Having just won the legendary Gungnir, Stephen Strange was riding high on a wave of confidence.
He didn't hesitate for a second.
"You... you audacious mortal."
Hearing Strange's rapid-fire analysis, Loki gritted his teeth, a flicker of uncertainty gnawing at him.
To be honest, if Loki were placed in that exact suicidal scenario on the screen, he truly didn't know if he would choose anything other than "Run for your life."
[DING! Answer locked: Stephen Strange.]
[JUDGMENT: INCORRECT.]
[PENALTY TRIGGERED: Stripping 33% of Stephen Strange's magical reserves. Execution: IMMEDIATE.]
"What?"
Strange's heart skipped a beat. His confident smirk froze into a mask of shock.
Kamar-Taj.
"Strange... that boy is always so overconfident."
Master Mordo shook his head helplessly as he read the system announcement.
Beside him, the Ancient One gently fanned herself, her expression unbothered.
"It matters not. He has barely any mana to begin with. Losing a third of zero is still zero."
Mordo stared at the Sorcerer Supreme, speechless.
That makes so much sense... I can't even argue.
Back in the Livestream Room, seeing Strange fail gave Loki a sudden boost of morale.
Two options were down. That left C (Rescue Thor and fight together) and D (Assassinate Thanos alone with a dagger).
Option D was suicide. Loki dismissed it instantly.
That left only one logical choice.
"I choose B! Rescue Thor, and escape together!"
Loki shouted his answer, looking up at the screen with expectation.
[DING! Answer locked: Loki Odinson.]
[JUDGMENT: INCORRECT.]
[PENALTY TRIGGERED: Randomly erasing 10 Spells from Loki Odinson's memory. Execution: IMMEDIATE.]
"URGH!!!"
A sharp vertigo hit Loki. He clutched his head as if struck by a hammer.
When the dizziness passed, he horrifiedly realized the truth: He had genuinely forgotten ten spells. He knew their names, but the intricate weaves and incantations required to cast them were gone, wiped clean from his mind.
"Are you kidding me?!"
Loki was heartbroken and experiencing an existential crisis.
What is happening?
If A and B were wrong, that meant the remaining options involved fighting Thanos directly.
That is suicide!
Why would my future self do something so incredibly stupid?
[Tony Stark: Heh. I actually have to give this Loki some credit. I didn't think he had the guts to face that Purple Potato Monster.]
[Peter Parker: Purple Potato Monster... haha! That nickname is awesome.]
[Stephen Strange: Dammit. I was deceived by Loki's appearance. I thought he was just a backstabbing schemer. I didn't expect him to have such courage.]
[Baron Mordo: Stephen, 'You cannot judge a person by their appearance.' You still have much to learn.]
[Loki Odinson: Enough! You insolent mortals, do you seek death?! (╬ Ò ‸ Ó)]
[Thor Odinson: Brother! In the future... you have grown into such a magnificent warrior! You are truly a son of Asgard, just like me!]
[Loki Odinson: Shut up! (╬ Ò ‸ Ó) Do not compare me to you!]
[Peter Parker: Loki, why are you embarrassed? Now that A and B are out, the most likely answer has to be C, right?]
Loki's heart wavered.
Did my future self... really choose to fight alongside Thor?
[Tony Stark: For self-proclaimed gods, you guys sure are slow on the uptake.]
[Stephen Strange: What do you mean?]
[Tony Stark: Heh... (Victory Sign)]
Since the start, Tony had been analyzing the System's logic. He had already deduced a pattern.
This System was a troll.
Sometimes, the most impossible, illogical answer was the correct one.
With a confident swagger, Tony Stark looked up at the screen.
"I choose D: Alone. Attempt to assassinate Thanos using a hidden dagger!"
...What?
The other three stared at Tony in disbelief.
[DING! Answer locked: Tony Stark.]
[JUDGMENT: CORRECT.]
[REWARD: Tony Stark receives 100 Livestream Points.]
[REWARD: Random Item Draw...]
[CONGRATULATIONS! You have obtained: MEGATRON, LEADER OF THE DECEPTICONS (TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE).]
[Binding System...]
[Binding Complete.]
[From this moment, Tony Stark is the sole master of Megatron.]
Transformers?
Decepticons?
Tony blinked at the strange names.
Suddenly, the sound of heavy mechanical shifting—KA-KA-KA-KOOM—filled the white void.
A colossal silver giant materialized before him.
"A robot? It's... beautiful!"
Tony stared up at the towering machine. Its body was a masterpiece of jagged silver armor, its eyes burning with a terrifying crimson light. A palpable aura of oppression radiated from it.
It felt like standing at the foot of a metallic god.
Tony had spent his life building machines, but he had never imagined a robot could evoke such primal fear and awe.
Beside him, Loki was completely dumbfounded.