Marvel : Strongest Siblings

Max didn't reply, instead rising to his feet as the Quinjet descended toward an open rooftop. "You worry too much, Tin Man."

The Quinjet hovered as its ramp lowered, allowing the team to disembark swiftly. The noise from the engines drew Loki's attention. He looked up, his grin widening at the sight of the approaching heroes.

"Ah, the mortals come to challenge me," Loki said, his voice dripping with mockery. "How quaint."

The team spread out as they approached. Cap took the lead, raising his shield defensively, while Natasha circled to find an advantageous position. Tony activated his suit, the Iron Man helmet snapping into place as he hovered above the group.

Max stayed behind the group momentarily, studying Loki's movements. "So, this is the infamous Loki," he said, his tone unimpressed. "I thought gods were supposed to be intimidating."

Loki's eyes flicked to Max, his expression shifting to one of intrigue. "And who might you be, mortal? Another pawn in this little game?"

Max chuckled, stepping forward. "Mortal? That's rich coming from you. I've seen stronger creatures crawl out of the dirt. and they were intimidating unlike you"

Loki's smirk faltered for a moment, his pride clearly wounded by the insult. "You dare insult a god?"

"I only stated the fact," Max replied flatly, his calm demeanor only enraging Loki further.

Before Loki could respond, Cap took the opportunity to throw his shield, aiming for Loki's scepter. Loki deflected it with a wave of his weapon, but the distraction allowed Natasha to close the distance, firing stun rounds to disorient him.

Loki snarled, his illusions flickering as he retaliated with a burst of energy from his scepter, forcing the team to scatter.

"Okay, so he's got some moves," Tony said, firing repulsor blasts to counter Loki's attacks. "Anyone got a plan?"

Max stepped forward, his eyes glinting with a predatory edge. "Yeah. Stay out of my way."

Before anyone could object, Max surged forward with inhuman speed, closing the gap between him and Loki in an instant. Loki barely had time to react before Max's hand shot out, grabbing the scepter and wrenching it from his grip.

Loki's eyes widened in shock. "Impossible!"

"Not for me," Max said, smirking as he held the scepter, its glow dimming in his grasp. He stepped back, casually.

"Now capture him, he is powerless saved for his Super...Alien Strength" he commanded, his gaze fixed on Loki with a cold intensity. 'Though, he himself want to be captured.' He thought amused glancing at Loki, but the amusement only lasted for a second before it was masked.

The rest of the team wasted no time. Cap surged forward, his shield raised to block any sudden retaliation. Natasha moved with precision, her combat training allowing her to swiftly restrain Loki's hands with specially designed cuffs. Tony hovered above, his repulsors ready to fire should Loki attempt any escape.

Loki, for his part, didn't resist. Instead, he chuckled softly, his sharp features twisted into an expression of grudging amusement. "You think you've won?" he taunted, his voice calm despite his predicament. "You've only delayed the inevitable."

Max ignored him, his focus shifting to the scepter. With a thought, his System activated, scanning the artifact.

[Item Appraisal: Asgardian Artifact – Chitauri Scepter]

Origin: Crafted with alien technology and imbued with a one of the Infinity Stone, the Mind Stone, an Infinity Stone capable of influencing and controlling minds. The Mind Infinity Stone can even awaken anything wisdom if used properly.

Abilities:

Mind Control: Can manipulate the thoughts and actions of others with physical contact.

Energy Projection: Emits bursts of concentrated energy.

Illusion Creation: Enhances the wielder's ability to create illusions.

Psychic Empowerment : Increases one's mental ability by 100,000% (locked). Due to low level vessel, it could now only increase mental powers by 1000%.

Magic Empowerment : The user of this Scepter has his magic imbued with cosmic energy, increasing all of his magic spells by vast degree.

Weaknesses: The scepter's power is diminished without the full strength of the Mind Stone. It is susceptible to destruction by higher-level cosmic forces.

The technology used to create it can't harness the full power of the Mind Stone. ]

Max's eyes narrowed as he processed the information. "It's weaker than I thought," he muttered, storing the scepter away discreetly while the others cuffed Loki properly.

"Where did the scepter go?" Captain America asked suddenly, noticing its absence.

"That… I'm wondering too," Max replied, feigning innocence as he glanced around, his gaze lingering briefly on Loki.

"Loki, with powers of illusion and Asgardian magic," Max said as he approached the restrained god, "was that your trick?" He locked eyes with Loki, deliberately steering suspicion away from himself.

"Max, this isn't the time for games," Captain said firmly, his voice edged with authority.

Max shrugged, raising his hands nonchalantly. "I use dark and death magic. Space magic isn't really my thing, and neither are illusions," he said. To prove his point, he snapped his fingers, summoning a shadowy figure.

The creature stood tall, cloaked in darkness with a severed head in one hand. Its glowing eyes pierced through the gloom as it bowed slightly to Max.

"This is a Dullahan," Max explained. "You might've read about it in fantasy books. As you can see, I can only use darkness and death magic."

Captain nodded, recalling their earlier encounter and the abilities Max had displayed. There was no evidence he could perform illusions or manipulate space.

"Holy crap, you're a magic kid?" Tony exclaimed, his surprise genuine.

Max nodded with a smirk.

"Hey! I've got an idea. How about you help me build an Iron Suit infused with magic? I'll make one for you too!" Tony said excitedly, already envisioning the possibilities.

Max considered the offer and gave a small nod. "Okay."

Tony grinned and gave a thumbs up. "That's the spirit!"

Captain frowned slightly but kept his thoughts to himself. Natasha nudged him gently and whispered, "We can't afford any infighting right now."

Captain sighed and nodded, deciding to confront Max later about the scepter.

Meanwhile, Loki's gaze lingered on Max, his lips curling into a sly smile. He had clearly sensed the faint energy fluctuation when the scepter disappeared. Loki knew the truth—it was Max who had hidden the scepter. But for now, he remained silent, amused by the game unfolding before him.

***

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