[VIDEO RESUMING]
[Loki stares at his brother, whose face is a mask of blood and agony. With a resigned sigh, Loki raises his right hand. A shimmering blue cube materializes in his palm.]
[Thor shouts in disappointment, his voice hoarse: "You really are the worst, brother."]
[Loki steps forward, holding the Tesseract aloft. He looks at Thor with a strange expression. "I assure you, brother... the sun will shine on us again."]
[Thanos chuckles darkly. "Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian."]
[Loki arches an eyebrow. "Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian. And for another... we have a Hulk."]
[Thanos's pupils contract. He whirls around.]
[ROAR! A green behemoth lunges from the shadows, tackling the Mad Titan and sending him flying into the bulkhead.]
The sudden twist stunned the countless viewers across the realms.
[Thor Odinson: Loki! So this was your plan all along?! (—□—;)]
[Baron Mordo: Hmph. As expected of the God of Lies. Devious.]
[Loki Odinson: It's called strategy, not strength. You primitive mortals wouldn't understand the subtlety of divine intellect.]
[Tony Stark: That green guy... is that the Hulk?]
[Stephen Strange: You recognize that monster?]
[Tony Stark: I've only seen the news reports. Last month, that thing fought another monster in Harlem. They nearly leveled the entire Broadway district.]
[Stephen Strange: Last month? I had already left New York by then.]
[Peter Parker: What? I live in New York. I've literally never heard of this.]
[Tony Stark: Hey, hey. Are you kidding? That was headline news globally. I heard about it in Malibu. How can you not know?]
[Tony Stark: Are you actually a New Yorker?]
[Peter Parker: I... uh...]
Peter Parker blinked, genuinely confused. He felt a sudden wave of dizziness.
Do I live in a fake New York?
[Stephen Strange: If this green giant is really that strong, maybe he can actually beat Thanos?]
Asgard.
Odin sat on his throne, reading the scrolling text with a heavy heart. He sighed inwardly.
Thanos possessed the Power Stone. In terms of raw physical strength, he was now comparable to a Skyfather.
The green monster had spirit, but he had no chance.
But what truly troubled Odin was Loki's line on the screen: "I'm not Asgardian."
To say such a thing openly... does this mean that in the future, Loki has discovered his true heritage?
Odin's expression grew complicated. The secret he had kept for a thousand years was unraveling before his eyes.
[VIDEO RESUMING]
[The Hulk lands a flurry of blows, momentarily overwhelming the Titan. But the advantage is short-lived.]
[Thanos recovers. He does not use the Stone. He uses skill. He dissects the Hulk with surgical precision—striking the throat, the kidneys, the solar plexus. Within seconds, the Hulk is lifted high and slammed onto the deck, unconscious and bleeding.]
[Thor, desperate, grabs a metal pipe and strikes Thanos from behind. It does nothing. Thanos kicks him away effortlessly. Ebony Maw waves a hand, and scrap metal binds Thor, pinning him to the floor.]
[All hope seems lost. But Heimdall, broken and dying, looks at the fallen Hulk. He summons the last of his dark magic.]
["Allfathers... let the dark magic flow through me one last time..."]
[The Bifrost opens. A beam of rainbow light snatches the Hulk and shoots him into the void, saving him.]
The tension in the Livestream Room was palpable.
[Tony Stark: Whoa. Okay, the purple guy is way too strong. That's overpowered, right? Someone nerf him.]
[Peter Parker: That's terrifying. Is that what aliens are like?]
[Baron Mordo: It's not just Thanos. His five generals seem formidable too. This battle... looks hopeless.]
[Loki Odinson: Heimdall! You old fool! If you could use the Bifrost, why send the green oaf? Why not send ME? Or Thor?!]
[Thor Odinson: Loki, calm down. Look at him. Heimdall was dying. The Hulk was closest. He... he did what he had to do.]
Loki frowned, a bitter smile touching his lips.
He never dreamed there would be a day when Thor was the one telling him to be calm.
But the situation on screen was indeed desperate. If Loki were truly in that position... logic dictated only one course of action: Run.
[VIDEO RESUMING]
[Seeing his prize snatched away, Thanos accepts a glaive from Corvus Glaive. He walks over to Heimdall. "That was a mistake." ]
[Thanos thrusts the weapon downward. It pierces Heimdall's heart.]
[Thor screams, his voice cracking with grief. "NO!!!"]
Deathly silence descended upon the Great Hall once more.
The grief was palpable. Through the screen, the Asgardians felt the despair of the Guardian's final moments.
"Damn it!"
The real Thor ground his teeth, tears of rage pricking his eyes.
At the Bifrost Observatory, Heimdall watched his own death. His golden eyes remained steady, but a flicker of complex emotion passed through them.
He had seen the deaths of countless beings across the Nine Realms. He never expected to watch his own in high definition.
[VIDEO RESUMING]
[Ebony Maw kneels, presenting the Tesseract to his master. "No other being has ever had the might, nay the nobility, to wield not one, but two Infinity Stones."]
[Thanos crushes the Tesseract in his bare hand. Glass shatters. He reveals the blue Space Stone.]
[He places it into the gauntlet. A surge of blue energy illuminates the ship. Reality bends around him.]
Watching Thanos acquire the second Stone, even Odin flinched.
Suddenly, the image froze. The System's emotionless voice returned.
[SCENE PAUSED.]
[QUESTION INITIATED: What will Loki do next?]
[Option A: Escape alone.]
[Option B: Rescue Thor and escape together.]
[Option C: Rescue Thor and fight Thanos together.]
[Option D: Attempt to assassinate Thanos alone using a hidden dagger.]
[PLEASE ANSWER NOW. Each participant has one attempt.]
[Incorrect answers will trigger an Unknown Penalty.]
Hearing the question, Loki's eyes lit up.
He put himself in his future self's shoes. In that situation, the ship was doomed. The enemy was invincible. The only logical move was self-preservation.
Run.
Why stay and die?
But... he hesitated.
The "Loki" on the screen had been acting strangely. He had surrendered the Tesseract to save Thor. His relationship with his brother seemed... repaired.
Would that version of himself really abandon Thor now?
While Loki wavered, a voice spoke up beside him.
"I choose Option A: Escape alone!"
Loki turned. Stephen Strange, clutching Gungnir, smirked confidently.
"You must be the God of Mischief from the myths. And that loudmouth is Thor."
Strange adjusted his grip on the spear. "I don't know if you're the 'real' gods, but if the legends are true... Loki never sacrifices himself for anyone. He is a survivor."
"So, I am certain. The Loki on that screen will run."