Chapter 42

He shook his head, his smile deepening. "That was only to open the cage door and release the... beast trapped inside."

As if answering his words, a deafening roar tore through the air.

A massive green figure charged forward in pure fury, its enormous palm swinging out and carrying a foul gust as it lunged at the standing figure.

The smile had not yet faded from Loki's face.

Bang!

A dull impact rang out, as solid as a boulder smashing into mud.

That elegant body was abruptly lifted off the ground and hurled backward, crashing hard into a hollow in the wall behind him as rubble pattered down.

Silence.

A brief, bewildered silence blanketed the battlefield.

Not only was the one embedded in the wall stunned, even the gathered heroes were momentarily speechless, exchanging confused looks.

What had happened?

A few steps away, several figures stood quietly within another dimension where the light was faintly distorted.

Zhao Yu's gaze passed through the invisible barrier and settled on the frozen scene outside.

Beside him, Wong, wrapped in heavy robes, withdrew his gaze. His thick arms folded across his chest as he slowly nodded.

"You've mastered the binding spell quite well."

His voice was low. "Especially the technique for cutting off energy flow. Clean and efficient."

The young man gave a slight nod, with no trace of pride in his voice. "Your guidance was excellent."

A human-shaped hollow had been left in the wall. Loki staggered upright from the pile of rubble.

Magical energy trembled at his fingertips.

All of Asgard knew that the power of Odin, the Allfather, was unmatched—throughout the Nine Realms, he had never encountered an opponent.

Yet few mentioned that the goddess now seated beside Odin was equally not to be underestimated.

Frigga came from the Vanir. She had once led her people against Odin and had not fallen behind in the slightest.

That had been a long time ago.

Later, perhaps unwilling to see more casualties, she went to Odin's side and became queen.

From then on, she remained hidden behind the light, as if forgotten.

Yet when it came to the intricacies of magic, even Odin could not compare to her.

She was the true master of spells in this land.

She had been exceptionally fond of Loki and had taught him almost everything she knew.

Thus, the eerie glow flowing around Loki's fingertips truly contained power that could not be ignored.

Combined with the talent of the Frost Giants in his bloodline, in terms of magical attainments alone, he could perhaps rank third in Asgard.

By comparison, Thor seemed far more clumsy.

The Avengers possessed formidable combat strength, but they were utterly unprepared when it came to magic.

A simple concealment spell had already left them helpless.

What was more, the previous fierce battle had drained their strength. At this moment, they had no power to resist Loki's sinister spells.

Fortunately, Zhao Yu had arrived with the sorcerers.

Kamar-Taj's magical system differed from Asgard's, but ** spells were no difficult matter.

Zhao Yu had already activated a binding spell and interrupted Loki's spatial jump—so Hulk's heavy punch landed squarely on Loki.

Within the layers of the Mirror Dimension.

Several figures stood at the edge of the ripples.

Zhao Yu heard Wong's voice close to his ear, kept very low. "Keep an eye on him. See what trick that guy plans to play next."

"We need to act. Don't let him notice."

Zhao Yu nodded without making a sound.

On the other side, Loki stumbled out through the ripples in the wall, the hem of his robe still stained with lingering streams of light.

Tony Stark's voice behind his faceplate carried a metallic sneer. "Well, Bambi, did your little trick jam up?"

"Shut up, insect!"

Loki's knuckles turned white. "That was merely a warm-up."

He raised the slender scepter in his left hand and clenched his right hand in the air—a curved blade gleaming with cold blue light silently appeared.

It carried the chill unique to Uru Metal. Even Thor's skin had once been split open by that blade.

The corner of Loki's mouth curved upward.

"Now, it's my turn."

Before his words had faded, his outline became like ink washed away by water, instantly dissolving into the air.

"Watch your surroundings!"

Thor's roar exploded.

He knew this move too well. His back tensed, and sweat had already soaked the hammer's handle.

The Avengers quickly drew together, shoulders pressed against backs as their eyes swept over every inch of shifting light.

The sound of something cutting through the air came without warning.

Loki's figure condensed before Tony, as if he had never vanished.

Tony reacted faster than thought. The blaze from his repulsor cannon had already surged forth—the figure was violently blasted away, smashing against the mirrored barrier and sending ripples spreading outward.

Loki pushed himself up, his face blank at first before shock overwhelmed it.

How was that possible?

His magic had clearly enveloped him. Light and sound should both have been cut off.

How could Stark have locked onto his location?

Could this mortal see through illusions?

That made no sense.

Eerie blue light rose once more from Loki's fingertips. Magic coiled and climbed like snakes, spreading through the air.

He softened his footsteps and suppressed his presence to the lowest possible level, creeping toward Thor's back like a shadow.

Yet Thor's pupils remained fixed on him, utterly unmoving.

"Loki, what exactly are you trying to sneak a look at?"

Thor's voice was like boulders rolling through a valley, filled with barely restrained anger.

This brother of his—what did he take him for? He could not even be bothered to set a proper trap? Was the God of Thunder of Asgard really so beneath notice?

"You can see me?"

Loki's pitch abruptly rose, and the bewilderment in his eyes spread like cracking ice.

"Loki!"

Thor gritted his teeth, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.

He felt that this bastard was not casting magic at all. He was spitting in Thor's face.

He did not say another word.

The hammer's handle spun half a turn in his palm, followed by a violent howl.

Bang—

Loki was sent flying, his back slamming hard into Stark's wall. Rubble fell in a patter, and another human-shaped dent was branded into the wall.

Yet there was no pain on his face.

His face was filled with another emotion—a shock so absurd it was almost grotesque.

How could this be possible?

How could his bewilderment magic have failed?

In Asgard, only his father and mother had ever been able to see through it.

Why? Why, on this lowly Midgard planet, did his power feel as though it had struck an invisible wall?

Someone was interfering.

Someone had to be pulling strings behind the scenes.

Loki pulled himself from the rubble, the hem of his robe covered in dust, but his voice tore through the air as sharply as poisoned steel. "Who? Who the hell is it? If you have the courage, come out!"

His fury surged like a tide, completely undisguised.

"Thor, your brother's probably gone insane."

Tony Stark raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying the leisurely amusement of a spectator.

Thor shot him a vicious glare.

"Get up there and pin him down."

Before the words had even fallen, Thor had already lunged forward first.

The two bodies collided fiercely in midair, like two chunks of steel biting into one another with a dull crash.

Loki was a sorcerer, but the brute strength of the Frost Giants ran through his bones and blood. The power hidden beneath that lean body was not inferior to Thor's in the slightest.

The two exchanged several head-on blows in quick succession, fists crashing together so hard that even the air trembled.

At last, Thor was forced back, leaving two shallow scrape marks in the floor beneath his feet.

The other Avengers rushed forward right after him.

The scepter in Loki's hand whistled through the air, every swing carrying a heavy tearing sound.

His movements were as swift as a venomous snake. Attack after attack came in succession, yet he somehow did not let his opponents gain even the slightest advantage.

"**!"

"I've had enough!"

"All of you can die!"

His roar carried rage that was nearly out of control.

The scepter swept out in a fierce half-circle, and the surrounding Avengers were shoved away as if struck by an invisible wave, staggering back several steps.

Loki raised his right hand.

Snap!

A crisp snap of his fingers burst through the air.

The Avengers instinctively assumed defensive stances, muscles taut and eyes fixed on every movement of his fingertips.

Then—

Pfft.

Only a tiny spark shot from between Loki's fingers, as small as the final struggle of a lighter that would not ignite. The spark flashed once, then died completely.

"Bambi, are you here to perform circus tricks for us?"

Tony Stark's voice drifted from behind his faceplate, carrying undisguised mockery.

Loki was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He stomped the ground hard, veins bulging in his neck. "Who! Who the hell did this!"

He practically screamed, "You have enraged a god! I'll make you pay! Not one second of torment will be spared!"

Boom!

A massive fist smashed into the side of his head.

Loki froze completely. In that instant, his pupils lost focus. Like a bronze bell struck by a heavy hammer, his mind buzzed violently.

When he recovered, his face flushed red, fury burning every trace of reason away. "Damn it! I am a god! I am a god!"

He waved both hands, trying to cast magic.

He had already formed a plan in his mind—so long as that defensive ** spell landed on the green monster, it would make it lie on the ground and wag its tail like a dog.

He had plenty of experience dealing with beasts.

The magic was released.

Green light fell onto Hulk.

Nothing happened.

Hulk did not even feel as if anything had touched him.

He merely lowered his head to glance at the frail figure still waving his hands, then reached out and grabbed Loki by the ankle.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ground was smashed into pit after pit. Rubble flew, and dust filled the air.

Loki's body was flung back and forth between stone and dirt like a rag doll.

By the time Hulk stopped, a visible depression had formed in the ground.

The other Avengers all turned their heads away. Some frowned, some had twitching mouths, and some simply turned around and pretended to look at something else.

"This god is way too weak."

Hulk muttered, releasing his grip.

Loki's body was tossed aside like garbage, lying limp in a pile of rubble.

Within the Mirror Dimension, Zhao Yu stood amid the group and slowly exhaled.

Wong said softly beside him, "Asgard's magical system truly has its own unique merits."

[Main Text]

That relaxed appearance just now had only been for show.

Fine sweat beaded on everyone's foreheads, and the string in their minds had nearly snapped.

In the end, Zhao Yu had reacted quickly enough, or Loki's magic would have caused an even worse situation.

"Loki, you did well this time."

Wong nodded, offering his approval.

"You flatter me."

Zhao Yu kept his voice low.

"I only handled the least noticeable part."

He glanced to the side.

"Master Hamir's ability to see through invisibility, Reinhardt's area that sealed power—every one of them was far more important than me."

"On my own, I couldn't have held it together."

Wong waved a hand.

"Enough. Quit patting yourself on the back."

"If you hadn't withstood Loki's mind spell at the end, the whole situation would've blown up long ago."

Zhao Yu curled his lips at that and said nothing more.

Loki lay in the rubble-filled crater, covered in dust.

He couldn't figure out why none of his magic worked.

It made him wonder if he had somehow come to the wrong world.

Everything that should have worked had fallen completely flat.

This absolutely should not have happened.

How could magic passed down through Asgard be seen through by a bunch of mortals?

Could Earth really be hiding a monster on par with his father and mother?

Question marks kept popping up one after another in Loki's mind.

But none of the Avengers paid any attention to his dazed, devastated state.

"Thor, keep an eye on your brother."

"Natasha, give me the scepter."

"First, seal that hole in the sky."

The captain gave the orders.

Thor said nothing, pulling out the metal cuffs designed to lock away divine power and snapping them around Loki's wrists with a click.

Loki stood there, his expression seeming as though he had yet to process it—or as though he simply could not believe it had come to this. From beginning to end, he did not resist, not even moving a finger.

Captain America led the others across the threshold.

"Fuck."

The moment they stepped outside, several Avengers almost simultaneously forced out the word through clenched teeth.