Loki didn't say a word. He simply raised the scepter and pointed it straight at Thor.
A burst of energy hurled him backward, his feet lifted off the ground by the force of the impact.
At that very moment, Cull Obsidian stopped watching passively. With a roar, he lunged into the fight. The Avengers reacted instantly, dodging him with precision.
Tony, seizing the opening, fired his lasers. But seeing they had no effect, he launched missiles. They barely scratched the giant's thick hide.
"Dr. Banner, looks like we'll need your other self" Stark said, eyes fixed on the enemy.
Bruce responded with a mix of resignation and resolve.
"There's no other way, is there?"
Of course, it would've been more effective to let Thor handle Cull and split the forces among the remaining enemies. But Thor wasn't thinking clearly; all his focus was on his brother.
Cull Obsidian swung his hammer. The blow was brutal, but before it landed fully, Bruce raised his hands to stop it. The alien colossus let out a mocking laugh… until the hammer stopped.
He stared in disbelief at the hand gripping it. It was disproportionate. Green.
Bruce looked him in the eye, teeth clenched.
"This hurts a lot… and when I hurt… I get angry."
His body began to expand—muscle, skin, pent-up rage. The monster emerged, roaring with unstoppable fury.
Cull stepped back. For the first time, he understood he was facing a real threat.
"I'll help Thor. Handle HIVE" Tony ordered, seeing Hulk take the lead.
In any other situation, focusing on one enemy would be a mistake, but nobody knew what HIVE was truly capable of. Better not to take chances.
Clint, testing the waters, fired an arrow. HIVE didn't bother dodging. He caught it with his bare hand. As soon as he touched it, the arrow disintegrated into dust before their eyes.
"Kneel" he commanded, his voice deep and calm.
An invisible force pressed down on them. Natasha and Clint dropped to their knees, struggling to resist. Steve and Gwen, however, stood firm.
The Captain hurled his shield at HIVE. He raised a hand to stop it, but a web diverted it at the last second. The shield spun and lodged itself in one of his legs.
Surprised by the impact, HIVE bent to retrieve it. Gwen was faster and yanked it back with her web, returning it to Steve.
HIVE roared and dashed toward Gwen like lightning. She dodged with agility, but what really unsettled her was seeing the wound on his leg already gone.
With that movement, the pressure on them lifted. Clint fired another arrow, which HIVE caught again… this time, it exploded in his hand, releasing green smoke. Clint smirked in satisfaction.
But HIVE smiled too.
He took a deep breath and inhaled all the gas.
"I'm beyond such things" he murmured.
He raised a hand, and from it emerged a blazing jet of fire straight at Barton.
Steve stepped in with his shield. When he lowered it, HIVE was already on him. A punch sent him staggering backward. Without losing momentum, HIVE turned to Natasha. She tried to react, but wasn't fast enough. Gwen jumped in and pushed her aside with a side kick.
HIVE recovered effortlessly and charged again. Natasha fired. She couldn't match his speed, but she knew where he'd go. HIVE didn't dodge. He charged head-on as the shots hit him. He raised his hands and unleashed fire to both sides, forcing Gwen and Steve to split up.
Natasha took the chance to retreat. HIVE took another arrow from Clint, but it only released smoke as a distraction.
"I still see you" he said, pointing directly at Barton.
Clint raised his bow in defense. HIVE touched it… and the bow disintegrated instantly.
Without hesitation, Clint tossed a flashbang.
The explosion made HIVE stagger back, roaring in pain.
"Arghhh! Damn you!"
"His senses are sharper than ours" Natasha warned, now throwing a stun grenade.
HIVE dropped to his knees, covering his ears, groaning in fury.
Gwen didn't waste time. She shot webs… but HIVE dodged and stood up as if nothing had happened.
The Avengers were stunned. HIVE no longer had ears and eyes.
He grinned with pride.
"My body is a temple… one I can reshape at will."
Natasha sighed wearily.
"Looks like that trick won't work again..."
---
Thor, meanwhile, was fighting Loki.
"Loki, please. This isn't the way" he pleaded.
Loki ignored him and kept firing blasts from the scepter. Thor dodged, never striking back.
In a sudden move, Loki shot at a nearby billboard that collapsed toward his brother. Thor avoided it easily… but didn't see the real Loki appear behind him and strike with magic.
The impact was minor. Thor was clearly stronger. But even then, he didn't fight back. He couldn't.
Loki fired again, forcing him to retreat… straight into another illusion. The real Loki appeared from the side and struck with the scepter.
Thor, once again caught in one of his tricks, was vulnerable.
Loki charged the scepter with more energy. This time he didn't fire right away. He waited for the perfect moment… and blasted a wave straight into Thor's chest.
The impact hurled him violently against the energy field.
"ARGHHH!"
Thor cried out, more from the shield's impact than Loki's attack. His back burned with pain as he crashed to the ground.
Loki was the first to approach. For the first time in the battle, he spoke:
"Aren't you going to use your hammer?"
"I swore not to raise it against the innocent" Thor replied firmly.
Loki's eyes shimmered for a moment.
"You'll die for your arrogance"
he whispered, charging another blast, more powerful than all the ones before.
---
The fight between Hulk and Cull Obsidian looked even, but it wasn't. Hulk, not fully enraged, had only slightly superior strength. But Cull had experience.
While Hulk threw wild punches, Cull dodged with surgical precision and countered with his own.
His strikes didn't cause major damage, but they were relentless. One wound after another. Building fatigue.
With his hammer, Cull had the advantage.
"You're just a brainless beast" he spat, swinging horizontally.
Hulk caught it, but the impact pushed him back.
Cull took the opportunity to strike his jaw. Hulk spat blood.
Furious, he leapt with all his strength. Cull grinned.
"Foolish beast..."
He swung his hammer upward at an angle and caught him mid-air. The impact was brutal. Both were thrown back, but Hulk took the worst of it.
Cull rose first. He walked over, looked down with disdain, and kicked him in the stomach, knocking him down again.
"This is your end, beast" he said, planting a foot on his chest.
He raised his hammer, ready to crush his skull.
But before he could strike, an energy blast hit him.
Cull shielded himself instinctively and shouted:
"LOKI!"
From the side, Loki stood with the scepter in hand.
"I don't like being controlled" he said arrogantly.
Cull laughed, unfazed.
"It was never your choice."
Suddenly, Loki clutched his head and screamed.
"ARGHHH!"
"Loki, are you okay!?" Thor asked, alarmed.
"Do I… arghhh… look okay to you?" Loki replied with effort.
His eyes gleamed once more. Before losing control, he tossed the scepter toward Thor.
Thor, thinking he was about to be attacked again, braced himself… but to his surprise, the weapon landed at his feet.
______________________________________
+20 chapters in advance on Patreon.
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(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)