Chương 6: Loki's Unexpected Challenger
But Ned never expected it to actually be 2012. Looking at the young Peter Parker in front of him, Ned couldn't afford to dwell on the timelines anymore.
In the distance, high in the sky, a red and gold figure was speeding toward a tower with the name "Stark" emblazoned on it. War was clearly imminent.
"Okay." Ned's face turned serious. He raised his hand in a chopping motion and aimed for the back of Peter's neck.
"Swish!"
Before Ned's hand could land, Peter sprang into action, leaping onto the nearby wall and clinging to it parallel to the ground. His eyes were filled with disbelief as he stared at Ned. "Oh! Ned, why are you attacking me?"
"Peter!" Ned had suspected earlier when Peter grabbed his hand that this version of Peter Parker might already have his spider powers. Seeing it confirmed, he immediately said, "There's no time to explain! Go home, bring Aunt May to my house, and protect her and my grandma. Aliens are about to invade Earth!"
Before Peter could respond, Ned assumed a stance, left hand in front, right hand behind, moving them slowly. A golden portal began to open, revealing the other side: Peter's bedroom.
"Cool!!"
Peter, seeing Ned casually open a portal with his hands, momentarily forgot about the earlier attack. He was about to exclaim in amazement when Ned delivered a swift kick, sending him flying into the portal.
"Oh! Ned!"
Peter's startled cry was the last thing heard before he vanished.
Having sent Peter Parker away, and ensuring his grandmother's safety, Ned felt reassured. He removed the backpack from his shoulders, unzipped it, and a red cloak flew out, attaching itself to his back.
With a dramatic sweep of his arm, the cloak settled on his shoulders, and Ned's outfit transformed into the robes of a Kamar-Taj sorcerer (reminiscent of Doctor Strange in Infinity War when Hulk crashed into the Sanctum Sanctorum).
Ned then pulled out the "Mask of Agony" and placed it over his face. Tossing the backpack aside, he rose into the air, flying directly toward Stark Tower.
…
"I have an army."
At that moment, Tony Stark was still stalling for time, waiting for JARVIS to activate the Mark 7 suit. Loki, standing arrogantly, sneered.
"We have a Hulk!"
Despite Loki's words, which worried Tony, he maintained his confident demeanor.
"That guy ran off, didn't he?"
Loki, smug and self-assured, replied.
"You're missing the point. There's no throne, and you'll never be a king."
"Maybe you do have an army, maybe we can't stop it, but we'll make sure you're the one to pay for it."
"Because if we can't protect Earth, you can be damn sure we'll avenge it."
As Tony spoke, he calmly took a sip of his drink.
Loki's face darkened as he listened to Tony, his composure slipping. Slowly, he approached Stark, saying, "If they're all busy dealing with you, who's left to come after me?"
Raising his scepter, Loki pointed it toward Tony's chest. Stark's heart sank.
Unarmored, he had no chance of evading Loki's attack. Before he could react, the scepter touched his chest.
"Ding."
Nothing happened.
Loki froze for a moment, confused. He tried again. "Ding."
Still, there was no reaction. "It always worked before," Loki muttered, puzzled.
Tony, relieved that the scepter had no effect, was about to crack a joke when a voice came from outside the window:
"Performance issues? That's pretty common. One in five men deals with it."
Startled, both Loki and Tony turned to see who had spoken. Outside the window floated a man, at least 300 pounds, wearing a red cloak and a devilish mask.
"Yeah, big guy here is spot on," Tony quipped, seizing the moment to needle Loki. "But don't feel too bad. With a brother that big, maybe you'd feel comfortable letting him be on top."
Even though he didn't know if the newcomer was friend or foe, Tony couldn't resist taunting Loki. Loki's face turned red with rage, veins bulging as he fought the urge to strike Tony.
The floating figure, however, gave Loki a sense of unease. "Who are you?" Loki demanded, trying to maintain his composure.
Unfazed by Loki's arrogance, the figure tilted his head and replied sarcastically, "What, Midgard doesn't get to have its own sorcerers?"
Unable to resist, Ned flew closer but suddenly remembered something. Turning to Tony, he asked, "Hey, Mr. Stark, I don't need to pay for this window, do I?"
Before Tony could respond, Ned summoned two magical shields, smashed through the glass, and entered the building.
As he did, a loud sound echoed through the room. A bright red metal suit shot toward them, crashing into Loki and sending him flying. The suit quickly assembled itself onto Tony.
"Hey, big guy! Does the neighbor kid know you stole his Halloween costume?" Tony, now clad in his Iron Man suit, immediately regained his confidence and taunted Ned.
Ignoring Tony's snark, Ned turned toward Loki. But before he could act, Loki jumped from the building, commandeering a Chitauri hovercraft to escape.
Ned hesitated for a moment, knowing his Cloak of Levitation couldn't match the speed of the hovercraft, especially with his considerable weight.
Tony, seeing Loki's retreat and the swarm of Chitauri soldiers causing chaos outside, stopped bantering. His suit's thrusters roared to life as he took off, unleashing a barrage of weapons to clear the area.
Not to be outdone, Ned hovered above Stark Tower, crossing his hands in front of him. With a dramatic motion, countless magical clones emerged from his body, charging into battle against the invading Chitauri army.
This spell was none other than the advanced Kamar-Taj technique: Images of Ikonn, the very spell Doctor Strange used against Thanos in Infinity War.
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