Chapter 40: World's Second Best vs. World's Second Best
Loki had to admit, the power on Earth was beyond his imagination. In just a short while, so many troublesome characters had appeared.
However, it was still within his control.
"Mjolnir..."
Loki, still invisible, calmly walked up to the hammer. He reached out to pull it but found it wouldn't budge. His face contorted with anger, but he quickly regained his composure.
"I don't meet Father's standard? As long as my foolish brother doesn't meet it either, that's enough," Loki sneered, glancing once more at the raging battlefield around them.
After one last deep look at Thor, Loki turned to leave. There was no point in staying here any longer. Having confirmed Thor's safety, he decided to observe from a distance, looking for an opportunity to reveal himself and deceive Thor.
He wanted Thor to remain on Earth forever, as a mortal.
But considering Odin's words, Loki felt a twinge of apprehension. He pondered the dangers of leaving Thor on Earth. What if he died?
Loki walked on, lost in thought, trapped in a state of indecision.
"Hm? This one is a bit strange."
Just as he left the camp, Loki discovered a massive Xenomorph concealed with incredible stealth. On its head was a crown-like carapace. This made him look twice, and he briefly considered capturing one. But on second thought, there was no need to expose himself before carrying out his plan to deceive and protect Thor.
He found a relatively high rock, deactivated his invisibility, and sat down. A wicked smile played on his lips as he struck a pose, ready to watch the show.
*Swoosh!*
A golden portal appeared not far from him. Clearly, someone else had the same idea.
Loki froze, staring in surprise at the figure emerging from the portal.
The newcomer sported horrifyingly dark circles under his eyes, exuded the intense aura of a man who never slept, and cast a grim, focused gaze in his direction.
Who is this guy? The thought crossed both their minds.
"Are you a sorcerer from this world?" Loki asked with great interest, sensing the surging magical power from the other party—primarily dark magic, but also mixed with white magic. It was a complete mess.
If this strange, dark-eyed sorcerer knew what was good for him, Loki wouldn't mind taking him on as a subordinate.
"You're not an Earthling, an outsider?" The moment he saw Loki, Kaecilius sneered, a look of understanding dawning on his face. "It seems someone else has the same idea as me, with designs on the Xenomorphs."
"The Xenomorphs... so that's your target."
"You're not? Don't tell me you came for Thor. It seems King Odin is quite worried about his son and has arranged a bodyguard for him." A cold smirk formed on Kaecilius's lips.
The smile on Loki's face slowly faded. He hated it most when people belittled him to praise the brainless Thor.
"Midgardian, it seems you know nothing of the power of the gods. How dare you offend me? No one can save you now." Loki's figure appeared directly in front of Kaecilius, closing the distance step by step.
Kaecilius's expression grew even more ruthless. "Asgardian, don't actually think of yourself as a god. You can fool ordinary people, but me? You self-proclaimed gods die when you're killed. What kind of god is that! If I kill you, I'm sure I can please the great Dormammu and clear the obstacles to me obtaining the Xenomorphs."
*If I kill an Asgardian and send him to the Dark Dimension, Lord Dormammu will surely be pleased, right?* Kaecilius thought.
Besides, Dormammu wasn't afraid of Odin.
The two approached each other. When only a few meters separated them, they moved almost simultaneously.
"Let me show you the strength of Earth's second-best sorcerer!" Kaecilius's face was ferocious as he abruptly drew a club and swung it down at Loki.
"Hmph, mortal, you have no idea how terrifying the Nine Realms' second-best sorcerer is!"
A terrifying might surged around Loki. He skillfully whipped out a dagger and thrust it toward Kaecilius's stomach.
The two archmages, each proclaiming to be the world's second best, had murder in their eyes as they launched into fierce melee combat.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The club and dagger clashed countless times. Like two elite masters of technique, they both displayed exquisite skill with their weapons, utilizing them to their absolute limits with every move aimed to kill.
Kaecilius seized an opportunity, driving his knee into Loki's stomach, but Loki's body didn't budge an inch. Instead, he watched Kaecilius with a devious smile, as if mocking his incompetence.
Kaecilius's expression remained unchanged, clearly having anticipated this. He used the recoil to take half a step back and, with incredible speed, swung his club, breaking Loki's neck.
"Is this all you've got, you weak god?" Kaecilius said, his tense body visibly relaxing.
In that same instant, as if he had already predicted it, he spun around, holding the club in front of him to precisely block a dagger that had appeared from thin air and was stabbing toward him.
Loki materialized, staring at Kaecilius in astonishment. "You Midgardian, you're so treacherous! You deliberately showed an opening to bait my sneak attack?"
"Do you even hear what you're saying?"
After the brief confrontation, the two schemers' expressions simultaneously grew serious. They both realized the other was an extremely insidious opponent who had to be treated with utmost caution.
Loki gave a grim smile and charged forward again, dagger in hand. Within a few moves, he had completely suppressed Kaecilius.
In terms of weapon skill, Loki was no stronger than Kaecilius, but Loki possessed an incredibly powerful physique. He was the son of the King of the Frost Giants, after all!
Even relying on brute force alone, he could overwhelm the mortal Kaecilius, putting him on the defensive and forcing him to constantly retreat just to protect himself.
"Too weak, mortal. Let me guess, you must have been a disciple of the Ancient One, right? But you ended up defecting to Dormammu. Is this all you learned from those two?" A savage look appeared on Loki's face. "Surrender, and I will spare your life and allow you to become my follower."
"What a joke, you arrogant fool. Next is a contest of magic."
They began using magic, clearly getting serious.
The contest between the two archmages had its own strengths and weaknesses, and the air crackled with tension. Powerful magic and all sorts of glows shot into the sky. The sheer force of their spells clashed, scattering countless magical particles in every direction and setting off waves of explosions.
The commotion was massive and was captured by satellites in the sky.
When Coulson saw the two archmages tearing each other apart, he felt a wave of exhaustion.
"Where did these two pop out from? One is Kaecilius, the notorious leader of the Black Magicians, but who's the other? That retro clothing... an Asgardian?"
Coulson couldn't help but look at Du Wa on the screen.
Could this have something to do with Du Wa? Coulson had developed a conditioned reflex, always feeling that every unexpected incident that occurred was Du Wa's handiwork.
(end of chapter)