But Adam had planned for this. As Loki fell, his four appendages flailing desperately for purchase, Adam launched himself upward with the last of his strength. His plasma blades, recharged by the energy release, blazed brighter than they had since the battle began. He brought them together in a perfect cross-pattern, driving them deep into the center of Loki's grotesquely expanded chest.
The effect was immediate and catastrophic. Loki's chaotic form began to convulse and contract, the stolen power that had twisted him into this monstrous shape suddenly turning against itself. His serpentine appendages withered and burned away like paper in flame. His towering height collapsed as his spine compressed back to normal proportions. The shifting faces settled into his familiar features, now twisted with pain and the bitter knowledge of defeat.
