Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

Manhattan, Upper East Side, New York.

In the banquet hall of a mansion, crystal chandeliers cast warm yellow light onto every carefully made-up face.

The wealthy sipped champagne, chatting and laughing as they discussed stocks, art auctions, and the latest urban redevelopment projects.

Of course, what they talked about most was Blackwatch and Father Shen Jue, who was so holy that he was almost frightening.

There were almost no overly old people in the room.

Most of these wealthy individuals and politicians have received injections of universal serum.

In addition to curing all human diseases, the universal serum, when used long-term, can also allow humans to reach the theoretical lifespan limit.

Therefore, these already well-maintained dignitaries now appear even younger than the last.

No one noticed that the air in the corner of the hall distorted slightly for a moment.

Loki appeared out of nowhere in the shadows of the crowd.

He changed his attire, replacing his Asgardian leather armor with a black Armani suit, and using illusion magic to disguise his scepter as a finely crafted cane.

Only the faint blue light that occasionally flashed at the tip of the scepter revealed its true form.

He leisurely straightened his cuffs, took a glass of champagne from the waiter's tray, and took a sip.

"Hmm, human alcohol isn't too bad."

Loki's gaze swept across the hall, finally locking onto a target.

He was a young-looking man in his fifties, dressed in a suit and tie, the Patek Philippe on his wrist reflecting a subtle luster under the lights.

He was chatting and laughing with several guests, his words carrying the composure characteristic of a seasoned Wall Street shrew.

Loki put down his glass and walked over.

His movements were as natural as those of an invited guest, and several female guests even gave him subtle smiles along the way.

Loki ignored them and walked straight toward the man.

"Human, I need the retina from your eyeballs." Loki's voice was gentle, almost polite.

The wealthy man turned his head and gave him a strange look.

Loki's appearance, demeanor, and clothing all highlight his extraordinary background and status.

Before the tycoon could react, Loki had already pulled something out of the inside pocket of his suit jacket with his left hand.

It was a palm-sized device with a fine ring of blue indicator lights embedded in its silver-gray metal casing, and a slender probe extending from one end, its surface covered with a nanoscale sensing coating.

This was a little gadget he casually brought from the S.H.I.E.L.D. base; Dr. Selvig's lab was never short of such ingenious tools.

Loki held the instrument in one hand and precisely aimed the probe at the other's right eye.

"Don't be nervous," Loki's voice remained gentle, "it will be over soon."

The probe entered the eye socket.

The tycoon's screams attracted the attention of all the guests in the banquet hall.

His body convulsed violently, his hands frantically scratching at Loki's arms, his nails leaving messy marks on the suit fabric.

But Loki's strength as an Asgardian god was far beyond what an ordinary human could withstand, and his hand remained completely still.

The blue indicator light on the instrument began to flash rapidly, and the data stream began to be transmitted to Hawkeye Patton, who was located not far away outside the security room.

Loki smiled and said, "Don't worry, you have another eye."

He pulled the blood-stained retinal scanner from the other person's eye socket, casually tossed it on the balcony, glanced at the data, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, you can go now."

With a casual wave of his hand, the tycoon was tossed aside like a bag of trash.

The wealthy man's fingers trembled as he struggled to see Loki's retreating figure with his remaining left eye. Then, with almost shattered willpower, he reached into his suit's inner pocket.

It was a small syringe; the transparent liquid shimmered with a faint golden glow under the warm yellow light.

This syringe is ingeniously designed; the needle is encased in a protective layer and is only activated upon contact with the skin.

This is the universal serum that Blackwatch sells for one dollar.

Some tech giants and medical groups have considered researching and replicating Blackwatch's universal serum.

However, Shen Jue's terrifying price of one dollar deterred all commercial companies.

The syringe was shakily inserted into the thigh of the wealthy man.

Blue light instantly spread from the injection site to the entire body, the severed optic nerve reconnected, the shattered eye socket healed within seconds, and blood flowed back into the blood vessels.

The tycoon let out a heavy sigh and got up from the ground.

His right eye reopened, the pupil clear, as if nothing had happened.

Loki stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at the wealthy man, then at the empty syringe in his hand. His pupils contracted slightly.

"interesting."

He slowly walked back to the tycoon, reached out and pinched the man's chin, bringing his face close as if examining a novel little gadget.

The tycoon was stiff, his newly recovered right eye reflecting Loki's smiling but cold face.

If Shen Jue from Liaozhai were here, he would definitely suspect whether Loki's orientation was the same as that of his subordinate, the Golden Head Four.

"Human technology isn't all that bad." Loki released his grip, took a step back, and straightened his cuffs.

"It still has some value."

"Foolish mortals." Loki's voice echoed clearly throughout the banquet hall.

Everyone in the banquet hall focused their attention on Loki.

"It's time to end this boring party of yours."

He raised his scepter, and the Mind Stone at its tip suddenly lit up, shooting out a large hole in the ceiling through which the night sky could be seen.

"Now, line up."

Loki raised his scepter and gently swiped it towards the exit of the hall.

Blue energy rays shot out from the gemstone like a glowing whip, striking precisely at the feet of the guest closest to him.

A charred crack instantly appeared on the marble floor.

"Go that way," Loki nodded, indicating the direction of the gate, and said, "Run."

The crowd began to move in a panic.

At first, the guests in the banquet hall hesitated, but the second energy whip of the scepter struck the back of a guest who was a little slower. The man screamed and fell to the ground, but struggled to get up and continue running.

So no one hesitated anymore.

These wealthy and powerful individuals, who usually have entourage clearing the way for them, were now stepping on each other's heels, crowding together like a herd of livestock rushing towards the banquet hall entrance.

Loki followed behind, his pace leisurely.

The scepter was raised from time to time, shooting out a blue energy whip that lashed at the edge of the crowd.

Not fatal, but painful enough. Each lash was accompanied by a scream and an even more frantic escape.

Loki raised his right hand, and with a gentle turn of the scepter disguised as a cane in his palm, the illusion instantly crumbled.

Wearing golden armor, a leather cloak, a horned helmet, and a long staff inlaid with blue gems, Loki revealed his true form under the warm yellow light.

"Hurry up." Loki's voice carried a certain pleasant languor.

"Your legs should be better at working than your brains."

Outside the banquet hall is a spacious square paved with neat granite tiles, with a sculpted fountain in the center.

The guests were herded to the center of the square and crowded around the fountain.

Loki stood on the steps at the edge of the square, looking down at the group of people.

The moonlight outlined the shape of his armor, and the shadow of his horned helmet obscured the upper half of his face, revealing only a half-smile.

"You should feel honored." Loki's voice echoed in the square, the blue light of his scepter illuminating half of his face, making the smile at the corner of his mouth even sharper.

"A God stands before you."

He slowly walked down the steps, his armor gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

The guests crowded around the fountain, some kneeling, some slumped, and no one dared to look him in the eye.

Loki stopped at the edge of the crowd, the tip of his scepter lightly touching the ground, causing the granite tiles to shatter like a spider web. He opened his arms as if to embrace the entire night sky.

"Now, kneel down properly."

Fear pinned the banquet guests to their feet.

Loki tilted his head slightly, raised his scepter a little, and a beam of blue light grazed the earlobe of a wealthy man in the front row, shaving off a strand of bloody hair.

The man let out a shrill scream, his knees buckled, and he was the first to kneel down.

Then came the second and the third, like dominoes falling, and the entire crowd shrunk.

Loki narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and withdrew his scepter.

He took a deep breath, a sense of satisfaction washing over him.

In Asgard, he was always Thor's shadow.

But here, he only needs to raise his scepter, and these mortals will kneel in perfect unison.

"It's more interesting to be feared," he chuckled softly.

He recalled the standoff on the Rainbow Bridge, Thor's disappointed gaze, and Odin's indifference.

In Asgard, he was always the second son, never qualified.

But on this blue planet, he doesn't need to prove anything to anyone; he just needs to stand there, and everyone will kneel down.

Odin is asleep, Thor has been banished, and Heimdall is watching over this place, but none of that matters at this moment.

The important thing is that he, the God of Deception, the number one mage in the Nine Realms, is standing before a group of trembling mortals, feared and subjugated.

This feeling is more intoxicating than studying the magic of Asgard.

The kneeling crowd resembled a silent, black ocean, and fear made Loki feel that the air had become thick and sweet.

Suddenly, a strange sound came from the sky.

That was the crisp sound of a spider silk launcher.

Loki turned his head and saw four figures swinging down one after another from the roof of a skyscraper.

The red bodysuit, with its black spiderweb pattern and a black spider on his chest, is none other than Peter Parker, the good citizen of New York and Spider-Man.

Immediately afterwards, three yellow figures crashed down behind him with a series of thuds.

The first to land was Fatty, a humanoid kangaroo who said in a strange, translated accent, "Dare to cause trouble in New York."

"Asgardian, you've got some nerve."

The second one to land was Minotaur, who was a size larger than the Frog. This minotaur silently stared at Loki.

The third one to land was the baby frog. He stared at Loki with wide eyes, his gaze unwavering, a half-smile on his face.

At the forefront of the three yellow creatures, Peter Parker, who had recently become friends with the milk frog and, incidentally, the chubby cow, exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Is this some kind of retro role-playing game?"

"Dude, I only came here because my friends warned me about a crime."

"You better stay there and don't move, or I can't guarantee my friends won't go easy on you."

Loki looked at Spider-Man and the three yellow humanoid creatures in front of him with a wicked smile, and was about to speak.

A roar of an aircraft shattered the silence above the square.

Loki looked up, but before the smile on his lips could fade, the bright light from the searchlight forced him to squint.

It was a short-range aircraft, its streamlined fuselage hovering ten meters above the fountain, its rotating machine guns on both sides already locked onto its position, and the launch ports of the miniature missiles gleaming with a metallic sheen.

Natasha Romanov leaned halfway out of the cockpit, her red hair billowing in the airflow, her green eyes coldly fixed on Loki.

A figure leaped out of the hatch. The person was wearing a black and dark blue uniform, and the shield in their hand had the distinctive colors.

Captain America, Steve Rogers, jumped off the spacecraft, shield in one hand and a helpless Bruce Banner in the other.

Steve placed the vibranium shield under his feet, absorbing all the impact of their landing.

"No amount of companions can mask your fear!"

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of the engine of the third aircraft came from the west.

The aircraft was entirely black, with the Xavier's emblem printed on its fuselage.

Before the hatch was fully opened, three figures had already jumped down.

Laser Eye landed first, his right hand pressing the switch on the side of his goggles, a red beam of light gathering behind the lenses, ready to be unleashed.

He was wearing a dark blue tactical uniform with a thick yellow X-shaped sash across his chest, and the metal edge of his headband flashed for a moment in the moonlight.

That headband was an anti-mind control device that Beast and Professor X had been working on during this time.

Following closely behind was Storm Girl Ouroro, who landed almost silently, her long silver hair fluttering in the night wind, and her dark brown skin glowing warmly in the moonlight.

Aurora slightly raised her hands, palms facing up, and suddenly a few unnatural dark clouds gathered in the originally clear night sky, with flashes of lightning flickering between the clouds.

The last one to land was Jean Grey.

She was wearing a dark red X-suit with a phoenix emblem printed on her chest.

Qin's hands hung down at her sides, and she also wore a headband.

She didn't look at Loki, but first glanced at the kneeling crowd, then at Spider-Man and the three from Blackwatch, as well as Captain America and Bruce Banner who had landed.

Finally, her gaze slowly fell on Loki.

That glance made the skin on the back of Loki's neck tighten slightly.

this is normal.

After all, Jean is the host of the Phoenix Force and possesses multiverse-level psionic talent. Even in the cinematic universe, Jean is considered one of the strongest mutants on Earth.

Loki gripped the scepter tightly.

"Hey! Dude!" Spider-Man looked around, his tone surprisingly relaxed, the kind of relaxed attitude that annoyed Loki.

"There are quite a lot of people!"

"Can you handle it?"

Loki's wicked smile froze for a moment.

"You think," he said softly, the scepter slowly turning between his fingers.

"Does having more people mean you'll be more useful?"

He raised his scepter, and the blue light of the Mind Stone was about to surge, enveloping the entire square in his will.

However, with the appearance of a figure in black robes, Loki's Mind Scepter seemed to be completely stripped away from space and time.

With Loki's scientific knowledge as the greatest sorcerer in the Nine Realms, he instantly realized the inherent time required for him to reach out and touch the scepter.

In a strictly physical sense, this already far exceeds the time required to walk around the Earth's equator.

More precisely, the space that was originally so close between the scepter and him was distorted by the electromagnetic field into a chasm that could only be reached by crossing an insurmountable barrier of time.

His palms are only half a foot apart in three-dimensional space, but on the geodesic of four-dimensional spacetime, this distance is infinitely stretched.

Like a beam of light trying to escape from the inside of a black hole's event horizon, every step forward by one Planck length requires an infinity-like time cost.

He tried to reach out, only to find that his movements were stretched into an almost static curve in the dimension of time.

Loki's pupils dilated.

With a smile, Shen Jue descended from the sky, and the Mind Scepter, as if seeing its master, joyfully landed in Shen Jue's hand.

A bead of cold sweat dripped from Loki's forehead.

His current situation was like that of a beautiful blonde woman sitting cross-legged on a sofa, while behind her, eight or nine muscular black men were watching her with strange smiles.