"Looks like it's time for me to go too."
Mobius watched Loki and Sylvie's retreating figures gradually disappear, determination in his eyes. Loki had his mission, and Mobius had his own.
With that, Mobius pulled a small device from his suit pocket and gently pressed it with his thumb.
A pale yellow virtual doorway appeared out of thin air, with the Time Variance Authority on the other side.
"Mobius, wait!"
Thor called out to Mobius, who already had one foot through the doorway.
"Thor, are you coming with me?" Mobius turned and invited this clearly different Thor variant to join him.
"No, I want to ask you a favor. Could you save those Infinity Stones at the Time Variance Authority for me?"
Mobius froze for a moment, then remembered the piles of Infinity Stones in the Time Variance Authority's drawers. "No problem. It's a small matter. Anything else?"
"That's all. Thank you, Mobius. Stay safe."
"Don't mention it. You're Loki's brother, after all, aren't you?"
With that, Mobius waved to the group and stepped through the virtual doorway. The next second, the doorway vanished, and Mobius disappeared from sight.
"Thor, let's go. Alioth is about to break free."
Classic Loki glanced back at the vast dark cloud that stretched beyond sight and gave the warning.
"Then let's go. Once I've dealt with that bald woman, we'll go save the Asgards of the multiverse."
With a thought from Thor, everyone present, and even Emma Frost several kilometers away, vanished. In the blink of an eye, they were back near the cave where Laura and the others were.
"Mission accomplished?"
Betsy was the first to come over. The chibi figure on her head was still going one-on-one with Baby Groot, and her smooth long hair had been left somewhat messy.
"Yes, Betsy. Looks like those two little things have really put you through the wringer!"
Thor reached out, grabbed Baby Groot by the scruff of his neck, and lifted him onto his shoulder. He also smoothed down the little guy's ruffled hair.
"I am Groot!!"
Baby Groot gave Thor a very displeased glare. He had just been practicing his fighting skills, so why interrupt him all of a sudden?
If he didn't get stronger, how could he save Rocket and the others?
"Hey, Groot, I really don't like that attitude." Thor folded his arms and looked at the little guy. "I was thinking of helping you get stronger..."
"I am Groot?!!"
Baby Groot's expression changed instantly. He blinked his two big, round eyes, poked two fingers together in front of his chest, and looked at Thor with an extremely innocent expression.
"I am Groot."
(Thor, I was wrong.)
"A Flora Colossus race?"
Classic Loki truly lived up to his reputation as the greatest magician in the Nine Realms. He recognized the little guy deliberately acting cute at a glance.
"I thought their race was extinct?"
"Yes. In most universes, he's the last survivor of his race, and unless something unexpected happens, he joins the Guardians of the Galaxy."
Classic Loki's expression turned a little odd when he heard the name Guardians of the Galaxy. After looking the little guy over a few times, he said, "You mean the Guardians of the Galaxy who beat Ronan with an awkward dance-off?!"
"Yes. You know about them?"
Thor was a little surprised that Classic Loki knew about the Guardians of the Galaxy.
"If what you say is true, Thor, the Guardians of the Galaxy should be pretty famous in every universe. Just not for anything good."
"True. After all, between the lot of them, they can't come up with a single family member."
Thor suddenly made a dark joke. The Guardians of the Galaxy had it even worse than the superheroes in the Avengers.
There probably wasn't anyone in the Avengers worse off than them. Hmm... that didn't seem right. If things followed the original plot, he was the one who had it worst.
His father, mother, brother, home, people, and lover were all gone.
So, after thinking it over, the award for most miserable superhero of the year had to go to him.
This really was Marvel, wasn't it? They just had to put Thor through every sacrifice they could, huh?
"I am Groot-!"
Groot was a little angry to hear Thor making fun of the Guardians of the Galaxy like that, and began roaring like a fierce dragon!
For now, Thor couldn't be bothered with the little guy. He raised a hand and used the Law of Time and the Law of Life to strengthen Baby Groot directly.
Groot was delighted to feel the power inside him growing stronger and stronger. This time, he definitely wouldn't let Thanos succeed again!
But although his power kept growing, his body remained unchanged. A huge question mark appeared over his tiny head, and he looked up at Thor in confusion.
"I am Groot?!?"
(Isn't something wrong here?)
"Groot, you should know that power always comes at a price. This is all I can manage right now."
Thor was talking nonsense with a straight face again. The reason he had fixed Groot's form as this little thing was, of course, because he was cute and pleasing to look at!
It definitely wasn't because the little guy had started acting rebellious at such a young age.
Besides, it didn't matter whether his size changed. Wasn't it enough that his power had increased?
"I am Groot???"
(Is that true?)
"Yes! You know about the Infinity Stones, right? The power of the laws always comes at a price. I'd like to help you return to your peak, but I'm not strong enough right now!"
"I am Groot."
Baby Groot had a feeling something was off, but then he remembered that Ronan had once killed him with the Power Stone, and it suddenly made sense. Wasn't it normal for such terrifying power to come at a price?
Groot convinced himself. He stretched out a hand toward a nearby branch, and a vine as thick as an adult's palm shot from it and wound tightly around the branch.
Groot tugged on it a few times. Once he was sure it was secure, he leaped off Thor's shoulder and swung back and forth through the woods like a monkey, having the time of his life.
Gambit Remy came over and asked curiously, "Thor, can you accelerate little Groot's growth too?"
"Of course. Groot himself is still a tree. Simply put, he's no different from a plant."
"This world is really crazy!" Remy remarked.
Elektra was maintaining her weapon, the sound of metal scraping jarringly harsh in the quiet.
"Thor, it's time to uphold your end of the deal."
Emma Frost's cold, aloof voice rang out.
"You're right, Emma Frost. It's time to go after Cassandra."
Thor nodded. Although he hadn't yet recovered his peak strength, he had a powerhouse on his side. Classic Loki's worth went without saying!
They just had to do it!
"Thor, I think you might need these."
Classic Loki held out his hand and opened it, revealing a multicolored glow. In his palm were the law fragments Thor had been longing for!