The room crackled with tension, the portal to the Chitauri realm swirling ominously overhead. Loki, though momentarily disarmed, was far from defeated. He stood up slowly, his smirk returning as he watched Natasha holding the scepter.
"So, you think you can stop me?" Loki's voice dripped with arrogance. "You are but mortals, playing at being gods."
Metis locked eyes with him, his system running scenarios in the background, assessing every movement, every word. Despite the chaos, Loki's confidence was unnerving. But Metis knew they didn't have the luxury of hesitation. Stark was already in position, preparing to disable the device controlling the portal, but Loki still had too many cards to play.
Natasha tightened her grip on the scepter, her gaze flicking between Metis and the portal. "We don't need to be gods to take you down," she muttered.
Iron Man hovered overhead, his repulsors trained on Loki. "Metis, if we're going to shut this thing down, I need time to get the Tesseract out of here. The portal stays open until we take care of that."
Metis nodded, understanding the stakes. "I'll hold him off," he said, already shifting his stance, ready for the fight ahead. "Natasha, get the scepter to Stark. He'll need it to stabilize the Tesseract once he's close enough."
Natasha hesitated, her eyes darting to Loki, who was watching their every move. She seemed torn, knowing that leaving Metis alone with the God of Mischief was a dangerous gamble. But time was running out, and there was no other option.
"Be careful," she said, her voice low, before turning and sprinting toward Stark, who was already working on disassembling the energy field around the Tesseract.
Loki's eyes followed her for a moment, but then his attention snapped back to Metis, his smirk widening. "How brave," he mused, his voice silky. "You think you can stand against me, mortal?"
Metis didn't respond. Instead, he let his system guide him, every sense on high alert. Loki was powerful, no doubt about that, but Metis had grown stronger, faster, more tactical with each battle. His levels had increased, and with them, so had his understanding of combat. This wasn't just a fight of brute strength—it was a battle of minds, of strategy.
Loki extended his hand, and his scepter, seemingly forgotten by Natasha, flew back into his grasp. The Asgardian twirled it casually, as if daring Metis to make the first move.
"You should have stayed in the shadows," Loki said, his voice carrying an almost amused tone. "You're out of your league."
Metis's system flared with warnings as Loki charged forward, the scepter crackling with energy. He dodged the first strike, rolling to the side as the floor exploded where Loki's scepter made contact. Shards of debris flew everywhere, but Metis kept his focus sharp, using the moment to fire a quick shot at Loki's exposed side.
The bullet never made it. Loki's magic was faster, summoning a glowing barrier that deflected the projectile with ease. "Predictable," Loki taunted, his eyes gleaming with malice.
Metis didn't let the taunt get to him. His system was already recalculating, analyzing Loki's movements, his style. He knew brute force wouldn't work against a god, so he had to play this smart. Metis darted forward, feinting left before dropping low and aiming a shot at Loki's legs.
This time, Loki wasn't fast enough. The bullet grazed his thigh, drawing a hiss of pain. But it wasn't enough to slow him down. The scepter swung again, and Metis barely had time to roll out of the way before another blast of energy shot past him.
Loki laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. "You think a lucky shot will change your fate?"
Metis ignored him, his mind racing as the system updated his combat predictions. Loki's arrogance was his biggest weakness. He liked to toy with his opponents, draw out the fight. That gave Metis an opening—if he could outlast Loki's patience, he might be able to create a distraction long enough for Stark to disable the Tesseract.
In the distance, Metis caught a glimpse of Stark working furiously, the Tesseract glowing brighter with each passing second. Natasha was close, the scepter still in her hands as she made her way toward him.
Metis needed to buy more time.
He pivoted, charging straight at Loki. The god's eyes widened in surprise at the bold move, but he quickly recovered, raising his scepter for a deadly blow. At the last moment, Metis dropped low, sliding under Loki's strike and firing a shot straight up toward his chest.
Loki was fast, but not fast enough. The bullet struck him, sending him stumbling back. But the wound was superficial, and his expression darkened with rage.
"You dare!" Loki snarled, his voice venomous. His magic surged, and suddenly, the air around Metis crackled with energy. Loki raised the scepter, summoning a bolt of energy that struck the ground in front of Metis, sending him flying backward.
He hit the wall hard, pain shooting through his body. But he couldn't stop. Not now.
Warning: Critical Damage Sustained.
The system's alert echoed in his mind, but Metis pushed it aside, forcing himself to stand. His vision blurred for a moment, but he shook it off. Loki was advancing, a predatory gleam in his eyes.
"You've lost, mortal," Loki said, raising the scepter for a final blow. "Kneel before your god."
But just as the scepter came down, a blur of red and blue slammed into Loki, knocking him off balance. Captain America had arrived.
"You're not a god," Cap said, standing between Metis and Loki, his shield raised. "You're just a man with delusions of grandeur."
Loki snarled, recovering quickly and launching an energy blast at Cap. But Steve's shield absorbed the blow, deflecting it into the nearby wall.
Metis used the distraction to pull himself to his feet. His system was still feeding him tactical data, but he was running out of options. They couldn't hold Loki off forever—not without shutting down the portal.
Across the room, Stark had finally reached the Tesseract. Natasha handed him the scepter, and together, they worked quickly to disable the portal generator.
But Loki wasn't done yet.
With a roar of fury, Loki summoned a massive wave of energy, sending Captain America flying across the room. He turned back toward Metis, eyes burning with anger.
"You think you can stop me?" Loki hissed, raising the scepter again.
Metis gritted his teeth. His system was giving him one final option—a risky one, but it was all he had left. As Loki charged, Metis moved, faster than he'd ever moved before, dodging the scepter's deadly swing and grabbing Loki's wrist.
For a moment, Loki's eyes widened in surprise. Metis used that brief hesitation to twist Loki's arm, forcing him to drop the scepter.
With a final burst of strength, Metis slammed the scepter into the ground, its energy surging through the floor. The blast knocked them both back, but it was enough. Stark and Natasha had succeeded—the portal began to collapse, the energy swirling around it fading as the connection to the Chitauri was severed.
Loki lay on the ground, dazed and disoriented. His army was gone. The portal was closed.
Metis, breathing heavily, stood over him. "It's over."
Loki didn't respond. The fight was over, but the war had left its mark on everyone.
As the dust settled, the Avengers regrouped, exhausted but victorious.