Loki's scepter doesn't just bend minds — it makes masters out of them. Once someone's under its thumb, they treat the scepter's owner as absolute authority and will follow any order without question. Their every move becomes mission-driven; everything they do serves the scepter's goals.
That's the problem right now. Reed, Ben, and the others aren't acting on their own — they're acting for Loki. If Ryuuto shows himself, they'll attack without hesitation.
Ben sniffs the air as Ryuuto and Susan approach. He pauses, puzzled — he thinks he smelled perfume. Ryuuto slides closer to Susan, letting Ben's patrol move on; Ben wanders away, convinced it was nothing. Once he's gone, they keep moving down the corridor.
The base layout is a maze. Ryuuto would've liked to split his clones and search the place piecemeal, but time is a luxury they don't have. If Loki isn't at the base, everything gets complicated. If he is… well, they'll have to take him alive.
They reach the isolation room on the top floor. Loki stands inside, cloak pulled around him, horned helmet shadowing his smirk. He looks up toward the door as they enter. Calm. Confident.
"I know you've arrived," Loki drawls. "No point in hiding."
Susan snaps. "I should burn you where you stand!"
Loki chuckles. "Run the tally: three of my trusted instruments walking straight into Iron Man's workshop. Reed gave the order. Why would he do that… unless he wasn't himself?" He paces, delighted. "Control is delicious. Watch how people obey."
"You'll die for this," Susan hisses.
"Don't be hasty," Loki says lightly, raising a finger. "Try anything, and the three will obey me to the point of suicide. Would you like to watch your family die in front of you?"
Loki's eyes flick to Ryuuto. "And you — the newcomer. Susan told me about you. I wanted to make you mine."
"If you wanted me as a slave," Ryuuto says dryly, "you'd better bring the scepter."
Loki laughs. "You think you can beat me? This is an isolation chamber. Electromagnetic interference is active — escape is impossible."
The chamber door slams shut. Loki's grin fades only slightly. But it's a trick. The man left inside is an illusion. Outside, the real Loki laughs triumphantly — because the EM field is supposed to disable powers inside the room.
Susan staggers as her abilities fail; the electromagnetic waves take their toll. She collapses with a "ugh." Ryuuto goes quiet. Then — blink — he's gone.
"What the—?" Loki turns as a cold wind grazes his neck. Pain blossoms. Ryuuto reappears in the blink of an eye, fingers clamping the godling's throat.
"You like manipulating things that confuse people," Ryuuto says, voice low and lethal. "Guess what? I do it better. Your illusions are just theater. My clones? They're real. They hit like me. And when you're stripped of the scepter, you're nothing."
Loki's eyes widen. "You—"
"You can have a planet," Ryuuto sneers. "Or the whole galaxy. Bargains are for men who can hold power. You're loud but paper-thin."
"You'll regret this! Thor will—"
"Oh, I tremble," Ryuuto replies, rolling the god off his feet and pressing him against the wall. He pauses, considering his options. Kill him? Lock him? Make him suffer? The system says capture him alive.
Ryuuto hits the door-release. Susan, still woozy, staggers out and lands two kicks into Loki before he can comprehend what's happening.
"You cool off," she snaps.
Ryuuto tosses Loki out of the room and shuts the door behind him. If not for the mission flag glowing in his head, he would have ended Loki then and there. But the system wants Loki alive — and Ryuuto isn't one to argue with mission text when shiny rewards are on the table.
[Ding! SS-level Mission Complete!]
[Drop! Onogi Data Pack obtained!]
A moment later, the system prompt lingers, cheeky and lazy as always.
[Shion] [Host, you completed the SS-level mission. Onogi Data Pack acquired. May I use it?]
Ryuuto smiles despite himself. Galaxy ambition, check. New power, incoming. This is getting fun.