A desolate, abandoned industrial area on the outskirts of New York.
The cold night wind, carrying a few drops of rain, relentlessly lashed against the wall.
"Bang!"
With the impact, a figure fell from mid-air.
It crashed heavily onto the waterlogged ground.
Without a doubt, this is Loki.
This second prince of Asgard boasted that he was the most intelligent God of Mischief in the Nine Realms.
But now he was lying in a dirty puddle, panting heavily.
His handsome face was swollen high, and blood kept oozing from the corners of his mouth and nostrils.
My whole body aches; even breathing brings excruciating pain.
"Damn it... damn mortals..."
Loki gritted his teeth, trembling as he tried to prop himself up.
But he only managed to get halfway up before his arms gave way, and he crashed hard into the mud again.
Helpless, he could only gasp for breath, his eyes filled with barely concealed fear.
Everything that just happened is like a nightmare I can't wake up from, constantly replaying in my mind.
Luca!!
Loki could never forget the way the other person looked at him.
That was an indifference that scorned everything.
It was as if he saw me as nothing more than a mortal he could crush with a flick of his wrist.
"Gods? In my territory, there are no gods, only rules."
These words, like a nightmare's whisper, echoed in Loki's ears.
What followed was an unbearable beating.
In that situation, he didn't even have time to cast an illusion spell before he was firmly captured.
Then he was swung around and smashed wildly!
One, two, ten...
Damn it!
That wasn't a fight, that was an insult!
Loki had lived in Asgard for over a thousand years and had never seen anyone like this.
This was the second time he had seen someone as powerful as Thor.
"Impossible... How could the Midgard possibly give birth to such a monster..."
Loki leaned against a broken pillar, his body convulsing involuntarily.
His dignity and everything he had had been trampled on by the other party.
"We can't just let this go..."
After much deliberation, Loki still couldn't swallow this insult.
"I refuse to admit defeat to a lowly Midgardian! I will have my revenge! I will make him kneel at my feet and watch this city turn to ashes!"
But Loki was well aware of the situation.
In our current state, if we provoke them again, we'll definitely be torn to shreds.
We must find a more powerful force, one strong enough to destroy the enemy!
Just then...
Loki suddenly detected a faint yet immense fluctuation of spatial energy.
This energy fluctuation was deeply hidden, seemingly shielded by layers of protection.
But this still couldn't escape Loki's keen sense for magical energy.
"This is... the aura of the Space Stone?"
Loki looked up with delight and gazed into the distance.
At that moment, his heart began to pound violently.
Space Stone!
The Space Stone is in the Midgard!
"As expected, there's always a way out... Hahahaha!"
Thinking of this, Loki chuckled maniacally.
"If I can get my hands on the Tesseract, I can open the portal to space!"
"Then, I won't need to lift a finger; I can summon an invincible army! I will unleash the wrath of Asgard upon this damned planet!"
Thinking this, Loki's fear was replaced by ambition.
He didn't know whose territory the spatial energy was located on, but he didn't care.
"I can't beat Luca, but surely I can handle a few mortals?"
Loki chuckled softly.
He then bit his tongue, squeezing out the last bit of magical energy, which transformed into a ball of green light.
With a whoosh.
His figure disappeared into the unfinished building, speeding towards the vast source of energy.
At the same time.
A base located several dozen kilometers from Loki.
This is one of S.H.I.E.L.D..'s most secret facilities.
Project Pegasus Research Base.
The entire base was reinforced with special materials.
It was originally a safe zone established for the study of the Tesseract.
But at this moment, the atmosphere here is very oppressive.
"Bang!"
Nick Fury kicked open the door to the monitoring room and strode in.
His eyes were sunken, and although he was burning with anger, his exhaustion was undeniable.
"Chief!"
In the monitoring room, several senior agents in charge of base security immediately stood at attention and saluted.
Standing at the very front was a man carrying a black composite bow, with eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
This is Clint Barton, codenamed Hawkeye.
Fury ignored their salutes and rushed to the control panel, staring at the constantly flashing alarms on the screen.
How's the situation in Washington?
Coulson, equally disheveled and following behind Fury, reported helplessly.
"Chief... headquarters has completely fallen."
Coulson sighed.
Pierce made his move.
"He used armed forces hidden around Washington."
"More than half of our rapid reaction special forces have suddenly defected. Those agents loyal to you... have suffered heavy casualties."
" The Triskelion is now completely under Hydra's control."
Upon hearing this report, Fury frowned even more deeply.
"OMG Fuck..."
Finally, Fury forced out those words through gritted teeth.
He never imagined that Hydra's infiltration had reached such a heinous level!
The massive intelligence empire of S.H.I.E.L.D.. crumbled in such a short time!
And the trigger for all of this was Luca's warning!
It's obvious that Fury has gone insane.
"Damn Stark! Damn capitalists!"
Fury cursed wildly in his mind.
"If that bastard hadn't revealed the truth, forcing me to carry out a massive purge overnight, would Pierce have resorted to such desperate measures?!"
"If I had been well prepared, how could I have lost so badly!"
Fury felt really frustrated.
He felt like a clown being manipulated by Luca.
The other party didn't even have to take action personally; with just a casual remark, they plunged S.H.I.E.L.D.. and Hydra into internal strife.
Meanwhile, Stark Industries was making a fortune and enjoying worldwide adoration!
"Chief, what should we do now? Hydra will find us here very soon."
Barton asked in a deep voice, his hand already on the quiver behind his back.
"What to do?"
Fury looked up, a flash of madness crossing his eyes.
"Since they want to play, let's play for high stakes!"
"Let's go big?"
"That's right."
After saying that, Fury turned around and strode towards the laboratory deep inside the base.
"All security personnel, enter Level 1 combat readiness! Seal off all entrances and exits of the base! Not even a fly is allowed in!"
Fury walked along, issuing orders loudly.
" Coulson! Activate the highest clearance in the lab immediately! Prepare to forcibly extract energy from the energy body!"
Coulson was shocked and quickly gave chase.
"Chief! This is too dangerous! The energy body is still unstable!"
"Our current technology is simply incapable of safely controlling it! Forcibly extracting it could very likely lead to uncontrollable consequences."
"I know!"
Fury stopped and stared intently at Coulson.
"But I had no choice, Coulson! Do you understand? I had no choice!"
"Headquarters is gone! We have less than a hundred agents at our disposal!"
"Faced with Pierce's massive army, and Luca in New York, what can we use to counterbalance them?!"
Coulson wanted to say something, but remained silent.
"This is our last chance! If we can weaponize it, if we can control unlimited energy, S.H.I.E.L.D.. can reshape the game!"
"Now, execute the order!"
Looking into Fury's obsessive eyes, Coulson knew that further persuasion was useless.
So he could only grit his teeth, turn around, and run towards the control panel.
However.
Just as Coulson's finger was about to press the start button...
"Buzz!!!"
The base suddenly began to tremble violently!
The piercing alarm instantly resounded in every corner, and emergency lights flashed incessantly.
"What happened?!"
Fury drew his pistol and roared.
"Director! The energy readings are skyrocketing! The space index has exceeded the safety threshold!" a researcher shouted in alarm.
"Bang!!!"
The laboratory door was suddenly blasted open from the inside!
The door flew out like a cannonball and slammed hard against the wall of the monitoring room.
Accompanied by a blinding blue light.
A man dressed in a green robe, with an extremely arrogant look in his eyes, stepped out.
The man was also holding a gleaming green dagger in his hand.
This was Loki, who had been transported in by following the spatial energy fluctuations.
Seeing the S.H.I.E.L.D.. members looking on high alert, Loki smiled dismissively.
"It seems even the ants of the Midgard are quite interested in the treasures of the gods."
Loki's words echoed throughout the base.
Having just suffered a great deal of anger at Luca's place, I now need to find a place to vent my divine wrath.
"Who are you?! Don't move!"
Fury raised his gun and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang bang bang!
Three bullets struck Loki in the chest and head.
But he just smiled dismissively.
"Ding ding ding!"
The bullets struck Loki, making clanging sounds, before falling limply to the ground.
Asgardians have a much denser body than humans, so ordinary weapons are barely enough to tickle them.
"You think you can harm the gods with this piece of junk?"
Loki sneered, his figure instantly transforming into several green afterimages.
"Fire! All hands, fire!"
Fury was horrified and immediately gave the order to attack.
Dozens of agents inside the base simultaneously pulled the triggers.
Flames instantly illuminated the hall, and a hail of bullets rained down on Loki.
But all of this was in vain.
Loki was completely powerless against Luca.
But in the eyes of ordinary people, he remains the God of Mischief, a master of magic and assassination.
And so, at that moment, he moved through the hail of bullets like a ghost.
"Pfft!"
Loki appeared behind an agent.
The dagger mercilessly slit the other man's throat.
"Ah!"
Screams rang out one after another.
Loki didn't use large-scale destructive magic because he had very little magic left.
But thanks to his superhuman physical abilities, he still managed to unleash a Carnage among the crowd.
"Bang!"
He kicked an agent away, the force of which slammed the man against the wall, shattering his bones.
"Too weak! The Midgardian are really too weak!"
"I can't beat Luca, but do you think I can't even kill a bunch of trash like you?!"
Loki's maniacal laughter chilled the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..
" Hawkeye! Stop him!"
Fury shouted as he backed away.
Clint, standing on high ground, had already drawn his bow and nocked an arrow.
His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, quickly locked onto Loki was moving swiftly through the crowd.
"Whoosh!"
An explosive arrow flew from the bow and struck the opponent precisely in the back.
Loki noticed the sound of something cutting through the air behind him.
But he simply extended two fingers and firmly caught the oncoming arrow.
"Good eyesight, but too slow." Loki looked at Hawkeye with a mocking expression.
However, Hawkeye gave a cold laugh.
"Boom!"
The arrow that Loki had been holding between his fingers suddenly exploded!
A powerful shockwave and flames instantly engulfed Loki.
"Well done, Barton!" Fury shouted.
but.
The smoke cleared.
The other person remained standing in the same spot, completely unharmed!
You've successfully angered me.
Loki's gaze turned completely cold.
He suddenly waved his hand.
Several magical light blades shot out and directly severed the steel pillars supporting the platform.
"Boom!"
The platform collapsed, Hawkeye fell from the height.
Although he reacted extremely quickly and hooked the railing with his bow and arrow, he was still shaken so badly that he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"I'm not playing with you guys anymore."
Loki snorted and strode into the laboratory.
A few seconds later, he emerged using magic, carrying Tesseract that emitted a dazzling blue light.
"Put that thing down!"
Fury held the gun, his eyes filled with despair and rage.
This is his last hope for a comeback!
If this guy steals it, S.H.I.E.L.D.. is completely finished!
You have no right to command God.
Loki gave Fury a cold look.
Energy was then injected into the Tesseract.
"Buzz!!!"
The Tesseract instantly erupted with a massive energy surge.
The base began to shake violently, and it looked like it was about to collapse.
"He's detonating the energy reactor! The base is going to collapse!" Coulson shouted in terror.
Goodbye, you ants.
Loki let out one last burst of maniacal laughter.
This was because a spatial portal had already opened behind him.
Immediately afterward, Loki retreated into the portal without hesitation and disappeared.
The moment he left, the energy of the Tesseract completely spiraled out of control!
"Run!!"
Fury grabbed Coulson and sprinted toward the base's emergency exits.
Hawkeye struggled to his feet and followed behind them.
Just as the three of them rushed into the elevator...
"Boom!!!"
An energy storm erupted deep within the base!
The entire base vanished in an instant amidst a blinding blue light.
A few minutes later.
A S.H.I.E.L.D.. helicopter took off from a hidden exit on the edge of the base.
Inside the cabin.
Nick Fury, his head covered in blood, slumped helplessly in his chair.
Coulson and Hawkeye, both covered in injuries, remained silent.
Fury looked out the porthole at the ruins below, his heart filled with despair.
It's over.
Everything is over.
Hydra has taken over its headquarters in Washington.
S.H.I.E.L.D.. fell apart.
Now, even our last trump card has been stolen by some guy who appeared out of nowhere!
Fury suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of despair and fear.
The other party definitely didn't steal the energy body to use as a flashlight.
A catastrophe capable of destroying the Earth is about to strike!
"Chief... what should we do now?" Coulson asked in a hoarse voice.
Fury remained silent for a long time.
A name uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.
A name he hated most, yet which overwhelmed everything.
Luca Stark.
"To New York..."
Fury gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.
He knew that the only one who could stop this crisis now was this lawless bastard.
"Turn around and head to Stark Tower."