…
"Fury, calm down!"
"Calm down? With what, exactly?!"
"It's over… it's all over! T T"
Nick Fury was on the verge of a breakdown, struggling wildly as Hawkeye wrapped both arms around him from behind to hold him back. The two of them staggered back and forth in an awkward tug-of-war that looked… questionable, to say the least.
Having just stepped through a portal and arrived on-site—with his observational senses constantly active—"Ebony Maw" Leon instantly caught sight of the explosive scene.
Before either man could react, he moved at top speed.
From the junk pile inside his System Storage Space, he retrieved a 2.5mm ultra-micro camera with recording capability.
In less than a blink, he activated it using the AllSpark.
"Go on, little guy. Find a good angle. Record everything."
"Ji-mo ji-mo ji!" (By the Creator's will!)
Buzz—
The micro-camera transformed into a hyper-realistic metallic fly and took off, wings humming softly.
Leon cackled inwardly.
Another piece of blackmail material secured. This one could keep "Black Egg" and Hawkeye in his debt for the rest of their lives.
He withdrew the AllSpark.
Time, which had seemed nearly frozen from his perspective, resumed its normal flow. No one present noticed his little stunt—the entire maneuver had taken less than a single frame, far beyond human visual perception.
As for surveillance cameras? Already fried. Disabling monitoring systems before committing mischief had long since become Leon's standard operating procedure. Caution above all.
From everyone else's perspective—
The grotesque figure of Ebony Maw drifted out from a blue portal suspended in midair, hands clasped behind his back. The Mind Stone Scepter floated beside him, wrapped in telekinetic force like a satellite in orbit.
"Warning! Warning!"
"Unauthorized intrusion detected at S.H.I.E.L.D. facility!"
"Warning! Warning!"
"Unauthorized intrusion detected at S.H.I.E.L.D. facility!"
The shrill alarms finally broke through the chaos.
Nick Fury and Hawkeye instantly stopped their scuffle and exchanged a glance.
Hawkeye leapt in a literal leap of faith, grabbing a smooth vertical support pole and sliding down to the lower level in one fluid motion.
Fury considered copying him—but after glancing at his slightly rounded midsection, he opted for the elevator instead.
Loki's crash had already thrown the research lab into chaos. Fortunately, there were no casualties—for now. But the sudden appearance of "Ebony Maw" terrified the unseasoned scientists.
"Doctor! Get them out of here! I'll cover you!" Hawkeye shouted.
His arrowhead and dozens of rifles were trained directly on Leon's skull.
"Y-Yes!"
Dr. Erik Selvig, who had been crouching with his hands over his head, snapped back to reality and quickly led his colleagues toward the nearest emergency exit.
Agent Maria Hill was already on her way to escort them.
Leon made no attempt to stop them.
Instead, he raised his right hand, palm upward, and crooked a finger at Loki, who was struggling to rise from the crater below.
Loki's body lifted uncontrollably, seized by Leon's telekinesis, and floated up before him.
"Loki Odinson," Leon declared loudly enough for Hawkeye and the others to hear, "you have failed the Great Titan."
Hawkeye did not fire. Not yet.
Acting prematurely was rarely wise.
"I spit on that!" Loki snarled.
"Asgardian gods kneel to no one!"
"Do it!"
"Leon and Thor will avenge me!"
"These mortals are not as fragile as you think!"
"Your ambitions are doomed to fail!"
His performance was dramatic and defiant—convincing enough to seem genuine.
"Odinson?"
"Leon? Thor?"
Nick Fury finally arrived via elevator and stepped up beside Hawkeye. He was among the few in S.H.I.E.L.D. who knew of Asgard's existence through Leon.
Have aliens already set their sights on Earth?
In an instant, Fury's mind constructed an entire scenario—mysterious extraterrestrials targeting Earth, Loki stumbling upon their plot, refusing recruitment, and now facing execution.
He discreetly hid one hand behind his back and signaled Hawkeye to wait for his command. Hawkeye gave the faintest nod.
"'Kneel to no one'?" Leon sneered softly.
He floated closer—within barely ten inches of Loki.
"All living beings are subjects of the Great Titan."
"Before the power of the Mind Stone, no god remains unbent."
As he spoke, the Mind Stone Scepter flew into his grasp. He lowered its glowing tip against Loki's chest—precisely where Loki had discreetly concealed a small protective plate beforehand.
Clink.
The soft impact went unnoticed. No one present even fully understood what the scepter was capable of.
Loki subtly darkened his eyes with illusion magic, turning them pitch-black. When Leon withdrew the scepter, his eyes returned to normal.
"Lord Ebony Maw."
Loki's attitude shifted instantly. He dropped to one knee in absolute submission.
Leon hummed in satisfaction and casually tossed the Mind Stone Scepter back to Loki.
"Now!" Fury roared.
In one swift motion, he drew a compact S.H.I.E.L.D.-issue energy sidearm and fired directly at Leon's head.
Dozens of soldiers opened fire simultaneously.
Hawkeye moved first.
The instant Fury gave the order, the explosive arrow already nocked to his bowstring flew—not at Leon, but at the Mind Stone Scepter in Loki's hand.
Instinct told him one thing:
That scepter was the true threat.
But—
"All futile."
Ultra Instinct guided Leon's body effortlessly. He tilted his head just enough for Fury's energy blast to miss by inches.
Then he merely twitched a finger.
Every bullet—
Every rifle round—
Even Hawkeye's explosive arrow—
Froze midair.
Suspended motionless, as if held back by an invisible barrier.
Not a single inch further.
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