Bul-Kathos got a headache talking about this.
"So the strong individuals of this world cannot defeat the Seven Great Evils?"
The Ancient One's expression turned grim, affected by what Bul-Kathos said, but her tone remained calm.
Perhaps, under the influence of time, she had learned to view everything with equanimity.
"The Seven Great Evils are not unbeatable, but none of you, except me, can make them truly disappear."
Bul-Kathos merely said this, not wanting to delve into the specific reasons.
"So, what the strong individuals of this world need to do is to prevent the Seven Great Evils' subordinates from causing greater destruction, is that it?"
The Ancient One's hand had already clutched the hilt of the Butcher's Cleaver; her words came out with some difficulty.
"You can try to kill the demon lords to reduce the pressure, preventing them from doing evil together, but this war will become much longer, and come with greater sacrifices."
The Seven Great Evils were immortal; as long as they existed in this world, killing them merely bought the time they needed to resurrect.
The goal of hindering the Seven Great Evils' actions was easier to achieve than killing them, and perhaps more effective.
If the current Ancient One possessed the power of Andariel, who was sent to Hell at the time, then ten or so such beings could hinder the Seven Great Evils' actions.
Constant harassment alone could delay the Seven Great Evils' advance.
But to kill the Seven Great Evils, even to kill Belial, who was least adept at direct combat, would mean that there were no other means available besides direct confrontation. In that scenario, at least a thousand beings of such strength would be required, sacrificing their lives for a slim, almost negligible hope of success.
The power gap was too vast.
"What if Death intervenes?"
"Death?"
Bul-Kathos's mind flashed with the image of the skull-faced lady who only knew how to cower defensively, speaking with some hesitation.
Honestly, he couldn't precisely estimate what the Death of this world was capable of.
"If she were a seasoned warrior, she could easily dispatch all Hell Lords, except for the Three Prime Evils, in a one-on-one situation.
If it were about containment, she could hold back two to three demon lords, but with her lack of combat experience, she could probably only contain Belial.
You know, she acts too immaturely, completely unskilled in combat."
Bul-Kathos spoke of this world's Death with some disdain.
If it were Malthael, after he became the Angel of Death, even without absorbing the power from the Black Soulstone, he could still deal with a being like Baal.
The rule of Death was too powerful for life.
Conversely, the Death of this world was too immature.
"Well, I don't believe this world has only one Death capable of combat. Rules are never singular, are they?"
The Ancient One seemed to have convinced herself, and her expression had calmed considerably, at least no longer frowning.
"I hope the rules of this world are willing to appear then, and I hope they are all fully personified entities."
Bul-Kathos muttered, as if complaining.
If the rules of this world were just rules themselves without consciousness, then it was more likely that their authority would be usurped.
After all, with no conscious personality, they wouldn't think about anything; an existence without desires or needs would struggle to even feel their own disappearance.
"Let's stop here. This topic seems a bit too early."
The Ancient One chose to interrupt the conversation, as it was getting quite heavy.
"Then so be it."
Bul-Kathos put the empty wine bottle aside and stood up.
After the casual chat, his mood was clearly a bit better.
…
"Director, that is everything we gathered on that mountain."
Natasha spoke to Nick Fury behind his desk. She stood ramrod straight, dressed in the coarse linen clothes the barbarians had given her.
Her original combat suit had long been ruined.
Hawkeye had already gone home; he hadn't seen his family in a long time, so Clint left decisively, as if the upcoming events might involve him.
Nick Fury offered no comment on Hawkeye's unauthorized actions.
Because Natasha stated that she and Hawkeye had become part of the barbarian community.
Nick Fury, wary of Bul-Kathos's presence, said nothing further, merely placing his hand on his waist, somewhat hesitant.
He also knew that from this moment on, he could no longer forcefully demand these two agents to do anything they were unwilling to do.
"So, will you continue to work for S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Nick Fury's single eye watched Natasha, speaking in his usual inscrutable tone.
His mind, however, was constantly pondering how to replenish S.H.I.E.L.D.'s depleted combat strength.
After all, Hawkeye and Natasha were already top-tier combat personnel within S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. is just, and we fight for justice."
Natasha said, showing off the hand axe on her waist. Nick Fury's expression grew even uglier.
This platitude was not the answer he wanted, and Natasha's actions had already indicated that she was not entirely aligned with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury began to consider whether Hawkeye supported Natasha's actions.
"If Barton had no thoughts on this, then he wouldn't have gone straight home. His absence merely means there's still room for negotiation?"
"Or, is this also Barton's intention? He no longer wants to be an agent?"
Nick Fury's mind was a mess.
"Alright, go get some rest first. If you can, go assist Coulson. He seems to have run into some trouble over there."
Nick Fury said this, appearing completely unconcerned.
Coulson, of course, had run into trouble.
Asgardians had arrived. To find Thor's whereabouts, they tried to ask Heimdall to teleport them near Thor.
But Heimdall, adhering to Odin's command, only sent them near Mjolnir.
Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun were currently confronting Coulson and his team.
They knew some unimportant news from Heimdall, such as this being merely a trial by Odin, and they needed to wait near Mjolnir until Thor arrived.
To reach Mjolnir, they directly stormed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s encampment. Although S.H.I.E.L.D. agents fought with all their might, they were cleanly defeated by these individuals.
The extraordinary, divine-powered Asgardians were not something that small-caliber weapons could harm.
Now, the Asgardians were guarding Mjolnir and the Son of Odin, preventing others from approaching.
Clearly, they intended to stand guard by Mjolnir until Thor's arrival.
After all, Heimdall had told them as much.
"Alright, I'll get ready and leave."
Natasha had no intention of falling out with Nick Fury yet. Although she knew she was never fully trusted, she wouldn't immediately turn against him just because she had become powerful.
Such an action would be both foolish and hateful.
She simply wanted to secure some of the treatment she deserved.
Hawkeye also understood Natasha's demands, which was why he tacitly agreed to her arrangements. Their relationship was closer than Nick Fury imagined.
Perhaps Hawkeye was Natasha's best male friend?
After Natasha left Nick Fury's office, Dum Dum Dugan walked in, bearing injuries.
As soon as he entered, he slammed a newly manufactured custom revolver onto Nick Fury's desk, roaring:
"Why didn't you let me take the Howling Commandos?"
Dugan interrogated Nick Fury. He didn't care much about internal S.H.I.E.L.D. affairs.
But he cared deeply about the Howling Commandos.
Now that the Howling Commandos had sustained losses, he had no choice but to return to his old profession, becoming a frontline combatant.
"Dugan, I have more important arrangements for you."
Nick Fury said without looking up.
"What is it? Helping you eliminate dissidents? Or consolidating S.H.I.I.E.L.D.'s position?"
Dugan said with a sneer.
"Tomorrow, you'll follow Captain and his team to London. S.H.I.E.L.D. has uncovered some unsettling information, and that information points to the individuals who killed the werewolves and mummies."
Nick Fury composed himself, directly stating what he knew.
When dealing with these old soldiers, directness was far more effective than beating around the bush; these veterans wouldn't try to guess his thoughts like Coulson.
"Specific time! This time I'm going alone!"
Dugan pulled a fresh cigar from his cigar box. The only benefit of returning to the frontline, Dugan felt, was that he no longer needed to be stingy with enjoying high-quality cigars.
Slowly rotating the cigar, he puffed gently. Lighting a cigar had to be gentle, otherwise it would destroy the original flavor.
"I think you should bring other people."
Nick Fury watched the smoke blowing towards him, speaking without flinching. Not even his single eye blinked in the somewhat scorching smoke.
"Bring who? I can't control the remaining two. Can you control the Frankenstein monster? Besides him, there's the Man-Thing. I don't want to try communicating with him. Just let those two stay at the base."
Dugan tucked the revolver from the table back into his waistband, then glared intensely at Nick Fury.
"You should have the specialized bullets ready. Give them to me quickly."
Dugan had already learned what kind of enemies they were likely to face from casual conversations with Steve. Vampires weren't something that could be dealt with just by large-caliber bullets.
Given Nick Fury's character, there would surely be targeted armament.
"When you depart, I will put everything on the plane. I just hope you don't do anything superfluous."
Nick Fury added this extra sentence because Rumlow was among the personnel accompanying Steve.
To ensure this squad's smooth departure, he had even used his authority to mobilize S.H.I.E.L.D.'s legal department to handle Matthew's disputes.
This was Matthew's only condition apart from his salary, and it was quite easy to arrange.
As for Rumlow and their conditions, they were no trouble; they were just some common equipment within S.H.I.E.L.D.
And also helping Luke and Jessica exchange gold coins for cash; that wasn't a problem worth elaborating on.
This covers the two thousand words that were short from the 7th's guaranteed update and the guaranteed update for the 8th.
I am currently writing the bonus content.
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