"How is Aaron doing now? Any trouble?"
Inside S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury had been asking the same question for what felt like centuries.
"No, nothing happening around there at the moment."
"That's good news..." Nick Fury said, sipping his coffee and letting out a long sigh of relief.
Although Aaron had been a great help to Earth's defense, even repelling the attack from the dimension of Mephista, there were many complications arising from his involvement.
Recently, these issues had intensified.
Loki was one concern.
According to Thor, Loki had received help from two titans, and his magic abilities were now on par with his own. Head-to-head, Loki was able to go toe-to-toe with Thor and even compete with the King of Gods in legendary battles.
Then there was Hela, who had caused them much anxiety. After all, it was the King of Gods himself who had subdued her.
Especially after learning that Hela had also connected to the magic network in Aaron's domain and started developing the Church of the Goddess of Death, Fury's headache had only grown larger.
These two — Loki and Hela — stood like towering mountains in their path, overwhelming both the Avengers and the Bureau of Magic.
The reasons for their increasing presence were deeply interlinked.
To be honest, if it weren't for Aaron's magic network, it would be impossible for Loki and Hela to create such pressure on them.
Fury now feared that Aaron might strike another deal, and another powerful villain would emerge.
Although Hela had recently disappeared and things had calmed down, their troubles were far from over.
There were also the dimension Mephistas, lurking in the shadows, waiting for their next opportunity to invade. Their presence sent a chill down everyone's spine.
In addition, there were powerful figures secretly developing energy devices and technologies. Some individuals, after acquiring extraordinary powers, refused to remain ordinary. "Superpower out of control" incidents were frequently happening across the globe.
These individuals believed themselves superior to others and began challenging the world with their newfound powers.
S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Bureau of Magic found themselves overwhelmed, often having to deal with new troublemakers after subduing Loki and Hela's forces.
To address this, the United Nations had secretly passed a treaty on the use of magic to limit the actions of people with super abilities. If anyone violated the treaty, the Avengers and the Bureau of Magic were to take action and capture them.
But why were mages so easy to capture?
They had also noticed a mysterious force was secretly interfering with their efforts. It seemed their actions had touched the interests of powerful people.
This situation made sense when one considered the structure of magic.
Every mage had a superior. The magic improvements of these superiors relied on the efforts of their subordinates.
As for the capital, once people gained the benefits of magic, they could be persuaded to do things that violated the law. This especially frustrated Fury.
Though the magic network had given Earth more power to resist foreign invasions, it also brought about a host of problems.
They feared that one day, someone could obtain advanced access to the magic network by dubious means — and that would be a disaster.
Fortunately, such an event had not occurred yet. However, there had been an unsettling incident recently.
There was an electrician named Max. While working at Stark Industries, he made a mistake that caused a lightning strike. But instead of dying, he gained the ability to absorb and control electricity, even emitting it.
Normally, this would have been nothing more than an ordinary criminal with electrical abilities that could easily be subdued by the Avengers or the Bureau of Magic.
However, things took a strange turn. A mysterious individual had informed Max about the magic network.
This connection led Max to absorb electricity in increasingly massive quantities, uploading it to the magic network and clearing out several cities, including New York. Through this, Max gained significant magical power and even harmed the members sent to capture him.
Without the magic network, without that mysterious figure helping him, Max would never have become such a formidable threat.
Reports indicated that there was an upper limit to Max's ability to absorb electricity. But with the magic network's help, it was like he was swimming in it.
Nick Fury sighed.
He remembered the message from the Skrulls. Word of the magic network had spread across the universe.
Fortunately, many civilizations were still skeptical and had not taken any action. However, that skepticism wouldn't last long.
Once they began experimenting with the magic network, a global magical arms race would begin, and Earth would lose its magical advantage.
"How's the situation with Electron? Have Orolo and the others made any progress?" Fury asked.
"No, they're still tracking him down. Charles is also using his psychic powers to find his location."
"Strangely though, he seems to be blocking Charles' psychic powers. Someone may be assisting him!"
"Tell them to find him quickly. We can't let him cause more trouble!" Fury barked.
Although Electron hadn't connected to the magic network for long, his magic had already improved significantly, putting him on par with many in the Magic Bureau and the Avengers.
With Thor unwilling to intervene, it was up to the X-Men, particularly Orolo, to handle him.
"Any information on the mysterious figure? Is it the same group of people who should have hanged themselves on a street lamp?" Fury asked with annoyance.
That group of people was a constant source of headache. The wealthiest country, before the Magic Era, was the United States — and it had remained so after.
Wakanda, while not widely known, had advanced technology that far surpassed even the United States. The country had already mastered space travel, yet kept their advancements hidden, deceiving the world into thinking they were a poor, backward African nation.
They took great pride in their isolation, believing that their technology was superior to any form of magic.
However, T'Challa, upon returning from his studies abroad, had a different viewpoint.
As magic became more frequent and its power stronger, he had once again proposed connecting to the magic network.
He highlighted the recent incidents of uncontrolled "super abilities."
While others had hesitated, T'Challa had been resolute. The power of magic could not be ignored, and it was time to reconsider their stance.
"According to our information, the magic network was created by the God of Magic from Asgard," T'Challa said. "He is a powerful deity, comparable even to the Black Panther gods."
"I've spoken to the great Black Panther god about this. The name of the God of Magic has already gained some recognition among the gods, though it's not as loud as Odin's."
"However, the magic network is still worth investigating. It may allow us to discover the secrets of Wakanda."
King T'Chaka, who had been listening closely, turned to his advisor, Suri. "Have you made any progress with the magic network?"
"No! I've tried every method I know to uncover its existence, but so far, I've failed. It's very mysterious and seems beyond the reach of our technology."
"However, based on my intelligence analysis, I believe we should attempt to connect to the magic network. While it may be limited by the God of Magic, it could help us study magic further."
"It will also allow us to understand its special nature, protecting us from being monitored by other mages."
"But I suggest that the initial connections should not be made by you or T'Challa."
"You are both Black Panthers, blessed by the power of the Black Panther god, and should not be controlled by the God of Magic."
Suri reasoned carefully.
"That's right," another elder added. "The God of Black Panther watches over us. Magic, no matter how special, is no match for the strength we already possess. Magic may be a gift, but we remain loyal to the God of Black Panther."
As they continued their discussion, a sudden flash of lightning split the sky, illuminating the entire country.
"There's an enemy invasion!"
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