Inside the Helicarrier, Nick Fury looked at the fully healed Coulson. His heart was filled with gratitude toward Sirius, who had just left, and with complicated feelings toward the mysterious Roland family.
"Nick, this time we really were wrong. This disaster was something we brought upon ourselves," Coulson said with a complicated expression.
"I know," Fury admitted, nodding with guilt.
"Find a chance to visit the Roland family properly. I actually like that place. It's quiet, peaceful, and gives me a sense of belonging, almost like a home for the soul," Coulson said with a faint smile.
"When this is over, I'll go and apologize in person. No matter what punishment they give me, I'll accept it," Fury replied firmly.
"Don't be so pessimistic. Phils isn't an unreasonable man, after all, he's a god," Coulson reassured with a smile.
"Hey, hey, are you two writing your wills? Can you not sit so close? Coulson's fine!" Tony Stark suddenly walked in, smirking.
"You think this is the time for jokes? Just one Loki almost wiped us out and cost us so many brothers. If not for that woman's intervention today, Coulson would be dead," Fury said grimly.
At those words, everyone fell silent. Even the ever-arrogant Tony closed his mouth.
This disaster happened because they were not united. That much was undeniable.
Seeing no one speak, Fury sighed.
"I admit, our original plan was indeed to use the Tesseract to create weapons. But that was never where I placed my real bet. I gambled on something far riskier. My dream. Stark should know it. We call it the Avengers Initiative.
"The idea was to gather the most extraordinary people on Earth and see if they could achieve something greater together. In times of crisis, they would stand united against enemies we could never defeat alone.
"But looking at you now, it seems I bet wrong. You can't even form a team. I'm disappointed."
Hearing this, Coulson smiled and tried to comfort him. "Chief, they've only just begun to work together. Give them some time."
"Time? Do you think we still have time? This was just the prelude. The real battle hasn't even started. When Loki opens the gate and alien invaders pour onto Earth, who will give us time to practice?" Fury said sternly.
With that, he stormed out, leaving the others staring at each other, at a loss for words.
"Are we really just going to sit here and do nothing?" Captain America finally asked.
"Of course not. We've got more to do than ever. First, we need to find Loki," Tony answered.
"That guy is elusive, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s communications were wrecked by him. In this huge world, where do we even start looking?" Agent Hill asked.
"Loki is a classic narcissist. He doesn't just want to defeat us, he wants everyone to witness it. He needs flowers, applause, a landmark building to put his name above all others. Wait… damn, I think I know where he is!"
Tony suddenly froze, then immediately shot out of the room.
"What's wrong with him?" Captain America asked, completely confused.
"In New York, what's the most iconic building you can think of?" Coulson said with a half-smile.
"You… you don't mean that tall, ugly Stark Tower?" Captain America asked, suddenly realizing.
"That's right," Coulson confirmed.
At that very moment, a deafening rumble echoed across the skies.
A massive blue beam of light shot upward from the center of New York. A gigantic space gate opened in the sky.
"It's too late. The gate has already opened," everyone said in horror.
"What are you waiting for? Get ready to fight!" Captain America barked with determination.
On Stark Tower, JARVIS's calm voice rang out.
"Sir, I've shut down the arc reactor, but the Tesseract shows no signs of stopping."
"Then blow it up directly!" Tony said, raising his arm and firing a powerful repulsor blast at the device.
But just before it hit, a shimmering barrier appeared out of thin air, effortlessly blocking the attack. Worse, it reflected part of the energy back.
The rebound sent Dr. Selvig flying and knocked Tony back a few meters.
"It's too late. Nothing can stop it now. It's showing us a new universe," Selvig said with a crazed, fascinated smile.
"It's made of pure energy. It cannot be penetrated," JARVIS warned.
"There must be something that can destroy it!" Tony muttered, face grim. On the rooftop, Loki was laughing maniacally.
Meanwhile, the Chitauri army surged through the portal.
They had arrived.
"Damn it, time for Plan B," Tony said darkly.
"Sir, the Mark VII isn't ready for combat," JARVIS reminded.
"We don't have the luxury to wait. The battle has already begun," Tony growled, flying up to the rooftop.
As he landed, mechanical rings swirled around him, swiftly dismantling his armor. Within seconds, the Iron Man suit was stripped away.
Looking at Loki, Tony casually walked toward his office.
"Here to beg for mercy?" Loki sneered.
"Actually, I'm here to threaten you," Tony said with a shrug, feigning calm.
"Really? At least wear your armor. Facing me barehanded is suicide," Loki said, curious.
"True, I should wear armor. But since you lost your shiny little scepter, if I keep mine on it feels like bullying," Tony mocked.
"The woman who stole my scepter… I'll find her!" Loki's eyes burned with fury. Being beaten and robbed by a woman was the greatest humiliation of his life.
But the gate was open now, and the Chitauri were here. This planet was already his. The scepter could wait.
"Find her, then get beaten again? You're really asking for it," Tony smirked, dragging out time while his new armor prepared. Against this invading army, he needed the Mark VII.
"You dare mock me?!" Enraged, Loki hurled Tony off the top of Stark Tower.
"JARVIS, now! Mark VII!" Tony shouted while plummeting.
With a boom, a red pod shot out of his armory, racing toward him. Tony spread his arms. The pod unfolded and snapped into place, forming the new suit around his falling body.
In an instant, he stopped his freefall and soared back up, firing a blast straight at Loki.
The repulsor beam slammed into Loki, sending him crashing to the ground.
But before Tony could press the attack, explosions thundered across the sky. The Chitauri army swarmed through the portal, launching a full-scale assault on New York.
"Damn, we have to stop them!" Tony said, face grim, unleashing a storm of energy blasts that shredded dozens of enemies. But there were too many. They poured in like endless locusts, blotting out the sky.
Tony felt despair. When the Hell Gate opened, the demons had been even more numerous. But back then, the Holy Light Order stood in front. He only had to fight freely. Even if the sky fell, someone else held it up.
Now he was the one holding it up.
The pressure was crushing.
"Hahaha, destroy everything!" Loki laughed wildly, reveling in the chaos.
Just then, Thor descended in a blaze of lightning, landing before Loki.
"Loki, close the Tesseract, or I'll destroy it!"
"You can't. It's too late. War has already begun," Loki sneered.
"Then don't blame me!" Thor growled, unleashing a torrent of lightning at the space gate, trying to tear it apart.
But like Tony's attack, it bounced harmlessly away. Even Thor's godly power could not shake it.
"I told you, it's useless. This world is already mine," Loki laughed proudly.
"Fool! Do you know what rule is? War only breeds hatred. No one will ever bow to you!" Thor shouted.
"If they don't bow, I'll kill more. Weak humans will kneel eventually," Loki mocked.
"The Lord of Life has already taken action. Turn back now!" Thor tried one last time.
"That cursed so-called Lord of Life? Once I rule these humans, someone else will deal with him," Loki snarled.
"Blasphemer! You dare insult my lord? Prepare for divine judgment!"
A cold, booming voice shook the heavens. A vast pressure fell, as boundless as the sea of stars.
Thor and Loki both felt like helpless boats in an endless ocean, tiny and powerless. A single wave could crush them into nothingness.
A beam of divine light tore down from the sky, landing before them.
The light faded.
Ten women in holy, resplendent battle attire appeared.
They were none other than Roland Phils's ship girls.
"So you're Loki? Shifty-eyed and disgusting. Kneel," Bismarck said coldly, stepping forward.
Her overwhelming aura crashed down like a tidal wave. Loki's legs buckled and he was forced to kneel, no matter how he struggled.
"No! How dare you make me kneel? I am the rightful king of Asgard!" Loki roared, but it was useless. The crushing force pinned him like mountains. His bones began to crack under the strain.
Against a sub-god, Loki had no chance. Only a true All-Father level being could stand against such power.
Even Thor was shaken to his core. He had known the Lord of Life was strong, but even his followers were this terrifying? Each of the ten women radiated unfathomable might. Even the little drunk loli clutching a bottle made him unsure he could win.
What kind of monsters were these? Compared to them, even Asgard's armies were nothing.
"An insect dares call itself a god? If you are a god, then what are we?" Bismarck said coldly. Her eyes flashed with black magic.
An invisible fist smashed into Loki, launching him thousands of meters into the portal. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he tore through a Chitauri warship, causing it to explode in a dazzling fireball.
Loki was knocked unconscious and hurled into the depths of space. No one knew where he would end up.
Normally, Roland Phils would have erased such insolence completely. But Odin had once come personally, pleading for mercy on his sons' behalf, even offering treasures from his vault.
For Odin's sake, Loki's life was spared.
But spared did not mean forgiven.
Death was avoided, yet punishment remained.
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