American comics: May the Holy Light deceive you

Chapter 11: The Prelude to the First Invasion - Part 1

The research base for the Cosmic Cube is located in Colorado, more than 2,700 kilometers away, and Vega arrived there in less than seven minutes.

Most of the base collapsed into a deep pit. Many cars were parked at the edge of the pit, serving as lights, and people carrying out rescue operations could be seen in the shadows along the edge of the pit.

Vega's arrival caused a commotion at the scene, but once it was confirmed that it was him, everyone immediately got back to work.

Vega hovered in the center of the deep pit, sending a divine orb into the air. The soft golden light illuminated the surrounding night sky, and everyone around him experienced a 50% increase in strength, stamina, and speed. Those who were injured were also recovering rapidly.

"Divine Teachings," "Blessing of Courage," and "Blessing of Protection"—Vega unleashed three more amplification spells in succession, doubling the amplification effect. Then, he stretched out his hands, palms down, and two golden energy chains condensed in his palms and burrowed into the ground.

The chains spread and moved underground, piercing through agents who were still alive even though they were buried deep underground. Afterward, the agents' injuries began to heal rapidly.

A minute later, the chains disappeared, his wings fluttered slightly, and Vega flew to the edge of the pit, landing there. His wings closed and vanished, and his armor transformed into a white robe. He then ordered the nearest agent, "Get me a tablet."

"Yes, sir!" Upon receiving the order, the agent immediately ran towards a car.

Having lost his left arm and looking utterly disheveled, Nick Fury approached: "Lee, how many people are still alive down there?"

"47 people, what happened?" Vega frowned as he looked at Nick Fury, who had lost an arm. Things had only just begun, yet things had already gone wrong.

"Do you know about the Norse gods?" Nick Fury's face was extremely grim. More than 700 people were buried below, and only 47 had survived.

Vega: "I know."

Nick Fury: "The invaders were Loki, the god of evil, and a man covered in scales. They somehow manipulated the Tesseract to open a portal to Earth. Loki claimed he would conquer Earth, and they killed Barton and stole the Tesseract."

"Loki said he has an army, and their purpose in stealing the Tesseract is probably to open a portal and bring in their army. We're in big trouble."

Vega paused for a moment as he took the tablet and drew the locations of the survivors buried underground. Barton was dead.

Could that creature covered in fish scales be Black Dwarf? But that shouldn't be.

Odin and the Ancient One are both alive; Thanos's purpose in sending Loki to Earth this time was merely a test.

Loki was just a pawn, and Thanos didn't care whether he lived or died. But Black Dwarf was one of Thanos's top generals. Wasn't Thanos worried that Black Dwarf would die on Earth?

Was the change caused by my own actions, or is this world inherently a world where villains win?

Vega: "Do the five major powers know?"

Nick Fury: "Understood. The five superpowers have entered a state of war alert and have ordered us to stop Loki, but they escaped using the Tesseract. Finding them is extremely difficult, and war is likely unavoidable."

Vega: "Since it can't be avoided, we can only face it."

Nick Fury: "Lee, how many potions, orbs, battle dolls, and magical items do you have left?"

These things are very useful. If it weren't for the healing potions and the combat dolls, he might have died under the rubble after facing Loki directly.

Vega: "There aren't many left. That auction was for my stock, and I don't have the materials to make them again right now."

Nick Fury: "Whatever materials are missing, I'll figure it out."

"You can't help me, and I don't have time right now." Vega shook his head. He could only grow the herbs for making the potion himself. The materials for making the orbs and battle dolls could be replaced with the materials from this world, but making the orbs and dolls would take a long time and would also require soul fragments with special powers.

He has always used fragments of the souls of demons from hell, but even so, he does not intend to let a second person know this secret.

Seeing that Vega refused, Nick Fury had no choice but to abandon his own little scheme. He continued, "To deal with Loki and the potential war, we need a special team, and I hope you can join us."

"No problem, but only for this crisis." Vega finished drawing the blueprints and handed the tablet to Nick Fury. "I'm leaving now. Contact me if anything comes up."

After Vega finished speaking, he took a few steps to the side, his robes transformed into armor once more, and his ethereal wings unfurled and fluttered slightly as he flew away into the distance.

Nick Fury watched Vega fly away and smiled bitterly. He stayed here hoping that Vega could use his powers to dig through the ruins. His severed arm was also buried underneath, and if possible, he hoped to find his severed arm and ask Vega to reattach it to him.

But now it seems he can only get a prosthetic arm, because the severed arm is at the bottom of the rubble, and it may take several months to dig to the bottom using only manual and mechanical excavation.

A few minutes later, Vega returned to the yacht and told Monica what had happened. It took him more than two hours to sail the yacht back to the dock in New York Harbor.

It was past midnight when they got back to the hotel. George had already dropped Bana and Gwen off at the hotel. The two girls didn't rest, but waited for Vega and the other two to come back and find out what had happened.

Vega gave them a brief explanation, handed them some things, and instructed them, "A war with an alien army may break out soon. You two stay with Monica and protect her."

Bana and Gwen were shocked, and at the same time, Gwen realized that many people knew that Spider Girl was her.

After explaining to the two, Monica convened her management team to adjust Hammer Industries' production plans for weapons and Iron Man suits, while Vega was busy dealing with the representatives of the five major powers who had arrived, as well as the well-informed representatives of the powerful families.

After sending these people away, Vega found a desolate mountain and finally got his hands on the equipment he had crafted. A major battle was highly likely to be inevitable, so he needed to make the most of the time to familiarize himself with the equipment's performance.

Looking at the purple gem embedded in the bronze armlet on his left forearm, Vega sighed silently. Apart from the Soul Stone, the remaining five Infinity Stones were all on Earth.

He hoped that nothing too unexpected would happen next, as he didn't want to face Thanos, that terrifying guy, right now.

This world has gods, and Thanos's power in this world is definitely not as weak as portrayed in the movies.

This night, countless people are fast asleep, but many others are spending it in a busy rush.