Seeing this scene while concealed in his invisible state, Alex knew deep down that he was indeed a little late — the Mind Scepter was already back in Loki's hands.
Given the situation, Alex didn't rush to attack. He hid in the shadows, waiting patiently for the right moment, restraining his breath like a cheetah lurking in the dark.
Just as in the original timeline, Loki had successfully tricked Thor into the cage. Loki's face gleamed with smug satisfaction as he pulled up the operation panel, ready to drop the iron cage from a great height.
"Hmm?" At that moment, Loki's hand paused. His sharp mental senses tingled with the feeling that someone was secretly watching him — an unsettling sensation of being peeped at.
He lifted his head in surprise, scanning the surroundings, but saw nothing, which left him puzzled.
Watching Loki's reaction, Alex's heart tightened. Could Loki have sensed my presence?His invisibility was merely optical. Back in the Storm Riders plane, Emperor Shitian had managed to locate him even while he was hidden. Although Loki's power level was nowhere near Emperor Shitian's, as a sorcerer with strong mental energy, it wasn't impossible for him to detect Alex's presence.
Just then, Loki's confusion shifted — he noticed Agent Phil walking over, brandishing an oversized, high-tech gun that looked straight out of a sci-fi movie. The huge muzzle pointed directly at Loki as Phil spoke.
"Step away from there. Do you know what this is? When you sent the Destroyer to Earth, we started studying it. I have no idea what it does—"
At the same time, Alex gathered his spiritual power and internal strength, fusing them into his Armament Haki. This dark, powerful force infused fully into the Wushuang Sword in his hand. Silently, he shifted his position, closing in beside Agent Phil.
Seeing Phil approach, Loki's eyes flashed with understanding — so it was this mortal agent who had been watching him?
Just like the original plan, Loki's illusion distracted Phil perfectly. Loki's true form emerged silently behind Phil, the Mind Scepter rising, ready to stab into Phil's back.
Now!
Alex, who had been biding his time for this exact moment, struck. The Wushuang Sword in his grip swept out, tracing a black arc through the air as it sliced toward Loki's arm.
The blade connected in a single, clean strike. With all its pent-up force, the slash hit Loki's arm just as Alex's hidden figure flickered fully into view.
A wet, sharp slash — blood splattered across the steel floor.
This slash was far stronger than Alex's previous attacks. Even Loki's tough body was left with a deep gash, the bone beneath faintly visible. Wracked with sudden pain, Loki reflexively yanked his hand back.
The Mind Scepter, forged from solid metal, shifted under Alex's control — he willed it to fly free. At the same time, his left fist — clad in a vibranium alloy glove — smashed into Loki's chest.
The triple-fold force multiplier in the glove struck home with a deep, drum-like thud, and Loki's body was sent flying backwards by the sheer impact.
Reeling from the blow, Loki could no longer keep hold of the Mind Scepter. It spun out of his grip and landed smoothly in Alex's waiting palm.
"Huh? Alex? Why are you here?" Phil stared at Alex, who had suddenly appeared right in front of him, his face filled with confusion.
Didn't he leave a long time ago? When did he come back? And what was that — was this the invisibility power he'd mentioned before?
"Alex! It's you!" Loki's eyes burned with fury as he clutched his bleeding arm.
For a so-called god to be injured by a mere mortal — and by him again — was an insult Loki could hardly bear.
Holding the Mind Scepter in one hand and the Wushuang Sword in the other, Alex looked calmly at the enraged Loki, secretly letting out a sigh.
This guy's body really is unbelievably tough, Alex thought. That slash would've sliced through steel like butter — yet all it did was carve a deep wound. The bone's barely scratched. And he's still standing after taking a punch triple my normal strength.
"Phil, open the cage and free Thor…" Alex said, eyes fixed on Loki, clearly unwilling to waste time fighting him head-on.
Phil nodded without a word, quickly moving to release Thor from the containment cell.
Seeing all his careful plans crumble — Alex suddenly reappearing, the Mind Scepter snatched from his hand, Thor about to be freed — Loki's killing intent flared. He wanted nothing more than to end Alex right then and there.
But as he glanced at Thor's cage opening, Loki knew that if he stayed any longer, he'd lose his only chance to escape.
Spotting Loki about to retreat, Alex wasted no time. In a flash, he used Shave to appear in front of Loki, blocking his path.
The Wushuang Sword turned into a storm of cutting arcs, a blur of blade light slicing down to pin Loki in place.
Yet every blade of light simply passed through his figure — hitting the floor behind instead, gouging deep sword marks into the steel deck.
A phantom — the Loki in front of him was just another illusion!
"Alex! Sooner or later, I will settle the score for what you did today!" Loki's voice echoed from a distance, thick with seething rage. Clearly, he had already fled.
"Loki!" By then, Thor had been freed from the cage. He roared Loki's name and dashed after him without a second thought.
"Is anyone there? Loki has escaped and Thor's gone after him…" As Loki vanished, Agent Phil wasted no time reporting to the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D., relaying the situation in quick, clipped sentences.
When he finished his call, Phil looked up, wanting to thank Alex — he knew better than anyone how close he'd just come to death with Loki creeping up behind him.
But when Phil looked around, the space where Alex had stood was now empty. He was gone.
"Alex? Are you still here?" Phil called out a few times, but there was no answer. Alex had vanished without a trace.
Maintaining his invisibility, Alex quietly slipped away from the Avengers' base.
Now that Loki had been driven off, the Mind Scepter was firmly in his hand — his rightful prize. If he left now, no one would be able to force him to hand it over later.
But if he stayed…?Would the Mind Scepter remain his private property, or would it become S.H.I.E.L.D.'s collective asset? That was much harder to say…