That flash of Fire was not as wild and direct as the Destroyer; its trajectory was strange, carrying an ominous purple arc.
It did not emit a deafening roar as it pierced the atmosphere; instead, it seemed to swallow all surrounding sounds, falling silently.
Leon easily caught this detail, which piqued his interest slightly.
That kid Loki, rummaging through the treasury, finally found something different.
It's no longer just a tin can that spits Fire; he's made some progress.
The landing spot was not far from the town, right in the desert closely monitored by S.H.I.E.L.D., less than five kilometers from Thor's hammer.
As for why it landed here, one can only say Loki still has some brains.
He was afraid Thor would awaken in time, so he protected the hammer.
"Boom!!!"
A dull thud echoed, and the earth trembled slightly.
There was no towering Fire, no mushroom cloud rising, only a ripple of purplish-black energy spreading out.
Wherever it passed, the sand silently turned into black dust, and even cacti withered instantly, as if their vitality was drained in a flash.
Leon tossed a grape into his mouth, savoring the sweetness of the alien fruit.
His divine sense had already extended, covering the entire area.
He could feel that the fallen object was not inanimate; it emitted energy capable of stirring negative emotions within living beings.
Greed, fear, despair, anger... It was like an amplifier of emotions, or rather, a monster that fed on negative energy.
Leon watched with interest, casually tossing another grape into his mouth.
Quite interesting.
It seems Loki isn't trying to kill Thor this time, but to humiliate him, to make him utterly collapse.
But how should I put it, this really fits his style... In the abandoned warehouse, the sudden tremor made everyone alert.
"Earthquake?"
Volstagg put down his half-cooked steak, looking outside in confusion.
Sif had already gripped the longsword at her waist; her combat instincts were keener than the others'.
"No, that's not an earthquake. It's evil energy."
Thor's expression also grew solemn.
Although he had lost his divine power, his instincts as an Asgardian warrior remained.
He could feel strange energy emanating from the direction of the desert.
The feeling was like the deepest glacial fissures of Jotunheim, full of death and despair.
"It's Loki!" Thor gritted his teeth as he uttered the name.
Aside from his cunning brother, he couldn't imagine who else would bring such a thing to Midgard.
"We must go and see!" Fandral stood up, adjusting his scabbard.
Hogun silently wiped the hammer in his hand, a cold glint in his eyes.
Thor glanced at Jane Foster beside him, who was looking at him with worry.
In these past few days with them, Thor had come to understand what it meant to care.
He was no longer the all-powerful Thor who could act with impunity; every decision he made could affect the safety of his companions.
"You all stay here," Thor took a deep breath and said to Jane, his tone becoming steady.
"Sif, you and The Warriors Three come with me. Whatever that is, we cannot let it threaten this town."
Daisy watched the scene quietly, her eyes darting between Jane Foster and Sif.
Tsk tsk, Thor, is he even speaking like a human?
Although she felt bad for her best friend, she still wanted to say, what a huge double standard!
... In the desert, Agent Coulson felt like he was going crazy.
His life had been a mess ever since it got entangled with that damned hammer.
First, a muscular man fell from the sky, then a brother claiming to be Sun god and a robot appeared.
Now, some purple thing, he didn't know what it was, had fallen.
"Report energy readings!" Coulson ordered into the communicator.
The Agents behind him had quickly set up a temporary defense line, with various high-tech detection devices aimed at the glowing purple crater ahead.
"Officer, the energy readings are strange," the confused voice of a technician came through the communicator.
"It's absorbing surrounding energy, including heat. And it seems to be affecting our emotions. Several of my men just argued over a small matter."
Coulson's brows furrowed even tighter.
He looked at the deep pit, from which a purple mist slowly seeped out, appearing especially eerie in the moonlight.
He had a bad feeling; this thing was even more troublesome than the Destroyer before.
Damn it, why did he always encounter such things?!
Next time, perhaps he could let Natasha and her team handle it, while he himself dealt with human-related missions.
Also, why didn't Nick Fury give him hazard pay?!
Just then, Thor, Sif, and the others arrived at the scene.
"Stay away from that thing!" Thor saw S.H.I.E.L.D.'s formation and immediately shouted a warning.
"That's not something you can handle!"
Agent Coulson's head hurt even more when he saw Thor.
He rubbed his temples, forced himself forward, and spoke as gently as possible.
"Mr. Thor, according to the Homeland Security Act, this area is now under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jurisdiction. We..."
Before he could finish, the purple mist in the pit suddenly churned violently.
An object made of purplish-black crystal slowly rose from the bottom of the pit.
Its surface was covered with pulsating veins, and each beat emitted an invisible ripple of energy, much like a giant heart.
"What is that?" Daisy, who had followed along at some point, hid behind an SUV, secretly recording with her phone.
"Looks like a giant amethyst?"
Professor Erik, however, had a solemn expression; he felt an evil aura emanating from the crystal.
"Watch out!" Sif drew her longsword and stood in front of Thor.
"This thing is alive!"
As if to confirm her words, the crystal heart suddenly cracked open, and a giant eye opened from within.
That eye had no pupil, only darkness that seemed to devour everything.
Soon, its gaze swept over everyone present; everyone felt their souls were frozen.
Then, their deepest fears, shameful memories, and despairing thoughts were infinitely amplified.
A young Agent suddenly let out a scream, dropping his gun and kneeling on the ground, painfully tearing at his hair.
Before his eyes, the scene of being trapped in a childhood Fire reappeared.
Another Agent suddenly turned his gun on his companion, his eyes filled with suspicion and doubt.
Volstagg's movements froze.
This warrior, known for his appetite and courage, now had eyes filled with fear.
He saw Asgard plunged into famine, saw his people starve to death before him.
That was a nightmare he, as a nobleman, could not accept.
Fandral and Hogun were also in distress.
They saw their own tragic end, dying on the battlefield with no remains.
Sif gritted her teeth; her will was firmer than The Warriors Three, but cold sweat also seeped from her forehead.
She saw Thor killed by an enemy due to her own carelessness, and saw Asgard turn into ruins before her eyes.
"No..." she murmured, her sword-wielding hand beginning to tremble.
Soon, that dark eye finally fell on Thor.
"Boom!"
Thor's mind went blank.
He saw his father, Odin, shaking his head in disappointment at him, and saw Leon's mocking smile.
He saw Loki sitting on the throne, laughing contemptuously at him.
He saw himself forever losing his divine power, forever trapped in Midgard, becoming a useless mortal.
"No!!!"
Thor let out a painful roar, falling to his knees, clutching his head as if to tear it apart... Asgard, Heavenly Palace.
Loki watched the drama unfolding on Midgard through his magic Water mirror.
He saw Thor's desperate appearance, a satisfied smile on his face.
Although he didn't see Leon, isn't that even better?
"Do you see, brother?" he murmured to himself.
"This is how you should be. A wretch stripped of everything, only able to wail in despair."
The Casket of Ancient Winters in his hand emitted cold air; he was ready, once Thor completely collapsed, to drain all the energy from the entire town to power his next plan.
...
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