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Chapter 153: Thanos Is Scared, Carol Is Back!
🕑 Added 2025-03-20 19:55:21 +0000 UTCS.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Nick Fury rubbed his temples as he stared at the documents scattered across the table.
The reports contained intelligence gathered from Tony Stark.
He had approved Tony's request, using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s authority and an appropriate cover story to secure a batch of sensitive raw materials from his superiors.
In return, Tony had shared critical information.
Combined with what Bruce Banner had revealed, Nick Fury now had a much clearer understanding of Aaron.
In the past, their knowledge of Aaron had been limited to his identity and overwhelming strength. Beyond that, they knew little.
Thor had spoken of Aaron's accomplishments, but Loki had never bothered to share any details.
This lack of information had only fueled their fear. Aaron was an enigma, and the unknown was always terrifying.
But now, as the veil of mystery began to lift, Nick Fury found himself with an even greater headache.
The Meeting Begins
Phil Coulson and the others slowly gathered in the conference room.
Among them were Charles Xavier and Storm (Ororo Munroe), representing the X-Men, as well as Colonel James Rhodes, serving as a military representative.
These individuals were either Avengers members or close allies.
In an effort to bolster their strength, S.H.I.E.L.D. had finally made the decision to officially collaborate with the X-Men, forming an alliance.
Thus, the X-Men became an official, albeit non-staff, branch of the Avengers.
On the surface, this move discouraged further discrimination against mutants.
Over time, the X-Men had started to feel a sense of security they had long been denied.
As for Colonel Rhodes, now equipped with the Iron Patriot armor, he had formally joined the Avengers.
Despite Thor’s absence, the Avengers' numbers had grown significantly.
Yet Nick Fury remained unsatisfied.
Something still felt off.
The Missing Figure
Now that he had a clearer picture of Aaron, Fury finally understood the problem.
The Avengers lacked a figurehead.
Someone powerful. Someone experienced. Someone they could control.
Hulk wasn't an option. While he was undeniably strong, he was also unpredictable.
And in Aaron’s presence, even Hulk seemed like a mere child.
Charles, despite his immense psychic abilities, would also be ineffective. Against cosmic-level threats, his powers were insignificant.
Even Charles himself had admitted that Aaron’s psychic strength might rival his own.
Besides, he had no intention of provoking Asgard.
They were gods.
Mutants, at best, had the potential to become gods.
Fury exhaled sharply, deep in thought.
"Maybe it's time to call her...
"I don’t know if she’s strong enough to face him.
"But it’s worth a shot."
He was hesitant.
For a long time, she had been Fury’s ace up his sleeve—the ultimate weapon of the Avengers.
She could travel the universe freely. She could move at the speed of light.
To Fury, she represented the pinnacle of power.
But Aaron… Aaron was something else entirely.
Strange. Unpredictable.
That was why Fury wasn’t sure if even Carol Danvers could defeat him.
Ever since Aaron had entered the stage, he had crushed every opponent he faced.
He had never lost.
And he had even helped Kamar-Taj push back the forces of Mephisto’s dimension.
That reminded Fury—there were still other matters to address.
Tony had warned him about a growing crisis in the wizarding world.
Another headache.
Nick Fury sighed, rubbing his temples.
He grabbed an unmarked bottle from the table, poured out two pills, and swallowed them dry.
The Magic Net Debate
"Sir, is the Magic Net really as incredible as Stark claims?"
Phil Coulson's voice was serious.
"Stark wouldn’t lie about something like this. I have several Magic Net contracts here. We can try connecting at any time."
"Do you want to test it?"
Fury placed the contracts on the table.
The others stared at them, brows furrowed in hesitation.
They were intrigued.
But also wary.
More importantly, they had no means of generating energy to sustain a connection—unless, like Tony, they built a massive arc reactor.
That would cost hundreds of millions.
Tony could afford it.
None of them could.
"Aren’t you worried about hidden clauses?"
Captain America, Steve Rogers, spoke up.
"This so-called Magic Net is his way of controlling all magicians… maybe even all of humanity!
"If he binds the entire Earth and the Nine Realms to himself, that's not leadership. That’s dictatorship!"
Fury and the others exchanged glances.
After a moment, they simply looked away.
Charles gave Steve a long, thoughtful look but said nothing.
"Ahem. Maybe we should focus on the bigger issue," Colonel Rhodes interjected, steering the conversation away from the Magic Net.
"We should be more concerned about the dimensional threats."
His words had the intended effect.
"If the Kamar-Taj magicians are telling the truth, then we don’t just have to worry about extraterrestrial invaders or internal crises," Natasha Romanoff said, frowning.
"We also have to prepare for interdimensional threats."
She turned to Fury.
"Sir, I think we should propose the creation of a new department—one that focuses on training magicians to defend against demons and Mephisto’s forces."
"I agree," Barton chimed in.
"And if we do this, it’s the perfect chance to test whether the Magic Net can actually produce powerful magicians as quickly as Stark claims."
His suggestion gained widespread approval.
There was just one problem.
If this new department were established, it would require massive funding and infrastructure.
Energy sources like nuclear reactors would need to be built to sustain it.
And most importantly, absolute loyalty would be crucial.
If even one recruit turned traitor or sought power for their own gain, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Finding individuals who were both loyal and incorruptible was a challenge in any era.
Nick Fury knew this.
Yet, despite the risks, the department had to be created.
Relying solely on Kamar-Taj for protection wasn’t an option.
Moreover, they needed to verify the Magic Net’s true capabilities.
What Tony had described was simply too tempting to ignore.
A Dangerous Temptation
"Sir, if this department is created, it must be tightly controlled," Coulson pointed out.
"Some people may be tempted by the power of the Magic Net."
"I know," Fury muttered, lost in thought.
The risks were clear.
According to Stark, the Magic Net didn’t just provide supernatural abilities.
It also granted longevity—perhaps even immortality.
The latter was what truly worried Fury.
Long life could drive even the sanest individuals to madness.
If the existence of the Magic Net became public knowledge, the world's elites would stop at nothing to gain access.
They would flood the new department with pressure and bribes, desperate to secure a contract.
S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn’t stop them.
Nick Fury had already made up his mind.
When submitting his report to the higher-ups, he would deliberately omit certain details.
There were things the world’s leaders simply didn’t need to know.
Otherwise, it would only lead to disaster.
To be honest, even Fury himself was tempted by the Magic Net’s power.
If only S.H.I.E.L.D. had the budget for it…
He took a deep breath, scanning the room.
"That’s all for today. I need everyone to keep this information under wraps for now.
"If word gets out, we’ll have problems."
"Understood," Charles and Rhodes responded in unison.
They knew Fury was speaking to everyone, but his words were especially meant for them.
Politicians and the military couldn’t be allowed to interfere.
Otherwise, society itself might spiral into chaos.
Rhodes understood.
Charles understood even better.
As the meeting adjourned, Rhodes departed in the Iron Patriot suit, while Charles and Ororo boarded the Blackbird jet.
"Professor, should we connect to the Magic Net?" Ororo asked.
Charles closed his eyes, contemplating.
"We should.
"I have a feeling… the Magic Net might be the future."
Ororo turned to him in surprise.
The future?
She hadn’t expected such a high evaluation from him.
Charles gazed out at the thinning clouds ahead.
They needed to study the Magic Net.
If they didn’t, the world might leave them behind.
And Mutants might no longer be the only extraordinary beings…
He had witnessed the mystery of magic with his own eyes.
Only magic could counter magic…
They had to connect!
And it needed to be studied carefully.
Otherwise, if someone used magic against them, they would only be able to defend passively.
Besides…
He was also thinking—
Was it possible to use magic to heal physical disabilities?
The magic of the gods—surely, such minor issues wouldn’t be difficult to resolve, right?
At first, he had considered asking the God of Magic to heal his condition quickly.
But in the end, he chose to give up.
He didn’t want to trouble Qin, and besides, he was used to it. There was no need to bother her over something so trivial.
Now, by studying the magic net, he could master the mysterious and unpredictable arts himself. He was certain that a solution would come in time.
Orolo was puzzled but did not ask further.
She trusted Charles. He would undoubtedly lead Mutants down the right path—just as the Mutant Academy had brought hope and peace during their darkest times.
Conrad Star.
A planet of entertainment, filled with booze and sex robots.
Yondu and his men had finally left Earth, jumping through space to arrive here, using indulgence to release their pent-up emotions.
They had already learned the consequences of killing with electric shocks.
As expected, the dead could not die again.
“Boss, you’re smart. You predicted those idiots would act recklessly before they even did it. Otherwise, we’d have been caught up in the mess and attacked like crazy.”
Claringer was elated.
The others joined in, praising Yondu’s intelligence.
“Of course! Otherwise, how could I be your boss?” Yondu took a swig of his drink, accepting their admiration with ease.
He had survived as a Ravager in the Milky Way for so long—not just because of his intelligence.
He could guess what those fools, pretending to be electrocuted, were really thinking.
“By the way, boss, should we report what happened on Earth to the client?”
“Why wouldn’t we? Do it! Right away!” Yondu said without hesitation.
This trip to Earth had cost him many men.
Now, he was short on manpower and money.
However, the way they reported it… that required some thought.
He decided to be selective about what information he shared.
According to the mission given by Nossus, they would be paid for retrieving the Mind Stone and their involvement in the Battle of New York.
That would at least help cover some of their losses.
He would report that Aaron had two Infinity Stones in his possession.
But he would not reveal their exact location.
That was asking for trouble.
And just in case Nossus turned out to be a fool, Yondu planned to bring Asgard into the picture—
To make the client back off.
The name “Asgard” still carried weight.
Even Nossus—the cosmic tyrant—probably wouldn’t want to provoke such a force.
“Where’s Star-Lord? Why hasn’t he shown up yet?”
“Any updates on the Orb?”
After some thought, Yondu turned to Krallinger.
“No news yet, but it should be soon. Last time we heard from him, he said he might have located the Orb.”
“However… we’ve also learned that Ronan, the ex-Accuser, is searching for it too.”
“Should we abandon this mission?”
“Abandon? Abandon a four-billion-unit job just like that? Are you a pig?”
“Tell Star-Lord—get the Orb and return immediately. As long as we hand it off to the Collector, it’s no longer our problem.”
“Let Ronan and the Collector deal with each other.”
Yondu grinned slyly.
He didn’t have the guts to steal a stone from Aaron.
But that didn’t mean he was giving up on the Orb just because of Ronan.
If Ronan had already taken it, fine—no fight.
But if it was still unclaimed…
It was fair game.
A Distant Star System.
“Master, the Ravagers have returned with news.”
Ebony Maw approached the throne and bowed.
“This is the information they gathered—Asgardians have intervened in the war on Earth. A figure codenamed the God of Magic was the primary force behind the Chitauri army’s collapse.”
With a few taps on his wrist, a holographic projection appeared in the dark space.
Thanos and his subordinates watched the battle footage.
Anger and surprise flickered across their faces in the shifting light and shadows.
They were furious that Asgard had aided Earth against them.
And surprised that such a powerful individual existed among the Asgardians.
Was this being truly a god?
His strength was impressive.
But in their eyes, Aaron’s power was merely good.
Because they believed—
Their master, Thanos, would be far stronger.
Thanos remained expressionless as he watched the entire recording.
He did not waver in the slightest.
Yet his next words revealed his intent.
“Accelerate the search for the Cosmic Orb and the Soul Stone. Once I find them…
I will handle it myself.”
