The Dignity of a God? Sorry, All I See Is a Weak God

Germany, Stuttgart.

Kunaien Square.

Elegant strings were torn apart by the screams of the crowd.

Loki, clad in gold-and-green armor and holding the Mind Scepter, stood atop the platform like a shepherd watching a flock of lambs awaiting slaughter.

"Kneel!"

Loki spread his arms, and illusionary duplicates surrounded the square. The pressure of the Asgardian gods made the ordinary citizens tremble, forcing them to bend their knees.

"Wasn't that easy?"

Loki looked at the crowd kneeling all around him, a sickly satisfied smile appearing on his face. "This is your true nature. You crave slavery..."

Yet an elderly man with snow-white hair slowly rose to his feet, standing out painfully in this world of kneeling people.

"Not to someone like you." The old man met Loki's eyes without the slightest fear.

"There has never been anyone like me." Loki smiled disdainfully.

"There are plenty like you in the history books." The old man gestured around him.

"Hmph."

Loki lost his patience. Deadly blue light flared from the scepter in his hand. "Then I'll make an example out of you!"

"Zzzzt—!"

An energy beam shot out, aimed straight for the old man's heart!

"Clang!!"

A round shield painted in the colors of the Stars and Stripes fell from the sky, precisely blocking the beam and reflecting the energy directly back at Loki, knocking him back two steps.

Steve Rogers caught the returning shield and stood before the old man, his dark blue uniform looking especially upright beneath the night sky.

"You know, the last time I came to Germany, there was another man who liked making people kneel."

Steve stared at Loki, his gaze blazing. "Things didn't end very well for him."

"Oh, that outdated soldier."

Loki steadied himself. Far from panicking, he showed a hint of mockery. "That antique with the shield. You think you can stop a god?"

"What if you add this 'modern weapon' to the mix?"

A sharp, urgent voice carrying an electronic tremor suddenly descended from high above.

Loki instinctively looked up, and his face instantly darkened.

That hateful presence again!

"Whoosh—!!"

A crimson afterimage tore through the night sky at several times the speed of sound, unleashing a piercing sonic boom.

It was a massive red manta ray-like creature. His wingspan stretched a full five meters, and his yellow eyes shone like twin searchlights in the darkness.

"Aerophibian—Jetray!"

"Take this, reindeer boy!"

Jiang Li hovered in midair, eerie green light blazing from his eyes and tail at once. This was not a physical laser, but a special attack targeting the biological nervous system.

"Neuroshock!"

"Zzzzt zzzzt zzzzt—boom!!"

Three green beams struck Loki's chest armor with surgical precision!

"Urgh!"

Loki let out a muffled cry of pain.

His Asgardian body could withstand bullets, but the electric current striking directly at his nerves instantly paralyzed him, making every muscle in his body convulse violently out of control.

"Bang!"

Like a puppet with severed strings, Loki crashed stiffly into the museum steps behind him.

"Nice one, Jiang!" Steve couldn't help praising him.

Jiang Li circled once in the air before hovering gracefully above Captain America.

"Captain, you were too slow. I waited here for thirty seconds, and while I was at it, I went next door and bought an authentic German sausage."

Just then.

Deafening rock music suddenly poured from the sky.

The stirring melody of Shoot to Thrill echoed throughout the square.

"Boom!"

Iron Man descended in a blaze of gold and red, blue thruster flames trailing behind him. Every weapon system instantly locked onto Loki, who had just climbed back up and was still twitching slightly.

"It's not over yet. I'm here too!"

Tony's voice came through the speakers. "Call this round a draw, then? We split that French dinner?"

"Dream on, Tony." Jiang Li, as Jetray, flipped over in the air. "My GPS records show that I arrived a full forty-two seconds before you."

By then, Loki had recovered.

He looked at Iron Man and the red manta ray in the air, then at Captain America on the ground.

Surrounded by three Avengers.

Loki's armor quickly faded away. He raised both hands, a barely noticeable smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"All right," Loki said. "I surrender."

"That easily?" Steve found it hard to believe.

"Easy or not," Tony said as he landed, his repulsor still aimed at Loki, "he belongs to us now. And that outfit really makes him look like the lead singer of some rock band."

Jiang Li watched the scene from the air.

He knew Loki had deliberately allowed himself to be captured.

What terrible acting, Jiang Li mocked inwardly. But for the sake of the plot, I'll play along with this little performance.

Half an hour later.

A S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet was cutting through thick thunderclouds.

Inside the cabin.

Loki was cuffed to his seat, but he did not look like a prisoner in the slightest. Instead, he listened to the thunder outside with great interest.

"I don't like this guy." Steve looked at Loki. "He surrendered too readily. That doesn't seem like Asgardian behavior."

"I think so too." Though Tony was still looking at his data screen, he nodded. "For a rock star, he shouldn't be leaving the stage this early."

"Rumble—!"

The thunder outside grew louder and louder, and lightning nearly exploded beside the wing.

Loki, who had remained silent until then, finally changed expression upon hearing the thunder. It was a look mixed with fear, disgust, and... guilt.

"What is it?" Steve noticed. "Afraid of lightning?"

Loki stared outside, his voice slightly tense. "I simply dislike the person who comes with it."

"Comes with lightning?" Tony froze.

Before anyone could react.

"Boom!!!"

A deafening crash shook the entire aircraft violently!

It was as though something heavy had slammed onto the roof.

"What is that?" Natasha, the pilot, cried out. "An unidentified object is on the roof! It's tearing open the hatch!"

"Crash!"

The rear cabin door was violently ripped open by a giant hand, as easily as tearing apart a sheet of scrap paper.

Wind and rain instantly flooded into the cabin.

A tall figure stood amid the storm.

Silver scale armor, a red cape, and Thor's Hammer in his hand, freshly "recharged."

Thor.

Without even glancing at anyone else, he strode into the cabin, knocked Tony over with one hammer when Tony tried to stop him, then seized Loki by the throat and lifted him straight up.

"Come with me!"

Thor roared as he dragged Loki toward the opening.

"Hey! That's our prisoner!" Tony scrambled up, his faceplate closing as his thrusters went to full power, and shot after them. "That's my prey! Nobody's taking him from me!"

The two vanished into the night in an instant.

"Tony! Don't be reckless!" Steve shouted, but he could only stare at the empty hatch and sigh.

He grabbed a parachute pack and started putting it on.

"Captain, don't bother."

Jiang Li, who had been sitting silently in the corner, rose to his feet.

He pressed the Omnitrix.

"At that altitude, a parachute is too slow. Besides... that's a fight between gods. A mortal's parachute won't do much."

Green light flashed.

Jiang Li's body transformed once more. This time, his muscles swelled, red skin covered his entire body, and he grew to three and a half meters tall as four powerful arms emerged from beneath his ribs.

"Four Arms!"

"This door is too small."

Jiang Li walked to the hatch Thor had torn open and looked at the hole with disdain.

Then he stretched out two hands, grabbed the edges of the hatch, and ripped outward with all his strength!

"Riiip—!!"

The special alloy hatch was forcibly widened to twice its original size.

"Hold on, Captain!"

Jiang Li's upper pair of hands grabbed Steve, who had not yet reacted, and slung him directly over his shoulder.

"Let's go break up the fight!"

"And while we're at it, let that Thunder God know that if he wants to snatch someone on Earth, he has to ask whether Stark Industries' consultant agrees first!"

"Boom!"

Jiang Li leaped out like a red heavy bomb, plummeting straight toward the ground.

Amid the howling wind came Steve's helpless shout:

"Could you warn me first next time!"