"By the way, since Loki was erased by that weapon and ended up here, does that mean the device actually has no lethal capability?" Marcus mused.
Since Loki, who'd been eliminated by that weapon, had appeared in this location, Marcus's wariness of the technology decreased considerably.
That device didn't erase people—it prune their temporal existence and deposited them in this dimensional garbage dump.
Temporal manipulations were meaningless against Marcus. Even if opponents actually used this weapon on him, it couldn't affect him whatsoever.
After all, Marcus had long since become eternal. The moment any version of him was prune, that Marcus would dissolve into void energy and manifest in the next instant.
Even if time collapsed entirely, Marcus would continue existing—timelines couldn't constrain him.
Loki naturally knew none of this. He was still communicating with these variant Lokis about their respective stories. Like Sylvie, they were all Lokis from different timelines.
However, they all shared a serious problem: each had taken actions contrary to normal timeline development, resulting in TVA capture, temporal cutting, and exile to this place to await death.
"Unlike the others, I should be closest to your original timeline," the elderly Loki explained slowly. "Thanos didn't kill me then. I created the most perfect illusion—one Thanos couldn't distinguish from reality. I escaped the ship..."
Compared to others, his experience seemed relatively ordinary.
After leaving Thor and the Asgardian survivors, he'd lived alone for extended periods in anonymity, altering his appearance.
Eventually, he couldn't resist loneliness and traveled to Earth seeking his brother Thor.
This action was discovered by the Time Variance Authority. To prevent timeline interference, those temporal hunters captured and exiled him here.
"The most perfect illusion..." Loki muttered, somewhat dazed by his elderly counterpart's words.
As the Nine Realms' premier sorcerer, his illusion magic was naturally powerful, but he'd never imagined this older self achieving such levels.
What constituted the most perfect illusion? It could only be accomplished by achieving complete consistency with genuine existence. That such illusion had been mastered by this elderly version shocked him tremendously.
Seeing Loki's amazement, the old Loki simply waved his hand gently, his smile bearing similarity to Odin's expression.
"The frost giant prince actually resembles his adoptive father. Could he be the offspring of both Laufey and Odin?" Marcus commented, amusing himself with the thought.
Two kings who were mortal enemies producing Loki together—that was interesting regardless of perspective.
"If that were true, Frigga's situation would be... complicated," Marcus chuckled before refocusing his attention.
He was becoming increasingly interested in the Time Variance Authority. All information about this mysterious organization was enigmatic, greatly heightening his curiosity.
The elderly Loki began explaining their current location.
The Void—where Loki and his companions were exiled—served as a disposal site where all prune by the Time Variance Authority accumulated.
"No one can escape from here because there's a powerful creature called Alioth. It devours everything in this garbage dump periodically—that's why the place isn't completely filled," the elder explained.
"How do you know that?" Loki asked.
Since this creature called Alioth devoured everything here, why were so many Lokis present? Why did the elderly Loki know so much?
"Because Loki always survives!" the young Loki replied from his elevated position.
"Precisely. Though Alioth can consume many things, we remain safe hiding in this bunker. This is Loki's sanctuary."
"Loki isn't the only one exiled here. Others often appear, but they can't match Loki's wisdom. Most are devoured by Alioth. Incidentally, Alioth prefers massive prey."
The elderly Loki smiled knowingly. Only Lokis remained in the Void—they'd attempted countless escape methods, all failing without exception.
They were trapped here, able only to await death.
"The Void? Why does this feel somewhat similar to my domain?" Marcus wondered.
His eyes emitted void energy while the void power within Loki's body resonated faintly.
Following the void fluctuations from Loki's form, Marcus examined the Void—the nothingness where they existed.
"Hmm... there's only slight connection," he observed.
The Void was indeed linked to his domain, though not deeply. It was simply a location positioned on timeline periphery, adjacent to the void—essentially a transit station in the Marvel reality.
If problems occurred here, the so-called Time Variance Authority would disappear entirely, and all timelines organized by the TVA would become entangled. People from different eras or parallel worlds might encounter each other.
"Let me consider... this transit station's center is..." Marcus followed the station's power, observing an energy-based life form.
Wherever that entity passed, everything except ground disappeared.
"Is this the life form called Alioth? It appears to be an excellent garbage disposal system, but..." Marcus could see clearly that a special passage existed within Alioth's core—the transit station for all timelines.
"It seems I've found the location!" After discovering the Time Variance Authority's key, Marcus retracted his observation.
Regardless of what lay inside, he could only determine that by reaching the destination.
"I'm going out briefly," Marcus announced to everyone before slowly vanishing from their sight.
Everyone exchanged confused glances, uncertain about Marcus's intentions. They shrugged and continued observing Wanda and the others' training.
The next moment, Marcus appeared in the void beyond the Void. Standing outside nothingness, he looked down at this realm.
"The mastermind must be guarding against something. So many defensive measures don't seem designed merely for timeline maintenance," Marcus noted while stepping into the Void and flying directly toward Alioth.
SWOOSH!
While flying, a figure suddenly appeared—Sylvie. She'd also been prune here, possessing the same weapon, which confused Marcus considerably.
"How did she acquire the prune stick? Did she arrive here voluntarily?"
Considering this, Marcus floated in the air with his form concealed, quietly observing Sylvie race against Alioth.
Shortly afterward, a Mercedes-Benz suddenly appeared with Mobius driving then rescuing Sylvie.
"I didn't expect Mobius to arrive at such perfect timing." His appearance was crucial—arriving moments later would have meant Alioth devouring Sylvie.
Following the vehicle, Marcus discovered they were speeding precisely toward the Lokis' location.
"Is this considered telepathic connection among Lokis?" Currently, except for Mobius, everyone else was Loki variants gathering together.
Regardless of reasons, at minimum the Lokis shared unified vision.
Soon enough, Loki reunited with Sylvie, though he didn't appear particularly excited upon seeing her.
"You've also been prune here. We can't escape!" he declared.
"No, we still have opportunity!" Sylvie smiled. "I used magic to contact that creature's essence. If we want to leave, we may need to control that entity."
These words made all Lokis regard Sylvie as if she were insane. Though also a Loki, her concept seemed ridiculous to everyone.
That was the all-consuming Alioth. This woman wanted to control it? If such control were possible, they'd have accomplished it already.
But what they didn't realize was that Sylvie differed from them. She had indeed observed special images within Alioth's smoke.
She believed that given sufficient time, that creature would definitely be controlled and dominated by her.
Compared to everyone's mocking expressions, Loki chose belief. Both he and Sylvie were experiencing this place for the first time. Even after everyone's warnings, he wanted to attempt escape.
"Tell me what to do—I'll help you!" Loki declared.
"Me too!" Mobius spoke simultaneously, then smiled at the startled pair. "We're all in this together now. Worth trying hard."
He couldn't help them even if unwilling. After being cut here, he'd attempted departure but couldn't escape regardless of methods.
Now Sylvie was attempting something different—perhaps she could genuinely transport them away.
"And me. Though old, I can still assist," elderly Loki offered.
Perhaps he viewed all Lokis as juniors, always providing extra care when facing these younger versions.
"Count me in. It's too boring here. I want to leave!" young Loki announced.
He'd arrived after killing his brother Thor but didn't consider his actions wrong.
Since escape was possible, he had to try.
Under their leadership, other Lokis joined the effort. The worst outcome was failure—they had methods to avoid Alioth's consumption, but success meant escaping this place.
Marcus quietly observed their actions from above. Sylvie rushed toward Alioth in Mobius's car while other Lokis attempted attracting the creature's attention to help her complete possession.
"If Tony and the others saw so many Lokis working together, they'd probably be shock," Marcus chuckled.
One Loki had nearly caused problems for Tony's team. So many Lokis appearing together might result in Avengers dissolution that same day.
"Hey, big guy!" Loki ran desperately to attract Alioth's attention while other Lokis maneuvered a massive spaceship for maximum distraction.
However, their efforts proved insufficient. Alioth's attention focused on Mobius's car—he was about to attack the two passengers.
"Behold this!" the elderly Loki roared, unleashing all his power.
Countless buildings materialized around him. As structures rose, their complete form was finally revealed.
"Is that Asgard?" Marcus raised an eyebrow, observing the magically-created realm below.
The Asgard manifested below appeared extraordinarily real—virtually impossible to identify as magical construct through perception alone. Such authentic Asgard also captured Alioth's attention.
Witnessing Alioth charging toward Asgard, Marcus felt deeply moved.
He'd heard elderly Loki's story from the younger version. This Loki was nearly identical to his memories—experiencing everything, enduring all hardships.
He'd lost beloved mother Frigga, witnessed Asgard's destruction firsthand, even experienced Thanos's massacre during Earth visitation. From then, he and Thor had parted ways.
This Loki who'd lost everything had spent extensive time alone, yet Asgard remained engraved in his heart. He remembered every detail clearly.
The moment Asgard appeared, all Lokis stopped. They hadn't seen Asgard for too long—even this replica.
"Ahhhh!" To create Asgard, elderly Loki exerted maximum effort, buying time for Sylvie.
He was old, but other Lokis remained young—they could experience more world on his behalf.
"Do people always become so stubborn with age?" Marcus observed elderly Loki's desperate posture, gently shaking his head before sending void energy.
The moment void power entered elderly Loki's body, it transformed into majestic force. The nearly exhausted elder suddenly discovered renewed strength.
Though confused internally, he lacked time for contemplation—escape was paramount.
"Hahahaha! Asgard endures forever!" he cheered, opening a portal and teleporting from his created Asgard.
In Mobius's vehicle, Sylvie struggled with magic, attempting to possess Alioth immediately.
"Give me more time—it's almost complete!" Sylvie's voice reached everyone's ears.
All felt hopeful, exerting maximum effort attracting Alioth while buying Sylvie time.
"Could we actually escape this time?" Everyone watched Mobius's car anxiously, awaiting news of Sylvie's success.