Marvel: Extraordinary Comprehension

Chapter 135 - 135]

Lucci locked eyes with Wanda, seeing traces of clarity returning—and offered a faint smile.

The very next moment, he snapped his fingers.

A soft, red light—the pinnacle of "reality"—gently seeped between Wanda's brows, like a spring breeze.

"Wake up."

Though his voice was soft, it carried a magic that rang right to the depths of her soul.

With a sudden jolt, Wanda's body trembled.

The crimson chaos that always clouded her eyes lifted in a flash!

All that Hydra had forcibly implanted with drugs, psychic suggestions, false memories—was now shattered, utterly annihilated by the dominating power derived from the Reality Stone.

She was cleansed, rewritten, shown the real world!

"I... I... where am I?"

Wanda looked about in confusion, at the unfamiliar surroundings and the trembling Hydra staff in uniforms.

Lucci offered calmly:

"Your name is Wanda, and I'm here to help you."

"Wanda? Right, my name is Wanda. And I have a younger brother, Pietro!"

Drawing a deep breath, her recovered memories flooded back.

Lucci nodded slightly, then went straight to the point:

"By the way—do you want to meet your father?"

"My... father?"

Wanda's head snapped up. Her clearing eyes sparkled instantly, trembling with excitement!

"You... you know who I am?

"You... you know my father?"

Before Lucci could answer, the Hydra commander, regaining sanity, screamed hoarsely at Wanda:

"Don't listen to him! He's lying! Your parents died long ago, under Tony Stark's shell! He's an enemy sent by Stark! Hurry, kill him! Avenge your parents!"

Facing this hysteria, Lucci simply glanced at him with a hint of disdain.

These pathetic creatures, bound for the trash heap, warranted not a word.

He simply snapped his fingers.

In that instant, the once-arrogant Hydra members, without time to scream, simply crumbled into the most primordial dust—erased from existence, like they'd never been.

With all that done, Lucci turned back to the dumbfounded Wanda.

"Yes, I know your father's whereabouts. If you want to see him, come with me."

Wanda stared, shocked, at how he'd so easily swept away her captors, torn between terror and the sudden, irresistible hope that she might find her father.

Finally, a fragment of longing for family broke through her fear.

After a moment's hesitation, she said solemnly:

"All right! I'll go with you!"

Satisfied, Lucci nodded, and, together with Wanda, shifted through space—soon tracking down her brother, Quicksilver, Pietro.

When the Mission-bound Quicksilver saw Lucci and his sister appear suddenly, he was stunned—then overwhelmed with excitement!

"Sis? And, and you're... the Unknown God!"

Pietro, through various channels while serving Hydra, had already heard of Lucci's feats—his reverence and longing had grown with each retelling.

Never in his dreams did he imagine meeting the god he'd idolized in person!

Wanda recounted what had happened to her. Learning that Lucci would help them find their long-lost father, Pietro agreed without hesitation.

After all, how could a god lie?

So, with both Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver swiftly taken with him, Lucci's form once again vanished from sight.

…

Meanwhile, at the central office of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Director Nick Fury leaned back in his chair, massaging his temple wearily.

So much had happened lately: the sudden alien invasion above New York; that godlike man, Prince Lucci; Superman's sudden resurrection...

Each event was far beyond his ability to control—leaving him with an unprecedented, searing frustration.

He'd just reached for a whiskey to calm his nerves when—suddenly—his movement froze.

He saw—across his desk—a silent group quietly materialize.

At their head, the one person who gave him the worst headaches: the Asgardian, Lucci!

And behind Lucci stood a man and a woman, both with a respectful bearing.

"The Unknown God?"

Fury felt his heart leap into his throat.

Reflexively, his hand drifted toward the special pistol at his waist—but he forced down the urge, knowing any ordinary weapon was laughably useless.

Drawing a deep breath, Fury steeled himself, and asked in his lowest, least prideful tone:

"Prince Lucci... why have you come here?"

Lucci looked at the ever-suspicious, cynical Fury, shook his head with indifference—then got right to the point.

"In a few days, Thanos will bring his whole fleet to Earth."

Fury's expression instantly froze. With a single eye, he stared hard at Lucci, as if hoping to glimpse a hint of jest.

But there was none—Lucci's face remained calm as an ancient well.

Wanda and Quicksilver, standing behind him, exchanged stunned glances at those words—even though they didn't know the name "Thanos," the gravity of Lucci's tone made it clear this was no trivial threat.

After several seconds of dead silence, Fury finally croaked:

"Thanos? The self-proclaimed ruler of the universe?"

He'd heard that name once before—from Captain Marvel.

Lucci, without further detail, nodded.

To Lucci, whether they believed him or not wasn't important; regardless, their actions would not truly influence the final battle.

He was only there to make them prepare, so that the "self-righteous" could make an effort.

"I know, it's hard to believe completely… but you'd better get every preparation in place.

If you lose time, you'll just end up caught off guard and die ugly."

Lucci then shared the final battlefield's coordinates, and vanished with Wanda and Quicksilver.

A dead silence filled the office.

Fury stood rigid, one eye filled with a mix of feelings—paralyzing helplessness, and something deeper:

*Where am I? This is S.H.I.E.L.D.!

The most secure intelligence organization on Earth—my turf!

But now, this man—Prince Lucci, the so-called 'Unknown God'—with two unknown young people, popped in and out of my office like it was nothing, delivered warnings, and then left—

The world-class defense system, which cost billions to withstand nuclear attack, hadn't even rung a basic alarm!

The helplessness—letting anyone come and go as they wish, while being utterly unable to stop them—filled Nick Fury with unprecedented agitation!

But the other feeling… burning stronger from deep in his soul—was fear and dread.

Thanos!

According to Captain Marvel, the interstellar tyrant prided himself on destruction and slaughter, so infamous he terrified even the Kree and the Skrulls.

But Fury never imagined this "legendary cosmic threat" was so near— close enough to swing his cosmic butcher's knife at tiny, fragile Earth!

Given Lucci's divine status, why would someone like him bother lying?

So, it's true! Just a few days left!

An enemy capable of erasing Earth itself was on the way.

Cold sweat ran down Fury's back as he slammed a fist on his alloy desk.

"Damn it!"

After a string of curses, he pressed his palm to the hidden sensor.

"Identity: Nicholas Joseph Fury.

—Iris Scan... Passed.

—Voiceprint Verification... Passed.

—Top-Secret Directive: Assemble the Avengers, initiate!"

The armored wall slid open, revealing a hidden communications chamber filled with futuristic tech.

In the center sat a red emergency button behind glass, flickering ominously.

Fury wasted no time smashing the cover and pressing the button.

"Patch through—Avengers, highest-encryption channel!"

…

Meanwhile, in the top floor of Stark Tower, New York:

Tony Stark, in casualwear, was sipping premium Scotch while testing his newest Iron Man armor.

Nearby, Steve Rogers (Captain America) sat sketching memories of Peggy Carter.

Elsewhere, Black Widow and Hawkeye sparred in the training room.

Everything felt peaceful—

But in the next instant, the shrill alarm for maximum emergency blared throughout the floor!

Tony's glass spilled onto the floor. Steve's drawing hand froze. Natasha and Clint stopped mid-fight.

All four gathered around the central living room's massive holoprojector.

A moment later, Nick Fury's face—grave as never before—appeared.

"Everyone," Fury intoned, voice low as a thundercloud.

"It's bad. Real bad."

Just seeing Fury's expression, it was like the sky had fallen.

Tony whistled, trying his usual humor:

"Nick, what's up with that constipated face after a few days?

What, did someone steal your secret Victoria's Secret stash?"

But for once, Fury didn't even blink at the joke. His tone was verdict-like:

"Thanos, the cosmic tyrant, is coming in just a few days—with his entire fleet."

"What? Thanos? Who the hell is that?"

—the others, hearing the unfamiliar name and apocalyptic warning, all stared in stunned silence.

Fury relayed all the intelligence on Thanos from Captain Marvel: footage and reports of destroyed worlds, slaughtered civilizations—one after another, the bleak images filled the air.

Watching these bloody, hopeless videos, not a word was spoken—only unprecedented shock written on every Avenger's face.

"This..." Hawkeye struggled to swallow, voice trembling.

"This Thanos... is he really that scary?"

Natasha, usually calm and decisive, had a glimmer of helplessness:

"To be able to wipe out entire planets so easily... what are we supposed to do against that?"

After the shock, Steve's eyes burned with resolve.

"Nick! What's his goal?"

Fury's one eye swept the team.

"According to Prince Lucci, Thanos is after the Infinity Stones.

The good news is... Prince Lucci will join the fight as well."

"Prince Lucci?"

The moment this name was spoken, all the Avengers present—each heart weighed down by dread—suddenly felt their spirits surge, as if given a potent shot of adrenaline!

The memory of that cutting sword energy in the Battle of New York, single-handedly crushing the entire Chitauri fleet—was still burned into all their souls.

With that, the fear of Thanos melted away!

Tony let out a long breath, a familiar smile returning:

"So, that prince is joining in... Good.

As long as Prince Lucci is here, even Thanos is...

Well, nothing to worry about."