In Asgard, Thor was trying to convince Loki to stop.
Loki had let the Frost Giants into Asgard. His plan was simple: he promised them a false alliance so they would kill Odin while he was in the Odinsleep, but then he would betray them. With that, he aimed to prove he was better than Thor and, at the same time, a worthy heir to the throne.
Still, the plan had hidden personal motives. Loki had recently discovered that he wasn't Odin's legitimate son, but rather a child of a Frost Giant. So, beyond what had already been said, Loki also wanted to prove that he wasn't one of them. He was willing to kill them all for Asgard. Of course, being Loki, the god of lies, he would even use his heritage to gain Laufey's trust—his biological father and king of the Frost Giants.
But his plan didn't work. Thor stopped him before he could kill Laufey. So, with no other option, Loki came up with a new plan. Now, in the Bifrost chamber, he was ready to activate it and use it as a weapon, destroying Jotunheim and all the Frost Giants with it. But once again, Thor wanted to stop him.
"Loki, stop."
"Why? Once I destroy all our enemies, I'll prove I'm better than you, little brother. Father will approve of me."
Loki said with resentment as he stared at Thor. However, Thor replied immediately:
"Loki, you can't use the Bifrost. That will wipe them all out."
Loki, although he appeared confident, was already exhausted. He had given his all to eliminate Laufey and then escape from Thor to get there. Still, as the god of trickery, he would never show the truth. He just answered with disdain:
"They're our enemies, little brother. Did Earth make you soft?"
"They're not all our enemies, Loki. Not all of them. What about those who aren't warriors, the ones who are just living their lives?"
"You think I care about the lives of those Frost Giants?"
He said with feigned coldness, hiding his current weakened state.
"They're innocent, Loki, and they're our subjects, remember? Asgard rules over the Nine Realms, not just Asgard. And the duty of a king isn't just to rule above them. We are in a relationship of cooperation."
Loki didn't believe it for a second.
"Trying to sound wise now, little brother? So you learned a lesson in humility and now you want to lecture me?"
Thor, wanting to prove he was serious and didn't want to fight, lowered his hammer.
"Brother, you can be king, it's your right. Like everything, it will be a fair battle between us. But right now it's not fair. You need to learn. Learn what a king must be. Once you've done that, we'll compete fairly."
Of course, Loki had known Thor since they were kids. He knew that when Thor spoke of a fair battle, he meant it. For a moment he hesitated. Maybe he had been wrong all along? Maybe the reason his father didn't want him to be king was that he wasn't ready... yet?
There was a big difference between the two. After all, Loki considered himself the greatest sorcerer in the universe, smarter than anyone else. Even if he wasn't ready now, he was sure he could learn how to be. To him, that meant he still had a chance. And he would not allow his right to the throne to be denied without even trying.
However, there was someone who didn't care what Loki considered. Someone whose heart was consumed by vengeance. Even as Loki threatened to destroy his entire kind, his attention was not on him. No, it was on Thor—one of Asgard's strongest weapons by right—and who was currently unarmed. So he quickly charged toward Thor.
Thor, seeing Laufey charging while shouting his name, quickly reached for his hammer. But he wasn't fast enough. Given Laufey's proximity and the element of surprise, he was already next to Thor by the time Mjolnir responded to the call.
Just as Thor braced himself for a possibly fatal blow, he realized Laufey wasn't coming at him. Confused, he looked where Laufey was heading. It seemed like he was about to strike the air with his icy spear.
But when he glanced at Loki, who now looked even weaker than before and could barely stand, he realized the truth: Loki must have strained himself to project an illusion over Laufey.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who realized it. As soon as Laufey noticed he had only struck air, he quickly turned his attention to Loki, who was close by. Loki, too weak to resist after pushing himself so far, could only watch as Laufey charged at him with his icy spear.
"Loki!"
Thor, realizing what was happening, hurled his hammer at Laufey with all his strength.
Now more attuned to his hammer, Thor was far more powerful than before. And when you added his current emotional turmoil, the resulting blow was so strong it caused cracks in the very structure of the Bifrost after striking Laufey.
Laufey realized it. Even though he was on death's door after the impact, he still decided to take someone with him. Seeing the source of the crack, he started pounding it furiously. The cracks widened as Thor ran toward him, realizing what he was trying to do.
By the time he reached the Bifrost, it was already falling apart. He quickly grabbed his brother's hand, but Loki had no strength left after overexerting himself. He couldn't hold on for long before slipping from Thor's grasp and falling into the void of space.
"Brother!"
Thor shouted helplessly as he watched his brother fall into absolute nothingness. Even though he tried, he couldn't save Loki. But he wasn't going to give up. No, even though Loki could be anywhere in the universe, Thor knew he was clever. He would find a way back, and Thor would be looking for him too.
He quickly returned to the palace with renewed determination.
"You owe me a fair battle, brother. You can't run away before it begins."
---
Meanwhile, on Earth, Tony was relaxing at his mansion. After everything that had happened in New Mexico, Coulson had asked to speak with him. Tony instantly figured it had to do with the Avengers and refused, but was surprised when they told him they didn't want him as an active member—just a consultant.
"Oh, a unique position just for me? I'm flattered."
Tony said, sounding a bit smug. However, Coulson quickly destroyed his fantasy.
"Actually, we already have another consultant who accepted before you."
"Oh yeah? Who is it?"
Tony asked, curious. Coulson answered confidently, his tone showing respect for this member.
"Laplace's Demon."
Elsewhere, Erik Selvig and Jane had been invited to help SHIELD with a secret research project.
Erik, upon hearing that the project was related to potentially infinite energy, quickly grew curious and accepted. Jane, on the other hand, chose not to join and decided to go home for a vacation before deciding what to do next.
---
While some were resting and others excited, there was one man who remained completely serious.
This man was Nick Fury. One kilometer away from the containment zone in Harlem, he was observing a devastating battle between two massive monsters. However, that wasn't what made him frown. No, what annoyed him was the report from the analysts on the scene.
"Sir, following the Demon of Laplace's orders, we've evacuated. There are no residents. We also haven't used any aerial vehicles that could be taken down. Now we can only rely on Hulk to stop that... 'abomination.'"
"However, we don't understand the point of the containment. Even though we used extremely durable and high-quality chains, they could just avoid it in several ways."
One subordinate said in confusion.
"I have no idea either. But that doesn't matter. We did what we could. If this battle starts causing too many injuries or spreads too far... we'll intervene."
"Understood. As for the battle strategists, they already have a weakness analysis."
"Report."
Fury said quickly.
"Yes, sir. Due to limited time, they've focused on Abomination, since Hulk seems to be on our side for now. Unlike Abomination."
"According to our analysis, Abomination seems to be too large, greatly reducing his speed and mobility. Additionally, Hulk's hits appear to cause cumulative damage. The team recommends restricting his movement with highly durable and flexible materials and focusing on striking the same spot."
Fury, listening, suddenly went serious. The reports came from two separate departments, so they weren't related. But he, hearing both, immediately made a connection.
"Highly durable and flexible materials, you say?"
"Yes, sir. That's what the findings show."
The subordinate replied.
Fury turned his gaze back to the battle. It had only recently begun and so far, there had been no deaths—just some injuries. But that would change if the battle spread too far.
Out of nowhere, Hulk seemed to have an idea and ran toward the containment zone. SHIELD personnel became tense at the sight, but Fury quickly calmed them and said Hulk wasn't coming at them. While that eased many, they still remained on alert.
Hulk stopped right in front of the area and tore the chains used to mark off the perimeter. He ran toward Abomination and, taking advantage of his slowness, used some chains to wrap around his legs, making sure he couldn't break free. Once that was done, he used others to choke him while pummeling his head. The repeated hits, mixed with oxygen deprivation, finally knocked him out.
Hulk, noticing armed men approaching, roared at them thinking they were the military.
However, Fury stepped forward and spoke from a distance.
"We're not enemies, Hulk. We're here for him."
He stopped, pointing at Abomination, then continued:
"You can go. We'll keep the government off your back. Just try not to destroy too much. We'll talk later."
Hulk, though he didn't understand what "later" meant, decided to trust them and left, leaping to unimaginable heights.
Watching him disappear, Fury could only sigh, remembering everything that had happened lately. As night fell and the day came to an end, he muttered:
"Damn, this has been one busy week."
[ Changes in Asgard. Loki seems to have shifted his mindset a little—but that remains to be seen. It's a shame he fell through the Bifrost. We might've prevented the battle of New York, though I'm not sure what changes that would bring, so maybe it's for the best. On the other hand, the Hulk vs. Abomination fight ended quickly. Still, there were injuries and a few deaths. The damage is far less than in the original, but it could have been better. I could've prevented Abomination's creation from the start. But it's fine. Even if I was wrong this time, I'll improve. And next time... I'll do better. ]