The incident of Hydra's assistance to the KGB in infiltrating the U.S. Congress had been exposed, causing America to face enormous pressure in the international opinion. Yet this country had never cared about international opinion. who they really cared was the KGB.
After learning that the KGB might have infiltrated Hydra, their enthusiasm for dealing with Hydra skyrocketed.
Hydra can undoubtedly wreak havoc domestically, but they can't associate with the KGB. They can infiltrate the Congress, bribe congressmen, steal intelligence, and even attempt treason, and I can turn a blind eye. But if they interact with the KGB, I must eradicate them completely.
That was the sentiment held by the majority of those seated on Capitol Hill, a severe allergy to the KGB for which there seemed to be little cure. Therefore, they sought to use S.H.I.E.L.D. as a sword to eliminate the Hydra under the pretext of purging the Hydra within the scope of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s duties, they actually intended to use the superpowers of S.H.I.E.L.D. to strike at the KGB.
At the same time, they could take advantage of the conflict between S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, and the KGB to weaken S.H.I.E.L.D., distract Nick Fury's energy, and prevent him from further expanding.
But will Nick allow them to achieve their wish while sitting on his throne?
Of course not, he was cooperating with both parties, and he was determined to manage both sides properly.
On one hand, he cooperated with Pierce, attacking certain forces of Hydra from within, arresting Hydra agents to deal with the current pressure. On the other hand, he dispatched Black Widow, the strongest agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., to engage in lethal communication besides life and death, causing trouble for Congress and other intelligence departments, and relieving pressure in the long run.
So, what is Shiller, who commanded Loki to chase Lady Hydra all over the Earth with Thor's hammer, going to do?
Apart from counting some absolutely not from the KGB, very reasonable, rewards other than money, he has not forgotten his most important plan.
Before, the personalities of DC approached Pierce and made a series of deals on the cruise ship. Shiller conspired with Pierce first, so Shiller's identity as Hydra was without a doubt. Then, he facilitated the cooperation between Nick and Pierce.
Upon Nick and Pierce's cooperation, someone was out of luck.
Apart from the Hydra led by Pierce in New York State, Hydra led by other forces in other regions, due to Pierce's betrayal, was hunted down by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents.
These Hydra, which was in the shadow of severe cleansing, suddenly found that there were no snake heads in the Americas that could be contacted. Previously silenced snake heads had not come out yet, Pierce was not answering the phone, Lady Hydra was caught, and the German Headquarters were in self-preservation due to the capture of Lady Hydra, all remaining silent.
So, whose phone could be reached now?
Of course, it's the Doctor.
After being promoted to the head of the Hydra in New York State, Shiller became the head of the Hydra in the Americas.
Apart from being able to catch more Hydra agents for different purposes, Shiller selected the Hydra agents who were easier to brainwash and good at persuading others.
Shiller did not use force to brainwash them. He only used his identity and position to spread a very credible book to them, and that was "Who is Helada?"
Some people might say that the content of this book is pure nonsense. Even if it's not, it's just a strange myth. Who would believe that?
But the lightning that struck Lady Hydra that day was not fake. Although, meteorologists around the world interpreted it as a special weather phenomenon caused by climate change, Hydra weren't fools. Which special weather phenomenon would deliberately chase Hydra? The rainclouds were equipped with identity recognition?
In the book "Who is Helada?", it was emphasized that the origin of Hydra and the creator Mundane Python was the deadly enemy of Thor. Now a prominent Hydra leader was being chased by lightning from the heavens, what does this indicate?
This part was not shown in the book, but according to the famous book reviewer Doctor in the book "Who is Helada?", Thor knew that the Mundane Python was his deadly enemy, and of course he wanted to eliminate it when the nine snake heads hadn't become one.
The despicable escape of Lady Hydra being chased by the falling lightning was a clear statement that if Hydra did not unite now, what awaited them was to be reduced to ashes under Thor's endless thunder and glory.
Yesterday, the great creator split into nine and became the most terrible Incubus of all the nations in the mundane world. But today, the final battle that belongs to him is approaching. They must unite as one and bring a horrific twilight to all gods.
This explanation seems a bit absurd, and most people don't believe it, but it's okay. Like Nick said, many people are not talking about idealism, but business. As long as it can make them profit, they can be believers of any religion.
The absences of Lady Hydra and Pierce gave hope to many snake heads who were originally under their control. They wanted to achieve a higher status and rule over others, but were hindered by the organization's rules and did not dare to take the initiative, fearing that they would be attacked by the group.
The ultimate answer to any sociological event can be found in human history. At the end of an empire's collapse, a single decree can trigger chaos. It's not the bullets that create war, but those who already have guns in their hands and manufacture bullets for them.
In a somewhat dim safe house, Grant looks at the body lying in a pool of blood. He reloads his gun, holding the pistol with both hands, steps over the body, and comes to a communication device.
The person on the other side has already heard the gunshots and the host of the safe house's screams, so the voice coming from the communicator is quivering, asking, "Whose side are you on? Why did you kill him?"
"Fool, the war has already started, I don't want to be Lady Hydra, don't want to be struck dead by lightning, nor be captured by those damned Russains..."
"We don't need nine heads now. Someone has to be eliminated. And you are still thinking about finding allies. You are just ridiculous..."
After reciting these lines, Grant hangs up the phone.
Grant Ward's assassination rings the bell for this grand Hydra battle royale. No one knows where the chaos started, but it just happened out of the blue.
Everyone shouts: "United we stand today!"
They all shout, "Before the great Helada returns, I will be the only voter," and then they turn on their former colleagues.
The situation quickly becomes chaotic. The sudden occurrence leaves everyone without clear targets. It's all a mess, and at the end of the day, it's unclear who they are retaliating against or who is retaliating against them.
Most of the people involved haven't read the book "Who is Hydra?" Their understanding of the doctrine is ambiguous rather than clear. Their views on Helada and Mundane Python vary significantly rather than being highly consistent.
However, there are many Hydras participating in this melee. Given enough base numbers, some people are bound to hit the jackpot.
So, one clear morning, Mundane Python, resting in the sea of the Earth awakened by soft knockings on its dormant soul.
Helada had been sleeping for a quite long time. After Odin got the prophecy that Mundane Python's final battle with the Thunder God would destroy Asgard, he threw Mundane Python, which was still a small snake then, into the ocean of Earth.
Since then, the snake has been growing bigger and bigger in Earth's ocean until it's long enough to wrap around the Earth. But because most of its body is illusory, it didn't fill up the ocean.
Just like most Cosmic Sorcerers, Helada was born out of the origin power of the cosmos. This serpent, linking its head and tail, symbolizes the cycle of the universe. It's incredibly powerful, said to be stronger than Thunder God Thor.
At the same time, it's also an intelligent creature. Although it's still a Chaotic Creature, it has a much more efficient brain.
Despite that, a just-awakened Helada couldn't understand why people were calling its name. Not just calling its name, Helada could feel faint waves of faith filling its body.
As mentioned before, humans hold a unique position in the cosmos. Their faith can provide more power to the Cosmic Sorcerer.
Therefore, even though true believers in Mundane Python as Helada are not many, those who somewhat believe are also believers. Regardless of why they believe, they do believe, providing Helada with not a small amount of power.
Helada harbored a deep hatred for Odin, who had thrown it into Midgard, and it had long wanted revenge. But the newly gained power was still not enough to help it defeat Odin. It was clear about this and desperately needed more power.
So, it began to study the origin of this sudden faith, only to find that somehow, during its thousands of years of sleep, there were still people who knew it existed and even believed in it.
Helada intended to go to Earth to see what was going on with these few believers. However, it knew that Earth was also Odin's territory. With its current power, if it caused too much commotion, it might not withstand a lightning bolt from Odin.
Just as it was trying to sneak into Earth, suddenly, a mysterious communication was connected to it.
A pleasant customer service voice said, "Hello, this is the Sanctuary of the Nine Realms. We are the only cosmic creature services organization in the Nine Realms. We offer a variety of services, including inter-dimensional liaison, agent recruitment, power enhancement, cross-dimensional revenge, and more...
"Join as a member now to enjoy discounts. We offer different membership gifts each season, hurry up and purchase now..."
At first, when he heard these terms, Ye Meng Jia De was somewhat befuddled. He felt like a secluded expert who opened his eyes to find the world had completely transformed.
Wasn't Earth supposed to be a desolate, forgotten place where not even birds would waste their droppings? What were all these things on the ocean's surface? What were the ones on the land? What were the ones in the sky?
Although he possessed wisdom far beyond most, he lacked the ability to foresee the future. He never imagined that in just a few thousand years, the human race would have undergone such drastic change, resulting in this tiny planet prospering tremendously.
Yet, this failed to attract Ye Meng Jia De. He was solely focused on returning to Asgard for revenge. After a lengthy and confusing conversation with The Sanctum, Ye Meng Jia De finally understood what was currently happening.
Humans had established a bizarre organization to facilitate communication and offer services to various cosmic sorcerers, and they had even amassed a large clientele.
Faced with Earth's current status, Ye Meng Jia De, who felt increasingly out of sync with the times, eventually decided to contact The Sanctum. But this crafty serpent didn't immediately pay his fees. Instead, he incessantly chatted with customer service, procuring useful information. Every time the topic of payments or membership recharge came up, he would swiftly divert the conversation.
One day, as he was chatting with customer service, their conversation abruptly halted. "I apologize, Mr. Ye Meng Jia De," the representative said, "You have an urgent communication request. Would you like to accept it?"
"An urgent communication?" An alert Ye Meng Jia De retorted, "No, I don't know any sorcerers."
"Very well." The representative moved the receiver away slightly and said to someone next to them, "Please tell Lord Loki I'm sorry. The client that he requested for a call has declined... a coup d'etat in Asgard? A competition for the throne? But..."
"Wait a minute!... Who?" Ye Meng Jia De inquired from his end. The representative seemed still to be speaking to their neighbor. Raising his tone slightly, he repeated, "Who did you say was calling?"
"Oh, I apologize. It's Lord Loki. Loki Odinson."
"Odinson?" Ye Meng Jia De slowly exhaled, then stated, "Please connect the call."
"Hold on... uh, I'm sorry, for the time being, you do not have the permission to make cross-dimensional calls. This feature is only for members. Would you like to recharge your membership?"
Were he to have hands, Ye Meng Jia De would undoubtedly be scratching his head frantically. After half a day of vexation, he finally conceded, "All right, membership. You cunning humans, how do I top up this membership?"
"Firstly, you need to find a proxy on Earth, project your power into them and have them present at The Sanctum to transfer the power to us. We will then register your name in our membership database..."
Ye Meng Jia De was starting to get a headache. He didn't know who to select as a representative. It seemed like an important role but not significant enough to risk revealing himself on Earth.
At that moment, he suddenly thought of the worshippers who had been constantly offering their faith to him. The power to absorb faith and compete for believers was an inherent instinct in every cosmic sorcerer. He thought, as these people were willing to believe in him, he should choose a proxy from among them.
Without much thought, Ye Meng Jia De chose the most devout believer.
Indeed, it was Shiler Rodriguez, the compiler of the Helada Bible, a renowned literary and religious critic, and the Head of Hydra American Division.
The process of cosmic sorcerers choosing proxies is basically the same: they sneak into humans' consciousness while they're sleeping and perform a ceremonial whispering incantation. Like Xeseon, who directly took the person away - that was only employed by sorcerers confident in their own strength, unafraid of any trouble The Ancient One might pose. Most sorcerers would still exercise caution.
Out of fear for Odin, Ye Meng Jia De also chose not to adopt such radical measures, but to employ the mental projection technique instead.
Ye Meng Jia De's initial attempt at mental projection was very successful. He found himself in the mind of a human doctor in an empty, fog-filled room, looming over a small human figure.
Just as Ye Meng Jia De was about to speak, he noticed the human was looking at him strangely. This did not resemble the gaze of a disciple towards a god, but rather a human looking at a plate of food.
However, Ye Meng Jia De quickly overlooked this oddity. His communication with Shiler was extraordinarily smooth. Deceiving, tempting, executing strategies – none of these tactics he had imagined were necessary. This human seemed unsurprised, almost prepared, by his presence.
Ye Meng Jia De sensed something was off but was desperate to discover the current situation in Asgard, and ignored all the oddities. Thus, he succeeded in recharging his membership and connecting with Loki.
"Ye Meng Jia De, have you truly awakened?"
"Indeed, young prince, why did you seek me?"
Loki spoke rapidly, "Listen, Ye Meng Jia De, I need your help. My brother and I are competing for the throne, the position of Father of All Asgard Gods."
"Currently, many support me. This includes the captains of 13 out of Asgard's 20 fleets, the deputy commander of the royal imperial guards, along with many Asgard generals and their warriors."
"However, my brother Thor has become even more powerful. He has acquired a new divine office and a new divine position. Odin stands by his side, I am on the verge of failure, but I'm not willing to accept it."
Ye Meng Jia De heard Loki speak with bitter resentment, "The Father of All Gods is unjust. He has never given me a chance from the beginning. But still, I've managed to gain the support of nearly half of Asgard's populace on my own."
"But it is still not enough, I need a more powerful force that can determine the outcome. Ye Meng Jia De, I know that you play the role of killing Thunder God Thor in the prophecy understood by the Father of All Gods. Whether that prophecy is true or not, it at least proves that you can deal with him..."
"When I heard from the Holy Sanctuary that you have awakened and they have contacted you, I must say, perhaps this is the magic part of that prophecy because my decisive battle with Thor is imminent. I need your assistance, Ye Meng Jia De..."
"Come, come to Asgard, fulfill your mission, help me ascend to the throne. The prosperity of the Nine Major Kingdoms will eventually belong to me and you."
Ye Meng Jia De felt a strong emotion surging in his chest. When the destined prophecy falls, a powerful sense of mission surrounds him. Immediately he asked, "What should I do?"
"Listen, you've just awakened, and your power may not be enough to face the Father of All Gods and Thor directly. But you were born in Midgard, this is an incomparable massive advantage, we all know that humanity has its own unique qualities."
"Ye Meng Jia De, you must develop your belief amongst humans, gain more believers, so that you can obtain more Faith Power, restore your strength, then you can help me with the counterattack on Asgard..."
Ye Meng Jia De's voice rose and he said, "So now we are allies, right?"
"Exactly, the Father of All Gods once banished you to Earth, and my own brother, Thor, also wants to expel me from Asgard. We must join forces and show these arrogant father and son that they are wrong!"
"Asgard does not belong to them, but to us!"
After this call, that very night, Schiller once again saw Ye Meng Jia De in his dreams, he barely managed to hide that high tower in time.
Ye Meng Jia De gave him a pile of tasks, basically organizing the religion, rallying believers, having them pray devoutly, and so on.
To be honest, Ye Meng Jia De doesn't think this ordinary human can handle this heavy task. He is wise enough to understand that developing a religion and collecting faith are not things that can be accomplished overnight. But Ye Meng Jia De is not a short-lived species like humans, he can wait for hundreds of years.
But who would have thought, after just three days, Schiller contacted him and told him that everything was done.
He has a complete organization called Hydra, has religious scriptures called 'Who is Helada?', he even has the Heresy Tribunal and its assassins, named Grant Ward.
Ye Meng Jia De was kind of stunned; he thought it hadn't been three days, but three hundred years. But Schiller's explanation almost convinced him.
Divided into nine, united as one? It does sound pretty believable. Did I really do this in the past? Did I forget it because I slept too long?
But Schiller also brought up his own difficulties. The development of the entire Hydra organization has gone on for too long, there are too many people, and too many of them have forgotten God's teachings. However, the Heresy Tribunal power is not enough, there is no way to judge those heretics who have forgotten their roots...
Ye Meng Jia De thought, this could work, I'll grant you power so you can just kill them all, right?
But Schiller said with great difficulty that dead people can't provide faith power. It would be even better if they could be converted.
And then, Schiller came up with a plan for Ye Meng Jia De, in simple terms, it was, "Why don't you frighten them in their dreams? Maybe they will convert to you?
Those who still refuse can be dealt with by Grant. This way, the organization's structure can be greatly simplified, only retain the very best believers. Even if only ten thousand remain, they would provide an abundance of Faith Power.
Ye Meng Jia De discovered that his handpicked pope seemed to be getting ahead of himself in this matter. But he didn't think too much, as far as he was concerned, these tiny creatures stuck on a little planetary surface wouldn't create much fuss. Even if the growth was slow or a failure, it wouldn't matter, just wait a few hundred years and a new batch would grow.
Carrying this thought, Ye Meng Jia De did as told. He went into the dreams of a few Hydra leaders singled out by Schiller. He emphasized to them the fact that Hydra was an indivisible part of Helada since ancient times. In essence, he showed his true form and said, "I am Helada, you can believe it or not, if not I'll eat you tomorrow."
For various reasons, the vast majority chose to convert, and those hardliners were eliminated.
In this way, the original Hydra that had over a hundred thousand members worldwide was refined into less than thirty thousand Helada believers. Even though more than twenty-nine thousand among them didn't truly believe in Helada but only because these beliefs were beneficial to them. But there were still too many to count, so quite a bit of Faith Power was provided.
Now everything is ready, just waiting for Loki to shout "Odin has long been a tyrant!" and the rallying call for the counterattack on Asgard war will be sounded.