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[Start of the chapter]
There's a phrase called "humiliation turning into rage."
If you apply that phrase to Loki, it fits perfectly.
The Loki of the Avengers era was extremely immature.
Obsessed with saving face, petty, and vicious.
You could even say—
If Odin hadn't been his father, and if his physical constitution weren't so strong, he would've been beaten to death long ago.
At this moment—
Karl had disarmed him barehanded, and it was in front of so many people.
Loki felt both wronged and furious.
In an instant, that humiliation truly turned into anger.
He shot Karl a look, suddenly took a step back, and shouted:
"Kill this Midgardian for me!"
The Chitauri around him didn't move at all.
The fire in Loki's chest burned even hotter.
These damned Chitauri—despicable, shameless little cowards!
Once he later "notified" Earth, he'd definitely make them pay!
Loki took a deep breath and spoke loudly:
"The Mind Scepter is in his hands!"
"If you want to die, then go ahead and try doing nothing!"
That line worked much better.
The Chitauri who had been tangled up with other people immediately converged, and opened fire at Karl.
But was Karl the kind of person who was easy to deal with?
The Eldritch Whip appeared in his hand again. He flicked it out with a snap.
A violent energy surge erupted—
and dozens of Chitauri flying craft around him exploded on the spot.
Loki sucked in a sharp breath.
Even though he'd seen this terrifying magic more than once, his mind still shook.
This power was far too strong!
Seeing those explosions,
Loki calmed down again.
He turned, intending to leave.
But—
how could he possibly get away?
"Loki, you've caused such a catastrophe, and you think you can just walk away?"
"Is that really your plan?"
Karl spoke flatly.
Loki's steps halted at once.
"Y-you… what do you want?!"
Loki blustered, but his bravado was paper-thin.
"Obediently surrender, and go back with Thor."
"Out of respect for Odin, I'll spare your life."
Karl said lightly.
Karl wasn't a saint like the Ancient One, protecting Earth for an entire lifetime.
Besides, Loki hadn't caused him any damage, and Karl had even gained benefits—he'd sharpened his real combat experience and freeloaded a spell for nothing.
It was honestly pretty sweet.
Also—
Even the Sorcerer Supreme hadn't kept Loki here.
Even if Loki was an adopted son, he was still Odin's adopted son.
If you really killed him, just watch whether Odin would come looking for trouble.
Even someone like Nick Fury hadn't said anything about it, had he?
But to a proud and arrogant Loki, these terms were completely unacceptable.
"Impossible!"
"I came to rule you—your honor!"
"And you still want me to apologize? Keep dreaming!"
"I am a god!"
Loki roared furiously.
Karl helplessly shook his head, not angry at all.
Young people—always thinking they know heaven's height and earth's depth.
Beat them once, and they'll behave.
This was just an overgrown brat.
Earth's brats simply didn't have this kind of power or ability—if they did, they'd be about the same.
Karl decided to give him a lesson he'd remember for life.
Loki saw Karl go silent and was about to speak again.
But before he could—
he felt a powerful force rising from beneath his feet.
His whole body lifted into the air.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Karl seized Loki by the ankle and slammed him viciously into the ground.
Dozens of heavy impacts rang out in succession, and even the ground kept vibrating.
Pebbles on the floor trembled nonstop.
The sorcerers around them, seeing this brutal scene, couldn't even bear to watch.
It was miserable.
So miserable!
Getting grabbed and smashed over and over like a dead pig—
it was beyond tragic!
The sorcerers were busy gossiping.
Kaecilius, however, watched with his mouth twitching.
Was this about whether it was miserable?
This was about whether it was monstrous.
Kamar-Taj sorcerers weren't actually known for raw strength.
People called them close-combat sorcerers, but that was close combat powered by magic—not pure physical force.
And among their strength-training methods, there was only the Kamar-Taj Fighting Arts.
But the strength Karl was showing—
he'd smashed a concrete floor to pieces!
This kind of power, at minimum, was well over a hundred tons.
Was that something a human could possess?
This was terrifying!
How had this kid learned any of this?
He was a freakish genius!
Kaecilius's eyes gleamed as he stared—no one knew what he was thinking, but his gaze looked more and more sinister.
Karl didn't know Kaecilius had set his sights on him.
He simply tossed Loki aside and dusted off his hands.
Loki—
was completely dazed.
Right now, Loki felt like his head had been smashed with a sledgehammer.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What is happening?
What just happened?
Why did it feel like he'd been run over by a train?
Several full minutes passed before Loki finally came back to his senses.
Fortunately, his natural physical constitution was strong—if it were an ordinary person, they'd already be a puddle of mush.
Seeing Loki recover,
Karl finally spoke in a careless tone:
"A god? That's it?"
That tone, that expression—
If it were the earlier Loki, he'd probably have been furious enough to see smoke coming out of his ears.
But—
after getting beaten, Loki was much calmer.
He even had a faint "I've seen through worldly desires" feeling.
He—
never should've provoked this monster!
This guy was Hulk in human skin!
A Hulk who could use magic, had superb combat technique, and absurd defense!
Forget Loki—
Loki now suspected that even if Odin came, subduing this guy would take a lot of effort.
It wasn't that Loki was weak.
It was that this guy was too abnormal!
Loki desperately wanted to run.
He didn't want to stay here anymore.
Why hadn't he stayed in Asgard, drinking and watching the show—how wonderful would that have been?
Why did he insist on coming to rule Earth?
Wasn't this like walking into a latrine holding a lantern—asking to die?
If heaven could give him one more chance—
he absolutely wouldn't come here.
Earthlings were far too terrifying!
Loki couldn't help but shudder.
Karl almost laughed out loud at that.
Sure enough, a kid who hasn't been properly beaten—beat him once, and he behaves.
Just then—
a deafening boom came from the sky.
Karl abruptly looked up.
He saw it clearly:
In the sky,
the rift opened by the Tesseract had grown even larger!
That enormous rift spread across more than a dozen city blocks.
Through the rift, you could see it—
the gigantic Chitauri Mothership was moving downward.
At that moment,
Tony Stark descended from the sky.
"Alright, I hate to interrupt your fun, but we need some help!"
"The Chitauri mothership looks like it's coming down!"
"What about the nuke? Why hasn't the nuke been launched?"
Karl froze.
"What nuke?"
Tony Stark asked.
"Why not launch a nuke and blow that thing up?"
Karl asked.
Tony Stark forced a bitter smile.
"Sorcerer, you might have some misunderstandings about nukes."
"In outer space, without air, a nuke's destructive power is basically only a bit stronger than an ordinary missile. There's no way it can destroy a flagship that powerful."
"Not to mention they're an interstellar civilization. We already have technology to intercept nuclear weapons—how could they not have it?"
Tony Stark's face was full of wry helplessness.
Karl also realized it then.
He patted his forehead.
Movies have lied to me!
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
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