Deep in some unnamed mountain range, Loki arrived at the location guided by Thanos
"Sir, are you sure this is the place?" Barton asked, holding his bow and surveying the area warily.
"He wouldn't lie to me. It must be nearby," Loki replied, hacking at the surrounding bushes with the Mind Stone.
"With all due respect, sir, there's nothing around here," Barton said.
"No need to remind me, soldier."
Loki was irritated as well. They had been searching the area for days without finding any trace of their target. If it weren't for the information Thanos had given him about the Sanctuary before sending him to Earth, he wouldn't have thought invading Earth would be so difficult.
When the Destructor landed on Earth, Loki had linked his senses with it. Upon arrival, he was surrounded by a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He intended to display Asgard's authority, but before he could do anything, a brilliant sword strike cleaved him in two. Through the sensory link, Loki truly felt the presence of death.
In an instant, Loki felt as if he had died once.
Before death, with time seemingly slowed to a crawl, he experienced the icy suffocation and despair—a feeling he vowed never to forget.
This was why Loki valued the Sanctuary so much and was willing to humble himself to seek allies.
Just as Loki was growing impatient, a golden gate suddenly split open in front of them. A bald figure with a plump head and large ears, dressed in a robe, stepped out.
At the sight of him, everyone instinctively took several steps back. Their trembling hands couldn't stop holding their weapons. In front of this figure, they felt like ants beneath a boot.
"Loki?"
"I am Loki, the Asgardian god of lies and…" Loki tried to maintain his composure, holding his head high as he introduced himself. But he was interrupted mid-sentence.
"Heh, your so-called pride means nothing. You are merely a Frost Giant named Loki."
"You!" Loki was enraged. The man not only looked down on him but also mocked him in the most painful way. Prideful as he was, Loki could not tolerate it.
Without thinking, he fired the Mind Stone at him, even attempting to control him with it, forcing him to endure the greatest humiliation.
But the next moment, he was stunned.
A low, sonorous chant reverberated, pressing down like a mountain on everyone. Loki fared better, but Barton and the others were pinned to the ground, blood streaming from their orifices. The energy blast Loki fired was casually deflected with a wave of the figure's hand, leaving a large crater in the mountainside.
It came fast and left just as quickly. In a few seconds of immense pressure, some lives were already lost.
"Odinson's teaching of his son is really failing increasingly. Even basic humility is absent."
Of course, this Buddha dared only to speak in private. In terms of strength, he was untouchable to Loki and his group, yet compared to a true god-king, he was still minor. If Odin heard him, even Shakyamuni could not save him.
"I came to—"
"Thanos has already communicated with Buddha. We will provide some assistance and try to hold off the Sanctuary and those Saints."
"How do I contact you—time, place…"
"No need. We will appear when needed."
Without waiting for Loki's protest, he disappeared again through the golden gate.
"Damn bastard!" Loki stared at the spot for two or three seconds, then scowled.
It was obvious the figure looked down on him, and the sensitive Loki could not accept it.
Yet… there was nothing he could do. One, the man was strong enough to kill them all; two, achieving his objective required Buddha's help—otherwise, the Sanctuary would be an insurmountable obstacle.
"Sir, what do we do now?" Barton wiped the blood from his mouth and struggled to stand.
"…Follow the original plan. I'll take on that group of super boys, and you get the Element Iridium."
"Yes, sir."
Meanwhile, in the Buddhist realm, Shakyamuni listened to the report from the welcoming Buddha about Loki.
"Heh, that old Odinson, really…" Shakyamuni shook his head.
"Yes, Buddha, it seems that once-mighty Asgard has fallen. Odin even adopted a Frost Giant and named him Loki."
"Alright, prepare yourself. This cooperation is one of our few opportunities."
"Don't worry, Buddha. Three thousand Buddhas are ready. This time, we'll make Melin and the Sanctuary pay."
"Huh?"
At that moment, an invisible hand slammed the Buddha to the ground with overwhelming force, as if trying to crush him alive.
"Spare me… Buddha…"
The oppressive force vanished instantly. Despite his bones being fractured, the Buddha endured the pain and stood to face Shakyamuni.
"Hmph, if Melin were so easy to deal with, why would we hide here?"
"Buddha is right. Next time, I won't underestimate…"
"There won't be a next time. Either they are destroyed, or you die at their hands."
"Y-Yes…"
"Step back."
The Buddha exhaled in relief. Though displeased with him, he survived.
After he left, Guanyin Bodhisattva approached Shakyamuni.
"Why take such a risk? I don't think Melin will ignore us. Even with three thousand Buddhas led by Mokujaye, I don't see how we can threaten him."
"I know…"
"Then why send them to die? What are you really planning?"
"Everything I do is for the Buddhist Order."
"Really? Even allying with Hades, accepting the power of death?"
Boom—
Guanyin's words had barely ended when a wave of dark death energy erupted from Shakyamuni, attacking her. Prepared in advance, Guanyin countered with a rainbow light, meeting the death energy head-on.
The sudden clash split the space into black and multicolored realms. The entire Buddhist realm shook, even the space itself creaking.
They were not fighting to the death, so they withdrew their auras without a decisive victor.
"Your death energy is stronger, Shakyamuni."
"Life and death have never been clearly defined. Life arises from death and vice versa. Only by surpassing life and death can one attain eternity."
"So, you think you have transcended life and death?"
"No."
"Then your decision is meaningless."
"No, though I cannot transcend, it clarifies the path ahead. If I do not enter hell, who will?"
"Heh, if the Medicine Buddha and Amitabha were still alive…"
"That is an invalid argument."
"Really? Heh, I don't care what you are planning, Shakyamuni, but don't involve my people. The Eight Divisions are the first and last. I will no longer let my people help you."
Without waiting for a reply, Guanyin returned to her domain.
Shakyamuni showed no reaction, as if he had anticipated all of it.
"Life… death… if you still live? Heh, ridiculous."
…
Meanwhile, at S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury successfully invited Steve to join the Avengers, and Natasha brought Banner out of his remote seclusion.
"Welcome, gentlemen. Especially you, Dr. Banner. Once we locate the Tesseract, you can return to your secluded life," Fury said after confirming the Helicarrier was airborne and in silent mode.
"Hmm… sounds good. Any progress?" Banner nodded and asked.
"We are monitoring every Wi-Fi-connected camera, phone, and laptop on Earth… except for the Sanctuary," Coulson said.
"Sanctuary? You mean… those in shining armor who left the other me traumatized?" Banner raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," Coulson nodded.
"Alright… narrow it down. How many spectrometers can you find?"
"How many do you need?"
"Call all labs, place spectrometers on their rooftops, calibrate them to the gamma line. I'll set up a tracking algorithm to identify sources and filter targets."
Fury and others nodded. Inviting Banner was the right choice; he immediately provided useful advice and would be a powerful force in combat if needed.
"Give me a workspace," Banner said, temporarily trusting them, eager to complete the task and leave.
"Agent Romanoff, take Dr. Banner to his lab," Fury ordered.
Natasha, monitoring Barton, obeyed and took Banner away, while Fury, Maria Hill, and the others refocused on Steve, who was carrying a box behind him.
"Captain, what's that? A souvenir? Maybe put it in your room," Fury suggested.
"No, I need to ensure I can wear it at a moment's notice. He's my combat partner," Steve said, patting the box.
Everyone paused, wondering if it was new equipment. Given the close ties between Steve and Tony Stark, it wasn't unusual for him to have tech they didn't know about. Only Fury's eyes gleamed with recognition, as if he had already guessed something.