"Ta-da~! Perfect landing!"
Kagura Kagura stood triumphantly with her hands on her hips.
"See? This lady's piloting skills are still top-notch!"
"Huh? Where's Loki?"
"Hey, Loki! Why are you lying on the floor? Isn't it cold down there? Get up!"
With a quick glance around, Kagura spotted Loki sprawled out like a starfish at the back of the cockpit.
"Wake up! We've landed safe and sound! That was a flawless touchdown!"
'Flawless my hammer!' Loki groaned as he dragged himself up, cracking his back with a loud pop.
"Kagura Kagura! You crazy girl! Were you trying to kill me with that landing?"
"I'll have you know I'm the greatest illusionist in all Nine Realms! There's no way I'd be done in by someone like—"
"Yeah, yeah, we get it. You're amazing." Kagura waved him off with a look of mild annoyance.
"Anyway, since we've successfully infiltrated the enemy flagship, we should keep moving. Time to face Malekith, the King of the Dark Elves."
"I thought you were only interested in the ship itself." Loki followed her out of the escort craft and into the massive interior of the Dark Elves' battleship.
"You're seriously planning to take that guy on?"
"Hmm, that's not exactly accurate," Kagura replied as they walked.
"Personally, I'd prefer it if Malekith could let go of his prejudice and strive for peaceful coexistence with Asgardians and other races alike."
'Ha! What a naïve dream.' Loki snorted at her idealism.
"Dark Elves aren't the type to negotiate or compromise. Their world revolves around darkness, chaos, conquest… Peace doesn't even exist in their vocabulary!"
"But I've met Dark Elves who lived in peace even with Asgardians."
Kagura countered calmly.
"I don't believe war or a thirst for darkness is their true nature."
"Any race or civilization that wishes to survive must adapt to their environment, find a way to coexist, and carve out their place in the universe."
"You really are too innocent for your own good. If you ask me, the only solution is to wipe them out completely." Loki eyed her from behind and muttered, "...Gotta admit though, that figure... and that outfit... Totally my style."
"Hmm? Did you say something?"
"Nothing at all!" Loki quickly denied it.
"I was just wondering, how do you plan on facing enemies armed with weapons that even Asgardian armor can't withstand… while wearing so little?"
"Don't worry about that." Kagura smiled confidently. "I've got faith in my abilities. Besides, I've got you, don't I?"
As she spoke, she quickly double-checked her QP reserves and concept skills.
She'd long realized that more skills didn't always mean better performance, her current set was efficient and sufficient.
With 35 QP still remaining, she kept it in reserve for emergencies like charging her sub-core. (Hooray for pay-to-win!)
Also, after that battle with the Dark Elf escort ship, she'd made a mental note: it was time to install the "Command Specialist Module" from the store into Cortana.
Another 10 QP down the drain.
'Ha, you really trust me that much?' Loki chuckled.
"What if I stab you in the back mid-fight?"
"Then I die, I guess." Kagura said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"But if you do kill me, won't the entire superhero population come after you in revenge? You really planning for that too, O mighty God of Mischief?"
"Ahem…" Loki had no comeback for that.
"Anyway, I'm telling you now if things go south, I'm out. I'm not risking my life just to help you."
"I understand." Kagura nodded, though she couldn't help but think to herself.
'Isn't that the same Loki who kept getting hurt for Thor's sake and then got strangled to death by Thanos in the MCU timeline?'
Before she could muse further, the Dark Elves' rapid-response squad had arrived.
It had to be said compared to the muscle-bound, gold-plated warriors of Asgard, the Dark Elves actually looked like they came from an advanced alien civilization.
No obsession with swords or axes just solid, functional tech.
Each soldier wore identical masks and combat suits, moving in tight, precise formations as they surrounded them from all directions.
Where Asgard's armies resembled ancient legions with cold weapons, the Dark Elves were more like an alien version of modern mechanized infantry efficient, deadly, and cold.
"Are you ready?"
"If you mean ready to run away, then yeah—I'm always ready." Loki, despite his usual snark, lowered his stance and conjured twin daggers with a flick of illusion magic.
'Let's see what the great God of Mischief can really do.'
Facing the enemy, Kagura switched her White Moon suit into combat mode.
With a swift motion, a vibranium longsword extended from her wrist compartment.
At the same time, a familiar orange ring lit up on the back of her left hand an ethereal blue energy shield expanded outward, forming a solid barrier in front of her.
The Dark Elves' arsenal mainly included high-powered dark energy pulse rifles and black hole grenades devices that briefly created localized singularities to annihilate everything nearby.
Ordinary materials were useless against those rifles but pure energy shields like Kagura's could absorb the dark pulses quite effectively.
That was all based on her memory from the MCU, of course.
If the Dark Elves whipped out something weird and unexpected, she wouldn't be shocked.
"Kagura, tell me you've got a plan." Loki gripped his daggers. "Don't tell me your strategy is just to go full hulk and cut your way through to Malekith?"
"Hmm~ actually, that sounds like a pretty solid plan." Kagura grinned sweetly.
"Well then, I'll go first!"
[Charging Mobility System: Activated]
"Dammit… You crazy girl! Coming here with you is the worst decision I've ever made!"
Loki let out an exasperated sigh and charged in right after her, his daggers flashing as the two of them clashed with the Dark Elf forces head-on…
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