"Did I hear it wrong?"
The president and other dignitaries finally lost their composure, and the president stared straight at Nick Fury.
It was not just disbelief, but more of an unwillingness to believe.
Hell, the place gathered with the most evil beings in myth and legend, a place of countless terrors. If Hell really existed, then their worldview would need to be completely reshaped.
It also meant that from now on, they would have to live in constant fear.
Nick Fury faced the president's gaze without changing his expression and said, "You did not hear wrong, Mr. President. In fact, in the 1990s, we already confirmed that Earth has never been alone."
"Apart from us, there are other civilizations and races beyond Earth. Their civilization's development far exceeds ours."
"As for the existence of Hell, we have only recently been able to confirm it."
After Nick Fury finished speaking, with the president's authorization, he submitted a top-secret document. The document detailed incidents that had occurred in Chino Town. Not just there, but ever since it was confirmed that the world truly had things beyond observation, S.H.I.E.L.D. spent a large amount of resources to verify this matter. Every unexplainable phenomenon around the world had been investigated.
Under an enormous number of searches and at the cost of countless agents' lives, S.H.I.E.L.D. finally collected a vast amount of information on demons and supernatural events.
Furthermore, using specially developed equipment, S.H.I.E.L.D. captured a not particularly strong demon and extracted a lot of intelligence from it.
Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. also paid some undisclosed prices for this.
However, Nick Fury deemed it a price worth paying.
Thus, this highly classified document was compiled and presented to the president. The president read through the document and then passed it on to other officials. Their expressions varied greatly, becoming extremely grim.
They had never imagined that with their status, such unknown truths could be hidden around them, their country, and the world.
The information was detailed, accompanied by extensive data, experiments, and photos. Moreover, if Nick Fury's report was found to be false under these circumstances, it would mean deceiving the entire higher-ups of the United States, with unimaginable consequences.
Additionally, with Pierce's endorsement, the president and others did not question the authenticity of the document.
The president took a deep breath, then looked at Nick Fury, "So, Director Fury, what about those people?"
"Those armored individuals are from Asgard."
"Asgard?" The president repeated, and Fury nodded, adding, "Yes, Asgard from Norse mythology. The one with the hammer is Thor, the one with the spear is Loki, the God Of Mischief, and the other four are Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun."
"They are all prominent figures from Norse mythology." The president was familiar with Norse mythology, though not in detail, but these names were well known to him.
However, his face grew increasingly helpless.
What did this mean?
"What about those other people?"
"Sorry, Mr. President, we have not yet gathered information on them, but we can confirm that they are all Earthlings."
"Is that the only good news?"
"Perhaps."
Fury did not provide a definite answer because individuals like Pietro, Wanda, and Bella, being Earthlings, had their pros and cons. The good part was that when facing crises that non-humans could contend with, they had the ability to fight back.
The bad part was that they could not be controlled by the United States.
Yes, according to their logic, anything beyond their control was marked as a danger.
Regardless of who they were or what their personality was.
However, for now, it might be considered good news.
Then the president immediately revealed his true intentions: "Can we communicate with them? The world needs them."
Nick Fury understood well but shook his head decisively, "I'm sorry, Mr. President, I can't confirm that. However, based on their series of displays, they might only appear when there's a real crisis."
To put it bluntly, the United States is insignificant in this context. A single glance from that girl mysteriously eliminated ten thousand missiles. With such capabilities and decisiveness, it's impossible she would allow herself to be controlled.
As the President, one must have a thick skin. He nodded calmly.
"We need to establish our own defensive force. We cannot allow our soldiers, our flesh and blood, to confront those monsters when a crisis arrives."
"This time, that thing is in the Arctic Circle. What if next time it's on American soil? Gentlemen, think about how terrifying that prospect is."
"We need a force that can give us early warning and defensive resistance."
The President's mind was quick, immediately sensing an opportunity that could earn him more support, possibly even re-election, or the control of a unique superhuman force.
Not just the President, others had similar thoughts.
With different thoughts in their minds, Nick Fury's single eye flashed. He had shared all this precisely for this opportunity.
Thus, he promptly submitted another document.
"Mr. President, perhaps the Avengers Initiative can perfectly resolve your concerns."
...
Boom!
"Damn it."
Once again, Kaecilius was smashed into the ground by Thor's ferocious hammer. The earth cracked, and within the kilometer-deep pit, Kaecilius's ferocious face was full of rage.
He wasn't angry that his plan had gone awry.
Because he knew very well that no matter how the situation developed, the outcome wouldn't change. These people in front of him couldn't figure out how to close the Hell's Gate. The Hell lords' descend was only a matter of time.
He was angry that he was being suppressed and delayed by these people here.
The Hell lords' descend was a part of his strategic goal, but ultimately it served his master Dormammu's arrival.
Another crucial factor for Dormammu's arrival was that he needed to break through the three Sanctums of the sorcerers, shattering the barrier covering the Earth, allowing the great Dark Lord to descend.
This was his most important goal.
But the repeated interference from the opposing side made him impatient.
Kaecilius didn't reveal his intentions, but Wanda, Pietro, Loki, and Bella weren't fools. No matter what Kaecilius's purpose was, they just wanted to suppress him here or even kill him.
This continuous suppression prevented Kaecilius from executing his subsequent plans. Over the years, the number of dark sorcerers he had recruited had increased, but not significantly. All his elite members had perished in the mirror dimension, unable to withstand the immense dark energy and died, their souls returning to the Dark Dimension.
Without helpers, Kaecilius was now a lone wolf.
This was the cause of his anger.
He had to find a way to leave this place and trap these people here. But just as this thought arose, Wanda, Pietro, and even Bella immediately sensed his emotion.
Whoosh~
In a flash, Pietro landed at the edge of the deep pit, looking at Kaecilius, who was standing up in the dozens of meters deep pit below, and said in a deep voice, "He's planning something."
His voice was not loud, but it reached Thor and the others' ears.
This was a basic form of sound transmission magic. Although Pietro wasn't skilled in magic, he was proficient in some practical spells.
"Obviously, whatever he's planning, we must keep him confined here or locked away somewhere else," said Loki, hovering above with a bird's-eye view.
"This guy is hard to kill, but he's a worthy opponent. I tried tearing off his arms and legs, but it didn't work," Thor landed on the ground, standing across the pit from Pietro, twisting his neck.
This time, he had fought to his heart's content. It had been a long time since he had such a hard-fought battle with an opponent.
He felt extremely comfortable, as if all his muscles and bones had completely relaxed. It was a pity that such a formidable opponent had fallen into the embrace of the Dark Lord.
"Find a way to imprison him. I sense the crisis drawing nearer," said Bella.
She was gazing into the distance at the Hell's Gate, shrouded by the barriers of Wanda and Loki. The terrifying aura was slowly spreading, and even the number of demons that had been constantly pouring in was dwindling. It was clear that these cannon fodders instinctively sensed something...
A Hell lord, a terrifying entity on the level of a Celestial. Any emotion from such a monster could emanate an aura, and these changes in aura could be detected. The mindless demons, as lower beings, would instinctively feel fear.
"I'll handle it," Wanda responded. Her eyes were glowing red, and she was continuously forming hand signs. Waves of terrifying energy were spreading.
Below, Kaecilius seemed to sense something and abruptly looked up. His eyes reflected Wanda's figure in the sky.
"What is she doing?" Kaecilius sensed danger. He hadn't figured out a good plan, yet the opponent could no longer hold back. He cursed under his breath and then slammed his right hand onto the ground.
Boom!
Terrifying dark energy erupted, engulfing the entire pit. Like a black mudflow, it filled the pit within a kilometer radius.
"Wow, that looks really disgusting," said Tony Stark, who was watching from a distance. The screen in front of him zoomed in, and seeing the evil aura of the black mudflow, he immediately felt uncomfortable, like a mental pollution.
"What is that guy trying to do?" Logan was puzzled. "Why make a pond of black mud? Is he trying to bury himself?"
The others shook their heads in confusion, but Phoenix Girl Jean Grey suddenly said, "He's trying to escape."
"Escape?" Everyone was shocked.
They realized what was happening, and Thor and Pietro naturally did not hesitate. They didn't care what the opponent was trying to do; they just wanted to see his true form.
With an angry shout, Thor raised Mjolnir high. In an instant, a thick bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting the black mudflow in the pit. However, the terrifying lightning was completely swallowed up, without causing any ripple.
Thor's face changed. This thing could actually absorb his lightning. Pietro, who was originally about to rush in, also halted immediately. This stuff didn't seem like anything good, and he didn't want to rush in recklessly.
At this moment, Bella took action. She raised her left hand.
Buzz!!
In an instant, countless ripples like invisible mirrors appeared. A golden vortex re-emerged, from which a magnificent and noble longsword floated out, emitting terrifying waves. The longsword, trailing a long golden tail flame, fell towards the ground like a meteor.
Thor and Pietro immediately felt their scalps tingle and ran without hesitation.
Boom!
Before everyone's eyes, the longsword plunged into the black mudflow, causing a massive splash of black mud. The terrifying roar erupted, and a dazzling golden light burst forth, so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes with their arms.
The ground shook, and the sound of a violent explosion rang out. Along with it came Kaecilius's unwilling roar. The terrifying shockwave ravaged in all directions, destroying one ice mountain after another. It nearly reached the X-Men. If Jean hadn't created a shield with her powerful telekinesis, the ice mountain they stood on might have collapsed too.
The raging shockwave finally subsided after a while, revealing the scene to everyone. The ground was devastated, with countless cracks. The ice layer on the surface was completely melted, and the ground had been shaved off a layer.
The pit, originally more than a thousand meters wide, had expanded to three or four thousand meters due to the bombardment. The dark mud summoned by Kaecilius had been purified. Kaecilius himself lay on the ground, his chest pierced by the magnificent longsword, pinning him to the ground. His massive body was twitching, his hands trying to pull out the sword. However, as soon as his hands touched the sword, it seemed as if they were burned, emitting wisps of blue smoke and a sizzling sound.
~~~
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— Completed (Chapter 277: Finale)