The first ninja said nothing, his eyes hollow, as he continued to swing his blade.
Loki stood to the side, a faint smile on his lips.
The fourth ninja grit his teeth, bypassed his controlled companion, and lunged at Loki.
Loki raised his hand, and a green light flashed.
The ninja suddenly found himself unable to move; he remained in his blade-swinging posture, frozen in place like a statue.
Loki walked up to him and tilted his head to look.
"Not a bad pose," he said.
Then he gave a gentle push.
The ninja fell straight down, crashing onto the ground.
The last two ninjas leaped high, Kunai in hand, stabbing toward Loki from both the left and right.
Loki stood motionless as if he hadn't noticed at all.
The ninjas, thinking they had succeeded, didn't even have time to feel joy before they realized in shock that they had passed right through Loki's body without resistance.
With a 'thud', the two collided, and the Kunai in their hands pierced into each other's bodies.
Loki's body slowly distorted and dissipated, like a reflection in a mirror or the moon in water.
Both ninjas saw the shock in each other's eyes before collapsing to the ground.
Loki turned to look at the last one—the controlled ninja had regained consciousness and was staring at him in terror.
"Who... who exactly are you?"
Loki thought for a moment.
"Loki," he uttered softly.
Then he raised his hand, and a dagger accurately struck the ninja's forehead.
From beginning to end, Mavuika stood in place, barely having moved.
The street fell silent.
Six ninjas, all lying on the ground.
Some were unconscious, some were still groaning, and some stared with wide, terrified eyes at the three people standing in the moonlight.
The Purple Man was still slumped in the corner of the street, trembling all over, muttering, "Monsters... you are monsters..."
Thor clapped his hands and walked over to Mavuika's side.
"Too weak," he said, a hint of disappointment in his tone. "I thought I could fight for a while."
Loki walked over and adjusted his collar, which had been ruffled by the wind.
"Just mortals," he said. "Don't expect too much."
Mavuika looked at the ninjas scattered across the ground and sighed softly.
"Let's go," she said. "Someone will come to clean this up."
Thor felt like he hadn't had enough.
"Just like that? What about the one in purple?"
Loki glanced back at the street corner.
The Purple Man was crawling on the ground, trying to get away.
"Him?" Loki smiled. "He shouldn't have a future."
Loki gave him a look, and invisible magic was activated.
In the instant before the Purple Man could react, his mind felt as if it had been struck by a heavy blow.
His whole body shuddered, and the light in his eyes quickly dimmed.
His body went limp, his eyes vacant, his mouth slightly agape, looking completely catatonic.
Only then did the black-haired woman, who had been controlled by the Purple Man, slowly come to her senses.
"This is..."
She held her head, looking pained.
Mavuika stepped forward, patted her shoulder, and asked softly.
"Are you all right? Do you remember who you are?"
The woman, face full of pain, said slowly.
"I am... Jessica... I... I was by that guy..."
Unbearable memories surfaced, bringing her to the brink of collapse.
Mavuika comforted her softly.
"Alright, it's all over now. It's in the past..."
Mavuika supported her arm and led her back into the Villa.
Loki and Thor exchanged a glance and also turned to walk into the Villa.
Behind them were the wounded and the sounds of groaning all over the ground.
...
Fisk Tower, top floor.
Kingpin looked at the report in front of him, his face terrifyingly grim.
Twelve elite ninjas of The Hand—wiped out.
The Purple Man—mentally broken, currently in the hospital, so catatonic he can't even speak.
And those three—reportedly unscathed.
Unscathed!
Bullseye stood to the side, his expression also solemn.
"Boss, these three... are indeed not simple."
Kingpin remained silent.
He stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked at the night view of Manhattan.
Kingpin closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Call everyone back," he said. "We will plan this carefully from now on."
Bullseye was somewhat surprised.
"Boss, we're just letting it go?"
Kingpin looked back at him.
In those eyes was something Bullseye had never seen before.
"Did you not hear me?" Kingpin's voice was low and suppressed. "I said, we will plan this carefully."
Bullseye lowered his head.
"Understood."
He turned and left.
Only Kingpin was left in the office.
He stood by the window, looking at the dazzling city outside, and remained silent for a long time.
Then he picked up the phone.
"Mr. Murakami..."
Kyoto, Japan.
After hearing the report from his subordinate, Murakami's face was so grim it looked like it could drip water.
Twelve elite ninjas, wiped out.
Murakami's hand clenched tightly into a fist.
"Those three..." He grit his teeth. "Who on earth are they?"
The subordinate kneeling before him kept his head down, not daring to speak.
Murakami took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"What did Kingpin say?"
The subordinate said cautiously, "Mr. Kingpin said... to plan carefully. He recalled everyone."
Murakami sneered.
"Plan carefully? He's been scared out of his wits."
He stood up, walked to the wall, and looked at the ancient ukiyo-e painting.
"That woman..." he muttered. "I feel like I've heard of her somewhere."
...
Meanwhile, in the Base far away in Washington, Coulson was staring at the surveillance footage in front of him.
They didn't dare get too close, fearing that Mavuika would discover them and cause a misunderstanding.
They could only monitor the situation from a distance using satellites.
On the screen was the entire process of the battle just now—from the appearance of the Purple Man, to the elimination of the ninjas, to the three of them returning to the Villa.
Coulson's expression was complex.
The Agent beside him whispered, "Officer, these three... they're just too strong."
Coulson nodded.
"Yeah."
The Agent continued to ask, "Who exactly are they?"
Coulson glanced at him.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask."
The Agent immediately shut up.
Coulson took out his phone and dialed Fury's number.
"Director."
Fury's voice came through.
"Did you see it?"
"I saw it," Coulson said. "Twelve elite members of The Hand, wiped out. The Purple Man has had a mental breakdown. The three targets are unscathed."
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line.
Then Fury asked, "Did Mavuika make a move?"
Coulson thought for a moment.
"...No."
Fury chuckled softly.
"What about Kingpin's side?"
Coulson pulled up another piece of intelligence.
"All his men have withdrawn; he must have been spooked."
Fury nodded with satisfaction.
"Very good."
Coulson asked, "Director, what's next?"
Fury gave the order without hesitation.
"Have Natasha and Clint lead a team to find Kingpin. We have an excuse to deal with him now."
"At the same time, get ready to go with me to Mavuika's Villa. We're going to personally visit and apologize..."
Coulson: "Understood."
The call ended.
Coulson looked at the Villa in the surveillance footage and sighed softly.
"These three are truly more troublesome than the last."