In the minds of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team, the Ancient One was now synonymous with a bloodthirsty demon lord.
Especially those with a bit of scientific knowledge, who understood the sheer scale of the solar system. Forget the broad definition (Oort Cloud); even the narrow definition (orbit of Neptune) was suffocatingly vast.
To fill that space with demon corpses? How many must she have killed?
To put it in perspective: If all 7-8 billion humans on Earth gathered together, shoulder to shoulder, they would fit inside a single large city (like Los Angeles).
Such a city was a speck on the globe.
But to circle the entire Earth? That would take billions more.
To circle the Solar System?
Just thinking about the number made their scalps tingle.
Quadrillions. Quintillions. It was beyond comprehension.
"This is another mention of the Ancient One in the diary..." Black Widow said. "Now I understand why Lucas showed such fear of her in the very first entry. Obviously, this Ancient One is truly terrifying."
"If we understand it from this angle, many things that seemed unreasonable before now have an explanation!" Fury said.
"For example, why Lucas keeps mentioning Odin conquering the Nine Realms. Clearly, Asgard intends to rule the Nine Realms. I don't know how strong the other worlds are—Frost Giants, Fire Giants, Dark Elves—but since they can contend with Asgard and even trigger Ragnarok, they obviously have power."
"But Earth definitely didn't have that kind of power. A thousand years ago, the West was in the Middle Ages. The strongest power in the East, China, couldn't stop an alien starship invasion either. Under those circumstances, Asgard could have easily invaded Earth. Why didn't they?"
"This question has troubled me for a long time," Fury admitted. "You know how anxious I've been since learning about Asgard from Thor. I didn't know if Asgard would invade Earth, especially if leadership changed. Look at Loki in the other timeline—he used Thor's death as an excuse to invade immediately. He has ambition, unlike Thor."
Everyone nodded. They saw Fury's anxiety. They shared it. Compared to Asgard, Earth's military power was laughable. Their only trump card was nuclear weapons.
But nuclear weapons relied heavily on radiation to kill biological targets. Against aliens? Maybe. Against gods? Unlikely.
Even if it hurt them, it would be a pyrrhic victory—killing 1,000 enemies while losing 10,000 of your own people and poisoning the planet.
The more they understood, the more anxious they became.
"Now I think I understand. The reason Asgard only announced the conquest of the Nine Realms but never truly occupied Earth... aside from Earth being resource-poor, it must be because of powerhouses like the Ancient One."
"I don't know who is stronger between her and Odin, but Lucas mentions them in the same breath. That means they are at least in the same weight class!" Fury concluded.
Everyone nodded. Geographically, Earth was a backwater in the universe. Resource-wise, any civilization capable of interstellar travel wouldn't care about Earth's fossil fuels.
Nuclear fusion and Dyson spheres made oil irrelevant. Earth's resources were only valuable to Earthlings.
"This means Earth has its own foundation—its own hidden strength that we never knew about!" Fury said.
"The existence of the Ancient One likely deterred Odin. And perhaps other gods too—like the Jade Emperor of the Chinese Pantheon, or Zeus of the Greek Pantheon. We can confirm they likely exist now too. It's not just Odin."
"There might be a balance of power. A mutual deterrence. Plus, with a top-tier entity like the Ancient One—who can kill enough demons to circle the solar system—Earth's safety has been maintained for so long!"
Everyone nodded in agreement. They finally realized that Earth's safety didn't depend on S.H.I.E.L.D. or armies. It depended on the Ancient One, Odin, Zeus, and the Jade Emperor.
"And this Ancient One might be the person Lucas feared most initially. If he messed up, he could be hung from a street lamp by her. Remember we guessed Lucas was afraid of someone in the shadows? I think the most likely candidate is the Ancient One!" Fury stated.
It fit perfectly.
The Ancient One protected Earth from the shadows, but also seemingly managed the chaotic elements. Anyone who crossed the line and caught her eye would be dealt with.
"But the key point is this sentence..." Fury pointed at the diary.
"It says the Ancient One wants to 'clock out' quickly. While this might be Lucas's joking style, based on the later part about 'finding a successor,' it implies something crucial."
"Her power... is likely not innate. Some beings are born strong. But some become strong through learning and cultivation."
"Her power can be inherited!" Fury emphasized.
"And she can find someone to learn it and inherit it. This means her power is systematic. It's an organization, a school of thought, or a civilization. It's not just one person being strong!"
If it could be taught, it could be learned.
If it could be learned... maybe they could learn it too.
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