The Thunderbird swooped low once more, talons outstretched, but caught nothing but air.
Banner, wand in hand, frowned in confusion. Loki's duplicates fought fiercely below, but Banner had noticed something strange. Each "Loki" passed through the magical creatures without leaving a mark. They weren't real.
"Everyone scatter!" Banner called out, his voice sharp with caution.
The Phoenix and Thunderbird responded, ascending to circle at his side. Banner leaned forward against the Hippogriff, scanning the arena below. Every Loki looked real, but all of them were phantoms.
"How are they all fake? Where's the real one?" he muttered. "Or… is this part of his plan?"
Raising his wand, Banner flicked his wrist, recalling spells from long-ago lessons.
"Expelliarmus! Hominem Revelio! Aparecium!"
Scarlet light streaked across the field. The spells rippled over the swarm of Lokis, disrupting their forms. Each flickered for a heartbeat before solidifying again.
Not enough to break the illusion. But enough to confirm it.
"All of them… illusions?" Banner whispered, tightening his jaw. "Then where's the real one?"
His engineer's mind raced. Loki's sorcery wasn't simple trickery—it was a complete misdirection of the senses. If the illusions were here, then the god himself could be anywhere. Invisible. Hiding. Watching.
"Either he's underground, outside the arena… or—"
A mocking voice cut him off.
"That's right. He's in the sky, to your left."
Banner's eyes snapped wide. He turned—just in time to see Loki appear astride the Thunderbird.
The creature shrieked in protest, thrashing and twisting, only realizing now there was an intruder on its back. Loki, however, leapt free before it could throw him off, dagger gleaming in his grip.
"As I said," Loki snarled, eyes burning with venom, "you will pay the price!"
In a single bound, he closed the distance between Thunderbird and Hippogriff. His speed was inhuman, a blur across the gap.
Banner's instincts screamed. He barely had time to shout a spell.
"Expelliarmus!"
The dagger in Loki's left hand was ripped away—but the other plunged forward.
"Don't!" Banner cried, desperation in his voice. "If you do this, you'll let him out!"
His words weren't just fear—they were warning. Pleading. But to Loki, the sound of a mortal begging only stoked his triumph.
The god's sneer widened as his blade struck.
Pfft!
Blood blossomed across Banner's chest. Loki crouched before him, dagger buried deep, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.
"Mortals are always mortals," he mocked, twisting the blade free. "It's over, Midgardian."
He slammed a hand against Banner's shoulder, driving the second strike into his chest with cruel precision.
Pfft!
Another burst of blood. Another cruel smile. To Loki, the humiliation he had suffered moments ago washed away with every drop. The sound of blood hitting the ground filled his ears like sweet music.
He threw his head back and laughed, already imagining the roar of Asgardian cheers.
"Cheer for me, people of Asgard! I am the victor!"
Banner's lips moved weakly. "No… no…" His hands trembled, reaching for Loki, but lacked the strength to grasp or push him away.
The weakness only made Loki laugh harder.
"Still struggling? Still defying me? Foolish mortal…"
But his words faltered.
Thump.
A heartbeat. Deep. Resonant.
Thump-thump.
It thundered within Banner's chest, heavy as glaciers breaking apart.
The audience cheered at the same moment, their voices echoing the prince's apparent victory.
"Loki! Loki!"
Yet the heartbeat did not fade. It grew louder, heavier, like war drums hidden beneath the earth.
The magical creatures froze. Every one of them.
The Fire Dragon and Graphorn shared a look, then bolted for the enchanted suitcase. The Niffler dropped its stolen crown and shot into the case like lightning. The goblins' giggles turned to panicked squeals as they tumbled inside. The Nundu, the Erumpent, the Phoenix—all fled. Even the Hippogriff beneath Loki and Banner bucked them off before retreating into the suitcase, snapping the lock shut behind it.
All gone. In seconds.
Loki tumbled from the Hippogriff, still grinning, still savoring his supposed triumph. But as he hit the ground, his smile faltered.
He looked up and saw Banner's body shifting. Green lines pulsed beneath his skin, spreading like fire through dry grass. His frame swelled, growing with terrifying speed.
Loki's eyes narrowed.
"Does this mortal… still have another trick?"
He braced, rolling to his feet as Banner's body continued to transform.
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