Three thousand meters underground, inside the sealed storage chamber, the Tesseract preserved within the containment device was continuously releasing energy.
Then, the very instant that energy reached its critical point, a surging burst of blue light roared out and swallowed the entire containment device in the blink of an eye.
Right after that, the blue energy rapidly contracted until the shrinking froze into a stable state that seemed almost natural.
In the next second, that stable energy suddenly bloomed outward, and Loki crossed nearly half the galaxy to arrive in the Midgard he had long yearned for!
The moment he landed, Loki immediately raised the Mind Scepter, the corner of his mouth curling into a wicked smile.
He slowly swept his gaze around with a sinister expression, until...
Until he realized there was absolutely nothing around him!!!
He was actually stuck inside a sealed room littered with shattered junk.
As for that debris, it was the remains of the countless observation devices and monitoring instruments destroyed when the Tesseract's energy erupted.
"Fuck!"
Loki cursed outright, then dropped to the floor without the slightest concern for appearances.
He casually threw the Mind Scepter to one side, grabbed his right hand, and began howling.
"Damn it, by Frigga, I can barely feel my hand anymore!"
His right hand, which had looked completely unharmed just moments ago, now seemed as if some illusion covering it had been torn away.
In an instant, the once-perfect hand became covered in golden cracks.
Within those dense fractures, endless power was constantly coiling and eating into his flesh, making Loki's pain intensify without end.
"I really still don't have the qualifications to wield an Infinity Stone directly. Fuck, but sooner or later, I will!
Good thing there's no one here. I can recover for a while before anyone finds me in this state."
As he spoke, he placed his right hand palm-up against the ground.
His forearm pressed tightly against the cold floor.
He dropped to one knee, while his left hand formed a strange but oddly harmonious gesture.
At the same time, his lips began moving in a quiet chant.
Those were ancient syllables of the Vanir tongue, used specifically to command Vanir dark magic.
Unlike Thor, Loki had always believed he was not a child loved by his father.
The foolish brute Thor had obtained the position of God of Thunder and Mjolnir the moment he came of age.
But when Loki came of age, his father had not even granted him a divine title. The divine spark of wisdom he carried now had actually been shared with him by his mother.
In short, Loki respected his mother deeply, and he equally respected everything connected to Frigga.
Because of that, Loki's mastery of Vanir magic far surpassed Thor's, and in some ways, even surpassed Odin himself!
Loki had always been proud, but when it came to magic, he truly had every right to be.
Of course, he also had his shortcomings, like somehow playing a pure mage as if he were a five-star assassin...
As things stood, Loki spent more than three full minutes and used over nineteen spells before he finally managed to strip the Mind Stone's corrupting power from his right hand.
Once he was done treating it for the moment, Loki collapsed onto the ground, his face deathly pale.
Even as a prince of Asgard, he had never felt this exhausted in his entire life.
The double strain from the Infinity Stone and Vanir dark magic was no less brutal than being roasted and frozen at the same time.
Forget conquering Midgard.
Forget striking back at Asgard.
Right now, nothing sounded more real than getting some sleep!
And so, the very first thing Loki did after arriving on Earth...
Was sleep for more than an hour!
...
While he slept, Banner, Captain Rogers, and Natasha boarded a Quinjet together.
Accompanied by over twenty elite agents, they arrived at the secret location where the Tesseract had been buried.
After contacting the local S.H.I.E.L.D. engineering team, the crew, which had only rested for less than two days, was assembled once again.
At the construction site, the captain of the engineering unit looked at Rogers and the other two as if they were idiots.
"You people just buried that thing less than two days ago, and now you want us to dig it back out?!!"
At that moment, the captain honestly wanted to die a little.
You bastard higher-ups, have you ever once thought about how hard us little people work?!
Do you know how thoroughly we filled those tunnels?
Do you know how tightly packed they are right now?
Of course you don't. All you people ever think about is your own careers. You never consider anyone else's feelings!
And in the end, it's workers like us who have to break our backs doing all the physical labor for you!!!
All the jobs you people never want to touch yourselves!!!
Unfortunately, he only dared complain about that in his heart.
Outwardly, he just said:
"Right away!"
Without another word, the engineering team moved at once. Countless machines were fired up, and the violent noise and shaking finally woke the resting Loki underground.
Asgardians' five senses were already superior to those of humans. After climbing to his feet, Loki could not help murmuring to himself,
"So they found me? Sounds like they're digging from above. Looks like it's time for me to make my entrance!"
After saying that, he shook his head and rubbed his eyes, forcing himself to wake up properly.
Then he clapped his hands together, and the dust clinging to his body was instantly wiped away.
Next, he gripped the Tesseract in his left hand and picked up the Mind Scepter with his right.
With a light flick of his left hand, his entire body vanished.
And at the very same moment, he appeared right beside the people from S.H.I.E.L.D.
Captain America, who had remained on alert the whole time, noticed Loki instantly. The moment he did, he lifted his shield and charged straight at him.
At the same time, he roared,
"All personnel on guard! We have an unknown intruder!"
The moment those words fell, every agent immediately halted what they were doing in perfect sync. Even the engineering crew drew their pistols and began searching the area for the target.
Very soon, all of them saw Loki standing in the direction Captain America was charging toward.
Natasha immediately rushed in as well. Having seen with her own eyes that Loki was holding the Tesseract, there was no need for hesitation.
Looking at the alert agents around him, then at Captain America and Natasha charging him from the front, Loki suddenly revealed a satisfied smile.
"What a surprise. On my very first day in Midgard, I discover two such brilliant minds."
While he spoke, the surrounding agents had already opened fire.
Yet Loki did not move at all. Those bullets simply passed through his body as if he were not even there!
"Damn it, the target can't be hit!"
"He may be immune to physical attacks. Switch to sonic rounds!"
"Throw sonic grenades!"
"Wait, that's...!"
At last, someone realized something was wrong.
The Loki standing in place began fading rapidly, then vanished into thin air.
It had only been an illusion!
The real Loki had already rushed in front of Captain America. At that very moment, he was gripping Steve by the throat and lifting him off the ground, while trying to drive the scepter in his right hand into Steve's chest.
"Look out!"
Natasha shouted from nearby as she aimed her pistol at Loki's head and fired continuously.
Captain America, of course, was not going to sit there and wait to die. He quickly raised his shield to cover his chest, fully blocking Loki's scepter.
Blocked it?
Had he really?
In the next instant, Loki's scepter actually passed straight through Captain America's shield as if it were not there at all, stabbing directly toward his chest!
Natasha's eyes nearly split apart in horror!
Seeing that the scepter was about to pierce Steve's heart while being powerless to stop it, she could do nothing but keep firing and scream desperately,
"Watch out!"
But at that moment, Natasha suddenly heard Captain America shout,
"Oh no!"
Steve himself was just as alarmed. He frantically twisted his head toward Natasha and yelled at her,
"You're the one who should be careful!"
"Me?"
Natasha froze.
Then she saw the spear stab straight through Captain America's chest.
But there was no blood on it.
And Steve's body had no wound at all!
"An illusion?"
Natasha understood instantly, but by then it was already too late.
A pair of slender but immensely powerful hands clamped around her throat.
At the same time, her chest felt something unimaginably cold touch it!
In an instant, Natasha's pupils rapidly turned black.
"Let her go!"
Captain America roared in frustration and hurled his shield straight at Loki.
Loki turned his head, glanced at him, and smiled with disdain.
He released Natasha's throat and casually caught the shield in one hand.
"Not bad strength. So you're one of Midgard's warriors? Your physique can barely compare to even the weakest of Asgard's berserkers. Very good."
At that, Loki's wicked smile appeared again. He weighed the shield in his hand, then casually flung it back at Captain America.
Steve gritted his teeth and put all his strength into both arms to receive it.
Even so, the instant the shield hit his hands, it drove him straight backward.
He slid more than eight meters before finally stopping.
Feeling the pain in both arms, Captain America's helplessness deepened more and more.
First, there had been Heisenberg, the Kryptonian elder.
And now here was another mysterious alien who called Earth Midgard and claimed Steve was only about equal to an Asgardian berserker.
How had Earth turned into this kind of mess while he was just sleeping?
Wait!
Captain America froze.
Midgard?
Asgard!
"You're Asgardian! What's your connection to Thor?"
The words flew out of his mouth, and Loki's previously calm expression darkened slightly.
After silently gritting his teeth, Loki answered in annoyance,
"You mean my idiotic, muscle-brained brother?"
"Thor's brother?!!"
Captain America understood at once.
"You're Loki!"
"That's right. I am the Prince of Asgard, the true heir of Asgard, the former owner of the throne, the future ruler of Midgard, your one true god... Loki!"
Loki shouted those words without restraint, and his declaration cast a shadow over every agent present.
Unlike Heisenberg, the Kryptonian elder in New York, who was ruthless and cruel in his methods but still relatively calm in temperament, this so-called Loki had truly arrived with the intention of conquering Earth.
At the same time, Loki lightly raised his right hand, and Natasha immediately walked to his side.
Right in front of all the agents and Captain America, Loki casually gave her an order.
"Tell me, what is the most prosperous city on this planet? My footsteps are about to descend upon it!"
As soon as the words fell, Captain America watched in horror as Black Widow, her eyes completely black, obediently answered Loki's command.
"New York probably qualifies. But there is an incredibly powerful lifeform there, a true god among men.
So, Boss, I do not recommend beginning your conquest with New York."
"Hm?"
The moment he heard Natasha's answer, Loki froze.
"A god among men?"
/-\
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