"Heh, my dear little troublemaker."
Loki's signature smirk remained on his face—one that practically begged for a punch.
"There have been quite a few surprises today, and you know, I'm not a fan of surprises."
"I originally planned to make you my ally so you could clean up the mess you made for me. But since that failed…"
He gripped the Mind Scepter tightly, energy surging around it.
"I suppose I'll just eliminate the little troublemaker causing me all these 'accidents' right here and now!"
VMM—
A powerful energy pulse erupted from the Mind Scepter, but for some unknown reason, its mind-controlling effects had no impact on Kagura Hitomi.
Loki frowned.
If he couldn't control her to retrieve the iridium for him, then the only logical solution was to get rid of the nuisance before she caused more problems.
Kagura, however, had anticipated this.
She reacted swiftly, sidestepping his attack. "You weren't this bloodthirsty the last time we met, Loki."
"Oh, that's right, my dear traveler. It seems my perspective has broadened since then."
With a chuckle, Loki swung the scepter at her. "I do hope you still admire me. Hahaha!"
SWOOSH—
The sharp tip of the Mind Scepter slashed through the air, barely missing Kagura's chest.
It scraped past her "White Moon" combat suit with mere millimeters to spare.
[Uru-alloy blade detected. Threat level: HIGH. Probability of "White Moon" suit being breached: 27.3%.]
"So, at least you're capable of wounding me," Kagura mused.
She flipped backward, landing gracefully, then immediately counterattacked with her blade.
Panic spread through the crowd as people scattered, leaving Kagura and Loki locked in a one-on-one battle.
"Do you really think you, a mere mortal, can stand against a god?"
Loki parried her strike with ease. "Kneel before me now, and perhaps I'll spare your life!"
CLANG—
Their weapons clashed, ringing through the air like a steel chime.
"Loki, all Earth desires is peace and quiet."
"Yet, as Asgard's prince, you bring unnecessary war to a world that wants nothing to do with you. Doesn't that seem… shameful?"
"Hah! How amusing."
Loki smirked, using his Frost Giant strength to push her back. "An ant dares to lecture a boot about peace?"
"And yet, the boot foolishly wishes to rule the ants?"
Kagura sidestepped his downward strike and activated the energy shield built into her left gauntlet, deflecting the energy pulse from his scepter.
"You always have a way with words, don't you?" Loki grinned. "Maybe I should rip that sharp tongue from your mouth and hang it on my throne as a trophy!"
"Ugh, gross." Kagura made a face. "Guess that means negotiations have failed. Cortana, activate the orbital equipment station. Deploy the Anti-Loki suit."
"The… Anti-what?"
Loki blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
"Hope you enjoy it." Kagura smirked, taking a step back. "This is a deluxe package made just for you."
WHOOSH—
From the sky, bright lights began to descend, growing clearer by the second.
Loki glanced up, watching as a metallic, prism-shaped container—about two meters tall—came hurtling toward him.
"A mortal who thinks she can defeat a god? How utterly pathet—"
BANG—
Before he could finish his sentence, the container slammed into the ground, flattening him beneath it.
As the dust settled, the container's automated mechanisms kicked in.
The casing split open, revealing three floating, disc-shaped combat modules.
Inside, a miniature Arc Reactor powered up, sending glowing blue circuits flashing across the equipment's surface.
The discs hovered in midair, ready for action.
Kagura had anticipated battles with all kinds of enemies when designing the orbital equipment station.
It stored a vast arsenal of specialized support gear, prepared to counter nearly any known threat—including the Avengers themselves.
Yes, generation after generation of protectors had walked the path of the Dark Knight.
And now, the Anti-Loki system was online—a countermeasure designed specifically for Loki.
"Hah!" Loki groaned as he pushed himself up. "You think three flying discs are enough to defeat me?"
"No idea." Kagura grinned. "Let's find out."
One of the hovering discs suddenly disassembled into sixteen smaller drones, dispersing evenly into the surrounding airspace.
Powered by Arc Reactor capacitors, they glowed with an eerie blue light.
Thin, almost invisible energy threads linked them together, forming a dense, spectral net across the battlefield.
[Anti-Illusion System Deployed.]
One of Loki's greatest weapons was his ability to conjure illusions—shifting seamlessly between reality and deception.
Predicting his trickery was nearly impossible. Identifying what was real and what wasn't? Even harder.
But Kagura had a simple yet effective countermeasure: a web of energy beams that created subtle pressure on anything passing through.
A harmless, low-power method that could instantly differentiate between a physical body and a mere illusion.
"You never cease to surprise me, Miss Flashblade."
Loki narrowed his eyes at the glowing net. "So now you can see through my tricks. But does that mean you can defeat me?"
He raised his scepter and fired another energy pulse.
Kagura effortlessly raised her shield, blocking the attack. "I already told you—let's find out."
The remaining two combat discs flew toward Kagura.
One of them opened up, extending a long metal handle.
She grabbed it, pulling it apart—activating the weapon system hidden inside.
The sleek, disc-shaped module shifted, unfolding into a massive war hammer.
The head of the hammer flared with blue flames, powered by the Arc Reactor's impact acceleration system.
There were rumors that Loki was the most powerful sorcerer in the Nine Realms.
But based on his fights in the Marvel Cinematic Universe…
He was just a close-combat maniac with a few illusion tricks.
So now that his illusions were useless?
All that was left… was to smash him into the ground.
Kagura tightened her grip on the hammer, igniting the propulsion system, and swung with all her might.
BOOM—
Loki barely had time to react before the hammer's impact sent him crashing to the ground.
Kagura didn't stop. Using the hammer's momentum, she spun and raised it high above her head.
The propulsion system powered up, sending an even stronger burst of energy through the hammer.
Even a god wouldn't walk away unscathed from this.
Loki looked up, dread filling his eyes as the hammer came plummeting toward him.
"W-Wait a minute—!"
"Too late."
BOOM—
"AAARGH—!"
The ground shattered, forming a massive crater.
But the best part?
This special hammer had reverse thrusters on both sides.
Meaning… rapid-fire hammering.
"You think—"
BAM— BAM— BAM—!
"This kind of—"
BAM— BAM—!
"Attack—"
BAM— BAM— BAM— BAM—BAM— BAM—!
Loki groaned.
As the dust cleared, he lay face-down in the crater, motionless.
He looked eerily similar to when the Hulk had "taught him a lesson" before.