Marvel: Death Knight

Ronan's Dark Aster warship moved toward Earth without any attempt at concealment, not even activating its cloaking systems. By the time it entered Jupiter's orbit, S.H.I.E.L.D. and various national satellite systems had already detected the colossal vessel.

Agent Hill knocked on the door of Director Fury's office. "Director Fury, the Security Council members are requesting your presence for a video conference."

"Understood," Fury said as he stood and headed out, fully aware of the topic the council members wanted to discuss.

Upon entering the S.H.I.E.L.D. conference room, Fury closed the door, turned on the computer, and brought up the video feed. The large screens around the room displayed the council members, all waiting with grim expressions.

"Fury," one of them began, "you understand the urgency of the situation. The intentions of the approaching force appear hostile. Do you have a solution or any recommendations?"

Fury replied, "Their civilization is far more advanced than ours. Their warship's defenses seem formidable, and we might not be able to inflict any damage."

Another council member pondered before asking, "What about the newly assembled Avengers? Could they infiltrate the ship from within?"

Fury chuckled slightly. "The Avengers currently have only a handful of members. We lack any concrete intelligence on the situation, making infiltration highly unlikely."

The council members fell silent. After a pause, one of them asked, "What about Garus and his mutant school? Can you reach out to them? We need their help."

Just as Fury was about to respond, the video feed flickered. A figure appeared on the screen: a blue-skinned man clad in armor and wielding a hammer.

"People of Earth, hear me!"

Across the planet, every computer, television, and radio signal was hijacked by the Kree. Ronan's voice was broadcast in every language worldwide. "The Skrulls hiding within Azeroth Technologies are our mortal enemies. They can shapeshift into anyone. You have one day to hand them over, or this world will burn."

Ronan's warning sent shockwaves across the globe. At first, many thought it was a prank by some hacker organization. But the sight of the massive black warship hovering over New York City—so vast that it dwarfed even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier—proved otherwise.

As the Dark Aster breached Earth's atmosphere, no nation could stop it. Orbital weapons turned to debris under its assault.

New Yorkers gazed up at the ship casting a massive shadow over the city. Fear mixed with a strange excitement—for most, it was their first encounter with extraterrestrials. Despite the hostile context, the revelation that humanity was not alone in the universe was awe-inspiring.

Back in the conference room, Fury and the council members were silent, all aware that the de facto leader of Azeroth Technologies was Garus.

"How could there be Skrulls at Azeroth Technologies? What are they planning? Director Fury, investigate this immediately and ensure they hand over the Skrulls!" one council member demanded, their frustration boiling over.

Records of past Skrull invasions painted a troubling picture of the shapeshifting aliens, whose ability to mimic anyone had caused significant problems in the past.

"Understood," Fury said, ending the call. The current situation left him feeling cornered. Both sides were formidable, and he could only hope Garus would cooperate.

At Azeroth Technologies' headquarters, employees were in shock. Were it not for the massive alien ship hovering above the city, they might have dismissed the situation as a conspiracy.

"Moffa, there are Skrulls in our company. Who do you think it could be?" Colin whispered to a colleague. Eyeing Moffa suspiciously, he added, "You wouldn't happen to be a Skrull, would you?" He shifted a few steps away.

Moffa rolled his eyes. "Idiot. We've been friends for years. Do you really think I'm an alien?"

On the top floor, General Karlrut hurried into Kingpin's office, anxious to know Garus's stance. If Garus decided to hand them over, they were doomed.

"Mr. Kingpin, what do we do now?" General Kallruth's voice trembled. This situation spelled disaster for them. Ronan's reputation as the Kree Accuser was infamous across the galaxy—though Earth, a backwater planet, was largely ignorant of it.

Kingpin responded curtly, "I've been unable to contact Garus. He's still on the ancient Dark Elf battlefield far from Earth. If he doesn't return within 12 hours, I'll have no choice but to hand you over."

Kallruth's face turned ashen. Their bodies were implanted with tracking devices, leaving no place to hide. Escape was impossible, and the only untagged member of their group, Kufa, had been sent off-world.

"Damn it. Kufa must have exposed us out of cowardice," Kallruth muttered bitterly. He regretted sending Kufa to seek their queen. But no one could have foreseen that Kufa would encounter Ronan in the vast expanse of space.

Everything unfolding on Earth was already known to Heimdall, who had informed Odin.

"Midgard is under the protection of the Sorcerer Supreme. There's no need for us to intervene," Odin said. He had an agreement with the Ancient One to stay out of Earth's affairs. Moreover, the destruction of the Bifrost Bridge made it impossible for them to reach Earth until repairs were completed.

Thor, however, was deeply concerned for his mortal lover but found himself powerless to act.

Within Odin's sealed realm, Garus reached out to touch the Aether. As his fingers made contact, the substance surged into his body like a tide.

He felt the Aether coursing through him, as though it had become part of his bloodstream. Yet, he had no idea how to wield the Reality Stone's immense power.

Attempts to channel its energy with his necromantic abilities yielded no results.

Garus recalled how Malekith had used the Aether for basic attacks but had no idea how the Dark Elf achieved it. Such crude usage seemed inefficient at best.

"I'll figure it out later," he thought, stepping out of the sealed space. A black Death Gate opened in the dark expanse, and Garus returned to Naxxramas, the Sky Fortress.

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