Thor wanted to ask more questions, but after his experience of being exiled, he decided against it.
He didn't want to risk further consequences. Loki, on the other hand, didn't even dare to think about the situation, much less ask about it.
He just wanted to forget what had happened.
Seeing their hesitation, Odin felt a wave of relief.
He knew that compared to the TVA, which had truths that could be far worse than what Thor could imagine, what he had in mind was more manageable.
Odin couldn't reveal the real secret of Ragnarok; it would be catastrophic, possibly leading to complete annihilation!
Ragnarok wasn't just a random event; there were forces lurking in the shadows of Asgard that had plans.
If Odin hadn't been hanging upside down on the Yggdrasill, seeing visions in a state between dream and reality, he wouldn't have believed that Ragnarok was orchestrated.
The whole purpose of Ragnarok was to harvest the divine power from Asgard, treating it like a non-sentient source.
But even with all this knowledge, Odin dared not say a word. The divine power those ancient shadow gods possessed was vast, almost as expansive as the universe itself, leaving him no hope for victory. It was a burden he chose to carry alone.
Meanwhile, the scene in the TVA screen was unfolding. Loki was talking passionately, trying to convince Mobius.
"No! I refuse! You think I don't know what you're planning?" Mobius responded firmly.
Loki feigned innocence: "You're accusing me unfairly! I never stab people in the back!"
Off-screen, Thor hugged his waist and couldn't help but complain: "You're not very convincing, Loki. I've been stabbed by you at least fifty times."
Loki retorted with a straight face, "But you're not a human; you're Asgardian."
Thor just rolled his eyes.
Meanwhile, on Earth, a balding man with a receding hairline was drinking jasmine tea and rubbing his lower back. He remembered seeing Loki popping out of his back in a Tony Stark video, giving him a fright with the Mind Stone.
The fluidity of Loki's movements suggested he had done it countless times.
Back in the TVA scene, Loki continued his persuasion until he finally convinced Mobius.
To test if their theory about how the end of the world could cover any time anomalies was accurate, they decided to travel to 79 AD, a few minutes before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii.
Loki's theory turned out to be correct. In apocalyptic scenarios where there are no survivors, it's easier for time criminals to hide.
Following the clues, they determined that the criminal was hiding in the hurricane apocalypse in Alabama in 2050.
The operation was set in motion, and this time Mobius was accompanied by the seasoned Black officer along with a squad of time guards.
Everyone used the time gate to reach their destination, and the officer insisted on guarding Loki herself. Mobius agreed, as the search required them to split up, and the officer believed she could keep a better watch on Loki.
Yet, in less than two minutes, she fell victim to the chaos of time, lost her composure, and was manipulated.
"That's all it took?"
In the DC universe, Green Lantern Wade couldn't help but wear a puzzled expression. He'd anticipated that this stern officer would be formidable, but it seemed like she was all bark and no bite.
It looked like someone forgot to tell her not to underestimate Loki.
"What if they run into a powerful time criminal like Thanos? How are we supposed to catch them?" Karak, the pragmatic team member, asked.
"Well, Mobius mentioned a Nightmare Department, so maybe these criminals aren't as tough as we thought," someone else added.
"Don't worry about that," Deadpool grinned, "I'm more interested in what happens if Loki meets another Loki. When you know yourself so well, it's inevitable you'll end up hating your other self."
True to Deadpool's prediction, the officer, now controlled by Loki, immediately started taunting Loki, her voice dripping with contempt.
"It was me who found you, and you're still trying to act all high and mighty."
"Too arrogant. Loki's like that never end well," Loki quipped, rolling his eyes. Thor looked on, bewildered, wondering how Loki could mock another version of himself.
Loki still managed to maintain his composure, greeting with a smile despite the surrounding tension.
"You know, gaining someone's trust isn't exactly an easy task," he said, his voice smooth and confident.
The person in front of him, currently possessed by another entity, exaggerated their reaction, putting on a dramatic expression of surprise. "Whoa, wait a minute—are you working undercover?"
Loki kept his cool, still smiling, but there was a hint of insincerity as he shrugged.
"Well, if I'm being honest, my goal is to overthrow the Time Keepers and take control of the TVA."
"Seriously? You're planning to take over the TVA?" The possessed person seemed genuinely unimpressed.
"I need a reliable partner for this, someone like you. But call me Randy."
"Randy?" Loki glanced at the nameplate on the person's uniform. He forced a laugh but couldn't quite hide his irritation.
"I guess that's what I'll call you, then." He saw through the farce, a reflection of his own deceitful nature, which made him feel sick.
In a moment of realization, Loki saw through the ruse. Thor's voice echoed in his mind, recalling the annoyance of having to deal with his tricks.
"Loki, now you see what I've had to put up with," he once told Loki, knowing full well the frustration his brother's schemes caused.
Loki chuckled, but deep down, he knew the truth. He was always playing the trickster, but dealing with someone else doing the same thing felt like he was getting a taste of his own medicine.
He shot Thor a glance, one that said, "Yeah, I get it now."
Thor couldn't help but feel vindicated, but at the same time, he nearly choked back a laugh when he saw the familiar glint in Loki's eye—the same one that screamed, "Don't worry, I'll find a way to get back at you."
Randy, sensing the discomfort in the air, smiled and replied, "I reject your proposal. I'm not really interested in ruling the TVA."
He then turned and walked away, leaving Loki with a forced grin, the urge to follow and set things straight bubbling beneath the surface.
Meanwhile, Mobius, one of the TVA agents, had just found the Time Keeper who had been kidnapped. The Time Keeper was visibly shaken, revealing that Loki had obtained confidential information, including the key details of the Time Keepers' whereabouts.
Mobius knew that this was far from over and that Loki was just getting started.
At this point, Loki's motives were clear: he wasn't aiming to rule the TVA, he wanted to take down the Time Keeper.
"This guy's got guts! I like this brother!" Thor exclaimed, avenging the look Loki had given him earlier.
Loki just rolled his eyes at his brother's childishness, but even he was taken aback by this alternate version's ruthlessness.
As they walked, the unknown Loki shifted his focus. A surge of green energy engulfed another large man.
Without warning, the heavy-set figure turned and punched Loki hard. The big guy chuckled and said, "Thanks for keeping me entertained. I gotta say, you sure love to talk to yourself."
Turns out, while they were chatting, the large man had planted a time bomb on his body. By the time Loki realized, the countdown was already in progress—it was too late to disarm it.
Loki fought back, but he was no match for this guy. Eventually, the green energy that fueled the big man ran out, and he dropped to the ground, exhausted.
Almost simultaneously, Loki sensed something behind him. He turned to see a shadowy figure in the darkness, holding a surge of green energy.
A short metal goat horn adorned the figure's head, reflecting a faint glow.
Loki instantly knew—it was another version of himself. The aura, the demeanor, the style—it was unmistakable.
But as the figure stepped into the light, Loki's expression shifted from anticipation to shock, and finally to outright disbelief.
Because the person standing before him wasn't a mirror image—it was a petite, beautiful woman with a mischievous glint in her eye.
A female Loki.
****
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