Eddie Brock was once a journalist on the verge of being fired, but after a chance encounter where he captured footage of the White Demon, his luck turned! From the initial mutant skirmish on the streets to the destruction of Iron Monger, the crushing of Abomination and Hulk, the standoff with the X-Men, surviving a nuke, and the final leveling of the White House—he had captured these stories either by coincidence or intent. His fame soared alongside the White Demon's notoriety. Now a hot commodity at the Daily Globe, he was the rising star of the industry.
Invited to a gala today, he spotted a uniquely dressed figure killing several guests and immediately recognized it as another breaking story. He ordered his crew to roll the cameras and requested a live feed to the Daily Globe, launching a broadcast from the crime scene. The viewership numbers were skyrocketing, just as he imagined.
But as he watched the numbers climb with excitement, he noticed his cameraman looking behind him with a face full of terror. Eddie realized something was wrong and spun around, but the moment he saw the man with the strange scepter, a sharp, searing pain erupted in his chest. He looked down with trembling eyes; the scepter had pierced his chest, and blood was gushing out. With another jolt of agony, the man in the suit yanked the scepter out.
As the blood drained and his lungs failed, Eddie's vision dimmed. In his peripheral blur, he saw the mysterious man kill the cameraman with a bolt of energy, while his clothes morphed into a suit of bizarre armor. Just as Eddie's consciousness was about to flicker out, he noticed a mass of writhing, black substance nearby. It lunged forward, merging rapidly into his body.
After killing a few insignificant humans amidst the screams of the glittering socialites, Loki strolled toward the exit. The illusion of his suit dissolved, replaced by his golden Asgardian armor. Seeing the mortals of Midgard fleeing in panic, their eyes wide with terror, Loki's sense of pleasure reached its peak.
Yes, this is how it should be. This is the natural state of Midgardians.
He slammed the base of his scepter against the ground. Several illusory clones manifested, surrounding the mortals in the square. Loki stepped forward, looking at the cowering crowd, and barked:
"Kneel before me!"
Silence fell. The screams and chaos vanished under his command. Seeing the mortals paralyzed by fear, a hint of impatience flashed in Loki's eyes. He roared again: "I said... KNEEL!"
As the crowd finally sank to their knees, Loki smiled with satisfaction. He paced through the ranks of the submissive, relishing their worship. "Is this not simpler? Is this not your natural state? You crave to be led. You are built for servitude. In the end, you will always succumb to your ruler."
Suddenly, a silver-haired old man stood up. He looked at Loki without a shred of fear and spoke slowly: "Not to men like you."
Loki sneered. "There are no men like me."
The old man countered, "There are always men like you."
Infuriated by this "weak" mortal's defiance, Loki leveled the Mind Scepter at him. He spoke arrogantly to the crowd: "Look at this old fool. He shall be your example!"
The tip of the scepter glowed with brilliant blue light. An energy beam shot toward the old man, but just as it was about to strike, a strong man in a star-spangled uniform appeared. He raised a circular shield, intercepting the blast!
[Mind Scepter]
The unique Vibranium material reflected the beam, which struck Loki square in the chest, knocking him back. Captain America spoke firmly: "The last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everyone else, we ended up disagreeing."
Loki, having some knowledge of Midgard's history, recognized the man and mocked: "The soldier. A man out of time."
Just then, Black Widow opened fire from the Quinjet above. "Loki, drop the weapon and stand down!"
Loki responded with an energy blast that nearly clipped the jet's wing. Seeing this, Captain America lunged into the attack. However, against a peak Frost Giant with godly physical attributes, Cap was completely outmatched. After his shield was knocked aside, he fell into a desperate disadvantage.
Still stinging from his earlier humiliation by the White Demon, Loki had no desire to play games. Finding an opening, he used the scepter to break Cap's legs, then stepped on his chest, aiming the glowing tip at his forehead.
"I told you, you are a relic of a forgotten era!"
Steve Rogers fought with everything he had, but he couldn't stop the scepter's descent. Just as the tip grazed his brow, a surge of incredible power erupted from within him. He shoved the scepter aside and kicked Loki back with superhuman force!
Steve watched as a viscous, white liquid enveloped his body, and a sensation of immense strength flooded his veins. As the white substance covered him completely, a voice echoed in his mind:
"Hello, Steve. My name is Anti-Venom."
Looking at his now-white star-spangled uniform, Captain America felt the urge to ask questions, but the symbiote seemed to read his mind: "Steve, I think we should defeat the enemy before we discuss our living arrangements, don't you?"
Steve felt his current state—a brand new metamorphosis, much like his original transformation. A small smirk played on his lips as he looked at Loki: "Yeah... I can do this all day."
Loki stared at the white-clad Captain America. With thousands of years of memory, he recognized the creature instantly: "A symbiote. Interesting! But you think that's enough to defeat me?"
Loki slammed his scepter down, piercing a nearby mass of dark silver substance. Using the Mind Stone, he seized control of it, erasing its original will. The dark silver symbiote surged up, coating Loki. The Frost Giant's body and the symbiote interacted, creating an even more powerful synergy.
Sharp blades formed from his forearms. Loki held the scepter in one hand and raised a dagger in the other.
"Round two begins!"
....
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