Chapter 397: A Huge Wave of Enemies Is Approaching!
Loki told Ethan where the Infinity Stones were without a moment's hesitation, though normally that sort of thing should be kept secret.
But then, he didn't mind giving Ethan a little help.
After all, he needed something from Ethan. Or rather, he would need something from the Ethan of the future.
He'd had enough of sitting here forever, no matter what happened in the world.
Catastrophe or glory, all he could do was sit here and watch.
And do nothing.
Put simply, he'd been banned.
Banned by the One Above All, because he was a man who had become a god.
He had human emotions.
Unlike the other gods, who had none.
The One Above All did not allow gods to have emotions. Once a god has emotions, he has selfish desires of his own.
If Loki ever did something to endanger the Marvel world for his own selfish ends, the catastrophe would be unavoidable.
So he'd simply been imprisoned.
But Loki did have his own emotions, and things he wanted to protect.
It was only because of his time with the Time Variance Authority that he'd been able to become Loki, God of Stories. Otherwise, like every other Loki, he would have died at Thanos's hands and lived out a miserable life.
So he was endlessly grateful to the friends who had fought beside him back then, and he missed them dearly.
Mobius. Sylvie. Victor Timely, the inventor...
At the thought of them, a flicker of tenderness passed through Loki's eyes, a deep longing for the companions of the past.
Without those friends, he would never have learned the truth or seen into his own heart. He would never have known what kind of god he needed to become, and so he never would have become the God of Stories.
So now that he knew the TVA was about to face danger, Loki couldn't just stand by.
"What exactly is going on? What did you see, Mr. Loki?"
Ethan frowned as he asked. The Infinity Stones had already slipped to the back of his mind. Knowing they were still in his universe was enough for now.
He didn't know who the black-robed stranger who had stolen his Stones was. But as long as he knew where the Stones were, he was confident he could take them back.
Kang the Conqueror, though, was really going to lead an army against the TVA.
Ethan knew about the bad blood between Kang and the TVA.
After all, the TVA's founder was He Who Remains, a Kang.
Its old mission had been to protect the Sacred Timeline by pruning away extra timelines that sprang up by accident, so that Kang's variants could never emerge again.
But since Loki took the throne, the TVA had shifted from executioner to observer. Its purpose was still the same, though: to prevent evil Kang variants from appearing.
So the TVA and Kang were natural enemies, and it didn't surprise Ethan in the least that Kang the Conqueror meant to attack it.
What Ethan didn't understand was how Hell's Kitchen had gotten on Kang's bad side.
By rights, Hell's Kitchen had no feud with Kang the Conqueror. Could Kang already have discovered Ethan's existence?
Or was this just a lie Loki was telling to get his help?
Either way, Ethan would have to face Kang the Conqueror and his kind sooner or later, whether for the sake of Transcendence or for Hell's Kitchen.
Still, what Loki was offering wasn't enough.
"All right, I can help you protect the TVA. But I'm not strong enough yet. I'm worried I won't be able to protect it properly."
His meaning couldn't have been clearer. Protecting the TVA was no problem, for a price.
Apart from handing over Chen Ye's letter and telling him the Stones were in his world, Loki hadn't given him anything of real value.
Even Loki was briefly taken aback. He hadn't expected Ethan to ask him for something in return.
He wasn't displeased, though. He just thought it over for a moment.
Slowly, he raised his right hand. A brilliant green light gathered in his palm and shot toward Ethan.
On instinct, Ethan moved to raise his defenses. But the green light seemed to have a mind of its own. It slipped deftly past every defense he had and silently merged into his body.
「DING!」
「Congratulations, Host! Loki, God of Stories $¥#&&&」
Ethan's face darkened at once. It was the first time he'd ever seen the System glitch.
What was Loki trying to do?
Just as Ethan was about to confront him, he noticed Loki wasn't paying any attention to his reaction. Loki was wholly absorbed in weaving a mysterious web of green starlight in the empty air.
The starlight scattered in every direction, as if it were alive.
A few seconds passed.
Suddenly Ethan heard the System chime again.
「Congratulations, Host! Loki, God of Stories, has added the Host as a friend!」
「Congratulations, Host! You've received a gift from the God of Stories: 1,000 Friend Points!」
Ethan broke into a huge grin and changed his whole attitude on the spot, completely forgetting that a moment ago he'd been scowling over the System glitch.
"Boss Loki, you're so generous! Anything else you need, Boss Loki? Anything at all I can help with, I'll do it. Same pay as just now is fine."
Honestly, Ethan wanted Loki to do that a few more times. Ten more times would be ideal. That would be enough for a hundred-pull.
Apparently Loki could hand out Friend Points just like that.
Having finished the spell, Loki flatly refused.
"Don't even think about it. That just cost me ten thousand years' worth of stored energy. Normally I need all of it to keep the timelines in balance."
"Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you. When that letter destroyed itself just now, it leaked a trace of Chen Ye's aura. Chen Ye's old enemies have already noticed. They'll definitely send someone to investigate."
Ethan's expression changed. He'd had no idea he was in such danger.
"But I just used a little trick to mask your aura. It won't make them give up investigating, but it will buy you time."
"And you don't need to worry too much. Since the last war, the One Above All and the Five Great Gods were all gravely wounded. They still haven't fully recovered, and it'll be a while yet before they do."
"So they most likely won't investigate personally. As long as you're careful, you can slip past. Anyone below my level won't be able to sense anything."
"But you look exactly like Chen Ye. Someone who knows what to look for might recognize you. That part's up to you."
"Also, the One Above All has already made a move. He hasn't come after you directly, but be careful for a while."
At the mention of the One Above All, a barely perceptible worry flickered in Loki's eyes.
With that, Loki waved a hand, and a dazzling light wrapped around Ethan and instantly sent him back to the Void.
Watching Ethan's figure vanish, Loki looked up at the endless starry sky, a complicated light in his eyes.
"Looks like those old fossils are getting restless. Ethan, I hope you survive and finish what Chen Ye couldn't," Loki murmured. Then he slowly closed his eyes, as though falling back into slumber.
...
In a dimly lit, retro-style bar somewhere in the Marvel world, customers talked in low voices through the drifting smoke while an upbeat blues song played.
Behind the bar stood a bartender whose figure seemed wrapped in tangled night and shadow. His face flickered in and out of the faint light, impossible to make out.
Suddenly the bartender froze for a moment, the cocktail shaker in his hand hanging in midair, as if time had briefly lost all meaning for him.
He slowly raised his head. His deep eyes pierced the bar's ceiling and stared straight into the boundless depths of the universe, where the stars glittered over countless hidden secrets.
"Interesting. Truly interesting. That's the aura of Chen Ye the Defiant. Could it be that the name that once made the whole universe tremble is about to ring out across the heavens again?"
"Chen Ye. For many, that name is a nightmare, a brand that can never be erased. After all these years, what kind of storm will his return bring?"
"I wonder whether the original will survive it this time."
"Once the original dies, I'll no longer be the fulcrum. I'll be the One Above All."
"Perhaps I should go and find Chen Ye. Or rather, Ethan."
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