Chapter 253: C245
Bang!!
Dragging a long tail of red energy flames, Loki was blasted across the wide hall, smashing into the throne and being buried under the ruins.
The force of the blow left Loki feeling as if his entire body was falling apart. A sharp, metallic taste filled his throat, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Struggling, he pushed away the debris pinning him down and stood up with difficulty, one hand clutching his chest.
The shattered glass behind him allowed a powerful suction force to pour into the room, the wind whipping his black hair and green robes. Yet, Loki wasn't enraged by the assault. With faltering steps, he emerged from the wreckage of the throne and gazed down at Wanda, who stood motionless against the howling winds.
"What terrifying power," he muttered. "I didn't expect the Midgardians—"
Before he could finish, the metallic floor beneath Wanda cracked. Her figure vanished in an instant, leaving only the sound of shattering steel. Loki's instincts flared; he conjured his deceptive magic just in time.
The next moment, a pale, delicate hand pierced through the illusion where his chest had been.
"Hmm?" Wanda's expression barely changed as the illusion shattered into shards of green light. Loki's real body, concealed behind a massive metal pillar, barely had time to react before the sharp hum of energy cut through the air.
A blinding arc of crimson light sliced clean through the pillar, reducing it to chunks of molten metal. Loki scrambled, rolling to the side just in time to avoid the slash. His heart raced as he stood and saw the destruction: the metal pillar lay in two, severed cleanly, and the wall beyond bore a gaping, glowing scar.
He sucked in a sharp breath. 'If I'd been hit, I'd have been torn apart just like that pillar.'
Wanda wasn't finished. Before Loki could even catch his breath, she appeared in front of him again, her movements a blur. He barely registered her presence before a searing pain exploded in his head—like a hammer to the skull. His body flew backward, smashing through one pillar after another before embedding into the far wall with a sickening crunch.
Boom!
Loki hung in the shattered metal, blood spilling from his mouth and floating in the air before being sucked into the vacuum beyond the broken glass. His body was limp, and his thoughts scrambled. He had no chance.
'She's...unstoppable.'
Loki had always prided himself on his cunning, his magic, and his ability to deceive, but none of it mattered now. Wanda was too fast, too relentless, and far too powerful. Even his illusions, usually enough to confuse gods and mortals alike, crumbled under her assault.
And worse still, she wasn't holding back.
A crimson energy hand yanked Loki from the wall, slamming him into the floor of the hall with a deafening crash. The impact cracked the ground, sending spiderweb fractures across the metallic surface. Loki's head lolled to the side, blood dripping from fresh cuts on his forehead.
Wanda stepped closer, her red hair glowing faintly in the flickering light of the ruined hall. She planted a foot firmly on his chest, pinning him down. Leaning slightly, she stared into his dazed eyes.
"Didn't Thor say you had some powerful weapons?" Wanda mused, her voice calm and almost disappointed. "Why don't I see them?"
This was her first encounter with Loki, and based on Thor's tales, she'd expected more. Thor had bragged endlessly about Loki's magic, his cunning, and the so-called "powerful scepter" he wielded. Wanda's approach to battle—thanks to Leon's training—was simple: end the fight quickly and decisively. But after this one-sided beatdown, she was starting to doubt Thor's stories.
With a casual nudge of her foot, she rolled Loki's limp body over. He didn't move. Sighing, Wanda extended her hand.
A low hum filled the air as a crimson magic circle materialized beneath Loki. Chains of red energy erupted from it, coiling around his battered form and locking him in place. With a final flick of her wrist, Loki's body was swallowed into the circle, disappearing entirely.
Her task complete, Wanda turned to survey the rest of the mothership. Just then, the heavy metal doors at the edge of the hall slid open with a sharp hiss.
The Chitauri warriors flooded in, rows upon rows of them, their energy weapons raised and glowing. The suction from the broken windows caused some of them to stumble, but their hive-mind discipline kept them moving as one.
They took in the devastation of the hall: shattered pillars, broken walls, and the gaping hole in the glass. And then, standing at its center, they saw her—the woman who had wrought all this destruction.
Wanda turned to face them. Her calm expression didn't waver as hundreds of energy weapons locked onto her.
Boom!
In an instant, a wave of overwhelming crimson energy radiated from Wanda's body. The Chitauri warriors froze. Their weapons clattered to the ground as one by one, they crumpled like dolls, their bodies lifeless.
Wanda frowned slightly, noting the eerie stillness of their forms. These weren't ordinary soldiers.
'So that's it.' Thor had mentioned that the Chitauri were a semi-mechanized hive species, their consciousnesses linked to a central mind. The moment she unleashed her energy, their connection must have been severed.
Brushing her hands together, Wanda cast a glance toward the broken throne and the stars beyond the shattered window.
"Midgardians," she muttered to herself, "are full of surprises."
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