The underground fortress was a world of its own, with a unique atmosphere.
Several vending machines stood neatly against the wall, various chairs were stacked in order, and dim lights illuminated the spacious hall below.
At the highest point of the hall was a short staircase, and at the top of the stairs sat a young boy on a "throne," holding an alligator in his arms. He was studying Fenris, who had just entered from the stairway with Classic Loki.
Below the throne were a few sofas. On one of them sat a Black man in armor, holding a hammer.
The whole underground space had the rugged, makeshift vibe of a post-apocalyptic survivor base.
As Fenris approached, sipping the red wine that Classic Loki handed him, he was already thinking about how to redecorate the place.
Life hadn't taught him much, only one thing: If you like it, take it.
The rise of the Everywhere Logistics Company would begin with hiring staff. His first step to becoming the master of the Void would start by claiming the throne and making himself the new king of this fortress.
"This place is nice. From now on, it belongs to me," Fenris declared as he stood under the scrutiny of the four Lokis.
"…"
His bold claim didn't seem to stir much surprise among them.
"Another one chasing the throne. You should've left him to fend for himself out there," Black Loki complained to Classic Loki, then stood up and pointed his hammer at Fenris.
"You have two options. Sit here quietly, or, get killed by me."
"Just so you know, I've defeated Captain America and Iron Man and collected all six Infinity Stones, so you don't stand a cha–"
Boom!
Before he could finish, his golden hammer shattered violently in his hand.
"Did that come from Dunhuang? Because you sure had a lot of wall paintings," Fenris muttered, his eyes glowing red with irritation.
Only five points dropped? What a stingy loot. Definitely a low-tier NPC.
Among the remaining Lokis, the quickest to react was surprisingly Alligator Loki. It crept up beside Fenris and suddenly leapt, jaws wide open, aiming to bite his arm.
Crunch!
Its sharp teeth shattered the moment they met the steel-like strength of Fenris's arm.
Ding!
Battle detected. Reward acquired: Super Strength (Alligator Loki)
Seriously? Even a reptile dropped Super Strength. And you, Mr. Boast-a-Lot, only gave me five lousy points? Shame on you!
Fenris casually flung Alligator Loki aside.
"You acting so bold, do you have the Animal Protection Society behind you or something?"
Ignoring the whimpering gator, Fenris suddenly zipped in front of Classic Loki.
Train-themed super speed wasn't the fastest among speedsters, but it was more than enough to intimidate a Loki.
Classic Loki didn't expect him to move so quickly. Startled by Fenris's sudden appearance right in front of his face, his hands instinctively flared with green magical energy as he cast a spell.
Ding!
Battle detected. Reward acquired: Illusion Projection (Classic Loki)
Now that's more like it.
Fenris dodged the attack, instantly replaced himself with a perfect illusion clone, while his real body appeared behind Black Loki.
Zzzzzap!
A beam of burning heat lanced through Black Loki's back and out of his forehead.
Don't be fooled by Black Loki's earlier righteous rant against Classic Loki. In truth, he was the biggest backstabber of the "Old, Weak, Sick, and Crippled" crew, and the only double agent.
In the Loki series, he secretly contacted President Loki, hoping to overthrow Kid Loki and steal the throne.
But of course, President Loki had his own ambitions and wasn't about to let someone else take the crown. We all know how that ended.
Fenris gave him a light push. Black Loki collapsed, wide-eyed, dead.
Classic Loki had been preparing a sneak attack using an illusion to distract Fenris, but what he saw instead was another Fenris behind Black Loki, vaporizing him with a beam to the head.
How is that possible?
Classic Loki had been convinced Fenris was just another Loki. But that heat vision, it was red, not green.
No matter which version of Loki you were, magical energy was always green.
But then Fenris used Loki's signature illusion projection. Now Classic Loki wasn't so sure.
Out of the four Lokis, one had shattered teeth, one was dead. Though Classic Loki and Kid Loki were still standing, they both realized they had very little chance of winning.
This guy was just too unpredictable.
Laser beams through skulls, a body tougher than steel, and a speed they couldn't even react to, these were things that no Loki ever possessed.
Kid Loki pointed at the throne and calmly said, "You can have it. We'll maintain peace, alright?"
Fenris strolled toward the symbolic seat of power and spoke as he walked.
"Peace doesn't mean 'don't hit me' or 'don't let him hit me,' and it sure as hell doesn't mean 'you can hit me and I won't fight back.' Peace means go ahead, hit me, and see what happens."
With that, he sat grandly on the throne, looking down at Kid Loki and Classic Loki.
"With your kind of power levels, I'm afraid you'd fall over before I even try. I suggest you surrender while you're still upright."