chapter 28

"I advise you not to," Nick Fury said, his voice calm but firm. "I still need it."

Loki smiled slightly.

"There's no need to make things worse."

Fury turned his head just enough to acknowledge Loki, then said, "Of course, there is."

"I've come from afar just for it," Loki continued, his smile widening.

"I am Loki, from Asgard. I have come here on a glorious mission."

"Loki? Thor's brother?" Dr. Selvig stood up in shock.

Loki glanced at him and replied coolly.

Nick Fury thought for a moment before responding. "We have nothing to do with you. It's like ants never provoking boots."

"Are you going to crush us?" Fury's expression hardened.

Loki's smile twisted with mischief. "I have brought you the gospel. I have come to free you from bondage."

"Bondage? What bondage?" Fury asked, his voice cold.

"Freedom," Loki said with a wicked grin. "Freedom is the greatest lie."

Just then, Clint Barton, also under Loki's control, spoke up. "Director Fury is stalling for time. It's about to explode here."

"He's right," Dr. Selvig confirmed, his tone detached. "The Portal is collapsing on itself. It'll be destroyed in two minutes."

Barton didn't hesitate. He took a direct shot at Nick Fury, grabbed the Tesseract, and left.

The group quickly made their escape, deceiving Hill along the way.

As they fled, the entire base began to tremble, and the Portal's collapse reached its limit.

Rumble!

A massive energy wave burst forth, instantly destroying the base's support structures.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. facility collapsed entirely, and the ground within a thousand meters crumbled into nothingness.

Loki, holding the Tesseract, left the scene.

This had all been part of his plan from the beginning.

Compared to S.H.I.E.L.D., who were largely ignorant about the vastness of the universe, Loki—an Asgardian—was familiar with far more advanced technologies.

He knew S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers better than they knew themselves, and he controlled Barton, one of their top agents. Information was no obstacle for him.

Loki had already devised a plan for what would come after seizing the Tesseract. He also had a strategy for dismantling S.H.I.E.L.D. and using the Avengers to further his own goals.

With Barton's help, Loki took control of a S.H.I.E.L.D. base and began studying the Tesseract.

He assessed the resources necessary to open the Tesseract Portal and identified the location.

"Stark Tower?" Loki mused. "Tony Stark, an arrogant human. This is going to be interesting. Let's play with them."

Meanwhile, Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. weren't sitting idly by.

Fury had begun assembling the Avengers, seeking out the heroes who could stop Loki.

The major powers on Earth were also on the move, each aware that something monumental was happening.

Loki's arrival had thrown Earth into chaos.

But at that moment, Robert was blissfully unaware of these developments.

He was still caught up in the excitement of acquiring the Kryptonian legacy.

Chapter 25: The major forces are in motion! X-Men reinforcements! [Seeking flowers and evaluation tickets!]

Loki, despite his arrogance, was deeply cautious when it came to the Avengers.

Though he appeared confident, Loki was highly intelligent—especially when it came to conspiracy.

He stood apart from the reckless warriors of Asgard, far more calculating than they ever were.

Before arriving on Earth, Loki had already gathered information about the planet through its technology, formulating a detailed plan.

With the Mind Stone in his possession, Loki had the power to manipulate people's minds.

If he could meet with the Avengers, he could sow chaos and divide them before they even realized it.

"What naive humans," Loki mused to himself. "They think they can control a beast. Now, it's time for them to face the consequences."

Loki approached Barton, still under his control, and said, "Let's go. It's time to complete your next objective."

"Yes, Officer," Barton responded, his eyes flashing with the blue light of the Mind Stone.

The group set off from the secret base in search of a specific item: iridium, a substance that stabilized the Tesseract Portal.

Loki's plan was carefully crafted. He had Dr. Selvig set up the Portal while he pretended to be captured, allowing him to infiltrate the S.H.I.E.L.D. mothership.

From there, he would sabotage their command core and deal a devastating blow to their operations.

Loki knew that the odds of success were far higher with this strategy.

As part of the plan, Loki made a public appearance in the midst of a gathering of humans.

He forcibly copied someone's retina and had Barton open a vault. Loki's presence was hard to ignore.

Once he appeared, S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately began tracking his movements.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was a colossal organization with the power to mobilize vast resources, including the ability to tap into virtually all electronic equipment and cameras on Earth.

Using facial recognition technology, they quickly pinpointed Loki's location.

Captain America, accompanied by Black Widow, set out to confront him.

At that moment, Loki, confident in his power, began displaying his might in the square, aiming to eliminate people in his way.

Just as Loki prepared to kill, Captain America descended from the sky, interrupting him.

At this point, Captain America's abilities had grown considerably.

When he first woke up from the ice, even a special forces soldier could give him a tough fight. But now, Captain America was capable of enduring even Thanos's attacks.

This was a testament to his growth.

Hulk, on the other hand, was knocked out by Thanos after just two hits. It was clear how strong Thanos was.

Considering Captain America could withstand such an assault, it was evident how much he had evolved.

However, despite his growth, Captain America was still no match for Loki in this moment.