Following protocol, Agent Victoria Hand took the medication mandated for high-intensity work shifts—a policy established by Wakandan medical scientists at Princess Shuri's insistence, meant to prevent staff from collapsing under the near-continuous working conditions of the Immortal City. She also consumed an alchemical potion developed by the Sisterhood to prevent mental fatigue from prolonged cognitive strain, ensuring she could continue making sound decisions. She had only rested for three hours before hurriedly rising, washing up, and settling behind her desk to resume work. After Kaecilius had emerged from the Mirror Dimension carrying Tony Stark, Agent Hand had immediately sent the Avengers an update on his condition to calm tensions—but she also prepared for the possibility of war. As commander, she was obligated to maintain the balance of the situation, but the authority Solomon had granted her allowed any action necessary to protect the Immortal City. This was a minor issue; her main concern remained alien and extradimensional threats.
The sky aircraft carrier stationed between Britain and the European continent had finished its prior mission and began a patrol route, scheduled to rendezvous with the Punisher in four hours to jointly execute one final task. That carrier, too, was staffed with experienced agents, and its interrogation procedures—more bluntly described—relied on coercion and torture, as well as any nonlethal physical punishments necessary to force mortal cultists to speak. The Immortal City did not recognize the concept of human rights, a long-standing criticism of the regime. Princess Shuri had submitted multiple formal protests to Solomon, all of which had been formally and categorically ignored. The intelligence integration department had compiled and cross-referenced testimony from cultists captured across all three sky carriers, assembling a relatively reliable intelligence dossier that now hovered as a holographic projection over Agent Hand's desk, requiring her to review it page by page. She was growing to hate the Immortal City's obsession with paper-based processes, but Solomon believed it minimized information leaks—so the intelligence departments followed suit. To be fair, it had worked: during the Ultron incident, the Immortal City had suffered almost no data breaches.
"Compared to the Stellar Wisdom Cult we helped Kamar-Taj purge, the Church of the Honored Cologne is much smaller," Kaecilius offered by way of reassurance. "And Solomon has already captured their primary combat forces. Based on their confessions and existing intel, we can piece together a coherent picture. There's no need to interrogate the rest. Once Solomon finds the magical tome and executes everyone with firsthand knowledge, the remaining members won't be able to cause any trouble."
Agent Hand's glasses reflected the harsh glow of her desk lamp, and with one sentence, she shut Kaecilius down completely. "If Kamar-Taj had finished the job two centuries ago, I wouldn't have to do this now," she said without even looking up. "Now, don't bother me while I'm working. I'm busy cleaning up after a centuries-old Kamar-Taj mess."
"Can I at least grab a bottle of liquor?"
"So long as you stay functional during missions."
"I promise." Kaecilius grabbed a bottle of brandy from the cabinet and left the office without another word. The interior layout of the retrofitted sky aircraft carrier was unlike any known carrier. To make space for ammunition holds, heavy artillery, vehicle launch systems, and missile racks, many standard compartments had been downsized or eliminated. To maintain near-perpetual flight, the engineering section had doubled in size, and heat-dissipation pipes ran throughout the vessel. Extensive automation reduced crew numbers, allowing more room for combat systems. This ship was less of a carrier and more of a flying battleship. Even with space at a premium, some rooms had been preserved—like the brig.
This was Tony Stark's second time being imprisoned. The last had been in Afghanistan. Compared to that nightmare, life aboard the sky carrier was considerably better. Aside from the inedibly awful spaghetti, he had few complaints. He assumed Solomon would release him eventually—his imprisonment was likely just a message to the Avengers.
What Tony Stark didn't know was the location of his Iron Man suit. Had he been in the command room, he would have noticed that the "Lion" armor that was supposed to be stored there had vanished. Malbas, the Fifth Demon Pillar, was not only a master of healing magic but also highly knowledgeable in engineering. While Stark's armor lacked cutting-edge tech by some standards, the design logic embedded within its structure was worth studying. Malbas welcomed all mechanical innovations—yes, even those of mortals. Stark's powered armor offered insights that were proving useful in refining the power armor used by the Sisterhood and designing equipment for the Forbidden Guard and Solomon's arsenal.
After all, there weren't many places in the Abyss where advanced tech could be used—but Malbas had built an entire automated city using nothing but rugged steam power and differential engines. That level of technological prowess was rare across the cosmos, which was why Solomon had appointed him to manage the Martian Forge.
Kaecilius arrived at the reinforced glass wall and waved his brandy bottle at the just-awakened Stark.
Though they had fought, Tony Stark bore no grudge. His curiosity had fully taken over, crowding out all other emotions. He'd rarely seen sorcerers go all out—the first time had been when Solomon cast his first real spell. Back then, Solomon wasn't particularly powerful; he could barely handle the minimum output of a Destroyer unit. They had parted bitterly in Sokovia, so Stark had little opportunity to observe magic further. Solomon had long since written spell protocols for countering high-tech weaponry into his grimoire, accessible only to qualified arcanists. That's how Kaecilius had won so quickly. Stark couldn't understand how his Iron Man suit had suddenly shut down, its weapons systems collapsing in an instant.
After an entire sleepless night of brooding, he finally recalled the answer.
Magic. Damn magic. Now, with nothing but time, he could finally study it seriously. One way or another, he had to find a countermeasure.
Kaecilius knew what Tony Stark really wanted—but he didn't care. If one couldn't read a grimoire or extract magic from life force, the only path to power was through a patron. And magical entities weren't easy to find. They had standards. If Stark were a candidate for such an entity, he'd already have been guided onto the arcane path—and eventually executed by Kamar-Taj for dabbling in mysteries he didn't respect or understand.
As long as magic, the Avengers, Kamar-Taj, and the Immortal City weren't brought up, these two middle-aged men—close in age—could have found plenty to talk about. But that was impossible.
"So, how many people have you executed today?" Stark asked groggily but acidly. "How many unlucky fools overheard one of your little secrets?"
"You should know we don't kill the innocent." Kaecilius poured two glasses of brandy and sent one into the glass cell via a tray. "If we were that kind of people, you'd be dead already, Stark," he said. "But Agent Hand has decided not to delay the Inhumans issue any further. If Jiaying doesn't start telling the truth, she'll be executed by Immortal City operatives."
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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