Chapter 1114: Loki’s Power
“Boom!” After a muffled sound, a figure plummeted from the single-person flying craft in mid-air. It wasn’t Loki but the agile operative who had unleashed a whip kick earlier.
It remained uncertain what had transpired in that split second, but the formidable operative, now incapacitated, fell from his own craft. Meanwhile, Loki coldly seized the opportunity and commandeered the operative’s flying craft.
Swish!
The agile operative, who had fallen tens of meters after being attacked by Loki, was swiftly flown over by two other operatives piloting single-person crafts. One of them managed to retrieve him and secure him behind their craft. After a quick assessment, the rescuing operative let out a sigh of relief; the fallen operative was still alive.
Subsequently, apart from the rescuer, other operatives, along with the surrounding Iron Man suits, all converged on Loki’s location. Given that their collective firepower hadn’t been effective, they now sought to exploit any weaknesses they could find during the battle.
Bang, Bang, Bang!
Next, Loki found himself caught in a joint assault by Tony’s Iron Man fleet and the SHIELD operatives. Despite Loki’s considerable strength, he faced a barrage of attacks from the Iron Man suits and operatives, intermittently struck by various forms of firepower.
His Asgardian noble aura rapidly dissipated. Yet, even though bullets and energy beams assailed Loki continually, he seemed merely disheveled, having suffered no discernible damage.
As Thor had indicated, being a hybrid of Asgardian and Jotunheim blood, Loki possessed remarkable inherent abilities. His physical strength alone made him impervious to ordinary firepower.
Thus, even though Loki might currently be suppressed, it wasn’t a significant issue, as he was more than capable of enduring the onslaught. Moreover, Loki was an adept opportunist, leveraging any advantageous conditions to his benefit.
So, after being subdued for almost a minute, Loki suddenly surged to a higher position and hurled his staff upwards. Instantly, from the staff’s trajectory, a cluster of dark clouds materialized, akin to what Thor and Lin Rui had summoned during their battle. However, Loki’s cloud-summoning was magical in nature, contrasting with Thor’s.
Rumble, Rumble, Rumble!
The instantly forming dark clouds swiftly shrouded Loki, the Iron Man suits, and the operatives. Thunderous roars emanated from within.
Suspended beneath the cloudy mass, Loki raised his right hand, which had thrown the staff, and his eyes glowed with piercing blue light. As the thunder above grew louder, Loki suddenly swung his raised right hand downward.
Boom! Crackling!
In response to Loki’s gesture, the previously brewing thunder within the dark clouds instantly crashed downward, indiscriminately striking the Iron Man suits and operatives below. In addition to his remarkable Druid Magic, Loki also possessed this form of large area attack through thunder magic.
Due to Loki’s unforeseen attack, the rapid formation of the cloud cover was unexpected. When the thunder struck down, not even J.A.R.V.I.S.’s swift response could prevent all the Iron Man suits from evading.
The same applied to the operatives; despite the assistance of the SHIELD headquarters’ Maya intelligence system, they couldn’t entirely dodge the swift and expansive attack.
Thunk! Bang, Bang, Bang!
Crackle!
Consequently, when Loki’s thunderous attack concluded, only a few figures remained aloft. Apart from Loki, three Iron Man suits remained functional, while astonishingly, only one agile operative was still standing.
As for the Iron Man suits and operatives struck by the thunder, only Tony and SHIELD knew their exact fates.
“Number Thirteen! Fall back! This isn’t an enemy you can handle!” Just as the resilient operative, who had survived Loki’s thunderous attack, fixed his gaze on Loki ahead while standing atop his single-person craft, Captain Rogers’ voice suddenly rang through his earpiece.
“But… what about my teammates!” Upon hearing Captain America’s command, Number Thirteen blinked, clutching a laser gun in his trembling hands as he replied.
Against Loki’s thunderous assault, even these physically enhanced operatives wouldn’t have been able to withstand it. Despite their rigorous training, and while they dutifully followed orders from their superiors, witnessing so many comrades fall, even the exceptional Number Thirteen couldn’t suppress his emotions entirely.
“Retreat first! Others are only injured, not lost!” After hearing Number Thirteen’s response, Captain Rogers quickly understood and relayed his orders.
“Understood!” With Captain Rogers’ affirmation, Number Thirteen voiced no further doubt.
Swish!
“J.A.R.V.I.S., how are things? If necessary, let’s activate the lifeform energy. We can’t just back down in the middle of this fight! Jackson’s not done venting yet!” As Number Thirteen retreated, Tony floated at the battlefield’s edge, communicating with J.A.R.V.I.S.
“The power system is heavily damaged, but the main structures are relatively intact. If the lifeform energy is activated, each Iron Man suit can still maintain over sixty percent of its combat capability.” Following Tony’s inquiry, J.A.R.V.I.S. swiftly responded.
Although the newly upgraded Iron Man suits weren’t complete semi-lifeform mechanical armors like the one Tony wore, they were still equipped with lifeform energy. Consequently, when Loki’s thunderous assault damaged the power systems of the Iron Man suits, the initially dormant lifeform energy systems remained intact.
“Are we revealing the Iron Man suits’ possession of lifeform energy systems now?…” Upon hearing J.A.R.V.I.S.’s response, Tony hesitated.
Although one shouldn’t hide things in the face of a formidable adversary, Tony always wanted to keep some cards up his sleeve for surprises. He had already revealed the colossal Iron Man armor today; if he also exposed the lifeform energy system, Tony felt it would be a bit of a letdown. At the very least, it would diminish the element of surprise in the future.
“Sir, Captain Rogers has already deployed the Avengers.” As Tony wrestled with his thoughts, J.A.R.V.I.S. interjected with a reminder.
“Oh? Is that so? Well, then let’s activate the lifeform energy system. We can’t just halt in the middle of this. Jackson hasn’t gotten his fill yet!” Prompted by J.A.R.V.I.S.’s reminder, Tony’s tone suddenly shifted.
“Understood, sir.”
……
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