{🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please support me.🥰 You can access upto 100+ advance chapter through Patreon by using the link: https://patreon.com/Oreski}
After finishing the follow-up discussions, the old king left the compound with his son.
In the car on the way back, the young prince glanced silently out the rear window, watching the virtual compound of Chaldea fade into the distance. A storm of thoughts swirled in his mind.
"Techara."
"Father."
Techara looked at his father with respectful solemnity.
"You were right… the world has changed," the old king said quietly.
Gone was the imposing majesty of Wakanda's long-reigning monarch. His shoulders, once unshakable, now carried weariness. His eyes, deep with wisdom, glinted with resignation.
"I've decided to return home. From here on out, the diplomatic front is yours. When this war concludes... you must be ready to bear the mantle of the king."
"Father…"
Techara's voice caught with emotion. He looked as though he wanted to argue, but the exhaustion in his father's gaze silenced him. He simply bowed his head, honoring the will of the man who raised him.
The old king still had the strength to rule, possibly for decades more. Yet stepping aside now meant one thing: he recognized that his philosophies no longer suited the future Wakanda must forge.
---
On the other side, Shen He lingered in the reception room after seeing off the Wakandan delegation. He sat in silence, fingers steepled beneath his chin, mind moving through the gears of consequence and prophecy.
He had spoken half-truths to the Wakandans earlier—false predictions dressed in the trappings of foresight. Yet what he spoke could very well become real. With Vibranium's potential and Techara's decisiveness, Wakanda might rise into a true world power.
"Coulson," Shen He finally spoke.
"Yes, sir?"
"Techara has a cousin. Eric. Find him—quietly. Do not interfere or contact. Just monitor."
"No problem." Coulson nodded with his signature half-smile. "Looks like you're finally embracing espionage."
"Hah." Shen He chuckled softly. "No, I've just realized that leadership... is something you have to grow into."
"Well, if you ask me—and probably everyone else here—you've always been a leader worth following."
Coulson's words were more than flattery. Shen He's leadership had given these agents new purpose, something even S.H.I.E.L.D. had failed to provide after its collapse.
"This is because the Master has been maturing," Jeanne d'Arc said, her soft smile radiant. Her eyes curved into crescents as she turned to Shen He, her devotion unconcealed.
No one felt Shen He's inner evolution more clearly than Jeanne. To her, his growth was not only personal—it was sacred. Her role as a Servant was defined by guiding him along that path.
"Well then, your 'leader' needs to get to work," Shen He said with slight embarrassment, rising to escape their praise.
---
The emergence of Wakanda had stirred a global ripple effect.
Apparently, some of Techara's aides were media-savvy. The mercenaries leaked an official Wakandan statement about participating in the interstellar war to the press. Headlines like "Poor African Nation Joins Space War" exploded across social platforms. That was just the start.
When Wakanda submitted an official application for cosmic warship entry to the U.S. government, public discourse reached a boiling point.
The U.S. government's press secretary even responded with a wink and a laugh.
People mocked them now—but those same people would be stunned soon.
The goal of such publicity wasn't subtle. It was to emotionally charge the public and ensure Wakanda's visibility in the war effort. Whether the impression was awe or ridicule didn't matter. What mattered was that the world watched.
Shen He saw through it instantly and let it be. He had no interest in watching another nation craft its narrative. He had something more pressing: stalling time for Earth's final counterattack.
The math was harsh.
It would take ten days to fully construct a vibranium-integrated space cruiser using the new "Tremor Array" propulsion. However, the Chitauri wormhole solidification device could be assembled in six.
Which meant Earth had to destroy it within four to five days of construction commencing—or risk complete strategic collapse.
The enemy would fight tooth and nail to protect that device.
"We shouldn't waste our emergency support slot from Chaldea HQ," Steve Rogers said, eyes locked on the 3D space map. "At this range, Qi Mu should be able to deploy us directly. Tony, can you prep a strike weapon to dismantle those devices quickly?"
Tony nodded. "Alien alloys are advanced, but I've already got modular weapons that just need tweaking. Thing is, these structures aren't centralized. You'll need to target multiple cores or the whole thing's still operational."
The Chitauri weren't fabricating their device from scratch.
They had prebuilt components—they were just assembling now.
"In that case," Shen He said, "we send a strike team from Chaldea. I'll handle the selection. Tony, we'll need pressurized breathing suits fit for combat in low gravity. Keep performance in mind. The rest stay on Earth in case the Chitauri retaliate."
"I'm coming with you," Thor said, smacking Shen He's shoulder with a thunderous grin. "I won't let you fight this alone."
"Thor…" Shen He sighed. "As long as I'm with Qi Mu, I can summon any Chaldean Servant across lightyears. You don't need to risk yourself."
"I choose to." Thor's voice was iron. "This war came from Asgard's sins. I will not hide while others bleed."
"…Alright," Shen He finally agreed. "But promise me you won't go rogue."
"Of course. I'm not the same hammer-happy fool I once was." Thor's grin widened.
Shen He didn't need to say more. He had already noticed Thor's quiet transformation. The arrogance had dulled. In its place was purpose.
With the mission sealed, each person went to prepare.
The strike team would target six energy cores. Shen He, Qi Mu, and Thor would each take two. The remaining teams: Jeanne d'Arc, Yifang Tongxing, Violet, and Shuby.
The only point of concern: Violet.
Despite her gentle appearance, Violet's control over her Ether Gear and defensive interface was peerless. She'd already proven that even alien plasma couldn't crack her Aegis Field. So long as she maintained energy reserves, she was functionally untouchable. And her battlefield analysis algorithms far exceeded those of even Mikoto Alter or the twin Shikis.
Before departure, Shen He had one final priority.
A draw.
He had saved thirty summoning stones—the maximum needed for a full 10x Heroic Summon. Under normal circumstances, it felt like his castle was already bursting with noisy, lively followers. But when war pressed its weight down, the truth was clear.
He still didn't have enough hands.
After all, not all followers are suited for combat roles.
Moreover, in summons involving stones, the probability of early or late draws is statistically equivalent. If a powerful follower is drawn early, it's always better—they can be strengthened and adapted strategically sooner.
Having made up his mind, Shen He didn't intend to drag things out. This time, he didn't even bother assembling a team for protection as he had before.
Immediately after dinner, he returned to his room. He rubbed his hands together with anticipation. It was time to summon again.
This time, he selected the regular summoning pool.
While the Mechanical Card Pool housed undeniably powerful units, the energy cost—especially in terms of Mechanical Hearts—was extraordinarily high. For now, Hubie was already serving as a valuable trump card. What he needed now was a follower with strategic capabilities, not raw firepower.
Mechanical followers, while efficient and compliant, lacked versatility in strategic application.
Looking at the summoning interface before him, Shen He decisively tapped "Ten-Time Summon."
For some inexplicable reason, as his fingers tapped the command, he felt the absurd illusion of secretly spending his wife's savings.
After a tense wait, no miracle-tier follower—no "European Emperor" luck—appeared. But a flash of gold marked the arrival of a five-star equipment item.
Name: Nameless Mantra
Source: Overlord
Evaluation: A world-class artifact engraved with every spell ever created—and even new ones appear automatically as they are invented. It demands a high affinity from its user.
Another legendary item from that transformed game-world-turned-reality.
Shen He's attention was immediately drawn to the weighty tome.
So far, every item originating from Overlord had been capable of distorting reality itself. This wasn't surprising—after all, that world had once been a game. Its mechanics, translated into reality through system stabilization, produced phenomena beyond current scientific or magical comprehension.
This book, officially categorized as a "World-Class Item," was, stunningly, a magical codex.
Shen He carefully withdrew the book from his inventory.
Its appearance was deeply faithful to YGGDRASIL's original game design—an opulent artifact bound in black-gold plating with flowing runes, adorned with seven gleaming gems, each glowing with otherworldly light. The inlaid lines twisted into complex sigils, subtly rearranging into mystic diagrams. Merely gazing at it gave Shen He the illusion that it encoded the very fabric of reality.
Magic...
A surge of excitement rippled through Shen He's chest.
Despite his master's overwhelming mana reserves, it had always been channeled solely to reinforce followers. He had never truly explored independent spellcraft.
He had once thought he'd need to summon a powerful magus-type follower to gain insight into magical theory. But now—with this book—could he unlock magical potential ahead of schedule?
With burning curiosity, Shen He opened it.
The first page appeared blank.
A flicker of thought ran through Shen He's mind—and then words appeared, written in crisp modern Chinese. A vast magical directory unfolded before his eyes.
Honestly, even just the table of contents was staggering in its complexity.
White Magic, Dark Magic, Chaos Magic, Abyssal Magic...
In addition to these broad categories, there were branches that appeared to be named after divine entities. Shen He scanned them line by line, attempting to commit as much as possible to memory through sheer force of will.
Suddenly, on the third page, his expression sharpened.
Under his fingertips was a single term—Vishanti.
This was a branch of White Magic. Shen He paused—not because of unfamiliarity—but because he knew this name. Vishanti wasn't a singular god, but a trinity of ancient cosmic deities. One of their relics was the famed Eye of Agamotto.
Even casual Marvel watchers knew that Doctor Strange's Time Stone was once housed in the Eye of Agamotto—an artifact born from the Vishanti.
A theory took root in Shen He's mind.
To test it, he selected a spell tree under the Vishanti category.
Sure enough, there it was—a spell diagram identical to the Sling Ring portal technique from Doctor Strange, alongside abilities like the Chains of Cyttorak, Vishanti's Lightblade, and other powerful mystic incantations. Some spells were redacted or blurred, likely due to high-tier user restrictions or divine permissions.
This wasn't from Overlord. This was unmistakably Marvel's magic system.
Shen He recalled the item's system evaluation. His pulse quickened.
Could it be? Could this book truly record the magic of any universe, not just one?
If so—this was a universal codex. A magical equivalent of the "Omni-archive." Something on the same bug-tier level as Qishen's Reality Authority.
As of now, Shen He held the mystic system of the Sorcerer Supreme, traces of Ghost Rider's Hellfire rituals, and possibly access to cosmic-tier sorcery.
No exaggeration—this was a game-changer.
Shen He was ready.
In this round, even if the summoning yielded nothing else, he had already won.
With that confidence, he immediately pressed the "Ten-Time Summon" button again.
He ignored the animation.
Instead, he refocused on the book, diving deeper into the workings of Doctor Strange's arcane philosophy.
At its core, their magic relied on the user's spiritual connection to the energy of existence. Initiates needed sling rings as focal points, but true masters could cast without them. Their power bent dimensions, manipulated perception, and subtly altered cause and effect—perfect for avoiding divine or cosmic detection.
Even this high-level summary made Shen He feel as if he'd unlocked a new layer of reality.
Ding! Congratulations, Master, for successfully summoning a Five-Star Follower: Semiramis.
…Who?
The notification pulled Shen He from his magical reverie. For a moment, he stared blankly, but then recognition began to dawn.
A five-star follower! But Semiramis?
The name stirred vague familiarity—it sounded Western, mythological, possibly Mesopotamian.
A flicker of anxiety passed through him. What if her alignment or nature was difficult to control?
Before his mind could spiral further, a new summoning interface materialized in the space before him, mirroring the system's layout.
This scene was unmistakable—he had summoned a Heroic Spirit tier servant. Just like Jeanne.
From the circle emerged a woman of surreal beauty.
Clad in a flowing black dress that whispered of decadence and poison, her entire aura radiated lethality cloaked in elegance.
"Servant, Assassin Class—Semiramis." Her voice was languid and imperious. "Now then… prepare the Throne. If not, a lavish chair will suffice."
Shen He blinked.
Poison Queen. Queen of Hanging Gardens. Assassin-Class.
Another piece on his expanding multidimensional chessboard.
And with the Nameless Mantra still open in his hand, a wicked idea took root.
If Semiramis could master world-class poisons, and he could supply her with inter-universe magic…
The possibilities were endless.
{ Enjoying the chapters? Please Support me on Patreon and unlock 100+ advanced chapters, with 3 new chapters released every two days!
The fanfic is also available for one-time purchase on Patreon – unlock lifetime access to the full collection, no membership needed! Don't miss out –support and own it forever!
patreon.com/Oreski}