Confused and unwilling, Corvus Glaive—one of the feared members of the Black Order—had perished just like that.
If he had known how things would end, he would never have come to Nidavellir in the first place. What was supposed to be a simple mission had turned into a fatal encounter with the Kryptonian known as Superman.
If fate had given him another choice, Corvus Glaive would have gladly boarded the mission heading to Earth instead.
Ironically, that exact mission was proceeding far more smoothly.
While Corvus Glaive met his unfortunate end among the dwarves, another servant of Thanos was already making remarkable progress.
His name was Loki.
…..
…..
Earth.
An isolated research base operated by S.H.I.E.L.D. sat in a remote region, surrounded by layers of security and hidden beneath advanced defensive systems.
For decades, this facility had served a single purpose.
It existed to study the mysterious cosmic artifact known as the Tesseract.
S.H.I.E.L.D., an organization dedicated to handling strange phenomena and extraterrestrial threats, had long recognized the immense potential contained within the glowing blue cube. The artifact possessed nearly limitless energy.
Their goal was simple.
Harness that energy.
By studying the Tesseract, they hoped to develop weapons and technologies that could push human civilization into an entirely new era.
What they never anticipated, however, was that the Tesseract's immense energy had already attracted attention from beings countless light-years away.
One such being was Thanos.
Hum!
A sudden ripple distorted the air above the base.
The space itself twisted violently before opening into a swirling wormhole.
A figure stepped through.
Loki had arrived.
The God of Mischief emerged from the portal with perfect precision, having traveled across vast cosmic distances to appear directly inside the research facility.
He raised both arms and took a deep breath.
"Ah… the air here is wonderful," Loki said with a relaxed sigh. "No wonder my foolish brother managed to find himself a girlfriend on this planet."
His casual tone sharply contrasted with the reaction of the surrounding S.H.I.E.L.D agents.
The moment they saw the stranger appear from thin air, every weapon in the room was raised.
"Who the hell are you?" one agent shouted.
Loki glanced around with an amused smile.
"Pathetic humans," he said calmly. "Do you realize you are pointing weapons at a god?"
"A god?"
The agents exchanged shocked glances.
They had heard stories about Thor, the god of thunder, who once appeared during the New Mexico incident. If that legend was true, then the man standing before them might indeed be another being from the same realm.
Loki smiled coldly.
Thor might have been the mighty god of thunder, but Loki possessed his own power. He was the god of mischief and lies, a master shapeshifter and a natural magician.
Even if he was considered relatively weak among the gods of Asgard, his strength still far exceeded that of ordinary humans.
With the psychic scepter in his hand, Loki held the situation completely under control.
Whoosh!
A beam of energy shot out.
Several S.H.I.E.L.D agents were struck instantly and collapsed to the ground before they could react.
Hum!
At that moment, alarms began blaring throughout the entire base.
Red warning lights flashed as the facility shifted into emergency lockdown.
S.H.I.E.L.D Director Nick Fury rushed toward the central chamber, his expression growing darker with every step.
When he arrived, the sight before him made his heart sink.
The room was in chaos.
Several agents were already dead, while two others stood silently beside Loki.
"Agent Barton… Hawkeye, what's wrong with you?" Nick Fury demanded. "Why aren't you attacking?"
His gaze then shifted toward another familiar face.
"Dr. Erik… you too?"
Shock flickered across Fury's face.
Both Hawkeye and Dr. Erik Selvig were trusted members of his team. Yet now they stood calmly beside Loki with empty expressions, as if they had become obedient puppets.
The reason was obvious.
Mind control.
The psychic scepter in Loki's hand had the power to dominate a person's will.
"Quiet," Loki said lazily. "Attack him."
The command was given casually.
But the effect was immediate.
Hawkeye drew his bow and fired an arrow directly toward his superior.
Nick Fury barely managed to dodge.
"Damn it!"
He turned and ran, abandoning the Tesseract chamber without hesitation.
While retreating through the corridors, Fury activated his communicator.
"All personnel, this is Director Fury. Maximum alert," he said urgently. "Agent Barton and Dr. Selvig have been compromised by unknown mind control. The hostile entity possesses advanced psychic abilities."
Suddenly the ground beneath his feet began shaking.
The entire facility trembled violently.
Fury's expression changed instantly.
"Damn it… they've moved the Tesseract."
He spoke rapidly into the communicator.
"Agent Phil Coulson, assemble a team and block the exit routes immediately. Everyone else begin evacuation procedures now!"
Before he could finish giving orders, the situation worsened.
Boom!
Massive cracks spread across the walls.
The earthquake-like tremors intensified as the underground structure began collapsing under its own weight.
"Move!" Fury shouted.
By the time he reached the surface and jumped into an armored vehicle, the research base had already begun caving in.
Within seconds, the entire facility collapsed.
A massive sinkhole swallowed the building, leaving nothing but debris behind.
Fury clenched his fists as he listened to the latest report over the radio.
"Director, the mission failed," a voice said. "The team assigned to block the exit has been captured. The enemy escaped with the Tesseract."
"Damn it…"
Fury's face darkened with anger.
"That bastard calls himself a god," he muttered. "What does he think Earth is? Some kind of backyard playground?"
Standing nearby, Agent Phil Coulson spoke carefully.
"Director… it may be time to initiate the Avengers Initiative."
"The Avengers…"
Fury repeated the words slowly.
In response to the increasing number of supernatural events and extraterrestrial threats, S.H.I.E.L.D had secretly developed a long-term contingency plan.
A team composed of extraordinary individuals.
Superheroes.
Their mission would be to defend Earth from dangers that ordinary soldiers could never handle.
"The Avengers Initiative," Fury said quietly. "Very well. Begin contacting potential candidates immediately. We're going to need every superhero we can find."
For a moment, Fury fell silent.
A distant memory surfaced in his mind.
From his coat pocket, he removed a small electronic device resembling a pager.
It was an old piece of technology.
Decades ago, a powerful woman had given it to him before leaving Earth.
Her final words still echoed in his memory.
"If Earth ever faces an irreversible crisis, activate this pager. It will find me."
Fury stared at the device for a long time.
"I hope I never have to use this," he whispered.
What he didn't know was that the pager would remain unused for many years.
Only when Thanos himself finally arrived on Earth—and erased half of all life in the universe with a snap of his fingers—would Fury press the button.
…..
…..
At that very moment, another threat was approaching.
Far beyond Earth.
At the outer edge of the solar system, space rippled as a massive fleet emerged from warp travel.
It was the Kree Empire.
Dozens of enormous warships moved in formation, their metallic hulls gleaming under distant starlight. The fleet advanced through space like a tidal wave of steel.
Inside the command ship, Accuser Mywell stood with his arms crossed.
His cold gaze was fixed on the distant blue planet ahead.
"Earth," he said slowly.
"We've arrived."
He turned toward the fleet officers and issued the next order.
"Begin scanning the planet immediately. Locate the exact positions of the Inhumans."
The crew obeyed instantly.
Mywell continued speaking with a ruthless expression.
"Once the Inhumans are successfully recovered, we will begin the attack."
His eyes narrowed as he stared at Earth.
"When the time comes, this planet will disappear from the solar system."
His voice carried a chilling certainty.
"I will make sure every civilization in the galaxy understands the cost of betraying the Kree Empire."
....
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