"Boom"
The walls of Loki's cell were melted by a bolt of powerful lightning. Thor appeared before him.
"Wow, what an entrance, my brother."
"Loki…"
"So, are you here to save me?"
"No, I'm here to take you back to face Father's judgment. You were only sentenced to imprisonment because you hadn't caused serious harm. But now that you've escaped, no one can help you anymore."
"Is that so? But to take me away… shouldn't you first ask your host here?" Loki smiled, his eyes moving past Thor to look behind him.
Sensing something, Thor turned around and saw soldiers surrounding him. Tony Stark and Steve stood at the front.
"Hm? A Bronze Saint? You're one of Melin's men?" Thor immediately brightened when he saw the familiar Shield constellation Cloth on Steve.
"You know me?" Steve was caught off guard but didn't lower his guard.
"I don't know you—you're a new Saint. But Melin and I are old friends. If you don't believe me, you can, uh… give him a call or something?"
Thor's words instantly froze the tense scene, turning what felt like a standoff into the awkward vibe of a lost tourist asking the police for directions.
"Thor?" Coulson, the only one who had met him before, squeezed through the crowd to stand before him.
"Hey! Phil! Long time no see. How've you been?" Thor grinned and gave Coulson a big hug.
Maybe this was Coulson's superpower—his NPC-level friendliness that made anyone instantly like him.
But seriously? What was this—some police reunion? Was this guy really the God of Thunder and not some fool dragged out of the mountains by monkeys?
"So… what are you here for?" Coulson asked with a polite but cautious smile.
"I'm here to take Loki back to Asgard. He's a fugitive, and I'm bringing him home for Father's judgment."
"I'm afraid that's not possible. Loki has committed unforgivable crimes on Earth and is controlling many of our people. You can't just take him. He must face Earth's justice as well," Fury said as he walked out.
Well, as expected of Motherf*er Man—the atmosphere immediately turned sour as soon as he opened his mouth.
"You'd better watch your words, mortal," Thor said, frowning. "Loki may be unreasonable and deceitful, but he's from Asgard—and my brother."
"He's killed eighty-eight people in two days."
"…He's adopted."
"Pfft—"
Inside the cell, Loki felt a flicker of warmth that was instantly crushed. You'd have been better off not defending me at all!
"Gentlemen," Fury said, trying to refocus the situation, "this matter isn't resolved yet. Loki's true goal, the people under his control, the whereabouts of the Tesseract—all of this remains unclear. Shouldn't we sit down and discuss it first? Once this is over, we can talk about who gets Loki."
"…Fine."
Thor didn't like taking orders from mortals—he was used to commanding, not obeying. But since Earth was Melin's territory, and a Saint stood right before him, he decided to give them some respect.
The group moved to the conference room to discuss Loki's motives. Thor began by sharing what he knew: "Loki commands an army—the Chitauri. They don't belong to Asgard or any planet. They spread like locusts, invading empires across the stars. I believe he gained their help in exchange for the Tesseract."
"An army from outer space?"
Everyone grew heavy at those words. Just Loki alone had been enough to cause chaos; now there was a whole cosmic army watching Earth like a predator. None of them knew how to face such a threat.
"So he wants to open a space portal and bring the army here," Banner concluded.
"Then before the portal opens, we just need to reclaim the Tesseract and rescue those under his control. That'll stop the war before it starts!" Natasha said.
Everyone felt a bit lighter hearing that. Maybe there was still a way out. Maybe they didn't have to fight the Chitauri head-on.
But plans never keep up with change.
"The problem isn't just Loki and the Chitauri."
A voice that didn't belong to anyone present suddenly echoed through the room, startling everyone. It was familiar, though, so no one panicked.
The next moment, light flared—and Melin appeared before them, with Aiolia and Milo following behind.
Many on the bridge were seeing Gold Saints for the first time. They froze in place, gazing at the two in awe. Their handsome, resolute faces, their powerful physiques radiating explosive energy, and the dazzling golden armor with fluttering capes—it was a sight hard to look away from.
"Hey! Melin, I was just saying I needed to call you," Thor greeted him with another hug.
"You came to my house, so as the host, of course I have to welcome you."
"Ahem…" Thor looked embarrassed. After all, he'd come to Earth without warning or greeting Melin first. It really did feel like a stowaway caught the moment he landed.
"Alright, I know why you're here," Melin said calmly. "But let me remind you, Thor—just because we're friends doesn't mean I'll overlook anything. If you cause trouble on Earth, I won't stand by."
Thor's mouth twitched. He got the message loud and clear: If you mess around, I'll beat you into the ground and have Odin come pick you up himself.
"Wait, Mr. Melin," Fury interrupted, "shouldn't you explain what you meant by 'the problem isn't just Loki and the Chitauri'? If there's another threat beyond them, we need to know."
Loki and the Chitauri were already overwhelming—if there was something worse, that was catastrophic. And if even Melin and the Sanctuary were involved, the enemy's power had to be immense.
"Loki knows about our existence," Melin said. "You've all seen it. Though he was acting, Steve could easily defeat him. The Chitauri army might seem terrifying to you, but to us… they're nothing.
Loki's cruel, yes, but he's not stupid. Would you believe he'd come to Earth, knowing he'll lose, without a backup plan?"
"So what's his backup?" Fury demanded, too impatient to dance around it.
"Are you interrogating me now?" Melin's smile didn't fade, but a flash of danger flickered in his eyes.
Everyone felt the air grow heavier—death seemed to brush against their necks, a scythe waiting to fall.
"You misunderstand, Mr. Melin," Coulson said quickly, stepping forward. "The Director is just anxious. You know how bad things are right now."
"Then I'll take it as a misunderstanding."
The suffocating feeling vanished instantly, and everyone on the bridge gasped in relief, like survivors of a disaster.
"Melin, what do you know about Loki's backup plan?" Thor asked.
"Those bald monks have been restless lately," Melin said.
"Hm? You mean the Buddhists?" Thor was surprised.
"That's right. On Earth, only they stand against the Sanctuary and have the power to threaten it. Ever since Loki came here, they've been unusually active. Asura and Shaka have already killed quite a few of them."
"…Has Loki lost his mind? Of all allies, he chose them? Those bald frauds would sell him out in a heartbeat! Even space pirates are more trustworthy!" Thor grumbled. He was furious—how could his brother be so foolish?
"Does he have another choice?" Melin sneered.
"Well… no. I suppose I should be glad he didn't go to Hades."
Indeed. If Loki had tried to ally with Hades, he'd be lucky to even leave the Underworld alive.
Everyone from the mythic age knew how pure Hades was in his purpose. He would never form alliances—his sole goal was to spread death. The only reason he once fought alongside Zeus and Poseidon against Melin was because Melin had pushed him too far. Even then, it was only because Athena and Melin had cornered him, and Zeus and Poseidon were his brothers, equals in power and rank.
If Loki had gone to seek Hades, the twin gods under him would've killed him before he even met their master.
"Excuse me," Natasha spoke up, "when you say 'the Buddhists,' do you mean Buddhism?"
"More or less."
"But wasn't Buddhism destroyed decades ago during the purge?"
"That was just their worldly influence. The true Buddhas hid themselves in the Buddhist Realm. Their leader is Shakyamuni."
"I see. Then…"
"You'll see for yourself soon enough."
"What do you mean?" Everyone except Melin, Thor, Aiolia, and Milo felt an ominous chill rise within them.
"It means—they're here."
Melin looked through the bridge's reinforced glass. Not far ahead of the Helicarrier, a golden gate appeared, glowing with divine light. From it came the sound of Sanskrit chanting that made everyone feel the urge to kneel.
"Such an entrance. Typical of those hypocrites," Thor scoffed.
"No matter. Since they're here—they won't be leaving. Aiolia, Milo."
"My lord."
"Go. Leave none alive."
"Yes!"