"Black Loki gave me two choices, so now I'll give you two choices."
"We surrender."
Fenris hadn't even finished listing the two options before Kid Loki jumped the gun and answered first.
Fenris accepted their surrender, but didn't believe it for a second.
For a "Loki," surrender was just a tool for survival or a prelude to betrayal. It never came with any sense of shame or honor.
If the enemy was strong, they'd bow their heads, scheme in the dark, and once an opportunity arose, they'd turn without hesitation.
Most Lokis were essentially assassins, especially skilled in the fine art of backstabbing.
A "genuine" Loki like Classic Loki was rare. A pure outlier who didn't stick to the usual tricks.
Fenris didn't care whether their surrender was sincere. He wasn't naïve enough to believe whatever came out of a Loki's mouth.
He could appreciate them, sure, but once you strip away the spotlight from the movies, most Lokis weren't good guys. Their so-called virtue usually only applied to the main timeline Loki, not the others.
As long as he remained powerful enough, their little schemes would stay buried deep, never daring to surface.
"My name is Fenris. I'm easy to get along with. If you can't, look in the mirror."
"I won't be staying here for long at this stage. While I'm away, you'll be responsible for gathering any usable resources from outside."
"When I say 'outside,' I don't mean outside the fortress."
If not outside the fortress… then he meant outside the Void?
Classic Loki's eyes flickered as he glanced at the calm expression on Kid Loki's face.
He had been here the longest and had probably tried every way imaginable to escape. That's why he didn't react much to Fenris's words, he had no hope left.
"You... you can leave the Void?" Classic Loki couldn't help but ask. One more disappointment wouldn't hurt.
"Sure," Fenris said casually. "If I couldn't, then what would be the point of you collecting resources?"
"You'd better remember this: My name is Fenris, the all-knowing and all-powerful."
All-knowing and all-powerful meant knowing everything and being capable of anything, including leaving the Void.
His tone was light, but to Classic Loki, the words hit like a drumbeat to the chest, making him tremble slightly.
"You have a Time Variance Authority controller?" Kid Loki asked, hope flickering in his voice.
The Void was a one-way destination. Only with a TVA controller could someone leave.
Over the years, TVA agents had been pruned into the Void, but they either didn't bring a controller or theirs was damaged beyond use.
Fenris shook his head. "To you, leaving without a controller is impossible. But to me, this place is just my backyard, I come and go as I please."
"A new king always offers a royal pardon. Don't say I never give chances. Let's settle this with a fight. The winner gets to step outside for some fresh air, and earns the right to work seriously for me."
Classic Loki and Kid Loki exchanged a look.
Kid Loki, still composed, said like a true king, "I concede. Let him go."
Fenris glanced at him. His tone chilled.
"I said fight."
Black Loki's corpse was still warm, and the chance to leave the Void was right in front of them. What else could they do? They had to fight.
The two Lokis exchanged another look, then launched their attacks.
Ding!
Battle detected. Reward acquired: Invisibility (Classic Loki)
Ding!
Battle detected. Reward acquired: Cold Immunity (Kid Loki)
Another reward from Classic Loki. Nice. Invisibility paired with illusion projection would be extremely useful in battle or recon.
As expected from the so-called top sorcerer of the Nine Realms. So many tricks.
Cold immunity from Kid Loki was average at best. Just a passive trait likely inherited from his Frost Giant bloodline.
Boom!
Kid Loki's flaming sword was knocked out of his hand by Classic Loki's magic. Without even breaking a sweat, a victor was decided.
It was like watching Zhang Chulan vs. Feng Baobao, a fake duel too obvious to take seriously.
That said, the flaming sword was no joke. It wasn't inferior to Thor's Mjolnir.
That was the Laevateinn, a powerful divine weapon exclusive to Loki in the old comics. Just like Thor could summon Mjolnir, Loki could summon this sword.
Kid Loki had probably used it to slay Thor from his timeline.
"Nice sword. Get your unused supplies ready. I'll take them with me when I return."
Fenris stood and walked over, gave a word to Kid Loki, and grabbed Classic Loki to leave the Void.
Whoosh!
But instead of taking Classic Loki back to Everywhere Logistics HQ, they appeared in an alley off a busy street.
"You actually brought me out... Aren't you afraid I'll run?" Classic Loki asked excitedly, eyes locked on Fenris.
"You can't outrun me," Fenris replied, waving his hand to conjure a set of casual clothes for him.
Those flashy outfits drew too much attention. Not to mention, Classic Loki's costume had one unforgivable flaw beyond its gold and green color scheme and tight fit, it was like the classic Superman outfit: underwear on the outside.