On the other side, in a hidden underground space in New York.
Loki, dressed in his regal finery, stared unblinkingly at the screens showing the chaos beginning to consume New York. A gleam of satisfaction at his long-awaited revenge flashed in his eyes. At this moment, he felt as if he had finally grasped the sensation of a superior being controlling the fate of ants.
"How much longer until the next portal is ready!"
Loki, still admiring the "beautiful scenery" before him, asked with a cold voice directed at those behind him.
However, after a moment of silence, no one answered. Instead, he heard the sound of messy, hurried footsteps. Loki turned around abruptly, the veins on his forehead bulging with sudden rage.
"YOU!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!"
His furious roar caused the people who had begun packing their belongings to flee to stop in their tracks. Everyone stared blankly at the red-faced Loki, but not a single person answered his question.
Finally, a man with a poker face and gold-rimmed glasses stepped forward, speaking in an unnervingly calm tone:
"Lord Loki, we have already fulfilled what we promised you. We are now evacuating under orders."
Upon hearing this, Loki, already in a state of rage, lunged forward and grabbed the man by the collar, lifting him high into the air.
"I am COMMANDING you!! Open the next portal!!"
Despite Loki's immense anger, the man's expression remained unchanged. He simply repeated:
"What we promised you, we have—"
Loki didn't want to hear another word. He swung his arm violently, throwing the man he held aloft across the room.
Crash!
With a massive thud, the man slammed into a row of electronic equipment. Gear scattered everywhere, sparks flew, and a trail of crimson blood seeped from the man's temple. Though Loki often presented himself as a mage, he was essentially a Frost Giant; his strength was far beyond that of a normal human.
However, even with blood on his forehead and his arm bent at a grotesque angle, the man seemed to feel no pain. With a face as calm as ever, he commanded the others:
"Continue the evacuation!"
Hearing this, the others, though trembling and terrified of Loki's power, immediately went back to packing their things. Loki prepared to rush forward and kill the leader, but something caught his eye.
On one of the monitoring screens, several familiar figures that were etched into his memory had appeared once more.
"You bastards again!" Loki gnashed his teeth, his voice sounding as if it were squeezed through his jaw. "This time, you have no chance! If I can just... just get one more Stone!!"
---
Back at the Quinjet.
Nick Fury hadn't taken much time to pilot the jet to the portal. Thor had only finished a brief briefing. It was only when they arrived in front of the rift that they realized just how massive it was.
It was over a hundred meters in diameter and hovered less than ten meters off the ground. Especially since Brooklyn didn't have as many skyscrapers as Manhattan, the portal looked as if it were bridging heaven and earth. The vast icy environment of Jotunheim seemed to press down over Brooklyn, and an infinite wave of freezing air was expanding outward.
Buildings near the portal were already encased in ice. Perhaps those frozen instantly were the lucky ones. Many more Brooklyn residents were being brutally slaughtered in a state of terror by Frost Giants standing three to four meters tall, wielding giant ice hammers and spikes. Several mountain-sized ice beasts were charging through residential areas, flattening every building in their path.
"Guys! This time there isn't a mothership we can take down to settle everything. Prepare to fight for your lives!" Tony snapped his faceplate shut and walked to the back of the cabin.
Steve, equally solemn, uttered his classic line: "Avengers! Assemble!"
However...
Just as the words left his mouth and everyone prepared for battle, Tony noticed that Luca, who like him could fly, wasn't standing at the open hatch. He looked back to see the boy still standing there, dazed.
"Hey, kid! Cap said assemble~"
Only then did the black-and-white mecha finally move. Luca scratched the back of its helmet awkwardly and whispered an explanation:
"Sorry, I was on the phone just now..."
The heavy, solemn atmosphere in the cabin suddenly hit a snag. Finally, Thor stepped forward and patted "Luca" on the shoulder, praising him with a laugh.
"Not bad, kid. You've got the spirit of a veteran!"
With that, Thor spun Mjolnir rapidly and charged out of the jet. Because of Luca's interruption, everyone felt their tense nerves relax significantly. Though they didn't know why Tony and Thor called this two-meter-tall armored figure "kid," they assumed he was quite young. If a youngster could treat the battle so lightly, why should they be so worried about failure?
Dr. Banner, who also knew Luca's identity, patted his shoulder before jumping out in his human form. Immediately, the angry roar of the Hulk echoed from below.
The Quinjet had descended to a low enough altitude. Perhaps influenced by Tony and Thor's actions, Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow all chose to pat Luca on the shoulder before jumping out.
Luca was left scratching his head. What's going on? Do they think I'm a lucky stone lion at a temple gate?
Finally, Tony, who had waited for Luca, looked at him with amusement and said, "Let's go. Uncle Tony will show you around the battlefield!"
Tony pressed his hands together, ion flames erupted from his boots and palms, and he shot into the sky. Luca shrugged helplessly, deployed the thrusters on his feet and back flight pack, and followed closely behind.
At the same time, Captain America's voice came through the comms:
"Barton, find a high vantage point to observe. Natasha, find Loki's location or a way to close the portal."
"The rest of you, follow me to stop these Frost Giants from spreading further!"
Tony Stark's voice suddenly cut in, directed at Nick Fury, who had just fired two missiles into the portal:
"Our dear pilot, please get back to your station. I don't want another nuke falling on our heads this time!"
---