The sky above Stark Tower was painted in eerie hues of orange and purple, the remnants of the battle raging across New York City casting flickering shadows across the glass.
Atop the tower, Loki stood with his usual regal arrogance, the golden glow of his scepter pulsing with unchecked power.
The wind tugged at his emerald cape, making him look every bit the victorious god he imagined himself to be.
Tony Stark stood on the platform with a metallic clang, the Mark VII armor humming as thrusters cooled.
His helmet folded back, revealing his usual smirk—cocky, confident, and just a little too calm for someone facing an Asgardian god.
Loki barely spared him a glance before chuckling. "Ah, Stark. You persist, despite the inevitable. Admirable, if not utterly foolish."
Tony rolled his shoulders, scanning Loki with his suit's sensors. "Yeah, I've got this nasty habit of not rolling over for guys with a superiority complex. Trust me, I'd have changed if therapy wasn't so expensive."
Loki smiled, but it was the kind that dripped with condescension.
He turned his gaze to the city below, where his Chitauri army laid waste to the streets. "This world was always meant to kneel. You? You're just a man in a tin shell, delaying the inevitable."
Tony raised a finger. "See, that's where you're wrong. I'm not just a man in a tin shell. I'm a man in a tin shell with style. And let's be real—you monologuing like a Saturday morning cartoon villain? Not your best look, reindeer games."
Loki's eyes flickered with irritation, but his smile remained. "Ah, yes. The famous Stark wit, I've heard of it. Before my plan began, I had looked you up. Oh, how small men hide behind humor when faced with their betters."
Tony tapped his helmet. "And yet, here you are, still talking. Kinda feels like you need to convince yourself more than me."
Loki's smirk disappeared.
With a flick of his scepter, the air around him shimmered—then suddenly, there were six of him.
Each Loki moved with perfect synchronization, their identical sneers aimed at Tony.
'Oh, great. Loki's doing the shadow clone jutsu bit. Classic.'
The illusions struck first. Blades of searing green energy shot toward Tony in a synchronized assault.
His repulsors flared as he dodged to the side, rolling mid-air as the blasts carved molten scars into the rooftop.
One of the Lokis lunged, scepter swinging in an arc meant to take Tony's head clean off.
"M.A.R.V.E.L, tell me something good."
His AI responded instantly. "Multiple energy signatures detected. Analyzing distortion fields—compensating."
Tony's HUD adjusted, filtering through the magical interference. The fake Lokis had faint energy fluctuations—tiny inconsistencies in how light bent around them.
'Bingo.'
He fired a repulsor blast at one of them. It fizzled harmlessly through empty air.
Loki laughed. "Oh dear, Stark. Is that the best you—"
Tony spun and fired again—straight at the real Loki. The blast slammed into his chest, sending him skidding backward across the platform.
"Yeah, yeah, I've seen this trick before," Tony quipped. "Big fan of the whole 'mirrors and misdirection' thing, but come on—at least try to be original."
Loki growled, gripping his scepter tighter. His illusions dissipated in a ripple of green light. "You dare mock me?!"
"Buddy, I mock everyone. It's kind of my thing."
Loki launched himself forward, his scepter glowing with divine energy. Tony met him head-on.
The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the rooftop as metal clashed with magic. Loki's strikes were fast—inhumanly so—but Tony's predictive systems kept him one step ahead, dodging and blocking with precision. Sparks flew as Loki's scepter met Tony's energy blades, each strike accompanied by an earth-shaking boom.
Then Loki vanished.
Tony barely had time to react before Loki reappeared behind him, slamming the scepter against his back. The armor absorbed most of the impact, but the force sent Tony crashing into the rooftop, shattering the reinforced metal plating.
'Okay, so the god's got speed. Noted.'
His thrusters kicked in, launching him back into the air. He twisted, firing micro-missiles at Loki mid-flight. The god flicked his wrist, summoning a shimmering energy barrier that deflected the explosions.
"Pathetic," Loki sneered.
Tony grinned. "Good thing I wasn't aiming for you."
The rooftop beneath Loki exploded. The well-placed charge sent him tumbling backward, his barrier failing under the unexpected assault.
Tony rocketed forward, capitalizing on the opening, and slammed a repulsor-charged fist into Loki's chest.
Loki coughed, but before Tony could press the advantage, green tendrils of magic wrapped around his suit, locking him in place. Loki lifted a hand, his grip tightening.
"Let's see how well you fight when you can't move."
Red warning signs flashed in Tony's HUD. "Energy field disrupting servos. Systems compromised—recalibrating."
'Not great. Really not great.'
Loki approached, scepter crackling with raw power. "You truly believed you could stand against me? Against a god?"
Tony's smirk didn't waver. "Funny thing about gods—wouls youy believe me if I said that you guys have a terrible habit of losing to mortals with good timing?"
Loki's eyes narrowed. Then—
A bright pulse emitted from Tony's chest reactor.
The Starktonium core unleashed an electromagnetic wave, disrupting Loki's magic long enough for Tony to break free. He flipped mid-air, thrusters roaring as he fired a concentrated unibeam straight at Loki.
The blast engulfed him.
For a moment, all was silent.
Then the smoke parted, and there Loki stood, slightly bruised but very much alive and okay.
And he was smiling.
"Impressive," Loki admitted, brushing dust from his armor. "You are far more troublesome than I expected."
Tony landed, rolling his shoulders. "What can I say? I'm full of surprises."
Loki's smirk deepened. "Indeed. But you still fail to grasp one thing."
The air around them trembled as Loki raised his scepter.
"I am a god. And no matter how clever you think you are, mortals always fall."
The energy around him flared. The battle wasn't over.
And Tony Stark?
He was just getting started
'Okay, the test is over. Time for the real fight.'
As arrogant as Loki was, both were just testing each other all these while.
Now...
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