In Asgard, deep in the dungeons, Hela, who was having a wordless meal with her mother, suddenly froze. She turned her head, her gaze seemingly crossing the vast distance to see the back of Lothar, who had just slain a god with his own hands.
In the Sanctum Sanctorum, Thanos, still trapped in the Dark Dimension by Dormammu, opened his eyes, a hint of satisfaction in his gaze.
The Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, having found her successor, was suddenly distracted during a fight with the disciples corrupted by Dormammu, and a single misstep caused her to accidentally kill them all.
On Sakaar, the Grandmaster, watching a gladiator match from his booth, had the smile on his face freeze instantly. The image of his brother, the Collector, then appeared before him.
And beyond them, there were many others.
Ego's death was unlike those of the many pseudo-gods before him who had merely awakened a divine nature. The deaths of pseudo-gods, no matter how numerous, would not change the universe in any way. After all, the vast universe was full of people who had awakened a divine nature, but Ego was different.
He was the first planet to develop a consciousness since the dawn of the universe. He was not a pseudo-god; he was recognized by the universe itself. He only needed to accumulate power to keep evolving and eventually become a top-tier god.
What's more, Ego had already taken the final step; he had one foot in the doorway of Eternity.
When a being like that falls, the universe will naturally react.
"The power of Eternity is gone."
"Hela, do you know who it was?"
In the dungeons of Asgard, Frigga, who was being well-fed by Hela, wore a grave expression.
"I don't know, but... I think it must be him."
"In this universe, who else could kill a god and shatter the rules, Mother?"
Hela, whose mood had inexplicably brightened, even started calling Frigga "Mother" again.
"It's him..." Frigga's expression was complex, especially when she saw the faint joy on her daughter's face.
....
"Lothar..."
Thanos, in the Dark Dimension, slowly spoke the name of his adopted son. The giant blade plunged into the ground beside him resonated with a sharp ringing.
"And... who was the god with one foot in Eternity's doorway?"
Thanos looked up, gazing into the eternal darkness of the sky, pondering. He was wondering how Lothar got into a fight and managed to kill a god.
"The future has been completely changed."
The Ancient One, walking out of the mirror dimension littered with corpses, pulled on her hood, concealing her form. The Time Stone had shown her a brand new future, but because of it, she didn't know how to proceed. Would her successor, after her death, truly be able to bear such a heavy burden?
The aftereffects of Dormammu's breakout forced her to die; it was the price she had to pay for borrowing the power of the Dark Dimension.
But...
"Can you do it?"
"Stephen Strange."
....
In the DC Universe, Metropolis, USA.
Using his knack for trickery and deceit, Loki had gone from being penniless to topping the Metropolis rich list in just three years, becoming the fastest-rising tycoon in the country. His assets even surpassed those of the long-standing tycoon group, Luthor Corp.
This was, of course, also thanks to Luthor Corp's head, Lex Luthor, who spent his days on strange projects, often ignoring the board's suggestions. This led to Luthor Corp being surpassed by the Asgard Corporation, which Loki had pieced together through various means.
When it came to spending money like a madman, Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne of Wayne Enterprises were neck and neck.
"However..."
"In my opinion, you're better than he is."
"At the very least, you wouldn't buy a bank just for a few women."
Having finally met Lex Luthor, Superman's number one hater, as a fellow magnate, Loki elegantly sipped his red wine, meticulously observing the decorations in the Luthor mansion.
"Of course. As you said in your letter, everything I do is to get that damned alien off this planet."
Lex Luthor's curly hair was eye-catching, especially when it bounced as he talked.
"Uh-huh." Loki took a sip of his wine, raised an eyebrow, and said nothing.
"But, I have one question, Mr. Loki. How did you learn my secret?" Lex Luthor smiled as he stared at Loki. His little gadgets for fighting Superman were supposed to be top secret.
"That's a difficult question to answer..."
"You see, I also have a great dislike for Superman. I also want to kill him."
Loki put down his wine glass, leaned forward, and moved closer to Lex Luthor. "So, I did a little bit of an investigation on you."
"So my information is easy to gather, is it?" Lex Luthor raised an eyebrow.
"Who knows?" Loki shrugged.
Lex Luthor remained silent. As Superman's biggest hater, he was watched by many in the world, yet no one had ever known his secret dealings as well as Loki, the head of the Asgard Corporation.
"Well, I should be going now. I have an appointment this evening."
"If you think we can cooperate, give me a call." Loki glanced at his watch, stood up, and left. The friendly smile on Lex Luthor's face slowly vanished.
"Who in the world are you, Loki..."
....
"To the Saint Siro restaurant."
Loki, in a Rolls-Royce, was driven to a restaurant where he had already made a reservation. It was a high-end restaurant in a bustling area of Metropolis. He had an appointment there. With a woman named Mera, the same woman Darkseid had specifically ordered him to bring back.
She was supposedly the princess of Xebel, the underwater kingdom, though Loki still hadn't figured out what the hell Xebel was.
"So, tell me."
"Who are you, really?"
In the luxurious private room, Mera, in a red dress, toyed with her knife and fork, watching Loki enter.
For the past month, she had received anonymous notes every day at a library in Kansas. The notes, however, contained a secret that only Mera should know in this world—the world before the reboot.
Lothar, Darkseid.
The chip left behind by Woz had meticulously recorded everything. Mera had been trying to decipher the chip and find the coordinates of its universe by reverse-engineering it, but she had come up empty.
"I am from Asgard. My superior's name is Thanos."
"He is the overlord of the Centauri galaxy. Of course, he has another identity."
Loki paused, then spoke the truth. "He is Lothar's father. And I, am sent by Lord Thanos to bring you back."
"What are you saying?" Mera frowned.
"Everything I'm saying is true, Ms. Mera." The smile on Loki's face grew wider.
"Lord Thanos asked me to pass a message to you."
"He is furious about His Highness Lothar's decision to abandon you, so he sent me here to ask if you would be willing to meet with His Highness Lothar."
"Don't you want to ask His Highness Lothar about it yourself? From what I know, you've been reading books and materials about the universe lately."
As he spoke, Loki took out several paintings to prove himself. They were drawings he had made from memory of Lothar in his golden armor fighting Odin on Earth.
....
At the same time...
In the Marvel Universe, an unsuspecting Lothar was on his way to Vormir. After having just killed Ego, he had received a report from The Other that two people, a man and a woman, had arrived on Vormir, seemingly to retrieve the Soul Stone.
——————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are 50+ advance chapters available for you to read!