Although due to the limitations of information, no one could reach a definitive conclusion, at least there were some clues to follow.
Loki's decision to invade Earth was most likely because he failed to claim the throne in Asgard, leading him to vent his frustration by targeting Earth.
At this thought, a certain idea in Nick Fury's mind became even more resolute.
Earth was still too weak.
So weak that a dispute between princes of Asgard could bring about its complete destruction!
This situation must be changed!
"I've seen worlds you haven't. During my exile, fate showed mercy—I witnessed the true power of the Tesseract! Once I wield it…"
Loki's voice continued, growing increasingly triumphant.
"Who showed it to you? Who's the puppet master behind the scenes?" asked Thor, his face grave as he questioned Loki.
"I am the king!"Loki roared in excitement.
"Stop dreaming. Hand over the Tesseract and give up these ridiculous fantasies!"Thor shouted sternly at Loki.
"It's not with me,"Loki shook his head. "You need the Tesseract to bring me back, but it's missing. I don't know where it is."
"Listen to me, brother!"Thor pointed sternly at Loki. "I—"
Whoosh!
Before Thor could finish, several dazzling beams of light streaked across the dark night sky like meteors.
It was Iron Man, flying in from the distance, who tackled Thor, carrying him away.
Both of them fell from the mountainside down into the valley below.
"Try touching me again!"Thor climbed to his feet, glaring angrily at Iron Man.
"Then keep your hands off my stuff!"Iron Man retorted, not backing down in the slightest.
Everyone understood what this "stuff" referred to—clearly, it was the captive Loki.
A dignified god from Asgard, being referred to as "stuff" by Iron Man.
That level of arrogance and disrespect? Very Iron Man indeed.
"Do you even know who you're talking to?"Thor was already furious.
"Uh… a theater actor? Does your mom know you stole her shawl?"Iron Man shot back venomously.
Nick Fury and Black Widow couldn't help but shake their heads repeatedly, speechless.
Iron Man, are you sure you're not just here to start trouble?
Even if they put themselves in Thor's shoes, they admitted—they'd want to punch Iron Man, too.
"Sir, I'm starting to think maybe recruiting Stark into the Avengers was a mistake,"Black Widow couldn't help but quip.
"What? Am I wrong? He doesn't look like a theater actor?"Iron Man shrugged, completely unconcerned.
"Mind your own business, tin man!"Thor said sternly to Iron Man. "Loki will face judgment in Asgard!"
"As long as he hands over the Tesseract, everything's yours. But until then, stay out of the way!" said Iron Man, turning away immediately.
Clearly, he intended to recapture Loki.
But Thor, as a prince of Asgard, couldn't possibly stand being talked down to by a mere mortal.
And there was no way Thor would let Iron Man take Loki right under his nose.
He swung his hammer directly at Iron Man, smashing him with a loud bang and sending him flying.
"OK!"
The ever-proud Iron Man, having been struck, certainly wasn't going to take it lying down. He fired a repulsor blast from his palm, hitting Thor squarely.
Thor was blasted away, slamming hard into a large tree.
Then Iron Man flew into the air, delivering a powerful kick to Thor, sending him flying again and snapping the tree behind him in the process.
An ordinary person would've been so dead, it wouldn't even be funny—but Thor wasn't affected at all.
He got up nonchalantly and launched into a fierce battle with Iron Man.
Throughout the fight, Thor's power was on full display.
He could go toe-to-toe in hand-to-hand combat with the Iron Suit, twisting its arm with his bare hands and headbutting a huge dent into the helmet.
He could casually summon lightning with his hammer and command bolts to strike Iron Man.
Utterly overwhelming.
"So this is Thor? No wonder he's from Asgard,"Black Widow stared, completely awestruck. She had never seen anyone this strong.
"He's strong,"Nick Fury nodded, but showed no emotion. "But I've seen stronger."
Thor was undoubtedly powerful—but still far behind Captain Marvel.
"He's holding his own against me—that's not bad,"Iron Man offered high praise.
Yes, "not bad" from Iron Man was basically a medal of honor.
Boom boom boom!Bam bam bam!Iron Man and Thor fought from the ground to the sky, over mountaintops—the battle was as intense as it was spectacular.
But just as the fight was reaching its peak, a shield flew in from the side, hitting both Thor and Iron Man, forcing them apart.
Then, like Thor's hammer, the shield curved and spun through the air, finally returning to its owner.
It was as if the laws of physics didn't apply.
The shield landed in a firm grip.
High up on a tree branch stood Captain America, looking down at them all.
"That's enough, both of you! Stand down!"
Captain America called out to Thor and Iron Man, then leaped from the high branch.
He walked between them, stared into Thor's eyes, and asked in a deep voice, "Why are you here?"
"I came to stop Loki's plot!"Thor replied in the same serious tone.
"Then prove it! Drop your hammer!" said Captain America.
"That's not a good idea. He really loves that hammer…" Even now, Iron Man couldn't help but crack wise.
Bang!
Before he could finish, Thor smashed Iron Man away with his hammer.
"You want me to drop my hammer?"
Thor, clearly hot-tempered, now glared at Captain America. He leapt several meters into the air and brought his hammer down hard.
But Captain America raised his shield just in time, blocking the attack.
Clang!
A deep, resonating metallic clang echoed endlessly, as a terrifying surge of energy exploded outward.
Thor was blown away instantly, while the surrounding trees were flattened in droves by the shockwave.
A clearing was blasted into the forest.
That's how terrifying the force was.
"Have you all caused enough trouble now?" asked Captain America as everyone slowly got back to their feet.
They looked at one another and decided—temporary truce.
Scene ends here.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Complete PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out—if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
"Douluo: Starting as Bibi Dong's Foster Son"
"Marvel: Born As Peter Parker? But With Superman Template"
"Douluo: I, the Holy Son of the Sea God Pavilion, Peerless in the World" many more are available for you,
Your support means a lot—thanks in advance, legends!
patreon .com/UIGOD
(End of Chapter)