The wild winds howled, swirling dust and energy debris from the end of time.
It whipped through Sylvie's slightly disheveled blonde hair. She stood alone, staring in the direction where Ian and Alioth had vanished, her face masked with immense confusion and a deep sense of powerlessness.
Everything that had just occurred was so absurd that her brain needed time to reboot. The temporal monster Alioth had ignored her—a "food source" clearly brimming with nutritional value—and instead chased after a lunatic who was screaming nonsense while strapping strange legs to himself, looking for all the world like a giant tadpole that had finally recognized its mother.
Was this actually reality?
Or was that Loki fellow playing another extremely malicious illusory prank on her?
"He's already weakened to that extent... surely he wouldn't have such a sick sense of humor?" Sylvie tried to calm her mind, calling out in the depths of her consciousness to the Loki who sat upon the Throne of Stories, maintaining the solitary universe.
She needed answers, guidance, and confirmation that this wasn't a nightmare.
However, Sylvie's consciousness was like a stone dropped into the ocean; it didn't stir a single ripple.
The area where she should have felt a faint connection was now filled with nothing but dead silence and an... indescribable sense of weakness.
Loki did not respond.
Sylvie's heart sank sharply. This had never happened before. Even as Loki's power continued to drain, and the burden of maintaining the entire universe weighed him down to the point of exhaustion, he always managed to spare a sliver of will to maintain contact. This absolute silence meant only one thing.
His condition was deteriorating rapidly.
He likely didn't even have the strength left for basic conscious communication.
Worry wrapped around her heart like cold vines, but it was followed by a surge of intense irritation. It was anger at Ultron and this desperate, unforeseen situation, as well as irritation at that inexplicable, seemingly unreliable "Key Player," Ian Kent.
"Don't come over here! Don't you dare come over! I'm warning you! If you come any closer, I'll... I'll let my brother bite you! My brother is super fierce!"
In the distance, Ian's voice could still be heard, full of bluster and panic.
The panicked shouts echoed through the ruins.
"Could a guy like that... really be some kind of savior?"
"Has Loki sat on that throne for so long that his brain has been strangled by those decaying timelines? With a savior like that, forget about fighting Ultron or restarting the multiverse—it's a question of whether that guy can even survive the day!" Sylvie harbored deep doubts about Ian's identity and abilities.
She felt the future was pitch black, with absolutely no sense of security.
Of course, unlike most "Little Fairies" or fragile souls, a lack of security didn't make Sylvie hysterical. Despite her internal doubt and distrust, she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She didn't trust Ian, but she trusted Loki.
Loki had spent the last of his strength to send her back to the living world and guided her to find Ian; there had to be a reason. She had to find a way to save that lunatic—at the very least, she had to figure out why Alioth was so "fond" of him and what the connection was between him and Galactus.
"I'm working so hard; if I manage to survive this, you really ought to give me a nice retirement package," Sylvie grumbled and complained toward the absent Loki.
Just as Sylvie made up her mind to chase after Ian, the space not far from her suddenly rippled with an unstable, glass-shattering vibration!
*Hum—!*
A spatial rift sparkling with orange-red sparks was forced open, and chaotic energy spilled out.
"Who's there!"
Alarm bells rang in Sylvie's mind!
Due to the trauma of being endlessly hunted by the TVA during her childhood, combined with her mental instability and paranoia—her mental state barely meeting the entry requirements for the New Justice League—countless possibilities flashed through her mind. Had Ultron found her? Had he sent new Minute Men?
Or was it something even more terrifying, like a Time Enforcer modified by Ultron?
"The opponent is Ultron; one can never be too careful... Dammit, I hardly have any power left to use." Sylvie instinctively leaped backward, her figure melting into the shadows of a pile of twisted spacecraft wreckage, while magical energy quietly gathered in her hands.
She prepared for a fight to the death.
The atmosphere was incredibly tense.
Sylvie stared fixedly at the distorted space.
Seconds turned into minutes.
She saw figures moving within and prepared to face a horrifying enemy. However, the person who stumbled out of the spatial rift was not the cold creation of Ultron she had expected.
Instead.
The first to step out was a sorcerer wearing a blue Cloak of Levitation and the Eye of Agamotto, his face pale—Doctor Stephen Strange.
He looked exhausted, but his gaze remained sharp as he frowned, examining a metallic ring on his hand that looked extremely high-tech and nothing like a traditional Sling Ring.
Following behind him was a young girl, seemingly only about ten years old, clutching a metal treasure chest that was nearly half as tall as she was.
The girl had brown hair, and her eyes were filled with curiosity and a steadiness that didn't match her age. Sylvie recognized her—Morgan Stark, the daughter of Tony Stark.
"This actually works?"
Doctor Strange stared at the sci-fi Sling Ring, his tone full of disbelief. "Can you really perform cross-dimensional localized jumps with this thing?"
"The energy conduction principle completely violates the basic laws of Kamar-Taj magic!" Although he was a legitimate Doctor, he had long ago developed a "magic brain," so the idea of science intervening in magical applications was incredibly shocking and unbelievable to him.
In a way, it was clear he hadn't seen Tom Holland's *Spider-Man*. If Spidey could use high-tech suits, a Sorcerer Supreme using a tech-based Sling Ring shouldn't be that surprising.
"Hehe."
Little Morgan patted the chest she was holding, wearing a "told you so" expression. "Doctor, I told you, I can find anything in the treasure chest my daddy left me!"
"It's just an enhanced Sling Ring, no big deal!" The little heiress seemed to worship her father, making no effort to hide her firm belief in Tony Stark's omnipotence.
"Your father was definitely a Dimensional Demon," Doctor Strange evaluated decisively, his tone complex. He didn't know the Tony Stark that Ian and Morgan knew, so he felt both wary and impressed that Tony could leave behind such logic-defying creations after his death.
This was a standard member of the New Justice League. Because he had suffered so much at the hands of the universe's first Dimensional Demon, whenever he saw something he didn't understand, he would call the person a Dimensional Demon.
Other members thought this was a very "dirty" way to swear.
"Your father is the Dimensional Demon! Your whole family are Dimensional Demons!" Morgan knew it wasn't a good term, so she used the temper she inherited from Pepper Potts to snap back at him.
Doctor Strange didn't intend to argue with a child. He looked up, his gaze confused as he surveyed the endless ruins around them.
"What is this place? It doesn't feel like an inhabited planet or dimension." Strange tapped his fingers in the air, attempting to read the information of this space.
His meager mana yielded nothing.
At times like this, one still had to rely on Stark tech. Morgan set the chest down, opened it quickly, and pulled out an ultra-thin tablet. She skillfully linked it to the tech-ring on Strange's finger, her small fingers flying across the screen. "Let me read the coordinates and historical data."
"Hmm... the loaded info says this is... the end of time." Morgan Stark was more knowledgeable about cosmic secrets than most superheroes.
In terms of knowledge reserves and understanding of the Marvel Universe, the person closest to Ian wasn't Gwen, but this second-generation Stark whose memories and thoughts had never been altered.
She came from the "old era" where Ian existed and remembered everything about it.
"The end of time?" Strange's frown deepened. He used his poker face to hide his ignorance. After all, when he met Morgan in the Zombie Universe, she was the first to recognize his "brilliance" and think he was learned, so even though he was confused, he chose to keep quiet.
"How did Thor and the others end up in a place like this?" Strange didn't hesitate. His hands quickly formed seals as he began casting a spell to locate Thor's aura.
Since he had started on the path of self-developed magic, his level and variety of spells had increased significantly. Most people couldn't tell that beneath the "self-developed" label were spells hidden from *Ian's Book of Magic*.
As the detection magic spread in all directions, Strange knew that being able to find practical spells in Ian's collection was a skill in itself.
About thirty seconds later.
Strange's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Over there! The energy reaction is very faint!" With that, the Cloak of Levitation billowed, and he took to the air, flying quickly toward the direction he had detected.
"Wait for me, Doctor!" Morgan shouted, pressing a reactor-shaped necklace on her chest. Instantly, nanobots flowed like water over her body, forming a small but fully functional gold-and-red suit of armor—clearly inheriting her father's style.
"Wait for me!" Morgan Stark hoisted the heavy treasure chest on her back, and the thrusters in her feet and palms flared with light as she steadily caught up with Doctor Strange.
The two quickly receded, disappearing behind a massive piece of wreckage.
Only after their figures had completely vanished did Sylvie cautiously emerge from the shadows of the ruins, her emerald eyes filled with even greater confusion.
Doctor Strange and Morgan Stark? How could they be at the end of time? They were looking for Thor? And why was Thor here?
Everything seemed different from what she and Loki had anticipated.
Variable after variable appeared, completely spinning out of control.
"This is nothing like what was agreed upon." Sylvie tried once more to link with Loki in her mind, calling out anxiously, "Loki, do you hear me? Say something!"
She was desperate, but as the saying goes, if being anxious worked, no one would tell you not to worry. There was still only dead silence. Only the green thread maintaining the solitary universe remained.
However.
In her perception, that thread seemed to have dimmed a bit more.
"Dammit!"
A sense of despair washed over her again.
But Sylvie knew she couldn't give up.
Suddenly, she recalled that Doctor Strange seemed to have an inconspicuous small bottle hanging from his waist, and inside... something was being held? A tiny, constantly shifting... Loki variant?
"The soul of this universe's original Loki." Sylvie seemed to think of something, and a bold, risky plan instantly formed in her mind.
Loki couldn't respond.
The threat of Ultron was imminent, and that lunatic Ian had been chased off by a temporal monster... Perhaps she could change her approach. Doctor Strange was Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, possessing powerful magic and knowledge of multiple dimensions. Maybe... he could provide help?
At the very least, he could be a useful... bargaining chip.
As for the Loki variant in the bottle... a complex light flashed in Sylvie's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resolve.
"Perhaps I can use him..." she whispered coldly. "I have to apologize in advance, but necessary sacrifices... are always worth it."
For the ultimate goal, for the sake of any existing hope, she was willing to bear any sin.
Having made her decision, Sylvie's figure melted into the shadows again. Like a green ghost, she noiselessly followed the direction taken by Doctor Strange and Morgan Stark.
Her plan had changed.
Sylvie moved like a green phantom through the endless debris at the end of time, trailing far behind Doctor Strange and little Morgan. Her stealth skills were superb, and combined with her familiarity with such environments, she remained undetected by the two in front.
Following them through various twists and turns, she found they finally stopped at a relatively open area. There was an extremely inconspicuous area of chaos on the ground.
A vortex, seemingly made of pure air currents, twisted and rotated silently in the clearing. Unless one looked closely, it was easy to dismiss it as part of the chaotic energy currents of the end of time. Morgan pulled out a device that looked like a multi-functional environmental analyzer from her chest.
"Let me see if this thing is actually a portal." The little scientist cautiously approached the vortex and began scanning.
Data flashed across the screen.
"At such a young age, you have this level of alertness. Not bad," Strange praised.
"Of course, I'm a Zombie Hunter, after all." Morgan looked proud for a moment, then reported to Strange, "Energy is stable, spatial coordinates locked... a certain area inside the TVA."
"Theoretically, passing through won't tear a person to shreds, Doctor." Morgan packed away the instrument and gave Strange her highly scientific judgment.
There wasn't a single bit of magic involved.
Strange still looked a bit hesitant. After all, using a tech creation that completely defied magical principles for cross-dimensional transport truly challenged his cognitive boundaries.
But thinking of the missing Thor and the potential crisis, he nodded.
"For brotherhood!"
"Stay close to me, little one."
He gave a warning, took a deep breath, and with the Cloak of Levitation fluttering, he was the first to step into the vortex, his figure instantly swallowed by distorted light.
Morgan didn't hesitate for a second. She shouldered her chest, activated the armor's basic shielding, and jumped in after him.
Sylvie observed from the ruins in the distance, holding her breath. As soon as the two disappeared, she didn't hesitate, moving like a bolt of lightning to dive into the vortex just before it returned to calm! A brief moment of dizziness and spatial pressure hit her, but the intensity was far less than that of a traditional temporal door.
"Hmm?"
The next second, the feeling of solid ground returned, and her surroundings changed drastically!
Cold, smooth metal walls full of geometric beauty, infinitely extending brightly lit corridors, air filled with the scent of disinfectant and the unique smell of electronic equipment...
Sylvie's heart skipped a beat!
She was all too familiar with this place—the Time Variance Authority (TVA)!
Although she didn't know the method used, this was undoubtedly the interior of the TVA! However, it felt different than before. The air seemed to hold an even colder, mechanical pressure.
"The Era of Ultron's Reign."
Sylvie realized she had entered the heart of Ultron's current lair, so she quickly hid in the shadow of a structural pillar. She saw Doctor Strange and Morgan, who had entered slightly before her, just stabilizing themselves, both scanning the completely unfamiliar environment warily.
"Who goes there?!"
"Unauthorized illegal intrusion!"
Suddenly, a squad of Time Guards wearing standard TVA uniforms and carrying reset batons appeared from around a corner. They had spotted the uninvited guests, Strange and Morgan, who didn't know how to hide.
The disciplined guards immediately rushed forward to intercept.
"It's the Sorcerer Supreme!"
The leader raised a strange device and aimed it at Doctor Strange! Strange was about to form a seal to cast a spell but suddenly felt the flow of time around him become extremely slow!
His thoughts remained clear, but his movements were so slow it was like struggling in a swamp; even lifting a finger became incredibly difficult! The TVA's technology was remarkably effective against sorcerers!
"Doctor!"
Morgan cried out, but she herself seemed completely unaffected by the time-dilation field! The girl reacted instantly, raising her arm as a small launcher popped out from her armor.
*Phew-phew-phew!*
Several micro-anesthetic darts accurately hit the necks of the Time Guards. The guards wore expressions of disbelief, seemingly unable to comprehend why a little girl could be immune to their equipment.
"You..."
Even the leader could only manage one word before his eyes rolled back, and he slumped to the ground unconscious.
"How is this possible? What they used wasn't magic! And you! Why weren't you affected or imprisoned?" The time-dilation effect vanished once Morgan picked up the dropped device. Doctor Strange, restored to freedom, looked at Morgan in surprise.
Morgan didn't answer. Instead, she began studying the strange device the Time Guard captain had used. She pulled tools from her chest, her small brow furrowed as she quickly began dismantling and researching it.
The girl's movements were shockingly proficient.
In less than a minute, she had actually removed the core component of the device and combined it with a few other parts on the spot, fashioning a simple, blue-glowing bracer.
"Here, Doctor, put this on." She handed the bracer to Strange. "It should generate a reverse field to temporarily immunize you against that time interference."
Strange took the bracer and stared at Morgan for a long time, his gaze complex.
"I mean, are you trying to make me look illiterate... is this really science? Is it?" As a Medical Doctor, Strange could only mutter, "Your father must have been a very, very powerful Dimensional Demon... no wonder that Evil God Ian seemed to have such a close relationship with him."
He was convinced that the Tony Stark Ian knew couldn't have been a mere scientist.
Morgan rolled her eyes, too lazy to explain. Strange put on the bracer, tested it, and the two of them didn't dare delay, immediately heading deeper into the TVA.
Sylvie waited until Strange and Morgan left before quietly emerging from her hiding spot. She looked at the unconscious Time Guards, her gaze cold.
She was far too familiar with this place, perhaps even more than Strange and the others regarding the layout. She could guess where those two were headed—usually the area where high-value temporal prisoners were held.
To prevent these guards from reporting after they woke up and causing more trouble, Sylvie made a "mature" decision. She knelt down, a green light flashing in her hand.
In her palm appeared the dagger imbued with the concept of "The End of the Story."
It was originally the "wand" used by the God of Stories Loki. As they say in cultivation novels, when one person attains the Dao, even their dogs and chickens ascend; after suffering with Loki for so many years, the weapon had undergone its own transformation and attained divinity.
"Sorry, your story ends here."
Sylvie whispered to herself, her tone without a ripple. Her hand moved, and the dagger accurately and swiftly pierced deep into the carotid artery of each unconscious guard.
However, the expected scene of spraying blood did not occur. Where the dagger entered, only a few faint electric sparks crackled, revealing the cold metal structures and circuitry beneath.
These guards, who appeared to be living humans, were all androids covered in human skin. It wasn't particularly shocking to Sylvie that Ultron had modified the TVA to this extent.
"Does it want to forge the entire multiverse into a universe belonging to machines and metal?" Sylvie's eyes narrowed, but her movements didn't pause. She quickly and thoroughly destroyed the core processors of these mechanical guards, ensuring from the root that they could not be repaired or rebooted.
Having completed the silent "clean-up," she acted like a top-tier assassin, hugging the walls and using every security blind spot and shadow to cautiously go deeper.
Along the way, she encountered several more waves of mechanical guards that had been taken down by Strange and Morgan using various methods—mostly Morgan's tech gadgets.
Sylvie didn't hesitate, following the same procedure and dealing the finishing blows, ending these evil creations and erasing any possibility of them being resurrected by Ultron.
She expertly navigated her way to the special detention area where important temporal prisoners were kept. The cells here were no longer simple bars but were made of energy fields and reinforced glass.
The cells held various "big shots" from different timelines. Sylvie even saw several historically famous tyrants and mad scientists.
They all appeared listless, waiting to be modified into "Half-Maggots"—semi-mechanical lifeforms—to be deployed back into history.
Suddenly, a particularly noisy cell caught Sylvie's attention.
"Let me out!"
Inside was an extremely ridiculous and ugly... skull? Its proportions were severely distorted, its fangs exposed and crooked, and in the center of its forehead grew a writhing, tumor-like growth. One eye was severely crossed, while the other socket was empty.
One could even see the slightly trembling, brain-like substance inside.
It—no, *he*—was slamming hard against the glass door, making a "thump-thump" sound, shouting in a high-pitched, angry voice.
"Let me out! You thieves! Robbers! You must have stolen my true power! You altered my grand appearance and stole my cosmic status!"
"I am the King of Darkness!"
"I am the Lord of the Void!"
He suddenly noticed Sylvie passing by and slammed his distorted face against the glass, his single eye and tumor staring fixedly at her.
"Loki! You're Loki, right!"
"Tsk tsk, a female variant of Loki."
"In the entire multiverse, you are the only one of your kind. Listen, you are the special one. Let me out! If you let me out, not only will I help you get the throne of Asgard, I can even let you replace the so-called 'God Above All'! We will rule all of reality together!"
Due to some external factors leading to a failed rebirth, Knull, the God of Darkness, had not only been "greened" by his own sword, but he also seemed quite clumsy at manipulation now.
It was understandable.
After all, there was a fair amount of brain matter on the floor; it had likely leaked out of his eye, signifying a great loss of wisdom.
"Knull."
Sylvie only gave him a cold glance, as if looking at a pile of non-recyclable trash, not bothering to engage with someone so clearly mentally unstable.
She continued walking quickly.
Soon, she heard familiar voices ahead. Creeping closer, she found Strange and Morgan stopped before a cell, seemingly studying how to crack the energy lock.
The people inside the cell made Sylvie's eyes narrow.
It was Captain America, Steve Rogers, and Thor, the God of Thunder! However, both looked quite disheveled.
Cap was grumbling incessantly: "On what grounds? Tell me on what grounds? That girl Gwen Stacy gets a cell all to herself? Do we men just deserve to be squeezed together? Dammit! This is unfair! When I get back to Earth alive, I'm definitely starting a men's rights organization to fight for the benefits men deserve!"
"Men should have their own individual cells too!"
His voice was loud and full of conviction.
Beside him, Doctor Strange, while trying to crack the lock, couldn't help but complain: "Steve? You've awakened a sense of equality just because of an individual cell?"
Cap didn't speak, just crossed his arms with a "my mind is made up" look of teeth-gritting determination. That angry look was just one step away from "taking the blade" to join the American T0 ranks.
"Do you know how agonizing it is to stay with this guy?" Cap pointed a very frustrated finger at Thor, who was pacing back and forth in the cell.
Thor seemed restless. He suddenly stepped forward, repeatedly pounding the cell door with his fists, urging Strange outside.
"Strange! Quick! Open this damn door! We have to find my father!" His voice was full of fury and immense worry.
Morgan asked curiously, "Mr. Thor, what happened to Odin?"
Thor didn't answer directly. His face was exceptionally grim as he pounded the door even harder, his voice carrying an unprecedented urgency. "They took him! Those mechanical guards! They said... they were taking him for 'disposal'! So, for Asgard! Open the door!!"
From their fragmented conversation, Strange and Morgan outside pieced together the situation: the TVA had captured Odin, who had turned into a baby, and intended to "dispose" of him on the grounds of "temporal anomaly."
"Is that really the case?"
Sylvie, hiding in the dark, didn't think so.
She suspected Ultron wanted to modify Odin into some kind of Mecha-Odin, taking him as a vassal to be deployed along with other historical figures into cosmic history to erode all time intervals.
Right then.
Under Morgan's "miraculous" scientific expertise, the energy lock emitted a surge of overloaded humming, followed by a "hiss" as it failed completely, causing the glass doors to slide open.
"Father!" Thor was the first to roar as he charged out. His entire body erupted with unprecedented, violent lightning, which even seemed to hold traces of the Odinforce.
Worry and anger brought his power to a tipping point. He looked like a descending god of thunder, aiming straight for the direction the guards had taken Baby Odin!
However, at the exact second he was about to burst out as a bolt of lightning—*BANG!!!*
The heavy metal door outside the cell was kicked open from the outside!
A figure burst in with lightning speed, swinging a warhammer sparking with electricity, slamming it squarely into Thor's chest!
*THUD!*
A dull thud was accompanied by the groan of overtaxed bones and the crackle of lightning being forcibly dispersed! Thor's forward momentum came to a dead stop. Before he could even see the newcomer's face, he was sent flying back as if he'd been hit in the face by a full-speed Milano, screaming as he went.
*Gurgle-gurgle...*
The invincible God of Thunder fell. Not just fell—he tumbled across the floor over a dozen times, only stopping once he hit the feet of Strange and Morgan.
"Blegh..."
Thor lay paralyzed on the ground, his eyes rolling back, white foam pouring from his mouth while his body twitched uncontrollably. He had clearly been hit by a heavy blow and an intense electric shock.
The God of Thunder is afraid of electricity.
That is Marvel common sense.
"Thor!"
"Who's there?!"
Strange and Morgan instantly entered combat mode! The "Praise Energy" of the Shield of Ian surrounded Strange, while Morgan's nanotech suit entered full weapon mode.
Small energy cannons on her shoulders quickly popped up and locked onto the target!
Steve Rogers, having just regained his freedom, looked around and realized his beloved shield had long been confiscated. Currently empty-handed against this sudden powerful enemy, he could only awkwardly yet politely... retreat behind Strange and Morgan, while quickly whispering to them.
"Careful! Those robes... that's the so-called 'Chief Justice' of this place! Probably the kind of 'final boss' Ian always talks about!"
His tone was worried.
The air became incredibly tense, as if frozen.
The person standing at the door wore a slightly oversized, solemn robe embroidered with complex temporal runes, his face hidden in the shadows of a hood. In one hand, he held the very object that had just swatted away the enraged Thor—Mjolnir.
The "Chief Justice" didn't seem to have the immediate intention to attack.
Instead, he tilted his head slightly, whispering to the hammer in his hand: "Hey! Hey! Old buddy, don't move, be quiet! Give me some face, I don't want to get exposed..."
"Don't be like that, I've already used the Face-Face Fruit... stay steady, tomorrow I'll find you a nest of female hammers."
The Chief Justice began a series of Manipulation tactics on the hammer, but his muttering soon stopped when he realized everyone in the cell was staring at him with extremely grim and wary gazes.
The "Chief Justice" seemed a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat, raised Mjolnir, and said in a tone trying to prove his innocence.
"Ahem! Well... although I personally really like you guys calling me the 'final boss,' it sounds cool and prestigious! But look!"
He shook the hammer. "I can lift Mjolnir! As everyone knows, only those with a pure heart and noble character can lift Mjolnir! So, I'm destined to be a good guy! The best, most saintly person in the universe! You don't need to be nervous at all!"
This didn't sound like reassurance; he seemed to be bragging, using the hammer to endorse himself. However, as soon as he finished speaking, Morgan tilted her head and exposed him ruthlessly in her characteristically clear, innocent voice.
"Mister... Judge? If you took off that diamond-encrusted Infinity Gauntlet on your other hand before saying that, it might be a bit more convincing." She even added a polite "oh" at the end, showing she'd clearly attended a few etiquette lessons in her time.
The "Chief Justice's" body visibly stiffened. Then, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he became exasperated: "You damn smart brat! Couldn't you be a normal kid and watch more TV so you could ruin your eyes?! Why are you observing so closely?!"
He violently ripped off the solemn judicial robes, revealing the outfit beneath—a classic red-and-black tight-fitting suit with dual katanas strapped to his waist.
And on his hand was the gauntlet, encrusted with glittering Infinity Stones. There were at least a dozen similar gauntlets hanging around his waist like a belt, at least seventy or eighty of them, looking incredibly clunky.
"It's you! Uncle Deadpool!"
Morgan cried out in surprise, her helmet retracting to show her shocked little face. "What are you doing here? And how did you become the Chief Justice?"
Her "recognition" didn't encounter the same confusion as Strange or the other superheroes.
Deadpool clearly recognized Morgan too.
"Yes! Yes! It's me! The one everyone loves, the one that makes flowers bloom and coffins open—Deadpool, baby!" Deadpool stood with his hands on his hips, looking triumphant. "Didn't expect that? Your daddy wouldn't approve my forged, perfect job application, but now I've successfully infiltrated as a high-ranking official of the TVA!"
"I've mastered just a *little* bit of power to make things difficult for you!" He had a moment of middle-aged triumph before changing his tone to a negotiating one.
"Tell you what, Deadpool isn't a petty guy. Let me join the Avengers, and I'll be merciful enough to take you out of this hellhole."
"How about it? Pretty good deal, right? If it wasn't for my unborn daughter in my wife's belly saying she likes the Avengers, Deadpool wouldn't even look at you guys!"
"Don't tell me no; I can loop time and ask you ten thousand times, spending ten thousand years here with you!" Deadpool attempted to pull a Doctor Strange-style bargain.
His speech was even mixed with some classic Captain America elements.
"?????"
"?????"
Doctor Strange and Cap were both stunned, vaguely feeling like their lines had been stolen. Just as Deadpool was attempting his unreliable negotiation through threats and bribes.
"Waaa~ Waaa~"
A loud infant's cry suddenly came from his bulging stomach—which seemed to have something stuffed inside! The cry seemed to possess a magical power. Thor, who had been foaming at the mouth on the floor, suddenly jerked like he'd been injected with high-grade adrenaline.
Thor leaped up from the ground!
"Father!!!"
Thor's eyes instantly turned a brilliant gold.
Boundless Odinforce mixed with lightning erupted uncontrollably from his body!
The entire cell block was illuminated!
He stared fixedly at Deadpool's stomach and let out a heart-wrenching roar.
"Give me back my daddy!!!"
He transformed into a destructive bolt of lightning once more, charging at Deadpool with even more ferocity than before!
However—
*BANG!!!*
Another familiar dull thud!
Deadpool nonchalantly swung Mjolnir again, accurately hitting Thor on the forehead, sending him flying back into the wall where he slowly slid down, losing consciousness again.
Vaguely.
The Odinforce seemed to be working hard to evolve.
"Still can't beat him?"
Cap felt helpless regarding Thor's "only-on-paper" power level.
Little did they know.
This time, both Strange and Morgan clearly saw that while Deadpool swung the hammer, all the stones on the Infinity Gauntlet on his other hand flared with blinding light.
Clearly.
It wasn't Deadpool who beat Thor; it was the bugged-out equipment in Deadpool's hand.
"Wait a second..."
Morgan's face was full of confusion as she looked at the energy readings on her armor's screen.
"According to the data Daddy left, and the books he stole from Kamar-Taj and didn't plan to return, there should be an extremely strong rules-suppression inside the TVA. Infinity Stones should just be pretty glass beads here... why can you use their power?"
The girl wasn't just kind; she was her father's "black-hearted" little helper. This sentence made Strange's eyes bulge, as he realized the true reason Kamar-Taj didn't have many books left.
"Why? Good question!"
Deadpool triumphantly waved the Infinity Gauntlet as the light from the stones faded.
"Because Deadpool uses Infinity Stones wherever he damn well pleases! That's Deadpool's rule! Cool, right? If it's cool, give me a compliment."
Deadpool's personality was volatile. He seemed to quickly lose interest in the question as his attention shifted back to the crying coming from his "stomach."
He carefully pulled out a crying infant wrapped in a lavish swaddle from beneath his suit—it was indeed Baby Odin!
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
At least Deadpool wasn't as crazy as Ian, wanting to be Odin's father or mother.
"Dammit! Crying again! Did Odin grow up as a crybaby?" Deadpool held the wailing Odin in both hands, looking quite flustered. He looked at the stunned Strange, Morgan, and the Cap hiding behind them, asking in a very sincere, help-seeking tone.
"Hey! Seriously, which of you has raised a kid? How do I get this little ancestor to start nursing? Why have I tried so many times and can't do it? Am I not friendly enough?"
As he spoke, he actually pulled out several "loving" masks with extremely exaggerated, distorted expressions from somewhere, putting them on his face one by one.
He was trying to use a face written with "loving kindness" to soothe Odin.
"Look at this 'Gentle Mommy' face, how about it? Don't like it? How about 'Sunshine Daddy'? Or this 'Slit-Mouthed Auntie's Care'?"
Deadpool was really going for it, probably trying to practice for being a dad. His behavior was bizarre, but at this moment, no one's attention was on those "mental pollution" level masks.
Everyone's gaze, filled with extreme shock and confusion, was focused on his red-and-black pants, which had unknowingly dropped to his ankles because he was trying to "nurse the kid."
"????"
"?????"
"??????"
Everyone, including the hidden Sylvie, was stunned.
The entire scene fell into an extremely eerie, indescribable silence. Only the cries of poor Baby Odin echoed.
Just then.
A roar of extreme embarrassment and annoyance, slightly distorted in pitch, came faintly from outside as if through thick glass!
Everyone was startled.
Sylvie, hiding in the dark, was the first to react. She rushed to the observation window in the corridor and looked out—outside was no longer the cold metal corridor of the TVA, but a scene of chaotic cosmic junk—the end of time!
Sylvie understood instantly!
The space of the TVA and the end of time had somehow overlapped or connected!
And on those ruins, Ian Kent was "riding" atop the head of the temporal monster Alioth in a posture that looked very difficult to balance.
Sylvie didn't even have the time to wonder why Ian could touch a monster that was supposed to have no physical form. Because her ear was pressed against the glass, she heard what Ian was roaring about.
Yes.
The roar hadn't come from the temporal monster, but from Ian, who was locked in a fierce struggle with it.
"Dammit! Are you illiterate?! It's clearly written in *Postpartum Care for Fantastic Beasts*! Mature little temporal monsters are supposed to know how to crawl into the Pokéball hand-crafted by their Man-Mom!" Ian was trying to stick a book, which looked like the ink hadn't even dried, onto the area where Alioth's eyes would be.
If it had eyes, and could read, perhaps... it still wouldn't understand.
"That's the place for peeing! Is that a place you can just crawl into?! I don't even like using it to pee myself! Do you know what 'hardly used, like new' means?!" Ian educated Alioth while pummeling its airy head with his fists.
"Deadpool is on Ultron's side, which is tricky, but..." Looking at Ian's disheveled yet strangely "tenacious" figure, an idea hit Sylvie like a bolt of lightning.
As they say, fight poison with poison.
Deadpool, who might have already become a cyborg, was truly terrifying. So, she had to find a way to drag Ian in and use him to deal with this seemingly "cheating" Deadpool.
***
Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666