Chapter 260 : Unknown Faces!!!

The viewers of the different worlds weren't surprised by the outcome; everyone knew Thanos was incredibly powerful.

However, Hulk's defeat was quicker than expected. Thanos didn't even need to unleash his full arsenal.

"Poor big guy went down faster than my grandma gets up," quipped Deadpool in the DC34 universe, as he hugged Superman's leg. 

He was trying to convince Superman to fly into the Yellow Sun to evolve, hoping this would help him break through the cosmic barrier to escape.

[In the spaceship, Hulk lay on the ground, bloodied and defeated, with no energy left to fight. 

In a last-ditch effort, Heimdall used the Bifrost to send Hulk back to Earth, but Thanos killed him by piercing his heart with a spear.

The outcome was clear. Everyone on the ship from Asgard was doomed.

Loki, seeing this, quickly stepped forward with a grin, offering to be useful: "If you need a guide to Earth, I'm your guy. I've got experience with that."

Thanos scoffed, unimpressed: "Experience from failing?"

Loki had led the Chitauri army in the Battle of New York and suffered a crushing defeat, a humiliation not easily forgotten.

"Experience from failure is still experience," Loki replied, inching closer to Thanos.

"I am Loki, Prince of Asgard!" he proclaimed.

"King of Jotunheim!" 

"The God of Mischief!"

"..." 

"Son of Odin!"]

By the pool of divine power, Odin watched Loki's performance, his feelings mixed. Loki hesitated when he called himself the Son of Odin but then seemed to embrace the identity.

It was hard to tell how long he would accept that title in this timeline, though.

[Loki approached Thanos, bowing his head slightly as he came to stand before him. With a solemn tone, he declared, "Here and now, I swear my loyalty to you!"

However, as soon as the words left his lips, Loki's expression shifted, his arm swiftly rising. 

In his hand, he held a blade glowing with a green light, striking at Thanos' neck with the precision of a skilled assassin. It was clear his true intention wasn't allegiance—it was to assassinate!]

This unexpected turn of events left countless viewers, especially those familiar with the Marvel Universe, completely stunned. 

This was Loki—the trickster who usually fled from danger and targeted the weak—actually attempting to take down the most powerful tyrant in the universe? 

It seemed inconceivable, almost like a fantasy.

Even Loki himself, watching this unfold, was baffled. He shook his head in disbelief. How could he be so reckless? This wasn't just a failed attack; it was suicide! There was no way this could be him.

Meanwhile, Thor was ecstatic. It was the first time he'd felt this kind of joy since wielding Stormbreaker. He burst out laughing, ignoring any pretense of composure. 

"That's my brother, the son of Odin! Let's see who dares to doubt him in Asgard now!"

Odin, despite Thor's lack of decorum, looked on with approval. Loki tried to act indifferent, but the warmth in Odin's gaze made him feel more accepted than ever. 

This was what he had always wanted—not recognition from the people of Asgard, not even from Thor—but from Odin, his father.

Yet, fear quickly took hold of Loki again. Anyone who felt the crushing grip of Thanos' hand around their neck would understand why. 

[The god of mischief was now no more than a helpless puppet in Thanos' grip, struggling to breathe, let alone speak.

Thanos' plan was clear: let Loki believe he could succeed, only to crush his hopes in an instant. This was the price of betrayal. 

As Thanos tightened his hold on Loki's neck, the latter's struggles became increasingly futile, like a fish gasping for air on the shore.

Thor, bound and gagged, watched in horror, his eyes wide with rage but unable to utter a sound. It was clear that Loki's audacious attempt to assassinate Thanos had failed—terribly.

Thor heard a sharp sound as Thanos tossed his brother to the ground like a discarded toy. Loki, the God of Mischief known for his theatrics, seemed genuinely lifeless this time.

*Boom!*

Loki, who had barely accepted his fate, was pulled back from his mournful state by a heavy hand slapping his shoulder. He turned to see Thor's serious expression.

"Don't worry, brother, this time I'll make sure to take his head off!" Thor declared.

Loki was caught off guard but still moved by Thor's earnestness. However, his heart sank when Thor continued with an unexpected lecture.

"Loki," Thor said sternly, "your usual tricks are too delicate, too weak. You need to learn to use your hammer! I guarantee that if you had swung a hammer instead of using illusions, you would've knocked Thanos's block off!"

"And your magic," Thor added. "Besides pretending to be dead, what else is it good for?"

Loki smirked but remained silent. He reached into the water, letting a faint green glow swirl around his hand. Suddenly, he jabbed Thor in the side.

Thor winced and sighed. "Loki, could you at least change the spot where you stab me? You've been doing that since we were kids!"

The slight wound quickly healed thanks to the divine powers of Asgard, indicating Loki's restraint. The playful exchange brightened the mood, lifting the shadow of impending doom.

However, what happened next shocked everyone. The scene didn't end with Loki's supposed death. Instead, the vision continued, revealing more than anyone expected.

"How can someone continue living after they've died? Was it my doing that brought him back?" Thor asked, his face filled with shock.

Odin immediately shook his head and said, "No!"

"You didn't resurrect Loki. In fact, he never died in the first place."

The scene shifted as Odin's thoughts unraveled, and the images on the screen changed.

"[Time: 2012]"

.....

"[Scene: Battle of New York]"

Tony Stark and the others had successfully used the Quantum Realm to travel back to 2012, seeking the Space Stone. 

Due to an unforeseen incident, the Cosmic Cube slipped from Stark's grasp and landed at Loki's feet.

Loki, realizing this was his chance to escape, didn't waste a second. He grabbed the Cosmic Cube and activated it, opening a swirling blue portal that wrapped around him before he vanished without a trace.

Simultaneously, on a distant planet in a desert landscape, the blue portal burst open, and Loki tumbled out like a meteor crashing to the ground. Though he landed with a little less grace than usual, Loki was finally free.

Soon, a group of local tribespeople approached, drawn by the commotion. Loki gave them a sly grin, his instinct to dominate and control rising to the surface. 

He saw these natives as his potential subjects, people who could help him navigate this forsaken place.

Loki's princely heritage and Asgardian pride meant that he would need servants and subjects to do his bidding. 

But before he could establish his rule, an orange, translucent door suddenly appeared in the sky without warning. It opened with a shimmer, cutting off Loki's grand plans for conquest.

Four humans in unusual uniforms stepped out, each one dressed in a strange ensemble that seemed unfamiliar even to the Asgardians.]

Loki, who had lived for thousands of years, was perplexed by their appearance. He'd never seen anything like it.

"Father, what force are they from? Their technology seems to be far more advanced than our Rainbow Bridge in Asgard," Loki asked, his brow furrowed with curiosity.

Thor glanced at Odin, expecting that as the Allfather, he would know. Yet Odin, the king who had ruled for nine ages, also looked puzzled. His brows knitted together as he studied the newcomers.

"Do you think they're a threat?" Thor asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

Odin nodded, his expression grave. "This is concerning," he said solemnly. "Because even I don't know who they are."

****

Support me on my ko-fi account and read upto 15 early chapters,

https://ko-fi.com/aayume