Luca instinctively looked up.
Only then did he realize that the entire world seemed to have been paused.
Panic was frozen on people's faces.
The flickering flames looked like cheap, flat special effects. The water spraying from fire trucks hung silently in the air, each crystalline droplet distinctly visible.
In this completely static world, only one person was moving. He wore a smile as he walked slowly toward Luca.
The tap-tap of the newcomer's footsteps sounded jarringly loud in this time-frozen world.
Luca swallowed hard, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple.
He wanted to say something, but found his throat paralyzed, unable to make a sound.
"Hmm~ I think you probably don't need to use that toy, do you?"
The newcomer pointed a finger at the [Monkey Bomb] in Luca's hand. His tone was gentle, carrying a hint of playful nonchalance.
Although the man seemed to be expressing goodwill, Luca didn't dare relax for a second.
He gently set down the [Monkey Bomb] and rubbed his temples, which were throbbing with a headache.
He uttered a name.
"God of Stories! Loki!"
Yes, even though the Loki in front of him was wearing the green Asgardian leather armor from The Avengers, with messy hair and dust covering his clothes—looking quite disheveled...
Given that he had frozen time across the entire world, this Loki had undoubtedly taken that final step. He was the "God of Stories, Loki," or simply "God Loki," the guardian of all MCU timelines!
It was ironic. Luca had risked everything to rush to Stark Tower specifically to stop Loki from taking the Tesseract and entering the TVA.
He wanted to ensure his timeline wouldn't be pruned.
But now, standing before him was the final form of Loki, who had already completed the journey through both seasons of the show.
God Loki didn't seem to notice Luca's complex emotions—or perhaps he did, but didn't care.
He simply smiled and spread his hands, looking intrigued.
"God of Stories? Not a bad title~ So, is that what people in your world call me?"
Luca, who had just managed to calm down slightly, felt his pupils constrict again.
"Your world." Those two words punctured Luca's identity as an outsider instantly.
But on second thought, if this was God Loki, he was essentially the ceiling of power in the MCU.
Knowing Luca's origin wasn't exactly surprising for a being like him.
"Surprised? Actually, beings like you aren't that unique~"
"Let me think~ In some other universe, there was a girl named Gwenpool who was just like you, also from the 'Real World'~"
"..."
This time, Luca didn't even have the energy to be shocked.
Okay, so not only did he know Luca was from another world, but he even used the term "Real World."
Though Luca had never heard of the "Gwenpool" God Loki mentioned.
Her name is Gwen? Doesn't sound like she came from my hometown.
Feeling somewhat numb, Luca hesitated, then decided not to dwell on the being's omniscience. Instead, he asked directly:
"So... you know that your world is... is a..."
Luca didn't know how to phrase it.
Should he just say, "You're a movie character"? Or, "Your real name is Tom Hiddleston"?
If the guy understood it differently, saying too much might piss off this near-omnipotent entity.
But God Loki didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he looked quite at ease.
"You want to say 'TV show'? Yes, yes~ I know~"
Loki pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow, speaking naturally.
"Don't worry too much about it. The mechanics of worlds aren't as simple as you think~"
"Perhaps you can think of my 'Real World' as, hmm~ a universe where superpowers are fictionalized?"
"Since there's a Zombie Universe, a Spider-Verse, and a 2D Flat Universe... is it so hard to understand a world without supernatural powers where all this is just entertainment?"
"Or rather, how can you be sure that your 'Real World' isn't just a movie or a novel in the eyes of someone from another world?"
Facing Loki's casual tone, Luca couldn't find a rebuttal.
This kind of philosophical rabbit hole was beyond Luca's comprehension, let alone something he could debate with a god holding infinite timelines in his hands.
But he caught the key point in Loki's words and pressed on.
"Since you know about the Real World, can you..."
Luca's words caught in his throat.
He had intended to ask if Loki could send him back to his original universe.
But halfway through the sentence, Luca realized he didn't really have any attachments left in his old world.
Compared to returning to that mundane life, having a grand adventure here—even if it meant facing crises or dying along the way—didn't seem so bad.
Loki seemed to hear the unsaid part of Luca's sentence. He spoke calmly.
"I can't."
"Actually, even as I am now, I am far from omnipotent. My power still has boundaries. What you wish for... is beyond me, at least for now."
Hearing this, Luca just nodded calmly.
He couldn't tell if he felt disappointed or relieved.
However, another question surfaced in his mind.
"If you aren't here to kick me out of this world, then why are you here?"
This time, God Loki didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his head to look at the lobby of Stark Tower.
There, in the frozen world, the other Loki—wearing handcuffs—stood like a statue.
For some reason, Luca thought he saw a flicker of... envy? in God Loki's eyes.
"Someone asked me to give you a choice~"
"And also, to give you... hmm, identity verification? I suppose that's one way to put it~"
God Loki turned back to Luca quickly. That strange look in his eyes vanished as if it had never existed, replaced by his usual playful smile.
But his words left Luca stunned.
"Huh? Someone can ask you for a favor? And... what choice? Identity verification?? Boss, what are you talking about?"