[ Contact with objects of extraordinary nature detected ]
[ Item: Tesseract ]
[ Extraordinary Characteristic: Primal Energy ]
[ Grade: Excellent ]
[ Consume 1 Extraordinary Characteristic Point to replicate Excellent-Grade Characteristic, "Primal Energy?" ]
[ Item: Infinity Stone of Space ]
[ Extraordinary Characteristic: Primordial Law of Space — Universe Tier Authority ]
[ Grade: Mythical ]
[ Consume 10 Extraordinary Characteristic Points to replicate Mythical-Grade Characteristic, "Primordial Law of Space — Universe Tier Authority?" ]
"…"
"…"
Cough.
Brother system… I think there's a bug in your prompt…
"…"
"…"
The Tesseract is one of the Marvel Universe's single most powerful objects, said to contain near-infinite energy, and, on top of that, a sort of container that also houses one of the Infinity Stones, the Space Stone. These stones, or gems, are essentially the laws that bind the very cosmos, each tied to a fundamental aspect of the universe—space, time, reality, mind, soul, and power—powers even gods covet.
To the casual observer, the Tesseract looks like a simple glowing blue cube—a harmless source of energy. But to those who know how to wield it, it is a relic of unimaginable power, capable of shaping events, even on a universal scale. Absolutely not something to be underestimated.
Maverick had had his target on this seemingly harmless—but actually terrifying—little thing for a long time now, ever since his system had awakened and he understood its cheat-like abilities. After all, what transmigrator to the Marvel Universe wouldn't covet the Infinity Stones?
Especially him, with a cheat so convenient. But thinking about it is one thing, and getting his hands on it is another. Even for him, who had more or less foreknowledge of the Marvel Universe and when and where the Infinity Stones would make their appearances, he had always kept in mind that it might not be easy.
This was his first encounter with one, and, surprisingly, it turned out to be far less complicated than he expected. No cosmic gods were suddenly popping out of wormholes to warn him to leave it alone, not even the bald lady—who, honestly, he had fully expected to appear from some dimensional corner, wagging a finger at him. Anyway, he now had it in his hands without causing much of a ruckus and, dare say, probably—maybe—without creating any branches in the timeline.
His system—his cheat—allowed him to replicate extraordinary characteristics, or basically copy powers, abilities, or the unique traits of objects, once every year. Or at least, that's what he had thought… until now. In the past, it had always taken one Extraordinary Point to replicate a single trait of an extraordinary object, but the prompts flashing before his eyes made it clear that was no longer the case. Then again, until this moment, he hadn't yet come across any object—magical, cosmic, or technological—that qualified as mythical grade.
Heck, he was still not sure how the system even determined an object's grade. A wand, for instance—something so common in the wizarding world—could be rated as excellent by the system, while now the Tesseract—the so-called source of infinite energy—was also showing as merely excellent. How could one even compare a wand to the Tesseract of all things? It was infuriating not understanding it, and, to be honest, he had long since given up trying to figure out how the system ranked items.
That said, his cheat was by no means simple, and he really had no complaints about its abilities. The only problem was that it couldn't even provide a basic answer—not a simple yes or no—beyond the standard prompts it spat out. Basically, his system was OP AF, but at the same time, it was also completely mentally retarded.
Now, to the matter at hand: the reason he was word-struck, confused, and annoyed—or just simply pissed off—was precisely this. Apparently, mythical-grade characteristics require ten damn points to replicate. He had always assumed it would take just one, regardless of the grade. After all, there hadn't been any difference between basic grade and excellent grade, so it should be the same for the grade above them, right? Apparently not.
On the other hand, having to wait a single decade, stacking points to replicate a fundamental law of the universe—was that really such a big deal? Of course not. Having the power of even a single Infinity Stone means one has complete dominion over the primordial law it represents. Even if it is within a single universe, you are basically mastering one of its fundamentals. Deep down, Maverick was well aware of this, but it's just—having experienced the system's omnipotence until now—he was just… frustrated.
The Space Stone was in his grasp; he had it. And yet, the system says, try again later.
"Ricky…"
"RICKY!"
Isabella kept calling his name, watching him lost in thought for a while now.
"I can hear you, honey…"
He wasn't deaf, and although his focus was on the system, he was fully aware of his surroundings—just, again, word-struck.
"What's the matter then? You've been staring at this glowing cube for over a minute now…"
"I know… I know…" he sighed. He wouldn't be telling anyone about the system, even if it was his fiancée. "I'm just trying to figure out what this is, honey. Give me a sec more…"
Isabella crossed her arms, puffed her cheeks, but nodded nonetheless, and Maverick focused back on the prompts.
Well, on the bright side, my lifespan isn't short, he thought. Ten points, ten years—doesn't sound like much. Besides, even if he couldn't replicate the Space Gem, he still wanted to check out the other characteristic: Primal Energy. The heck does Primal Energy even mean?
[ Consume 1 Extraordinary Characteristic Point to replicate Excellent-Grade Characteristic, "Primal Energy?" ]
Whatever. Again, if only this mentally retarded system had a little ChatGPT or something installed in its interface, he could ask. Unfortunately, he could only learn about the characteristics, see the system notes, only after replicating—meaning after consuming Extraordinary Characteristic Points.
Anyways, it was still excellent grade, and it was the bloody Tesseract. Surely it can't be bad. Besides, primal, it sounds pretty awesome.
[ YES ]
Just as he expected, he saw next moment the system's way of informing him it had something else in mind, much like what had happened when he replicated the Extraordinary Characteristic of Scamander's suitcase.
[ Unable to replicate integratable Extraordinary Characteristic! ]
[ Converting Extraordinary Characteristic to an integratable state. ]
[ Conversion complete. ]
[ New Extraordinary Characteristic: Magical Energy ]
[ Replicating Extraordinary Characteristic. ]
[ Extraordinary Characteristic: Excellent-Grade, Magical Energy - (unfused) ]
"…"
"…"
The… heck is this?
Do I look like I lack magical energy… wait!
He suddenly thought of something and immediately dismissed the prompts in his head and turned to Isabella.
"Honey, we're making a quick stop back to Earth, and I need to be alone for a while…"
Isabella was taken aback by his sudden decision, but seeing his solemn expression, she nodded quietly, without protest. One of the things Maverick liked most about her was that she didn't pry, only asking questions when he chose to share details in situations like this. And this wasn't his first time bailing from her side all of a sudden, and she had always shown an understanding attitude to his actions.
"Thank you," he said, and right there on the spot, opened a portal back to Earth—specifically to Isabella's father's private island in Alaska.
"Just… stay there for a bit, okay? Hopefully I won't be long. A couple of minutes, maybe, but if it's taking too long, you can apparate back home until I find you."
"I know… I know," Isabella said, sighing and waving her hand. "I'll stay here for a while. But don't forget that Danvers and Fury are still captured by those aliens."
"Don't worry, I haven't," Maverick replied, giving her a thumbs-up before apparating, his vision changing before he reappeared somewhere else, far, far from there—in Antarctica.
Isabella was right—Fury and his group were still captured, held captive by the Kree. Even though Maverick was confident things would turn out okay, he still didn't want to leave it all to chance. Just before portaling back to Earth, he had sensed Danvers' presence spiking, growing stronger. That meant she was likely finishing her confrontation with the Supreme Intelligence in her mind, awakening her true potential as the future Ms. Marvel.
Right. Let's get this over with quickly.
[ Extraordinary Characteristic: Excellent-Grade, Magical Energy – (unfused) ]
Fuse!
"…"
It was… a strange feeling. Like the satisfaction of drinking a cold, refreshing cup of water after being parched for days. But he wasn't thirsty, per se—it was just… invigorating. His whole body felt alive, flushed with energy, yet strangely comfortable at the same time.
And the sensation came and went quickly, leaving nothing behind except that fleeting feeling. Anticlimactic, for lack of a better word—so much so that by the end, he wasn't even sure anything really special had happened at first.
No… He shook his head. I feel… different. Stronger? No, that's not it as well—strength isn't the right word. It's more like the rush of power after advancing a rank.
"Could it be?" His eyes widened for a moment before he quickly willed the status panel to appear before him.
[ Name: Maverick Caesar ]
[ Class: Wizard ]
[ Rank: Arch-Magus ]
[ Magical Energy: 33,096+ ]
[ Points: 7,742 ]
[ Extraordinary Characteristic Points: 0 ]
[ Extraordinary Characteristics: ]
[ Excellent grade: Spellcasting, Independent Expanded Dimension, Flight, Vitality, True Concealment, Cosmic Voidgate Conduit ]
[ Talents: ]
[ Magical Energy Manipulation (Master +) ]
[ Magical Sense (Master +) ]
[ Spacial Rift (Advanced +) ]
[ Dominant Spirit (Advanced +) ]
[ Nature Energy Manipulation (Advanced +) ]
[ Transfiguration (Advanced +) ]
[ Alchemy (Advanced +) ]
[ Potions (Intermediate +) ]
[ Eldritch Meditation (Advanced +) ]
[ Spells: ]
[ Aquired Master Proficiency: ]
[ Fiendfyre + | Apparition + | Illusio Lunam Lectorem + ]
[ Aquired Advanced Proficiency: ]
[ Mirror Dimension + | Sling Ring Portal + | Astral Projection + | Eldritch Whips + | Crimson Bands + | Flames of the Faltine + | Bolts of Balthakk + | Shield of the Vishanti + | Crimson Bands of Cyttorak + | Flipendo + | Bombarda + | Bombarda Maxima + | Expelliarmus + | Sanare Vipra (Advanced healing) + | Protego + | Finite Incantatem + | Petrificus Totalus + | Stupefy + | PatronusCharm + | Episkey (Healing) + | Reparo + | Revelio + | Disillusionment + | Wingardium Leviosa + | Occlumency + | Legilimency + | Mirror World spell + | Confundus + ... ]
"Sure enough… just as I thought."
—————————
"…just as I thought."
There weren't any new traits or talents added to his extraordinary list this time after fusing the replicated characteristic, Magical Energy. What he got instead was a boost to his magical reserves. And he could feel it, thrumming through every ounce of his being, even if at first glance it didn't look like much.
No, on the contrary, it was a considerable increase—ten thousand, to be exact. The last time he had fused an extraordinary trait was half a year ago with the Sling Ring, and back then his magical energy sat at about 22,700. Then over the last six months, with nothing but his body's natural cultivation, that number had risen by about 400, reaching exactly 23,096—until just a few minutes ago. And now it had leapt to 33,096.
When he thought about it, ten thousand units—if he had to claw his way there by himself—meant years of grinding practice saved. So really, even if it wasn't enough to push him straight into Warlock rank, it was still a massive leap forward.
And if I'm not wrong…
He summoned the Tesseract into his hand again. It glowed in his palm, humming quietly, and he found himself grinning before he even realized it.
The same prompts were still there, both characteristics glowing like they were waiting for him. Normally, once he had already replicated a characteristic—say, his wand's Excellent-Grade Spellcasting—the system would mark it or otherwise let him know he could no longer replicate it for a second time. Even if it came from another wand, as long as it was the same grade, he couldn't copy it a second time.
But in this case, the Primal Energy trait was still flashing, showing it could be copied again. That meant as long as he had points, and was willing to spend them, he could keep replicating it. Ten thousand units of magical energy increase every year… that was enough to push him to Warlock in just two.
No, in just one year. By next year, if he wanted, he could do it. His system points were already nearing 8,000, and by then it would be well over 10,000.
So here it was—the headache of a choice: should he use the extraordinary characteristic point he would gain next year, spend his system points as well, and throw it all into leveling up?
To be honest, the system points were the trickiest part. Burning them felt… unwise. In his mind, using them to boost his talents and spell proficiency made far more sense than just pumping up his magical energy. Then again… if it meant evolving an entire rank, that didn't sound too bad either.
Practically, the only logical—and probably the most efficient—option was to hoard extraordinary characteristic points: first for two years to advance to Warlock, and then for ten consecutive years to attempt replicating the Sub-Universal Law of Space from the Space Gem.
He let out a long sigh. It was a big decision—and one he couldn't rush to make.
His gaze fell back onto the glowing cube in his hand once again, the Tesseract pulsing with otherworldly light and humming softly. "So… what am I going to do with you until then?" he murmured.
Should he let the cube follow its original trajectory? Or keep it, at least until he could replicate the Space Stone?
Again… decisions, decisions.
He rubbed his chin for a moment, then suddenly thought of an even better solution—one where the Cosmic Cube would stay with him until he could replicate the Space Stone, and at the same time…
---
Wush!
When Maverick returned, the first thing Isabella noticed was the obvious absence of the glowing blue cube. But while she was curious, time was too critical, as nearly half an hour had already passed since they had returned to Earth, and she was growing truly worried about Danvers and the others.
Even though it had only been a couple of days since meeting them, especially Danvers, her story had truly moved Isabella, stirring a deep sense of empathy for the space girl.
"No more hiding, right?" Isabella slipped her arm through his, watching inquiringly as he traced the familiar swirling motion. But just as her words settled, he paused halfway too, fingers hanging in the air before drifting to his chin.
"Ricky…?"
"Hmm… now that you mention it…" Maverick cast her a sideways glance and chuckled. Yes, now that he had what he wanted, and Danvers too was about to awaken her true potential, there was no longer any need to hide.
But first, the drip... cough cough cough...
And with that thought, his fingers danced through the air, first over Isabella, then over himself, ending in a crisp snap that sealed the gesture.
At his current level of proficiency in the talent, transfiguring small things like clothes or other non-living objects was easy, and the effects could last for hours, even an entire day. Moreover, if he continuously channeled his magic into them, the change would last even longer.
What he had just done was simply change their gear, after all, they had to look presentable, right?
Isabella's casual clothes gave way to a sleek black dress, one shoulder bare, falling to her knees, with dark fabric draped from the opposite side. Buckled boots grounded her look, while a wide-brimmed hat angled over her face, giving her an aura of elegance and marking her as every bit a captivating witch.
Maverick was clad in a black jacket over a dark vest, black trousers, and polished shoes. A slim leather strap crossed his chest, a pocket watch chain glinting at his waist, and a long dark coat draped over his shoulders. The ensemble gave him a mysterious, enigmatic aura—precisely the effect he wanted, not dangerous.
The change took only a few seconds. "Now, we're ready…" Maverick said, conjuring a mirror and nodding at their reflection.
"I'm not even going to ask how you came up with an outfit like this for me…" Isabella sighed, though the small smirk she tried to hide told him she liked what she saw.
The next moment, familiar orange sparks flared to life as Maverick traced a circle with his hand again, completing the passage to the Kree Imperial Space Station.
"Wait!"
Isabella pulled him back just as he was about to step forward, and this time he turned to her with a puzzled glance.
Under his raised brow, she twirled her wand playfully and tapped it against his tousled hair. At first, he thought she meant to fix it—until a black top hat with a single white band shimmered into place atop his head.
"Perfect," she said, returning his earlier nod and smirk.
Okay… her little touch suited his new look perfectly, and besides, he couldn't bring himself to argue with her anyway. With a chuckle and a shrug, he wove a thread of his own magic through her transfiguration, and together, hands locked, they stepped into the sparking portal.
---
Boom!
Crash!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Crash! Boom! Crash!
The interdimensional portal opened in the middle of the imperial spaceship, and as soon as Maverick and Isabella stepped through, they were hit by the roar of constant explosions and the crash of metal debris raining from every corner. The situation had clearly escalated, but first, they needed to figure out what was happening and what was causing all the chaos.
Fortunately, mages are the best equipped for situations like this. Extending his magical senses to cover the entire spaceship, Maverick first focused on where the noise was most intense and saw Carol Danvers, her whole body glowing like a human disco ball on steroids, radiating raw energy as she tore through Kree grunts one after another. It looked like she had finally tapped into her full power, but with so many of them, she was still having a bit of trouble keeping up.
Still, it looked more like a hassle than a serious problem. She didn't seem to be running out of energy anytime soon and just needed to get used to controlling it. His magical senses were practically screaming at him—her power was off the charts, radiating from her like nothing he had ever felt.
In other words, on Carol's side, she didn't seem to need any immediate help.
But on the other side, it was total carnage, with Fury, Maria, and Talos trading alien fire with a group of about ten Kree soldiers. The numbers were technically in the home team's favor, but most of the Skrulls weren't combat-trained, leaving it really just the three of Fury, Maria, and Talos holding the line behind a corner.
"Get your wand ready, hon…"
---
Time tracks back to about half an hour earlier…
After Yon-Rogg took control of the spaceship, the occupants were split into groups and taken to holding cells. Fury and Maria were put in one cell, while the group of Skrulls was placed in another nearby, all before the interrogations began. What they wanted was the Tesseract, which had somehow gone missing, and only once they had it could they get rid of their prisoners.
Meanwhile, Danvers' unconscious body was taken to a cabin, where she was covered rather than restrained, using Kree nanotech to… let's say, correct her mental state according to their needs. Even though she had gone rogue, she was still a walking, talking weapon of mass destruction—far too valuable for them to simply dispose of.
They wanted to brainwash her again, and the purpose of the nanotech was precisely that: for their supreme intelligence to attack her mentally, in other words, to erase the contradictory emotions she had for… well, anything besides the good of their galactic empire.
Unfortunately for them, they had still underestimated the dormant power Danvers had gained from the blast of Mar-Vell's lightspeed engine, something fuelled by the Tesseract itself. And coupled with her strong resolve to break free from their control, the mental battle between her and the Kree Empire's supreme intelligence eventually ended in Danvers' victory.
The first thing she did after waking up was fry the restraining chip on her neck and take full control of her body. With her dormant powers now awake, she basically skipped the beginner stage and jumped straight to boss-level strength, even if she didn't have perfect control yet. But it was still more than enough to take care of the few miscellaneous grunts guarding the cabin where she had been held captive.
After that, she didn't waste any time and went straight to rescue Fury and the others, telling them to take the Quinjet back to Earth. Yon-Rogg and his troops were still somewhere on the ship, searching for the Tesseract, and she was determined to finish the job. For her, revenge wasn't complete until she dealt with the man who had fooled her all these years.
Which brings the scene to the present: Danvers now battling Yon-Rogg and his entire troop, while Fury and his group being intercepted by another group of Kree soldiers on their way.
---
"Get down!" Fury shoved the green-skinned alien to the ground just as a blast of energy tore past, denting the metal wall behind them.
"Keep your head down and your trigger finger up!" He snapped at Talos without even looking, too busy tracking the ten freaks advancing toward them.
Explosions rocked the corridor, metal screaming under the relentless assault. On one side, ten blue-skinned aliens were closing in with triple the firepower, and on the other, Fury and his team found their corner had become a death trap.
Only three of them were actually shooting back—one because there was barely room to move, and two because the rest of the group were Skrulls, about as useful as wet cardboard with zero combat experience. Sparks flew and smoke curled as the three of them fired back at the advancing soldiers. Every shot bought a few precious seconds, but it was only delaying the inevitable.
"Damn it!" Fury ducked behind a bulkhead and spat a curse. "Where the hell is Danvers? Can't she hear all this firepower?"
"I think she might be a bit… occupied," Talos said, moving alongside Fury and Maria, firing in rhythm with them. "My ears are sharper than you humans. I can hear the exchange of fire clear across the ship."
"She'll come for us, I know it!" Maria also slammed her back against the wall as another blast streaked past, showering sparks over their shoulders. The aliens, they were getting closer and closer by the second. "We just need to hold on a little longer—just a little longer."
"You have nowhere to hide, terrorists. Lay down your weapons and surrender, and we'll consider giving you a painless death."
One of the Kree yelled between bursts of fire toward their corner, but Fury didn't even hesitate.
"FUCK… you, ugly blue-skinned bitch!"
"Human, this is not your war! Why do you interfere? You can't seriously think your primitive planet is sending anyone to your aid all the way here—"
Continuous firepower was cutting through the metallic corridor, both words and blasts flying back and forth between the two sides. But then, all of a sudden, a slow, rhythmic set of footsteps began to echo over the chaos.
Under normal circumstances, it should have been impossible to hear over all the noise, but somehow it cut through everything, as if someone had deliberately turned down the volume of the world around them.
Tuk…
Tuk…
Tuk…
Tuk…
The steps echoed louder, drawing nearer, and before long, both sides had lowered their weapons, caught in the strange, gripping tension.
Every head had turned instinctively toward the source.
It was two humans, a man and a woman, dressed in strangely elegant clothing, moving with a casual, almost leisurely gait that made the chaos around them feel absurdly out of place.
"Stop!"
The Kree snapped to attention first. The nearest raised its weapon and shouted, and like dominoes, the rest followed, ready to fire.
But their warning seems to have fallen on deaf ears, until they saw the female raise a strange object and point it at them. And in this situation, whatever it was, it was most likely a weapon.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
All ten of them opened fire without any further warning, even ignoring the enemies they had been trading shots with just moments ago. Their instincts screamed that these two had to be dealt with first, no matter the cost.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"An energy barrier?" one of them shouted over the firing, seeing what indeed appeared to be a shimmering wall of energy suddenly materialize between them.
"No… the female is gone!" another yelled, but it was already too late.
Petrificus Totalus!
The full-body binding hex shot from Isabella's wand in rapid succession—boom! boom! boom! boom!—striking each of them in turn. The moment they raised their weapons, she had already apparated above them, channeling her magic mid-air to rain destruction down. She was a Garling, after all, and though barely past her teens, she was already a Magus-ranked witch, trained by one of the best the wizarding world had to offer.
The ten Kree soldiers had no idea what hit them. They were still conscious, but their bodies were frozen, as if an invisible force had seized them in place. Not even their lips could move to form a sound.
The entire exchange took only a few seconds, and then, with a woosh, Isabella landed gracefully in the center.
Maverick nodded approvingly to her, a small smile playing on his lips. He walked past the frozen aliens to the center of the chamber, stopping in front of Fury and his team, then he tipped his hat.
"Agent…"
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?"
—————————
"You son of a bitch…" The words slipped out of his mouth like muscle memory, as the future director of S.H.I.E.L.D. forced himself upright. Pain flared through his ribs with every movement, but that still didn't stop him from nailing the hateful brat with a hard glare. Truth be told, he wanted to curse a whole lot more.
"We were damn near buried out here. I swear, if I find out you were just hiding in some goddam corner watching…"
Maverick tilted his head lazily, while a sly curve formed at the corner of his mouth. "Is that how S.H.I.E.L.D. agents thank people who drags them back from the brink?"
"We've only just arrived, Mr. Rude Uncle…" Isabella also stepped forward and positioned herself next to Maverick.
"Ricky, I don't know how long the aliens will remain bound under the hex… Do you want to add any measures of your own?"
Hmm...
At her words, he turned slightly, mulling it over while the others watched. For now, only Fury knew who they were, and the rest were still struggling to process what had just happened.
"They have no use…" Maverick said after a moment's thought. "…hmm, except perhaps…" he added, lowering his hand from his chin before stretching it forward in a sharp, flicking gesture toward the alien soldiers.
Actually, the communicators they carried looked useful, so he yanked them free from their arms without a shred of mercy.
A souvenir for Howard…. Even better if he could reverse-engineer them.
Then, as soon as the alien tech vanished into his system space, everyone present watched in stunned silence as all ten Kree soldiers suddenly erupted in eerie black flames.
Fyndfire was no ordinary magic—its power grew with the magic feeding it, and under Maverick's overwhelming magical energy, it devoured its prey with terrifying efficiency. Within seconds, not even ash remained. For the Kree, it could almost be called a mercy—they wouldn't have felt a thing.
As the black flames vanished, Maverick cast a sideways glance at Isabella, and seeing that her expression hadn't wavered, he smiled inwardly.
Turning back, he found Fury, Maria, and Talos much the same—the three of them didn't so much as bat an eye. Only the regular Skrulls seemed slightly unsettled, and even then, just a little.
Good. The last thing he wanted was to get dragged into a moral argument.
"I'm sorry, sir… who exactly are you again?" Maria finally couldn't keep it to herself and asked, looking at Maverick.
"That's right… I think some introductions are in order." Fury flicked his jacket at her question, capturing everyone's attention, then turned back to his group and gestured toward the duo.
"This… seemingly harmless man here, ladies, gentlemen, and aliens, is a supervisor at S.H.I.E.L.D.—the same agency I work for. In other words, one of us. And the young lady with him, the one who just saved our asses and won't stop calling me rude, is his fiancée."
He let that sink in for a beat, then arched an inquiring brow at Maverick. "Oh, and aren't you two… I don't know, just casually ignoring your own organization's secrecy rules or something… parading in front of civilians like it's a Sunday stroll?"
"Civilians?" he asked, then tilted his head slightly toward Isabella. "Honey, do you see any civilians?"
Isabella mirrored his expression and gave a small shrug.
"I get it..." Fury waved a hand dismissively. "Not my problem."
With that little episode over, Maverick's attention next turned to Talos, who was watching him warily.
Good instincts.
"You are Talos, the leader of your species?"
"I…" Talos suddenly felt an inexplicable jolt surge through his body as he tried to nod, but the moment he locked eyes with the elegantly dressed human male, it was like staring directly at an apex predator. That glare felt like it pierced him to the bone, momentarily even blacking out his vision. Dangerous. Extremely dangerous. His instincts screamed warnings through every fiber of his being, but then, just as quickly, the feeling vanished.
He swallowed dryly, staring at the deceptively harmless smile, and knew right then he had to answer every question truthfully.
"Talos…" his wife nudged him from the side, noticing his sudden trance.
"I'm fine," he told her, then turned back to Maverick. "I am… indeed their leader, Your Excellency," he said, his green forehead slick with sweat. "And I apologize for breaching your planet and making it a target for the Kree forces… because my people, my family—"
"I'm aware of your… particular situation, Skrull." Maverick cut him off. "For family, for survival, one can make the most desperate choices."
Everyone listened intently as Maverick spoke his mind. For Talos, however, Maverick's words felt far from just casual thoughts, and more like a verdict being passed down on him.
"You are looking for a new home now, are you not?"
"…we are," Talos replied truthfully.
"Then, once the Kree have been driven far from this planet, we will have much to discuss. If I'm not mistaken, the Kree have already requested aid from their Empire, and I overheard something about the Accusers' fleet that will be arriving soon…"
"The Accuser?" Talos's brows furrowed at the name. "Was it… the Accuser Ronan?"
"That's the name of the person the Kree contacted. Before I arrived, I happened to see one of your people—Morex, was it?—being attacked by this Kree right after he made contact with the other party named Ronan…"
Talos's eyes snapped wide. "What happened to Morex? Is he alive?"
"He will live. I stopped the last shot aimed at his head," Maverick continued. "He's hurt, and I offered to treat him, but he said he could handle it himself, so I didn't linger—I was in a hurry to get here. Fortunately, I made it just in time."
"Now hold on a damn second… did you just say you overheard a fleet is likely heading toward our planet? An actual fleet of intergalactic, world-conquering spaceships?" Fury's face darkened—true to his nature, he was already running through the worst-case scenarios—and this time, he was genuinely in shock.
"Talos, who is this Ronan, and what kind of firepower can we expect from him… in the worst-case scenario, in your opinion?" Ignoring Fury, Maverick asked the green-skinned expert in all things Kree.
Of course, Maverick also had some knowledge of the Kree Empire—and even of Ronan—but he didn't know which version they were dealing with. If it was just the same "boy" who came after Danvers and ran off like a coward in the Captain Marvel movie, he wasn't worried. But if it was a comic-book, overglorified version, then he was going to have to start making serious plans.
Everyone turned their attention to Talos, and he, in the most solemn voice began to tell what he knew about the accuser.
"Ronan… or rather, Ronan the Accuser, is not just some Kree warrior. He's one of the Empire's deadliest weapons. Trained from birth to enforce Kree law, he's a master of strategy, hand-to-hand combat, and armed warfare. His strength, precision, and ruthlessness are terrifying on a personal level—and he wields the Universal Hammer, a weapon capable of crushing anything it strikes."
"How powerful is this weapon—the Universal Hammer?" Maverick inquired.
"Very. This is only what I've heard from different sources, but apparently the weapon even enhances Ronan's physical strength to near demigod levels. Beyond that, it can fire concussive energy blasts strong enough to destroy large structures or decimate groups of enemies at a distance. It can absorb impacts, deflect energy attacks, and even generate force fields. Some say Ronan can use it to propel himself or hover in battle, giving him incredible mobility—like a certain prince famous across the galaxy. Basically, the hammer turns him into a one-man army."
"But what makes him truly dangerous isn't just him—or his weapon—it's the forces under his command. He leads legions of elite Kree soldiers, fanatically loyal, highly trained, and completely ruthless, just like him. His fleet alone—composed of Kree Imperial Cruisers—could blanket your planet's largest cities, each ship bristling with weapons capable of obliterating any of your so-called countries in minutes."
"Every soldier, every ship under him exists to execute his will. He doesn't hesitate. He doesn't negotiate. He conquers. He annihilates. And when he comes, resistance is simply futile."
"Surely that's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?" Maria asked, a bead of sweat running down the side of her face as she glanced around.
"I wish it were… I truly do. But on the bright side, I've never heard of him mobilizing his entire fleet at once. And this mission, if I'm not mistaken, was him coming to take out just us... not for conquest. And even if he wanted to, he would have to think twice, given whose dominion this planet falls under," Talos said after a moment's thought.
"Stop talking in cryptic language, Talos," Fury snapped, then turned to Maverick. "Fill me in, right now—but make it quick."
"It's not exactly a secret… Basically, Earth is under the protection of the All-Father Odin, the king of Asgard. We wizards have records of it, but even for us, it's been so long since the All-Father descended that, like you muggles, it's just a story now."
He didn't lie; during his travels around the world years ago, he had seen scriptures mentioning Asgard and especially Odin's wife, a witch of supreme rank. But they were only ever referred to as fables or legends—just like Merlin himself. Maverick, however, was certain they weren't.
A beat of silence passed through the dilapidated metal corridors as everyone absorbed the bombshell. Even Isabella looked at Maverick as if she had a thousand questions.
"We don't have time to talk about all that right now. And besides, I'm not willing to bet on some alien god coming to save our asses."
Having said that, Maverick was nevertheless certain that if Earth ever does face a real danger, then Asgard would not just sit idly by. But then again, Earth was not something any random Tom, Dick, or Harry could conquer either.
Heck, let alone Ronan — even if the entire Kree Empire was mobilized, Maverick was certain Earth could hold its ground without breaking a sweat. After all, he personally knew of two Supreme-rank powerhouses who called this planet home—overpowered beings who should be at least close to Odin's level. Well, that last part was just his guess. Either way, he had no intention of telling Fury or the others that.
On the contrary, a plan was already forming in his mind—something which, if he could carry it out seamlessly, would make his efforts to dismantle the secrecy laws of the magical world much easier next year.
"First aliens, then wizards and witches… and now I'm learning that my little girl's storybooks about gods were also based on true events?" Maria remarked, her voice a mixture of disbelief and exasperation. After all, in just a matter of days, her entire worldview had been shattered.
"I honestly don't know what to believe, or what not to believe now." Fury also sighed, but it didn't stop him from planning ahead. "Let's assume the worst first," he said, glancing between Maverick and Talos. "Because don't forget the Tesseract — the thing Danvers said was those blue-skinned freaks' top priority for coming here. Who's to say that Accuser son of a bitch won't make it his priority too, and mobilize his entire army?"
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Fury had a point, and if what Talos said was true, they needed to move fast. With that thought, Maverick's expression hardened, and he turned to Fury. "You need to leave this spaceship and head back to Earth first."
Maverick did not pause, and in the same breath, he opened a portal on the spot to where the Quinjet was waiting.
"Come on," he said leading the way, and the rest, now wearing equally solemn expressions, followed after him.
"STOP!"
Four grunts were stationed here as well, keeping watch. It seemed Yonrog wasn't taking any chances. Too bad for him, he hadn't counted on a wild card like Maverick interfering.
ARRRRRHHHHH!
It was a familiar scene. This time, though, Maverick didn't even bother yanking off their communicators, and just engulfed the Krees in hellfire on the spot, reducing them to nothingness.
And behind him, the group—who had at first been taken aback by what looked like an ambush—now stared at his back with a mix of awe and reverence. No matter how much they all hated the Kree, the way they had just… disappeared—just like that—still left them dry-mouthed, if only for a moment.
"Go. I will go and find Danvers, help her deal with Yon-Rogg, and follow back."
Fury made no argument and walked ahead, because he was the most eager to return, to contact his boss as soon as possible. Talos, after casting Maverick one last glance, also followed inside with the group of Skrulls trailing behind.
Only Maria lingered at the rear for a moment, as before heading back, she wanted to ask about her friend.
"She'll be fine. If it makes you feel any better, her newfound powers even allow her to survive in deep space and travel faster than most ships. Getting back to Earth won't be a problem for her."
Maverick's assurance eased her worries, and with that, she too followed the rest, leaving only Isabella behind with him.
In the original story, Fury and his group had only barely escaped, with multiple Kree pods hot on their tail. But that obviously wouldn't be the case this time.
That said, the total number of soldiers that Yon-Rogg had brought seems to be far greater than the numbers that was depicted in the movie.
What Maverick had dealt with was only a small fraction, and most were on Yon-Rogg's side, trying to take down Danvers. It hadn't even been ten minutes since Maverick and Isabella returned, yet from the looks of it, Danvers had already taken down most of the Kree troops. And now, only a few of their elite soldiers remained, ganging up on her alongside Yon-Rogg himself.
According to Marvel comics, even the average Kree are significantly stronger than baseline humans. They are the product of advanced evolution on a high-gravity world, making them a classic example of a "superior" alien race.
Skrulls are only slightly stronger than humans, whereas the Kree are several times stronger than a Skrull. However, they are still not as strong as Asgardians. In other words, the average Kree can be considered a super-soldier by human standards. Not to mention, the troops following Yon-Rogg were trained warriors, making them even more formidable than the average Kree.
(A/N: I'm not randomly gaslighting here—read the lore if you don't believe me.)
It just goes to show that even if Danvers wasn't yet fully in control of her powers, she was already operating on a completely different level.
After seeing off the Quinjet, Maverick and Isabella didn't linger long and immediately turned their attention to the other side of the ship.
From his magical sense, Maverick saw that only a few remained: one was a female Kree, another had afro-blue hair and a strangely built frame even for an alien, and two more, equally odd-looking, along with Yon-Rogg himself, were left pinning Danvers in from all sides.
Well, not for long.
"Keep your focus…" he said, glancing briefly at Isabella with a fond, steady gaze before turning back toward the fight.
And then, his eyes snapped open, his pupils contracted, and from the depths of his soul, the might of his dominance manifested, pouring outward as a relentless force that unleashed itself across the entire Imperial cruiser.
—————————
"Huff… huff…"
Her chest heaved, shoulders rising and falling as her eyes swept over the figures surrounding her. Once, they had been her companions… once, he had been her mentor… once, they were the ones she had fought side by side with across star systems. It would be a lie to say she had never felt genuine camaraderie with them. She had—once.
And yet… now, she felt nothing. Years of lies. Years of manipulation. The "guidance" she had been given, she realized now, was nothing more than a cage, made to hold her back and keep her under their thumb.
Not anymore. Her resolve was burning at this moment, fueled by memories of the days she had been deceived, and so was the source of her power within her. They would fall—she would make them fall. Her eyes narrowed squarely on her so-called mentor. Just like the countless traitors who had betrayed her, now scattered dead or groaning across the metal floor, he too would pay the price.
"I never thought the dog I fed all these years would turn on me like this."
Yon-Rogg, panting, scanned the ruined hangar and let out a bitter laugh, his cold eyes locking back onto Danvers. "I wanted to take you back at first, to reprogram you. But I've changed my mind now, ungrateful woman."
Danvers ignored their taunts, pausing only to catch her breath. She still had juice left, but her power and her stamina were two different things. The relentless fighting and dodging were starting to take their toll. After all, she had only recently awakened her abilities, and she hadn't even had the chance for any real practice before being thrown straight into this life-or-death situation.
"I told you from the start we should have gotten rid of her…" another, the only female Kree among them growled at Yon-Rogg upon hearing he had finally changed his mind. Then, sliding a fresh charge into her weapon, she levelled it at Danvers. "Maybe we won't get to enjoy torturing you," she snarled. "But once you're dead, we'll hunt down your terrorist friends next, and your two human pets."
Yon-Rogg made no arguments, and neither did the others. Among the many who had fallen, or died, at Danvers' hands today, there were those who had genuinely been their companions. Kree or not, they were living beings, and bonds were bound to form. And just as easily, hatred could take root when those bonds were broken, especially by betrayal.
And Yon-Rogg wasn't lying when he said his orders had only been to capture her. Even as he watched countless men fall to her photon blasts, he had never once struck to kill her. It wasn't compassion or anything, and it wasn't because she had once been his pupil. He had held back for one reason only: to control her. To take back control of what he saw as the perfect weapon.
Until now. Five were all that was left, including him, out of the hundreds under his command that he had spent years training. More importantly, if they didn't take her down, it would be them who died by her hands.
Meanwhile, Danvers felt her breath return and finally readied herself to strike again, her fists blazing with raw energy. Her opponents likewise mirrored her stance for the final battle, where only one side would walk away.
"No mercy!" the Kree commander said coldly, eyes locked on her, then signalled his troops into formation. "Attack…kill her!"
Hah!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Blasts of energy and photon beams tore through the chamber in opposite directions, shaking the walls as sparks flew and chunks of metal crashed to the floor.
While his comrades carried ranged weapons, one Kree soldier favored blades as his main, and lunged forward, the swing humming with lethal energy, aiming to slice her in half. Subsequently, another blast came straight for her head, and Danvers ducked just in time, barely avoiding the swinging blade as its wind brushed her hair.
"You will die here, traitor!" the Kree snarled.
"Keep convincing yourself of that, Korath," Danvers shot back. She countered in the same motion, and a short burst of photon energy that slammed into him, knocking him off balance. Sparks flew as his armor hissed under the impact, but the blast still didn't pierce the advanced plating over his skin—not yet.
But there was no time to think, as she was one against five Kree elites, and they were now truly trying to kill her. So in that same breath, she twisted her body as another Kree had aimed a high-energy shot straight at her chest.
Hah!
She rolled behind a toppled section of the chamber's ceiling, the metal groaning under the sudden impact. Taking advantage of the cover and ignoring the Kree who had just fired at her, she unleashed another burst in the same direction as before—straight at Korath, who was struggling to get back on his feet.
"Move!"
His comrade tried to warn him, but the photon blast was too fast. It struck Korath squarely in the shoulder between the armor plates, and this time, he must have truly felt the full brunt of it, letting out a growling scream before crashing backwards.
Korath!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Kree were now down to four, but it only made their attacks grow even more ferocious. Photon beams and energy blasts tore through the chamber and out into the open, sparks flying everywhere, while the imperial cruiser trembled in its dying breaths.
"You cannot win, Danvers!" Yon-Rogg shouted through the chaos, firing consecutive blasts that left deafening booms with every dodge Danvers made.
In a fight like this, Yon-Rogg himself was by far the most dangerous to Danvers, so she had always tried to keep her distance from him. Coupled with his enhanced physique and mastery of close combat, Yon-Rogg also possessed advanced technological gear unique for a Kree commander, that granted him buggy abilities like minor gravity manipulation and force field generation, on top of the standard Kree weapons capable of projecting energy blasts.
Moreover, she herself had been personally taught by him, and she knew better than anyone the nasty tricks he kept up his sleeve in close combat—just how truly formidable he was.
Of course, if it came down to a one-on-one fight, with her newly awakened abilities, she could take him; at most, it would only be troublesome. However, with four elite Kree soldiers flanking her from all sides, it wouldn't be easy. Therefore, keeping him for last was her best option, and it would only be a matter of time.
The sound of Yon-Rogg's frustrated shout only made her grin, and she pressed her offensive even harder.
"I can keep this up all day, old teacher!" she shouted back from behind a wreckage. At the same time, energy crackled around her arms, and with a sharp outward sweep to her left and right, she unleashed twin blasts toward two of the Kree soldiers hiding behind some twisted metal.
Boom!
Boom!
Chance!
Just as the photon beams crashed into the rubble, her lips curled into a smile, when suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she spotted the female Kree dashing from cover to cover, and she charged her hands again to strike.
It was at that moment, just when she prepared to lunge with her fist, that her body froze all of a sudden, as if her movements had come to an abrupt halt.
Subsequently, her pupils shrank to pinpoints, and a chill ran down her spine.
Rumble!
Something… an incomprehensible force, in that moment, had crashed into her head like a hammer smashing her skull. And it wasn't just her. The four remaining Kree, too, whether moving or was ducking behind toppled wreckage, were now rooted in place, as if their bodies had been gripped by an unseen, suffocating force.
Rumble!
The entire crumbling chamber groaned, vibrating as if the ship itself were about to tear apart. At first, that's what they thought, that the Imperial Cruiser was about to explode. But then came the realization: what does that… have to do with why they were feeling like their entire bodies were being pressed down by an invisible force.
Crack!
Crack… shatter… crack.
Amid the solemn atmosphere that had now engulfed every living soul inside the chamber, they were suddenly startled by the sound of something breaking, like a large piece of ice shattering. It was loud—very loud—and, albeit groggily, they still managed to turn their heads toward where the sound was coming from.
Everyone here had seen all kinds of strange things while strolling through the galaxy; even Danvers—though it was only a few years for her—had still seen plenty of the crazy the universe had to offer. But none of it compared to what they were seeing now.
How could seemingly nothing break... out of nowhere?
They saw, at the center of the now-wrecked large chamber they were in, suspended in mid-air, the space itself form a literal crack in a horizontal line, like a crack in glass. And then, just as they thought it couldn't get any more bizarre, that crack began to expand vertically, like a mouth opening, and gradually turned into what could only be described as a rift—a very, very unscientific space rift.
Boom!
That heavy, suffocating pressure suddenly felt as if it had doubled, like an invisible rain pouring down on them, and of the four Kree still conscious, two simply couldn't handle it anymore—they rolled their eyes back and passed out.
Now, only Yon-Rogg, the female Kree, and Danvers were conscious, but they too were barely holding onto their senses.
"What… is… that…?"
The female Kree managed to voice aloud what was on all three of their minds: What exactly was this rift in space? What was causing this pressure, as if a mountain were pressing down on them?
Or could it be?
Yon-Rogg suddenly had a bad premonition. This planet, C-53, was also the dominion of God King Odin. Was it he who was descending?
Before coming, he had thought—and was sure—that their actions would not alert Asgard enough to send its army to retaliate. It was no secret across the universe that Odin, once hailed as a tyrant, was now playing the benevolent king, avoiding conflicts with other superpowers.
Therefore, coupled with all that reasoning, unless someone crossed Asgard's bottom lines, Yon-Rogg was confident that the dignified god-king would not take any action simply because someone had stopped by one of his territories.
Not to mention, this wasn't the first time the Kree had visited this planet.
Haaah!
Suddenly, he heard Danvers let out a loud, long inhale, as if she had been holding her breath, and he turned his head. Upon looking, he saw that her earlier solemn expression was gone now, and she was getting back to her feet, even casually brushing some dust off her uniform.
Is she no longer feeling this suffocating pressure? he thought.
Her gaze then fixed on the inexplicable rift that had opened in the middle of the room, and he followed her sight back to it, only to see that there now seemed to be some kind of silhouettes inside it.
Humanoid. Could it be that my calculations were wrong, and the All-Father was really coming?
No… His brows furrowed.
The silhouettes were becoming clearer, and... surely they couldn't be Asgardian. Asgardians do not dress like that.
Earthlings, perhaps? No, that's even more improbable. The Supreme Intelligence does not have any record of demigods (≈Warlock) or a God-King (≈Supreme) level beings residing on this rock.
Despite the one-sided predicament he was in, his mind had not stopped analyzing the situation.
Gradually, the silhouettes became clearer to him. They were a male and a female, obviously close, judging from the way the female's arm was around the male.
He kept his head up, and while barely managing under the pressure, he still wanted to see who—or what—was coming out of there.
One thing was certain: they did not look familiar to him. Not their faces—the universe was too vast to recognize someone by face—but judging from what one wore, it was easier to narrow down. On most planets, residents had a distinct style, like a uniform they would wear when venturing across other worlds. It was an unspoken rule of the universe.
And just then, he saw the male slowly turn in his direction, eyes half-open, while the female, on the other hand, looked the opposite way—toward the traitor.
Yon-Rogg didn't know what came over him when he raised his eyelids to meet the strangers. But when their gazes crossed, he felt only… indifference. Naked, blatant indifference, as if those pairs of eyes were looking at something… lesser.
For a second, he didn't know whether to feel fortunate or unfortunate—having survived those bottomless eyes, or having been looked down upon by them.
The gaze lingered for only a fraction of a second on him, before turning to Danvers' side, and then… he saw the stranger, as if recognizing an acquaintance, tug a smile at her.
That… was not a good sign, he thought grimly—a bad premonition jolting through his already heavily pressured body.
---
"I'm guessing you took so long not because you had to change your outfits?" Danvers smiled at Maverick, looking over both of them—the couple.
"I was… farming," Maverick shrugged, while behind them, the open rift slowly closed, like fabric being patched.
"Farming?"
"Don't ask… even I have trouble with the language he uses sometimes…" Isabella waved her hand, hopping over some Kree before coming to her side.
"Let me fix that for you…"
Scourgify!
Meanwhile, Maverick glanced across the room and made a quiet tsk, looking at the bloodbath she had created in just a matter of minutes. Kree blood was blue, so perhaps it wasn't as gruesome as one would think, but still, from a rough count, there were at least a hundred.
He looked at the two Kree again. The female looked like she would pass out any moment, while Yon-Rogg still had his head half-raised, looking at him with reverence.
Commendable willpower.
Maverick's dominance was still pressing down, but focused solely on the two of them. Hmm—one now, because the female Kree had just fallen on her face, unconscious.
Ignoring the intensifying glare coming from Yon-Rogg, Maverick turned back to Danvers. "Maria, Fury, and Talos with his group are on their way back to Earth, and I came to get you." Turning again to the Kree commander, he added, "The Accuser Ronan should be on his way now…"
He wasn't saying it for Yon-Rogg to give him a confirmation or anything.
The next thing Yon-Rogg saw was Maverick pointing his finger at him, then making some kind of beckoning gesture.
"Gaze upon me, Kree…"
"What are yo—?" ARRRRRRRR!
—————————
"AAAARRRRHHHHH!"
Yon-Rogg's scream tore through the ruined chamber, reverberating off the broken metal like the howl of a dying beast. It was certainly not something anyone would expect from a hardened general like him—least of all Danvers, who knew him too well.
She found herself staring with narrowed eyes. It was an unsettling sight, seeing the stern commander break so… easily. After all, he had still been her mentor not long ago, even if she had later learned he was only deceiving.
"What's happening to him?" she muttered under her breath, almost to herself.
"Ricky's in his head." Beside her, Isabella rubbed her chin thoughtfully, as if the spectacle sparked more curiosity than revulsion. "I wonder if it feels the same as reading a human's mind…"
Danvers whipped her head toward her, a brow raised. "You can even do mind reading? You magicians have so many abilities…"
"I suppose you could say that…"
In fact, witches and wizards have only one ability, and that's magic. Spells are just the result of using that power in different ways. But it's only natural for non-magical people to think otherwise.
Crack…
Shhhh…
Clatter… clatter…
The chamber echoed continuously with sparking wires, groaning metal, and leaking gas, all blending with the Kree commander's scream—the loudest sound of them all.
The two women continued observing silently. Isabella obviously knew better than to disturb someone rampaging through another's mind with Legilimency, while Danvers had too many thoughts racing to know where to begin.
A few minutes later, hesitantly, she finally voiced one of the thoughts nagging her the most.
"Say… can all of you do what… your fiancé is doing?"
Isabella glanced at her, and seeing the curiosity she couldn't hide, a small chuckle escaped her lips. "Theoretically," she said, shrugging. "But Ricky isn't exactly someone you compare with the rest of us."
"Really… is he really that impressive?" Danvers pressed, a smile infecting her as well, seeing Isabella's nonchalance.
"Ehem… ladies…" Maverick's voice cut in suddenly as he cleared his throat, putting a stop to their little gossip. After severing the mental connection from the Kree commander, he turned to the two women. "You two can gossip some other time… we need to head back to Earth and meet up with Fury."
He had just finished tearing through the alien's mind, and, as expected of a commander of the Kree Empire's army, Yon-Rogg knew many of their secrets—even some of their intergalactic military's "hidden cards," so to speak.
Of course, there were also the details of the fleet he now knew for certain was heading their way: its size, exactly when it would arrive, basically everything.
"Is it really as bad as Talos said?" Isabella asked, frowning slightly.
"Maybe…" Maverick also narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful look settling over him as he considered the armada approaching their planet.
He had seen, through Yon-Rogg's memories, exactly who Ronan was. The Accuser was indeed as formidable as Talos had said—especially with his Universal Hammer and armor. But that was only to the likes of someone at Yon-Rogg's level. To Maverick, Yon-Rogg was nothing more than just another extra, and he had full confidence that, with his current abilities, he could handle Ronan.
That said, that's only if it's Ronan alone. His fleet of fully armored starships, capable of firing hundreds of ballistic warheads, was another matter entirely. Even if he could take down Ronan in a short span of time, who's to say one of the ships wouldn't target a city—or all of them hit random locations in the meantime?
Of course, if push came to shove, those two old farmers wouldn't sit idly by either; he was sure of that. But he didn't want them interfering in this.
No, he needed to call in some muscle for this. It would also be the perfect opportunity to convince those old things of his plans for the coming year. Having witnessed it firsthand, they would only understand that the magical world no longer had the luxury to play hide-and-seek.
Plus, there's Danvers too—the future Captain Marvel. Though not yet at the level of piercing through battleships as if they were made of tofu, she had still leveled up considerably in overall power after breaking free from the Kree's control.
Hmm.
Speaking of… what's up with her?
"Carol?"
Following her dazed gaze, he saw it was Yon-Rogg—his unconscious body lying on the floor, she seemed to be lost in thought about, as if in some deep contemplation.
"Why… feeling sorry for your old teacher?" he asked, guessing the thought troubling her.
"No..." she said without looking.
"He's not dead, if you're wondering. Or I can make him disappear for you... if you don't have the stomach—"
Boooom!
But before he could finish his sentence, Yon-Rogg's head suddenly exploded, even his blue Kree blood vaporizing wherever the blast struck.
"—or maybe not."
Danvers took a long inhale, exhaling as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Then, glancing back at Maverick, she added confidently, "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not that fragile..."
Maverick's brow arched. Well, that was true—she hadn't even flinched at killing her former mentor.
"Ricky, come on tell us what you found out from the alien's memories?" Isabella chimed in just then, steering the conversation back to the topic.
"I'd like to know that too..."
"Hmm…" Glancing between the two blondes, he thought briefly once again about Yon-Rogg's memories.
"It's like this… the bad news is, the Accuser's fleet really is heading toward Earth, led by Ronan himself. And the not-so-bad news…" He glanced at his watch before continuing, "is that we still have about twenty-one hours. Oh, and… he won't be bringing his entire fleet—just fifty out of the hundreds of starships under his command. At least, that's what our headless friend knew."
Isabella's expression instantly darkened, her thoughts dwelling on the worst that could happen: fifty enormous warships, each the size of a football stadium, armed to the teeth with advanced alien weapons. Seeing the Kree ship they were in, she could only picture how overwhelming fifty of these would be.
She had seen Kree weapons firsthand and knew just how devastating their arsenal could be. And what about the even bigger armaments that would obviously be built into their starships?
She wasn't naive about science. Even human technological weapons had evolved to the point of leveling entire cities; so what about an advanced alien civilization? How much would their technology, their weapons, have evolved? To her credit, her concerns were very real.
Meanwhile, Danvers, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised by what Maverick said—worried, yes, but not taken aback.
"What you said matches what he told me too… when he was trying to convince me to give up." She met Maverick's gaze with a determined look. "This whole thing started with me, so I'll do my best to repel them from Earth."
As expected from a soldier trained by a hardened alien general, her answer was exactly what he anticipated.
"I can tell you more..." she continued. "Each Imperial cruiser carries three warheads capable of leveling a small city, not to mention the dozens of mini-fighter pods aboard each." She paused, having thought of something, then added, "But I'm fairly certain he won't target C53 with the arsenal he's bringing. At best, it's all for intimidation."
"Oh…" Maverick gave her a questioning look. "Do you know him that well... enough to be so certain?"
"I don't… In all my six years with them, I've never met him once. But every Kree knows his character, his deeds. He's a ruthless warmonger, yes, but he won't engage any party unless he's certain of an absolute victory."
"Let me guess—you think it's the All-Father's wrath he wants to avoid?" Maverick asked.
"That's right," Danvers said matter-of-factly.
"Are you talking about the King of Asgard from the legends?"
"The one and only," Maverick said to Isabella, then, turning back to Danvers, added,
"Your guess isn't far off, but…" he shook his head. "From what I saw in Yon-Rogg's memories, during his talk with Ronan, the Accuser was convinced Odin wouldn't step in—even if he attacked this planet. Apparently, Asgard was tied up with something else at the time, and the All-Father couldn't spare his army shortly."
Then with a last shrug, he added, "anyways, that's how it looked from their conversation."
"Are you saying he's really coming to this planet for conquest?" For the first time, Danvers lost her composure, and a deep worry crossed her face. Until now, her greatest assurance had been the universal fact that Earth was a dominion protected by Asgard. But if what Maverick said was true…
She also didn't doubt Maverick's words or his account of Yon-Rogg's memories with Ronan. In her mind, there was no reason to lie about something like that, so the thought never even crossed her.
And Maverick did not lie on his part. That's what Yon-Rogg's recent conversation with Ronan was about. Only, he may have left out some details about a certain blue cube. But hey, she didn't ask.
"No, not for conquest," he answered her. "Even if Asgard were otherwise occupied, Odin wouldn't let one of his realms fall into ruin. Ronan told Yon-Rogg he wanted to teach, and I'm quoting here, these primitive monkeys a lesson… for giving asylum to terrorists."
"By lesson, you mean hitting a few cities with their weapons?" Isabella asked, nonetheless looking worried.
"Well… they didn't go into the specifics," Maverick replied, turning to her.
Danvers gave him a long, piercing look, as if searching for something.
"What?"
"Why… don't you seem troubled?" she asked, genuinely curious.
"Because…" Maverick said, a small smile tugging at his lips.
---
Ssssssss
Sparks of orange flared suddenly in the middle of the quinjet that was just about to land next to Maria's property, drawing startled yelps and gasps from every occupant—human and alien alike—crammed inside its small cabin.
Click click.
One handgun and one energy blaster were immediately raised at the orange circle that had formed, but then lowered just as quickly when three figures stepped through it—casually, as if they were just walking out of an ordinary doorway.
"Danvers!"
"Carol!"
"Son of a—gun!"
"I figured you'd come flying in on that big damn bird of yours," Fury said, lowering his gun. "But a goddamn portal never crossed my mind."
"Hello to you too, Agent Fury..." Maverick replied back to the bastard who couldn't string three words together without a curse coming out of his mouth.
"What about Yon-Rogg? Have you taken care of him?" Talos chimed in from the side, and every pair of eyes turned toward the three, waiting expectantly.
"Let's just say they've all tasted hellfire," Maverick answered casually, then, with a glance to the man, he added, "Oh, and my apologies. I've claimed your people's last refuge as my spoil."
"It was scrap metal already, barely holding together in the state it was in," Danvers cut in. "Don't worry. We'll get you a new cruiser. Maybe more than one."
Minutes later, the quinjet touched down smoothly, and the group disembarked, making their way into Maria's house.
"By the way," Maverick said, sitting at the dining table and tearing a toast in half before sliding one piece across to Fury, "why hole up here? Why not D.C. or S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ?"
Fury eyed the toast like it was something vulgar, and shoved it back. "I'm waiting on you. Or did you forget you're a High Councilor of the World Security Council, Mr. High Councilor?"
That, of course, was a lie. He had already briefed everything he knew to Pierce, but Pierce's answer was simple, even a little inexplicable to Fury: follow Maverick's lead on how to proceed.
And reading the thought, Maverick also grew confused. What's the matter with Pierce? What's he cooking? He considered a few possibilities, then dismissed them just as quickly.
Or he could simply just ask. Anyways, the plan he had in mind required talking to the head of the Snake's Den.
"Call your boss… I want to speak to him."
"Pierce?"
"Who else?"
Fury made a lazy shrug, then did as told and before long a rough male's voice came from the other line hitting Maverick's ear.
"Archmage Caesar…"
"Director," Maverick replied evenly. "I'll be direct. In twenty hours, a fleet of fifty warships, each the size of a football stadium and armed to the teeth, is heading for Earth. I don't need to explain why. You can guess. But…" He made a long pause, and Pierce, even after the bombshell, did not interrupt and waited patiently for him to continue.
"...From S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Fury is enough as a line operative to assist, and, to be honest, neither you nor S.H.I.E.L.D. has the ability to assist in the plan I have to repel the coming invaders… Agent Fury will however stream everything that's happening, and what I really want you to do is share it live with every head of state around the world. Get them in a conference in the short time we have until I give further notice. Do you have any questions?"
The line on the other end was silent for a moment, then just as calmly as before, Pierce asked, "Could you share your plan to… stop these fleets of alien spaceships?"
"Gladly," Maverick replied with the faintest smile. "We'll meet them with a united vanguard... the full might of Earth, standing together. Here's how it will unfold…"
Half an hour later, after having answered Pierce's doubts—or more accurately, just giving him a straightforward answer and not caring whether he believed it or not—Maverick handed the phone back to Fury.
While he was explaining everything, Fury had been listening with all kinds of expressions coming to his face, and Maria, Danvers, Talos, and Isabella had also joined the table at some point and had been listening.
"Are you sure you can pull this off in such a short time, kid? This is the safety of the whole world we're dealing with here after all."
"Can you suggest a better idea, Mr. Agent Nicholas Joseph Fury?" Maverick raised a brow at the man.
"How the hell did you—"
"You have mine," Talos cut in just in time, and with a solemn expression, he continued, "along with the full support of the soldiers still standing with me, mage Caesar."
"And mine," Danvers added without hesitation. She glanced toward Maria, then back at Maverick with a faint smile. "This is my home too."
"Good," Maverick said, rising from his chair. "Then I'll send the signal immediately for everyone to summon…"
"Ricky..." Isabella called softly, hurrying after him, while the others followed, curious about what this summoning could mean.
Outside, once he reached the center of the yard, Maverick made no pretense and summoned his magic. The others watched from behind, their eyes following his long coat fluttering in the wind as he slowly raised his right hand, as if lifting something heavy, until it stretched high above his head.
"Expecto Patronum!"
First, there was an almost blinding white light and everyone instinctively closed their eyes, and then opened them a moment later.
With astonishment and even sparkles from the few Kree children's eyes, they all saw a thick mass of white fume-like substance rising from his outstretched arm, gathering into a massive ball over their heads. Though it was past four in the afternoon and the sun still shone brightly, the white mass was unmistakably visible, growing larger and larger until it loomed over them, as massive as the house itself, like a floating cloud.
Then, when they all thought it was over, they saw the massive mass of light wobble and churn, morphing into a shape. First came a head—a bird, a raven to be more accurate—as if breaking free from fog. Then formed wings, wide, as wide as fifty meters spanning in total.
Once, twice, and continuing, until finally a majestic white raven flapped its wings over the property—but surprisingly, when such a large wingspan should have produced huge gusts of wind, nobody felt anything.
Everyone's heads were tilted up, looking at the giant, beautiful, whiter-than-snow bird as large as the house itself over their heads, and they couldn't help but feel inexplicably happy just by looking at it.
"It's so… beautiful," someone whispered.
"What… what is that?"
"I've never felt so… happy… looking at a damn bird of all things." It wasn't hard to guess from whom that came from.
Infact, they weren't even aware of the comments they were making, before they saw the giant raven then suddenly stop flapping its wings, but still remain in mid-air.
Then its white, ethereal body started to glow even more before suddenly it started to disintegrate—no, it started breaking up into… more birds. More ravens, over a dozen?
"What's happening…" Danvers asked, nudging Isabella by the arm.
"Oh… ah… I think Ricky's sending messages to all the people he mentioned over the phone earlier, telling them to gather here… I guess," Isabella said, a little unsurely.
Is this what they mean by 'send the ravens'?
Meanwhile, Maverick poured his magic, and more importantly, the thoughts he wanted to convey to each and every part of his Patronus. Isabella was not wrong, and what he was doing was no small feat at all.
Every raven would go to a different person, and every message would be slightly different to each, so a lot of concentration and magic was poured into this seemingly simple operation. Not to mention the distance the Patronus had to cover—the energy doesn't fall from a tree, but it's his magic it will be using.
Fortunately, at least he could teleport them nearby, roughly guessing where each person would be.
Instilling the messages, since they were different for each, took some time, and roughly ten minutes later, he finally moved from his strange posture of hands stretched up while magical birds flew all around him.
Then, everyone saw he started making strange circles in the air, and subsequently, over a dozen orange circles formed scattered over his head.
"Go!"
He said, and all the white birds, as if already having known what to do, flew into their respective portals.
—————————
Author's Note:
You can find this story on Webnovel, Fanfiction, and ScribbleHub, all under the same author name: RyanFic. Updates drop first on Webnovel!
Thank you so much for your support. It means the world! ????
