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"Two months..." Shen He sighed, her tone filled with mild frustration. "That's too long."
Even though Lelouch hadn't explicitly said it, she could sense that he, too, hoped he could remain stationed in the Marvel World to help consolidate control and direct strategy.
But there was simply no better option.
Most of the currently summoned Servants—if examined closely—were practically recluse-grade powerhouses lounging around like salted fish. A handful were so detached from worldly affairs they acted like they existed in a vacuum. Qi Mu Nanxiong, for example, was so overwhelmingly powerful that he couldn't be bothered with mundane crises and appeared utterly unwilling to engage.
"This is already the shortest possible time," Lelouch replied, a touch of resignation in his voice.
Given the complexity of Chaldea's expansion and the instability following the Attilan crisis, two months could feel like an eternity. But with the current momentum, Lelouch's own timeline was entering a critical phase. It was frustrating, because this moment—this transitional period—was ideal for consolidation. But circumstances didn't allow luxury.
Still, Shen He understood.
After Lelouch's reminder, she began to pay more attention to these "peripheral forces," the auxiliary and marginal elements that still wielded influence over the unfolding situation.
Even in the midst of war, things had to be done with brutal efficiency. Still, certain developments couldn't be rushed. Once the military funds were formally released, Tony Stark had immediately started expanding manufacturing operations. Within a designated blank industrial zone under Stark Industries, he restructured operations—outsourcing nearly all expendable manufacturing processes. Quality control, technical instruction, and integrated automation systems for other companies were now managed under strict Stark AI protocols, leaving Tony barely any downtime.
And that wasn't all.
He was simultaneously accelerating the development of civilian-grade products, recruiting volunteers for beta testing, and establishing global experience centers to promote the immersive tech pioneered in the previous arc—specifically the Virtual Sleeping Cabin project.
Moreover, Tony had to divert attention to defense measures—preparing countermeasures against the Chitauri Legion while reverse-engineering alien tech acquired in the Manhattan breach.
And Tony wasn't the only one overwhelmed.
Steve Rogers had also taken on a new role—corporate oversight of Guardian Enterprises. Unlike battlefield command, this required strategic planning, deep analysis of the company's structural frameworks, and long-term management forecasting—far beyond the scope of his usual duties.
Coulson, on the other hand, was busier than ever.
With the newly acquired funding, numerous covert projects that had been suspended due to financial constraints were suddenly revived. Intelligence operations, undercover missions, and surveillance networks that had lain dormant were brought back online. As head of liaison operations, Coulson also maintained constant contact with Nick Fury and juggled delicate diplomatic channels—building crucial relationships between Attilan's new government and the global political landscape. Embassies, trade talks, and intergovernmental summits drained even more time and mental resources.
For an entire week, the Chaldean leadership was buried in an avalanche of activity.
Their sheer momentum hijacked global media attention. Every major outlet plastered headlines featuring them. Whether it was Tony announcing a new multilateral partnership, Black Bolt's participation in international security forums, or landmark treaties between Attilan and the EU, their names flooded news feeds.
So much so, that even the U.S. military's attempted reclamation of Manhattan—an event that would normally dominate headlines—barely made the back pages. When the assault failed, it was brushed aside as a footnote.
And yet... not everyone was caught in this whirlwind.
Shen He found herself oddly idle.
She couldn't even find an entry point to meaningfully contribute. In the early stages, she had at least understood some of the infrastructure projects. But now, even Coulson's briefing reports were incomprehensible—buried in technical jargon and diplomatic nuance far beyond her domain.
At this point, the original "plot" she once followed had thoroughly disintegrated. Events no longer mirrored any predictable narrative. Shen He had lost the advantage of foreknowledge and could only depend on people like Coulson and Lelouch to anticipate crises and handle emergent situations.
Which, in a way, was freeing.
She settled into a daily routine—grinding dungeon missions in the virtual network, farming summoning stones, and making brief media appearances to maintain visibility. Though she wasn't leading, she remained a symbol, a figurehead—her presence alone offered reassurance.
Meanwhile, she entrusted Loki's scepter to the scientific research division. With Stark, Shuri, and the Think Tank from Chaldea working together, they hoped to decode its energy matrix and discover how it could amplify the latent potential of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.
The siblings still held extraordinary promise.
Yet what troubled Shen He more was the eerie silence of the Chitauri Legion.
After their last confrontation stalled, the aliens seemed to retreat into unnatural dormancy.
They weren't simple NPCs—they were sentient, strategic invaders with a clear purpose. By now, they should have analyzed Earth's combat data and formulated a counterattack, especially with Tony's steel legion nearing deployment. Their inactivity hinted at something deeper—perhaps fear of Thanos' reprisal or preparations for a larger strike.
But while these doubts loomed, another week passed uneventfully.
The first production line of the Virtual Sleeping Cabins was finally operational. Manufacturing began at a pace of 50,000 units, with civilian distribution planned within two weeks. At $38,000 apiece—a cost comparable to a luxury vehicle—they weren't cheap. But that hadn't deterred global consumers. The entire batch sold out almost instantly, pre-ordered by the wealthy and powerful.
With profits reinvested into server architecture and experience center expansions, global nodes for the virtual realm began popping up in major cities. These immersive hubs were packed to capacity daily, users captivated by the surreal blend of virtual reality and mystic immersion—a hybrid experience blending technological simulation with genuine arcane frameworks derived from Chaldea's magical archives.
Just as it seemed the world was slipping into an age of techno-mystic utopia, reality snapped back with a brutal reminder.
The U.S. military command center erupted into chaos.
Personnel dashed through corridors, relaying urgent updates. Communications flooded in from dozens of observation satellites. Tension crackled in the air.
"What's going on?" General Ross demanded as he entered the control room.
"Sir! This is footage from a micro-drone we sent twenty minutes ago." A lieutenant rushed over and guided him to a monitor.
On the screen, the wormhole—still faintly pulsating from its sealed breach—revealed a chilling sight.
Behind the Chitauri mothership, three new massive black shapes loomed in the darkness of space.
No one could identify them clearly. The lack of light sources beyond a few distant stars rendered the image blurry and shadowed, but one fact was undeniable.
They hadn't been there before.
And they weren't supposed to be there now.
"Notify Chaldea immediately." General Ross's brow furrowed as an ominous feeling settled in his chest.
"Already done, sir." The officer swallowed hard.
In truth, everyone present had already drawn the same conclusion, though each silently prayed they were wrong.
Meanwhile, the Chaldeans themselves were in disarray. Within the newly formed combat command center, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Phil Coulson, and Thor were already present.
Shen He rushed in moments later.
"In other words, the Chitauri have deployed at least three additional motherships—models we've never seen before?" Shen He's voice remained eerily calm.
"For now, that's what the data shows," Tony replied, much less composed. He motioned toward the projected holographic screen. With a swipe, a 3D model emerged in the air above the table.
"Jarvis, initiate refined spectral analysis and reconstruct the silhouettes of the three unknowns."
"Yes, sir," Jarvis responded immediately.
As his voice echoed through the chamber, the darkened projections slowly took shape—massive constructs bearing the Chitauri design language, though with marked differences that suggested evolution or outside influence.
Tony's gaze didn't waver until the images solidified. When they did, he exhaled heavily.
"The silver lining is—these still belong to the Chitauri Legion. So far, no new alien faction. But the downside is—our enemy's fleet just tripled. And they might not be done yet."
"So... do we even stand a chance?" Thor asked, glancing at each of them before resting his gaze on Shen He. "What's our capacity for backup from Chaldean HQ?"
"It's not as easy as that, Thunder God," Shen He replied lightly, then sobered. "If I call for support, the headquarters can send enough force to match the threat, but I've only got the resources to request aid twice more. Maybe."
"Actually," Tony interrupted, "I've always wanted to ask—why does it cost anything to get help from your own organization? Are you telling me Chaldea would just let this world burn if we couldn't pay?"
"Tony, we're talking about crossing entire universes," Shen He explained, tone weary. "Even driving somewhere costs fuel. Every world has its own set of dimensional resistances. Our operatives can't remain for long without consequences. Chaldea imposes a price for balance and to avoid violating the core law of multiversal non-interference. If they didn't, they could just uplift humanity to multiverse overlords overnight—but then they'd stop being human."
In reality, Shen He was understating his options. He still possessed three charges of a Primary Reinforcement Card, and one Intermediate Card—powerful enough to summon Class-level entities like Jeanne d'Arc (Alter) or Accelerator under favorable rulesets. But he chose not to rely on those yet.
Silence blanketed the room.
Over the past few weeks, Tony had tried everything to seal the dimensional gate. Even with Dr. Selvig's notes and assistance, they were no closer. The Chaldean limit of only two more emergency deployments pressed on everyone.
"We need to rethink this," Steve finally said, stepping forward. "If we only get two shots with overwhelming support, we should use them offensively. A war of attrition won't end in our favor."
"Steve, let me remind you." Shen He raised an eyebrow. "If we're going to fight in space, most of our elite followers won't even be able to breathe, let alone fight properly."
It was a grim truth. The majority of Heroic Spirits lacked self-sustaining physical forms in vacuum environments. Even space suits, crafted via Chaldean tech or Stark's materials, severely hampered close-combat-based servants like Ryougi Shiki or One-Sided Accelerator. Those relying on touch-based or kinetic powers would be even more limited.
"And the distance from the gate to the motherships might seem small," Shen He added, "but in zero-G, it's exponentially longer."
"Still better than waiting to be overrun," Steve countered. He stepped to the map and pointed. "We've already damaged the original mothership. If we seize it and repurpose it as a base near the gate, we gain a staging ground—maybe even intercept capability."
He wasn't wrong. In the last two major Chitauri offensives, they had barely pushed the invaders back, and only after drawing from Chaldean power. Without initiative, Earth would fall one city at a time.
"I support that." Tony nodded. "Their smaller ships are too fast and mobile. But if we control their flagship, maybe we can match them in space."
"No matter what happens, I won't run." Thor lifted Mjolnir.
"Then it's settled," Shen He sighed. "But Tony, what are the odds you can get that mothership operational? Especially its weapons systems?"
"I—" Tony started, then hesitated. "I'll try."
It was all he could promise. He'd been running on three hours of sleep a day. Even Jeanne d'Arc had been using her healing authority to stabilize his nervous system. The problem wasn't just alien tech—it was the fundamental difference in system logic. Chitauri technology didn't align with Terran code paradigms.
Shen He didn't press further. Even genius had limits.
With consensus reached, planning began in earnest. Shen He took the lead in battle arrangements—appropriate, since most of the heavy hitters were Chaldean.
Tactical minds convened, drafting simulations and unit maneuvers. Steve brought in battlefield data. Zhen De, Chaldea's prodigy strategist, unveiled plans that impressed even Thor, who dubbed her "a Valkyrie of the highest merit."
But news always slips out.
By day's end, the global community learned of the new motherships. Governments activated wartime protocols. Emergency bunkers and nuclear defense shields began construction worldwide.
Stark Industries' military division received a tidal wave of orders. Civilian production took a back seat as war factories worldwide pivoted. VR-training combat modules and mobile armories were shipped en masse to prepare for urban resistance and military acceleration.
And the Chitauri adapted, too.
They had begun deploying infrastructure around the gate—spires glowing with pulsing energy.
"This is a tri-phase amplifier," Dr. Selvig deduced from aerial scans. "It's stabilizing the wormhole and increasing throughput."
In other words, the enemy wasn't just passing through. They were entrenching.
Shen He felt a rare pang of dread. His trump card—the option to shut down the gate via the Cosmic Cube—was rapidly losing validity.
It wasn't just a key. The Cube had served as a beacon and anchor, but now the Chitauri were asserting independence from that tether. Worse, the knowledge that they had motherships unknown to Chaldea meant this wasn't a rogue squadron—it was coordinated.
It should have been obvious.
The Chitauri commander from the original invasion told Loki he could rule Earth because the rest of the universe would belong to the Chitauri. That level of confidence meant firepower far beyond anything they'd previously revealed.
And under such pressure, even calm starts to fracture.
The following morning, as Shen He was reviewing projections, Coulson entered briskly.
"Sir, we've received a communication."
"From where?"
"Wakanda. King T'Challa wishes to speak with you directly."
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