The Battle of New York, part six
New York City is attacked by aliens, half of Manhattan is in chaos, and the Avengers and the Chitauri are engaged in a fierce battle.
Meanwhile, atop Stark Tower, Xia Yu, one of the Avengers' leaders, greeted Loki, the Chitauri commander and leader of the invasion, with a beaming smile. Loki, who had just awakened, said, "How are you feeling? Hulk was a bit too rough; I almost collapsed from exhaustion while treating you."
Loki awoke from his coma, and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Xia Yu's smiling face.
But weren't they enemies? Why was he looking at him with such a warm smile, seemingly concerned for him? Confused, Loki opened his mouth as if to say something, but then hesitated, unsure of what to say. He looked at Xia Yu with a mixture of fear and confusion.
"This kid must have been terrified by the Hulk." Xia Yu said, reaching out to touch the scars on Loki's face.
Loki tried to dodge, but for some reason he couldn't move. He could only watch helplessly as Xia Yu gently touched the scar on his face. The gentle touch reminded Loki of the feeling when Frigga would touch his face to lull him to sleep when he was a child.
"What... what are you doing?" Loki stammered, managing to utter those words with great difficulty.
"What else can I do? Of course, I'm concerned about your injuries. I'm your older brother, you know. That heartless Hulk, little brother, don't be afraid. After this is all settled, I'll give him a good beating right in front of you, okay?" Xia Yu's voice became even gentler.
Loki was originally blown down from mid-air by Hawkeye, then grabbed by Xia Yu and thrown to Hulk, where Hulk beat him half to death on the ground. He was then used as a human weapon and beaten all the way over, and Loki was basically unconscious.
After being awakened by Xia Yu and faced with such a bizarre scene, even Loki, known as the God of Mischief, had his brain completely shut down.
So, Loki, severely injured and bewildered, felt a care and tenderness from Xia Yu that he had only experienced once before, when he was a child with Frigga. When asked if Xia Yu was alright, he inexplicably nodded and obediently said, "Okay."
Seeing how effective his method was, Xia Yu suppressed his joy and reached out to tidy Loki's tangled hair, saying, "Alright, I hit you last time for your own good. Your father Odin personally entrusted me with taking care of you two brothers. Thor is my brother, and so are you. I won't blame you for what happened on Earth this time, but you have to tell me, besides you and the Chitauri, who else came to Earth with you?"
Loki shook his head; to be honest, he wasn't fully awake yet.
Xia Yu's expression shifted, his voice still gentle but a few degrees colder than before. "Impossible. I'm certain there are others this time, definitely not just you and the Chitauri. Tell your brother, who else is there? You must know. Think again."
Poor Loki tried really hard to remember, but still shook his head at Xia Yu. He sweared to God, he really didn't know.
Xia Yu suppressed his temper and tried to guide Loki to recall the events in a natural and gentle tone. Several times in a row, Loki still firmly shook his head to indicate that he did not.
Xia Yu smiled again, but this time the smile was gentle, not at all like a radiant smile. If one had to use an adjective, perhaps "insidious" or "ruthless" would be more fitting. Loki was startled, his mind seemed to clear up a bit, and he pushed himself forward with both hands.
Loki instinctively tried to get away from Xia Yu, but Xia Yu grabbed Loki's ankle and pulled him a little closer to him.
He said in a calm tone, yet with a sinister undertone, "You child, you just won't listen to reason. Don't blame your older brother for having to try a different approach."
As soon as Xia Yu finished speaking, he flipped his right hand, and the Heaven Reliant Sword appeared in his grasp. Xia Yu then loosened his grip, quickly flipped his right hand around, and thrust the Heaven Reliant Sword into Loki's thigh with a vicious stab.
"Ah!~!~!"
Loki's mind was now completely clear. This devil! If he had known he would meet him on Earth, he would never have come. Forget ruling the Earth, forget being the King of Asgard! Loki now only wanted this man to disappear.
Xia Yu's sword pierced Loki's groin, not breaking the bone. For Asgardians, it wasn't a serious injury, but it was still painful enough.
"I'll ask you one more time, who else came to Earth with you? If you dare to lie to me again, I'll cut off both your arms and legs and plant you in a park for people to exhibit," Xia Yu threatened viciously.
"Really, there's nothing. It's just me and the Chitauri army. Even if there are other people involved, it has nothing to do with me. I really don't know anything." Loki seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown and started shouting at Xia Yu.
Xia Yu looked at Loki; this really didn't seem like a lie. But who else could it be? Thanos's Black Order? Or Gamora or Nebula?
Xia Yu drew the Heaven Reliant Sword, casually pushed Loki aside, and began to ponder.
Outside the portal, about ten kilometers from the Chitauri's massive mothership, lies another enormous spaceship— Thanos's Sanctuary II.
Standing on the bridge were a man in a black robe and a man in a predominantly green uniform with a silver eight-pointed star on his chest. Xia Yu would definitely recognize him here; this was Mar-Vell, the leader of the Kree team from Captain Marvel Mar-Vell.
This man, who followed Captain Marvel all the way to Earth, hunted down the Skrulls and wanted to obtain the Tesseract, was defeated by Captain Marvel and returned to the Hala, where he was used as a punching bag by Ronan the Accuser.
Later, Ronan helped Thanos and was casually taken in by Thanos. When Thanos gave Loki the Mind Stone Scepter, Ronan volunteered to come to Earth to retrieve the Tesseract.
Thanos, wanting to have an extra layer of insurance, gave him the Sanctuary II and sent him to Earth to retrieve the Tesseract when Loki failed. Thanos promised him that if he succeeded, he would give him the Sanctuary II and help him return to the Kree and replace Ronan.
Before coming, Thanos repeatedly warned him that he could only intervene if Loki failed, and that he was not allowed to attack Earth. His only mission was to retrieve the Tesseract. The Sanctuary II was the reward for success, not the attack ship he was tasked with.
Thanos was acutely aware of the power of Asgard, or rather, Odin. Loki leading the Chitauri to attack Earth was one thing, but if his own fleet dared to attack Earth or appear near Earth or the Nine Realms, the Bifrost of Asgard could instantly destroy the entire fleet. (And no one would even know if the Bifrost destroyed the universe.)
"The Chitauri are almost entirely mobilized. That idiot Loki can't even tell the priorities from the mission. It's time for you to make your move. Remember, Thanos's mission is to retrieve the Tesseract. You better understand this; this is your only chance." The man in black pointed at Mar-Vell, speaking arrogantly.
"Your Excellency, please rest assured, I am not as incompetent as that fool Loki. I will certainly complete the mission," Mar-Vell said obediently, bowing his head.
Mar-Vell clenched his fists tightly, silently swearing a deadly oath. "Vers, Ronan, and this damned Planet C-53, once I take control of this Sanctuary II, return to the Kree and reclaim my rightful glory, I will make you all pay the price."
Unbeknownst to anyone, a small, invisible lifeboat quietly flew through the wormhole and entered Earth.
I had some things to do today, so the update is late and there aren't many words. A reader left a message tonight saying that they start school tomorrow and asked if I could add an extra chapter today. I'm really sorry, I really can't today. I apologize to you and wish you academic success.