Those time travelers that year

“Of course, my ‘friend’! It’s certainly interesting…” Loki sneered. “Just as I suspected, a stage play, a laughable stage play… The Aesir, the Vanir, and the nine kingdoms besides Midgar. Living like puppets in this farce, using everyone’s lives to perpetuate the rotten lives of those bastards… To hell with it.”

"So, do you still intend to continue with your plan?"

“Of course, why not? It was Surtr and his Twilight Sword who burned the World Tree from beginning to end. Since he represents the terminator of this cycle, then so be it…”

"Let us kill this monster, so that this end will never come to a close... In the end, you will take everything from Surtr, and finally, wielding the Twilight Sword, you will burn the three paper spinning wheels of the Goddess of Fate to ashes!"

"And now, let's go to our first stop, Midgard..." Loki raised his head and looked up at the sky, "to retrieve the Destroyer that it's entrusted to those mortals!"

……

By the time news of Loki's escape and the communication from the guards protecting the Well of Wisdom arrived, it was already the early hours of the third day. Dealing with the troubles caused by the Dark Elves these past few days had indeed kept the entire Asgard busy, even Odin was no exception.

These remnants of the dead, with their moth-to-a-flame actions, delivered a devastating blow to Asgard, reigniting the rebellion in the Nine Realms that had already been quelled. Thus, while dealing with these attackers, Asgard was forced to mobilize its entire army to sweep through the Nine Realms as far as it could reach. This time, a group of dark elves, who should have been dead for thousands of years, emerged; what will emerge next?

Whatever unexpected events might occur, it would be a disgrace to Asgard's reputation and honor. Therefore, it wasn't until the third day, amidst his busy schedule, that Odin received the two communications mentioned above. He immediately rose from the palace and went to the Well of Wisdom.

“Mimi, my old friend…” Awakening the sleeping god of wisdom, Odin asked directly, “What happened? Loki, he was here, wasn’t he?”

"...Odin! My old friend, Loki did indeed come here." The wise giant, awakened from his slumber, opened his aged eyes and looked at Odin, whose face was filled with confusion. He then sighed softly and continued, "He came here seeking an answer, an answer he expected. And now, he has found that answer, and now... he is heading towards another future!"

"The future? Loki? I don't understand what you mean by 'old friend'?" Odin held Gungnir in his hand, his expression of doubt only increasing. "What does this have to do with him escaping from prison and coming here immediately?"

“…I cannot say, my old friend, for things will change once I do,” Mimir replied. “If you truly wish to know, then wait until the end of the story…or, when you find the battle taking place in Muspelheim, throw your spear, a symbol of victory, and bring this all to a close.”

——————————Divider Line——————————

Earth, Midgard.

In a secret base on the American continent, there is a vast collection of unnamed but dangerous items, each with unique effects, gathered by S.H.I.E.L.D. from around the world. These include mutated creatures created through bio-engineering experiments, as well as various strange beings hidden in the corners of the earth. Of course, there are also many wondrous yet extremely dangerous artifacts.

Here, cutting-edge technology is just the most common thing.

To monitor and even study these things, S.H.I.E.L.D. has specifically deployed a division to guard this place. Furthermore, satellites fly over this area around the clock, constantly monitoring everything that happens here. Normally, this is a safe place because S.H.I.E.L.D.'s guards can eliminate any unsafe elements approaching in dangerous ways.

But that night, a dangerous factor far beyond S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control silently approached. Then came explosions and continuous flames, and an entire division of troops within the base began to stir. This army faced only two enemies—the Shire and Loki, who had just returned to Earth from Asgard via a secret passage.

The force attacking this division was a group of 'monsters'!

A terrifying pack of wolves led by a giant black wolf, warriors wielding massive swords crackling with lightning, fire demons holding flaming swords, the silent triangular-helmeted knights, and giant warriors wielding both axes and shields...

Collision, destruction, annihilation...

An entire army equipped with the most advanced weapons and even cutting-edge technology on Earth was utterly routed by these 'monsters' that should have existed only in myths or stories.

Slaughter and death unfold here...

Then, the human army was crushed by these 'monsters'.

In contrast, the perpetrator of this attack strolled leisurely across the battlefield filled with the smell of gunpowder, step by step heading towards the underground base, where he quickly found the Destroyer armor that had been broken but had been collected and reassembled by S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel.

During the Mythical Advent event, both the Shire and Thor demonstrated extraordinary individual power. Similarly, the Destroyer Armor, a powerful construct from Asgard, also played a remarkable role in the battle of New Mexico.

S.H.I.E.L.D. has repeatedly tried to unravel its mysteries, even attempting to control the Destroyer armor to enhance its war potential against these extraordinary 'monsters.' However, the disparity in technological capabilities and standards led to the failure of countless experiments, ultimately forcing them to conceal the Destroyer armor within it.

Prior to that, due to the rebellion in the Nine Realms and the damage to the Bifrost, Asgard and Thor had not pursued the whereabouts of the Destroyer Armor. After all, in their view, mortals on Midgar could not possibly activate or even use this armor.

As expected, after studying the Destroyer Armor, the human scientists had to tell their superiors that they simply did not understand how the Destroyer operated, and could not even operate it.

251. Greenwich

As the saying goes, what I can't have, no one else can have either. Well, that's roughly the idea. Many people know the Destroyer's combat power; even when it was constantly being beaten down, it was still outnumbered. And those ganging up on the Destroyer's armor were all monsters capable of humanoid cataclysms. Ironically, at that time, no matter how many attacks they launched, the Destroyer was indestructible. It was only after Thor regained his powers that he finally managed to dismantle the Destroyer's armor.

Of course, in post-mortem analysis, many researchers and intelligence analysts said that the story was exaggerated. Coupled with the so-called fraternal rivalry and the feel of court politics, anyone with a brain could guess the ulterior motives behind it.

Unable to crack the Destroyer armor, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the UN Security Council behind it, secretly hid it, hoping to one day unlock its secrets and gain leverage to rival the superhuman strength of Thor, Loki, and others. They even planned to mass-produce the Destroyer to achieve something else entirely.

It can only be said that humanity has always been moving towards a path of self-destruction.

However, it was clear that someone didn't want these S.H.I.E.L.D. bastards to continue hogging the Destroyer Armor. After returning to Earth, Ciel and Loki secretly retrieved the Destroyer Armor through previously left-behind means. Then things became simple; both Ciel and Loki knew one thing: negotiating with the human government was idiotic. Given the intelligence and thought processes of the World Security Council's idiots, getting the Destroyer Armor back was simply absurd.

Neither of them wanted to negotiate with those guys, nor were they willing to make any sacrifices. So, they figured they might as well just rob them outright. As for whether anyone would die along the way, sorry, neither of them cared.

Of course, this infuriated S.H.I.E.L.D. When they discovered that the villain who caused the Battle of New York had returned to Earth and, for some reason, teamed up with the 'wizard' who ended the Battle of New York, they turned green with rage. Knowing that the military was just targets for them, and that any advanced technology that could threaten them would only be effective if it could actually hit people, they decisively ordered the Avengers to urgently proceed to that base.

Unfortunately, by the time the Avengers arrived, the Shire and Loki had already left the base, leaving behind only a vast expanse of ruins and a chaotic battlefield.

As for finding the two who caused the trouble, unfortunately, it was impossible. Neither Ciel nor Loki, if they didn't want to, were beyond the capabilities of S.H.I.E.L.D. to even find their traces. In other words, after defeating a division of S.H.I.E.L.D. forces and causing widespread looting and arson, these two decisively disappeared from the sight of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, leaving no trace.

Meanwhile, Thor managed to return to Earth via the Bifrost. However, even he was unable to find the Shire and Loki, who had intentionally concealed their tracks.

……

While S.H.I.E.L.D. and the furious Avengers were searching the world for the Shire and Loki, the two had already secretly crossed the ocean and returned to the territory of John Bull, England. They stepped back into London, but this time, they didn't go to the place where they were searching for the Aether before. Instead, they went to Greenwich, an ancient town in Greater London, England.

Greenwich is a borough in Greater London, located southeast of London on the south bank of the River Thames. The Royal Greenwich Observatory was located there from 1675 to 1948. In 1884, the International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C., decided to designate the meridian passing through Greenwich as the prime meridian, serving as the starting point for calculating time and geographical longitude worldwide.

Similarly, a world-renowned university is located in this area: the University of Greenwich. Founded in 1890, its predecessor was the Woodwich Polytechnic, the second engineering and technical school in England, built on the site of the 18th-century Royal Armory.

One side of the campus faces the Thames River, across from the financial district of Canary Wharf; the other side overlooks the Greenwich Observatory, with the International Meridian running through the campus. It was here, in the story of Thor: The Dark World, that Thor and Malekith's final battle took place. Ultimately, with the Aether present, Malekith, due to his own weakness and Thor's protagonist aura, was defeated. Of course, now, with the Shire's intervention, the storyline is completely different. Malekith died earlier, and the surviving Dark Elves all perished because of their reckless attack on Asgard.

However, none of this changes the fact that this place is still the intersection of the nine realms.

Without the Rainbow Bridge, neither the Shire nor Loki could traverse the countless light-years of space. Even if they had the chance to use the Tesseract, it would be useless without specific coordinates. But that didn't matter. Since they couldn't find their way to Muspelheim, the Land of Fire, they would simply let the gates of Muspelheim open by themselves.

And right here in this university, the Shire and Loki that S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers were searching for all over the world were hiding here. Who would have thought that two gods and wizards who could destroy the world when they went crazy would hide their identities and quietly stay in a university, reliving their student days?

That's right. With the power of the Mind Scepter, Ciel and Loki easily blended into the student body of Greenwich University. However, this was just an identity, and they didn't intend to study properly. After adopting a false name, the two of them infiltrated the university, making S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, who were searching for them all over the world, do nothing.

Of course, these two weren't staying here to pretend to be college students. After all, this place would soon become the meeting place of the nine realms, and when the nine kingdoms could move freely, they would then be able to connect to Muspelheim.

Before that, some pre-battle preparations were necessary. After all, they would be facing Surtr, a Celestial God at his peak. Even with two Infinity Stones, the outcome against Surtr was still uncertain. Therefore, Loki specifically went to retrieve the Destroyer Armor beforehand. Although inferior to the Infinity Stones, the Destroyer Armor was still an undeniable divine artifact. Last time, under Loki's control, due to his unfamiliarity with its operation, he naturally couldn't unleash the construct's power. Furthermore, its true master was Odin, the Celestial Father; Loki was only remotely controlling it through Gungnir.

But now, none of that matters. Through the power of the Mind Scepter and the Aether, the Shire easily erased Odin's mark and control left in the Destroyer Armor, and then allowed Loki to gradually familiarize himself with the Destroyer Armor's power. Combined with the Casket of Ice from Jotunheim, and Loki wearing the Destroyer Armor, the Shire was nearly able to wield two Infinity Stones simultaneously.

252. Before departure

With a major battle imminent, neither of them seemed anxious. Ciel wandered aimlessly through London, occasionally using magic to disguise himself and stroll around Downing Street or Buckingham Palace. Incidentally, during his time in London, thanks to the power of the Aether and the Mind Stone, Ciel had directly located the Sanctum hidden by the Sorcerer Supreme. It must be said that while the Ancient One might not be Ciel's match in individual combat prowess, Ciel's manipulation of space was far less refined and precise.

Although he had learned how to manipulate space through the Tesseract, Ciel still lacked the experience of the Ancient One, who had accumulated hundreds of years of expertise in this field. However, even after finding the Sanctum Sanctorum in London, Ciel didn't intend to simply enter and search for the Time Stone. In some ways, the Time Stone might not be as powerful as the Power Stone, which had become the Orb and could easily destroy a planet; it might not be as versatile as the Reality Stone, which had become an Aether; and it might not be as mysterious as the Mind Stone embedded in the Mind Stone.

However, in terms of trouble, the Time Stone is the most troublesome of all the Infinity Stones. Even Dormammu, who controlled a dark dimension and could be called a cosmic god, was driven insane by Doctor Strange, who wielded the Time Stone. If he were to try to seize the Time Stone now, there's no guarantee that a Doctor Strange from the future wouldn't travel through time to cause him trouble. Although Doctor Strange might not be his match, once he was drawn into the Time Stone's infinite time loop, Ciel felt he would also go mad.

So even after finding the London Sanctuary in London, the Shire had no intention of barging in to cause trouble for the Sorcerer Supreme.

Anyway, with GM-level access to the Infinity Stones, it's impossible to take them out of the Marvel universe. Even if you did, they'd probably be useless. Being able to use two Infinity Stones temporarily is enough. Adding another one, setting aside everything else, would just be too much for the Shire to handle, given the strain it would put on him. Even Thanos was only able to use the power of the Infinity Stones without any cost by using the Infinity Gauntlet.

At the limit of his physical capacity, using two Infinity Stones was sufficient. Moreover, he was qualified to directly challenge God the Father. In order to avoid escalating the situation, Ciel reluctantly glanced at the London Sanctuary, which was now hidden by magic, and returned to Greenwich University.

"...Seriously, you're really taking it easy!" As soon as he returned to Greenwich University, Ciel spotted Loki chatting happily with two female students. After Loki finished his conversation with the two students, Ciel casually walked over and teased, "Having a good chat? Are you going to a hotel tonight?"

"How could that be!" Loki shrugged and replied, "I'm just relaxing right now. But you, why are you so impatient before the time is even up?!"

“That’s God the Father!” Shire said. “Back in Asgard, you witnessed Odin’s attack. Your father destroyed the main cannons of a warship that could tear apart continents, and also destroyed a planet along the way…”

“He’s not my father…” Loki said dejectedly, “He’s Thor’s!”

“But you don’t deny that Thor is your brother,” Ciel said, pursing his lips. “...Besides, whatever the reason, Odin adopted you. Don’t tell me that after all these years of raising you, you really don’t recognize your adoptive father. No matter how much you cause trouble, you’re just a brat who simply wants recognition…”

“…” Loki was silent for a while before replying hoarsely, “You’re right, I do want recognition… but that’s in the past. Now, I’m only fighting for my own future.”

“Is that so? Perhaps!” Charles said. “By the way, what should we do about S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers? When the Nine Realms intersect, everyone who isn’t blind can see it. I don’t want to have to fight those Superboys before I get there.”

"You already thought I wouldn't have guessed?" Loki chuckled softly. "To put it bluntly, those guys are a bunch of simple-minded, muscle-bound idiots. I already activated the illusionary clones I left in the Americas to deliberately leave clues... Now! They're probably over in Antarctica, staring at those silly penguins... Hahahahahahahahahaha!"

……

南极圈

On this frozen continent shrouded in blizzards, a world isolated from the outside world and usually only visited by scientific expeditions, a new group of visitors arrived: Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Banner, all bundled up in heavy coats.

And Iron Man with his flamboyant appearance, and Thor.

"Captain, Stark, are you sure S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence is accurate?" Dr. Banner shouted, touching the frost on his face in the cold wind. "I don't want Hulk to come out and start smashing things when it gets too cold."

"You'll have to ask that dark-skinned Wu Ke." Wearing the Iron Man armor and relying on its built-in life support system, Tony didn't feel the cold. He still spoke in his flamboyant tone, "He said Loki and that 'wizard' came to Antarctica... Don't many comics say that villains like to set up secret bases in Antarctica?! Maybe there's a secret base right under our feet."

“This reminds me of Jotunheim,” Thor said, after returning to Earth not long ago and getting slapped twice while looking for a girlfriend. “Hopefully, the ice giants of Jotunheim won’t actually run out here.”

"Are those ice giants troublesome?" Tony asked curiously.

"No! They are extremely ugly!"

"No wonder your brother is so awkward..."

"Wait!" Captain America suddenly shouted, "Something's coming!"

Everyone was immediately taken aback and quickly prepared for battle. Banner ripped off his winter coat, and his skin turned green. Hulk tore his upper body underwear to shreds, revealing his figure... but his magical pants remained perfectly intact.

On the other side, Thor raised Mjolnir, Tony aimed his palm cannon forward, Captain America raised his seemingly invincible shield, and Hawkeye and Black Widow landed a step behind, drawing their bows and raising their pistols respectively.

Gaa~ Gaa~ Gaa~ Gaa~

A series of eerie shouts echoed through the snowstorm, and a large, dark mass appeared before the Avengers. Soon after, a group of black and white penguins, their plump bodies swaying clumsily, waddled past the Avengers. Some of the curious penguins stopped, their adorably clumsy little eyes staring at the Avengers who remained on guard.

Then he shook himself off and left the humans without looking back.

The atmosphere became extremely awkward for a moment...

“I think…” After a long pause, Tony said uncertainly, “…wouldn’t it be better if we went back and had a meal, and then let that dark-skinned Wu Ke confirm the accurate information before we set out?”

"...Seconded (Hulk)" x5

Are there any lolicon fans who want to get up at 5 AM? If so, let me know!

253. Head to Muspelheim

Just as the Avengers were being completely outmaneuvered by Loki's illusionary clones, traveling all the way to the desolate Antarctica to experience the magnificence of nature and stare at the adorable penguins, they were forced to disheartenedly board a Quinjet fighter jet and fly back to the Americas.

On the distant British Isles, in the city of London, at the University of Greenwich, while its students were either strolling through the beautiful campus or studying in the library as usual, an unusual phenomenon occurred in the sky directly above the university.

Of course, in today's world, unusual phenomena are far too common, so common that they frequently appear in the news. They seem to pop up one after another, challenging the world's values, like a bustling market. For example, not long ago, in a remote small city called Raccoon City, within the United States, a biochemical experiment leak suddenly occurred, plunging the entire city into a biochemical crisis.

The reason, it turns out, is that a local pharmaceutical company called Umbrella accidentally leaked a virus during a biochemical experiment, causing the entire city to become infected and spawn many zombies… weak, pathetic zombies, nothing but infection. Incidentally, as long as the infected person's immune system is normal, they won't turn into a zombie; at most, they'll just catch a bad cold.

Then, before the weakened version of the biohazard in the city could fully erupt, it was censored by a few passing superheroes and supervillains.

The former was hunting down the latter, having witnessed the outbreak of a biohazard crisis and hastily dispatched a vehicle that overturned all the zombies in the city. Meanwhile, the latter, seeing that this little-known Umbrella Corporation could produce such a seemingly sophisticated device, secretly murdered all of Umbrella's top executives and then wiped out all the biohazard experimental data known as the T-virus.

Of course, these kinds of unexpected events happen every year during this period, but strangely, they often occur in the United States. This has puzzled China, and some professional organizations have even consulted experts to ask if the United States has been experiencing bad luck in recent years.

So, when something unusual happened at Greenwich University in London, the students below and innocent bystanders outside actually started pointing and snapping photos in groups. After all, this is the safe British Isles, not New York across the ocean. Thus, faced with a potentially dangerous situation, Londoners completely lacked the safety awareness of New York City residents.