For this operation, the Avengers engaged in some strategic micromanagement.
First, Namor needed to return to Atlantis to reorganize the Atlantean government. With the nation's most elite troops and the King himself having suffered defeat, Atlantis was undoubtedly in a state of panic. It was a safe bet that the so-called "usurper," Krang, had already begun using various means to sway one Atlantean city after another to his cause.
As for whether Namor's return would actually be effective, or to what extent, that remained an unknown; however, the impact of him returning alive was certainly better than him remaining missing. Furthermore, to facilitate a smoother infiltration of the Temple of Poseidon, the Avengers needed Namor to draw Krang out.
Namor, feeling his burden of responsibility toward Atlantis, uncharacteristically set aside his temper and headed back.
Next came the second pair. Strange summoned other sorcerers from Kamar-Taj to assist Thor in locating the Enchantress. Once she was found, Thor would move in to confront her. The reason Thor was dispatched was simple: just as the Executioner was a devoted follower of the Enchantress, the Enchantress was essentially a devoted follower of Thor.
Or rather, a major reason the Enchantress was willing to assist Loki was his promise: he claimed that once Thor lost the throne, his fiancée Sif would surely abandon him, at which point his "foolish brother" would be hers. The fact that the Enchantress believed such a flimsy promise spoke volumes about her cognitive functions whenever Thor was involved.
Thus, a lone Thor actively searching for the Enchantress herself served as an irresistible lure.
"Meanwhile, the rest of the Avengers will head to the Roxxon Corporation with great fanfare to launch an investigation into the collaboration between Loki's subordinates and the company. Of course, their primary role is to draw the enemy's attention and pin down Roxxon's potential combat forces."
As Peter spoke, he manipulated his nanotech suit into deep-water mode. Strange glanced at Peter and remarked dryly, "I will be casting spells for underwater breathing and pressure resistance, Spider-Man."
"I know." Looking at his suit, which had shifted to deep blue and dark red, Peter turned to his two teammates. "I just wanted you guys to see that I have a very cool-looking diving suit."
"Undeniably very cool, man."
Bobby Drake, the Iceman, expressed his admiration with genuine empathy. As one of the original five X-Men, he was perhaps the youngest at heart—or rather, he was the one most struggling to find his niche, often carrying himself like a college student.
Cyclops was now a vice-principal, helping the Professor manage the school; Beast, Hank, served as both a teacher and the core of the X-Men's scientific research; and Angel, Warren, handled the academy's worldly and financial affairs—after all, he was a trust-fund kid. As for Iceman, he didn't know what his role was; he didn't even have a teaching certificate, so he couldn't work as a school instructor.
Oh, and there was Jean, but Jean was dead.
Because of this, when Iceman heard the Avengers had a "problem only Iceman could solve," he was overjoyed. Bored out of his mind, he had rushed over to the Avengers so quickly it had startled Cyclops, who wondered if the Avengers were trying to poach their talent.
"In any case, you should have faith in the Sorcerer Supreme's spellcasting. My spells have never failed—at least not when it counts."
Strange muttered to himself, ignoring the two behind him as he began to cast. A layer of magical energy enveloped the three of them, and they rapidly descended. Soon, they passed the massive cluster of icebergs suspended in the sea. These blocks of ice were anchored directly to the seabed to prevent them from drifting up or down; encased within them were the soldiers and generals of Atlantis.
Peter nodded to Iceman, who then placed his hands upon the ice. Within seconds, the icebergs melted completely, freeing those imprisoned inside.
"I have to say, the Captain's situation was an exception, and so is my power. If someone gets into trouble, don't just go freezing them for preservation; you really might freeze them to death and never get them out."
Watching the Atlantean army slowly thaw—and surprisingly, remain alive—Iceman spoke with a hint of amazement. "Also, is this really magical ice? It feels like ordinary ice to me."
"The magical power lies in the Fimbulwinter brought by the Casket of Ancient Winters, not the ice itself."
Strange used a simple spell to directly inform the Atlantean troops of the current situation. The leading Defenders of the Deep immediately understood what had transpired and began organizing their forces to return and reinforce the capital.
As for whether they would be frozen again, that was anyone's guess.
The trio continued their descent and soon arrived within the Atlantean city. It was Peter's first time in the deep sea; the city wasn't as ancient or sacred as he had imagined. Although most buildings didn't exceed fifty meters in height, the level of modernization was quite high. Since Krang intended to overthrow Namor rather than establish a new capital, the city's operations continued, albeit appearing somewhat deserted.
Strange then cast a cognitive filtering spell over them.
Surprisingly, almost everything here aside from the buildings was biological. The local transportation consisted of flat fish outfitted with various equipment. Some of these fish were only the size of a car, while others stretched twenty or thirty meters long.
"Biotechnology. You can imagine their power generators and all their production tech are achieved by modifying various deep-sea fish. The Atlanteans have a technology tree completely different from the surface world, and it's quite advanced."
Iceman floated over to a streetlamp suspended in the city, peered inside, and shook his head. "No, the lamps here aren't fish; they're just ordinary electric lights... but waterproof."
"If the lamps were fish, it would only prove their technology hasn't progressed at all, buddy."
Peter commented idly as the three of them swam to the entrance of the temple. However, there were no Atlanteans here. Once inside, they encountered a group of individuals wearing yellow hazmat suits. Peter blinked in surprise.
"These are A.I.M. people, but hasn't A.I.M. already..."
"Hurry up! We need to dig this open quickly. If magic doesn't work, use bombs!"
A slightly comical but somewhat familiar voice echoed through the area. Peter looked over to see a massive head sitting upon a floating chair. And the face on that head... was actually the former CEO of A.I.M. and the developer of the Extremis virus, Aldrich Killian?
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