Magic Failed, and What a Weak God!

"Raine, keep a close eye on him. See what other tricks he has."

Inside the Mirror Dimension, Wong looked solemn. "Everyone, move together. Keep it clean, and don't give away our position."

"Got it." Raine nodded.

At the top of Stark Tower.

Loki pulled himself out of the concrete wall, covered in dust and looking ridiculous.

The faceplate of the red-and-gold armor hovering in midair flipped open. Tony grinned. "Well, Bambi, are your tricks not working anymore?"

"Ignorant mortal! That was nothing but a minor mishap!"

Loki flew into a rage.

He gripped the Mind Scepter in his left hand and drew a Uru Alloy dagger with his right.

Forged from the finest metal in the Divine Realm, its edge was sharp enough to cut through an Asgardian's divine body.

A sinister smile curled his lips.

"The game has only just begun!"

Before he finished speaking, Loki's figure rippled like water and vanished into thin air.

"Watch out!" Thor roared.

He knew his younger brother too well. Invisible sneak attacks were Loki's specialty.

The Avengers tensed and formed a back-to-back circle again, bracing for a killing blow from any direction.

Whoosh!

The air warped.

Loki appeared without warning in front of Tony and thrust his dagger at him.

Tony reacted instantly, raising his hand and firing a high-energy repulsor blast.

White light flashed. Loki flew more than a dozen meters and rolled across the ground.

When he got up, he was too stunned even to be angry.

What happened?

He had entered a deep state of invisibility. Even the guards of the Divine Realm couldn't detect him.

How could a mortal in a tin suit pinpoint his position?

Had mortal technology already learned to counter the Divine Realm's Illusion Magic?

Loki refused to believe it.

Magic surged through him as he cast Advanced Invisibility Spell again.

He moved lightly, circling behind Thor like a ghost.

He was just about to raise the scepter.

Thor spun around and glared straight at him. "Loki, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Caught red-handed, Loki jumped.

"You... you can see me?"

"Loki!" Thor ground his teeth.

He thought his brother was deliberately humiliating him!

Playing invisible right in front of him? Did Loki think he was blind?

Furious, Thor swung Mjolnir in a great arc and smashed it into him.

Boom!

The dull impact rang out across the sky.

Loki flew backward like a kite with its string cut and slammed into the tower's outer wall again, leaving a deep, human-shaped crater.

This time, Loki barely noticed the pain. His mind was consumed by shock.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Across the Nine Realms, only All-Father Odin and Queen Frigga could see through his Illusion Magic.

How could anyone on Earth render his magic completely useless?

Someone must be interfering from the shadows!

Loki yanked himself out of the wall like a madman and roared at the empty space around him. "Who is it? Who's sabotaging me? Come out!"

"Thor, I think there's something wrong with your brother's head," Tony said, twisting the knife.

Thor shot Tony an irritated look, then raised his hammer and shouted, "Everyone, get him down!"

With that, Thor lunged first, like an enraged lion.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two brothers from the Divine Realm clashed in an instant.

Though Loki specialized in magic, he carried the blood of the Frost Giants. His raw physical strength was no less than Thor's.

Scepter and hammer collided fiercely, scattering sparks.

After dozens of head-on exchanges, Thor's strength gave out and he was forced back.

The other Avengers seized the opening and rushed in.

Loki swung his scepter into an impenetrable defensive web, blocking every attack.

"Enough!"

"I've had enough of you mortals!"

"Die, all of you!"

Loki's eyes burned red, his expression wild.

He gripped the scepter with both hands, preparing to unleash a devastating wide-area spell.

He raised his right hand high.

Snap!

He rubbed two fingers together with a sharp snap, trying to trigger the release of his magic.

The Avengers' faces changed. They raised their shields and weapons, bracing for a terrifying surge of energy.

But...

Pfft.

Only a tiny, feeble spark appeared at Loki's fingertips. Like a cheap lighter, it flickered once and went out.

The air fell deathly silent.

"Bambi, was that supposed to be a street magic show?" Tony's taunt sounded especially cutting.

Loki trembled with rage. Whatever composure he had left shattered.

"Who is it?"

"You dare anger a mighty god? I'll tear you all to pieces!"

Loki threw back his head and howled.

Boom!

A massive green fist dropped from above and slammed squarely into Loki's head.

The sudden blow made stars burst before Loki's eyes, and his skull rang.

When he saw Hulk standing before him, the madness in his eyes intensified.

"You brainless beast! I am a god! A supreme god!"

Loki formed a hand seal, preparing to unleash mind magic and seize control of the beast that knew only destruction.

If he controlled Hulk, the Avengers would collapse in an instant.

A pulse of magic flashed.

But Hulk didn't react at all.

Contempt filled his enormous eyes. Then he reached out with a hand like a palm-leaf fan and grabbed Loki by the ankle.

And then...

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Hulk swung Loki like a hammer, smashing him wildly into the floor on either side like a ragged sack.

The hard surface of the landing pad caved in again and again, sending rubble flying.

The Avengers watched with pounding hearts. Some even took a couple of steps back without realizing it.

After more than a dozen slams.

Hulk seemed to grow bored. He tossed the limp Loki onto the ground and curled his lip in disdain.

"Puny god."

At the same time.

Inside the Mirror Dimension.

The Masters watched Loki's miserable defeat and breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Asgardian magic really is troublesome." Wong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

From the outside, it had looked as though Loki had made a fool of himself. In truth, the Masters had been battling him fiercely from the shadows.

If Raine hadn't reacted quickly at the end, they might have lost control of the situation.

"Nicely done, Raine."

Wong looked at the young man beside him with approval.

"You give me too much credit, Masters."

Raine smiled modestly. "I only handled the finishing touches. Master Hamir's Eye of Truth broke his invisibility, and Master Reinhardt's Magic-Nullifying Field sealed off his magic. I never could have stopped him alone."

"Enough. Don't be so modest."

Wong waved a hand. "If you hadn't used Mental Barrier to block his mind magic at the last moment, Hulk would've gone berserk, and half of New York outside would've suffered."

Loki was cunning. His final attempt at mind control had been well hidden.

Fortunately, Raine's mental strength was formidable enough to cut off Loki's spell by force.