Karl still intended to infiltrate the headquarters of the Time Variance Authority.
His objective was simple.
Infinity Stones.
Along with whatever TVA equipment and technology he could obtain.
The TVA would never expect someone to voluntarily break into its headquarters.
Furthermore, Karl had no intention of personally stealing anything.
He would leave that to the Shadow Ninjas inside the Shadow World.
Even at his current level, Karl still considered their ability to emerge from virtually any shadow ridiculously useful.
As long as Karl reached the TVA headquarters once, he could immediately retreat into the Shadow World.
Then the Shadow Ninjas could steal everything for him.
Karl himself wouldn't need to appear again.
Through the Shadow World, he could even observe the TVA from within its own shadows.
And with the System concealing the Shadow World, Karl doubted the TVA could detect it easily.
Perhaps not even a Kang variant could.
Karl was still uncertain exactly which version of Kang existed in this universe.
Comic-book Kang was Nathaniel Richards, born on Earth-6311 in the 31st century.
Reed Richards and other members of the Richards line were among his ancestors, while Victor von Doom was only an alleged ancestor.
Therefore, the current absence of the Fantastic Four on Earth didn't actually prove anything.
Karl's universe clearly mixed elements from different Marvel continuities anyway.
Perhaps this Kang came from Earth-6311.
Perhaps he was closer to the variant called He Who Remains.
Either way, Karl wasn't taking any chances.
"Vastness."
"Extract the temporal coordinates from those three TemPads and locate their destination."
"If ordinary spatial calculations fail, use the devices themselves as anchors."
"I want to enter somewhere concealed within the TVA."
Karl issued the order while floating inside the Shadow World.
Behind him stood rows of humanoid Shadow Ninjas.
Obviously, ordinary claw-shaped Shadow creatures weren't suitable for stealing technology.
As for whether Kang or the TVA would come looking for him afterward...
They already were.
Karl had altered the timeline far beyond anything the TVA would tolerate.
Peace was no longer possible.
So taking some compensation in advance seemed perfectly reasonable to him.
If Karl knew exactly how strong the enemy was, he might have simply robbed the entire TVA directly.
And if things became too dangerous, he could always retreat into the Shadow World.
He could remain there until he became strong enough to return.
There were already numerous Olympian goddesses inside, and the System could still provide sign-in opportunities.
Furthermore, Karl controlled the flow of time within the Shadow World.
A few seconds outside could become years inside if he wished.
His lifespan wasn't a problem either.
Having already prepared his escape route, Karl had ordered Vastness to fully conceal and defend both Skyblade VIIs before leaving.
The Shadow Ninjas behind him were ready.
[Sir, the destination has been located.]
[The coordinates lead to the Null-Time Zone.]
[This dimension exists outside conventional temporal flow and normal space-time.]
[The TVA's headquarters is located within it.]
[Traversal is now possible using the captured TemPad coordinates.]
Karl's eyes lit up.
So it really was the Null-Time Zone.
He could finally see the legendary TVA headquarters for himself.
The next moment, Karl left the Shadow World.
Green temporal energy enveloped his body.
Whoosh!
He vanished from the universe.
Far away, Galactus, who was consuming another world, briefly turned his attention toward the region where the two Skyblade VIIs had disappeared from ordinary detection.
Elsewhere, within another dimension, a cold and noble woman slowly opened her dark, jewel-like eyes.
A trace of confusion flashed through them.
...
Whoosh!
Karl appeared within an unfamiliar dimension.
The Null-Time Zone.
But almost immediately after arriving, he disappeared into the Shadow World again.
From there, he began observing his surroundings.
The TVA headquarters stretched endlessly through the dimension like an enormous bureaucratic city.
Countless structures, corridors, offices, and administrative sectors extended farther than Karl could see.
The place looked less like the headquarters of an organization controlling timelines and more like an absurdly enormous government office.
Through the surrounding shadows, Karl observed countless employees working behind desks.
Documents were piled everywhere.
Personnel moved constantly between departments.
The atmosphere reminded Karl of an endless corporate workday.
Who would imagine that this was the Time Variance Authority?
Then his attention fell upon something on one of the desks.
An Infinity Stone.
It was being used as a paperweight.
Karl's lips twitched.
He had spent considerable effort collecting his own Infinity Stones.
Yet here, they were treated like worthless rocks.
Karl immediately gave the order.
A pair of black hands silently emerged from the shadow beside a blue Space Stone.
Whoosh!
The Stone vanished into the darkness.
Nobody noticed.
Moments later, the Space Stone appeared before Karl inside the Shadow World.
Karl caught it.
The familiar cosmic energy within the Stone immediately confirmed its authenticity.
A smile appeared on his face.
Then he remembered what Loki had once discovered inside the TVA.
A drawer filled with confiscated Infinity Stones.
Karl shifted his perception through the surrounding shadows.
Soon, he found one.
Inside the drawer lay numerous Stones collected from pruned or divergent timelines.
Three Space Stones.
Four Reality Stones.
One Time Stone.
Five Mind Stones.
And two Soul Stones.
Fifteen Infinity Stones in total.
Karl's smile widened.
Dark hands emerged from the shadows beneath the drawer.
Whoosh!
Every Stone disappeared.
All fifteen appeared inside the Shadow World.
Karl looked at the Infinity Stones floating around him with undisguised satisfaction.
Then the Shadow Ninjas began searching the surrounding offices.
One Stone after another vanished into the shadows.
The disappearance eventually attracted some attention from TVA employees.
However, most didn't immediately treat it as an emergency.
Inside the TVA, the confiscated Stones were powerless and commonly regarded as useless evidence or curiosities.
Apart from several Infinity Stones still directly within the employees' sight, nearly every Stone the Shadow Ninjas could reach was quietly taken into the Shadow World.
...
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL for more chapters.