"Earth is always rotating, moving along a predetermined trajectory, and no one realizes the astonishing cosmic distance they've crossed with our planet in their brief lifetime."
Doom crossed his arms, the shadow beneath his hood concealing his eyes in darkness, as if he were lecturing a little girl, but in reality, he was explaining to Deathstroke.
Deathstroke's face was expressionless; no emotion could ever be seen on his face.
But from the moment Doom began assembling the equipment, the eyes of the three who came with Deathstroke were filled with confusion.
Doom felt it necessary to explain to them; if they couldn't comprehend the machine's majesty, how could they revere Doom?
"So any time machine, in essence, is also a space machine. Without space as a coordinate system, the concept of time does not exist."
Su Ming continued Doom's explanation because he and Ciri, who were able to travel beyond the All-Powerful Universe, were well aware that different worlds had varied concepts of time, and if traversing back and forth, the difference in time flow was particularly noticeable.
The time here cannot exist independently of the Marvel World, and Doctor Destruction just wanted to state that his time technology was derived from spatial teleportation devices.
However, a spatial machine does... give Su Ming some ideas.
"Sometimes I think you could earn a degree in physics." The words Doom wanted to say were spoken by Deathstroke, leaving Doom to change the topic.
Su Ming turned around and removed the Great Sword from behind him, thrusting it into the ground. The solid stone surface split open like a cake: "I can solve most problems with simple mechanical principles. A degree won't offer me more authority, and in critical moments like now, degrees and diplomas won't ensure survival."
"You're right. Strength is the key," Doom nodded in agreement: "But trying to pretend as a brute in front of Doom is destined to be futile; Doom understands who you are."
He was declared a terrorist by the United Nations, personally wanted by 70% of Earth's countries. The United States constantly attempted to overthrow his regime, and nuclear strikes against him were frequent.
Yet he and Latovinia stood firm, relying solely on strength, his strength.
In the not-so-distant future, the impending end of time exceeded his power limits. He needed allies, which was the reason for forming alliances.
The premise for cooperation is never fully trusting Deathstroke; what you see and hear are not necessarily true.
Regrettably, even the current Su Ming doesn't know what kind of person he will become in the future, rendering this topic meaningless.
He cast his gaze toward the little girl in front of the computer; she seemed quite engaged in listening.
"Valeria, can you call your brother now? Your Uncle Doom is going to save the world."
The little girl sighed helplessly upon hearing this; it's ironic that the one planning to save the world is a figure who was once universally recognized as a villain, so what are the past superheroes doing?
Nevertheless, she extended a small hand and typed on the computer. In the world Franklin himself created, as long as he wished to stay in contact with his sister, he could make it happen.
"We battle Loki here, avoiding catching Odin's attention from the past." Doom revealed his plan; he intended to use the Time Machine to teleport Loki here.
As long as Loki was trapped, everyone could strike together, and no matter how capable Loki was, he was bound to fail.
"But doing so would attract Loki's current attention. When choosing between dealing with the end-time Loki and Odin before the Twilight of the Gods, I choose the latter."
In Su Ming's plan, everyone in the team has their own tasks, and Su Ming's task is to deal with Odin.
Facing a character at the pinnacle of the Celestial Father Level, it can't be said there's a 100% chance of success, but as long as he can hold off for a moment, Doom is competent enough to handle Loki from the past.
Just then, a figure emerged from the air, floating cross-legged mid-air, striking a pose akin to the Joker from playing cards, holding a flaming skull in his hand.
The flames on the skull illuminated everything around; the originally dark basement was as bright as a wedding hall.
"Thank you, Deathstroke, you're the first to acknowledge that I'm stronger than Odin."
The arrival was none other than Loki, specifically the Loki right before the end times, returning to his true nature.
He's no longer the God of Story, nor the Prince of the Immortal Palace; he is simply Loki.
Abandoning stories and other methods, he's left with the ability to deceive everything; that is his strongest form.
Su Ming helplessly covered his face; Loki's storyline was too fragmented. Different times, different places; Loki from almost every era had to be viewed as independent entities, similar to Conqueror Kang.
As far as Su Ming knew, there were several variations of Loki across different timelines: Prince Loki, Young Loki, Female Loki, Agent Loki, Old Loki, God of Story Loki, End-Time Loki, and finally, the All-New, All-Different Loki.
After the Twilight of the Gods, the gods were reshaped, and Loki kept replacing himself along the timeline, creating Marvel's greatest mystery: just how many Lokis exist?
This question has no answer because he is the best at deception, and no one knows what he has really done.
It's like asking how many Jokers are there in the DC Main World; many would say only one, while Ron and other Justice League Heroes might objectively state three or four.
But if you ask Batman, he will tell you that for every Joker, there are countless more.
It's not as Joker himself says, that everyone has a Joker inside them, but rather because Joker's personality transformation never stops.
Perhaps the person standing before you still appears the same outwardly, but within just a dozen seconds, his inner self has transformed from a terrorist to a romantic poet, then from the poet to a bloody butcher, and from the butcher to an innocent child.
Of course, if you're not wearing all black with two sharp ears on your head, you'd be dead by the time the third personality surfaced.
Batman is always battling not Joker's flesh, which is just an ordinary vessel, but his spirit.
And even if there is no Joker in the DC World, there will be Big Clown, Medium Clown, and Mini Clown; it is a battle destined to be futile, as the world's dark nature has decreed that the chaotic spirit will persist eternally.
Only Batman can persevere, seen as the light of the Justice League, even Superman falters in mental confrontations, becoming Injustice Superman, but that's another story.
.............
At this moment, Loki appears right in front of several people, undoubtedly with intention.
Doom's reaction is more direct than Su Ming's, and instead of chanting spells, his hands directly summon lightning, throwing them at Loki like two long spears.
He has recorded the spells, storing them within his armor, so when he needs to cast, the armor plays the corresponding spell at ultra-fast speed, allowing Doom's casting speed to be unparalleled.
For some lesser-known magic, Doom needs to prepare rituals, but his most commonly used lightning and laser can be easily wielded.
"Oh my, I'm so scared."
Seeing the swift approach of the blue-white light, middle-aged Loki maintains his cheeky grin, simply extending the skeleton in his hand to easily block the lightning.
The spear-like structures of the lightning disappear into the eye socket of the skeleton as if absorbed.
"Delicious."
"Shut up, little skeleton."
The skeleton that absorbed the lightning danced around, conveying its thoughts to Loki, but Loki swatted it down like a fly and caught it back in his hand.
Su Ming initially thought it was an Evil Spirit Knight's head, but apparently not...
After Loki finished, he gently stroked the skull as if he felt apologetic. His deep eyes surveyed Su Ming and the others before turning to Doom, who was casting another spell.
"Don't be so hasty, Professor, your enemy isn't me. I heard you're going to deal with past me, so why not count me in?"
"Leave here, or die."
Doom's response is always simple, and able to cast at will, he fears magical duels the least.
Loki rubbed his chin with his free hand, once again using magic to block Doom's attack: "Alright, I give up, okay? Let's change the approach, perhaps to a game?"
After saying this, Loki's figure vanished like it faded into bubbles.
Doom let out a cold snort: "Invisibility Technique, as if I've never seen it? Valeria."
"Uncle Doom, you promised me you wouldn't kill anymore now." The little girl rocked her legs on the floating chair, resting her chin in her palms.
"I know. Do what you must." Doom prepared another large-scale spell.
"Alright, he's there."
The little girl pointed with a finger, while Doom unhesitatingly threw out his fireball magic.
A figure was directly blasted out of the air, tumbling far away, yet the burning skeleton was unharmed, its jaw constantly moving as if mocking Loki.
"My Invisibility Technique was seen through by a little girl? I really should retire." Though Loki was in disarray, he was not seriously injured, sitting up from the ground looking quite helpless.
Valeria glanced at Loki sympathetically, spread her small hands, and shrugged: "If you had a mom who also turned invisible, you'd know how I got trained."
"You have a unique spatial-temporal fluctuation, akin to a unique fingerprint, distinct from your past self. We can detect this fluctuation with scientific instruments and pinpoint your location."
Doom withdrew his hands behind himself, hidden beneath the green cloak:
"Because of being able to identify your differences, Doom spared you, so you should thank the King's mercy, then gratefully flee, while you still have the chance..."