Ch.7 Time Variance Authority?

"Who are you?"

Loki's face showed a flash of displeasure as he saw a second wave of people appear.

He clearly noticed that the newcomers completely ignored him and instead pulled out a device that looked like a phone, pointing it at both Loki and Ronan.

Ronan, however, watched everything with great interest.

He was curious to see what would happen when they scanned him.

"Time offender, Loki. Identity confirmed."

The female captain glanced at Loki and said this before turning her attention to Ronan, pointing the device at him as well.

"Beep beep beep…"

The female captain was surprised when the device emitted clear beeping sounds.

More importantly, while the screen had just displayed Loki's detailed identity, it now only showed four words: "Unable to Detect!"

"Who are you?"

The female captain lowered her device, her expression immediately becoming alert.

According to their orders, a time offender would appear here, and they were tasked with capturing him.

While they had confirmed the identity of the time offender, they hadn't expected another witness.

Who was this other person?

"Well…"

"I'm actually a director."

Ronan said with a helpless expression as he pulled out his phone, aiming the camera at Loki and the female captain.

This answer caught the female captain completely off guard.

She had imagined countless possibilities, but she never expected this response.

"Hey, it's your turn."

"According to the script, this is where you ask me what my dream is."

Ronan couldn't help but prompt the female captain, who remained unmoved.

However, Loki could no longer hold back.

He considered himself a god but had been repeatedly ignored on Earth.

Especially this time—defeated by a few humans.

This was an utter humiliation!

"Enough!"

"How dare you ignore me, the God of Mischief from Asgard!"

"I carry a glorious mission, I—"

But the female captain had no interest in listening to Loki's self-praise.

Clearly, the frustration she felt from Ronan was seamlessly transferred to Loki.

"I am arresting you on behalf of the Time Variance Authority for violating the Sacred Timeline. Raise your hands and come with us."

As soon as she finished speaking, the soldiers around her cocked their weapons.

Ronan rolled his eyes.

If you ask him, the Time Variance Authority really lacks flair.

They manage time, but they're still using such basic weapons to arrest people?

You call yourselves the Time Variance Authority—how about using some flashy abilities that would leave people shocked, stunned, and easily captured?

Or maybe, reveal some of Loki's secrets to intimidate him.

No matter how you look at it, these TVA agents are pretty low-tier.

No wonder Lady Loki could take them on single-handedly.

"I've had enough of this!"

"I'm sick of you armed idiots!"

The soldiers cocking their weapons clearly reminded Loki of the time he was surrounded by the Avengers.

He was on the ground then, weak, pitiful, and helpless.

Especially with that green giant who tossed him around like a toy.

That "puny god" line still stung.

"This is your last warning, get out of my way!"

"As a god of Asgard, I won't fall twice in the same place!"

Loki took two steps forward, intending to pick up the Tesseract from the ground.

But the female captain didn't flinch. With a swift motion, she swung her baton, striking Loki's right cheek.

At that moment, Ronan clearly saw Loki's personal time-flow undergo a dramatic change.

This change only affected Loki—neither Ronan nor the female captain was impacted.

The tremors in Loki's face from the blow were visible to the naked eye.

The female captain stepped forward and placed a collar-like device around Loki's neck.

"Hopefully, this time when you fall, you'll learn something."

"Oh, and make sure you hurry."

Once she finished speaking, Loki's time-flow returned to normal.

Bang.

Loki collapsed to the ground once more.

Two of the TVA soldiers stepped forward to restrain him, while one picked up the Tesseract.

"Wait."

At that moment, Ronan spoke up.

Everyone turned their attention to Ronan, weapons aimed at him.

"You can't take that thing."

"My mission is to retrieve the Space Stone from your hands."

Ronan pointed at the Tesseract, explaining his purpose for being there.

Since the Ancient One, as the current Sorcerer Supreme, has the Time Stone as a "decoration," it would only be reasonable for him, as the next Sorcerer Supreme, to have the Space Stone, right?

It would be better in his hands than in anyone else's.

Not that he really wanted the stone, of course.

"Sorry, but the Space Stone is also within our jurisdiction."

"And these memories shouldn't exist either—"

Before the female captain could finish, a bang echoed.

The sound came from behind her.

She turned her head, only to see Ronan's fist embedded in a female soldier's chest, sending her flying.

And the Space Stone landed directly in Ronan's hand.

"Too much talking. I don't have time for chit-chat."

Ronan tossed the Tesseract in his hand.

Hmm, not bad.

He was talking about the Tesseract, of course!

"Damn it!"

"Everyone, attack and erase him!"

The female captain cursed and immediately ordered her soldiers to open fire.

The remaining soldiers pulled their triggers, unleashing a barrage of bullets toward Ronan.

Thousands of rounds rained down instantly.

"Sigh…"

"You're making me feel like a villain."

"I'm just a high schooler."

Ronan sighed, crossing his arms and stretching his body.

The crackling of his bones fused with the sound of gunfire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets roared toward Ronan, forming a dense wall of fire.

For an ordinary person, this would have been certain death.

But Ronan was different.

In the hail of bullets, he struck poses: a C-shape, then a number 1, and even a wooden pose.

In short, he dodged every single bullet!

The missed rounds hit the desert, kicking up a cloud of sand that briefly obscured Ronan's vision.

Taking advantage of this, the female captain leaped forward, baton in hand, aiming for Ronan's face.

If the baton hit, Ronan would certainly—

Smack!

The next second, something shocking happened.

Ronan caught the female captain's baton with his hand!

Yes, the baton-like weapon!

"Impossible!"

The female captain exclaimed instinctively.

"What's impossible?"

"Ever heard of an ability that can avoid all attacks?"

"Observation Haki, ever heard of it?"

Ronan sighed, but that didn't stop him from effortlessly prying the baton from the captain's grip.

"And by the way, there's a rule: don't hit people in the face."

"Especially since this face is quite good-looking."

The female captain was dumbfounded.

Why hadn't the time attack affected him?

Before she could figure it out, she felt a strong force pulling her weapon away.

Looking at her face, filled with frustration, disbelief, and shock, Ronan couldn't help but sigh again.

"Why does your expression make me feel like I'm becoming more of a villain?"

"As the next Sorcerer Supreme, I'm definitely a good guy."

"A stand-up guy like me wouldn't betray the organization's trust."

Ronan glanced at the baton in his hand and casually tossed it to the ground.

Seeing her prized weapon discarded so carelessly, the female captain's face filled with rage.

"I know you're upset, but don't be too hasty."

"If I'm right, your so-called time attacks only work on time offenders like him."

"You guys at the TVA only control part of the timeline."

"If someone exists outside the predetermined future, you can't do anything to them."

Ronan pointed at the still-dazed Loki.

The implication was clear.

The weapon that could "erase time offenders" had no effect on him.

It only worked on Loki because the arrival of Tony Stark 2 and his team accidentally altered Loki's destined future.

Moreover, the TVA's authority seemed quite limited.

Otherwise, why hadn't they reset Tony Stark 1 or Steve Rogers 1, both of whom had already interacted with their future selves?

Why hadn't the TVA captured them to reset the timeline?

In the end, the TVA was just a bully, picking on those weaker than them.

Otherwise, why hadn't they reset any of the "main characters"?

It all came down to having power and connections.

As for Loki's Asgardian background, Ragnarok wasn't far off anyway.

While Ronan was explaining, another portal slowly opened behind him.

A large, dark-skinned man stepped out of the portal.

In an instant, the once-aggressive TVA soldiers turned into puppets, as if they were under a spell.

They opened portals and, with Loki in tow, stepped through.

Ronan turned around, raising an eyebrow when he saw the man standing before him.

Conqueror… Kang?