"So, are you really going to that alien planet called Asgard?"
Agatha Harkness stood behind Dante. Although she was an immortal spirit, she had only caught glimpses of the legendary Asgard in scattered records.
"What else?"
Dante was straightforward. Wasn't it just meeting his father-in-law?
Could Odin really kill his own daughter and son-in-law? What a joke.
If he did, Dante would gladly help Hela and Loki usurp the throne.
"I thought you would try other methods first, and only if all of them failed, would you choose to go to that unknown Divine Realm…"
"To you, it's an unknown Divine Realm, but to these three siblings, it's like going home."
Dante pouted. These arcane spellcasters clearly viewed Asgard through rose-tinted glasses.
Logically, since they traveled across dimensions, they should have had some contact with Asgard, right?
Agatha saw Dante's expression. As one of the few wise individuals, after shedding the Darkhold's blackening and corruption, her mind had long since returned to its peak clarity.
She instantly understood what he was thinking.
He had completely misunderstood them.
Dimensional travel is very different from interstellar travel, okay?
Ignoring the conflicted Agatha, Dante walked over to where Fury was.
"Fury, are you busy?"
Fury, now wearing a new eye patch, was exchanging pleasantries with Professor X and several parent representatives.
As director, he was putting on the usual display of combining authority with amiability.
Fury offered an apologetic smile to the parent reps, then followed Dante aside, smiling while lowering his voice.
"What's wrong? I heard a lot of big things happened today, didn't they?"
As Fury asked, he brought his champagne glass to his lips and took a sip.
"It's alright, nothing major." Dante nodded. "Just arrested that guy, Lex Luthor."
"Pfft!" The champagne he had just sipped sprayed out as Dante's calm words hit his ears. "Cough, cough, what?! You just took down Lex Luthor directly?"
For someone like Lex Luthor, a key surveillance target for the FBI, Fury wasn't surprised by his capture. In fact, he had been looking forward to it…
But he didn't expect it to happen so easily.
"So… is there any evidence?"
"Evidence? What's that?" Dante looked at Fury with disdain. "Have you been living too comfortably, hiding the ruthless Fury you once were? If this were a few months ago, you'd only ask me how I planned to deal with Lex Luthor. Evidence? The FBI is the greatest evidence!"
"No, just state your business. Why are you constantly insulting me?" Fury said awkwardly. "It's just that ever since the X-Men joined the Bureau, I've been working with Xavier, and I've picked up some of his habits…"
Dante looked at the sixty-something Fury with disappointment.
It seemed comfortable days really couldn't last too long. Even Fury had lost some of his edge.
"Anyway, long story short, he secretly funded the Storybrooke Town incident and provided every convenience to Agatha Harkness. This shows deep financial ties and even power-for-money transactions with the Government and the Military." Dante pointed to Tony Stark and the others nearby. "And the economic incident targeting the Bureau's outsourced contractors was also his doing. I'd bet many similar cold cases from the past also had LexCorp's fingerprints on them…"
Dante's words weren't subtle.
Fury, having navigated officialdom for decades, naturally understood the subtext.
Go all out and take him down.
Thinking this, Fury reflected on himself.
He had once been resourceful and ruthless, so why had he gone soft lately?
He couldn't just forget his core methods because Dante was around, could he?
So he decided, starting with Lex Luthor, he would make those with ill intentions remember his fearsome reputation.
"…Wait, it's fine to leave this to me, but what are you going to do?"
"You saw Hela's condition today. She fell for that bastard Lex Luthor's trick." Dante shrugged. "Mammon's blood contamination led to Greed Orange Light possession. I don't have a good solution, so I'm taking her back to Asgard to see if her father has any ideas."
"Hela, Goddess of Death's father? Isn't that…" Fury's single eye widened. He looked left and right, lowered his voice again, and said, "Isn't that Odin, King of Gods?"
"That's right, a son-in-law always has to meet his father-in-law, right?" Dante nodded. "I'm taking the Star Team with me, just letting you know."
"You're just being extra by saying that." Fury smiled. "Even if you wanted to go to Asgard with Hela alone, I wouldn't agree."
Are you kidding me?
The number one big shot of the America General Bureau, running off to an alien planet to meet his father-in-law? Not happening.
He had already dug into Hela's family history through Dante, learning that Odin, the so-called King of Gods, was also a cunning operator.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have abandoned his own daughter after using her.
He once promised her the throne, but because Hela was too obsessed with war and couldn't bring peace to the Nine Realms, he sealed her on Earth.
Stayed silent during the war, then pulled that move after it ended?
Out of respect alone, Fury couldn't let him face such a cruel, scheming father-in-law by himself.
"No problem."
"However, J'onzz is not needed. He still has Internal Affairs responsibilities."
"Good."
Seeing Dante had already made arrangements, Fury nodded.
…
Dante reported to Fury mainly so he could prepare in advance.
After all, the strongest team was going on a long trip with their Captain.
It was time for those old X-Men to get moving.
Coincidentally, many top students at the FBI Academy could already attempt missions. It would be valuable field experience.
He just didn't know how much trouble those talented brats would cause.
But that was beyond Dante's current concerns.
His mind was now fully on the trip to Asgard.
After greeting Bruce Wayne and the others, Dante opened his personal terminal, entered the Star Team's exclusive channel, and summoned all members except J'onzz to gather.
Upon hearing they were heading to the legendary Divine Realm of Asgard, most were excited and curious.
But a few stayed calm.
One was J'onzz, buried in Internal Affairs work. He even sighed in relief knowing he'd avoided the trip.
Another was Captain Carter. This laid-back veteran was always calm. After all, she'd visited Asgard many times across timelines.
After informing the team of the meeting point, Dante returned to Hela's side.
"How's the situation?"
"To be honest, I don't know whether to call it good or bad." Hela shook her head, speaking calmly, but the moment Dante appeared, she held onto his hand. "Ever since the Storybrooke Town incident ended, I've felt my power breaking through the limits of the Death Goddess's position. That greedy power seems to have made me stronger."
Dante frowned slightly.
This reality incorporated too many works. How could he know what chemical reaction the Greed Orange Light from the Emotional Spectrum and Asgardian divine power would cause?
But from Hela's description, aside from greed and possessiveness, there were no negative effects.
Instead, the stronger the Orange Light became, the more it broke her restriction of needing Asgardian soil to reach her peak power.
Thinking of this, Dante breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that in his Seven Lantern Corps, the side effects of the various lights tended to diminish.
It started with the Red Lanterns. The ring didn't replace the heart or turn the wearer into an anger-driven killing machine.
The Orange Lanterns seemed to follow the same trend.
If he was right, Hela would gain Orange Lantern Ring combat power and break her Asgardian soil limitation.
If a normal Superman didn't get more sunlight, he might not be enough.
Orange Lanterns ranked top three in individual combat power, aiming for number one.
It was just that their host, Larfleeze, was underwhelming. An ancient monster with one of the most powerful rings, yet living in such a sorry state.
"Getting stronger, getting stronger is good. This is a warrior's dream," Thor said, not understanding the gravity, even looking envious.
"From now on, when you go out, can you please not say you're my brother?" Loki looked at him with disdain. "Sometimes I really wonder if Mother threw you away and raised the placenta instead."
"Nonsense!" Thor retorted. "There's no placenta as powerful as me!"
"You're actually proud of that!"
Loki instantly felt a headache.
Since childhood!
Only growing in size, not in brains. Unless he faced some major setback, Thor would remain someone who only knew how to fight and be foolishly happy.
Almost everyone couldn't hide their excitement.
"Harley, are you sure we're going to Asgard and not a Mars rescue mission?"
"Huh? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
Harley patted her clothes, puzzled.
"Nonsense! Asgard is a planet with advanced civilization and life!" Dante pointed at her. "Why are you wearing a spacesuit? And when did you color it? I don't remember any pink spacesuits!"
Harley fell into deep thought.
Asgard… no spacesuit needed?
"You didn't say so earlier! I stole this spacesuit for nothing!"
"Stole… where from?"
"The FBI Equipment Department. They've been iterating on spacesuits lately, I don't know why…" she complained, taking off the new lightweight suit. "I even wasted time painting it in a hurry, all for nothing."
After Dante told Maria Hill, he set the half-dry spacesuit aside for Internal Affairs to collect.
"Although this is the first time Earthlings are visiting Asgard, I'm not Professor X, that chatterbox, so I won't say much. Everyone's here. Let's depart."
Then Dante reached his hand toward Loki.
Loki didn't expect to be involved, momentarily stunned, staring wide-eyed.
"The coordinates! Without Asgard's time and dimensional coordinates, how can I open a portal?"
"No, do you really not get it, or are you pretending? Without permission, opening a portal there with the Star Team's identity isn't asking for help; it's declaring war!" Loki's eyes flashed with wisdom and helplessness. "You need to pay more attention."
Hulk looked up and moved closer to Loki.
"Snacks? Where are the snacks? Hulk eat."
"When we get to Asgard, I'll let you eat your fill!"
Loki rolled his eyes.
Who would have thought that even after Hulk, egged on by Dante, gave Loki a super eight-stage fall, they'd become good friends?
Whenever Hulk was in control, he inevitably hung out with Loki, that elderly mischievous child.
"Oh right, I'll call Heimdall and have him open the Bifrost Bridge."
Thor mumbled a few words, then looked up and pointed into the distance.
"Wait a moment… they're here! The Bifrost Bridge is here."
Everyone looked where Thor pointed and saw a rainbow streaking from the horizon toward them.
…
"Damn it! Peter! I will absolutely not let you off today!"
"Jessica! I've already apologized! Please let me go!"
"No way! How dare you play matchmaker for my Lord Hela! If I don't beat the crap out of you today, you'll still be considered clean!"
"Language! Jessica! Watch your language! Be careful, the Dean might pull you into another small meeting for ideological education!"
Jessica Jones shivered, memories flooding her mind.
Eight hours of ideological and moral education, at least. Professor X usually wasn't naggy, so why did he turn into that during leader-style speeches?
"Don't you dare interfere with a beautiful girl's business! Just grit your teeth and take this punch!"
Jessica's relentless pursuit of Peter Parker finally paid off.
While Tony and Peter were chatting, she used his politeness to catch him.
Then, under Tony's shocked and ambiguous gaze, she carried Peter away.
"Ah, youth is truly wonderful," Tony sighed, the lifelong playboy speaking from experience.
The other two CEOs present agreed.
And then came Jessica's earlier "torture" of Peter.
She was right, telling him to grit his teeth. That punch had no personal feelings or restraint.
Just like the punch she gave Dante back then.
But Peter had a flash of inspiration, using the recoil to widen their distance instantly.
Jessica gritted her teeth, pushing off hard, chasing that elusive flying sensation…
She succeeded! Finally!
She changed direction mid-air, accelerated, and caught Peter, who was trying to escape using momentum.
"Hahaha! Peter! You won't escape from me!"
"Jessica, you're flying again!?" Peter's trembling voice mixed happiness with pain.
Happy his friend's abilities were on track.
In pain because he wasn't escaping this beating.
Jessica grinned mischievously, pressed her hands to his shoulders, and used her momentum to slam him from mid-air to the ground.
"Cough cough! So painful!"
"Stop pretending! This is less than a third of what you get in practical combat class!"
Although she chased and beat him often, she'd never really hurt him. This would barely be a warm-up in class.
Even falling from ten meters higher wouldn't be a problem…
If they hadn't landed dead center of the Star Team's gathering point.
Their posture was… undignified. Peter lying on the ground, Jessica sitting on his waist.
Star Team: What the f***?
Jessica: What the f***!?
Peter (pointing at the descending Bifrost Bridge): What the f***!!!???
(To be continued.)