he didn't even have time to cast magic, and was firmly grabbed.
Then he was swung around and smashed wildly!
One, two, ten...
Damn it!
That wasn't a battle at all; that was humiliation!
Loki had lived in Asgard for over a thousand years and had never seen such a person.
This was only the second time he had seen someone as powerful as Thor.
"Impossible... How could Midgard nurture such a monster..."
Loki leaned against a broken pillar, his body twitching involuntarily.
His dignity and everything had been trampled upon by the other party.
"I can't just let this go..."
Thinking it over and over, Loki felt he couldn't swallow this anger.
"I will never admit that I lost to a lowly Earthling! I want revenge! I want to make him kneel at my feet and watch this city turn to ashes!"
But thinking was one thing, and Loki was also very clear.
In his current state, if he went to provoke the other party again, the outcome would definitely be being torn to pieces.
He must find a more powerful force, a force sufficient to destroy the other party!
Just at this moment.
Loki suddenly captured a faint yet extremely vast spatial energy fluctuation.
This energy fluctuation was hidden very deeply, seemingly shielded in layers.
But this still couldn't escape Loki's keen sense for magicenergy.
"This is... the aura of the Space Stone?"
Loki joyfully raised his head and looked into the distance.
At this moment, his heart beat violently.
The Space Stone!
Father's Space Stone was actually on Earth!!
"Truly, heaven leaves no dead end... Hhahahaha!"
Thinking of this, Loki chuckled somewhat frantically.
"As long as I get the Tesseract, I can open the space portal!"
"At that time, I will no longer need to do it myself; I can directly summon an invincible army! I want the wrath of Asgard to descend upon this damned planet!"
Thinking of this, Loki's fear was replaced by ambition.
He didn't know whose territory the location of the spatial energy was, nor did he care.
"I can't beat Luka, but surely I can't even deal with a few mortals?"
Loki chuckled lightly.
Then he bit the tip of his tongue, squeezing out his remaining magic energy, transforming into a ball of green light.
With a swish.
His figure disappeared in the unfinished building, galloping toward the source of that vast energy.
...
At the same time.
A base dozens of kilometers away from Loki.
This was the most confidential facility of S.H.I.E.L.D..
The Project Pegasus research base.
This base was entirely reinforced with special materials around it.
It was originally a safety zone established to study the Tesseract.
But at this moment, the atmosphere here was very oppressive.
"Bang!"
Nick Fury kicked open the door of the monitoring room and strode in.
At this moment, his eye sockets were sunken, and although he was burning with anger, exhaustion could not be concealed.
"Director!"
In the monitoring room, several senior Agent in charge of base security immediately stood at attention and saluted.
Among them, standing at the very front was a man carrying a black compound bow, with eyes as sharp as an eagle.
This was Clint Barton, codename Hawkeye.
Fury ignored their salute and rushed straight to the main console, staring at the flashing alarms on the screen.
"How is the situation in Washington?"
Following closely behind Fury, the equally disheveled Coulson reported helplessly.
"Director... The headquarters has completely fallen."
Coulson sighed.
"Pierce has made a move."
"He mobilized the armed forces hidden around Washington."
"More than half of our quick-reaction special forces suddenly defected. Those Agent loyal to you... suffered heavy casualties."
"The Triskelion is now completely under the control of Hydra."
Hearing this report, Fury furrowed his brows even deeper.
"Motherf*cker..."
In the end, Fury gritted his teeth and squeezed out these words.
He never expected that Hydra's infiltration had reached such a frantic level!
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s massive intelligence empire actually disintegrated in a short period of time!
And the fuse for all this was because of Luka's warning!
Obviously, Fury had gone out of his mind.
"Damn Stark! Damn capitalist!"
Fury cursed wildly in his heart.
"If that bastard hadn't clarified the truth and forced me to carry out a massive purge overnight, how could Pierce be driven to desperation?!"
"If fully prepared, how could I have lost so miserably!"
Fury felt really aggrieved.
He felt like a clown manipulated at will by Luka.
The other party didn't even make a move personally; just a light sentence made S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra fall into infighting.
While Stark Industries was steadily making big money and enjoying the worship of the world!
"Director, what should we do now? Hydra's people will trace it here soon."
Barton asked in a deep voice, his hand already resting on the quiver behind his back.
"What to do?"
Fury raised his head, a flash of madness passing through his eyes.
"Since they want to play, let's play big!"
"Play big?"
"That's right."
Having said that, Fury turned around and strode toward the laboratory deep inside the base.
"All security personnel, enter Level 1 combat readiness! Seal all entrances and exits of the base! Not even a single fly is allowed in!"
Fury walked while loudly issuing orders.
"Coulson! Immediately activate the highest authority of the laboratory! Prepare to forcibly extract the energy of the energy body!"
Coulson turned pale with fright and quickly chased after him.
"Director! This is too dangerous! The energy body is still unstable!"
"Our current technology simply cannot safely control it! Forcible extraction is very likely to trigger uncontrollable consequences."
"I know!"
Fury stopped in his tracks, staring fixedly at Coulson.
"But I have no choice, Coulson! Do you understand? I have no choice!"
"The headquarters is gone! There are less than a hundred usable Agent in hand!"
"Facing Pierce's army, and Luka far away in New York, what do we use to counterbalance them?!"
Coulson wanted to say something, but remained speechless.
"This is our last chance! As long as it can be weaponized, as long as we can master infinite energy, S.H.I.E.L.D. can reshuffle!"
"Now, go execute the order!"
Coulson looked at Fury's paranoid gaze, knowing that persuading him further was useless.
Therefore, he could only grit his teeth and turn to run toward the console.
However.
Just at the instant before Coulson's finger was about to press the start button.
"Hum!!!"
The base suddenly shook violently!
The piercing alarm instantly resounded through every corner, and the emergency lights flashed incessantly.
"What's going on?!"
Fury drew his pistol and shouted loudly.
"Director! Energy readings are skyrocketing! The spatial index has broken the safety threshold!" a researcher shouted in terror.
"Bang!!!"
The laboratory door was suddenly blasted open from the inside!
The door panel flew out like a cannonball, smashing heavily against the wall of the monitoring room.
Accompanied by dazzling blue strong light.
A man wearing green robes and with an extremely arrogant look walked out.
This person was also holding a dagger flashing with green light in his hand,
This was precisely Loki, who had teleported in following the spatial energy fluctuations.
Seeing the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel facing a formidable enemy, Loki smiled contemptuously.
"It seems that the ants of Midgard are also very interested in the treasures of the gods."
Loki's words echoed in the base.
Having just taken a bellyful of anger from Luka, he now needed a place to vent his wrath as a god.
"Who are you?! Stay right there and don't move!"
Fury raised his gun and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"Bang bang bang!"
Three bullets shot toward Loki's chest and head.
But he only smiled contemptuously.
"Clang clang clang!"
The bullets hit Loki's body, making a clanging sound, and then fell weakly to the ground.
The physical density of Asgardians far exceeded that of Earthlings, and ordinary weapons were not even enough to scratch an itch for them.
"Just these pieces of scrap metal want to harm a god?"
Loki sneered, his figure instantly transforming into several green afterimages.
"Fire! Everyone open fire!"
Fury turned pale with shock and immediately gave the attack order.
Dozens of Agent in the base simultaneously pulled the triggers.
Tongues of flame instantly illuminated the hall, and dense bullets poured toward Loki.
But all of this was in vain.
Although Loki had no power to fight back in front of Luka.
But in front of ordinary people, he was still that God of Mischief proficient in magic and assassination.
Therefore, at this moment he shuttled through the rain of bullets like a ghost.
"Puchi!"
Loki appeared behind an Agent.
The dagger mercilessly slashed open the other party's throat.
"Ah!"
Screams rang out one after another.
The reason Loki didn't use large-scale destructive magicwas simply because his own magic power was now left with very little.
But relying on physical fitness far surpassing ordinary people, he still whipped up a slaughter among the crowd.
"Bang!"
With a kick, he sent an Agent flying, the huge force directly smashing that person against the wall, shattering all bones.
"Too weak! The people of Midgard are truly too weak!"
"I can't beat Luka, but surely I can't even kill trash like you?!"
Loki's frantic laughter made S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Agent feel chilled to the bone.
"Hawkeye! Stop him!"
Fury shouted loudly while retreating.
Clint, standing at the high place, had long since drawn his bow and notched an arrow.
His gaze was as sharp as a falcon, quickly locking onto Lokimoving rapidly among the crowd.
"Swish!"
An explosive arrow left the string, accurately shooting toward the other party's back.
Loki sensed the sound of breaking air behind him.
But he merely extended two fingers to steadily pinch the rapidly approaching arrow.
"Good eyesight, but too slow." Loki looked at Hawkeyetauntingly.
However, Hawkeye sneered.
"Boom!"
The arrow pinched between Loki's fingertips suddenly exploded!
The strong Shockwave and firelight instantly engulfed Loki.
"Well done, Barton!" Fury shouted.
But.
The smoke dispersed.
The other party was still standing in place, completely unharmed!
"You have successfully angered me."
Loki's gaze completely turned cold.
Seeing him suddenly wave his hand.
Several magic light blades broke through the air, directly cutting off the steel pillars supporting the high platform.
"Rumble!"
The high platform collapsed, and Hawkeye fell from the high place.
Although he reacted extremely quickly to hook the railing next to him with his bow and arrow, he was still shaken to spit out a mouthful of fresh blood.
"I won't play with you anymore."
Loki snorted coldly, turned around, and strode into the laboratory.
A few seconds later, he walked out using magic to support the Tesseract emitting dazzling blue light.
"Put that thing down!"
Fury raised his gun, his eyes filled with despair and anger.
This was his last hope for a comeback!
If snatched away by this guy, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be completely done for!
"You have no right to command a god."
Loki glanced coldly at Fury.
Then he injected energy into the Tesseract.
"Hum!!!"
The Tesseract instantly erupted with a massive amount of energy fluctuations.
The base began to shake violently, looking like it was about to collapse immediately.
"He's detonating the energy pile! The base is going to collapse!" Coulson shouted in terror.
"Goodbye, ants."
Loki let out a final frantic laugh.
Because behind him, a space portal had already opened.
Following closely, Loki retreated into the portal without hesitation and disappeared.
And at the moment he left, the Tesseract's energy completely went out of control!
"Run!!"
Fury grabbed Coulson and sprinted toward the emergency escape exit of the base.
Hawkeye also struggled to get up and followed behind them.
Just the instant the three of them rushed into the elevator.
"Rumble!!!"
An energy storm violently erupted deep inside the base.
The entire base instantly turned to nothingness in the dazzling blue light.
...
A few minutes later.
A S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopter soared into the sky from the secret exit at the edge of the base.
Inside the cabin.
Nick Fury was covered in blood, sitting limply in his seat.
Coulson and Hawkeye were also covered in injuries, remaining silent.
Fury looked through the porthole at the ruins below, his heart dead as ashes.
Done for.
Everything was done for.
Hydra occupied the headquarters in Washington.
S.H.I.E.L.D. disintegrated.
Now, even the last trump card had been snatched away by some guy who popped up from nowhere!
Fury suddenly felt unprecedented despair and fear.
The other party definitely didn't snatch the energy body to take it back and use it as a flashlight.
A disaster sufficient to destroy Earth was approaching!
"Director... What should we do now?" Coulson asked in a hoarse voice.
Fury was silent for a long time.
In his mind, a name uncontrollably surfaced.
A name he hated the most, yet crushed everything.
Luka Stark.
"Go to New York..."
Fury gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.
He knew that the only one who could stop this crisis now was this lawless bastard.
"Turn around, go to Stark Tower."
Chapter 206: Odin and Frigga (Two-in-One)
Deep within the vast, boundless Universe, at the head of the Nine Realms, lies Asgard.
The magnificent Asgardian Palace stands amidst endless radiance, as if an eternal, indestructible miracle.
In a room at the highest point of the Asgardian Palace, the atmosphere is quite different from the splendor outside, appearing somewhat quiet.
In the center of the room, a golden water mirror formed by divine power is suspended.
The image in the water mirror is very clear, playing exactly what happened to Lucas Stark and the others just a few hours ago.
Odin, the All-Father of Asgard and ruler of the Nine Realms, who is ostensibly in the Odinsleep, is right here.
At this moment, he stands quietly in front of the water mirror.
Beside him stands the Queen of Asgard, Frigga, who is also one of the top mages of the Nine Realms.
The scene in the water mirror freezes on the moment Lucas Stark grabs Loki by the ankle with one hand.
Accompanied by the image of the ground cracking and Lucas Stark's offhand remark at the end: "What a weak god."
The image in the water mirror slowly dissipates, turning into golden specks of light.
The room falls into silence.
Odin rubs his temples, then lets out a long sigh.
"Frigga, did you see that?"
"This Earthling suppressed Loki's magic and smashed Lokiso hard he didn't even have the strength to fight back."
"We all know that mortals on Earth have short lifespans and fragile bodies."
"Even if they have developed so-called super serums, their limit is nothing more than having physical abilities that exceed ordinary people, like that American soldier with the shield."
"But this Lucas Stark's... power has already surpassed that scope."
"Perhaps Earth has truly changed."
Seeing Odin's helpless expression, Frigga smiles gently.
She then steps forward and gently smooths out Odin's furrowed brow.
"Odin, the Universe is vast; there will always be variables we cannot understand."
"I carefully sensed the fluctuations just now using magic."
"It is as if a miniature black hole is hidden inside this Lucas Stark's body."
"Loki's illusion magic was shattered by a force field the moment it made contact."
"And, did you not notice Thor's reaction?"
At the mention of Thor, Odin's expression becomes somewhat helpless, somewhat frustrated that he isn't living up to expectations.
"That idiot."
"He was actually spun around by Loki's clumsy lies!"
"If Lucas Stark hadn't exposed Loki's disguise, Thor would probably still be crying over the news of my death."
"However..."
Odin changes the subject, his tone becoming thoughtful.
"This Lucas Stark has a good eye for people."
"Not only did he see through Loki's disguise at a glance, but his handling of this matter was very... very sophisticated."
As a God King who has lived for who knows how many years, what conspiracies has Odin not seen?
He had long since seen through the real purpose behind Lucas Stark letting Loki go.
"This person clearly had the ability to kill Loki directly, but he didn't."
"Instead, he deliberately displayed his power in front of Thor, and then let Loki go with a casual remark."
Speaking of this, Odin strokes his beard.
"So, this is about bestowing favor upon Thor."
"He first crushed Thor's pride, then logically made Thorfeel gratitude and dependence toward him."
"This young man's mind is deeper than the politicians of Earth."
"Getting to know Thor isn't about making friends; it's more like making a long-term investment. And the target of that investment is us, is Asgard."
Frigga nods, not feeling angry that Lucas Stark had calculated against her son.
On the contrary, her eyes are full of admiration as she smiles.
"This is exactly why I think Thor should stay on Earth."
"Thor is too proud and too naive."
"He only knows how to use his hammer to solve problems, but he doesn't understand what human nature is, or what political maneuvering is."
"And this Lucas Stark has the mindset of a businessman, the wisdom to see through everything, and even more, the power not to fear the gods."
"With Thor by his side, even if only as a subordinate, the things he can learn are far more than what he would learn being a prince in Asgard for a thousand years."
Odin listens, silent for a moment, then finally nods.
"You are right, Frigga."
"Thor truly needs to be well-polished. Letting him experience the life of a mortal, and feel the taste of being controlled—for him, this is the best trial."
"Let's go, let's walk in the garden. Our old friend is coming."
Odin reaches out and takes Frigga's arm.
The two walk out of the room side by side and arrive at a beautiful garden behind the Asgardian Palace.
The sunlight here is always bright, and a faint fragrance drifts in the air.
The two walk to a stone table and sit down.
Just at the moment they sat down.
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle..."
A circle of brilliant golden sparks suddenly lights up on the open ground in the center of the garden.
The sparks quickly rotate and expand, tearing open a circular portal.
Subsequently, a woman with a shaved head, wearing yellow robes, and a thin face walks out of the portal.
This is none other than the Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One.
Facing this sudden teleportation, Odin and Frigga are not surprised, nor do the patrolling guards even glance this way.
Obviously, Ancient One is a frequent visitor here.
"You are late, Ancient One. The tea is almost cold."
Odin points to a teacup already prepared on the opposite side of the table, his tone casual.
Ancient One smiles slightly, walks to the table, and sits down.
"Apologies, Your Majesty, Your Highness."
Both smile and nod slightly.
Ancient One does not stand on ceremony and picks up the teacup to take a gentle sip.
"The timeline has been changing too quickly recently, and I spent some time sorting out some chaotic causal lines. So I was delayed for a while."
The amount of time the three have known each other can no longer be measured in years.
For thousands of years, Asgard has served as the Guardianof the Nine Realms, while Kamar-Taj has served as Earth's defensive line.
Both sides had long ago established a tacit understanding and friendship while confronting the Dark Dimension and other threats.
Therefore, they naturally understand what Ancient Onemeans.
"Sorting out the timeline?"
Frigga smiles gently and personally adds a little hot tea for Ancient One.
"Is it because of those two young men from the Stark Family?"
Hearing this, Ancient One puts down the teacup.
"Yes. Tony Stark, and Lucas Stark."
"Their appearance has broken my predictions for the future."
As she speaks, Ancient One looks at Odin.
"Your Majesty, surely you must have seen Lucas Stark's performance just now, right?"
Odin strokes his beard and nods.
"I saw it. He smashed Loki on the ground like a toy."
"To be honest, even the warriors of the Asgardian Palacemight not be able to achieve his level."
"But that is not all."
Ancient One smiles faintly and speaks slowly.
"This person not only possesses a powerful physique but also has a constitution that devours all energy."
"Some time ago in Wakanda, he shattered an energy shield with one punch. Moreover, he absorbed Chaos Magicduring the battle."
"But to be honest, that is Chaos Magic!"
"This is a power that even I find troublesome."
"But Lucas Stark assimilated it, turning it into a part of his body!"
Hearing the four words 'Chaos Magic', Odin and Frigga's expressions both change.
They, of course, know what this means.
"A physical body capable of devouring Chaos Magic..."
Odin cannot help but exclaim.
"This can no longer be called a mortal."
"As long as he is given enough energy, he could likely grow to the point of tearing Dormammu apart with his bare hands."
Ancient One nods in agreement.
"This is the reason why I did not stop any of his actions."
"Even though he stole Vibranium like a bandit, even though he arrogantly rubbed his enemies into the ground, I did not interfere."
"Because I know that Earth, and even the entire Nine Realms, will need someone as unreasonable as him in the future."
Speaking of this, Ancient One's eyes become somewhat worried.
"Although the timeline is chaotic, I can still see the approaching shadow."
"The demon gods hidden in the dimensional rifts are stirring. Earth will soon become a battlefield for the Universe."
"Facing these problems, we cannot win."
"Therefore, we need a Guardian who is more unscrupulous, more brutal, and more powerful than them."
Odin and Frigga are lost in thought.
Ancient One looks at Odin solemnly once again and speaks slowly.
"And Lucas Stark is the best candidate."
"For this person's private property, whoever dares to come and snatch it, he will defeat the enemy without hesitation."
Odin listened, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha! Well said!"
"This kid's temper is very much to my liking! Although he is arrogantly boundless, he is protective of his own and has a bottom line."
"In the desert of New Mexico, he tried to pull out my Mjolnir."
"But the hammer has the spell I cast on it. Except for those qualified to be kings, no one can lift it."
"But this guy actually wanted to use force to defy my rules!"
Odin picked up his teacup and took a big gulp.
"If he had persisted a little longer at that time, or if the energy within him had been a little greater, perhaps he really could have lifted it."
"Using force to break the rules of magic—in all my long life, this is the first time I have seen such a thing."
Frigga, who was on the side, covered her mouth and chuckled.
"So, that's why you hurriedly reinforced the spell to make him give up?"
"Ahem... that's not called reinforcing."
Odin's old face flushed, and he hurriedly tried to make excuses for himself.
"I did that to protect him."
"If the collision of two extreme forces triggered a spatial collapse, that desert would have been gone."
Seeing this, The Ancient One also couldn't help but laugh.
"Lucas Stark is indeed a monster who cannot be measured by common sense."
"But the main reason I came to see you both today is actually for his brother."
At this moment, The Ancient One's expression became extremely serious.
"Tony Stark."
Upon hearing this name, the attention of Odin and Friggawas drawn over.
"I heard he went to Kamar-Taj to learn magic?" Odin raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. And his performance shocked me even more than Lucas."
The Ancient One sighed, feeling somewhat helpless yet also joyful.
"The two of you, do you know?"
"The mages of Kamar-Taj all use years of meditation to perceive the truths of the Universe, and then use spiritual power to borrow energy from other dimensions."
"This is the rule we have adhered to for thousands of years."
The Ancient One gave a bitter smile.
"But the first day Tony Stark arrived at Kamar-Taj, he completely overturned all of this."
"He only watched the portal magic once, and then built a mathematical model in his mind. He said this was nothing more than an algorithm for spatial folding."
"Immediately after, he put on the Sling Ring and drew a portal to New York on his first try. And his portal was more stable than anyone else's!"
Frigga opened her mouth slightly in surprise.
"He succeeded on the first try? He didn't undergo training for spiritual power?"
"No. Absolutely none."
The Ancient One shook her head.
"Not only that. In these two days, he hasn't even gone to the library to read magic texts."
"Because he scanned all of Kamar-Taj's magic circle diagrams into his artificial intelligence system."
"He is parsing magic as if it were code!"
A strange light flashed in The Ancient One's eyes.
"Just before I came here, he excitedly told me that he had cracked the spatial positioning logic of the Sling Ring."
"He is trying to use scientific means to engrave this logic onto his armor!"
"He said that if he succeeds, the armor will be able to perform spatial jumps anytime and anywhere, and he could also store his armory directly in a folded spatial pocket, catching the opponent off guard during battle."
Hearing these words, even Odin was stunned.
"Turning magic into science and technology?!"
Odin took a deep breath, feeling that his worldview had been impacted.
"Although Asgard is also a combination of technology and magic, we rely on the natural properties of Uru metal to carry magic."
"But he wants to use magic combined with scientific calculations to replicate the power of gods?!"
"Yes."
The Ancient One nodded.
"Tony Stark's brain is a treasure bestowed upon Earth by the Universe."
"This person has no sense of awe for magic; he only believes in data and logic."
"But it is precisely this rationality that allows him to break through inherent frameworks of thinking."
The Ancient One hesitated for a moment, then finally stated the true purpose of her visit to Asgard.
"Your Majesty, this is also the reason I came to see you today."
"Tony Stark's research is currently at a bottleneck."
"The metals on Earth cannot sustain high-intensity magicenergy for long periods. Every time he experiments, those materials melt due to energy overload."
As she spoke, The Ancient One bowed slightly.
"I have heard that Uru metal is not only indestructible but is also the best carrier for magic runes."
"In order to protect the future of Earth, and to allow Tony Stark to build a truly God-level armor."
"I hope that Asgard can provide a portion of Uru metal as support for Earth."
The Ancient One's voice fell silent.
The garden fell into a brief silence.
Uru metal is also a precious strategic resource in Asgard.
Only royal weapons, such as Mjolnir and the Gungnir, are qualified to be crafted using this metal.
Therefore, Odin did not answer immediately, but lowered his head and fell into deep thought.
Frigga also did not speak, but her eyes were full of encouragement.
After a long while.
Odin slowly raised his head and looked at The Ancient One.
"Ancient One, you should know the value of Uru metal. It is the symbol of Asgard's power."
"But..."
Odin suddenly laughed heroically.
"Just as you said, the future of the Universe is full of unknown threats."
"Asgard cannot always be the protector; Earth also needs to possess the power to protect itself."
"The Stark Brothers have indeed given me a great surprise."
Odin stood up and waved his large hand.
"A madman who uses violence to break the rules, and a genius who uses science to deconstruct magic."
"Since these two Earthlings have potential and ambition, I don't mind placing a bet on them!"
Ancient One was slightly taken aback, and Odin continued.
"Go back and tell Tony Stark. Asgard will provide him with a batch of raw Uru metal."
"However, this metal is not given for free."
"Since they are businessmen, then we will do things according to his rules."
"This batch of Uru metal counts as an investment from Asgard into Stark Industries."
"The condition is that after Tony Stark develops the new type of armor that combines technology and magic, he must provide technology upgrades to Asgard's army for free!"
"And..."
Odin pointed to the place where the water mirror had just disappeared.
"Tell that bastard Lucas to take good care of my foolish son."
Upon hearing Odin's conditions, Ancient One couldn't help but laugh.
Odin, indeed, is not one who is willing to suffer a loss.
This deal, no matter how you calculate it, is a win-win.
Tony gets the material he dreamed of, and Odin also achieves his goal.
"It's a deal, Your Majesty the God King."
The Ancient One stood up and nodded slightly to Odin and Frigga.
"I will convey your words exactly as they are to Tony Stark."
"Believe me, with the addition of Uru metal, Tony's next creation will surely make the entire Nine Realms tremble."
The Ancient One put her hands together, and a portal opened behind her again.
"Then, I will not disturb your peace any longer. There are still many messes on Earth waiting for me to deal with."
After saying this, The Ancient One turned and stepped into the portal.
The golden sparks dissipated, and the garden returned to tranquility once again.
Odin sat back by the stone table, picked up his teacup, and looked at the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
"Frigga."
"I am here, my dear." Frigga responded gently.
"It seems that the era of Earth is truly about to arrive."
Odin felt some emotion, and also some anticipation.
"With the Stark Brothers here, even if one day I truly fall into a long slumber, or if Asgard encounters the crisis of Ragnarök..."
Odin smiled.
"Perhaps, they will, for Thor's sake, become our last hope."
Frigga gently held Odin's hand.
"They will. I believe in The Ancient One."
Their gazes met, and everything was understood without words.