Fisk Tower, Wilson Fisk's Executive Office
"New York is being invaded by enemies from beyond Earth. Shouldn't we go deal with those aliens?" Scana asked anxiously, looking at the others.
Bullseye gave a nonchalant smile, a glint of eagerness flashing in his eyes as he looked toward Kingpin. He didn't particularly care about the alien invasion—but if they were going to act, it might be a rare opportunity to fully unleash the power of his Memory and indulge in true slaughter.
At that thought, Bullseye felt slightly excited.
Kingpin stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, his gaze deep and unreadable.
"We need to wait and see—see how the situation develops."
As a villain with ambition and vision, Kingpin wanted to rule New York's underworld and build his own kingdom according to his own rules.
He would never allow aliens who appeared out of nowhere to occupy New York. If necessary, he would act against the Chitauri.
But Kingpin was ultimately a crime lord, not a superhero. Before making any decision, he would assess the situation carefully and weigh the pros and cons.
If the superheroes could eliminate the aliens, there would be no need for him to expose his own strength.
If the aliens proved overwhelmingly powerful and unstoppable, then preserving his own forces would naturally take priority.
Moreover…
Kingpin slowly rubbed the Fear Memory in his hand.
"How will they respond? Or will they simply stand by?"
He was very curious whether the mysterious Foundation X would take action in response to the alien invasion.
"Then I'll go check out the situation at the scene?" Unable to tolerate having power yet merely watching the Chitauri ravage the city, Scana took out the Nasca Memory and transformed into a Dopant, tentatively seeking Kingpin's approval.
Kingpin gave him a meaningful glance and nodded lightly.
"Since you insist, go ahead.
You can also use the battle as an opportunity to develop the Nasca Memory to a higher stage."
"What a magnificent and breathtaking scene. This will be the first step in my conquest of Midgard—and a moment destined to be recorded in history."
Loki stood in a building not far from Stark Tower, watching the Chitauri pour out of the spatial portal as he murmured to himself.
Boom!
Hearing the thunderous crash of lightning, Loki snorted softly and looked toward Thor, who stood blocking the portal.
"The portal is expanding. Even you—how many troops can you really hold back, my brother?"
"I regret to inform you that your unrealistic fantasy is unlikely to come true."
A clear, lightly mocking voice rang out.
"Who dares to insult a god?" Loki turned angrily toward the speaker.
Azu, transformed into Kamen Rider Eden, gave a disdainful chuckle.
"A character like you dares call himself a god?"
"You're asking for death!" Enraged, Loki immediately fired an energy beam from his scepter at Azu, who made no effort to conceal her mockery.
"You wield one of the fundamental forces of the universe and use it for nothing more than basic energy blasts. The scepter in your hands is truly wasted," Azu taunted as she effortlessly dodged.
"Hand it over obediently and spare yourself some suffering."
Loki sneered. "So you want my scepter? That depends on whether you're capable enough to take it."
"Then excuse us," Izu said gently, already transformed into Kamen Rider Zero-Two.
In the blink of an eye, Loki saw only a flash of light. Before he could react, Izu's fist slammed into his abdomen.
He was sent flying, barely managing to keep hold of the scepter.
Loki lay on the ground in utter despair.
He had been completely overwhelmed by Izu and Azu working together, beaten mercilessly without any chance to fight back. He still hadn't recovered.
The Zero-Two system created and granted to Izu by Dan possessed precognitive capabilities—it could see the future. Loki's attacks and movements were completely read in advance. His proud illusions were rendered useless.
Throughout the battle, Loki had no ability to resist. Like a bullied child, the self-proclaimed King of Asgard had been utterly humiliated by two Midgardians.
The commotion soon attracted Tony, who had been searching for Loki.
"I've found Loki, but… he doesn't look quite right. He seems extremely miserable. And the scepter isn't in his hand," Tony said in a strange tone over the comm channel.
"Loki, where is your scepter?" After scanning the area and finding nothing, Tony aimed his palm repulsor at Loki.
Loki raised his head, puzzled.
"Didn't those two Midgardians just take it from me? Aren't they your warriors?"
Tony was shocked. "What? Someone stole the scepter?!"
"So you're not with them?" Loki looked slightly surprised, then smiled thoughtfully. "Now that is interesting."
"Do you know who they are?" Tony asked seriously.
Rolling his eyes, Loki shrugged mockingly.
"They're your Midgardians. I assumed you'd know better than I would."
"Which direction did they go?" Tony pressed urgently.
Grinding his teeth in frustration, Loki replied,
"They must have used some kind of spatial technology. After taking my scepter, they vanished into thin air."
"This just got complicated," Tony muttered. "Two unidentified individuals took the scepter from Loki and disappeared.
And what are we supposed to do with Loki?"
"Loki is my brother—the Prince of Asgard. I must take him back to Asgard for Father, King Odin, to judge."
Thor descended with Mjolnir in hand and spoke to Tony.
"Tony, hand Loki over to Thor. He is Asgardian, after all," Nick Fury emphasized over the comm channel.
"Fine. Diplomatic immunity, I suppose?" Tony replied with light sarcasm.
"But can you spare the attention to keep an eye on your brother?" Tony gestured toward the weakening thunderstorm above Stark Tower, which was fading now that Thor had stepped away from the portal.
Thor looked solemnly at Loki, then took out a golden orb, infused it with divine power, and threw it at him.
Loki's expression changed immediately. He clearly recognized the object and attempted to escape using illusion and displacement.
But the golden sphere locked onto him regardless of interference. It transformed into shackles that instantly bound his limbs.
"This is a special restraint empowered with powerful runes by the great King Odin. It seals Loki's divine power. He cannot escape now. Leave him here until we resolve this crisis."
Without sparing Loki another glance, Thor turned and flew back toward Stark Tower to block the portal.
He had absolute confidence in the rune-empowered restraints bestowed by Odin. Loki would not break free.
"Well, Loki can't cause trouble anymore. But we still have no idea where the scepter is. We probably won't recover it anytime soon. We'll need another way to close the portal."
Tony glanced at the immobilized Loki before flying back into the air to battle the Chitauri, speaking over the comms as he did.
(End of Chapter)