Marvel: Starting as a Time Criminal, Stealing Powers

On the dark plain, Ant-Man's skeleton lay sprawled across the ground like a prehistoric beast, evoking a sense of awe and dread.

Inside the skull, Old Loki and Young Loki were chained and suspended in midair.

A woman was hanging beside them.

Cassandra lightly ran her fingertips along the woman's skin, and blood, glowing like magma, slowly seeped out.

She dipped her finger into it and brought it to her mouth. A flicker of both pain and pleasure danced in her eyes.

After a moment, she suddenly asked,

"Are you sure it's him?"

The Red Devil, who was standing nearby with a straight posture, immediately bowed and responded respectfully,

"I can't say I'm 100% certain."

"But based on what the Loki spies I recruited described, the target does have the ability to fire blood arrows from his fingertips."

"He also displayed magical webbing, and the power was remarkable."

"As for fire manipulation—I haven't seen that myself."

Cassandra's eyes lit up.

"A new ability? That makes it even more likely."

The Red Devil nodded,

"Although he has the appearance of Loki, I suspect it's just illusion magic."

"But it's low-level, so he's been seeking someone with advanced illusion skills."

"That would be him."

He pointed at the elderly Loki.

That intel had come from Black Loki, whom he had already deceived and recruited a week ago.

Cassandra scoffed,

"Fake will always be fake."

"This naive child wants to collect every broken spell he finds."

Old Loki lowered his head without a word.

But Young Loki snapped angrily,

"Lowly human!"

"You're the one who's never seen the world! You have no idea of the true power of illusion magic!"

Cassandra raised an eyebrow and casually grabbed him through the air. Her hand clamped onto his skull, and her fingers sank into his brain to extract his memories.

After more than ten seconds, she sneered,

"Still trash."

"Well, you're trash too."

She flung him away and turned to the Red Devil.

"Proceed as planned tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am."

The Red Devil bowed humbly.

Stark Tower Rooftop.

As the wind howled, Russell landed smoothly.

President Loki opened his eyes at the noise. Seeing Russell, he instinctively shrank his neck.

Huh? Why did I flinch?

He was confused. Though he feared Russell, several days had passed. The fear shouldn't be that strong anymore.

"Why does he feel familiar?"

President Loki muttered. He couldn't figure it out.

The next day.

Just like before, he went to the lobby of Stark Tower to see if any Loki had news worth reporting.

But honestly, in his eyes, none of them had the skill to use high-level illusion magic.

What kind of people are we Lokis?

Still, it was a good gig. Even if he looked like a receptionist, he had food, drink, and most importantly, the respect of other Lokis.

That felt nice.

Time passed quickly. It was already noon.

President Loki, half-asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.

He heard a vehicle approaching in the distance.

A few seconds later, brakes screeched.

Several Lokis entered, dragging along an old Loki.

"Hey, we're here to claim the bounty!" one of them shouted.

President Loki was irritated.

Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?

He raised his chest slightly and nodded at the captured Loki.

"Is this one real?"

"Let me warn you—if you try to fool me with a fake, the great Mr. Loki will burn you alive!"

The Lokis flinched slightly—they had seen him kill before.

"Relax, he's real."

They didn't know how the Red Devil had found this Loki or why he asked them to trade, but this one could actually use illusion magic.

He'd just demonstrated it.

President Loki looked surprised.

A Loki who could really use advanced illusion?

"Alright then, come with me."

He was curious. If true, this would be worth seeing.

After climbing 102 floors, the mixed-blood Lokis were exhausted.

But once they reached the rooftop, they dared not even breathe.

The man standing there was terrifying.

President Loki ran over excitedly, flattering:

"Master, someone captured a Loki who can use high-level illusion magic!"

"Want to test it?"

Russell had already noticed the old Loki.

He wore a goofy, old-school green outfit, straight out of the comics.

Despite the chains and exhausted face, Russell recognized him immediately—it was the real deal.

But looking at the ragtag group that brought him here, Russell was skeptical.

These losers couldn't have captured him.

Then why didn't my Spider-Sense trigger?

Narrowing his eyes, he thought for a few seconds and said,

"Give them the Iron Armor. No need to test it."

This armor was a basic, assembled suit—low performance, just something he teleported in earlier.

Whatever they were planning, it didn't matter. Just get rid of them.

If they didn't leave... then they wouldn't leave.

President Loki was confused.

You're not even going to verify the target?

That's Loki we're talking about!

But he didn't dare question Russell.

Without a word, he handed over the armor.

The Lokis were shocked—was it really this easy?

They exchanged glances. Everyone had their own plan, but none dared make a move here.

They took the reward and left quickly.

Russell watched them go, increasingly convinced something was off.

These guys couldn't have captured old Loki. Someone else had to be behind it.

And his real enemy...

At that moment, an old voice interrupted his thoughts.

"You went to such lengths to capture me. Get it over with already."

"Don't waste time torturing an old man."

Old Loki looked exhausted, as if he had accepted his fate.

Russell raised a finger. A small flame appeared and shot at the handcuffs.

Snap!

The cuffs melted and clattered to the ground.

Old Loki looked stunned.

"You're not going to kill me?"

"Or steal my magic? I know some spells can do that."

Russell shook his head, chuckling,

"Definitely not."

"I just want to learn high-level illusion magic, not murder you."

He wasn't a villain. He had principles.

Old Loki was one of the few decent variants. He had evaded the TVA for years and eventually died helping Loki.

Such a person didn't deserve to be hunted.

Old Loki's eyes glimmered with surprise.

"I see… but I have a question."

"How did you know I could use advanced illusion magic? You didn't even test me."

"Aren't you afraid of being fooled?"

Russell smiled.

"Someone once told me there's a Loki with the most powerful illusion magic."

"He's the oldest and bears a glorious mission."

Old Loki lowered his head, clearly moved.

Then Russell asked,

"I don't know who captured you. Those losers couldn't have done it."

Old Loki slowly looked up and smiled,

"Yes… Yes… yes…"

"When…"

"Run—"

Suddenly, his face twisted, half in panic, half in eerie glee!

But he forced out the last words:

"Run... Run, Loki!!!"

Russell's expression changed.

Old Loki cackled,

"Too late."

"Your flames smell like Extremis. I know that scent too well."

"Finally got you, Russell..."

Suddenly, golden sparks exploded. A portal opened.

"Cassandra!"

Russell's face darkened. He tried to escape immediately.

But then, Old Loki raised his hand—

The air solidified. A powerful force restrained Russell in place.

Cassandra, wearing a yellow trench coat, strolled out of the portal leisurely.

She smiled at the frozen Russell:

"You should be honored. You're the first prey I had to use my brain to catch."

"I even split my astral self for this. It hurts like hell and is a pain to heal."

She waved her hand—Old Loki collapsed, and she staggered slightly.

"Ugh… Still hurts."

Old Loki lay there, gasping. Having your mind controlled was pure agony.

Cassandra looked at him with admiration:

"You did good, old man."

"You actually managed to fight back just now. Impressive."

"Now, I'll give you a chance. Pledge loyalty to me."

Old Loki raised his head. There was no joy—only hatred.

"In your dreams!"

President Loki, pretending to be dead in the corner, was shocked.

He said no? Did Thor hit this guy in the head?

Cassandra didn't care.

"Fine. I'll deal with you later."

She turned to Russell with a smile.

"This time, there's no Khonshu to bail you out. If you manage to escape, I'll kill every TVA agent myself."

"One, two, three... seven, eight, nine, ten."

"You still can't move. I win, hehe~"

She grinned like a child with a new toy.

But just as she was laughing, her expression changed. Curiosity bloomed.

She leaned close to Russell's face.

"TVA said you only had Extremis, but you've got all these abilities."

"Hydra's Captain, Spider-Man, Mordo—when they died, you got their powers."

"So..."

"Baby, how do you steal powers?"

"I really want to know~"

Finally, she couldn't resist.

Her five fingers plunged into Russell's head—

And the world instantly changed.

She entered his spiritual realm.

But this wasn't a memory—it was a cathedral.

Marble floors, towering columns, a hazy dome... But no Jesus.

On the throne sat a figure in white, quietly watching her.

Then, Russell's voice echoed throughout the sanctuary:

"I've been waiting for you, Cassandra."

Boom!

Thunder rumbled.

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