Loki was the first possibility Ethan considered, but he quickly ruled it out.
Loki's mind control worked differently. When someone fell under Loki's influence, they didn't behave like raging beasts. Instead, they lost their sense of self and became obedient puppets, like machines carrying out orders.
If Loki had been controlling Hulk, Banner wouldn't have remained trapped in a furious rampage. The transformation would have collapsed eventually, and Hulk would revert back to Banner.
Since it wasn't Loki, that left only one possibility.
The hooded figure.
A master of mind control.
Among Thanos's Black Order, only one person was truly famous for that ability.
Supergiant.
If she really was here, she had to die immediately.
Otherwise, if she managed to control a few more powerful individuals and then hid somewhere, the situation would become a complete disaster.
Ethan's gaze instantly locked onto the rooftop of Stark Tower.
Standing beside Loki was a blue-skinned figure.
Supergiant.
Without hesitation, Ethan teleported.
In the next instant he appeared directly in front of her.
His telekinesis erupted, forming an invisible cage that surrounded her body completely.
But what happened next made Ethan's eyes widen in shock.
The telekinetic force that had crushed thousands of Chitauri suddenly failed.
It was as if Supergiant didn't exist.
His power swept straight through her body like air.
"What are you doing?" a voice whispered behind him. "I'm over here."
Ethan spun around.
Sure enough, Supergiant stood behind him.
He activated his telekinesis again.
Once again it hit nothing.
"Wrong again."
Supergiant now appeared to his left, smiling at him calmly.
Ethan frowned deeply.
An illusion?
His perception ability had already scanned the area, yet it detected nothing unusual.
And yet his body instinctively reacted every time he saw her.
Which meant one thing.
She wasn't creating illusions.
She was interfering directly with his senses.
Realization struck him instantly.
She was manipulating his mind.
That meant she was affecting the signals reaching his brain, altering what he saw and heard.
Once Ethan understood that, his expression immediately darkened.
If she was capable of interfering with his mind this deeply, then the situation was far more dangerous than he initially thought.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ethan activated Occlumency.
Occlumency was a mental discipline from the wizarding world, a technique designed to block external psychic intrusions. Those who mastered it were known as Occlumens—individuals capable of sealing their own minds.
"Oh?" Supergiant's voice sounded intrigued.
"So you can actually resist my mental invasion. Interesting. But this crude resistance technique of yours… how long do you think it will last?"
Her voice slipped into Ethan's mind like a whispering devil.
"Why not open your mind instead?" she murmured. "From now on, you could fight for me. Serve my master."
The whispering voice continued echoing inside Ethan's head, gradually eroding his concentration.
Occlumency was a skill, not a power that depended on raw magical strength.
Ethan technically knew the technique, but his mastery wasn't particularly deep. Before long, his mind began to waver under the pressure.
It seemed that resisting her control in a normal state was far more difficult than he expected.
Fine.
If that was the case, he would use something else.
Ragnarok.
The moment that thought appeared, a bolt of blood-red lightning struck Ethan from above.
Crimson energy surged across his body like a violent storm.
Ragnarok activated.
For the next six seconds, every control effect would be removed, and Ethan would become completely immune to all mental manipulation.
This was the ultimate ability of Olaf from the League of Legends world.
One of Ethan's most reliable trump cards.
Although the immunity lasted only six seconds, that was more than enough.
More than enough to kill Supergiant.
Perhaps because she believed she had already weakened Ethan's mind, Supergiant made no effort to hide.
She stood calmly beside him.
Ethan suddenly clapped his hands together.
The motion sealed her fate instantly.
"…This shouldn't be happening," Supergiant murmured in disbelief.
Ethan smiled.
"Yeah," he said calmly. "You're right."
In the next instant, his telekinesis crushed her throat.
Before the fear of death could even fully register in her mind, Ethan struck again.
A razor-sharp spike of telekinetic force shot forward, piercing directly through her forehead.
Her skull exploded into a twisted mess.
Against enemies who specialized in mental abilities, caution was essential.
Ethan refused to take any risks.
Only when the summoning energy progress bar deep within his consciousness suddenly jumped to around three hundred percent did Ethan finally confirm that Supergiant was completely dead.
Dead beyond any possibility of survival.
He casually tossed the corpse aside.
Although the entire battle had lasted less than two minutes, it had been extremely dangerous.
Ethan had only managed to win because of information asymmetry.
If Supergiant had known he possessed an ability capable of granting temporary immunity to mind control, she never would have stood directly in front of him like that.
A hidden psychic attacker was far more terrifying than most enemies.
Fortunately, that problem was now solved.
Among Thanos's generals, Supergiant was the only one who possessed such overwhelming mental abilities.
At that moment, the six-second duration expired.
The crimson lightning faded away as the Ragnarok effect disappeared.
On the rooftop nearby, Loki stood frozen.
Just seconds ago, he had believed Supergiant would control Ethan and eliminate him easily.
Yet within a few seconds, the one who died was Supergiant herself.
The reversal had happened far too suddenly.
When Ethan's gaze slowly turned toward him, Loki felt his heart drop into his stomach.
He immediately raised both hands slowly.
A forced smile appeared on his face as he spoke with exaggerated politeness.
"Your Excellency," Loki said carefully, "I assure you, I had no intention of offending you. Everything that happened today was merely an unfortunate accident."
Two years earlier, the hammer incident had become Loki's greatest nightmare.
He had absolutely no desire to relive that experience again.
Ethan didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he pointed upward toward the massive portal in the sky.
Without Ethan blocking the opening, the Chitauri had poured through rapidly during the past two minutes.
Now the alien forces flooded into New York like a tidal wave.
More than a dozen massive Leviathan warships—each over one hundred meters long—hovered above the city.
"So you're saying," Ethan said with a faint smile, "all of this is just an accident?"
Loki's face stiffened.
He carefully asked, "If I said yes… would you believe me?"
Ethan's smile grew slightly more interesting.
"Actually," he said slowly, "I might."
Hearing that answer, Loki froze.
"…You must have some conditions," Loki said quickly. "Please, go ahead."
Ethan nodded casually.
"Give me the scepter," he said. "And take Dr. Selvig with you. Disappear for two hours, then come back."
Loki blinked.
Ethan continued calmly.
"Don't even think about running. As long as you're still on Earth, I'll find you."
He smiled faintly.
"Understood?"
....
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