The force supporting Tony was none other than Liu Xiu's power. When he saw Tony losing energy and beginning to fall, he quickly extended his hand, using his ability to catch him.
Under Liu Xiu's power, Tony slowly descended to the ground.
Once he landed, Tony lifted his mask and patted his chest, visibly shaken.
"Oh, God! That scared the hell out of me. I thought I was about to become minced meat."
Seeing Tony safely on the ground, the Avengers all exhaled in relief. Even the Hulk thumped his chest and roared loudly—not exactly in anger, but more like celebrating a victory.
At the very moment the Chitauri base beyond the spatial portal was destroyed by the nuclear strike, the remaining Chitauri soldiers and flying beasts on Earth lost their connection as if someone had pulled the plug.
They collapsed, unconscious. Even the Chitauri soldiers and beasts still in midair fell to the ground.
As the Avengers gathered, Gwen and her team approached Meng Ran.
Tony and Steve exchanged a few words, then staggered toward Meng Ran and embraced him.
"I've lost count of how many times you've saved me," Tony said, clearly moved.
Hearing this, Meng Ran smiled hoarsely. "Don't worry about the details. Today, it wasn't me who saved you."
"It was one of my companions. Our companion."
After that, he began introducing the members of the Hexagram Alliance to the Avengers.
"These are my teammates: Black Armor, Green Demon, Ghost, and Spider-Man."
"The one who just tossed the nuke with you is Black Armor—he's the one who caught you and set you down safely."
Upon hearing the introduction, the Avengers greeted Gwen and the others one by one.
Tony, seeing Black Armor, was particularly enthusiastic.
"Hey! Thanks for putting me down safely just now, or I'd probably be minced meat right now."
"And by the way, your armor… it's really cool."
Liu Xiu simply nodded at Tony's thanks, but when Tony complimented his armor, he couldn't help but agree, "Yeah, this armor is really cool. I like it too."
Meng Ran couldn't help but feel a bit speechless. All those intense words of gratitude boiled down to just one sentence: "Your armor is cool."
Liu Xiu was somewhat peculiar. When he wasn't wearing armor, he was like a normal young boy—sometimes shy or bashful.
But when he donned the armor, he became silent and stoic, especially in front of enemies.
Compared to Peter, Liu Xiu was the extreme opposite—Peter talked endlessly, while Liu Xiu barely said a word.
Sometimes Meng Ran wondered if Peter's chatter during patrols had influenced Liu Xiu so much that he became nearly mute when in combat armor.
While Meng Ran pondered, Tony called out to everyone, "Has anyone ever tried Arabic kebabs?"
"There's a kebab shop about two streets over. Not sure about the taste, but I want to try it."
"Why don't we head there for some kebabs later?"
Everyone smiled at Tony's suggestion. After the high-intensity battle, tension had been running high. Now that it was over, they could finally relax.
"Who's paying for the kebabs?" Peter suddenly raised his hand, asking Meng Ran.
Tony chuckled. "Of course I'll pay, Spider-Man."
Natasha immediately chimed in, "Mr. Stark is a billionaire. Of course he should pay for this."
Everyone laughed heartily at that.
After the laughter, Thor's voice cut in solemnly: "Kebabs can wait. We still have unfinished business."
Meng Ran nodded. "Right. Loki is still hanging up there on the wall."
"Then we can eat later, after dealing with all these problems," Tony said, clearly still eager to try that Arabic kebab.
At that moment, in Tony's office at Stark Tower…
Loki remained entangled in Gwen's web, his head the only visible part, resembling a giant moth.
The Star Alliance and Avengers entered through the shattered windows.
Seeing Loki pinned to the wall, Tony quipped, "Oh! When did my office get a giant moth cocoon?"
"Oops, my bad… not a cocoon, but the great Loki, mighty god," someone corrected.
Loki's expression darkened further. He glared at Tony and snarled, "You wretched ant dare mock a god!"
"Unhand me! Let's settle this one-on-one!"
Everyone laughed. Thor bellowed, "Silence, Loki!"
"I will bring you back to Asgard, where Odin will judge your crimes."
Loki snorted derisively. "Ha! Ridiculous Asgard… ridiculous Thor… ridiculous Odin!"
"I am the rightful king of Asgard! Not you, you muscle-bound fool!"
Before he could finish, Thor silenced him, locking his mouth shut.
Loki could no longer speak, only glaring at Thor with venomous eyes.
Thor ignored him and put on a chained pair of handcuffs.
Once done, he turned to the others with an apologetic look.
"I apologize for the disaster Earth suffered due to our family conflict. Loki is a war criminal. He must return to Asgard to face Odin's judgment. I hope you understand."
Thor knew that taking Loki away might be difficult for Earth's inhabitants to accept.
But there was no other way. Loki was his brother, an Asgardian. He had to return him to Asgard.
Thor felt trapped between two worlds, caught in a difficult position.
Hearing Thor's explanation, everyone fell silent.
Just as Thor expected, they weren't entirely pleased with Loki being taken away.
This madman had brought war to Earth, causing countless casualties. Letting him go was frustrating, but there was truly no other option.
After all, Asgard was a powerful civilization. As Odin's son, Loki, however unruly, would be protected there.
He could be judged and punished in Asgard—but leaving him on Earth was not an option.