"People of Earth."

"My name is Loki, of Asgard."

"I know that most of you probably don't know me."

"But that's alright, because you will very soon."

On Earth, a part of the Nine Realms, when a man sitting on a steel throne began speaking on screens across the globe, the entire world seemed to hit the pause button.

His appearance was jarring. Without a single warning or any fanfare, his face simply took over the public's screens. Whether you were playing a game on your phone or watching television; whether you were the President in the White House or the Queen in Buckingham Palace, Loki's smug proclamation, standing in Wakanda, was broadcast for all to see.

In this moment, everyone was truly treated equally.

"I will be your guide, leading you to surrender to the strongest New God, Lord Darkseid, and be reborn!"

As the broadcast continued, Loki's speech grew more fervent. Back on Earth, Stephen Strange, who was about to go find Tony Stark's disembodied soul, saw Loki's familiar face on a large screen in a shopping mall. His expression immediately soured, and he cursed under his breath.

Loki was moving far faster than he had anticipated. He had planned to find Tony Stark and have his soul try to contact the Soul Stone to negotiate with it, but now, it seemed it was too late.

"Tony!"

"Tony!"

"Look!"

"It's Loki!"

At the gathering place for the remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D., Pepper Potts pushed open the door to Tony Stark's meditation room, holding out a tablet. The socialite Coulson and Hawkeye Barton, who had survived the explosion, filed in, their faces grim.

"The worst-case scenario you talked about has come true, Tony," Coulson said, stroking his dangerously receding hairline, the weariness in his voice undeniable.

Earlier, Bruce Banner had used an internal S.H.I.E.L.D. comms code to contact him and Barton, which was how they'd learned about what Tony Stark and his group had gone through—Lothar's subordinates, the turncoat Loki, and the invasion from another universe.

The sheer amount of information had taken Coulson and Barton a long time to process.

At the time, Tony Stark had predicted that Loki wouldn't be able to stay still and would make a move. After reuniting with Coulson and ensuring Pepper Potts's safety, Tony had immediately immersed himself in the study of magic. To accomplish anything as a soul, he had to master magic.

"Where's Banner?" After shifting his gaze from the half-read magic book to the tablet screen, Tony Stark glanced behind Hawkeye, not seeing Bruce Banner.

"I was trying to track Loki's location," Bruce Banner said, walking into the room with a laptop. Pepper Potts glanced at the screen, which showed Loki talking confidently. Bruce shrugged. "Clearly, I failed."

"..."

....

"I know that most of you will scoff at what I'm saying, that you'll think I'm a crazy dreamer."

"Some of you may even put your hope in the so-called superheroes."

"As for the former, I have nothing to say, because the cruel reality will give you your answer in the end."

"And as for the latter..."

In Wakanda, from his throne of steel, Loki pointed to a cross in front of him. As the camera followed, the decapitated body of Captain America, Steve Rogers, appeared for the world to see.

"Steve?!"

"Is that Steve?!"

"How?!"

"He's... dead?!!!"

As a diehard fan of Captain America, the normally composed S.H.I.E.L.D. socialite Coulson couldn't hold it together. His face, wide with shock, perfectly conveyed his horror.

"Captain America, Steve Rogers, one of the superheroes who rose to fame during the war."

"Yes, he survived that war and did not die. He even became a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.."

"But now, he is dead."

"Because he resisted me. Because he resisted Lord Darkseid, he died."

As Loki's charismatic voice rang out, Captain America's body on the silver cross was violently separated from his head.

"And for good measure, I have another piece of news for you."

"Iron Man, Tony Stark, is also dead."

"All that's left of him is his soul."

The camera, now stained with blood, made it hard to make out Steve Rogers's body. The silver cross was now red. On the screen, Coulson's body trembled with rage. "NO!!!"

As a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, it was rare for Coulson to lose control like this. But no one noticed. Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Pepper Potts, and Barton, all who knew Steve Rogers well, were silent.

"Steve..."

"That guy..."

"How could..."

The first to react was Tony Stark. He immediately cast a sleeping spell on Bruce Banner, whose skin, which had begun to turn green with rage, returned to normal.

"Calm down!"

"This is just what Loki wants us to see! This is his provocation. We don't know if it's real!" Forcing himself to look away from the gruesome scene, Tony Stark roused everyone in the room.

"Now, I'm right here."

"I'm here to crush any glimmer of hope you have."

"So, come on."

"I'll be waiting for you here."

"Waiting for you to join me in welcoming the arrival of the great Lord of Apokolips, Darkseid!"

After this final, pointed speech, the Vibranium altar, built with the combined efforts of the Justice League members, instantly activated!

A beam of white light shot into the sky!

It was so bright that people watching on their screens had to squint!

Clang!

A clear metallic sound, like a bell, echoed in every corner of the Earth.

Below the altar, the teleportation circle, etched with mystical symbols, began to activate. A bronze gate slowly materialized above the altar. The roar of warhorses and clashing metal could be heard through the crack in the gate, and Loki's face was filled with reverence.

The rules of the Nine Realms and the limitations of the universe immediately took effect on the altar and the bronze gate it had summoned. The gate opened slowly, but it was still opening.

"Close that gate! Loki!"

An orange magic circle appeared, and the Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange, burst through the barrier. His feet like comets, ropes of light shot from his arms!

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