Urgency (Part One)

"Mephisto doesn't need to descend in person. All he has to do is pluck the strings of this war at a critical moment, and we'll be doomed beyond redemption—"

"By then, we'll face more than physical destruction. Our will to fight will collapse, hope will be extinguished, and our souls will be enslaved forever."

Less than a ten percent chance of victory?

Those words were like ancient ice, freezing the already dismal atmosphere in the cabin to absolute zero.

Even Reed Richards, usually the most optimistic of them all, went utterly pale.

Nick Fury's hologram froze too, his one eye flickering as he rapidly weighed those nearly hopeless odds.

Only the hum of the engines and the sound of heavy breathing remained in the cabin.

Despair spread through the air like thick ink, nearly suffocating them and setting their hearts racing.

A forty percent chance had already been grim. If it dropped to ten percent, that was practically a death sentence.

The only question was whether they would die fighting or slowly perish in despair and torment.

No one spoke.

Each of them was lost in thought.

Tony Stark frantically simulated every possibility in his mind, but every scenario shattered against the Demon Engines and the Hell magic that might surpass human technology.

Perhaps from sheer tension, Bruce Banner could already feel Hulk growling restlessly inside him. Even that growl held a trace of primal wariness.

Just as everyone ran out of ideas, a gentle but clear voice broke the silence, hesitant and tentative.

Invisible Woman had been listening quietly, watching everyone's reactions.

As someone who usually favored defense, protection, and rational analysis, she had realized before her impulsive, good-for-nothing younger brother that their own strength might not be enough to escape this predicament.

And when Hercules said their odds