Not Had Enough? Then Let Me Charge You Up!

Deep within the Black Forest.

Massive fir trees were snapped cleanly in half, dirt flying everywhere.

A god-tier brawl that mortals could not possibly interfere with was underway.

Boom!

A gold-and-red figure flew backward like a cannonball, crashing through three towering trees before barely coming to a stop.

"Armor damage rate: 15%... Sir, the hardness of that hammer far exceeds our titanium-gold alloy." JARVIS's warning sounded inside the helmet.

"Shut up, JARVIS. Divert all power to the thrusters!"

Tony Stark climbed out of the rubble, fury written all over his face beneath the faceplate.

That blond brute in a cape had not only stolen his prisoner, but had also smashed him into the dirt with one hammer strike. To the prideful Stark, it was an utter humiliation.

"Again!"

Tony fired his palm repulsors at full power, turning into a streak of light as he charged at Thor.

On the other side, Thor had also been truly provoked.

He had only wanted to take Loki home, but this man in metal kept buzzing around him like a fly.

"Mortal! You dare anger the God of Thunder!"

Thor roared and raised Mjolnir toward the sky.

Rumble—!

A bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket struck the hammer in an instant. Thor swung it fiercely, directing the violent thunder toward Tony.

Crackle—!

Lightning struck the Iron Man armor.

Tony had expected to be roasted alive, but the readings on his display made him freeze.

[Absorbing energy... 400%... Weapon systems overloaded.]

"Huh?" Tony grinned and fired a concentrated blast back at him. "Looks like you're overdue on your electric bill, big guy!"

Boom!

Thor was blasted away, but he merely shook his head and stood up unharmed, the lightning in his eyes burning even brighter.

The two clashed again.

One was Asgard's god of war; the other stood at the pinnacle of Earth's technology.

Fist met flesh, sparks flew.

Just as they were about to unleash their strongest attacks and level the entire forest.

Whoosh—

A chilling sound of something cutting through the air suddenly came from the night sky overhead.

It was the sound of a massive object falling at high speed.

"Move!!"

Accompanied by a rough roar.

BOOM—!!!

A red meteor crashed violently between them!

The enormous shockwave, mixed with shattered stone and smoke, forced Iron Man and Thor, who had been about to collide head-on, back several steps.

The smoke cleared.

A red giant standing three and a half meters tall, with four arms, was crouched in the center of the crater.

One of his hands was supporting Captain America, who had yet to regain his footing.

"Four Arms!"

"Thanks, Jiang." Steve took a deep breath. Although that free fall had been thrilling, he swiftly raised his shield and entered a combat stance. "Next time you land like that... give me a warning first."

Jiang Li straightened up, all four fists cracking as he clenched them together. His four eyes swept coldly over both sides.

"I said, have you two had enough?"

Jiang Li's voice rumbled like thunder. "Loki is watching from the mountain. Are you putting on a circus show for him?"

"He attacked first!" Tony pointed at Thor like an elementary school kid tattling on someone.

"He stole my prey!" Thor gripped his hammer tightly, glaring at Jiang Li with hostility. "And you... red monster. Don't think that just because you helped me last time, you can order around a prince of Asgard."

"Mortals these days are becoming more and more ignorant of their place!"

Thor seemed to have lost himself in the fight, or perhaps he was still bitter about having his hammer drained dry last time.

He actually swung Mjolnir, leaped high into the air, summoned lightning even thicker than before, and smashed it down toward Jiang Li with overwhelming force!

"Jiang! Watch out!" Steve shouted.

But Jiang Li did not dodge.

He did not even assume a defensive stance.

"Looks like the lesson last time wasn't deep enough, Thor."

Jiang Li watched the hammer wrapped in lightning fill the sky, a teasing smile curling across his lips.

"Four Arms is indeed at a disadvantage against energy attacks. But..."

In an instant, Jiang Li slapped the emblem on his chest.

"I have a better option."

"Switch!"

Crackle—!!

One millisecond before Mjolnir struck Jiang Li's head.

The hulking red giant vanished in an instant.

In his place stood a pitch-black figure crackling with golden arcs of electricity.

Thor's hammer struck a black palm with only three fingers.

More precisely, it struck the metallic plug at the tips of those fingers.

"Feedback!"

"What?!"

Thor's pupils contracted sharply.

That damned sense of déjà vu!

Before he could pull back, that familiar and despairing sensation returned. But this time, it was no gentle absorption—it was violent plunder!

"Your electricity belongs to me!"

Jiang Li's single eye curved into a crescent.

The two antennae on his head and the tail behind him lit up fiercely!

"Come on... absorb!!"

Crackle, crackle—boom!!

The violent lightning coiling around Mjolnir surged wildly into Jiang Li's body like floodwaters finally finding an outlet.

Even the divine power Thor had just summoned from within himself was forcibly torn out by that tyrannical suction!

"No!! That's impossible!!"

Thor felt as though his tendons were being ripped out and his skin flayed away. His whole body went numb from the pain of magical backlash. He tried to pull his hammer back, but this black alien was like a black hole, gripping it with an inescapable pull.

In just three seconds.

The hammer, which had been blazing with lightning, turned gray and dull once more.

Even Thor's silver armor dimmed somewhat, and he dropped to one knee as though utterly drained.

Burp—

Jiang Li released his hand and let out a belch crackling with electric sparks.

With a casual flick, he shot a golden current from his fingertips, striking the ground beside Iron Man, who had been watching the show, and blasting a charred little crater into it.

"Sir, a high-dimensional energy reaction has been detected." JARVIS sounded somewhat astonished. "That is a biological superconductor... His energy conversion efficiency is ten times ours."

Tony stared at the crater, his face twitching beneath the mask as he decisively raised both hands.

"All right, looks like I still haven't paid enough on my electric bill. I'm done fighting."

Jiang Li turned and looked at Thor, who held his "scrap hammer" with an expression of complete disbelief.

"Can we talk properly now, Your Highness?"

Thor looked at Jiang Li, then at the hammer in his hand.

The fear of being completely dominated finally calmed him down. He realized that before this black alien, his lightning was nothing but a free meal.

"You..." Thor took a deep breath, hung the hammer back at his waist, and looked at him with mixed emotions. "You win. But I'm taking Loki away to stand trial. The Tesseract will be safer in Asgard's hands."

"Not necessarily."

Jiang Li canceled his transformation, returning to human form as he clapped his hands.

"Loki is on that cliff over there, laughing at us. If you really want to put him on trial, bring him back to the Helicarrier. We'll help you find the Tesseract, and after that, you can go wherever you want."

At that moment, Steve walked over as well and picked up his shield.

"Thor, we need your help. Loki isn't just Asgard's problem. He is Earth's enemy now too. We need to stand together."

Thor looked at the three mortals—though one of them did not really count as mortal.

At last, he nodded.

"Fine. But if Loki runs, I will kill him myself."

Ten minutes later.

The four escorted Loki, who wore an expression that said everything is going according to plan, onto a Quinjet headed for the Helicarrier.

The atmosphere inside the cabin was somewhat strange.

Tony was still mourning the paint on his armor while secretly scanning Jiang Li's watch.

Thor was quietly polishing his hammer in the corner, trying to make it shine again.

Captain America, meanwhile, stared sternly at Loki like a guard.

And Jiang Li sat in the co-pilot's seat, looking over the system panel.

That brief fight had once again charged the Omnitrix with a considerable amount of energy.

Moreover, after absorbing high-purity divine lightning twice in a row, the system seemed to have unlocked a new passive skill.

[Special Notice: Feedback genes have obtained the "Thunder Affinity" trait.]

[Passive Effect: Immune to all lightning-element damage and capable of converting it into physical stamina.]

"Lightning immunity?"

Jiang Li glanced at Thor in the back seat, still polishing his hammer, and could not help smiling.

That meant no matter how Thor shocked him in the future, he would only be charging him up. It was a complete counter to the God of Thunder.

"Everyone."

At that moment, Natasha spoke from the pilot's seat.

"Director Fury is on the line. He wants you to be ready. The interrogation begins as soon as we arrive."

Jiang Li turned his head and looked out at the thick clouds beyond the window.