Blue Star's Catastrophe, Lin Du's Confidence

Almost instinctively, he shouted:

"Lin Du! What are you standing there for? Get out of here!"

Nick's voice was filled with urgency and worry.

He knew Loki's threat all too well. Once Loki succeeded, the entire team—even the whole Earth—would face utter destruction.

Lin Du stood in a corner of the room, an almost imperceptible smile flickering across his lips.

The Cosmic Cube in his hand slowly turned, his movements unhurried and at ease.

At that moment, the air around them seemed to freeze, and the tension reached its peak.

"Lin Du! Have you gone insane?!"

Nick's eyes widened, his voice sharp with terror.

"Do you know who he is? That's Loki!"

Lin Du merely glanced at Nick, his tone unexpectedly calm. "Nick, I have a way to deal with him."

With that, he clasped the Cosmic Cube tightly in both hands and slowly channeled his power into it. The blue light grew increasingly brilliant, nearly impossible to look at directly.

A flicker of surprise crossed Loki's face, only to be replaced by a cold smile.

"You think that thing can subdue me? How naïve."

Before his words had even faded, his steps became lighter, yet carried an even more ominous air.

Lin Du did not hesitate in the slightest.

He took a deep breath and slowly reached toward the Cosmic Cube.

The instant his fingertips touched the cube, the blue glow erupted into a blinding burst of light.

A vast surge of power rushed into his body, threatening to tear him apart from the inside out.

"Urgh—" Lin Du roared in pain, but rather than retreating, he gripped the Cosmic Cube tighter, his resolve growing firmer.

At that moment, time froze.

Lin Du felt boundless space and time unfold within his consciousness, as vast as an endless sea of stars.

His thoughts traveled through that immeasurable expanse of time and space, continuously comprehending, continuously mastering...

Loki had thought he had already controlled Lin Du.

That Lin Du would soon hand over the Cosmic Cube.

Yet now, he stared blankly as Lin Du crushed the Cosmic Cube with his bare hand.

What exactly was wrong with this mortal?

Could he be a god of Asgard?

After all, even Loki could not easily destroy the Cosmic Cube, a divine artifact.

Yet Lin Du had crushed it with effortless ease.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft seemed to freeze in an instant.

For the first time, an expression of disbelief flashed across his face. The sight before him completely overturned his understanding of the word "power."

This ability had clearly surpassed the realm of mortals.

No, it had even exceeded the limits of what gods could command.

"What... kind of power is this?!"

Loki muttered softly, his voice laced with shock and a trace of barely perceptible excitement.

At the same time, Nick Fury, who just moments ago had been telling Lin Du to leave with the Cosmic Cube,

now had his eyes fly open, sparks of disbelief dancing deep within his pupils.

He abruptly turned his head, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's as it locked onto Lin Du in the distance.

In Nick's understanding, Lin Du was Kamar-Taj's supreme mage.

But the power he displayed now was worlds apart from the image of the Sorcerer Supreme.

Lin Du radiated a steady, profound aura, as though the mysteries of the entire universe were hidden in the depths of his eyes.

Had the Sorcerer Supreme truly reached such a realm?

"Lin Du, you..." Nick's voice trembled slightly, betraying his urgency.

"How did you do that?"

Lin Du slowly lowered his hand. The shattered Cosmic Cube turned into specks of faint light and dispersed into the air, as if nothing had happened.

He turned around and calmly met Nick's gaze.

In this world, everything had its principles and limits, without exception.

But wasn't the Cosmic Cube merely some fragile trinket that would shatter with a light squeeze?

As soon as Lin Du finished speaking, Loki and Nick twitched their lips in unison, their eyes filled with disbelief.

They muttered inwardly, Did this guy even know what kind of miracle he was talking about?

After all, even if Loki and Nick joined forces, they could not make the Cosmic Cube deform in the slightest.

Loki stared at Lin Du, a helpless smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

This was probably the first time he had encountered a mortal who dared to boast so outrageously—claiming he could break it with one hand.

What if he tried again?

Loki's expression shifted rapidly as he stood on this blue planet teeming with mortals.

Someone here could casually accomplish what even gods found difficult. It was truly inconceivable.

"How is this possible..." Loki murmured, a faint tremor slipping into his voice.

If Lin Du truly possessed such unrestrained power, he would undoubtedly be an unprecedented threat to Asgard.

How could such extraordinary power dwell within the body of a mortal?

Thus, Loki slowly raised the Scepter embedded with the dazzling Mind Stone.

He prepared to use its all-pervading, irresistible mental power to subdue this being who might become a formidable enemy.

Then, he would easily take the Cosmic Cube from that man's hands.

With a single stroke, he would control Odin,

and hold Asgard's lifeline firmly in his palm.

But this shocking scheme did not escape Nick Fury's sharp eyes.

Seeing Loki's actions, Nick immediately strode forward and urgently warned Lin Du.

"Watch out, Lin Du! Loki is about to make his move!"

At this moment, Nick's fear of Loki had lessened considerably.

After all, Lin Du could crush the Cosmic Cube with his bare hands.

Not to mention the undisguised panic in Loki's eyes whenever he looked at Lin Du.

This god might not be Lin Du's match at all.

However, Loki possessed the unpredictable variable known as the Mind Stone,

so Nick could not completely let down his guard.

Faced with Loki's restless intent and Nick's urgent warning, Lin Du did not retreat.

Instead, an intrigued smile formed at the corner of his mouth.

Confidence and calmness shone side by side in his eyes.

"Mind control? To me, it's nothing more than a child's game."

As his words fell, he lightly waved his hands. Invisible ripples seemed to spread through the air, forming a barrier too faint for the naked eye to discern.

The deep blue light spilling from Loki's Scepter was completely blocked by this barrier.

Loki froze for a moment, never expecting his Scepter to be stopped by such a strange defense.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Du's figure flickered forward like a ghost.

In an instant, he was standing before Loki, effortlessly pulling the Scepter from Loki's stunned hand.

Even more astonishingly, Lin Du gave a light flick of his finger.

The Mind Stone, which contained immense power, separated from the Scepter and landed steadily in his palm.