Chapter 678: Daddy Rumble (2)
Helen's flying tackle was as powerful as a compact missile, one capable of breaking through magical defenses, a veritable enchantment missile. Loki found himself smashed against the wall, the durable materials of Stark Tower cracking in the moment of impact.
Coughing and clutching his chest, Loki stumbled to his knees after landing. Struggling to his feet, he lifted Helen into his arms, gasping, "Cough...cough... I'm not your mother..."
Helen reached out her arms, making a gesture for a hug, and exclaimed, "Daddy!"
"I'm not your dad either!" Loki retorted, somewhat exasperated.
At that moment, Strange stepped forward and patted Loki on the shoulder. He glanced at Helen's face, then Loki's, and back at Helen, shaking his head and clicking his tongue before walking away.
Loki took a deep breath, observing Helen's face, which bore an 80% resemblance to his own. He tried to put her down, but she surged into his embrace like an octopus, refusing to let go.
"Let go of me. I am not... Release me now! This is unseemly!" Loki tried to pull her off, but Helen was no ordinary human girl; her strength was terrifying.
Relying on his divine status, Loki held back slightly as he grabbed her arm. However, he felt as if he had hit a wall of bronze and iron. That plump little arm seemed welded to Loki, unyielding in his grasp.
Grinding his teeth, Loki increased his effort, yet Helen showed no reaction, her bright, sparkling eyes fixed on him. Finding one hand ineffective, Loki used both to capture Helen's shoulders, intending to pry her off. He exerted a slight force and nearly toppled over himself.
Refusing to give in, Loki employed his full strength to dislodge Helen, only to discover that he couldn't. It wasn't a matter of him not being Asgardian or naturally frail; Helen's strength was simply overwhelming.In resignation, Loki dropped his arms, looking at Helen, who clung to him, and demanded, "What exactly do you want? Hurry up and get down. What's the point of hanging onto me? You..."
Before he could finish, an enraged roar reverberated across the skies, "Helen Stark! How dare you..."
In a moment, Stark appeared in the center of the laboratory. Seeing so many people nearby, he paused slightly, his gaze then falling upon Loki.
Before Stark could say anything, Helen scrambled up Loki, climbing until she reached his shoulders, hugged his neck, and shouted, "I didn't do anything! I just evolved once; you can't hit me!"
Enraged, Stark clenched his fist. He was aware of Helen's ascension to godhood, and his desire to discipline her was sincere, without any restraint.
However, Loki, unaware of the full picture and assuming Helen was just a little girl, retreated quickly at the sight of Stark's full-force punch. He shouted:
"Tony Stark! Have you lost your mind?! She's your daughter!!!"
"Put her down! I must discipline this lawless little rascal today!" Stark bellowed.
From his multi-dimensional space standpoint, Stark had witnessed Helen siphoning electricity, absorbing it into her body, and transforming her life form.
Like most fathers, Stark dreamed of having a sweet, adorable little princess. Daughters are said to be comforting like a quilt, but sometimes, they let in the cold.
Helen's misbehaviors were extreme, akin to a tattered quilt. In her brief life, she had bypassed the lovable infant stage, entering the troublesome toddler phase despised by all.
Moreover, born from the self-destruction day, evolving to adapt was her instinct. After obtaining ample energy, she would naturally choose a distinctive evolutionary path.
While the demon gods form had its drawbacks, it was far superior to human frailties. Moreover, the evolution from destruction day was limitless. Given enough time, she could evolve to perfection, a truly flawless being.
In Helen's view, this was a natural instinct. But from Stark's perspective, this audacious child, daring to steal electricity so soon after birth, was unthinkable.
No father would allow his daughter to take such risks, especially unrepentantly. Seeing Stark approach, she immediately fled, turning her head to escape.
Now, Helen clung to Loki, who was completely at a loss, instinctively dodging Stark's aggressive moves, while Peter was behind them, explaining the whole situation to the others.
After hearing about Helen and Pikachu's antics, Schiller shook his head in apparent dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, it was hard to articulate the drama involving their ethical relationships, which had escalated to an intense phase.
Loki wasn't known for his patience, especially not for taking hits without retaliating. Once he fought back, Stark grew even angrier.
If one had to explain, it resembled a scene where children had caused trouble, and while one set of parents caught them red-handed, the other fiercely protected their own. Initially, the side that discovered the mischief wasn't overly angry and would have let go after some scolding. But the moment the other side intervened protectively, it flared up the situation.
Stark and Loki were in precisely this state. Eventually, their skirmish became serious. However, Stark, with his abundant magic energy reserves, was formidable in combat, possessing the peak combat power of individual space even without ascending to the realms above.
In contrast, Loki in his regular form had a tough time handling Stark in this condition. Consequently, he had no choice but to ignite his aura, descending in the radiant form of a goddess. Of course, during this transformation, Helen was still clinging to him.
But the arrival of the radiant goddess alarmed someone else - Thor, who was in Asgard attending to official duties.
Thor, the God of Light, also had the peak strength of individual space. Therefore, he could sense the strong power that descended in this space, feeling Lady Loki's presence, which led him to frown slightly in confusion.
Given Loki's power, there was no need to ignite his aura unless in danger. Conversely, if he had done so, it indicated that he might be in trouble.
Thinking of this, Thor anxiously grabbed his spear and hurried to the battlefield between Lady Loki and Stark.
He arrived at a very opportune moment. At this time, Strange was in mid-air, trying to mediate. He advised earnestly, "Tony, I understand you're angry. Children make mistakes, and they should be corrected, but you can't resort to fighting with Lady Loki. This won't solve any problems..."
"Lady Loki, you need to understand Tony too. Discipline during childhood is crucial and cannot be neglected. He might have acted impulsively, but it's for Helen's good..."
Hearing this, Thor instantly pieced together the situation. It seemed Helen had made a minor mistake, Stark wanted to discipline her, and Lady Loki was protecting her, leading to the fight.
In Asgard, educating children often meant physical reprimands. Thor himself had received his fair share of hits from Odin, with Frigga rarely intervening. However, seeing it from the perspective of a child's maternal relatives, Thor was somewhat displeased with Stark's actions.
Even if it was for disciplining a child, surely one shouldn't get physical with the child's mother. Look at the situation: Lady Loki was holding Helen in one arm while fending off Stark's attacks with the other. Wasn't this a blatant scene of domestic conflict?
At this moment, Helen saw Thor and "whooshed" over to him, clinging onto him like an octopus.
Thor looked down to see Helen's sparkling eyes.
Although Thor was often hot-tempered, he was fundamentally a compassionate individual, especially patient with the vulnerable. This was true even with an almost grown-up Peter, let alone young Helen.
He raised his spear and yelled, "Tony! Stop! You can't be aggressive towards Helen. It will have adverse effects on her..."
Seeing the conflict between the three, Strange stepped back, retreating to the skies above New York, where Schiller was already waiting. They returned to Stark Tower's lab, then headed to the S.H.I.E.L.D. office with Peter and Pikachu.
"Well, the first phase of the plan is a bust. Stealing electricity is definitely off the table now. Besides, this way of siphoning power is too slow. During my fight with Grey Mist and Venom, I sensed their energy reserves, and honestly... it's not much..." Schiller said, more in frustration than in resignation.
"So, why did you have me involve Thor in this battle?" Strange asked.
"That's phase two of the plan."
After Schiller finished, the three gathered close again. Meanwhile, Peter, standing to the side, shivered. He touched Pikachu in his pocket and said:
"My instincts tell me someone is about to be very unlucky."
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