"Quick, they are in danger."
Reed also keenly sensed that this woman was preparing to strike, and quickly stretched his body, preparing to jump over to save the two of them. Hearing Reed's words, everyone moved without much thought. That murderous intent was something everyone could feel now. They were all teammates who had fought together; how could they stand by and watch?
"You are a bunch of bad children, I don't need you."
Her alluring red lips parted slightly. Through the memories of the Earth, Gaia had learned that these experiments of the living tribunal had actually been arbitrarily destroying things on her body. This made her very dissatisfied. Especially since humans carried the label of the living tribunal, this made Gaia even more furious. They were all lives on her body, but she really did not like humans.
Lifting her right hand gently, she waved it as if swatting a fly, yet it produced a massive gust of wind. That irresistible natural force easily blew Nick and Captain America away. Even Tony and Johnny, who had flown over, were blown away by the massive wind force without being able to offer any resistance.
"This monster, just how strong is she?"
Banner, who could control his transformation into Hulk at will, was already turning green all over. He and The Thing shielded Natasha, Hawkeye, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Special Agents behind them. The massive wind force made it difficult for them to stand firm. Banner and The Thing dug their feet into the ground, ensuring they would not be blown away by the wind. This was very awkward; they currently did not even have the slightest ability to resist Gaia. The disparity in power between them was simply too vast; there was absolutely no comparison.
"Tiny and ignorant humans, have you still not realized anything even now? That steel city, and the corpses of your own kind on that battlefield filled with smoke—can't they make you fully understand?"
Thinking of the several generations of humans she had shepherded: the Eternity race, the Asgardian Gods temporarily residing on Earth, and the already destroyed Atlantis—they were all incredibly excellent and very united humans. They were all good children who could coexist harmoniously with other races. It was just a pity that the living tribunal seemed to have determined that these cute children were 'defective products' and proceeded to purge them. No matter how much she tried to stop it, it was to no avail. They sent their most loyal executioners, the Celestials, to begin purging her cute children.
Even though she tried her best to stop it, it was futile, and she was sealed instead. What a ridiculous reason! Just because they did not meet their requirements, they wanted to destroy all life. These guys made Gaia furious to the extreme, but it was a pity she could not beat them, so she could only silently endure the endless loneliness. Fortunately, some time ago, a beam of light from who knows where caused part of Gaia's seal to shatter. Otherwise, she would have had absolutely no possibility of being unsealed. How truly grateful she was!
"What on Earth are you talking about?"
Because of the protection from Captain and Tony, Nick, who had not been killed by falling from mid-air, felt something was wrong upon hearing Gaia's questioning. You were clearly the one who destroyed our city, so why are you lecturing us like some old nanny? So many people died at the hands of the monsters related to you; should you not be responsible for this? Tiny and ignorant humans? The last Asgardian prince who said that, I heard, is already dead.
"You are truly too tiny; have you not even noticed this much?"
Seeing Nick, who was full of confusion and questioning her, a flash of pity flickered in Gaia's eyes. These poor guys still did not know that they were nothing more than experiments. Unlike the previous Eternity race, who had long ago discovered the existence of the living tribunal and the Celestials and used technology and strength to ensure the continuation of their race, the Little guys in front of her had no idea of the other party's existence and only knew how to kill each other.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Nick understood less and less how the other party's brain worked. This included the people who had stood up and gathered together, guarding against Gaia's next move; they were also all bewildered. They simply could not understand what this person meant. Was she trying to humiliate them? It did not seem like it. From her tone of disappointment, everyone was very confused, but Nick felt like he had grasped something, though it was very vague and unclear.
"Forget it, telling you won't change anything."
Towards this generation of Earth's rulers, Gaia wore an expression of 'My child, Mother is very disappointed in you.' Gaia began to walk towards the ocean. The Avengers, whose strength was simply no match for the other party, could only watch helplessly as she 'coolly' left their line of sight, completely disregarding them.
"What should we do, Director."
Watching Gaia leave their line of sight, Hill stepped forward and spoke to Nick, but her meaning was already very clear. How could they just let the other party leave? It would not be easy to explain to the government. This time, hundreds of thousands of lives in Manhattan had vanished in an instant. If Nick did not have a good reason... oh no! Even if Nick had a good reason this time, he really would not be able to continue as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Let's go back and regroup first! Ladies and gentlemen, we have more important tasks."
Nick was very dissatisfied with this result, having neither asked about the hidden meaning of the other party's words nor found out her identity. But there was no help for it; he could not let this group of people, who had been fighting for nearly eight hours and were exhausted, go into battle. That would not be fighting; it would be going to their deaths. Moreover, most importantly, the other party's attitude could be discerned now: if you do not provoke her, she will not touch you. For now, it was better to hurry and be the 'punching bag'—oh no! 'Public venting machine' was a more suitable term.
"Special Agent Hill, if I am not around, you will act as my proxy."
There was no other way; Nick could only arrange it this way. He decided it would be better to hand over the position of Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. to his trusted aide. The dark forces within the agency had not yet been completely cleared out. If possible, he had to step down from the conspicuous position of Director to lure those big fish out of the water.
"Are you sure? This isn't a joke, is it?"
Upon hearing Nick Fury's words, Hill's first reaction wasn't surprise or happiness. She looked at Nick Fury with an expression that said, "Are you sure you aren't kidding me?" The position of Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was like a hot potato right now; whoever touched it would be unlucky. Especially since there were so many tasks, and some required taking the blame. Hill was not very willing to sit in that position.
"Do you think I'm joking?"
With a meaningful look from his one eye at Hill, Nick Fury smiled and turned to leave. He could finally put this burden down. At this moment, Nick Fury's heart was light. He didn't have to take the blame anymore, didn't have to be infuriated by those guys whose brains were full of lard, and didn't have to face the President's sour face anymore. This was the last time he would take the blame.
After Gaia left, a golden circle silently opened in the sky. The Ancient One poked her head out, watched Gaia's departing figure, then glanced at the place where the Avengers had left. Finally, she shook her head helplessly and left this once-prosperous city.
"I, Gaia, have returned."
Gaia quickly arrived at the seaside. Looking at the beautiful ocean, a hint of nostalgia flashed in her eyes. A vast divine power began to erupt from her body, and her single sentence reached the ears of everyone with power within the Nine Realms.
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