The dense smoke and fire of explosions from the island rolled up and lit up half of the night sky.
In the affected areas of Manhattan, the lights were still on, and the parties were still going on.
The inhabitants of New York in this universe had long since passed through the invasion of the Chitauri fleet, the street battles between the Sinister Six and Spider-Man, and the Avengers battle against the Hulk ...
They were used to masked weirdos flying overhead and also used to a doomsday scene where the sky could fall at every turn.
The television news reports of bank robbers battling police and terrorists setting off bombs didn't make a dent in the hearts of New Yorkers.
What had they not seen?!
The only people who could match this were probably the people of Tokyo in Japan.
The explosion of the isolated prison island was loud, but the songs and dances continued on the banks of Manhattan's East River.
The more daring ones had already raised their phones and started recording videos to upload on their personal social networking software to attract followers.
"I hope S.H.I.E.L.D. will arrive sooner."
Luke Cage looked at the almost paralyzed power facilities and defense system. His expression was unreadable.
He was able to conceal his emotions perfectly.
Although the Thunderbolts belonged to the Pentagon, Alcatraz was S.H.I.E.L.D's property, which was used to hold dangerous criminals.
After the Juggernaut's ordeal, a huge amount of money was needed to rebuild and restore it.
There was no telling how much chaos could be caused by criminals who took advantage of this opportunity and escaped.
When the accountability came down, it would probably be a headache.
"Excuse me, who are you ..."
Luke Cage leaned in.
He was quite discerning. He saw Superman hammering the Juggernaut straight into the bottom of the Hudson River.
He understood that the other party was a big man whom he couldn't afford to offend, so he had to be careful in what he said and refrained from taking a tough stance.
'A passing Sorcerer Supreme. '
Superman, who was also named Luke, would have liked to answer like this.
But before he opened his mouth, dozens of transmission portals appeared behind him.
Magical sparks outlined the portals and cut through the voids.
"Kamar Taj! The three sanctums!"
Luke Cage's face changed, and his eyes focused.
On the left side of the portal were masters in vintage robes, while on the right side were a group of ... masters in armor, carrying chains and axes.
Although their style wasn't uniform, the large number of people created a strong presence.
"How did they get here? Is that hammer a magic artifact?"
Luke Cage, with his role as a government watchdog and superhero, had been gaining ground in recent years.
His status had improved significantly.
Some time ago, the Avengers were accused by many civil groups for lacking black members, women, and LGBT people.
They considered it a form of discrimination!
Especially Captain America!
In this universe, after Steve Rogers abdicated, his good friend Bucky took over.
The crowd thought that the shield, the symbol of America, should be handed over to a black man.
They launched a poll for this purpose, and the candidates were Sam the Falcon, Black Panther, Blade, and Luke Cage.
There was no denying that with the advent of the new century and the popularity of the internet, politics had become an issue that the superhero community couldn't get around.
Therefore, despite being a second-rate vigilante, there was no comparison to the top-notch internet traffic of Iron Man or Captain America.
But Luke Cage could still become the leader of the Thunderbolts, replacing General Ross, and share some information with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Like the existence of Kamar Taj and the three sanctums, he basically knew some things.
Those masters were aloof and rarely asked about worldly affairs.
Why would they come to Alcatraz?
Luke Cage was confused. Then, under his gaze, a master, shrouded in a veil of mystery, walked up to Superman --
"Welcome back to Kamar Taj, Sorcerer Supreme!"
Hiss!
The loud, neat sound underlined the extreme embarrassment.
Luke's mouth twitched as he drew in a breath of cold air.
He looked to the smug Strange and Mordo, who said nothing, and got the answer.
He thought to himself, 'Has this guy been reading way too many "I'm The Strongest Son In Law" books?'
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Luke quickly stretched out his hand to interrupt, fearing that Strange had also prepared an embarrassing line like 'The three-year period has ended, Sorcerer Supreme, please take over Kamar Taj!'
"Strange, why are you here?"
He beckoned and motioned for the other party to come forward.
"Sorcerer Supreme, are you surprised?"
Strange chuckled, seemingly quite pleased with himself.
He had asked Thor. The alternate universe's God of Thunder, who was becoming increasingly chubby, explained that Luke paid attention to ostentation and extravagance, and it would be better to prepare a welcome ceremony.
"Please, can you do something normal? The Sorcerer Supreme is not a mafia boss, so what's the point of calling a bunch of people over?!"
Luke wanted to swing the Hammer of Kuurth and smash Strange into the bottom of the Hudson River and let him keep Juggernaut company.
But when he saw the shiny head glowing at the top of his head, he felt a bit soft-hearted.
After all, it was he who led Strange down this path of strength.
Strictly speaking, he was also the guy's teacher.
How could he do that to his own apprentice?
"Just this once."
Luke waved his hand, indicating that the people should disperse and not gather here.
"By the way, you came just in time."
Their sudden appearance was a bit like police officers, who only came to clean up after a gunfight.
Before, Juggernaut had almost demolished Alcatraz, but Strange and Mordo didn't show up.
By the time Luke had stepped in to solve the problem, they 'arrived just in time'.
Not bad for a positive group!
Even their late arrivals were so similar!
"There was a bit of traffic today."
Strange scratched his bare forehead and spoke awkwardly.
He was the first to receive the news that Luke had crossed the universe and appeared in New York.
But with the Hammer of Kuurth in hand, the senseless Juggernaut wasn't to be messed with, so naturally, Superman was left to deal with it.
"Back to Kamar Taj, or...?"
Seeing the return of Sorcerer Supreme, he hastened to present the Eye of Agamotto that hung around his neck with both hands.
"Go and meet the Avengers first and discuss countermeasures."
Luke accepted Kamar Taj's supreme weapon with a calm look on his face.
Through his encounter with Juggernaut, he somewhat knew what had happened.
The God of Fear, the Serpent -- Cul, was the brother of Odin, and the original King of Asgard.
It was said that the three Fates had two prophecies that troubled the most powerful man who had conquered the Nine Realms.
The first one, Ragnarök!
At that time, the flames would awaken, the world would shatter, and the people of Asgard would be buried in the void.
The second one, Thor's death!
Odin was unable to kill Cul and had to seal him in Midgard, in Earth's deepest sea.
Before that, his brother had cast a curse in the name of the God of Fear, and that power had finally condensed into a prophecy.
The Serpent Cul would be slain by Thor, who would also die by the venom of his fangs.
This was one of the reasons why Odin sealed off Asgard and closed its palace.
He had only one son, Thor!
Loki was originally adopted, and his blood was impure. Therefore, he couldn't succeed to the throne.
His eldest daughter was rebellious, disobedient, and a war-monger who would only lead the country to ruin.
Despite Thor's muscle-brained and reckless nature, Odin couldn't find another suitable candidate.
In addition, he was old and had long stopped 'making people', having another one was really beyond his capacity.
"The eight hammers forged by the God of Fear have found their owners."
Strange warned.
Those who inherited the power of fear from Cul were collectively known as the 'Worthy'.
Each one of them could compete with Thor!
"Not to be feared."
Luke assessed the powers displayed by Juggernaut and grimaced.
If it weren't for Asgard's prophecy, he would have swum down to the deep sea and lectured the Serpent Cul on being a god with his fists.
Even Odin couldn't kill him, so Superman was probably out of luck too.
The so-called 'prophecy' was more like a rule of some kind.
It was hard to break, and it was hard to avoid.
Similar things were found in Greek mythology and Norse mythology.
For example, Odin's 'patricide', 'Ragnarök' would come.