"Same as what Blaine said," Nick Fury breathed a sigh of relief.
But at the same time, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
Why did Loki suddenly appear there?
Loki didn't even bother to hide. Could it be that S.H.I.E.L.D. would have been able to find him at this time on their own and they had made a mistake hiring Blaine instead?
If Blaine heard this thought, he would probably die laughing on the spot.
Because...
The Fury was right!
Loki showed up to draw the attention of people like Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.—just to bait them. Why would he bother hiding?
He deliberately appeared in Stuttgart! Just to send a message to S.H.I.E.L.D.: I, Loki, am here. Come and catch me!
Even without Blaine, he would have been arrested eventually. That was part of his plan.
He was in charge of attracting S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention, while Hawkeye Barton was tasked with stealing the metal bowls from the nearby Shay Institute of Physics.
As for Blaine... he definitely knew Loki was just a decoy.
But what did that have to do with him?
Blaine said his task was only to catch Loki. He had no obligation to handle what came next.
He was just a little butterfly flapping its wings in the Marvel world, using his knowledge of the plot to make money.
---
Stuttgart
At 8 o'clock in the evening, the party officially began.
Melodious violin music played, and upper-class guests in dresses and suits held champagne and red wine as they chatted about the evening's agenda. The atmosphere was harmonious.
What they didn't know was that beneath this harmony, two powerful forces were locked in a silent arm wrestle. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that undercurrents were surging. One wrong step, and they would be swept away—without even a trace left behind.
Soon, the harmonious atmosphere shattered.
Loki barged into the party in a suit.
He hijacked a businessman and used a triangular device to "copy" his eye. At the same time, Barton accepted the transmission and opened the door to the institute.
Looking at the terrified mortals before him, Loki raised the scepter in his hand. Golden light bloomed from his body.
With a flash, his suit transformed into his divine attire: twin horns jutting from his head like a unicorn, a flowing green cloak, and an air of supreme arrogance.
All the upper-class guests were driven into a small park outside the building.
Boom!
With a wave of the scepter, a speeding taxi was blasted away.
"Kneel."
Loki's cold voice echoed through the air.
But everyone present was a respected figure in society. How could they truly kneel just because Loki told them to?
They tried to flee.
But after only a few steps, another Loki appeared in front of them.
"Kneel!"
"Kneel!"
"Kneel!"
Four Loki clones appeared at each corner of the park, forming a square.
"I said..."
Loki's true body stepped forward and slammed the scepter into the ground with force, roaring, "Kneel! Now!"
The four clones raised their glowing scepters.
The crowd was instantly terrified. After the first person knelt, the rest followed one after another.
Seeing the fear on their faces, Loki couldn't help but smile.
He opened his arms as if he were already basking in the glory of ruling the Earth.
"Isn't that simple?"
"Isn't that what you were born to do?"
"This is the unspoken truth of humanity."
"The illusion of freedom steals the joy of your lives."
"You chase power and status, but in your bones, you're filled with servility. Sooner or later, you'll kneel to your rulers."
The more he spoke, the wider Loki's smile grew.
Looking at the crowd kneeling before him, he thought to himself—'This is what I want. Power. Endless power'
However, at this moment, a white-haired old man stood up. Though hunched with age, he looked straight at Loki without fear.
"But not to someone like you."
If the old man hadn't spoken, his defiance alone would've been impressive. But once he spoke, his words were even more astonishing.
The others looked at him with surprise and admiration. He had said what they all wanted to but were too afraid to voice.
"I am unique," Loki said, his smile fading.
"There are too many shameless people like you," the old man retorted. "If we're talking about outfits, then yes—you might be unique."
Loki laughed again.
He slowly raised the scepter in his hand.
"Look at this old man."
As he spoke, he aimed the scepter at him, blue energy rapidly gathering at its tip.
"He's your role model."
Hum—
The old man's expression shifted slightly.
Though he had expected this the moment he stood up, facing death still stirred a touch of fear.
The energy blast condensed and shot out almost instantly.
But at that moment—
A circular, star-striped shield flew in from midair.
It intercepted the energy blast perfectly and struck the ground, bouncing the shot back at Loki.
Caught off guard by the sudden reversal, Loki was hit squarely by the blast and thrown to the ground in a sorry state.
Bang!
The next moment, two figures landed on the scene.
One wore a black trench coat and held a bow and arrow. The other wore a star-striped uniform that highlighted his muscular physique.
They were Blaine and Captain America, Steve Rogers, who had just arrived.
"Sorry, I borrowed your shield earlier in the emergency," Blaine said, shrugging toward Steve Rogers.
The shield hadn't been thrown by Steve—it was Blaine who had grabbed it from the fighter jet and thrown it to block the blast aimed at the old man.
"It's fine," Steve Rogers replied, shaking his head.
As the noble and righteous Captain America, he didn't care about such details. As long as people were saved, that was what mattered.
Exhaling, he crouched down and pulled the shield—half embedded in the concrete—with some difficulty, then looked at Loki.
Blaine, who had mind-reading abilities, could clearly sense what Steve thought about this. With a chuckle, he slowly drew back the Bow of Elements. A glowing arrow began to form, aimed squarely at Loki.
"Moose Boy, your speech is over."
*************************************
You can get access to early chapters on patr*on
If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.
My patr*on account is Lord_Immortal_0170