Clearly, even after his trials in New Mexico, Thor still carried a spark of divine arrogance in his bones.
It was likely impossible for him to accept in such a short time that not only had mjolnir been lifted by an underage mortal girl, but that same girl had also given him a casual thrashing.
Though Lux was rolling her eyes to the heavens internally, she merely spread her hands with a smile and didn't offer a rebuttal.
Lux's internal monologue: Once I find another excuse to beat you up, you'll learn to behave.
Mainly... Thor had no idea how hilarious he looked right now...
Seeing that Lux wasn't taking the bait, Thor turned his attention to the culprit.
"Loki! How dare he treat me, his own brother, like this... what an irreredeemable bastard!"
Thor was fuming with rage, but as soon as he gnashed his teeth, it pulled on his facial muscles, causing him to suck in a breath of cold air from the pain.
"Hiss—it hurts!"
Thor reached out to touch his cheek, looking at Lux in a daze. "What happened to my face? Why does it hurt so much?"
Lux's gaze involuntarily fell upon Thor's face, which was currently black and blue, swollen entirely like a pig's head.
In the future, there would be a horse-headed Thor; right now, this one was a pig-headed Thor.
She recalled the image of herself swinging the Axe of Angarruumus and slamming it into his face earlier.
Lux bit her lower lip hard, her shoulders twitching imperceptibly as she nearly lost her composure and burst out laughing. However, as a professionally trained Villainess, she managed to suppress it, took a deep breath, and looked at Thor with a sincere gaze:
"It's nothing, Mr. Thor. It's probably... just your imagination."
Thor, being a pure North-European roughneck, was exceptionally easy to fool.
He rubbed his swollen chin and nodded in deep agreement, without a hint of suspicion.
"Fair enough."
Then, he suddenly hoisted mjolnir, lightning flickering faintly on the Hammerhead, and shouted, "Loki!!!"
"Get out here right now!!!"
...
So, where exactly was the third prince of Asgard, who was currently inciting such heavenly wrath and human resentment?
Manhattan's Central Avenue—this was the area where Loki had previously clashed with Unohana Retsu and Esdeath, and it was the most eerie and deathly silent zone of the entire New York battlefield.
There was no smoke, no fire, only a bone-chilling wind and ice crystals dancing in the sky.
Steve held his Vibranium shield, stepping cautiously onto the smooth ice.
If it could even still be called "ice."
As far as the eye could see, the ground of the entire block was covered in crimson blood-ice that emitted a pungent, metallic scent—
That was the blood left behind by Unohana Retsu's "Minazuki," frozen by extreme cold. Scattered around were several broken ice walls several stories high, and dozens of motionless ice snakes frozen in savage lunging poses.
As Steve warily bypassed the remains of a terrifying ice snake, fearing the monster might suddenly spring to life, he turned his head and his footsteps abruptly stopped.
In the very center of the street stood a crystal-clear crimson ice monument.
Frozen inside was the once-arrogant Loki.
One of his arms had been severed, the limb frozen at his feet, while he himself remained fixed in a state of despair and terror, eyes bulging, captured forever within this massive block of ice amber.
Steve was stunned for a few seconds before silently pressing the communicator at his ear.
"Calling command... I don't think we need a search party. We've found Loki..."
He cut the communication.
Steve took two steps forward, and through the blood-colored ice, shared a long gaze with the terrified god inside.
Feeling this familiar low temperature, the habitually serious Captain America couldn't help but mutter a dry complaint: "God... I really hope that when S.H.I.E.L.D. dug me out of the North Pole, I didn't look this pathetic..."
"Otherwise, I'd truly be too ashamed to face anyone."
...
Meanwhile, in the conference room of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.
The atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like it could squeeze out water.
Fury's perpetually stoic black face looked exceptionally grim under the glow of several holographic projections.
In fact, while the Battle of New York was at its peak, he had already been forcibly summoned to the office by several high-ranking members of the Security Council for a "chat."
"Director Fury, your Avengers are an absolute disaster!"
In the projection, a council member slammed the table sternly, his spittle practically flying through the screen.
"Look at the state of Manhattan! That green monster was easily controlled by the enemy and is wreaking havoc in the city! What do you intend to use to compensate for the economic loss and public panic?!"
Fury lowered his bald head, a flash of frustration in his lone eye, but he uncharacteristically remained silent and didn't push back.
Because this time, due to the intervention of the "mo die effect," the Avengers' performance had indeed been somewhat underwhelming.
Hulk's loss of control was irrefutable evidence, leaving him hesitant to speak, unable to find an excuse to white-wash the situation. Half a step behind Fury, Makima stood with her hands folded in front of her, a gentle smile on her face, quietly watching everything.
However, her current appearance was somewhat disheveled. Her originally crisp professional suit jacket was merely draped over her shoulders, and her right arm was encased in a thick white cast, suspended from her fair neck by a white medical bandage.
This battle-worn, fragile look would evoke pity in anyone who saw it.
During the entire Battle of New York, it seemed Makima had stayed on the mothership without contributing much to the front lines, but tens of minutes ago, she had actually done something major that saved millions of people—
Not long ago, seeing the situation in New York about to spiral out of control.
These old fogies sitting in their safe houses had a sudden stroke of genius—
Hey? Why don't we just nuke New York?
Su Modie had known about this plot point for a long time, but hearing these "geniuses" say it with their own mouths still made her angry enough to almost start swearing on the spot.
Is this even human speech?
Nuclearize New York?!
These old idiots are fine as long as they don't use their brains, but as soon as they do, they want to drag everyone down with them?
Where is this?
This is New York, her Su family's New York!
And you just decide to blow it up?
At the critical moment, it was Makima who stepped forward.
On one hand, she threw the footage of those "extraordinary individuals" appearing on the front lines and unilaterally slaughtering the Chitauri Army in the Council's face, proving that this alien army was actually very fragile and not worth such a self-destructive method...
On the other hand, Alexander Pierce, who was also a member of the Security Council and trusted Makima deeply, stood firmly by her side at the critical moment after hearing her words, also opposing the use of nuclear weapons.
Pierce: Makima must have her reasons for doing this!
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