Loki POV – Stark Tower
Pain. Humiliation. Rage.
Loki watches from a broken window as his army falls like insects under the red-and-blue comet. The mortals he meant to conquer cheer another master. Even the Avengers stop to gape at him.
"This… interloper," Loki hisses, voice sharp with disbelief. "He steals my war. My glory. My stage."
Another Leviathan crashes down in flames. Loki flinches. He snarls at the sight of civilians chanting Alex's name.
No. No more. He will not bow. He will not play second act to this… this brute.
His fingers flicker with green light. Illusionary copies spiral around him. Escape routes, doorways, tricks. If he can't win this day, he'll vanish from it. Regroup. Scheme anew.
But deep down, there's a flicker of something Loki rarely admits to feeling.
Fear.
Alex POV – Hunt for a Trickster
I hover above the smoking skyline, eyes glowing, breath still frosting in the air. Chitauri corpses litter the streets. The crowd's roar hasn't stopped since I started.
But my gaze cuts past them. Past the Avengers. Past the rubble.
Right to him.
Loki. The so-called god. The mastermind.
I see him shimmer, multiplying into a dozen mirror images. Each one smirks, each one weaving green sorcery. To anyone else, it's confusion. A shell game.
But I'm not anyone else.
My eyes flare red — not firing, just looking. X-ray vision tears through the trick. Skin, bones, blood. I see the real one, heart beating faster than he'd ever admit.
I grin. "Found you."
Before he can react, I'm there. One second, he's smirking behind his illusions. The next, my hand has him by the ankle. I swing. Hard.
He smashes into the floor. Once. Twice. The building shakes with every impact. Rubble rains. The crowd gasps.
I slam him again. Again. Again.
The pavement craters, Loki's illusions collapsing into sparks. His body flops like a ragdoll.
I don't stop until the sound is gone. Until the God of Mischief is coughing blood, broken and silent.
I drop him in the dirt, barely breathing, the way Hulk once did. But unlike Hulk, I don't roar. I just stand there, cape fluttering, eyes glowing, waiting for the world to drink the sight in.
And they do.
Avengers frozen in place.
The god who wanted to rule Earth beaten into a stain by something greater.
World Security Council – Secure Video Call
The feeds are a storm of panic. Smoke still rises over Manhattan in the background of several screens. Every councilor is talking at once, voices sharp with fear.
Councilor #1: "You've all seen the footage. That… thing slaughtered the aliens, yes, but he also tore apart half of Midtown doing it. The crowd worships him now. He's already a symbol."
Councilor #2: "A symbol we can't control. A god who answers to no one."
Councilor #3: "You saw how he beat Loki. That wasn't a fight. That was domination. He won't stop with invaders. He won't stop at all."
The arguing builds, but Pierce leans forward into the feed. His voice slices the noise.
"Gentlemen. Ladies. You're missing the point."
The room goes quiet.
Pierce continues
"We've all just witnessed the most dangerous being to ever set foot on this planet. Stronger than Thor. Faster than Stark's suits. More ruthless than Banner on his worst day. And unlike the Avengers, he doesn't play by rules. He doesn't hesitate. He doesn't fear anything."
Pierce's eyes glint as he lets the silence sink in.
"And power without fear is the deadliest kind."
Councilor #1: "What do you suggest? Imprison him? How?"
Pierce doesn't blink.
"You don't. You erase him."
The council stiffens.
Councilor #2: "You're suggesting—"
"A tactical strike," Pierce cuts in. "A nuclear device. Drop it on Manhattan. Eliminate him, Loki, the invasion forces — and if the Avengers don't survive, so be it. Collateral damage. A necessary sacrifice. Because if this man survives today, nothing on Earth will be able to stop him tomorrow."
A heavy silence. Uneasy. Cold.
Then, one by one, the councilors nod. Reluctant. Fearful. Resigned.
Councilor #3: "Then it's decided. The strike is authorized."
Pierce leans back, expression unreadable. His voice is calm, final:
"Gods die like anyone else."