Thor was stunned. He looked up, utterly bewildered.
Me?
Let me explain?
Explain what?
Before, he was too busy sulking and drinking to pay close attention to what Leon and that one-eyed man were talking about.
What Kree people? It sounds like a type of Asgardian barbecue?
Who am I, where am I, what should I do?
Leon helplessly clutched his forehead.
This brother… he's truly hopeless.
It seems, in the future, Loki will still have to follow him.
At least, that guy's brain is much more useful than a muscle-brained simpleton.
"Skrulls," Leon had to repeat.
"A race skilled in shapeshifting and infiltration."
"Oh… oh!"
Thor finally understood.
He finally remembered.
The Skrulls, that nomadic race with a less-than-stellar reputation in the Universe.
He was very familiar with them.
In an instant, the prince's pride returned to his face.
See, I've finally reached my area of expertise!
He cleared his throat, trying to put on a knowledgeable demeanor, and began to explain loudly.
"The Skrulls are a humanoid species from the Planet Skrullos. They are naturally capable of changing their appearance and voice, perfectly mimicking any creature they have seen."
"A long time ago, their empire was also a hegemon in the Universe. But later, due to a thousand-year war with the Kree Empire, their home Planet was destroyed."
When Thor said this, his tone was somewhat disdainful.
"Father Odin once said that this race is detestable. They lost their home and their glory. This is all their own doing."
This explanation made the atmosphere on the balcony strange.
Tony and the others showed thoughtful expressions.
Shapeshifting race? Cosmic refugees?
This information was too shocking and distant for them.
Nick Fury's face became even uglier.
Damn it, these were all his secrets, how did these guys know?!
"So," Leon's voice slowly rang out.
"Black Egg, do you understand now why I said you were a traitor to the Planet?"
"Planet… traitor?"
Tony chewed on the word, feeling it was exceptionally apt.
Fury's body trembled.
He looked up, glaring fiercely at Leon.
"You…!"
"You'd rather trust a group of aliens of unknown origin, skilled in deception, and even embed some of them in the core positions of the organization."
"Yet you harbor all sorts of suspicions and precautions against your true compatriots."
Leon's gaze turned to Tony.
"You covet Tony's technology while also trying every possible way to appropriate his rightful inheritance."
"For example, the core algorithm used in your so-called Insight Project, and the engine technology of the Helicarrier, Black Egg, you wouldn't think that you're very clear about these things. They weren't just conjured up by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s genius scientists."
"Those are all the legacies Howard Stark left for his son."
Upon hearing this, Tony's pupils suddenly constricted.
He remembered the notes his father left behind, he remembered the model from that exhibition… Could it be… "Of course…"
Leon's tone became even colder, like he was reading a verdict.
"You also secretly possess treasures that rightfully belong to us, Asgard."
Fury was stunned; he truly didn't understand this.
But no matter what, he felt that his secrets seemed utterly exposed before this man, which made him feel very displeased.
He opened his mouth, wanting to argue: "Treasures? What are these things?"
He murmured, repeating the question.
"What things?"
Leon's eyes gradually turned cold.
"The Tesseract. Otherwise, what do you think?"
"Boom!"
Fury frowned.
Hadn't this just been mentioned?
That was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top secret!
"That is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s property!"
Fury uttered these words.
This was his last line of defense.
"We found it in the North Pole ice!".
"Found it?"
Leon laughed out loud, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the World.
"Cotton machine, if you pick up a wallet on the street, does that wallet belong to you?"
"That's not the same!"
"Oh? How is it different?" Leon raised an eyebrow.
"Is it just because that wallet contains a bomb that can destroy your house?"
He shook his head, seemingly very disappointed with Fury's logic.
He turned his head and looked at the bewildered Thor again.
"Thor."
"Tell him."
"Why that blue cube is ours."
Thor was stunned again.
But he reacted quickly this time.
The Tesseract!
He certainly knew!
One of the most powerful treasures in Father Odin's vault! It was the key to opening the Bifrost Bridge!
"The Tesseract, in your Midgardian language, is also known as…" Thor's voice grew loud and proud.
"That is our Asgardian supreme treasure! It is a sacred relic that Father Odin left on Midgard after quelling the wars of the Nine Realms a long time ago, to protect the stability of the World Tree!"
"I can't believe you've been hiding it!"
By the end, Thor's tone was clearly filled with anger.
He glared at Fury, as if looking at a thief.
Fury's face was extremely grim.
He couldn't refute it.
Because he knew that what Thor said was very likely true.
"So…"
Leon's voice, like a final judgment, slowly rang out.
He walked slowly to Fury's front, looking down at him from above.
"Now, do you understand?"
"The Nine Realms are all within Asgard's dominion."
"This Planet, this World…"
"Everything here, including you, including those little toys you've hidden, are my property."
"Understood?"
...Silence.
The atmosphere on the balcony, familiar, fell into silence.
Fury's body heaved.
Not fear, but anger.
Overwhelming anger!
Property?
His property?
This man treated Earth as his private possession?!
"You are too arrogant."
After a long pause, Fury firmly uttered these words.
"Earth has never been anyone's property!"
"It is humanity's home! We are born here, we grow here, and we will surely fight to the death here to protect it!"
"No matter who the enemy is!"
He spoke these words with conviction and passion.
However, Leon showed no reaction after hearing them.
His expression remained indifferent.
"See."
He said to Tony and Thor behind him.
"This is what I mean by the futility of a firefly."
"Always fond of saying grand words that even they cannot achieve."
He turned his head to look at Fury, the smile on his face completely gone.
"Nick Fury."
His tone was no longer gentle, but cold.
"I now, in the name of the First Son of Asgard, Sun god Leon Odinson, pronounce your death."
"You have privately hoarded Asgardian holy relics."
"As a Guardian of Midgard, you were unaware of HYDRA's infiltration and condoned the Skrulls' invasion, leaving the entire Planet under immense threat."
"And, charge number three…" He still looked at the other party indifferently.
"And the most important one."
"You arbitrarily received citizens of other alien empires on my territory and attempted to conceal their existence."
"Your time is up."
Everyone understood, Leon was… pronouncing a death sentence?!
He was going to kill Nick Fury?!
"You can't do that!"
Fury's face instantly became ferocious!
He instinctively reached for the pistol in his holster!
"You are declaring war on S.H.I.E.L.D.! You are declaring war on the whole World, on all of humanity…"
He roared out his final warning!
However, he hadn't finished speaking.
Leon had already raised his hand.
He looked at Fury as if looking at a noisy fly.
Then, he casually snapped his fingers.
"Snap."
A crisp sound.
The next second.
Nick Fury vanished.
No explosion, no light, no sound.
It was as if he had never existed in the World.
He had been erased from the physical plane.
Leaving no trace.
.....
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