Chapter Fifty-Eight: I Have Grown Old, and My Strength Has Failed Me...

“A wise choice.”

Seeing Thor put away his hammer, Kel'Thuzad elegantly stroked his cat and addressed the group below, then glanced at Rogers, who was approaching.

He was now quite curious—curious about why the Lich King, before departing, commanded him to take the staff and also told him to pay attention to this man. At the same time, he wondered what message the gift for Stark was meant to convey.

Captain America, the most miraculous contender in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, wielded a shield so extraordinary it could withstand nearly anything, turning him from a street fighter into a member of the pantheon. In some ways, he was powerful enough to stand against anyone.

The shield in his hand was practically a weapon of causality.

This formidable figure, who made every villain in the Marvel universe gasp and exclaim at his terrifying might, disappeared during World War II in pursuit of Hydra’s leader, Red Skull, only to fall into the Arctic Ocean and slumber for decades.

Yet he still appears as a legend in the public eye, his luck truly astounding.

Ordinary people falling into the sea would surely perish, but after he plunged into the Arctic Ocean, the extreme cold sealed him in ice, preventing his death.

Falling to the bottom of the sea, surviving disaster, mastering new powers, and then beginning a new legendary life—he was practically a protagonist destined for greatness.

One must admit, Antarctica is indeed a wondrous place; beneath its hidden glaciers, treasures always await discovery.

Whenever something unscientific appears, it’s invariably traced back to Antarctica.

Coulson, for the ironclad outpost of traversers, is also an absolute paragon. Among the lords of myriad worlds, he is an indispensable contact; the traversers he has dealt with could circle the globe seven times.

Now, these two titans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were looking up at Kel'Thuzad, another giant.

And in their hearts, they prayed: “Let’s hope these floating ruins of skyscrapers don’t come crashing down for a repeat of New York’s devastation.”

In truth, these were mirrored illusions on the ground, but none among them had the strength to distinguish the real from the false.

Meanwhile, Nick Fury was also connected to the scene via headset.

Beneath the floating mirrored ruins, Kel'Thuzad had frozen and imprisoned everyone, making them listen to an hour of his “teachings,” ensuring all understood the power of Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

He also allowed Nick Fury, through his earpiece and video feed, and through Coulson, Rogers, and everyone on site, to experience firsthand the ghoul’s affectionate caress and the warning of mirrored ruins that covered half the sky.

Through the cloud broadcast, he made all viewers understand what the Death Knight described in the Apocalypse Bible was, and made the authorities realize the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were a fearsome presence beyond control, lending more authenticity to the organization.

The impression deepened.

Even though Nick Fury, through his own judgment, knew the Cube was in Kel'Thuzad’s hands, he still couldn’t obtain the Cosmic Cube or achieve his aims.

Thirty minutes later, Nick Fury arrived on the scene, only to find no trace of Kel'Thuzad or the others.

He immediately sought out Coulson and Rogers.

“Coulson, I know the current situation is hard for you to accept, but you’re an agent—I’m sure you have intelligence. Give me your report.”

“Yes; God bless, I’m alive to see you, Director.”

A smile touched Coulson’s face, though freshly emerged from the ice, he was drenched and slightly disheveled, yet wrapped in a blanket beside his idol, he was visibly excited.

“I’ll draft a detailed report of what I know and send it to you immediately, but for more specifics, I think you should ask the Captain.”

Nick Fury promptly looked at Rogers, who was also wrapped in a blanket, brushing the frost from his eyebrows.

“If you want to ask about the last floating sorcerer, I might have some intelligence to share, but first, you should discuss the information with those two.”

Rogers gestured toward Thor and Loki.

Thor was gulping beer, raising his glass in acknowledgment, while Loki looked as despondent as ever.

“He’s Kel'Thuzad. Very powerful. Thor and his brother are no match for him. In his own words, he said you could call him Death?”

“Yes, it seems he’s allied with those so-called ‘Plague’ and ‘War,’ but I don’t understand why they’re fighting each other. I think we can start with Stark.”

“And Stark?” Fury handed Rogers a towel as he asked.

“He seems to have some issue with me. After receiving a box from that sorcerer, he didn’t even say goodbye and just left. Oh, and Plague and War left as well.”

“A box?”

Fury frowned, unable to imagine what kind of box would make Tony Stark leave so urgently.

“What are you thinking, Fury?”

Rogers felt something strange; logically, Natasha was one of Fury’s agents, but he hadn’t asked a single question about her, which made Rogers uneasy.

“Uh… nothing. Just that there have been a lot of events lately—I need to sort things out, Captain.”

“Indeed, I think we need to gather more intelligence. I already feel I can’t keep up with this era.”

Rogers’ expression was earnest. “I feel somewhat powerless.”

Faced with these supernatural figures, he felt his own strength was inadequate.

After decades of sleep, not only had the times changed, but he felt out of place in this era, not to mention those powers beyond the scope of science.

This was no longer his era.

“Captain, it’s not your fault. I once thought we had a handle on everything in this world, but now, it’s clear there’s so much we don’t know. To face these unknown forces, I think we need to prepare—for the wars that may come. For that, I’d like to introduce you to some people.”

Nick Fury and Rogers walked over to Thor together.

At the same time, both became more curious about Kel'Thuzad’s identity.

Elsewhere, in an underground chamber, using the power of the Space Stone, Rold appeared again, accompanied by Erica’s silhouette.

After transmitting a copy of the video file to Kel'Thuzad through the Space Stone, Rold and Erica collected a vast array of mysterious items from the base.

Deep underground, Zazara, who had vanished from the scene, was already waiting there; the vast chamber contained a gigantic magic circle.

“Zazara, has the location of the dragon bones been confirmed?”

“Yes, my spiders have already found the little darling.”