Early the next morning.
Inside the Roland family estate.
"Lady Effie, Director Nick Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D. requests an audience!" a female guard said respectfully to Effie.
"That one-eyed man again? I don't like him. Don't let him in. Nobody here wants to see him," Bismarck said coldly.
"Our master has not yet returned. Even if he had, Fury does not get to see him just because he wants to. Tell him to leave," Enterprise added with clear displeasure.
"Yes!" The female guard quickly nodded after hearing the two ladies.
"Tell him this. When necessary, we will act. The Church of Life exists to protect humanity," Effie said calmly.
Just as her words fell, a warm and gentle laugh echoed through the room.
A radiant light burst forth in the center of the hall, and the tall, elegant figure of a man slowly appeared.
The man was dressed in a luxurious white suit. His handsome features, flowing golden hair, and jewel-like eyes made him look like a prince from an ancient temple, noble and pure.
Who else could this man be, if not Roland Phils?
"Master, you're finally back!"
"Welcome back, our lord!"
The ship girls immediately dropped to their knees, faces full of joy and excitement.
"Hahaha, all of you get up! Effie, you've grown more and more like a leader in my absence. I am very pleased," Phils said as he nodded and sat upon the ornate throne.
The ship girls quickly gathered around him, attending to him with utmost care.
"You flatter me, young master. With you away, it was only my duty to shoulder responsibility. I was afraid I hadn't done enough," Effie replied with joy, honored to receive his praise.
"You did well. Humanity's faith is my foundation. Protecting one's own interests is only natural.
But as for Fury, this matter is his own fault, and he must pay the price. The Church of Life will act, but not now, and certainly not at his demand. Deliver my command. Tell him to get out!"
"Yes, master!" The female guard knelt and bowed her head respectfully.
In truth, Phils had no real interest in protecting Earth or humanity. What mattered to him was faith.
Faith came from believers, and on Earth, believers came from humanity. For the sake of his own power, he had to act.
Of course, he could never reveal his true thoughts. In the eyes of most followers, the Church of Life existed to safeguard Earth and humanity. Even Effie, the High Priestess, firmly believed this.
Phils did not bother to correct them. As long as it helped gather more believers and build a noble, righteous image, what was the harm?
From the moment Effie became High Priestess, this had been their message to the world. And it worked well.
Many people began to revere the Lord of Life. Even those who did not believe at first grew to admire the church, and eventually became followers.
Thanks to this "righteous" slogan, Phils' number of believers had skyrocketed in recent days.
Outside the estate.
Nick Fury and Coulson waited quietly.
The previous incidents had already shown them the immense power of the Roland family. So when the Tesseract was stolen by Loki, the first person they thought of was the young master of the Roland family, Phils.
But now Phils stood far above them. Whether they could even meet him was uncertain. Even Fury, the hardened director of S.H.I.E.L.D., felt uneasy.
At last, the heavy gates of the estate creaked open. The female guard from earlier walked out alone.
Fury sighed, already feeling disappointment. As expected, he would not be allowed inside.
"My master says, get out!" the guard said coldly. Without waiting for a response, she turned and shut the gates in their faces.
Looking at the tightly guarded manor doors, Fury's face darkened. He had no choice but to turn and leave.
On this planet, only the Roland family could repeatedly slam the door in his face and speak to him in such a way.
"Sir, the Roland family refuses to help. What should we do?" Coulson asked worriedly.
"What else? We rely on ourselves. It's time to gather the Avengers again," Fury said grimly.
Meanwhile, in a luxurious hotel in Stuttgart, Germany, a gathering of elites was underway.
Loki descended the spiral staircase, easily knocking aside guards with his scepter. Grabbing the host of the event, he forced him to the ground and used a strange device to brutally extract his eye.
The gruesome sight terrified the guests.
Elsewhere, Hawkeye, under Loki's control, used another device to open a vault and retrieve iridium, the rare element Loki needed.
The Tesseract, one of the six Infinity Stones, could open portals to bring endless armies and weapons. But to stabilize the portal, iridium was necessary.
With it in hand, Loki smirked, reveling in the fear of the humans around him. He shed his disguise, returning to his Asgardian form, and summoned countless illusions to surround the fleeing crowd.
"Kneel!" he commanded coldly.
No one obeyed. Panic and desperation drove them only to run.
Furious, Loki slammed his scepter into the ground, shaking the earth and forcing the people to collapse.
"I said, kneel!" he roared. Terrified, the crowd finally fell to their knees. Loki smiled, basking in the feeling of being king.
"You see? This is your true nature. Freedom is an illusion. You crave subjugation. So kneel before me and accept your ruler!"
But an old man stood defiantly. "We will not kneel to men like you!"
"I am unique!" Loki growled.
"No. There are always men like you," the old man shot back without fear.
Loki's eyes flashed with killing intent. He raised his scepter at the man. "Then you will be their example!"
Energy surged toward the old man.
But at that moment, a shield flew down and blocked the blast.
It was Captain America, Steve Rogers.
"The last time I was in Germany, a man also thought himself above everyone else. You know how that ended."
"Just one soldier? A relic of a bygone era!" Loki sneered, pointing his scepter at him.
Before he could attack, a Quinjet swooped in. Black Widow aimed its guns at Loki.
"Loki, put down the weapon and surrender!"
Loki ignored her and fired at the jet, forcing Natasha to dodge and return fire. At the same time, Captain America charged, only to be blocked by Loki's energy shield.
Suddenly, Iron Man landed from above and blasted Loki from behind.
"So this is a god? Pretty weak if you ask me," Tony Stark mocked, seizing Loki's scepter and aiming his repulsor at him.
Deprived of his weapon, Loki wisely raised his hands and surrendered.
Surprised at his quick compliance, the Avengers restrained him and loaded him onto the Quinjet, heading for New York.
But midway, thunder rumbled. Loki stiffened.
"What's the matter? Afraid of lightning?" Tony teased.
"No, I just don't like the man it follows," Loki muttered.
A moment later, Thor landed heavily on the jet. He stormed inside, seizing Loki.
"Brother, you will return with me. You must face Asgardian judgment. This is not your domain!" Thor roared.
"This is Earth's matter. He will stand trial here, unless he gives up the Tesseract!" Tony retorted sharply.
"Do you know who you're speaking to?" Thor glared.
"Some guy in a cape? Does your mother know you stole her drapes?" Tony mocked without hesitation.
Thor's temper flared, but Captain America intervened.
"Enough! Fighting among ourselves helps no one. Loki's true goal is to use the Tesseract to open a portal for an alien army. If you take him now, we may never find it. The Earth will be destroyed."
Hearing this, Thor roared at Loki. "Where is the Tesseract?"
Loki only smirked. "Not with me. Guess if you can."
The brothers argued bitterly, Thor pleading for Loki to abandon his madness, Loki consumed by rage and jealousy. But in the end, it was clear. Loki would not yield.
He was taken aboard S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier, locked in a glass prison designed for beings far more dangerous than him.
Nick Fury warned, "If you even touch the glass, you'll fall nine thousand meters in this cage."
Loki only laughed. "This wasn't built for me, was it?"
"Something far worse," Fury replied grimly.
Loki's eyes shifted to Dr. Banner's lab, his voice dripping with mockery. "A monster pretending to be a man. How desperate must you be, to think such a beast could protect you?"
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