บท 629: The Truth
Boom!
Loki caught the hammer with his two hands, dragging him backward. "You can now detect my clones."
"You're not the only one who has improved," Thor declared as a unique Battle Aura coursed through his veins, elevating his already terrifying battle prowess.
"I guess this will be fun." Loki created more clones, and Thor started to look for the real body. In the process, he ignored the actions of the illusions, a crucial mistake. One hit him on his face, and Thor flew to the ceiling before crashing down.
'His illusion can affect reality?' Thor stood up and started twirling his hammer, releasing a potent wind that blew all the clones away. Then, in one swoop motion, he turned his left hand to the right to release a lightning blast. Loki appeared with a cracked green shield.
He summoned a pair of daggers and started a close combat duel with Thor. Usually, he is easily overwhelmed by this way of fighting, but this time, they were evenly matched — at least physically. Loki was slightly better in skill, but it was evident that Thor had more experience in close combat.
A clone appeared behind Thor, but his body released a lightning bolt to destroy it, and he did not even have to turn around.
'His senses are sharper than I expected,' Loki thought, wondering how his brother could see through his illusions. Loki observed closely as they clashed but could not find an immediate answer, so he used Edward's lesson: basic divination.
Loki turned his life force into mana to cast the spell, and he had his answer: Thor could detect the electrical impulses of his clones and judge their nature.
'Oh, brother, how clever. This was definitely not your idea,' Loki mentally sneered. As their weapons clashed, another Loki suddenly appeared beside Thor and plunged his dagger into his ribs. The original Loki then kicked him more than 2 meters away.
Thor landed on his feet but on his knee. He grunted as he removed the dagger. His body released an electrical light that closed the injury. Loki once again created hundreds of illusion clones, but Thor could not find the original this time. He raised his hammer in the sky, summoning the wrath of heaven.
Lightning and thunder descended from the sky, and Thor perfectly controlled them to the point that not a single one of the shocked Avengers in the room was harmed. Sadly for him, Loki was also unharmed. He turned his illusion clones into an intangible state, including his original body.
Once the attack ended, the clones became real and started beating Thor. The Thunder God tried to fight back, but he could not tell which were real, tangible, and faking an attack. So, he was soon overwhelmed.
Thor decided to use a skill that he had recently learned: Thunder Teleportation. He accessed a dimension full of thunder energy and used its space to teleport. Although he currently can only teleport a short five-meter distance, it was an excellent mobility skill for battle.
Thor's approach should have been an excellent tactic. Unfortunately for him, Loki's original body can teleport by exchanging places with his illusion clones. Lastly, one of the first lessons he learned when dealing with mages is how to limit their mobility. So, he immediately used a Dimensional Blockage Spell to stop Thor, returning him to his original position.
Ultimately, Loki won the battle by impaling his brother in all four limbs to render him immobile. "Victory is mine," Loki declared as he looked at his brother on his knees, his arms extended like he was on a cross, two spears impaling them as their tips pointed upward.
"I admit you've won this battle," Thor declared. "However, I won the war." His body suddenly released a massive amount of thunder energy. Loki realized he was too cocky. Now that he was so close, it was too late for him to react. As the potent lightning rushed to him, he used the only spell that could help: Ice Coffin. He surrendered himself in a giant block of ice to block Thor's last struggle attack.
"That was very close," Loki said as the ice melted. "And thank you for the lesson." Thor looked tired and listless. His body even appeared a few percent smaller. "Brother, it's not too late to stop this." Loki was about to say something when he detected something. He turned around to see Steve and Tony preparing to fight him.
"After all of this, you still want to fight?"
"You're a threat to this planet, and we won't stop defending until our last breath," Steve declared while holding his shield. He rushed toward Loki while Tony started his weapons. The two fought Loki for over 30 minutes before Tony ran away out of energy, and Steve was tired.
Loki ended his illusion, revealing they were fighting each other the whole time. "Do you see how pointless your struggle is?" Tony's suit could not move, but Steve was a man of intense willpower. So, he stood up, ready for another round. Loki rolled his eyes, and with a finger snap, the shield rushed out of his hands, and green shackles captured Steve.
"Ultron was right. Such a unique metal and you people made a frisbee out of it," Loki shook his head. He threw the shield away before looking at these people. "Now, what to do with you? What to do with this planet now that their guardians are no more? Just enslaved them? No, this could be the start of my Empire — An Empire even more grandeur than Asgard."
"Having a little too much fun, aren't we?"
"Teacher," Loki said, a little embarrassed. "I had to sell it, just like you told me to."
Edward wanted to roll his eyes. This man was simply a drama queen. He looked at the shocked Avengers.
"Aren't you that sorcerer from Midgard?" Thor asked.
"Secretary?" Natasha asked.
"Come, we have much to talk about," Edward declared. He waved his hand to heal or free everyone before opening a portal to the Helicarrier. He used the Reparo Charm, returning to its pre-destroy state. He followed up with another portal inside, where an on-guard Fury awaited. He watched everything from a satellite, and his mind was on the highest alert.
Edward walked to the room where they kept all the dead agents, and everyone quietly followed him for some reason. "Wake up," he said, and those agents suddenly moved.
"What's going on?" Coulson asked.
"Don't ask any questions since I'll answer everything together. As for the rest of you, return to your station." Alas, the group returned to the main room.
"You can be at ease," Edward stated, offering them a seat, but no one took his offer.
"Can you explain what's going on?" Fury asked. He had a feeling he was about to peep at the truth of the world.
"Where to start?" Edward stated. "I guess from the beginning." He looked to his side, and another portal appeared, revealing his main body, which was dressed in his magical robe. Secretary Edward stood up to give his spot to Sorcerer Supreme Edward. Such an act made things even more complicated.
"For those unaware, Earth has a magical community based on Kamar Taj," Edward started. "These sorcerers have protected the planet from magical and dimensional threats for countless millennia. The leader of that community holds the title of [Sorcerer Supreme], which is my current position." Edward paused to give them time to process.
"Kamar-Taj usually does not interfere in the world's affairs unless we recruit people or some threats bypass our defenses, and we need to venture into the world to deal with it. However, something changed that forced us to intervene.
"My predecessors peered into the future and predicted a cataclysmic event on a cosmic scale, unlike anything in the universe's history. To ensure Earth and this universe's survival, she chose a radical person like me as her successor."
Edward summoned a pot of tea and sipped it.
"I've done many things to prepare for this event, including forming a deeper alliance with Asgard and sending a clone to intervene in the world's affairs. His job was to unite the Earth's government and pool their resources to prepare for the upcoming catastrophe.
"I sent my apprentice, Loki, to set up this invasion as the first lesson for you, the Avengers, and a wake-up call to the Earth's citizens. The world is about to change rapidly, and the people need to be prepared."
บท 630: Reaction
"You think?" Steve asked. "Dozens, if not hundreds, of people died, and it's all because you wanted to play god."
"You're wrong about that," Edward replied. "Not a single person died. Of course, the news will report dozens of casualties, but all these people were false identities that I've created for this event."
"That doesn't make what you did any better," Maria Hill added. "New York is in shambles, and it will cost billions of dollars to repair."
"Money, huh? Sometimes, I forget the way I think, which is now completely different from normal humans," Edward stated. He raised his hand above his hand to open a portal that showed somewhere in the Solar System. He pointed at one of the asteroids.
"Asteroid L-876A— this thing contained natural resources estimated to be worth 3.6 trillion dollars." As he finished these words, the asteroid shrunk and passed through the portal before closing. "Money will never be an issue."
The room was quiet, and everyone was speechless. Then, Natasha broke the silence. "I think the point no one likes is that you're controlling the lives of this planet for arbitrary reasons."
"Ah, so you feel used – like puppets," Edward nodded. "Unfortunately, your fate was long decided, even before I became a factor. Let me show you what would have happened if I had not interfered."
Edward snapped his finger to show the group's future from the events of the first Iron Man movie to the End Games. Of course, he hid certain facts, such as Bucky's existence and the fact that he killed Tony's parents. He used a spell to accelerate their perception so they could experience everything quickly.
"So, I'm dead?" Natasha asked.
"Join the club," Tony added. However, he soon focused on his life with Pepper and his daughter, Morgan Stark.
"How can this be Asgard's fate?" Thor muttered. He could not believe his powerful country would be reduced to such a state. "Hela?" He muttered, his eyes containing a certain level of ferocity.
"If time were allowed to flow naturally, this would be your fate," Edward explained. "But my presence and the cataclysm has shifted things."
"What exactly is this cataclysm you speak of?" Fury asked.
"Yes, let's get back on topic," Edward nodded. "You should know or have heard the term multiverse?" Everyone nodded. Some of them may not have been too familiar with the concept previously, but after seeing their future, they had some understanding of it.
"Someone or something, for an unknown reason, forced all the universes to clash and fuse until only one remains in an event called the [Convergence]. I know you cannot envision how terrible such an event is, so I'll show you some snippets of the futures my predecessor and I saw."
Numerous terrifying images appeared in the room, showing the group sight of terrifying creatures invading this reality and slaughtering the universe. They saw how they fought pointlessly against these invaders and how some of the invaders were variants of themselves. One of the images shown was a variant of Hulk that treated people like food and ate countless galaxies' worth of individuals.
"Stop it," said Bannerm, and Edward did so.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg," Edward added. "Infinite dimensions with infinite possibilities. Even with my abilities, I can only see a small percentage." The silence in the room became deafening. After what felt like an eternity, Edward spoke again.
"Do you understand now? I didn't do what I did because of power or something stupid like wanting to play god," Edward said. "The future is bleak, and it's my job to ensure our reality survives this ordeal, and I will do anything for success. However, I cannot do everything alone, so I need your help."
"What can we do in such a situation?" Hawkeye asked, his voice full of hopelessness and despair. The fight with Loki already showed him his limit as an average human, let alone dealing with these ungodly creatures that treat galaxies and universes as their plaything.
"No need to despair. Our world has plenty of powerful protectors, and we have experienced two convergences and dealt with the issue with no problem."
"Deal with? How?" Fury asked.
"We annihilated their universes before fusing with ours," Edward replied calmly, shocking everyone. They knew this man was powerful and that the scale of things he dealt with was incomprehensible, but it was something else to have him directly stating he annihilated a universe.
Edward waved his hand to show the team the proof. He showed them not only their group attacking but also the effect or process of that universe being annihilated. He also showed them what happens if their universes are destroyed.
"So cruel," Steve commented. He was a soldier and saw the cruelty of war. However, his experience paled compared to an event of such a cosmic scale.
"Indeed. Unfortunately, this is a situation of either them or us," Edward nodded. "Any question?"
"I have one," Fury said before taking a deep breath. He knew he was facing a Gold-like being but decided to ask. So, he looked Edward in the eyes. "Does the US government know about this?"
Edward smiled. "Are you wondering whether I used magic to get the position of SHIELD's Secretary? The answer is no. After showing these leaders the future and promise of technology beyond anything they could imagine—including immortality through genetic manipulation—most did not hesitate to sell their country and give me the political and military power I wanted."
Fury granted silently. He knew these people and how they operated, so he believed Edward's words.
"Anything else?"
"What exactly do you plan to do with us?" Banner asked.
"That's a good question," Edward smiled. "All of you are talented individuals, so I've prepared training plans to ensure you become people capable of turning the tide in this event."
"Training? Are you going to teach us magic?" Hawkeye asked.
"Not necessarily," Edward shook his head. "Magic may not be the best path for you. Luckily, I've traveled to many dimensions and know countless power systems that can grant you strength."
"And when does this training begin?" Hawkeye continued.
"I still have some unfinished business, and my clone needs to clean up the aftermath of this invasion, so it will take 2 to 4 weeks," Edward replied with a smile.
"That seems a little long," Hawkeye muttered, and Edward's smile grew brighter.
"I hate to pop your bubbles, but I have not agreed to join your little club," Tony declared.
"Tony–"
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I must check on Pepper." He walked out of the room and summoned his suit to fly away. Everyone looked at Edward, but he was calm. "It's fine." He knows Tony will have no choice but to turn to him if he wants to protect Pepper or his friend, Rodhey. And even if he doesn't, it won't matter since some people can replace him, for example, Hank Pym, Riri Williams, and Shuri, and if needed, he can even revive Tony's father, Howard Stark.
"I must take my leave," Thor declared. He had many questions he needed to ask his father and mother. "Brother, are you coming with me?"
"I'm going home but still have unfinished business here."
"That's fine." Thor flew outside and called for Heimdall to teleport home. He did not even go to see Jane.
"I guess I'll see you in a few weeks," Edward said to the rest before teleporting away with his clone.
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
200+ การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
167 หินพลัง 
ความคิดเห็นย่อย