A trace of appreciation flashed through Loki's eyes.
At last, someone had dared to stand up and resist him. This was interesting. If everyone were nothing more than obedient lapdogs—spineless, pitiful creatures—he would have been deeply disappointed. Fortunately, not everyone had lost their backbone.
"Look at you miserable cowards,"
Loki sneered.
"You're all inferior to this old man. A bunch of useless trash."
His contemptuous gaze settled on the elderly man.
The old man shook his head.
"You're wrong. They deserve this, because they've never lived through an age of humiliation. Some of them were born with silver spoons in their mouths. They don't understand how this era came to be, and they've never truly tried to."
He paused, then continued:
"But in every age, there are always bastards like you—people who take pleasure in enslaving others. People just like those kneeling at your feet now. And there will always be people like me, who dare to resist tyranny, resist enslavement, and pursue freedom."
At that moment, everyone understood—this old man was likely a veteran. Only those who had lived through the darkest times truly understood how precious freedom was, and why resisting oppression and dictatorship mattered.
"Hahahaha!"
Loki laughed loudly.
"Well said! Among all of you, only you resemble a human being. I respect you—and I will personally send you on your way. I'll use you as an example."
As he spoke, Loki raised his scepter. A beam of light shot out instantly, reaching the old man in the blink of an eye.
The old man had already accepted his death. His face showed no fear as he stood ready to meet it.
Suddenly—
A figure descended from the sky. A shield intercepted the beam, deflecting it straight back at Loki.
Loki was knocked aside, rolling across the ground. The man with the shield rose to his feet.
It was Captain America.
"The last time I came to Germany,"
Steve said solemnly, stepping forward,
"there was someone like you—someone who believed himself above everyone else. We had a disagreement back then."
"And in the end, I won."
Some of the people behind him slowly stood up when they realized who he was, though most still knelt, too afraid to move.
"And nothing has changed."
As Steve spoke, a Quinjet appeared in the air behind him. The hatch opened, and Skye leapt down, landing beside him. Waves of energy rippled from her hands, the surrounding air vibrating visibly.
At the same time, Natasha maneuvered the Quinjet, heavy machine guns deploying and locking onto Loki.
"Loki, drop your weapon and surrender immediately!"
Natasha's voice boomed through the loudspeakers.
Loki suddenly raised his scepter and fired another beam. Reacting instantly, Natasha pulled the jet aside to evade it.
At the same moment, Steve hurled his shield, while Skye thrust both hands forward. A massive shockwave erupted.
The shockwave struck Loki first, catching him off guard and blasting him backward. Steve caught the returning shield and rushed in, delivering a powerful punch that sent Loki crashing to the ground.
With a loud bang, Loki slammed down. His scepter fired again, and Steve blocked with his shield, the tremendous force driving him back several steps as Loki regained his footing.
Then—
Skye appeared out of nowhere. Another shockwave detonated, compressing Loki's body painfully and sending him flying once more.
Skye dropped into a crouch, both palms pressed against the ground. A second shockwave rippled outward. The earth beneath everyone's feet shook violently, like an earthquake, as jagged spikes burst from the ground and surged toward Loki.
Just before reaching him, the scepter's light flared again, slicing through the spikes and redirecting the attack toward Skye.
She raised her arms to block it. Thanks to the vibranium, she wasn't injured, but the sheer force still hurled her backward.
Rat-a-tat-tat—
Natasha opened fire from the Quinjet. Earlier, Loki had been surrounded by civilians, and she'd held back to avoid casualties. Now that he was clear of the crowd, she didn't hesitate.
Even so, the bullets did little. Most were either dodged or deflected by the scepter's energy.
Then, a familiar, frivolous voice crackled over the comms.
"Yo~ Agent Romanoff, miss me?"
At the same time, loud, driving heavy metal music blasted across the square.
Natasha didn't need to look.
Only one person would make an entrance like that.
A red-and-gold armored figure streaked down from the night sky, thrusters blazing. Twin repulsor blasts slammed directly into Loki.
Loki was sent flying yet again. Seizing the opening, Skye lunged forward and punched him, the explosive shockwave shattering the ground beneath him.
Above, Tony hovered with arms spread wide. Every weapon on his suit deployed at once, red targeting lasers locking onto Loki.
Pinned by Skye's shockwave, Loki couldn't even stand. He lay on the ground, completely restrained.
"Ohhh,"
Tony drawled.
"So you're Loki? I think Bambi suits you better."
A flash of light rippled over Loki's body. His horned helmet and green robes vanished, replaced by a dark green armored suit. Slowly, he raised both hands in surrender.
Seeing this, Tony finally powered down his weapons.
"Mr. Stark?"
Steve said.
"That's me, Captain,"
Tony replied.
Skye dispersed the shockwave, and Loki regained his freedom of movement. He made no attempt to resist, allowing Tony and Steve to escort him onto the Quinjet.
Inside the aircraft, Natasha had already contacted headquarters.
"Did he say anything?"
Nick Fury asked.
"No. He hasn't said a word since boarding,"
Natasha replied, glancing back at Loki—tightly bound and completely still—before refocusing on piloting.
"Bring him back as soon as possible,"
Fury said.
"We're running out of time."
The transmission ended.
Inside the Quinjet, Tony walked over behind Skye, who was seated in the copilot's chair.
"How come it's just you?"
Tony asked.
"Lucas really ditched you? That doesn't sound like him."
Skye flipped a few switches, then turned around.
"He didn't come. He said if Loki saw him, Loki would just run."
"Huh? Loki's met him before?"
Tony frowned. He'd been locked away in his lab during the New Mexico hammer incident and had no idea Lucas was involved.
"Yeah. Back during that hammer event in New Mexico."
Tony shrugged.
Just then, Steve walked over, his expression serious.
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
Steve's brow was furrowed. Something still didn't sit right with him.
"What, because Bambi got caught a little too easily?"
Tony replied casually, clearly unconvinced by premonitions.
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