CHAPTER 165:Loki Arrives on the Battlefield

{🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please support me.🥰 You can access upto 100+ advance chapter through Patreon by using the link: https://patreon.com/Oreski}

As a god—even with her powers sealed—Loki's divine perception did not wane.

Yet the phenomenon she witnessed now was unlike any known illusion, displacement magic, or teleportation technique in her extensive memory. It wasn't an illusion, nor any form of sensory deception. Her instincts screamed truth: the group had vanished from the physical plane entirely. Not hidden. Gone.

This group… they were even more unusual than she initially assumed.

Shen He was naturally aware that such a disappearance would rouse Loki's suspicions. Yet, since cooperation had already been initiated, some truths would inevitably surface. Chaldea, after all, was no ordinary organization—and certainly not one that operated through lies or smoke screens.

"We're back, then?"

Nagiri Erina blinked against the shift in atmosphere, still slightly disoriented by the change in spatial resonance.

"Yes," Shen He replied casually, taking the towering bundle of supplies—mostly pet food—from Qi Mu's hands. "This is routine for us."

Erina quietly reflected on everything she had experienced in the past hour. Not only had she left her world, but she had served her cooking to divinities of another dimension. The more she thought about it, the more surreal it became.

Meeting this strange yet sincere team—yes, this was the biggest turning point in her life.

"Erina." Shen He finished organizing the food and suddenly turned back to her. "You heard about our cooperation agreement earlier. Think you can develop more simple yet delicious recipes suitable for diverse palates?"

"Yes," Erina nodded without hesitation.

Her decisiveness startled Shen He. But seeing her focused expression, she understood why. With a light laugh, Shen He muttered to herself:

"Even a tsundere has to follow the flow when we're all on the same ship."

Days later, Shen He made another descent into the dungeon, this time retrieving rare materials capable of breaking follower level caps—as well as a stash of exotic ingredients.

Unsurprisingly, the happiest recipient was Nagiri Erina.

Most of these ingredients were beyond anything in her previous culinary experience—some with flavors so vivid, she was instantly inspired. She threw herself into creation with almost frenzied passion.

Shen He knew it wouldn't be long before Erina stunned even the gods with her new dishes.

But now wasn't the time to indulge in peaceful moments.

Loki's arrival was imminent. This moment had been carefully orchestrated for months. Precaution demanded that both Shen He and Jeanne d'Arc temporarily return to the core base at the Chaldea headquarters.

Even field agents unaware of the deeper operation sensed the tension rising.

"Colson, has everything been arranged?"

Summoned into the war room, Phil Coulson stood respectfully before her.

"No issues, sir," he confirmed. "Once battle begins, we'll create an opening for John Garrett and his protégé, Ward, to break away. Hydra likely suspects we've got infiltration potential. But that's the risk."

"A necessary one," Shen He said with a knowing smile. "Garrett's experience and Ward's charisma are assets. Hydra, suppressed and desperate, won't resist the appeal of a 'new future.' Especially not one dressed as loyal blood."

This plan had come to Shen He during analysis of the original timelines. Ward's journey—a spiraling pattern of corruption, redemption, betrayal—was unique. Rather than eliminate them at the beginning, Shen He had embedded them into a greater anti-infiltration strategy.

A belief was ingrained in her: organizations like Hydra, fanatical and ideological, could only truly be dismantled from within.

"There's another issue," Coulson said, sounding mildly frustrated. "Agent Hill's communication frequency has increased significantly."

"Expected," Shen He said with a sigh. "Our movements have made her uneasy. Unlike you or Natasha, who've both found meaning here, Hill's loyalty is still with Fury. That won't change easily."

She dismissed the issue for now.

"What about Dr. Banner?" she asked, shifting focus.

Coulson's expression brightened.

"Excellent, actually. He's been absorbed in his research. The other scientists are unaware of his true identity. There's even a female researcher who's become friendly with him. It seems Banner is finally living a life he finds peace in."

Coulson had initially opposed the idea of inserting Banner into the Chaldean R&D department. The risk was self-evident: emotional instability could bring out the Hulk at any time.

But Shen He had countered that with quiet confidence.

"I trust Banner. He's stronger than he thinks... and Hulk isn't a monster. He's an unloved, angry child."

Trust and fear could not coexist.

She believed that even in slumber, Hulk could sense Banner's emotions. Allowing him to live a life of dignity, surrounded by acceptance rather than fear, was the best containment strategy of all.

"You've all done well," Shen He said softly. "We're close now. Everything's in its final phase."

"It's an honor to serve," Coulson replied.

By the time Shen He returned to the company villa, night had fallen.

"Welcome home," Jeanne said, meeting him at the door and gently taking his coat. She had already set out the heated dishes.

Ryougi Shiki and Violet Evergarden emerged from their rooms as well, drawn by the familiar ritual.

"You don't need to wait for me every night," Shen He said, touched.

"But the book says family members should eat together," Violet replied seriously, her tone caught somewhere between logic and longing.

"Family…" Shen He echoed with a soft smile.

Violet's dependency had grown subtly over time, but seeing Ryougi Shiki here too—someone who often kept to herself—surprised him. Then again, she might simply be keeping Violet company.

These small moments made the long days worthwhile.

Several more busy days passed.

Loki still hadn't made her move.

In the meantime, Shen He's summoning stone reserves had quietly surpassed the two-hundred mark.

After finishing that day's dungeon sweep, he returned with quiet anticipation.

This time, he hoped for something dramatic—perhaps a major event or new dungeon unlocked by the milestone.

But the system remained still.

"...Nothing?" Shen He muttered, staring at the interface.

It had always followed a rhythm: every fifty stones triggered some change. New features, events, dungeons—there was always something. But now, at two hundred?

Nothing.

"Could it be… related to our power levels?" Jeanne speculated. "Our growth has plateaued. Maybe the system is scaling back the pace of advancement to match?"

"Maybe," Shen He admitted, though uncertainty gnawed at him.

The system offered no answers, no guidance. Only mysteries. Its silence was often louder than its gifts.

And Shen He couldn't shake the feeling that Loki was watching… waiting…

And that whatever came next, it wouldn't be triggered by stones.

It would be triggered by war.

If you couldn't feel it, the contract between him and the follower was directly anchored in the soul. It wasn't metaphorical—it was real, woven into the spiritual plane.

"No, no." Shen He finally waved the matter away for now. "Let's wait until tomorrow. Once he has thirty summoning stones, he'll perform a full draw—thirty consecutive summons from the Mechanical Lifeform Card Pool. That'll give us a shot at pulling something powerful… maybe even a high-tier mechanical follower with specialized features."

Since there had been a single draw earlier, the remaining summoning stones hadn't replenished to thirty yet. They'd have to wait for tomorrow's system refresh.

After all, the upcoming encounter involved alien lifeforms—unpredictable, high-threat anomalies. A specialized mechanical follower could provide unexpected strategic advantages.

That same night, within a concealed facility hidden beneath a decommissioned S.H.I.E.L.D. substation—

Technicians, scientists, and agents hustled with precision, moving classified hardware, power cells, and encrypted research terminals into secure transport modules.

"Attention all personnel, immediate evacuation protocol in effect. I repeat, initiate evacuation. This is a Level 7 priority order."

The voice was robotic and clipped, relayed via the descending quinjet's external comms. It came from central command and bore the highest operational clearance: impending unknown threat.

The most dangerous crises, of course, were always the ones no one could define.

"Fury, the Pentagon did not authorize a facility-wide evacuation."

A man in decorated military garb with sharp features and a hooked nose stepped into the main control corridor. Behind him, armed soldiers raised their rifles at the man in the dark leather trench coat before them—Nick Fury.

"Colonel Elbert." Fury turned slowly, one hand resting loosely at his side. "With all due respect, I don't need Pentagon authorization. As acting Emergency Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., I have unilateral authority in red-class emergencies. This qualifies."

"Do you still think you're S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Director?" Elbert narrowed his eyes.

Without hesitation, the colonel pulled a sidearm and leveled it at Fury's head. Instantly, the agents behind Fury drew their own weapons, a Mexican standoff in the making.

Fury didn't flinch. He simply stared through his one eye, not at the gun, but at Elbert—measuring him.

Then—

BOOM—

A sudden pulse of energy thundered through the facility, shaking consoles and dimming the lights.

Everyone's attention snapped to the laboratory's core, where a containment field hummed with unstable energy. Inside, the Tesseract—the Cube of Space—shimmered with an unnatural, flickering halo.

"What's happening?" Elbert lowered his weapon slightly. "Dr. Selvig—report."

"If you'd stop threatening us long enough to let actual scientists work," Erik Selvig snapped without looking away from the energy readings, "maybe we'd have answers. Right now, I can only tell you this—whatever's happening to the Tesseract isn't coming from us. Our research has been crawling at a snail's pace. Something else triggered this."

Selvig's face was drawn tight with fatigue and annoyance.

He hadn't wanted to be here—not under military micromanagement. He'd only agreed because Fury promised full access and minimal interference. The presence of military oversight had violated that from day one.

"Jane," Elbert turned to the younger scientist nearby, "has your… Asgardian companion provided any insight? Any recent data?"

"If you hadn't seized my notebook, maybe," Jane Foster said sharply, stepping beside Selvig. "And if you're dumb enough to think Thor won't come after it—or you—you clearly don't understand what you're playing with."

"I'm not afraid of thunder gods."

"You should be."

Before Elbert could respond, the Tesseract flared again.

A second pulse—more violent than the first—rippled outward, and in its wake, a spatial distortion formed in the air like a gravitational cavity. Then, as if reality folded inward, two figures emerged from the singularity.

"Hostile teleport confirmed!" someone yelled.

"Alert! ALERT!" Elbert's shout rose above the others.

But it was already too late.

An energy pulse tore through the air—fast as light. It struck Elbert squarely in the chest. His scream was short-lived as his body vaporized instantly, clothes and all, consumed in the blue flash.

One of the intruders—a female figure with cybernetic limbs and deep navy-blue skin—lowered her oversized weapon. The barrel glowed faintly from discharge.

"Fire at will! Hawkeye, now!" Fury barked, rushing toward the Cube's containment console.

From the observation gantry above, Clint Barton—Hawkeye—released an arrow without hesitation. It sliced through the air toward the woman.

She caught it with one hand.

"A relic weapon." She scoffed at the humming explosive tip.

BOOM!

The arrow detonated at point-blank range, consuming the upper level in fire. Metal and debris scattered—along with bodies.

But it didn't stop her.

"I finally understand why your sister is stronger," a second voice murmured.

From the smoke, a tall figure in emerald and gold stepped forward—Loki, God of Mischief.

He held the Chitauri scepter, its mindstone core glowing faintly.

"Nebula," he said, gesturing toward the chaos, "you obey me now. Kill them all… except the little girl. She's useful."

He'd spotted Jane Foster among the scrambling researchers.

An unexpected reunion—but a delightful one. His stupid brother's pet mortal was now within arm's reach.

As Jane tried to flee, Loki raised the staff, conjuring a circle of crackling light around her. He wasn't done improvising just yet.

---

The next morning came faster than anyone wanted.

Shen He was jolted awake by a gentle voice.

"Coulson says it's urgent."

Jeanne d'Arc, now partially dressed, had already slipped from his arms and was adjusting her coat with calm efficiency. "He seems serious, my lord. Get up."

"It's barely six," Shen He groaned, rubbing his temples. "Didn't we just go to bed a few hours ago?"

He'd only had maybe three hours of sleep—but Jeanne's tone made it clear. This wasn't a request.

He followed her into the main chamber of their estate, eyes still adjusting.

In the living room stood Phil Coulson, upright and collected.

"Something's happened to Fury," Shen He said immediately, narrowing his eyes.

Coulson nodded. "That's right. Agent Hill picked up an emergency subchannel from his comms at 4:32 AM. I've already deployed a Quinjet to the coordinates. Whatever's coming… it's started."

Shen He took a deep breath, shoulders straightening as his mind shifted into operational mode.

"Notify Tony and Steve. Keep the rest on standby. No need to call the Black Bolt. Jeanne, help me grab some breakfast in the castle—I'll need the energy."

He already knew what this was.

Loki had made his move.

But Shen He had started preparing for this long ago. There was no panic in his heart—only execution. This was where the real game began.

{ Enjoying the chapters? Please Support me on Patreon and unlock 100+ advanced chapters, with 3 new chapters released every two days!

The fanfic is also available for one-time purchase on Patreon – unlock lifetime access to the full collection, no membership needed! Don't miss out –support and own it forever!

patreon.com/Oreski}