"The strongest on Earth? Is he really that strong?"
Steve Rogers fell silent at Thor's words.
The title "the strongest on Earth" stirred something uneasy within him.
Before he had been frozen, Steve was one of the greatest soldiers alive—perhaps even the strongest man of his time.
But after awakening in this new world, he'd realized how much the world had changed—and how far he'd fallen behind.
"I believe it," Tony said thoughtfully.
"Kurogai is the real deal.
I've only seen him fight a few times, but every battle ended the same way—he won easily, like it took no effort at all."
Stark leaned back, recalling his encounters with the mysterious man.
"I've traded with him before.
During one of those deals, I saw him in action.
The sheer destructive power he displayed stuck with me.
Honestly, seeing him fight was part of what inspired me to build the Iron Man suit in the first place."
Bruce Banner, who had been quiet until now, spoke softly,
"Kurogai is indeed powerful.
Even the Hulk agrees."
It wasn't just Bruce's words—it was the shared thought between him and the creature inside him.
Out of all the Avengers, Banner understood Kurogai's strength best.
He'd seen it firsthand.
It was the kind of power that made even the Hulk hesitate to emerge.
Steve's expression hardened.
"Thor, can I ask something?
Between you and Kurogai… who's stronger?"
He knew what Thor was capable of—he'd seen it during the battle against Loki's invasion.
Thor's command of lightning, his godly might, even the Hulk couldn't easily overpower him.
In Steve's eyes, Thor was among the absolute elite.
That only made him more curious about how Kurogai compared.
Thor's lips curved into a wry smile.
"I fought Kurogai once.
I lost.
Completely—and without surprise."
"When I first came to Earth," Thor continued,
"I challenged him.
We traded blows for a while before I went down, but truthfully... I could tell he wasn't even trying.
It felt like he was holding back—most of his strength untouched.
My defeat was inevitable."
And Thor was right.
Back then, Kurogai hadn't been fighting seriously.
He had only been testing the power of the Power Stone.
If he'd used even a fraction more strength, Thor wouldn't have lasted nearly as long.
The silence among the Avengers deepened.
They all knew how powerful the Hulk was, and the thought that even he acknowledged Kurogai's strength—it was hard to believe.
"Alright," Nick Fury finally said, breaking the tension.
"Let's not get sidetracked.
Thor, this 'Supreme Mage' you mentioned—who exactly is that?"
Fury rubbed his temple, feeling the weight of everything he'd learned in recent days.
Gods, aliens, and now wizards?
The world had become far stranger than he'd ever imagined.
Thor turned toward him.
"You don't know?
The mages are Earth's hidden guardians.
They've protected this planet for centuries, defending it against threats from darker dimensions.
The Supreme Mage is the greatest among them.
They're truly worthy of admiration."
Fury frowned slightly, absorbing the information.
"Hidden mages guarding the Earth… great.
What's next, dragons?"
Steve let out a dry laugh.
"Feels like I've been gone a century too long."
The others looked equally unsettled.
The world had become far more complicated—and dangerous—than any of them could have imagined.
Yet amidst all that, one man, Kurogai Alexander Blackwood, had somehow become a force even gods acknowledged.
"Enough," Fury said, snapping everyone's attention back to the task at hand.
"Right now, our top priority is Loki.
We find him, stop him, and crush whatever plan he's got before it's too late.
Stark, I need you to track him down using every network you've got."
"Already on it," Tony replied, tapping on his holographic interface.
"I'll run a full-spectrum trace across the net and cross-reference S.H.I.E.L.D.'s satellite data."
"I'll go help the injured soldiers," Steve added, heading toward the exit.
"I'll handle the cleanup," Banner said quietly.
One by one, the Avengers split off, each determined to do their part.
They all carried the same silent resolve—to rise to the level of the threats that surrounded them.
But while they focused on Loki, none of them knew he was already one step ahead.
At that very moment, Loki and his mind-controlled allies—including Hawkeye—had arrived at Stark Tower.
He was ready to construct the portal that would summon the Chitauri army.
What Loki didn't know, however, was that someone was already waiting for him inside Stark Tower.