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"Based on Dr. Selvig's previous research data, Dr. Banner designed a program to detect Gamma-ray fluctuations. Five minutes ago, that program detected a massive surge in the Tesseract's Gamma frequency!"
Nick Fury didn't waste time and spoke directly: "I believe it's time to move!"
Hearing this, Feny felt a twinge of regret. In at most one more hour, he would have been able to extract his seventh skill. However, he didn't dwell on it. Even without a seventh skill, he was confident in his ability to handle Loki.
Previously, he had just returned from Vormir and wasn't fully acclimated; furthermore, he hadn't wanted to destroy the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, so he hadn't exerted his full power, allowing Loki to escape.
Moreover, this time the Avengers were acting as a team. Even if he didn't participate, Loki's end would likely be grim. Thor alone was enough of a headache for him.
Add to that the "five-five split" Captain America and the hidden Hulk, and Loki's hope of winning was essentially zero.
Aboard the Quinjet, Feny continued practicing his skills. He looked at Black Widow beside him and, ignoring her surprised gaze, summoned a large batch of 'Violet's Special Karaage Rolls' only to immediately destroy them with rapid-fire, low-power 'Explosion Magic'.
His mission was to retrieve the Tesseract alongside Black Widow.
Initially, Natasha had wanted to perform this mission solo, but Nick Fury—considering that Loki might have set up some form of protection around the Tesseract—ultimately asked Feny to go along.
After all, he was the strongest among them, and 'Incursio' featured invisibility, which complemented Black Widow's infiltration perfectly.
Since Feny intended to get his hands on the Space Stone anyway, he didn't refuse.
"What are you doing?"
Watching Feny's behavior, Black Widow's eyes were filled with confusion.
"Have a taste!"
Feny didn't answer directly. Instead, he casually summoned a roll onto Black Widow's lap and continued practicing his skills to grind experience.
Startled by the sudden appearance of the karaage roll on her lap, Natasha jumped slightly.
She hesitated, looking at Feny who clearly had no interest in chatting. Eventually, much like Captain America, she couldn't resist the alluring aroma and bit into a new world of flavor.
After eating it, Natasha looked at Feny's repetitive destruction of the food with genuine heartache.
However, since she didn't know his purpose, she didn't know how to stop him. Fortunately, the Quinjet was fast; it wasn't long before they reached jump altitude.
As Feny watched Natasha leap from the plane with a parachute, a thought suddenly struck him: Wait, why are we jumping out of a plane instead of just having me open a portal!?
Because he had 'Sky-Dancing', Feny had no need for a parachute. He walked casually to the hatch, jumped, and flew down to catch up with Black Widow.
"Why didn't you let me just open a portal to drop you off?"
Feny asked the question curiously while floating beside her.
Natasha, who was busy adjusting her descent path, hesitated before explaining: "Director Fury had Dr. Selvig specifically research your portals. While they can't stop them yet, they've managed to collect the energy signatures. They can now roughly detect a teleportation destination within a small radius."
"So, to be safe, it's best not to use that ability during this infiltration."
Feny shot a flat look at her. While he had long expected Nick Fury to secretly plot ways to counter him, having it confirmed was still irritating.
Black Widow, knowing the organization was in the wrong, didn't say much more. She carefully adjusted her descent, preparing to pull her ripcord.
Feny had never heard of the country Loki was controlling before this, but while it was called a nation, it was essentially the size of a single city.
Under Loki's control, it had been completely locked down, with no one allowed in or out. Fortunately, since not much time had passed, there wasn't much chaos yet.
Upon reaching the ground, Feny immediately activated 'Incursio's' invisibility and followed Black Widow as they slipped inside.
While he outclassed her in raw power, Black Widow was miles ahead when it came to gathering intelligence and stealthy infiltration.
To Feny's admiration, it took her less than ten minutes to pinpoint the approximate location of the Tesseract.
"Thor can begin the operation," Natasha reported to Nick Fury. Since they weren't sure if Loki was inside the base, they had to wait for him to be lured out before they could move in.
Shortly after she spoke, the weather outside the city turned grim. Clouds gathered, lightning flashed, and then Feny suddenly heard a thunderous roar:
"Loki! Come out and face me!"
Feny, currently invisible, facepalmed and sighed. With such a blatant lure, would Loki really fall for it!?
But to Feny's surprise, within ten minutes, Nick Fury's voice came through the comms: "Loki has appeared. Move in and find the Tesseract!"
"He actually went!?"
Feny was stunned. Something felt off, but before he could think it through, Black Widow had already begun executing the order. With a few sharp strikes, she neutralized the guards and rushed inside.
Feny followed with a frown. He felt things were going far too smoothly. Even if Loki was arrogant, he wasn't a fool. Would he really just run out because Thor shouted his name!?
As they entered the military base and reached the room where the Tesseract was supposed to be, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
After his experience with the Space Stone's energy, Feny's portal skills were now exceptional even by Kamar-Taj standards, and his understanding of spatial power was profound.
The moment he stepped into the room, he felt a chaotic spatial energy.
Spatial abilities aren't easily mastered. The Kamar-Taj portals look simple, but that's largely due to the Sling Ring. Even then, one must keep space as stable as possible when opening or closing them.
Otherwise, a single mistake could cause a spatial collapse, leading to a rift.
That's why in Kamar-Taj, no one uses portals as an offensive move against enemies. If it works, great; if it fails, you might both be sucked into a chaotic dimension and perish.
Generally, space is very stable unless there's a rare event, like the Convergence.
But here, Feny felt the surrounding space was incredibly thin and filled with chaos. It immediately gave him the sensation of walking into an ambush.
The direct consequence of this was that he couldn't use his portals safely.
Without a stable anchor, he might try to teleport to another spot on Earth and end up in a different dimension or deep space. That would be a problem.
Just as Feny was about to tell Natasha to retreat, all doors and windows slammed shut and locked. Then, Loki's silhouette suddenly appeared before them.
"The Silver Knight... or do you prefer 'The Knight of God's Wrath'!?"
The moment Loki appeared, Natasha drew her pistol and fired a burst of shots, but the bullets passed through the figure without causing any damage.
Feny, having already realized it was just an illusion, didn't move. He watched him quietly.
"To be honest, I really should thank you for helping me stall that buffoon. It gave me time to prepare this place," Loki said, looking at Feny with an air of superiority.
He continued his monologue: "I didn't expect Earth to have someone as powerful as you. It's just a pity you made the wrong choice."
"You really think this can trap me?"
Feny frowned, looking at the completely sealed steel walls. Even if he couldn't use portals, thinking this could hold him was far too naive.
"I know your abilities. Armor, portals, flight, and the ability to release high-power fire weapons!"
Loki seemed to have done his homework on Feny. "However, I suggest you don't use those."
"I've had every room surrounding this one filled with explosives. Oh, and they're also filled with a gas... I believe it's called Hydrogen!"
Feny's heart skipped a beat. He grabbed Black Widow and immediately used 'Ars Magna' to mentally seal off all oxygen in their immediate vicinity.
This way, even if an explosion occurred, the damage might be mitigated.
"Don't worry. As long as you stay here quietly, it won't ignite. This room has been specially reinforced; you won't be escaping."
Loki actually didn't want to kill Feny. He was planning to use the Scepter to mind-control Feny once he ruled Earth, using him to attack Asgard or deal with Thanos.
At this point, Feny realized their plan had failed. Loki likely knew the moment Thor touched down.
With his communications to Nick Fury blocked, Feny didn't know how the others were doing, but he had to focus on his own survival first.
Looking at the gloating Loki, Feny was unimpressed. Even if his portals and 'Explosion Magic' were restricted, he still had ways to leave.
Physical ways, for instance.
"Actually, I have a big treasure. Do you want to see it!?"
Surveying the size of the room, Feny sighed. He took a step forward and reached out his hand as if to pull something from the air.
(End of Chapter)