The True Mastermind

[Player Loki Laufeyson answered incorrectly, deducting 4 points. Player Tony Stark, Player Nick Fury, player Scott Lang, player Hank Pym answered incorrectly, deducting 1 point each]

Everyone was stunned; this was entirely different from what they had expected!

Loki muttered a curse under his breath, while Scott Lang buried his head in his hands. "Oh my God, I've been misled by all of you again! If I had stuck to my idea, I would have answered correctly!"

Tony Stark, on the other hand, chuckled. "Well, even though it was a wrong answer, losing just 1 point is much better than losing 4 points."

He had envied Loki's luck moments ago when he managed to snatch the answering opportunity, but now his expression had changed.

Nick Fury furrowed his brow. "From the content we saw earlier, Loki and Sylvie should have been able to complete the objective smoothly. Where did it go wrong?"

Hank Pym shook his head. "I don't know. Let's watch the video with the correct answer."

The screen started playing the correct answer video. The camera showed a space with a circular band of light surrounding an oddly shaped meteor.

In the previous video, the strange castle that Loki and Sylvie had seen last was on top of this meteor.

"Is this the so-called Sacred Timeline?" Loki furrowed his brow.

Tony Stark pondered, "It looks more like a Möbius strip. Time loops from start to finish, forming a closed loop, and that meteor is outside of that loop."

The camera switched, and Loki and Sylvie arrived at the entrance of the peculiar castle. They exchanged glances, but before they could enter, the castle's doors opened on their own.

Instead of the expected enemies and dangers, they only saw Miss Minutes inside the door. "Hello, welcome to the citadel at the End of Time. Congratulations on making it here. I genuinely admire you."

Both Lokis drew their weapons and watched Miss Minutes warily. Sylvie asked, "Who is he?"

"He created everything, controls everything. At the end of time, there's only he who remains. He wants to make a deal with you."

This he who remains was the true mastermind, and he offered them generous terms, claiming he could send both Lokis to a timeline of their choosing and fulfil their every desire.

Defeating the seemingly virtuous Avengers? Not a problem!

Claiming the throne of Asgard? Easy!

He even offered to help them defy the fate of death, kill Thanos, and promised to give them a gauntlet embedded with the Infinity Stones.

The terms were tempting, but they also revealed crucial information.

Nick Fury frowned. "He compromised. This he who remains claims to control everything, yet in the end, he's compromising, trying to buy us off with these seemingly good promises."

Tony Stark snorted. "They're just a bunch of hypocrites!"

In the previous video, they seemed to stand for justice, supporting time travel as a means to maintain temporal order and universal peace.

But now, faced with failure, they finally took off their masks. This was their true hypocritical nature!

Scott Lang added, "But to be honest, the conditions are very tempting, and they do seem capable of delivering. The precious Infinity Stones are used as paperweights!"

Loki sneered, "I could never accept such terms."

In the video, he, too, had rejected Miss Minutes' offer. "From now on, our destiny is ours to write!"

No matter how good the conditions seemed, they were still someone else's charity and arrangement. Loki had enough of having his destiny controlled by others.

Moreover, with his ambitions, he naturally wanted more!

Sylvie was equally unmoved. After years of running and hiding, her will had become unwavering. She had only one goal: to bring destruction. That's what she truly desired.

They both rejected negotiations, but Miss Minutes, or rather the Legacy Keeper behind her, didn't seem angered by it. There was no sudden attack or aggression.

Miss Minutes' response was calm, "As you wish. I wish you good luck."

The two Lokis didn't think much of it and continued to explore this strange castle. They arrived at a door, and when it opened, they found a couch inside with a man wearing a purple robe sitting on it.

He held a green apple, looking like he was welcoming guests, a smile on his face. "It's quite exciting, isn't it? Both of you are the same, yet a bit different. It's thrilling."

"He who remains?"

Both Lokis were on high alert.

The man, however, seemed relaxed. "Is that what she still calls me? It's a bit eerie, isn't it? But I quite like it. Come on, let's chat in my office."

The two Lokis exchanged glances. They had come this far; there was no turning back. They followed the man into an elevator.

Scott Lang commented, "Is he the real mastermind? He doesn't seem like it. Honestly, he doesn't have the presence those three fake robots had."

Tony Stark shrugged. "This guy is quite talkative. I bet Spidy Boy and him have something in common. Maybe he's a robot too?"

In the video, the two Lokis were also sceptical of this he who remains. They had gone through so much trouble to get here, expecting to face an enemy on par with Thanos, but instead, they encountered a talkative guy.

The man left his back exposed to the two Loki's with weapons. He munched on his apple, speaking vaguely, "Is this different from what you expected?"

Of course, it was!

Loki asked, "Are you just a regular guy?"

The man casually replied, "That's right, a flesh-and-blood regular guy. Don't tell me you're disappointed?"

Sylvie said, "No, it makes killing you even easier!"

She didn't hesitate to attack, but her strikes were always missed. The man instantly teleported behind them onto the couch, reclining comfortably with a smile on his face.

Sylvie continued to attack, but each time, the man evaded using his teleportation, leaving her swinging at thin air.

This situation wasn't entirely unfamiliar to them; when they were fitted with collars, the Time Variance Authority could control their time using Temporal Manipulators, achieving similar instant teleportation effects.

Finally, the man teleported outside the elevator, and when the doors opened, he invited them in with a smile.

The man didn't offer any resistance. Instead, he politely poured them drinks and gestured for them to sit down for a conversation.