Su Yao observed the chaos unfolding in the plaza from a distance with his superior vision. Seeing that Loki had successfully made everyone kneel, he watched as Loki smiled, surveying the prostrate crowd, and began his monologue.
"You see, this is how it should be," Loki said slowly, addressing the crowd.
"This is a truth that humans fail to understand. The allure of freedom has deprived you of joy in your lives," Loki continued, walking among the people.
"You obsess over power and status, craving to be enslaved. At your core, you are filled with servitude and will eventually submit to your rulers."
As Loki spoke, an elderly man in gray, with a head full of white hair, stood up and addressed Loki, "But it won't be to someone like you."
Loki's expression darkened momentarily, but he quickly forced a smile. "I am unique."
The old man retorted, "There are many shameless people like you."
Loki's smile grew wider, seemingly entertained by the old man's defiance.
Pointing his scepter at the old man, Loki said, "Look at this old fool. He is your example!"
In the next moment, the gem on Loki's scepter flared with white light, preparing to fire an energy blast at the old man.
Just as the energy blast was about to be unleashed, a figure in a star-spangled suit, holding a star-shaped shield, leaped into view, positioning himself in front of the old man.
Boom!
The shield intercepted the energy blast flawlessly, with no sign of damage. The blast rebounded off the shield and hit Loki, sending him crashing to the ground.
Despite his enhanced physique preventing injury, Loki was visibly enraged as he glared at the intruder—Captain America, Steve Rogers.
As Steve Rogers stood up and approached, he said, "Last time I was in Germany, someone tried to place themselves above everyone else and ended up getting taken down."
Loki caught the sarcasm in Steve's words. "A soldier?" Loki sneered. "An outdated relic."
As Steve came closer, he stopped and said, "An outdated relic is not me."
At that moment, a fighter jet piloted by Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, approached from the sky. The jet's guns extended, aiming directly at Loki.
"Loki, drop your weapons and surrender!" Natasha's voice boomed through the loudspeakers.
Loki, looking up, fired another energy blast from his scepter, but Natasha's jet easily evaded it.
Seeing this, Steve Rogers threw his shield.
Thud!
The shield struck Loki's chest. Steve caught the returning shield with ease.
Furious, Loki engaged in combat with Captain America.
"Run!"
The crowd, frightened, fled as Loki and Steve battled.
With the crowd dispersing, the outcome of the skirmish between Loki and Steve Rogers became clear.
Bang!
Loki swung his scepter, sending Steve's shield flying. With his Frost Giant strength, Loki proved too powerful even for Steve, who had enhanced strength from the Super Soldier Serum.
Loki approached the fallen Steve and pressed the scepter's tip against his head, ordering, "Kneel!"
"Over my dead body!" Steve retorted, kicking Loki in the head.
However, Loki's superhuman durability made him barely fazed. He quickly subdued Steve.
At this critical moment, Iron Man, Tony Stark, arrived in his red and gold armor.
Boom!
Iron Man fired a blast, sending Loki crashing once again.
From a high building in the distance, Su Yao watched this scene with a wry smile.
"So, Loki claims to be a sorcerer?" Su Yao mused. "This is really something."
Despite being hailed as the greatest sorcerer in the Nine Realms, Loki's fighting style—relying heavily on physical strength and illusions—seemed rather unimpressive. It appeared he was more of a warrior than a true mage.
If Thor were without Mjolnir, he'd likely be similar, relying more on physical prowess rather than his godly powers. It was no surprise Loki coveted Thor's hammer so much; it was a symbol of strength and power.
Su Yao reflected, summarizing Loki's situation. "Loki is more a warrior in disguise than a true mage. If he had more magical power, he'd probably rival Doctor Strange or even surpass him."
Su Yao believed Asgard's collection of magical artifacts was likely vast, surpassing that of Kamar-Taj.
Contemplating, Su Yao considered whether to lend Loki some divine energy to help him deal with the Avengers.
As he thought, he noticed Iron Man and Captain America securing Loki, preparing to transport him aboard a high-altitude aircraft carrier.
Watching the departing jet, Su Yao floated up and followed it closely.
Whoosh!
He caught up with the jet, trailing it from a distance.
As he felt the wind rush by, Su Yao contemplated whether he should seize the Mind Scepter now.
After some thought, he decided to hold off on taking the scepter for now to avoid causing complications.
In the sky, on the jet:
"Something doesn't seem right," Steve Rogers whispered to Tony Stark.
Tony responded, "What, do you think Loki's surrender is too easy?"
(End of Chapter)