Several elders were slightly taken aback. A look of disbelief flickered across their faces.
"What is this cube?"
"I have never seen such a relic before; it radiates something extraordinary."
Confusion spread among them. Suddenly, a voice echoed from the speaker. Everyone froze, expressions stiff.
"This… isn't this the same voice that was whispered moments ago?!"
"It truly sounds identical!"
The same mysterious voice now appeared within the recovered memory fragment of a past life? Could it mean that even in the Earth Era, there already existed some kind of hidden network linked? A chill swept through their spines.
[ "The Cube of the Universe has awakened." ]
[ "It lies in a realm where mankind holds no significance." The cube dissolved into mist, as ancient floating steps ignited with faint light. A cloaked figure knelt before the looming shadow of a colossal throne. ]
[ "Humans crave his power, yet only our allies understand it." The vision trembled as a scepter was solemnly handed to another figure. ]
[ "He shall open the path, and our Chitauri legion will march forth." Light and shadow flickered, lines of alien creatures, disciplined and dreadful, stretched out like a tide of soldiers. ]
[ "Once the task is done, that world will be his, and the universe shall belong to you. As for humanity… what can they do but fade into ash?" ]
Boom!
The eight elders were thunderstruck. The words exploded like a storm inside their skulls. Everyone felt dizzy. Was this the face of the true enemy from the Earth Era? The kneeling figure in the vision… and the unseen master on the throne, did they truly intend to erase mankind?
The elders staggered, unable to keep steady, clutching desperately at the table's edge, yet one by one they collapsed. Elder Hyeon fell hardest, nerves frayed beyond recovery after years of exploring hidden mysteries in the Southwest.
"Humans, reduced to ashes! They speak of it so lightly, just how much power do they possess?"
The others were equally shaken. A few lines, yet each word dripped with terror.
"A traitor among mankind? An invasion by the Chitauri?"
"Then the Earth Era must have endured unimaginable suffering."
"Those creatures looked far stronger than humans… unstoppable."
"The so-called Cosmic Cube… is this its true origin?"
"Can a single being really claim dominion over the universe? How can existence itself be owned?"
The reality seemed impossible, yet undeniable. The crisis of the Earth Era revealed its terrible weight. Against such monstrosities, human flesh and bone were laughably fragile.
Within the Administration, the chief stared at the dim projection. Hope bled from his eyes. His chest felt as if it might stop at any moment. That single row of alien soldiers striking the screen was like a hammer blow to his mind.
"These creatures… they match perfectly with the lifeforms released by the mechanical leviathan we saw before!"
Side-by-side comparisons confirmed it, the same terror. His thoughts spun violently. He had once believed the Leviathan to be Terra's greatest weapon, or perhaps a secret construct of S.H.I.E.L.D. But now the truth was bare, this was no weapon of Terra. It was the mark of an unknown power bent on annihilation.
"They seek the extinction of Terra's people! Then… that earlier memory fragment, it must have shown the first invasion of Terra by these Chitauri! The mechanical leviathan… not an ally, but their vanguard?!" The chief's chair slipped, sending him crashing into the desk.
Blood streaked his forehead. Yet no one noticed, specialists in holographic analysis were too entranced by the projection. The revelation had shattered every assumption.
Historian Johan's hands shook so violently that he could not even lift his pen. He tried to record what he had seen, but the terror was too much. The enemy of the Earth Era was beyond imagination. To them, civilizations rose and perished with the flick of a palm.
"I heard it… a conspiracy beyond comprehension!"
"For the sake of their imitation, they slaughter humans without hesitation!"
"If the same fate befalls Terra now… how can we possibly resist?"
The dozen scholars present were drowned in fear, their minds crashing like storm-tossed seas. Some of the oldest among them collapsed, their vision going black.
Xiaotian muttered weakly, "This voice… it is so much like the Network, the same that granted rewards earlier… Could it be… that these entities are the so-called way of the universe? Was it not divine order, but the destruction of Terra itself during the Earth Era?"
Their thoughts pierced like nails, each one driving pain deeper into their minds.
Across the Terra Federation, panic erupted. Tanner's live room count skyrocketed, 90 million viewers online at once. The chat barrage flooded in a frenzy, each message screaming disbelief and dread.
"!!!"
"What arrogance! As if humanity could be wiped out so casually!"
"Insane! Was this the true cause of the Earth Era's broken history?!"
"Then how was it stopped?"
"Why do we still exist? Was the annihilation averted?"
"But those Chitauri… they wielded power far beyond anything human. How could anyone resist them?"
"Flesh and blood against the void of the cosmos? Impossible!"
"No, we had Iron Man, didn't we? His suit could turn the tide!"
"The man with the scepter, does he claim to be the master of Terra?"
"No! That is ours! How could outsiders claim dominion over our world?"
"The mystery of the Earth Era… at last, the true hand behind it is revealed."
"Yet how was the crisis overcome?"
Millions voiced their fears at once, clouding the Federation in chaos. The easy ignorance of the masses was gone. Now the Fault Crisis of the Earth Era stood exposed, undeniable. Society trembled; unrest spread in the streets. Speculation spiraled into panic.
Before, fragments had been scattered hints, uncertain, ignorable. But this vision declared outright the greatest enemy humanity had ever faced. Citizens feared Terra might soon share the same fate. The Federation's stability collapsed in hours.
The chief, head bandaged and bleeding, received frantic reports from across the system. He could not afford despair. His duty was to calm the storm. With practiced urgency, he enacted damage control, press conferences, media restrictions, and carefully crafted official statements.
The Federation's panic cooled slightly, though tension smoldered beneath. Still, he knew the elders of the Supreme Court awaited him. This crisis was no fleeting ripple; it was a tidal wave. Even when screens turned black, the images lingered. Every mind that saw them would shudder again at the memory. The Federation's pulse raced toward collapse.
Tanner's live room viewership climbed into the hundreds of millions.
"In the Earth Era, how did humanity, so fragile, defeat the Chitauri?" This was the desperate hope of countless souls. They longed for an answer.
And in that answer, they prayed for survival, a way to shield Terra from repeating the same tragedy.