『 Three thousand years ago—
Fierce winds and torrential rain swept across the entire mountain peak. It had been raging here for three long days, ravaging everything in its path, filling people's hearts with terror.
They were lost, they were anxious, they longed for peace. And there was only one reason for all of this: the gods were angry.
Rolling thunder crashed down, the sound like fighting dragons, like a great and terrifying hammer breaking the wall between heaven and earth.
People gazed in terror at the brilliant thunder outside, unable to imagine what could possibly contend with that hammer of lightning.
And what kind of power could stand tall amidst the storm and call itself brother—
Although the bard was old, he knew of a magic more powerful than the gods, a high-level magic capable of commanding them.
This was the magic of fire and darkness, a magic with a heart of burning.
And at this moment, roaring flames were consuming Loki; his body was devoured by fire, and his soul, too, was being scorched! 』
『 .....』
〜Bungo Stray Dogs World〜
The prelude to the story, a new beginning; Loki was about to be reborn.
Dazai Osamu gazed at the darkness and the interlaced thunder on the screen, a smile of extreme pleasure on his face.
"How fascinating. To witness the birth of a god in such a manner... it is truly a blessing of a lifetime!"
—
『 The tearing of flesh and spirit made Kid Loki's expression ferocious and terrifying, while Old Loki quietly admired it all.
His figure reflected in the raging fire, his aged cheeks twisted and terrifying, "Burn! This feeling is perfect. Burn away your delusional hopes, burn away your childish fantasies. This took me centuries, but on you, it only takes an instant."
"You should thank me."
It is I who will pull you out of this endless sea of suffering ahead of time.
In the end, Kid Loki arrived at his choice and the place of his ultimate destiny.
This moment of choice would completely determine the path of his life—
What kind of god was he, after all—
Before him, the dead Old Loki and Young Loki gazed quietly at Kid Loki. They were the components of Kid Loki, as well as the obsession and unwillingness buried deep in his heart.
Old Loki muttered, "I don't want to die. I planned so much, even to free myself from the shackles of fate."
"I don't want to release some reincarnation of mine, not you, but myself… but I was backlashed by my own schemes. When I was swallowed by the void, I died here forever."
"From now on, Lokis similar to me are just worthless replicas."
"I am dead, I am gone, I'm sorry… brother."
Young Loki was silent; he looked at Kid Loki.
Young Loki's bland face revealed a hint of ferocity, and he muttered, "I don't want to die."
"I am a brand new beginning. Everyone says they want me to turn over a new leaf, but people still think the old is better than the new."
"It's always like this, so… I was backlashed by my own schemes, swallowed by the void, and died here forever. But I died as myself, not as a worthless replica. I won an ending for myself."
"I am dead, I am gone, I won—" A smile appeared on Young Loki's green, eerie face.
"Then, is it my turn next?" Kid Loki's expression was cold and icy. He looked at the two dead vengeful spirits, completely indifferent.
"Yes, you are the God of Lies, and you always will be. Accept your role."
"Wear your crown, fulfill everyone's wishes, become another me, embrace the past, and enjoy the sense of security that comes with following the rules," Old Loki said, his palm resting on the crown.
"After all, this is better than delusion."
"Is it? Really? But why isn't it my path that was chosen?" Kid Loki interrupted from the side. He looked at his own young palms, his whole body twisted and strange like a wraith.
"Constraint Loki's story, embrace the void, let everything be spared from its own poison, turn to dust."
Then—make your choice quickly, God of Lies! 』
『 .....』
〜Myriad Worlds livestream Chat〜
[ Ancient One (Earth-616): "The gears of fate turn ruthlessly. The established trajectory cannot be changed. We are just helpless dust in this vast universe." ]
[ Wang Lin (Renegade Immortal): "Yes, just like that woven net. No matter how we struggle, we cannot escape the established fate, nor that woven net." ]
[ Chen Gong (Type-moon): "Man proposes, God disposes. Everything is destined, nothing is up to us." ]
[ Thor Odinson (Earth-616): "Loki…" ]
[ Vignette (Gabriel DropOut): "It's not that the villain doesn't want to be a good person, but that they can't be. Is such a fate too tragic?" ]
[ .....]
〜Marvel Cinematic Universe, Earth-616〜
Unlike last time, this time, Thor felt Loki's despair more directly.
It wasn't that Loki didn't want to change, didn't want to make his own choice, but that this world was obstructing him again and again. It was they who were obstructing him.
They claimed to hope that Loki could change for the better, but no matter how hard Loki tried, he could never change his established fate.
No matter how hard Loki tried, the destiny of fate was like the stars in the sky; their positions were already fixed and unchangeable.
Loki didn't want to be the God of Lies, but this position needed him.
At this moment, Thor felt deeply powerless for Loki, and even more, a sense of shame that left him nowhere to hide.
As the glory of Asgard, as Loki's brother, he had never even taken good care of his own brother. He had never noticed the distortion and struggle in his heart.
He was simply a hopeless… idiot!
—
『 Viewers of Myriad Worlds 』
Everyone also felt Loki's powerlessness.
There were only two paths before Loki, and even if he chose either, it would just be starting over, becoming young Loki again, and starting the same life all over again.
Old Loki was right; he was helping Loki, although young Loki didn't want to accept it. But repeating like this, the final ending would certainly be the same as Old Loki's.
But in the end, wasn't it just a lack of power…
What cannot be escaped is not fate, BUT THE SHACKLES OF THE STRONG UPON THE WEAK!!!
As long as the power is strong enough, everything else is just a delusion!
But now, young Loki clearly did not have such conditions; he could only obediently choose one of the two paths…
Before the words were finished, a crisp ringtone sounded from the screen. Everyone looked on, dumbfounded, as Loki pulled out a… phone???
In this delusional fantasy, or land of death, he pulled out a ringing phone???!!!
.....
『 "No matter which path you choose, child, hurry—" Old Loki didn't finish his sentence when a crisp ringtone interrupted him.
"Shh," Kid Loki pulled his phone from his pocket without haste. "Sorry, I have to take a call."
Old Loki's ferocious and terrifying expression froze. He stood there, stunned, the whole god dumbfounded. A… a phone?!!
He looked at Kid Loki in a daze, and Young Loki was also sluggish, spreading his hands to show he didn't know either.
Facing the bewildered Old Loki and Young Loki, Kid Loki explained.
He had once cast space-time magic on the phone so it wouldn't be affected by space-time signals. 』
『 .....』
〜Myriad Worlds livestream Chat〜
[ Deadpool (Earth-10005): "Hahahaha! Too interesting! Brother! You are invincible!" ]
[ The Batman Who Laughs (DCEU Earth -12): "Loki! Could it be that all of this is also in your plan? Could it be that you want to use this to break fate and be reborn?!" ]
[ Gintoki Sakata (Gintama): "Adding magic to a phone to ignore space-time? Kid, you're invincible! You even thought of this, it's a guaranteed win, brother!" ]
[ Steven Strange (Earth-616): "Space-time magic can be played like this?" ]
[ Thanos (Earth-616): "Too ridiculous!" ]
[ Old Loki Odinson (Earth-616): "I have to say, Loki, you really are a genius." ]
[ Kazuma Satou (KonoSuba): "Isn't this a great teammate? This is simply a god-tier teammate! A god-tier assist!" ]
[ .....]
〜Marvel Cinematic Universe, Earth-????〜
Time Variance Authority—
At this moment, even Loki himself couldn't help but laugh and cry.
He never imagined that his fate would change in such a way.
It seems… having more friends is really not a bad thing.
Loki couldn't wait to fish Verity Willis out of the timeline.
—
『 The call was from Verity Willis. The girl's worried voice came through the phone. Although Loki had deceived her and she was very angry, thinking about it now, she regretted leaving Loki behind.
So she was calling to check on Loki's safety.
But Loki silently indicated that it was already too late.
After seeing Tyrant Loki, his future self, he already knew that in people's hearts, he would always just be that God of Lies.
No matter how he changed, he could not walk out of his destiny.
This had been the case from beginning to end; even his brother, friends, and parents had never believed him.
"I cannot change myself. I am the God of Lies, forever," Loki said sadly. "Please stay away from me…"
"Shit! Shut up, Loki!" The other side of the phone was silent for a moment, then came a loud scolding!
"Don't give up, no matter what others say! What does God of Lies even mean! You need to think about it carefully! Haven't you already changed!"
Loki was silent for a moment. At this moment, the stars turned, time flowed, and an indescribable realization seemed to rise in Loki's heart.
He remembered what his father had told him about what a lie really was.
Old Loki and Young Loki were still urging Kid Loki to make a choice, but they were interrupted without mercy.
What exactly is a lie? What exactly is a lie?
The Omen Crow on the side let out a sharp, ear-piercing sound, "Lord of the Dance on the Lotus, Wise Old Man, Holy Child, Trickster Shapeshifter, Monster Tamer, Magic Master above them all."
"Staging heroes and demons, saints and wizards; it is a magic theater."
Yes, YES!!!
That is the story!
Lies are not sins; they are his power. People weave various stories to satisfy themselves, and it has been so since ancient times.
Aren't myths also stories that were woven?!
He would not give up, would not give up because of the part of him that hated himself, would not give up because of the part that hoped for his withering!
He spread his hands, as if to embrace the world, and terrifying energy erupted from his body. The pouring energy turned the remaining remnants of Old Loki and Young Loki into dust.
He no longer cared, no longer cared about lies!
He would embrace lies. At this moment, he truly embraced lies! He accepted the title of God of Lies!
He said goodbye to Verity Willis and then looked at the divine crown.
The crown, which was burning with raging flames, was missing a corner, but Loki picked it up with both hands and put it on.
"This is not the truth, only this remains. As for the rest… let us tell another story."
In an instant, brilliant light illuminated the entire universe. Heaven and earth lost their color, and matter and energy surged out like a torrent!
A brand new existence that transcended lies and embraced lies was born from this universe!
"A brand new—god!" 』
『 .....』
『 Viewers of Myriad Worlds 』
Countless viewers were stirred!
The God of Stories was born again! And it was in such a way!
Unlike the previous God of Stories, the God of Stories here understood everything, understood his own essence, and understood his true power.
He knew the true meaning of lies!
Stories, lies are stories!
Happiness, joy, sorrow, heaviness—all false stories originate from lies!
At this moment, he was no longer the God of Lies, but a brand new god transformed from lies!
THE GOD OF STORIES!!!
.....
『 The exploding energy blew Tyrant Loki away. The terrifying aftermath blew him away, and Tyrant Loki climbed out of the ruins, disheveled.
This familiar feeling was like… like breaking time itself?!!
Tyrant Loki looked fiercely at the bloodstains on the ground, and uncontrollable anger rose in his heart!
This guy… this guy actually chose to self-destruct?!!
"You are so ignorant! We could have ruled the Ten Realms together! You just destroyed so many things in my timeline with that explosion! You stupid, despicable guy!"
Old Loki's eyes were red!
He could only go to challenge Asgard alone now! A guy who paid so much for him, yet didn't know how to be grateful!
At the same time, screams rang out one after another outside.
Old Loki looked impatient, and he roared, "What are you calling for! My plan hasn't even started yet!"
But the next moment, his expression changed suddenly.
How much time did that little vibration from Kid Loki's explosion advance time?
It felt like… about eight months later…?
Old Loki looked at the outside world. The whole world had turned blood-red, and the Earths of countless universes were directly visible to the naked eye!
The Earths at the center of each universe attracted and collided with each other, EVENTUALLY LEADING TO THE COMPLETE EXTINCTION OF THE ENTIRE MULTIVERSE!!!
In the endless chaos, the multiverse was entering its end. Countless universes were like shattered colored glass, flashing with their final desperate light— 』
『 .....』
〜Marvel Cinematic Universe, Earth-????〜
"Heh,"
The Beyonder sneered,
"Marvel's most tragic event, 'Everything Dies'."
To put it bluntly, wasn't it just a terrorist attack by that group of grandsons, the Beyonders?
The multiverse had experienced several destructions and renaissances. The current All-New, All-Different Universe was the eighth universe, and the Beyonders were born in the second universe.
After being entrusted with the mission of the King of the White Cloth by the Celestials, the Beyonders maintained the multiverse from the outside in the ruins of the second universe, which was independent of the multiverse.
During the seventh universe period, the Beyonders sensed an existence that would threaten the entire universe, so they decided to destroy the multiverse, even if it meant destroying their creators, the Celestials.
They wanted to know what would happen when there was no living soul left in the entire Marvel universe and the entire multiverse was destroyed.
Did such a thing even need to be asked?
Destruction is inevitably followed by rebirth. If they couldn't even understand this point, they were simply a bunch of pig-brained idiots!
—
『 In knowing the current timeline, Tyrant Loki couldn't sit still and wanted to destroy the Earth immediately!
At this time, the gods of Asgard were also on Earth. Destroying the Earth could not only retaliate against the gods but also prevent the two Earths from colliding, thereby extending the time of his own existence!
Tyrant Loki once again allied with the Goddess of Death, the Norse God of War Tyr, Jörmungandr, and others. A new Ragnarök was successfully launched under the leadership of Tyrant Loki!
The angry Asgard also sounded the horn of counterattack under the leadership of Odin!
As this multiverse was about to be destroyed, Ragnarök was quietly launched. The war swept through the Ten Realms, the gods' blood stained the earth, and their screams and roars echoed throughout the world!
Heaven and earth collapsed, the gods fell, and there was no light!
At this moment, a figure knocked on the door of Verity Willis. Verity Willis nervously opened a crack, but when she saw who it was, she showed a look of surprise!
It was Loki!
It's just that there was something different… at this moment, Loki was exuding an indescribable evil charm and brilliance.
Loki smiled evilly, and he explained everything to Verity Willis.
The outcome had long been decided, and the universe was coming to an end.
And this time, he was no longer a pawn in expectation, but the one watching the chess game! 』
『 .....』
( Translator-kun: I'm an MCU guy, but not Marvel comics, so I know there's some confusing part between whose' who kid and young Loki. Let me know if I switch the two. Also, blame Author-san by using 'Young' (幼) on both of them. )