Loki was breathing heavily, his heart pounding like a war drum, his eyes filled with both vigilance and exhaustion.
He leaned against the wall of a dark alley, attempting to melt into the shadows, to become one with the night, evading the hunters pursuing him.
From nearby, he caught the sound of chaos—angry voices shouting, full of fury and bloodlust.
"Where the hell did that pretty boy go?! He killed one of our guys!"
"He won't get far! Find him! There's a massive reward waiting!"
The shrill voice rang like fire in Loki's chest, igniting rage. His fists clenched involuntarily.
After confirming that no one was chasing him anymore, he finally exhaled in relief.
But as the tension left his body, the pain returned. Loki looked down at himself—his body battered, his clothing torn, blood drying on his skin. His expression turned grim.
He thought back to what had just transpired, and his mood darkened further.
As soon as he'd been thrown into this dump by Alex Ray, conflict erupted between him and the locals.
Loki had assumed that even without his divine powers, he was more than capable of dealing with mortals.
At first, he was right. He'd used his skills to kill two men who had insulted him.
But once their gang realized what happened, reinforcements arrived fast—and many.
Even for a trickster god, there's only so much you can do against a mob. Two fists can't fight a dozen hands. Especially when some of those hands carried firearms.
Still, Loki was no fool. When the odds turned against him, he ran.
Say what you will about Loki, but when it comes to escaping danger, few in Asgard could rival him.
He took a few hits, but he escaped.
Even so, humiliation burned in his veins. He was Loki of Asgard, the God of Mischief, Prince of the Nine Realms… and now he was being hunted like a dog through the slums of Manhattan by mortal thugs.
"Damn Alex Ray. Damn Hell's Kitchen. The people here are absolutely uncivilized," Loki growled.
He didn't understand it. Why did conflict erupt at first sight? Why did people in this filthy corner of Earth behave like savages?
Had he known this would be the punishment for exile, he would never have followed Thor.
Perhaps… perhaps Thor had arranged this on purpose. As revenge for past humiliations?
Still, once his divine power returned, Loki would exact his vengeance. If he couldn't beat Alex Ray, he could certainly handle these mortal insects.
Vengeance, after all, was best served cold.
Odin hadn't specified when the exile would end. But Loki remembered the All-Father's final words: "When your power returns, so too does your freedom."
"This is all Thor's fault. And that bastard Alex Ray," Loki muttered.
Straightening his back, he began to consider his next steps.
Then his stomach growled loudly.
Only then did he realize—he hadn't eaten in days.
He touched his sunken abdomen and let out a bitter laugh. "So this is hunger… how disgraceful."
Looking up, he noticed a dimly lit restaurant across the street.
He didn't know where he was—somewhere in Brooklyn, perhaps—but he could recognize the images of food in the window.
"Survival first," he muttered.
He stepped out of the alley and toward the diner.
But what Loki didn't notice was the shadow beneath his feet—moving unnaturally, slithering like a living thing.
"Well, well... Loki's running his mouth about me again," Alex Ray said with a smirk, watching through the eyes of a shadow clone embedded in Loki's shadow.
"He's lucky I'm watching out for him. If it weren't for Thor and Odin, I'd let him get gunned down like the idiot he is."
It was Alex's Shadow Legion that had silently intervened when the gangsters brought out the high-caliber firepower.
Without it, Loki would've been shredded on the spot.
Stripped of his divine strength, Loki was fragile—a mortal in a god's skin. Vulnerable to even the smallest spark of modern weaponry.
He'd escaped Hell's Kitchen, fleeing to Brooklyn. A bold but foolish move.
That area wasn't under Alex's control. It had become a breeding ground for new crime syndicates. A war zone.
Now all Alex could do was wish him luck.
With the threat neutralized, Alex turned his attention to more pressing matters.
He had collected a decent number of "friend points" from this conflict. Time to check his gains.
He opened the system panel.
The screen flickered to life.
[Inventory: Gift from the Daiki]
[Corvus Glaive's Scythe]: A weapon forged by Thanos using rare cosmic materials. Once bonded, the host gains resurrection capabilities—so long as the weapon is not destroyed and remains within a close radius.
[Monument of Life]: An artifact from Atlantis, etched with the evolutionary equation of life. Cracking the equation unlocks immense wisdom and combat prowess. Simply placing the Monument in the host's territory grants:
+1% Physical Fitness (Max +20%)
+1% Brain Development (Max +10%)
10% chance to awaken superpowers
5% enhancement to existing superpowers
Alex's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
He hadn't expected Haidong—the legendary thief of worlds—to gift him not one but two powerful items.
Still, the scythe posed a problem. Its resurrection power was useful—but only if kept nearby. Throwing it during combat risked losing the revival effect. That was likely how Corvus Glaive had fallen in the first place.
He had considered giving it to Deadpool.
The merc with a mouth was currently bouncing across dimensions with Wolverine, messing around in what seemed like the X-Men universe.
Deadpool had invited Alex along, but he'd been too busy managing Hell's Kitchen and handling multiverse threats.
The scythe paired well with Deadpool's Hidan template card, turning him into an undead executioner.
But then again… Deadpool was already effectively immortal. Adding resurrection was kind of pointless.
Alex mulled it over. No one else came to mind. Eventually, he consigned the scythe to the group chat mall—price: 1000 friend points.
The Monument of Life, though—that was a keeper.
Especially since it synergized with his long-term plans.
Hell's Kitchen needed to grow stronger. They couldn't rely solely on his power forever.
Alex needed to build a self-sustaining force capable of standing against threats like Thanos, the Celestials, and Kang.
And to do that, he needed to uplift his allies.
The Monument of Life was a step in the right direction.
Loki's presence, too, still had value.
Despite the trickster's flaws, he was still a god. And if properly reformed—or at least controlled—Loki could be an invaluable multiverse asset.
Besides, it was easier to watch him through the Shadow Legion than let him become a wild card again.
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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