The trouble caused by Loki had come to an end. Seeing that there was nothing left for him to do, Loki spoke freely and without any psychological burden.
As a result, Nick Fury learned more about Thanos and came to understand that the situation Earth was facing was far more complex than he had expected. Inwardly, he cursed the members of the World Security Council once again. At a time like this, they should be uniting every possible ally. Someone like Ethan should be brought over to their side, not pushed away.
S.H.I.E.L.D. arranged planes to send everyone off the Helicarrier, including Loki, who was not kept behind.
Nick Fury had originally wanted to detain Loki, maybe even do some secret experiments or something. However, Thor didn't agree and directly took Loki away. He promised that he would make sure Loki didn't cause any more trouble and would keep a close eye on him.
Considering Thor's strength, and the fact that he would be accompanying Ethan for a while, Fury thought Loki wouldn't be able to stir up much trouble. Especially since the Mind Scepter, which had been his biggest concern, was no longer in Loki's possession. Even if Loki did cause some chaos, it wouldn't be unmanageable.
Most importantly, if Thor insisted, it was useless for Fury to object.
Fury was very frustrated. Whether it was the Mind Stone or the Cosmic Cube, they were both gone. Even Loki had been taken away. Perhaps a part of him was relieved to see them go, just so he wouldn't have to keep worrying about them.
"So… the Burning Legion or whatever was just something you made up to scare Fury?"
At Tony Stark's place, everyone was drinking and chatting, using the opportunity to deepen their connections.
Without the Battle of New York, these people would have remained strangers to one another. This was especially true for Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. There was almost no common ground between them. But now, since the Captain had no other acquaintances or places to go, he went along when Ethan invited him.
In Stark Tower, a lot of things that couldn't be said on the Helicarrier could be discussed freely. Ethan believed that with Jarvis overseeing the security, S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't eavesdrop on them without being noticed.
"The Burning Legion does exist… but those demons aren't so easy to deal with. I don't want to cross paths with them."
The part about the coordinates had been a bluff to scare Fury and the World Security Council. It wasn't just that Ethan didn't know how to contact the Burning Legion, even if he did, he wouldn't want to be involved with those maniacs.
After hearing Ethan's words, Steve Rogers, who had been unhappy with his earlier actions, finally let go of his grudge. As for scaring Fury and the council? That was no big deal. Steve didn't have much goodwill toward politicians either.
"I understand why you did it. But it's still a relief to know you couldn't actually go that far."
"Steve, unless someone pushes me first, I'm not crazy enough to take pleasure in destroying a world." Ethan emphasized again that as long as no one provoked him, he wasn't some lunatic who enjoyed watching the world burn.
"I just want you to understand that those politicians don't represent the people of this world. Most ordinary folks are innocent."
Ethan raised his wine glass. "I do have boundaries—most of the time." Unless forced to the extreme, he wouldn't resort to such drastic means. If those people really crossed the line, he'd rather eliminate the ones responsible, one by one. He wasn't afraid of getting his hands dirty, and he had time to spare.
To destroy a world outright would not only turn everyone present against him, but also provoke the likes of the Ancient One.
This so-called "nuclear deterrence" was really just that—deterrence. If he truly used it, the aftermath would be a huge mess to clean up. At the end of the day, Ethan's current strength still wasn't enough. If he were powerful enough to crush a world with a single stomp, he wouldn't need to deal with all this nonsense.
That was the goal he was striving for.
"I've been slacking a bit lately."
He'd already noticed that ever since his strength had surpassed the level of ordinary people, his drive to grow stronger had started to fade. The core issue was that there wasn't a real threat forcing him to improve.
Diana had initially been a good point of comparison. But he knew Diana wouldn't attack him. Most of the time, she even stood on his side. With such a powerful demigod backing him, what did he have to worry about?
If the World Security Council really tried to threaten him, even Diana wouldn't stand for it. It was just that they hadn't witnessed her power with their own eyes, so they didn't fear her. Her appearance lacked intimidation, so he needed a more visibly threatening presence to serve as a deterrent.
"After I get the Cosmic Cube, I have to start pushing myself harder."
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows with a glass of wine, overlooking the bustling city of New York, the streets below were filled with people working hard to survive. Compared to them, he had been far too leisurely lately.
"Standing here and looking down… don't they feel like ants?"
Ethan turned to find Loki beside him, gazing down at the people below with his hands behind his back. This guy hadn't tried to escape, but he clearly still wanted to stir something up if he got the chance.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Possessing the Mind Stone means holding one of the most powerful forces in the universe. Don't you have any ambition?"
"The most powerful?"
Ethan shook his head. Loki had grown up in Asgard and had a broader perspective than most people on Earth. But because he had grown up in a time of peace, his knowledge was still limited. Compared to Odin, who had fought countless battles and knew many of the universe's secrets, Loki was like a flower in a greenhouse.
He believed the Infinity Stones were the pinnacle of power in the universe. But in reality, the world was far more complex than Loki could imagine.
The Celestials, the Tribunal, the Watchers—all clearly existed in this cinematic universe. As for the Five Cosmic Entities, there was no clear information yet, and Ethan didn't know if they existed in this world.
Even so, thinking you could dominate the universe with a single Infinity Stone? That was just a fantasy.
"It's just an Infinity Stone. It's still far from true power."
Loki glanced sideways at Ethan. From initial disdain, to viewing him as a rival, he now found this mage of unknown origin increasingly unfathomable.
"I heard you're from another world?"
"What, are you interested in my world?"
Ethan finally showed a bit of interest. What was Loki getting at? Was he trying to gather intel about another world? Was causing chaos here no longer fun, and he wanted to stir up trouble elsewhere? Or was he trying to prepare an escape route?
Suddenly, Ethan realized that might actually be the case. Loki had aligned himself with Thanos, received the Mind Scepter from him, and promised to take Earth and return the Cosmic Cube.
Now, the Cosmic Cube was gone, and the Mind Stone had been taken by Ethan. If Loki had any brains at all, he'd know that Thanos wouldn't let him go.
If he couldn't win, hiding in another world would be the best option. Considering Thanos's reach in this universe, another world might be the only safe place.
"If possible, I'd prefer to be exiled."
"And you want me to take you to my world?"
Loki didn't deny it. That was exactly what he was thinking. He could already guess that Odin would sentence him to imprisonment once he returned.
Exile was out of the question. Odin would know that exile would just give him more freedom. Only imprisonment would be seen as punishment. But if the exile was to another world, Odin might actually consider it.
"I'm not interested."
Ethan had zero interest in taking Loki with him. This guy could turn on him at any moment and stab him in the back. Bringing someone like that along was just asking for trouble. "Also, just so you know, your brother already saw through your magic."
Loki had been able to stand next to Ethan, discussing plans to escape to another world, because he had used illusions to make everyone, including Thor, believe he was still sitting and drinking. That allowed him to conceal himself and talk privately with Ethan.
"Aren't you going to ask what I can offer in return?" Loki didn't expect Ethan to help him without compensation. He didn't believe this mage was a do-gooder. Even bad guys wouldn't help someone like him for no reason. He had been ready to offer something, but Ethan had rejected him before he could even speak.
Ethan wasn't completely unmoved, but thinking about the potential chaos Loki could bring, he still firmly refused.
Seeing that Ethan wouldn't budge, Loki gave up. His figure slowly faded from Ethan's sight. Ethan could feel that the illusion had vanished, and Loki had returned to his original place.
"Interesting spell."
Loki had likely used illusion magic to project a phantom of himself. He had approached while concealed and allowed only Ethan to see him. This spell involved multiple elements—illusion, mental interference, spatial manipulation. It was difficult to master, yet Loki used it as casually as eating or drinking.
"Asgardian magic..."
(To be continued.)
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