Before Purple Man could react, Loki had already appeared in front of him.
That young, handsome face was inches away, a playful glint shimmering in his emerald green eyes.
"mortals," Loki said softly, "you dare to show off such petty little tricks?"
Purple Man took a step back and flusteredly commanded the black-haired young woman behind him to step forward.
The woman threw a punch at Loki. Loki hadn't intended to dodge, but the sharp wind generated by the punch made him suddenly realize something was wrong.
Acting on instinct, Loki took two steps back, barely managing to dodge the punch.
The woman didn't stop, immediately following up with a high kick aimed straight down at Loki's head.
Seeing Loki sidestep and dodge again, Thor couldn't help but mock him.
"Hey, hey, are you afraid to take a punch or kick from a mortal girl?"
But soon, Thor was silenced.
The woman's foot missed and slammed into the ground with a thunderous boom.
The pavement shattered as she literally stomped a meter-wide crater into the ground.
"Uh..." Thor was stunned.
Loki glanced at him but said nothing.
However, Thor could feel the mockery in that look.
His face immediately flushed red.
After dodging two moves in a row, Loki quickly released magic to shield against Purple Man's control.
The woman instantly froze in place.
Perhaps because she had been controlled for too long, she didn't recover immediately.
Instead, she stood there dazed like a wooden puppet, like a robot that had lost its signal.
During this time, Purple Man was already preparing to flee.
The moment Loki was able to break his control, alarm bells rang in Purple Man's mind.
Sending the woman forward was merely to stall Loki; he had already turned and started running away.
While it was a pity to lose such a good puppet, it was nothing compared to his own life.
But his physical fitness was only that of an ordinary person, after all; trying to escape from Loki's trio was simply unrealistic.
Before Purple Man could even run ten meters, Loki's figure appeared before him like a ghost, blocking his path.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Loki said with a beaming smile.
Purple Man's expression shifted. He looked back, only to find to his astonishment that there was another Loki still standing in the original spot.
He turned his head back and forth in disbelief, realizing he wasn't mistaken and wasn't hallucinating.
There really were two Lokis!
One stood in place without having moved at all, while the other had abruptly appeared to block his path.
Loki was quite pleased, admiring Purple Man's expression as if he'd seen a ghost.
He didn't rush to speak, simply enjoying the sight of Purple Man's panic-stricken display.
"Who... who are you?" Purple Man's voice trembled.
Loki didn't answer, only asking: "Who sent you?"
Purple Man gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Loki sighed.
"I don't have much patience," he said. "Especially for people who use such low-life methods."
His finger twitched slightly.
Purple Man suddenly felt intense pain—not physical, but mental.
It felt as if countless needles were stabbing his brain. The agony was indescribable, making him nearly faint.
He began to scream.
The sound was so shrill that pedestrians at the corner quickened their pace.
Loki stopped the torture and looked at him.
"Now, are you willing to talk?"
Purple Man slumped to the ground, trembling all over and gasping for air.
"King... Kingpin..." he said haltingly, "Kingpin sent me..."
Loki nodded.
"And?"
Purple Man hesitated for a second.
Loki's finger moved again.
Purple Man immediately blurted out, "And The Hand! Ninjas from The Hand! They should be lying in ambush nearby!"
No sooner had he spoken—
Several shuriken flew out of the darkness.
Their target was Marvica Odinson.
Marvica didn't even turn around for this sudden attack.
The shuriken suddenly stopped half a meter behind her, suspended in mid-air as if blocked by an invisible barrier.
Then, gold-red flames ignited.
The shuriken instantly turned into molten iron, dripping to the ground with a sizzling sound.
A soft exclamation of surprise came from the darkness.
Twelve dark figures emerged from the shadows.
Dressed in black with black masks, holding ninjato or kunai—the elite ninjas of The Hand.
They stood in the middle of the street, staring at the red-haired woman and the golden sparks that hadn't yet fully dissipated around her, all of them stunned.
What kind of ability was this?
Marvica finally turned around and looked at them.
Her eyes were very calm—frighteningly calm.
"Were you sent by Kingpin too?"
The leading ninja did not answer.
He waved his hand.
The twelve people vanished into the darkness simultaneously—The Hand's stealth technique.
Thor frowned.
"Where did they go?"
Loki chuckled softly.
"Paltry tricks."
He raised his hand, and a green magical light Swirled out.
The next moment, six ninjas revealed themselves at the same time—their stealth had been dispelled.
They were all dumbfounded.
This was something that had never happened before.
The Hand's stealth technique had been passed down for over a thousand years and had never been broken.
Even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most advanced detection equipment couldn't find their traces.
And now, this black-haired man had just waved his hand—
And their stealth was gone?
But they didn't have time to think.
The leading ninja gritted his teeth and issued the command to attack.
Twelve people lunged at the trio simultaneously.
Thor grinned.
Finally, it's my turn.
He strode forward to meet the first charging ninja.
The ninja's blade lunged toward his abdomen—fast and ruthless, with a tricky angle.
Thor didn't dodge or evade.
He reached out and precisely grabbed the opponent's wrist.
The ninja's eyes widened.
Before he could react, Thor slammed a fist into his chest.
The ninja was sent flying a dozen meters as if hit by a truck, crashing into a wall and sliding down, motionless.
The other ninjas were stunned for a moment.
But they were well-trained elites after all, and they quickly adjusted.
Five lunged at Thor, while six lunged at Loki and Marvica Odinson.
The two ninjas attacking Thor changed their strategy—no longer stabbing with blades, but attacking his eyes and joints.
But Thor's reactions were too fast.
He grabbed one ninja's wrist and gave it a light twist.
Crack.
The ninja's hand bent at a grotesque angle, and the ninjato fell to the ground.
He screamed and was kicked away by Thor.
Another ninja's kunai stabbed toward Thor's eye.
Thor tilted his head to dodge and slapped the man's shoulder with his backhand.
The ninja was sent flying sideways as if struck by a sledgehammer, rolling on the ground several times, unable to get back up.
In less than thirty seconds, all five ninjas were down.
On the other side, Loki was playing a game with his six opponents.
He stood in front of Marvica Odinson; clearly, Loki felt that this kind of rabble wasn't worth his sister's time.
The first ninja rushed in front of him and thrust his ninjato.
Loki sidestepped, the blade's tip grazing past his clothes.
Then he raised his hand and lightly tapped the ninja's forehead.
The ninja froze.
Then he turned around and stabbed his companion beside him.
The second ninja was caught off guard, stabbed in the shoulder, and retreated with a scream.
"What are you doing?!" the third ninja shouted.