"I can't wait any longer!"
Thanos spoke truthfully.
But beneath his calm exterior, boundless anger simmered.
He loathed Asgard.
It was because of their existence that the Chitauri army had been destroyed.
That's right!
Loki was also an Asgardian—if only a frost giant raised as one.
One took his Mind Gem and led an army to their demise.
And when he attacked Earth again, all his forces were buried at the hands of Asgard's so-called God of Magic.
What a deceitful god—what an infuriating Asgard!
"Father, let me lead the army and flatten Earth! I will personally bring you the Reality Gem and the Space Gem!"
Nebula requested again.
"No, you can't go. It would be suicide!" Gamora intervened.
What no one else knew was that she secretly hoped Thanos would go himself.
Asgard was powerful. Their so-called God of Magic could single-handedly destroy an entire fleet.
And behind him stood Odin, the King of Gods—an even greater force.
If Thanos went, he might very well meet his downfall.
She wouldn't mind that.
She had long dreamed of killing Thanos and avenging her family and homeworld.
If not for him, half her planet wouldn't have been slaughtered.
And she wouldn't have been turned into a weapon, forced to kill countless others just to gain his trust.
Thanos, however, had no idea what Gamora was thinking.
Once again, he ignored Nebula's request.
"Gamora, Nebula, you will go with Ronan and oversee his search for the Cosmic Spirit Orb.
"And while you're at it, find the Soul Gem."
"I need them."
"Damn it!"
Nebula cursed inwardly but quickly agreed.
"Understood!"
Gamora responded instinctively, though her mind wandered elsewhere.
The two walked side by side, but Nebula's gaze toward Gamora was filled with hostility.
"Master, I suspect the Ravagers are hiding something. They always seem vague on details, as if they're avoiding something," Ebony Maw whispered once Gamora left.
"Don't concern yourself with them. They just don't want to offend the Asgardians," Thanos replied indifferently.
Indeed, with two Infinity Stones already in their possession, Asgard's power was undeniable.
The so-called God of Magic was one of the most terrifying beings he had encountered.
To be honest, facing him now was not ideal.
That's why he sought the Power Gem and the Soul Gem first.
Among the six Infinity Stones, these two were among the most practical.
Once he obtained them, he would no longer fear his adversary.
With two additional gems, the Reality and Space Gems would be nothing in comparison.
Thanos was confident that his research on the stones far exceeded that of Asgard's so-called god.
Once he defeated him, he would have four gems.
At that point, acquiring the remaining two would be trivial.
And then—his dream would be realized.
He would bring balance to the universe, freeing it from the suffering of insufficient resources.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Nick Fury held an old-looking pager.
Though obsolete by modern standards, he had kept it all this time.
Because it represented the strongest Avenger.
It was his last resort.
He had considered pressing the button countless times.
But each time, he hesitated.
Until today.
Today, he had no choice.
The existence of the Magic Net shattered everything he thought he knew.
If it was real…
Then they needed someone strong enough to keep the world in check.
Someone who could make the powerful and the corrupt tremble.
Carol was the only one who came to mind.
So, he pressed the button.
"Carol, I need your help," Fury muttered.
Then, he turned and left—to report the existence of the Magic Net to his superiors.
As expected, when the politicians learned of the entity known as Dimension Mephista…
Fear gripped them.
Especially after discovering that Mephista's followers had already launched two attacks against Kamar-Taj's defenses.
It was clear they were gathering strength, preparing to shatter the barrier completely.
The politicians feared that these demons would invade reality, threatening their rule.
And they refused to entrust their lives to a group of unknown magicians.
Even if these magicians had protected Earth for thousands of years, that wasn't enough to ease their doubts.
On this day, a new branch of armed forces was born.
Its name: The Magic Bureau.
Full name: The Magician Union and Monster Monitoring Bureau.
It was established with the intention of training magicians under the United Nations, monitoring and regulating magic users worldwide, and handling supernatural threats.
It would also function as a subdivision of the Avengers.
However, disagreements arose regarding leadership.
Some believed the Director should be selected from within the United Nations.
Now that they understood the power of the Magic Net, they wanted to control it themselves.
After all, the UN was funding it.
Why not use public money to enhance their own power?
But no consensus was reached.
No one wanted to hand such influence over to rival politicians.
Others suggested appointing an elite military officer as Director.
Likewise, they proposed that only highly trained special forces should be recruited into the Bureau.
That way, loyalty would be ensured.
This idea gained traction.
Yet, the matter of leadership remained unresolved.
Nick Fury strongly opposed giving too much control to outside forces.
If the Magic Bureau recruited too many people with existing allegiances, it would become impossible to command efficiently.
Everyone had their own affiliations.
It would be a nightmare to manage.
For the Director, he had a different candidate in mind.
Tony Stark.
Tony was already an Avenger and had begun training in Kamar-Taj.
He had firsthand knowledge of the magical world and was actively researching the Magic Net.
He had fought in the Battle of New York and had experience dealing with Asgard's God of Magic.
For now, Tony Stark was the best choice.
His suggestion made the UN officials hesitate.
After a brief discussion, they agreed.
Tony was indeed the most suitable candidate.
Not to mention, as a billionaire, he could subsidize costs—saving them money.
With Tony confirmed as Director, Nick Fury pushed forward additional candidates.
Black Widow. Hawkeye. Ororo.
The first two were his trusted allies.
The last was an X-Men representative.
Charles Xavier's help would be necessary to ensure the Bureau's members remained "trustworthy" at all times.
As membership expanded, Charles would need to conduct regular psychic evaluations.
After negotiations, Nick Fury reached an agreement with Xavier.
The UN reluctantly accepted the inclusion of a mutant.
Still, various factions managed to insert their own personnel into the Bureau.
Only then were they comfortable providing funding.
After all, they had poured money into this project—how could they not have a say?
They wanted constant updates on the Magic Net's capabilities.
Perhaps they, too, could connect to it in the future.
The allure of power was undeniable.
Nick Fury had anticipated this.
Unable to reject a unanimous proposal, he compromised.
Each country could send its best soldiers.
At least this way, they would be more competent than corrupt politicians.
Before long, shipments of resources arrived in the U.S. from around the world.
Large sums of money were transferred to the Bureau's accounts.
Tens of thousands of people were mobilized to construct its headquarters.
Most were engineers. A select few were elite specialists.
All were now under the Magic Bureau's jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, the UN would provide rapid approval for any additional needs.
This demonstrated their commitment to the project.
Elsewhere
After receiving Fury's invitation, Tony Stark deliberated briefly before accepting the role of Director.
At Kamar-Taj, he was merely a novice magician.
Though the Ancient One had shown interest in him, he never considered himself a worthy successor.
But as Director of the Magic Bureau, he would command a team of magic users.
That could prove useful.
Besides, it wasn't his money being spent.
Why refuse?
Now, with J.A.R.V.I.S.'s help, a massive arc reactor was being constructed.
His actions attracted global attention.
Speculation ran wild.
And amidst it all, Aaron smiled knowingly.
The Magic Net's rise was inevitable.
This was only the beginning.
When the first group of people successfully ate the first piece of the pie, those who followed went crazy.
The popularity of the magic net was unstoppable.
Aaron briefly glanced at the recent developments, then returned to his research.
But at that moment, a woman arrived, temporarily interrupting his plans.
Seeing her familiar attire, Aaron frowned.
Captain Marvel?
How did she get here?
Wait... did Nick Fury call her?
Is he scared?
Aaron was well aware that Nick Fury's trump card was Captain Marvel.
More than ten years ago, she had absorbed a portion of the Space Gem's energy and, after being altered by the Kree, gained the ability to traverse the universe with superhuman strength.
She could channel the gem's energy freely and possessed a unique form called Binary.
In this state, all of her abilities were greatly enhanced, and her speed could exceed the speed of light.
She was, arguably, the strongest Avenger—stronger than the Hulk and even Thor when he first awakened his true power.
As for whether she was stronger or weaker than Stormbreaker-wielding Thor, that was unclear.
Oh, right—
Today's Thor was nothing like his past self.
He had received significant magical reinforcement, further enhancing his power.
Moreover, he now had Level Five Authority, allowing him to channel multiple energy domains of the All-Father at will.
If he were to fight Captain Marvel, it was hard to say who would win.
Though his energy reserves had drastically increased, his current weapon was not Mjolnir.
If he had Stormbreaker, then there would be no debate.
But with just a hammer, his only chance would be to pin it onto Captain Marvel somehow.
Otherwise, he'd be reduced to a punching bag.
Aaron couldn't help but find it amusing that Nick Fury had panicked so soon.
This was unlike the Fury he remembered.
After all, in Avengers: Infinity War, Fury only contacted Carol moments before he was dusted by Thanos' snap.
Does that mean that, in his eyes, I'm an even bigger threat than that entire situation?
Emmm, this is a little awkward.
While Aaron was lost in thought, Carol had already arrived at his doorstep.
Now—
Wanda and Gwen stood face to face with her.
Alongside them were a few other Kree warriors.
The tension in the air was palpable.
Carol locked eyes with Aaron, recalling the intel she had received, then gave him a slight nod.
"So, you're Aaron—the so-called God of Magic that Fury mentioned? From Asgard?"
"What does Nick Fury want with me?" Aaron asked blankly.
"He's fine. I'm the one here. I heard you're strong?"
Carol's expression remained firm and unyielding, as if someone owed her money.
When she first returned to Earth, she assumed Fury had contacted her because of an overwhelming crisis.
So, after receiving his message, she rushed back immediately.
Only to find out—
Fury was completely fine.
He had just suffered some political inconveniences.
Carol had rolled her eyes at that.
Calling me back just because you're annoyed? Seriously?
But, as Fury's best friend, she still felt obligated to vent his frustrations for him.
So, without waiting for further explanation, she asked where Aaron was and immediately flew over.
In her eyes, this so-called "God of Magic" was nothing special.
For the past ten years, she had fought countless enemies—
Saved thousands of planets from devastation—
Forced entire alien factions into retreat—
Even defeated beings who claimed to be gods.
She was undefeated.
Unstoppable.
Even after hearing about Aaron's abilities, she remained unfazed.
She had absolute confidence in her own strength.
As long as she took action, there would be no problems.
This time, she planned to teach him a little lesson—
To make the so-called "God of Magic" understand—
That no one causes trouble on her planet.
It didn't matter if he was a god or an alien—he had to follow Earth's rules.
"I'm not strong," Aaron suddenly said.
Carol blinked.
For a moment, she was caught off guard.
That was not the answer she expected.
"Are you kidding me?" she asked, irritation creeping into her voice.
"No," Aaron replied sincerely. "I never said I was strong. My enemies are just too weak."
Carol's eye twitched.
"Too weak?"
"Yeah," Aaron nodded. "I have to admit—they're really bad at this."
Carol let out a sharp chuckle. "Oh really?" she sneered.
"Then what about me? Care to test that theory?"
Aaron glanced at her, then shrugged.
"Gwen, go play with her."
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