When Harry met Steve for the first time, he immediately noticed something different about the shield.
Steve's shield could absorb massive amounts of energy. Whether it was physical force, energy attacks, or even magical attacks, it could block them with ease.
So Harry borrowed Steve's shield and studied it for several days. He discovered it was made from two metals mixed in different proportions: vibranium and adamantium.
Combining two metals that were both so incredibly hard in this kind of ratio produced an even more powerful result.
Because of that, Harry had once considered using Transfiguration to transform materials in the environment into vibranium and adamantium, then controlling them in combat.
But whether it was vibranium or adamantium, both were special metals. They weren't entirely "mystic" like uru, yet they still contained a trace of occult energy within.
So under normal circumstances, Harry couldn't Transfigure either of them.
But that was only under normal circumstances.
Harry's state was divided into several forms: normal, overload, near-loss-of-control, and complete loss of control.
Each form increased his power, but also drastically reduced how precisely he could control it.
And the final form—complete loss of control—was the state in which he had once destroyed an entire fragment of a Hell dimension.
In that state, he couldn't consciously draw on even the tiniest bit of power at all. The mere self-flow of chaos magic was enough to make that Hell fragment collapse into nothingness.
Chaos magic was universal. When Harry couldn't Transfigure vibranium or adamantium, it wasn't because chaos magic was lacking—it was because the amount was lacking.
If normal wasn't enough, switch to overload. If overload still wasn't enough, switch to near-loss-of-control.
So, when Harry pushed chaos magic into overload, a vast tide of chaos magic answered his intent.
The steel flood surging toward the Hulk began to change color, shifting from dull, lightless black into bright silver.
Strands of thin wire tangled and braided together into tougher cords, then shot toward the Hulk like serpents flicking out their tongues.
The Hulk was originally charging straight through the steel flood toward Harry. Steel couldn't stop him at all—it was ripped apart effortlessly.
But the instant the steel flood turned bright silver, the Hulk still didn't care at first.
Then his unstoppable fist collided with that silver tide—
Huh?
Something was wrong.
His fist only tore through part of the silver flood before it stalled, powerless to push further. In the next moment, his body was bound by countless steel wires, wrapping tighter and tighter.
The moment the Hulk was restrained by adamantium and vibranium, Harry didn't take any chances. He opened a portal and dumped him straight into Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean.
That location was over 2,600 kilometers from the nearest landmass—more than enough distance for him to calm down.
He couldn't possibly step on air and cross thousands of kilometers back to the Helicarrier, right?
No way. No way.
As Harry's controllable magical power increased, his control over his own magic also improved. Now he could cast most spells even without a wand.
And returning from overload back to normal was easier, too.
Steve limped over to Harry, looking at the Helicarrier that had been nearly wrecked, then at the Hulk vanishing through the portal. His voice was full of lingering fear.
"That big guy was already terrifying, and he could get even stronger… thank God we were in the Mirror Dimension. Otherwise the Helicarrier would've sunk.
By the way, Harry—where did you send him?"
"Down into the deep ocean to keep octopuses company. With how big Hulk is, maybe only a giant squid's suction cups can handle him."
"Uh… okay."
With the Hulk gone, Hawkeye back to normal, and no other enemies left on the Helicarrier, Harry used the repair charm to patch up the remaining damage, and the Helicarrier finally stabilized and returned to normal operations.
Tony went back to the screens to check the data. Harry asked, "Anything on Loki yet?"
Tony shook his head, still typing and feeding in strings of complicated parameters.
"No. Probably needs more time. But I just thought of something—based on Loki's personality, where do you think he'll activate space magic and open a portal?"
Steve shook his head. "None of that matters. We need a way to deal with Mephisto!"
Tony and Harry shot Steve an exasperated look at the same time. There really was nothing worth discussing with a foolish Muggle.
Noticing their expressions, Steve scratched his head, confused. "What? What did I say?"
Tony sighed. Steve was basically an uncle-generation elder to him, so he decided to show some respect and explain.
"It matters. With his personality—and the fact that he knows every one of us inside and out—he understands that the only way to rule Earth is to defeat us.
And he's incredibly proud. He wants to prove himself in front of others, so he'll definitely want witnesses.
That's right—an audience. He wants an audience.
He wants flowers. He craves applause. So he'll choose the most eye-catching location to open the portal. And opening a portal takes an enormous amount of energy, so the place he chooses will have abundant power.
On Earth right now, there are only a handful of places that fit those conditions—and the easiest one to seize is…"
"Stark Tower," Harry and Tony said in unison, exchanging a grin.
Tony entered Stark Tower's coordinates, and the algorithm quickly returned the result.
Correct.
…
On a large balcony beside the top floor of Stark Tower, Dr. Selvig was off in the distance adjusting a precision machine. Nearby, Loki and Mephisto lounged in lavish chairs, sampling wine.
But unlike Mephisto—eyes half-lidded, savoring it—Loki hesitated with the glass in hand, unsure whether he should put the unknown liquid to his lips.
Mephisto noticed and chuckled in amusement.
"What is it—doesn't suit your taste? This single glass contains the souls of a thousand people. It's just an everyday beverage to me, but it can strengthen your soul and amplify your magical power."
Loki stared at the twisted gray liquid in the cup. Each drop was a soul, endlessly wailing in agony.
Even though Loki always appeared as a villain, he wasn't truly that evil. Unlike other supervillains, what he craved most was attention.
If he ever put down the knife and turned back, he might even become an antihero someday.
Loki took a deep breath, then slid the precious wine into his pocket dimension instead. A faint smile appeared on his face as he replied smoothly.
"It's not unpleasant. This is the first time I've ever seen a wine of this level. I think I should collect it… and savor it properly later."
Mephisto gave a soft laugh, neither confirming nor denying, and instead said with interest, "I've seen many Lokis. And you're among the more unusual ones."
Loki raised an eyebrow. A dimensional god at Mephisto's level could perceive parallel universes, so knowing about Loki variants wasn't surprising.
What made Loki curious was what the other Lokis were like.
But there was one thing he felt certain about, so he smiled and said, "Then I must be the most cunning one."
Mephisto laughed lightly. "Sorry—my rudeness. Every Loki tells me the exact same thing. You always think you're the most cunning one."
Loki's gaze flickered. "What kind of Lokis have you seen? And how do I compare?"
Mephisto's eyes deepened, as if he were recalling memories.
"There are plenty of special ones. Old Loki—the strongest illusionist among you.
Hulk Loki—he replaced Dr. Banner and became that being's chosen.
There's also Symbiote Loki, Kid Loki… and even a female Loki.
Mm. That female Loki is quite… sexy. I'm sure you'd fall for her the moment you saw her."
At Mephisto's words, Loki felt a chill crawl up his spine. He looked at Mephisto with open disgust and said firmly, "No. Impossible. How could I like a sex-changed version of myself?"
Mephisto only smiled, unconcerned, and lifted a hand to project the image of a woman.
She was tall, with naturally curled golden hair. Her movements were light and athletic, her proportions flawless, her aura confident and composed—every motion carrying a kind of rhythm.
And more importantly, Loki suddenly realized—
This female Loki's face was exactly his type.
Like it or not… Loki, still very much a "kid" in this sense, was genuinely tempted.
He cleared his throat. Maybe liking himself wasn't that unacceptable—at least they'd resonate deeply and probably get along perfectly.
Loki asked, "Ahem… Mephisto. What's her name? And where is she now?"
To Mephisto, mortal emotions were just casual entertainment. He didn't mock Loki, and he didn't feel anything extra—he simply replied with an easy smile.
"Her name is Sylvie. She's in a special place—one I wouldn't visit lightly, even myself.
But if you want to pursue her, you'd need to be chosen by a certain strand of fate. Trust me, it's not a pleasant experience… even though it comes with tremendous power."
Mephisto still hadn't given Loki the full answer, and Loki didn't press further.
He knew that if Mephisto didn't want to talk, no one could force him to.
And while Loki was interested in Sylvie, he had no intention of going to find her.
What he'd just done was only a probe—testing why Mephisto had specifically emphasized Sylvie, this female Loki.
Don't be fooled by how cheerfully Loki chatted on the surface—inside, he stayed on guard every second.
Even as the God of Mischief, he couldn't afford to relax around a crafty demon, especially when that demon was Mephisto, a Hell-lord.
Loki fell into thought. What exactly was this "fate" Mephisto spoke of—something that granted power even a dimensional god would praise?
And why did he say it wasn't a good experience?
He stored that away, then asked another question.
"You still haven't told me—compared to the other Lokis, what makes me special?"
Loki suddenly saw Mephisto's expression darken.
Mephisto looked off into the distance—toward the Helicarrier.
A moment later, his gloomy face flipped into a strange laugh, half-smile and half-sneer.
"Rather than you… it's more accurate to say everyone in this universe is special. Ever since something unexpected happened a few years ago, all dimensional gods have been unable to observe this universe's timeline.
Or to put it more precisely, under the influence of a great power, this universe's timeline has broken away from the multiverse's Great Time Tree—becoming independent, and extremely unusual.
Everyone's fate in this world went from fixed and singular to unpredictable.
And that change is permanent."
Learning that his destiny had changed without him noticing—and that the entire universe's destiny had changed—Loki looked stunned. A few years ago, he hadn't felt anything unusual at all.
Since it affected his interests and even the entire universe, Loki's curiosity spiked.
"So what exactly happened a few years ago? What made our universe become so special?"
Mephisto turned back and smiled at Loki. His pupils were like a deep, still ancient well—impossible to read.
"It was because of one person."
"One person? Who could possibly have that kind of influence?" Loki looked utterly unconvinced.
"You know this person," Mephisto said calmly. "And you're aware of some of what makes him special."
Loki froze.
He couldn't stay calm anymore. His breathing quickened, his chest rising and falling hard as a figure appeared in his mind.
He stared at Mephisto in disbelief and blurted out, "WTF? Don't tell me it's Harry Potter?!"
Mephisto tapped his glass, and it instantly refilled with soul-wine. He took a sip, then spoke slowly, each word clipped and heavy—Loki could hear the anger buried between the lines.
"Who else? If not for that, how could my plan have been ruined so easily?
In recent years, why have most dimensional gods turned their eyes toward this universe?
Because Harry Potter arrived. This universe's importance has already surpassed other parallel universes by far.
This universe holds endless possibilities."
Loki's expression turned excited, ready to keep asking—but Mephisto abruptly stood up and walked toward Dr. Selvig. He said to Loki, "Come. The most exciting part of the show is about to begin. Our guests will arrive any moment now."
Loki blinked, immediately realizing what that meant, and hurried after him.
When they reached the center of the huge balcony, a few scattered sparks of golden fire appeared in the air. A portal opened—and several figures stepped through.
Mephisto stared at the man in the lead, wearing a bright silver cloak. A savage curve twisted his mouth as he said with delighted malice, "Heh-heh-heh… Harry Potter. Did you like the gift I gave you? Don't rush—the next act will be even more exciting!"
"Really? I'm looking forward to it," Harry replied blandly, glancing at the already activated Tesseract. "Just hope you don't give me a chance to enter the Hell dimension. Otherwise, you'll never become Satan."
Mephisto's expression stiffened. As a powerful dimensional god, he was rarely threatened—especially not in a way like this. It was, honestly, a novel experience.
His face sank, but his confidence didn't waver. "Believe me, Harry. You'll never get that chance."
Harry ignored him and turned toward Dr. Selvig. His eyes flashed with crimson light as he attempted hypnotic magic.
"Dr. Selvig. Shut down the Tesseract."
Mephisto only smiled at the side, making no move to stop it—and Harry's heart sank with a grim premonition.
Sure enough, Selvig blanked for an instant. Red and blue interwove in his eyes. He clutched his head in pain and muttered hoarsely, "Too late… it can't be stopped anymore. It wants to show us a brand-new universe."
Selvig's answer made Harry's brows tighten. He lifted a hand and built a portal under Selvig's feet, sending him back to the Helicarrier.
Then Harry snapped his wand up and fired an instant electromagnetic railgun shot at the machine structure supporting the Tesseract, trying to destroy it.
But just as the railgun shot was about to hit, a hidden energy barrier flared into existence and blocked it.
The collision shrieked with a piercing boom. A massive shockwave blasted outward.
The balcony floor cracked rapidly, fractures spiderwebbing from beneath the machine.
Yet the machine suffered no damage at all. Harry even realized it was floating in midair—meaning even if the entire balcony collapsed, it still wouldn't fall.
Of course.
Once the Infinity Stones were involved, nothing was ever simple.
Hedwig used Harry's eyes to gather information and immediately reached a conclusion. Harry relayed it to the others.
"That shield is being powered directly by the Tesseract. Unless we hit it with an attack on the same energy level, it's impossible to break!"
Thor stepped forward with Mjolnir in hand, stopping not far from Loki as he roared, "Loki! Shut it down, now!"
Loki glanced at Mephisto beside him. Seeing no reaction, he pulled out the Mind Scepter and the Casket of Ancient Winters from his pocket dimension, grinning smugly.
"Thor, it's impossible to stop it now. Not even I can do it—no one can.
Now… there is only war!"
The moment Loki finished speaking, the machine let out a high, grating whine.
In the next second, a blue energy pillar shot straight into the sky, piercing thousands of meters upward!
At its endpoint, space twisted violently, transforming into a blue energy vortex.
A distorted portal assembled itself and stabilized in only a few seconds.
Very soon, a blue portal several kilometers wide opened above New York.
In some unknown corner of the cosmos, the Chitauri army had been waiting for a long time. The moment the portal finally opened, they roared in a universal language and piloted machinery far beyond Earth's current technology, charging straight toward the gateway at top speed.
The Battle of New York was about to erupt.
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