"Well done, Loki."
Heisenberg stood in place, momentarily at a loss for words.
He seemed to see countless people standing before him, scolding him endlessly.
"You Kryptonian, you're terrible!"
"You're useless, you've been played!"
And he began to retort.
"I knocked out the Hulk with three punches!"
"You've been played by Loki!"
"I split the Earth with one punch!"
"You've been played by Loki!"
"I've even beaten Loki at his own game!"
"Yeah, and then he played you!"
...
In that moment, the corners of Heisenberg's mouth nearly dropped to the ground.
Truly the God of Mischief.
This man really had something.
But so what?
Whoosh!
Heisenberg shot into the sky in an instant. He couldn't let Loki escape like this.
In the blink of an eye, he soared high, maximizing all his senses.
Vision, hearing, smell—everything covered the largest range he could search!
New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington!
Countless cities appeared in Heisenberg's information network.
Every person in every city, as long as they weren't wrapped in lead, Heisenberg could see their every move!
Just like that, the radius expanded, and Heisenberg instantly saw half of the United States!
Nothing?!
Unfortunately, Heisenberg had only absorbed sunlight for about three months, not enough to cover the entire globe with his senses. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lost track.
But even without such a large range, he had other methods.
Heisenberg began circling the United States.
Loki hadn't been to many places on Earth, and teleportation required a mental anchor.
So if Loki wasn't in the eastern half of the U.S., he must be in the western half!
Instantly, Heisenberg guessed Loki's location.
He sped toward New Mexico. When his senses covered the entire state,
Loki's voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
Heisenberg heard Loki panting and muttering to himself.
"…And now I've come to the place where you were banished, brother. Is this our destiny…?"
Since Heisenberg had just tuned in, the words were a bit disjointed.
Heisenberg didn't care about the content. He accelerated to ten thousand times the speed of sound, swiftly evading the satellites trying to track him, and vanished in the blink of an eye!
A few seconds later, Heisenberg quietly appeared in an abandoned gas station in a small town.
He glanced at the sign two kilometers away: Puente Antiguo…
His superhuman mind instantly recalled that this was the very place in the first Thor movie where Thor was initially banished and later found by Jane Foster and Selvig.
However, due to Thor's battle with the Destroyer armor, the town had been completely abandoned.
Originally, this town wasn't an economic hub—just a settlement on the outskirts.
After the destruction, S.H.I.E.L.D. relocated the original residents to other places to study the battle between the Destroyer and Thor.
Since then, the town had remained deserted.
On ordinary days, only stray hyenas roamed its streets.
But today…
Loki was here!
Heisenberg walked toward the collapsed gas station, spotting Loki at its center.
Loki leaned against a damaged fuel pump, chuckling bitterly.
"It's you. You're fast, as if you too possess the Bifröst!"
He greeted casually, extending his right hand and tossing his scepter aside.
"This is the Mind Stone.
It's yours now.
I can no longer wield it."
He raised his left hand, and the Tesseract appeared in his fingers, glowing a deep blue.
"This is the Space Stone.
Yours too.
But beware, possessing them will draw the attention of a cosmic overlord. Stay vigilant!"
He tossed the Tesseract aside, then coughed up mouthfuls of blood.
His chest turned a deep blue—proof he wasn't an Asgardian.
Seeing this, Heisenberg approached Loki and sat beside him.
Loki, no longer raging, smiled faintly.
"I thought you'd kill me outright. After all, your style… well, your style is quite direct!"
"Haha!"
Loki's words made Heisenberg laugh outright. He chuckled and explained,
"That's because they wanted me to be reckless. Otherwise, I'd make them uneasy."
Hearing this, Loki was taken aback.
"Wow, I knew you weren't without ambition. With power, one should naturally seek a matching status, right?"
"Naturally, but status must be seized."
"Yeah, I wanted to seize it too. I even prepared an army capable of invading the Nine Realms, standing before that damn stone!"
"But you no longer have the chance…"
Heisenberg gently patted Loki's shoulder.
The two fell silent.
Moments later, Heisenberg asked,
"You have no power left to wield the Tesseract?"
"None. Using its power comes at a cost, especially the Tesseract!
It's unreasonable. Every time I use it to teleport, the energy unleashed could destroy this planet at least once. It's an unbearable burden for me!"
Loki slowly spread his hands, lying back and smiling at Heisenberg.
"Once, that fool Thor died here.
He stood as a mortal, begging me to stop killing humans, claiming it brought me no glory!
So I killed only him!"
He looked at Heisenberg casually.
"But today, I'm no mortal. Killing me will be your first true glory, new god of Midgard!"
"Heh…"
Heisenberg smiled at this, stood before Loki, and his eyes glowed red.
"Aaaaaahhhh!!!"
Loki's screams were indescribable, echoing through the abandoned town under the dim night sky. Perhaps future New Mexico would gain another legend.
After the excruciating pain, Loki curled into a shrimp-like shape.
He clutched his chest, but his gaze at Heisenberg held only confusion.
"Why… why?" Loki asked.
"Why what? Stopping your internal bleeding?"
Heisenberg smiled.
He sat beside Loki again, raising his right hand slightly.
His force field lifted the Tesseract, bringing it into his grasp.
Heisenberg toyed with it, saying to Loki,
"For someone in despair, I have two options. Want to hear them?"
"Kill him, or release him?"
Loki didn't seem interested, answering directly.
But Heisenberg shook his head.
"No!"
He weighed the Tesseract lightly, smiling.
"Killing is indeed my favorite method. It makes everything clear.
His relatives come seeking revenge? Kill them too.
His enemies come? Use them.
It's the cleanest solution!"
"And the other?" Loki asked.
Heisenberg's smile widened. He casually draped an arm over Loki's shoulder and said,
"The other…
Elevate him!"
Heisenberg's empty hand pointed skyward, his voice softening as he spoke to Loki.
"You're in despair, Loki. With a single move, I could end you!
Your father in the heavens may not save you. Otherwise, he'd have appeared by now.
Death is inches away, but the closer it is, the more you should think:
What's more terrifying—death, or failure?
Your failures have defined your life. Even your last chance will vanish due to your pride.
But me…
I choose to spare you, support you, elevate you, and give you what you desire most!"
Heisenberg slammed Loki's shoulder, causing excruciating pain in his freshly healed organs. But Loki didn't flinch.
Heisenberg continued,
"What do you desire most?
The throne?
Recognition?
Love?
No!
You need an opportunity!
A chance to show your father your power!
A chance to prove you can defeat him!
A chance to make him regret!"
Heisenberg slammed the Tesseract into Loki's hand.
"Now, I give you that chance!"
Before Loki could react, Heisenberg stood, looking down at him.
"Take the Space Stone, summon your army, and on this ancient planet, declare war…
On your father, your brother, and your realm!"
As the words fell, Loki smiled, satisfied. He grit his teeth, rose from the ground, and stood before Heisenberg.
Holding the Tesseract in his right hand, he placed his left hand across his chest, bowing slightly.
"More terrifying than being used is having no value to be used. I'm glad I still hold value in your eyes!"
Loki said, then drew a dagger, pressing it against his own throat.
"But first, I must confirm something!
Lord Heisenberg, whatever your plans for Asgard, remember it's my home, my realm, my briefly held territory!
So state your purpose, or even a pawn has the right to destroy itself.
If you simply seek Asgard's downfall, then I… emmmm… I…"
Loki froze, for Heisenberg now held the Mind Stone.
Facing Heisenberg's mocking smile,
watching the staff's faint glow before his chest,
Loki swallowed hard, lowered the dagger, and smiled faintly.
"Then I'll lead the charge!"
"Excellent!"
Heisenberg retracted the staff, satisfied.
"However you do it, I must see your forces confront Asgard's army on Earth.
Let this planet's self-proclaimed ruler see true power!
But one condition: no battles near my city. Understood?"
"No problem, Lord Heisenberg. But I must remind you of a few things!"
Loki explained humbly.
"These stones belong to Thanos. He'll be displeased, for our agreement forbids using his army against Asgard!
And my father, Odin—though aged, he's still powerful. I can't guarantee victory!"
He glanced at Heisenberg expectantly.
But Heisenberg slammed his shoulder again.
In an instant, Loki's pain made him sweat.
Then Heisenberg coldly said,
"Don't see me as your tool, Loki!
Whether you fail or succeed, that's your problem!
I give you the chance, but only you can elevate yourself.
I merely need this war to begin."
Heisenberg spoke his final words, staff in hand, and vanished into the air, leaving Loki alone, gritting his teeth.
Heisenberg's offer was like poison, yet Loki couldn't refuse.
He needed that elevation!