Chapter 286: The Hierarchy of the Universe is So Strict and Cold
2024-03-16 Author: Great Demon Spirit
"The fates of too many people have changed drastically, and this place is no exception."
After the main universe's Young Loki entered Universe 199999, he frowned, taking in the feel of this world.
Overall, this universe was so weak it was ridiculous. It was clearly meant to be the main universe for many nearby ones, but in every aspect, it was completely incomparable to Universe 616.
Weaker power, worse potential, and more incomplete universal rules.
But there were Xenomorphs here.
It was one of the worlds Du Wa had meddled with early on, so its status had soared throughout the entire multiverse. People everywhere were talking about this universe that should have been utterly unremarkable.
This was the power of a Multiversal God. With a casual flick of a finger, they could cause earth-shattering changes to the original structure of the multiverse, turning what was once the most insignificant part into a place of great importance across the entire Omniverse.
Loki walked on this universe's Earth, looking at the streets filled with Xenomorphs, and fell into a long silence.
Along the way, someone even recognized him and asked which universe's Loki he was.
"I don't like this world," Loki said, his face dark. This was not what he wanted at all.
Just then, a cold, sinister laugh sounded out. "What a coincidence, I don't like this world either. Xenomorphs everywhere, it's a damned nuisance... Speaking of which, are we on the same side?"
The main universe's Loki turned his head. In a nearby shop, the light distorted, and another Loki walked out of thin air.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not this universe's version of me. You might not believe it, but I come from the Alien Universe." The Loki from the Alien Universe revealed an insidious smile.
But in the eyes of the main universe's Loki, this was practically a declaration of war.
*Swish!*
The main universe Loki used detection magic and confirmed that the fellow before him was not a Xenomorph, which made things even stranger.
"Judging by the magical power you're inadvertently emitting, you're a piece of trash. But for a piece of trash like you to walk out of the Alien Universe unscathed, that's the most unusual thing of all."
"Hehehe, different worlds have different rules. Naturally, I have to adapt and make certain changes..." The Alien Universe Loki lowered his head slightly.
That was truly a past he couldn't bear to look back on.
Back when he was still in the Alien Universe, he had pledged allegiance to Knull, the God of the Symbiotes. He led countless Symbiotes in a massive attack on Earth, sparking a large-scale racial war against the Xenomorphs. After being defeated, he was taken back by Thor and locked in Asgard's prison.
Yes, a battle involving tens of billions could only be considered "large-scale," because he had also participated in the great war against the Cancerverse and had witnessed with his own eyes what the concept of "boundless" truly meant.
However, it was precisely because he had participated in that battle and survived that Loki finally regained his freedom.
"So that's how it is. Another idiot who relies on Thor. Without him, the best outcome for you, having opposed Du Wa several times, would have been to become a Xenomorph."
The main universe's Loki used a few magic spells—this was a level the Alien Universe Loki could never hope to reach—to roughly piece together some fragmented information.
"How did you do that?"
"A very simple spell. I directly read the scattered thought-fragments you're emitting. Your cheap brain is completely unguarded," the main universe's Loki sneered.
Don't assume the main universe's Loki was some good guy. He was far more insane and evil than the Lokis from other universes. The only reason he could talk so calmly with the trash in his eyes was that he was the product of a forced fusion between the extremely evil Old Loki and the newborn Kid Loki. However, Old Loki's brutal mindset still strongly influenced him—after all, Kid Loki was a blank slate.
But even trash has its uses. To be able to walk in and out of Du Wa's Alien Universe several times and not die, even if it was only because the Alien Universe's Thor desperately protected him, at least proved that this Loki was not completely useless.
"You dare to say Du Wa's name directly? It seems you still haven't been on the receiving end of Du Wa's wrath, otherwise you wouldn't do something so foolish," the Alien Universe Loki scoffed.
"On the contrary, I just escaped from his grasp. If he had truly had any designs on me, I never would have escaped," the main universe's Loki sneered.
The main universe's Thor had run off with some unknown entity, and he had no idea what had become of him. He could only use his own methods to change everything.
The two Lokis were at daggers drawn. The streets were bustling with people coming and going—people heading to work, students with backpacks, or visitors from other universes hurrying past.
No one was surprised by the scene with the two Lokis. Similar things happened often. When the whole world could be filled with Xenomorphs, every ordinary person had the opportunity to gain supernatural power, and they frequently saw visitors from other universes, it became difficult to be surprised anymore.
Having seen so many grand spectacles, if they weren't completely unflappable, they could at least remain generally calm.
"Come with me, if you also want to change all of this," the main universe's Loki said coldly.
The Alien Universe Loki sneered. "So that's it, you're looking for allies? At this point in time... it seems you came from the main universe? No wonder. Your world was invaded by Du Wa, and the people you care about have probably all become Xenomorphs... I'm in."
The two Lokis, each with their own ulterior motives, joined forces. As long as there was a visible path forward, they wouldn't go out of their way to backstab each other. But if one of them revealed an obvious weakness, that would be a different story.
After all, they were all Loki. Who didn't know what kind of scoundrel the other was?
The Alien Universe Loki said, "For now, I don't know your purpose for gathering more Lokis, but if you're thinking of forming a multiversal organization like the Spider Alliance, then give up. Even if you build it, it will be instantly riddled with holes by a Xenomorph invasion."
Wasn't that what happened to the Spider Alliance? They were still fighting for their lives against the vampiric Inheritors, but in the blink of an eye, they were invaded by Xenomorphs. All the efforts of the entire Spider Alliance, whether right or wrong, became a joke.
At that time, Du Wa wasn't even a Multiversal God.
Now, even if a group of Lokis gathered together, Du Wa could cross countless universes to enslave them with pinpoint accuracy.
"This universe's Loki is already dead, though it had nothing to do with the Xenomorphs," the Alien Universe Loki added.
The main universe's Loki sneered, "Why do you think I came to this universe? There's something I need here. Bringing you along was just a coincidence."
He had discovered that in a certain place, many Lokis existed.
The Time Variance Authority.
The arrival of the main universe's Loki was a dimensionality reduction strike to these Lokis from nearby universes. Even if they all banded together, they were no match for the main universe's Loki.
Subsequently, the main universe's Loki began his invasion of the entire Time Variance Authority.
It was a decent enough organization, trembling in a corner of time under Du Wa's shadow, reluctantly maintaining its own existence to avoid complete collapse.
"Not good, the Authority is being invaded!"
"Honorable God of Time, the great Kronos! Please take action and drive out the group of Lokis invading us... Huh? Why are you leaving?"
"Stop begging him. The Alien Universe's God of Time? Heh, he's a Xenomorph first, and a Time Celestial second! Besides, even if the God of Time came to our Time Variance Authority, what could he..."
Then, these employees of the Time Variance Authority watched as Kronos casually flattened half of the organization.
Timid and subservient before Du Wa, but striking with a heavy fist against the Time Variance Authority.
A group of Lokis watched Kronos's figure warily, seeing him engulfed by countless surging streams of time.
"Kronos..."
"Could this be a coincidence? We came here, and the God of Time just happened to leave?"
"I've heard of him! It's said that when the Alien Universe and the Cancerverse went to war, this guy was the most ferocious. He was always on the front lines, dying time and time again, only to charge back in after being resurrected!"
"*Hiss!* To be so loyal to the God of Xenomorphs?"
They really didn't know what Kronos was thinking, to fight to such an extent.
Or perhaps, Du Wa was forcing Kronos to risk his life... This thought flashed through their minds and was gone. No one said it out loud. It was too tragic.
Everyone feared Du Wa, and the Lokis were no exception.
The main universe's Loki, his face cold, led the group of Lokis on a mad sweep through the place. They tore through everything, like a max-level player slaughtering a novice village. Everything in the Time Variance Authority was simply too weak.
Until Loki saw Kang.
"Heh, Kang the Conqueror? In the main universe, your dynasty was destroyed more than a decade ago," the main universe's Loki sneered at the man, whose face was ashen with defeat.
"I'm not Kang the Conqueror, and the Kang the Conqueror I know is definitely not the one you destroyed. But it doesn't matter anymore. All the timelines are in chaos. Every universe is suffering from the Xenomorph invasion. No matter which universe's Kang it is, none of them can fight against the Xenomorphs."
The Kang who remained sat slumped in his chair, weeping silently. He had never seen such a desperate situation. No matter what he chose, no matter which timeline in which world, there was now no way out.
Give it up, Kang, it's all Xenomorphs outside!
"Have you ever seen what it looks like when the Kang Council convenes, only for over a thousand Xenomorph Kangs to have infiltrated it? Believe me, if you experience that just once, you'll never want to see another version of yourself again... just like this ridiculous Loki alliance you're building right now."
The remaining Kang gestured with his fingers.
But in the next second, he was dismembered by a magic spell from the main universe's Loki.
"Why did you kill him? I still don't understand what's going on at all!"
"What is the Kang Dynasty? Who was that guy?"
"You don't need to understand any of this. You just need to know that whether he lives or dies only has some impact on the cluster of universes you came from. But to the multiverse, he has no value," the main universe's Loki said impatiently.
The remaining Kang? Collapsing timelines?
So what if it all fell into disarray? At worst, it would just create a few more universes and timelines, causing more chaos and disputes.
But don't forget, the times have changed. This cluster of universes, represented by Universe 199999, has long been Du Wa's territory. There are Xenomorphs everywhere!
How could the speed of universal growth and timeline branching possibly keep up with the speed of the Xenomorph invasion? A new parallel world would probably just appear, and the Xenomorphs would already be integrated into its history, making it a world where Xenomorphs naturally exist, its history and future trajectory naturally the result of Du Wa's manipulation!
The only difference was whether Du Wa wanted to actually interfere, not whether he could!
So, what bullshit TVA, what Kang Council, what Kang Dynasty? In this cluster of universes, it was all a child's game, completely beneath the notice of the main universe's Loki, who had seen far too much.
The true Kang Dynasty that rampaged across the multiverse possessed countless high-tech battleships, could destroy stars with a single shot, and easily toyed with innumerable timelines. Even they crashed and burned in the main universe and were annihilated. What's more these neutered versions of Kang, barely surviving in this corner of the universe cluster?
The main universe's Loki looked down on these mortals who relied solely on high technology.
"Relying solely on high technology will never get you what you want. It's not like it's the high-tech of the Watchers." The main universe's Loki kicked the remaining Kang's corpse aside and looked at the frantically flashing screen, which showed a dense web of branching timelines.
Don't get the wrong idea. It didn't become like this because he killed the remaining Kang; it was already like this before he arrived. The Time Variance Authority was completely helpless against this phenomenon. They didn't have the strength to fight the Xenomorphs.
"Since these guys have the technology for time travel, why don't they travel back to the past and kill the God of Xenomorphs when he was weak?" a Loki asked in confusion.
The Alien Universe Loki whipped his head around, his gaze icy. "Good idea. I have a question. Did you see the back of that purple guy just now? The one being devoured by countless streams of time? That guy is the Alien Universe's God of Time. He's also a Xenomorph. How are you going to travel into the Alien Universe's past to kill Du Wa? And if you kill him, countless versions of him are scattered across every timeline of every universe. How are you going to kill them all?"
He finally understood why the main universe's Loki had looked at him like a lower animal. Because now, he was looking at these Lokis from the Universe 199999 system with that very same gaze.
Using time travel to get rid of a Multiversal God who is omnipresent across all timelines of the multiverse? Do you have any idea what a Multiversal God is?
"Maybe if we travel back to before the God of Xenomorphs became a Multiversal God, there'd be a chance?"
"Shut up. There is no chance. Because before Du Wa had grown strong, you wouldn't have had this thought. By the time you do have this thought, it means the opportunity is forever lost."
"What if we rewound the time of the entire multiverse collectively?"
"What a brilliant idea. Why don't you go have a chat with those few Creator Gods and see what they think of you?"
The main universe's Loki completely ignored the bickering of these low-level Lokis. He just focused on the dense branches of the timelines.
"This is it... Lies..."
(end of chapter )