The scene fell silent for a moment.
The Loki exchanged glances before bursting into laughter just two seconds later!
President Loki also shook his head in derision.
"How absurd."
"We're all Lokis here - who's kidding who? Why are you pretending to be some kind of master?"
He couldn't help but scoff.
"Pathetic and naive mutant. Do you even know who you're dealing with?"
"What Loki hasn't used these childish scare tactics before?"
The crowd erupted in laughter.
One of the greatest pastimes in the ruined city was watching another Loki embarrass himself. It gave them a fleeting sense of superiority, as if they were still in Asgard.
President Loki proudly raised his chin and declared.
"Too bad you made the wrong choice."
"Viking Loki, go finish him off."
Viking Loki didn't care much for the President's orders, but he liked the idea of showing his strength in front of everyone. He stepped forward and pulled a battered fire axe from his back.
With a cruel grin, he locked eyes with the relaxed Loki lounging in the chair in front of him.
"Still pretending to be calm, huh?"
"Hah! Deep down you're trembling with fear."
"Come on, beg me! Maybe I'll grant you a quick death. One clean swing of the axe, or you can watch your own body fall apart."
The other Loki's leaned forward, eager for the show. They waited for this Loki to break down and beg.
But in the next moment, the unexpected happened.
The reclining Loki finally sat up. His pupils glowed faintly, emitting an eerie light.
"Glowing?"
"What kind of trick is this?"
The Loki's stared in bewildered curiosity.
Viking Loki reached the chair, his expression wild.
"I hate this kind of pretentious nonsense!"
"A real man uses his strength to kill his enemy!"
As the words left his mouth, his muscles bulged and rippled with incredible power.
The worn fire axe whistled through the air in a perfect arc, aimed straight at his opponent's head!
Bang!
The sharp sound echoed through the cave, and all the Loki instinctively flinched.
But the gruesome sight of blood and broken skulls did not appear.
Instead, a pale, callus-free hand had caught the rusty axe blade with ease.
The Loki's expressions froze in shock.
"He caught it?"
Viking Loki's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Impossible!"
"How can a weakling like you have such strength?"
He tried desperately to free the axe for another swing, but no matter how hard he strained, it wouldn't budge. It felt as if it had merged with the other Loki's hand.
Sweat poured down the Viking Loki's face as panic set in.
The other Loki's began to sense that something was very wrong.
President Loki, standing in the background, felt a wave of unease wash over him.
It was then that the glowing Loki spoke again, his voice cold.
"Unfortunately, you made the wrong choice."
Before the Viking Loki could react, the axe in his hands began to glow red. Within moments, it melted into molten iron that dripped onto the ground.
Viking Loki stumbled back, staring in bewilderment at the handle of his now useless weapon.
President Loki's scalp prickled as fear gripped him. His face twisted in alarm.
"Attack! All of you, attack at once!" he shouted desperately.
"Surround him! If we don't, none of us will get out alive!"
The other Loki's hesitated only a split second before springing into action.
Their action? Fleeing in every direction.
No one moved to fight. They ran for the exits like rats abandoning a sinking ship.
Only fools would stay and fight!
"You cowards! You're all useless trash!"
President Loki nearly choked on his anger.
His plan had been to use the others as cannon fodder, buying himself time to escape unnoticed. But these Loki's ran faster than he could think, leaving him behind.
Well, not quite alone - Viking Loki remained, frozen to the ground in shock.
"Maybe he can still hold out for me..."
The thought died quickly. Loki's glowing eyes summoned flames that effortlessly engulfed Viking Loki in fire. The great man screamed as his body turned to ash.
President Loki's heart sank.
"That... that was at least 3,000 degrees Celsius!"
"And he did it as easily as breathing."
Memories of his chaotic arrival in this void flashed through his mind, but even that terror paled in comparison to this moment.
His legs buckled and he fell to his knees.
Without knowing why, a submissive instinct overcame him.
"Great King Loki," he stammered, shaking.
"I, Loki Laufeyson, swear allegiance to you! I will be of great service in this void, I promise!"
Russell looked at him indifferently.
"Do you know phantom magic?"
President Loki hesitated, sweat beading on his brow. He dared not lie.
"I-I can learn it..."
Russell didn't dignify him with another look. Instead, he raised his hand in the direction of the fleeing Lokis.
Extremis Virus - Fiery Blood Control!
A red flame danced in his palm, then shot forward in eight blinding lines of fire.
The flames passed harmlessly over President Loki, but pursued the fleeing Lokis with deadly precision.
The cave filled with screams, but they lasted only moments.
Within seconds, silence returned.
President Loki trembled, but couldn't resist looking over his shoulder.
In the dim light, he saw eight piles of ash scattered across the tunnel.
Nothing else was left.
A sickening realization hit him. He remembered the faint traces of ash he'd noticed in the cave earlier.
"This wasn't the first time."
"Gudong-"
The sound of him swallowing echoed through the cave.
President Loki snapped his head forward, pressing his forehead to the ground. His entire body trembled, unwilling to raise his eyes.
He feared that the next moment he too would be reduced to ashes.
"Odin, what kind of horror is this Loki?"