Chapter Eighteen: First Battle—Loki in the Mask of Loki

"Is that really Thor, the God of Thunder? Are all the Asgardian gods this weak?" Coulson smiled, barely refraining from boasting that he could take on ten of them himself.

"He's been sealed. A God of Thunder whose powers are suppressed is no more than an elite soldier. But regardless, he is still a prince of Asgard. To avoid giving others an excuse to criticize us, it’s best not to make the first move," Nick Fury replied, nodding. Orders were swiftly relayed one after another.

With deliberate leniency and guidance from Nick Fury, Thor easily found his hammer.

The rain intensified, thunder and lightning clashing overhead, and a hauntingly familiar melody began to play.

"True feelings are as vast as the grasslands; no storm can keep them apart. There will always come a time when the clouds part and the sun rises, and a thousand rays of light illuminate you and me..."

Amidst this melody, Thor threw back his head and howled at the sky, "No! No! No..."

"Yuán Huá, what on earth is wrong with you?" Yang Xin strolled out, coffee in hand, grinning, with Coulson and the others fanning out behind him.

"Are you the defenders of Midgard? And I am Thor, God of Thunder—not whoever you just called," Thor retorted.

"No, you should say, 'I don’t know how to solve this problem,'" Yang Xin teased, then his expression turned serious. "Even though you are a prince of Asgard, you have entered Earth's territory unannounced, without diplomatic notice, and with the artifact Mjolnir. Are you trying to start a war?"

"No! I am no longer a prince of Asgard. My father has banished me..." Thor’s face was pained.

"I wasn’t talking about you," Yang Xin replied, completely at ease as he sipped his coffee and addressed the empty space, "I was referring to another prince of Asgard."

"Who?" Thor’s eyes widened in shock.

"Loki. Though I’m not sure how I should address you—God of Thunder’s brother, God of Mischief, or perhaps... the acting king of Asgard?" Yang Xin gestured invitingly.

Watching Yang Xin’s gentlemanly gesture, Coulson and the others stared in disbelief. Nick Fury, meanwhile, silently removed his eyepatch as his Sharingan spun wildly, the blood-red iris morphing into a sickle-shaped pattern.

"Clap, clap, clap! I didn't expect Midgard's defenders to have some skill, enough to notice me." The sound of applause echoed from the void, and Loki’s figure abruptly appeared.

"Loki, take me back to Asgard. I must see Father!" Thor rushed at him, but was sent flying back even faster.

Loki kicked Thor away effortlessly; the powerless Thor stood no chance. "The king of Asgard is now in slumber. At this moment, I am the king of Asgard."

"Ahem... As much as sibling rivalry makes for good spectacle, your family matters are best settled in Asgard. Also, I should have addressed you as the acting king of Asgard," Yang Xin remarked.

"Defenders of Midgard, it seems the ages have stripped you of reverence for the gods!" Loki strode toward Yang Xin and the others, armor materializing around him.

"May, get to the car!" The moment Loki showed hostile intent, Coulson hurriedly signaled Melinda to dash toward the Dino Express, ready to unleash a human cannon upon Loki.

Frank Castle—the Punisher—and Maria Hill each drew their respective Swords of Power and Wisdom. Hawkeye fastened his badge and nocked an arrow, while Natasha donned her multicolored flower, ready to transform at a moment’s notice.

"Don’t panic. Matt Murdock, you’re up," Yang Xin said calmly.

Daredevil Matt Murdock stepped forward, donning the Loki Mask he had acquired from the Treasure System.

"Impossible," Loki blurted, his face twisting. Staring at Matt Murdock wearing the mask, Loki felt an uncanny sense of familiarity, as if he were facing another version of himself.

"Could this be my long-lost brother?" Loki shook his head, dismissing the absurd idea, but then studied Matt again, his expression changing once more. "How does a defender of Midgard possess the divine spark of the Aesir?"

Thor, too, was baffled. He felt the same strange familiarity—like he was looking at a long-lost brother.

"Is he Father’s illegitimate son in Midgard?" Thor blurted out.

"My foolish brother, is your head made entirely of muscle? How could he possibly be of noble godly blood?" Loki snarled through gritted teeth.

"Well, you never know. When I look at him, I see echoes of you as a mischievous child. He must be Father’s illegitimate son in Midgard. That’s why I was banished! Father must want me to bring our brother back to Asgard," Thor declared with complete certainty.

"Idiot!" Loki knocked Thor out with a vicious kick, then with a flourish, summoned two daggers and blinked toward Matt Murdock.

Truth be told, Loki’s hand-to-hand skills left much to be desired. The best way for a sorcerer to fight is as a mobile artillery platform, but, it seemed, in the Marvel world, most superhumans favored close combat—Ebony Maw being the rare exception. Even the Sorcerer Supreme and her disciples were no exception.

Apart from his raw power, Loki’s combat skills were no match for Daredevil, especially now that Matt wore the Loki Mask.

With the mask on, Daredevil’s fighting style transformed completely. He darted about like a noodle, leaping and dodging, taunting all the while, "Can’t hit me! Can’t hit me! Can’t hit me!"

"Is Matt always this much of an idiot when he fights?" Nick Fury asked grimly. His Sharingan quickly assessed that Loki was absolutely no match for Matt—even if Matt stood still, Loki couldn’t break through his defense. Fury’s respect for Yang Xin’s magical items deepened further.

After all, their opponent was a god. Even if not famed for combat, a god is not to be underestimated.

"This is the effect of the Loki Mask," Yang Xin explained. "The mask bestows the divine spark of the God of Mischief, drastically changing Matt’s fighting style and even his personality, pushing him toward the absurd."

"Loki himself can't defeat Matt wearing his own mask?" Nick Fury was incredulous.

"The Aesir of this world aren’t true gods, not in the literal sense. They're more like powerful aliens. Loki’s mask, however, is from another world’s Norse myth—a true god."

"Since you only ever gift each item once, does that mean Matt will become the new God of Mischief—a genuine deity, akin to God Himself?" Nick Fury mused.

"Who knows? By day a meticulous lawyer, by night the God of Mischief. Don’t you think he might end up with a split personality?" Yang Xin joked.

Suddenly, Matt let out a bloodcurdling scream.