chapter 320
Chapter 320:
– Sona –
Sona had always known that Layla’s life was one chaotic, violent mess, but witnessing it firsthand was something else entirely. As a pureblood devil, she was no stranger to bloodshed. She had seen plenty of it in Rating Games and clan disputes, but this? This was something else. The TVA, the arrogant organization that had dared to target their children, was in complete ruin. Freed variants stormed through the halls, slaughtering the last of the straggling agents with the kind of wrath that came from having their entire existences stolen. They had a lot of anger to burn through, and she couldn’t really blame them.
Sona adjusted her glasses, stepping over a lifeless body as their group entered what looked like an administrative office. A lone TVA agent cowered in the corner, shaking like a leaf. He wasn’t even armed—not that it would have helped him. His eyes darted between them, sweat beading at his temple as he took in Layla’s glowing wings, Sylvie’s daggers, and Loki’s sharp smirk.
But Sona’s attention wasn’t on him. It was on the desk. More specifically, on the blue stone sitting on it—the Space Stone. And right next to it? A dozen other identical ones.
Sona stared. “What the hell?”
Sylvie let out a sharp breath. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Layla picked one of the stones up and turned it between her fingers. It pulsed with cosmic energy, undeniably real. They were all real.
Sona clenched her fists. Just how many universes had these bastards wiped out that they had an entire stockpile of Infinity Stones just lying around? How many worlds had been erased so casually that these powerful relics were now nothing more than glorified paperweights?
Too many, she thought grimly. Far, far too many.
The TVA agent whimpered. “P-please… I had nothing to do with—”
Sona flicked her gaze to Layla and saw the moment her friend came to the same conclusion she had. For all of Layla’s playful, airheaded moments, she was sharp when it mattered. And right now, her expression was cold, her golden eyes burning with the kind of fury that made even devils uneasy.
Layla dropped the stone back onto the desk and turned to Loki. “Do whatever you want with him.”
Loki grinned, pulling a sleek dagger from inside his jacket. He twirled it between his fingers before stepping forward, his eyes gleaming with wicked amusement. “This is going to be fun…”
Sona didn’t bother watching. She just turned and followed Layla and Sylvie into the next room, shutting the door behind her to drown out the screaming.
“What’s the plan now?” Sona asked Layla.
Layla slipped the Space Stone into her pocket while she thought about it for a moment. “I need to keep my promise to all the variants running around and do my best to send them home… or find new homes for them in the event that that simply isn’t possible.”
Sylvie’s expression darkened. “My home is gone,” she admitted. “And even if it wasn’t, I don’t really want to go back.”
Layla offered her a small smile. “You seem much more pleasant than our own Loki. You’re welcome to join us if you want.”
Sylvie hesitated, then smiled slightly at the offer. Before she could respond, Sona cut in, crossing her arms. Layla had a habit of picking up stray girls and she was nipping this one in the bud. “You’re not joining Layla’s harem, though. She has enough girls already!”
Sylvie balked, looking genuinely shocked, while Layla sputtered. “That wasn’t my intention at all!”
“Sure it wasn’t,” Sona said playfully, smirking. She actually knew it wasn’t, but once in a while, it was fun to be the one doing the teasing.
Loki rejoined the group, looking deeply satisfied despite being absolutely drenched in blood. He wiped a hand down his face, smearing the crimson across his cheek before flicking away the excess with a casual shake of his fingers. His usual smirk was sharper now, more pleased with himself than usual, like he had just gotten some much-needed therapy via stabbing.
Layla arched a brow at him, arms crossed. "So, how the hell did you even get captured by the TVA in the first place?"
Loki’s smirk faltered. A faint blush colored his cheeks as he quickly looked away. "I don’t want to talk about it."
Sona blinked. That was interesting. Loki, the God of Mischief, embarrassed? There was definitely a story there. One she had no doubt Layla would pry out of him eventually, if only for her own amusement.
– Layla –
I pressed my fingers together in a cross sign, and with a series of soft poofs, multiple clones of myself materialized around me in the dimly lit corridors of the TVA. Without needing further instruction, they shot off in all directions, their mission clear—assemble every single variant still lingering in this forsaken place and bring them to the main lobby.
I was done here. The TVA had crossed a line the moment they came after my family. I had no intention of letting them exist a second longer than necessary. But I wasn’t heartless. I had made a promise to let everyone go home first—if their homes still existed.
Half an hour later, I stood in the middle of the TVA’s massive main lobby, surrounded by nearly two hundred variants from all over the multiverse.
So many versions of Captain America.
An entire assortment of Thors, some carrying hammers, others wielding weapons a bit more unique.
A staggering number of Tony Starks, some in sleek, futuristic suits, others looking worn from battle.
And then there were the ones that didn’t quite fit a recognizable mold—variants of heroes and villains alike, some male, some female, some something else entirely.
A female Captain America pushed her way to the front of the crowd. Her confident stride reminded me of Steve, but her aura was undeniably different. My gaze flickered to her uniform—Peggy Carter, I realized.
She stopped a few feet away and hesitated, eyes darting to my wings. Her expression faltered, but only for a second before she composed herself. “The others told me an actual angel showed up to save us.” She squared her shoulders. “Thank you.”
I smiled at her. “You’re welcome. The TVA made the mistake of coming after my family. Today’s the day this insane organization disappears for good.”
Behind me, Sylvie let out a triumphant cheer. “Hell yeah!”
A few more variants stepped forward, murmuring among themselves before one finally voiced the question that was on everyone’s mind. “How exactly are you planning to send us all home?”
That was… a damn good question. I closed my eyes, thinking for a moment.
[You could ask Lady Death?]
The system’s voice chimed in my mind. Yeah, I supposed I could.
The moment I opened myself to her, I felt an invisible touch caress my face. A whisper of cold lips brushed lovingly against my ear. My relationship with Lady Death would always be different than with my other lovers. Lady Death was always been with me, watching, waiting for when I needed her.
And now, she whispered words I didn’t fully understand—until suddenly, I did. A spell. Ancient. Powerful. One meant for guiding lost souls home.
I turned back to Peggy. “Would you like to go first?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Heroes lead by example.”
I extended my hand toward her, calling on the spell Lady Death had gifted me. A violet glow enveloped Peggy, and in an instant, I understood exactly where her universe was. Relief flooded through me. The TVA hadn’t gotten around to destroying it yet.
With a snap of my fingers, a swirling purple portal manifested beside her. The air hummed with energy, and on the other side, I glimpsed the familiar skyline of her world.
Peggy met my gaze, nodding firmly. “Thank you.” Then, with the same confidence she carried into battle, she strode through the portal. The second she vanished, the gateway sealed behind her.
I turned back to the waiting crowd. “Alright. Who’s next?”
A wave of murmurs rippled through the variants before one of the many Tony Starks stepped forward. "I’d rather not be stuck in a room full of alternate versions of myself for any longer than necessary. Send me home, angel.” he said with a cheeky wink and I just rolled my eyes.
I repeated the spell, feeling his universe’s location settle in my mind. Another snap of my fingers, another glowing portal. Tony gave me a two-finger salute before stepping through, vanishing into the void.
The process continued, one after another. Some were eager to return, stepping forward the moment I called for them. Others hesitated, asking for confirmation that their homes were still intact. For those whose universes had been erased, I offered them safe passage to new ones—places they could rebuild their lives…Hopefully.
I wasn’t powerful enough yet to go restoring entire destroyed Universes.
Sona watched it all in silence nearby. It wasn’t until we had worked through nearly half the room that I realized she had been studying me just as much as she was observing the process. “Something on your mind?” I asked, pausing briefly between portals.
She adjusted her glasses. “You’re not offering to let anyone come to our universe.”
I blinked. “Well, no. That’s intentional.”
Her lips quirked. “Good. We don’t know most of these people. It’d be reckless to invite them in.” She glanced at Sylvie, who was watching from nearby. “We don’t even know much about her yet.”
I followed her gaze. Sylvie was leaning against a pillar. She caught us looking and smirked. “Thinking of kicking me out too?”
Sona shook her head. “No. I think I’m a good judge of character. One extra Loki won’t cause too much damage.”
Sylvie snorted. “That’s probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about me.”
"Alright, time for us to go home," I said, glancing at Sona, Loki, and Sylvie.
Loki barely looked relieved before I shot him a playful smirk. "I’m sure Hela won’t punish you… too badly."
His face paled instantly. His eyes darted around the room like a trapped rat, landing on a TVA teleporter lying abandoned on the ground. Before he could even think about making a run for it, I waved my hand and fried the device in an instant. The faint sizzling noise that followed was oddly satisfying.
"Take your punishment like a man," I teased.
"That’s the problem!" Loki whined, throwing his hands up. "I might not even be a man by the time she’s done with me!"
I paused, my smirk faltering. "Wait… what?" I stared at Loki for a moment before shuddering. Hela wouldn’t castrate him… right? No way. That seemed extreme. Then again it was Hela.
I loved her...but yeah...
[Maybe…?]
Meh, whatever. It wasn’t like Asgard didn’t have access to magical healers if she did decide on something that cruel.
I shrugged and glanced at Sylvie, who was clearly enjoying his distress. She clapped him on the back. "Oh, don’t be such a baby. You might actually enjoy being a woman."
"No, I wouldn’t!" Loki whined again, looking more distressed by the second.
Rolling my eyes, I snapped my fingers and opened a swirling purple portal beneath him. He let out a dramatic yelp as he was sucked through, tumbling flat on his face in the middle of Asgard’s throne room.
“Amaterasu!” I spoke. The black flames sprang up and immediately started devouring all the corpses along with the TVA building itself. It would all go up in flames soon enough. I didn’t need to stick around to see it though.
We stepped through after him, arriving in the grand chamber where Hela sat on her black throne. Various Asgardian nobles and generals were assembled, their conversation halting as they turned to see Loki’s undignified entrance. A beat of silence passed, and then, almost as if this kind of thing was expected from me at this point, they collectively shrugged and resumed whatever they were doing.
Huh. It seemed like Asgard was finally adjusting to my shenanigans...
Then my gaze shifted up the steps leading to the throne. Next to Hela’s black seat of power was another, slightly smaller, but no less magnificent throne—adorned with deep purple gems and intricate carvings.
Was that for me?
I had never had my own throne before.
[What about the one in heaven?]
‘No way! Absolutely not, that one is Michael's problem!’
I didn’t have time to dwell on it because Hela was in the middle of addressing the gathered crowd, her voice smooth but commanding. "Everything is under control. The invaders have been properly dealt with. Unfortunately, Asgard lost a few brave soldiers."
Oh, that’s what I was forgetting.
Those soldiers weren’t actually dead—they were trapped in the Void. Hopefully, they’d run into someone nice, like Nicepool. But just in case they didn’t, I figured I should get them out quickly before they ended up being dinner for some cosmic horror lurking around there.
I casually summoned a shadow clone, not even bothering to explain myself, and sent it through another portal to handle the rescue mission.
Then, with Sona, Sylvie, and a very nervous Loki beside me, I approached Hela and the two thrones. Hela’s sharp gaze swept over us, but it lingered just a little longer on Loki, who visibly gulped.
Hela smiled at me and patted the throne next to her. I didn’t hesitate before plopping myself right down on it. But of course, I wasn’t sitting alone—I grabbed Sona and pulled her onto my lap.
Sona let out a startled noise, her face turning an adorable shade of red as she realized she was now literally sitting in my lap in front of the entire Asgardian court. She shifted, clearly embarrassed, but I wrapped my arms around her waist, keeping her securely in place. I wasn’t letting her go.
Hela, looking amused, leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Sona’s cheek. Sona pouted but didn’t try to move. Victory.
Then Hela turned her attention to Loki and—
"Who is this new woman?" Hela asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Sylvie.
"Oh, that’s female Loki," I said, grinning. "Her name is Sylvie Laufeydottir. She’s from another universe. We rescued her from the TVA. Loki actually tried to flirt with her at first…"
Loki sputtered. "I did not!"
Sylvie rolled her eyes so hard I thought she might strain something. "Oh, he absolutely did."
Hela nodded in understanding. "Welcome to Asgard, counterpart of my stupid little brother. You are free to stay as long as you like, provided you don’t cause any trouble."
"I’ll do my best not to…" Sylvie said, but there was a glint of mischief in her eyes that made me think otherwise.
As expected of a female Loki…
Still, as long as her pranks were harmless and fun, no one would care too much.
Then Hela turned to Loki, her expression shifting from amused to exasperated. "Now then, my dear foolish little brother. What shall I do with you? We released you from prison early to assist with our deranged uncle, and in return, you stole a gift I had specifically prepared for my beloved Layla!"
I flushed as she announced that to the entire throne room!
Loki scowled. "I wasn’t planning on keeping it forever… I just wanted to have some fun! Layla got it back herself anyway. No harm done…"
Hela’s eyes narrowed. "Except for the fact that you led an interdimensional terrorist strike force directly into the bedroom of your nieces!"
Loki winced, looking much less cocky. "I’m sorry… I thought they’d just attack you or Layla. You both would have easily handled them. I wasn’t expecting them to go after Hilga, Sia, and Lia."
The murmuring in the court grew louder at that revelation. People exchanged glances, some looking outright furious. I could already see the shift in perception. It wasn’t just about Loki being reckless anymore—it was about him directly endangering Asgardian royal children.
Deciding to cut off any potential outrage, I leaned forward slightly. "It was his way of making sure we’d come and rescue him," I said. "He knew neither of us would have been harmed…"
That quieted some of the murmuring, though plenty of people still glared at him. Loki really needed to work on making people like him more…
Hela, however, remained unimpressed. She leaned back in her throne, tapping her fingers against the armrest as she considered her next words. The room waited, silent, for her to announce Loki’s punishment…
…
“I wasn’t expecting her to go that route…” I muttered mostly to myself as Sona and I made our way back toward the palace living chambers.
Sona nodded beside me, adjusting her glasses. "Yeah. Can’t say he didn’t deserve it, though."
I sighed but didn’t disagree.
As we reached my daughters’ room, I noted multiple Asgardian guards stationed outside. They stiffened slightly but gave respectful nods as we passed. Sona and I returned the gesture before stepping inside.
Inside, we found Sif sitting cross-legged on the floor, playing with Hilga, Sia, and Lia. The four of them were putting together a puzzle, the girls fully engrossed in it. My gaze drifted to the box lying nearby, and I blinked at the familiar image on the cover.
It was a puzzle of me?
Distributed by Fallcorp. Huh? I didn’t know we started making toys too.
Sif looked up and smiled.
On the bed, Rias sat beside Frigga, both looking relieved we safely made it back.
I walked over to Sif first, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek before making my way to Rias and doing the same.
"Welcome back," Rias greeted with a small smile. "Did you get those bastards?"
"Sure did," I replied. "They won’t be bothering us again."
Sona smirked. "The TVA is in ruins. I suspect a few agents got away, but the majority of the organization has been destroyed. The remnants will know never to cross us again."
Sif nodded approvingly, still helping Hilga with a few puzzle pieces. "Excellent."
"I’m just glad everything worked out," Frigga said in relief. Then, her expression shifted slightly. "Is Loki… alright?"
I hesitated. "Uh… define ‘okay’?"
"Is he alive?" Frigga asked, more pointedly this time.
"No?" I said at the same time Sona said, "Yes?"
Sona and I exchanged glances, neither of us quite sure how to phrase it. Technically, "he" was not alive...
Frigga’s face paled, her eyes widening in shock.
Sona quickly held up a hand. "Wait—he is alive! Just… not exactly as he was before."
Before we could explain, the doors behind us flew open. Sylvie strolled inside, looking exasperated. And right beside her… was another Sylvie.
No. Not another Sylvie.
Loki... Who was now a woman.
[Hahahaha! Look at his face!]
"Mother, look what they did to me!" Loki wailed, voice several octaves higher than usual. "I can’t undo the spell either!"
I winced. Yeah… Hela turned Loki into a girl. Not permanently—just until, as she put it, he ‘started thinking with his upper head and not his lower one.’
Honestly? He had it coming... Sort of? Meh, it wasn't like it was forever so he'd get over it eventually.
"At least she used a spell," I muttered, "and didn’t just chop off his… bits."
Frigga looked shocked for all of half a second before her expression completely changed. She stood up, her face lighting up like she had just received the best news of her life. "Oh! I’ve always wanted a proper daughter, and now I have two of them!?"
Loki’s expression became truly devastated as his mother all but beamed at him.
Frigga turned to Sylvie next, who, despite trying to look disinterested, was clearly enjoying this.
"Hela never lets me go dress shopping with her! We should get you some new outfits at once!"
"Mother, no—"
"I think it’s a great idea," Sylvie interrupted with a wicked grin.
Loki groaned, burying his/her face in her hands as Frigga practically bounced with excitement.
I just smirked and sat down next to Sif and started helping my daughters put together the puzzle about me. “Where does this piece go?”
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