"Where are we?" Natasha asked as soon as he walked out of the portal. She was not the only one who felt this way. The team found themselves in a world with black land, red sky, and two suns hanging above their heads.
"This is Earth," the king replied.
"How is this possible?" Sam continued.
"No, he's right. My scans show that this is indeed the Earth, but it has been terraformed for some reason," Tony revealed.
"Terraformation? Transformed by what?" Banner asked.
"There is unknown energy in the environment, and the source is the two 'moons' in the sky," Tony explained while looking at the sky.
"Those are not moons," Natasha added. "They are metallic objects, possibly spaceships. Why do they look so familiar?"
"That's Asgard magic," Wang said, casting a vision-enhancing spell and looking at the two "moons".
"Are you sure?"
"Sorcerer Supreme once brought back the entire Asgard the Library, and I know a little bit about their magic," Wang explained.
"Ian did say that he likes to collect books and knowledge," Natasha nodded. "I hope he didn't steal those."
"He wouldn't do that," Wang retorted immediately, but then paused because he realized that the current Sorcerer Supreme was completely different from the Ancient One, and he could definitely do such a thing as stealing a few books.
"Didn't he say that we and Asgard are allies? I think this is more like an exchange of knowledge," Banner said.
"Guys, we have a bigger problem," Sam suddenly changed the subject.
"What did you find?" Natasha asked.
"The energy that was ravaging the planet felt familiar to me, so I checked it out. It was a mix of Asgard magic, energy from Blood Demon Dimension, and energy from Nine Hells - Beelzebub to be exact."
"Are you sure?" Wang asked, because he recognized these entities from his training, and so did everyone else. After all, these entities were the biggest variables facing their survival in their timeline.
"During my training, I had to summon creatures from different dimensions and even create unique creatures based on the characteristics of these dimensions. I will never forget the fear brought by these Demon Gods dimensions."
Natasha raised her hand, controlled the energy in the air, and condensed it into a black-red energy ball. Although she was not familiar with those specific energies, she was no stranger to dimensional energy due to her connection with Shadow Dimension. Therefore, after a short analysis, she could probably confirm Sam's analysis.
"So, what is our next action plan?" Wang asked.
"Our mission is to find Arishem and the other Celestials and bring them home. So, our first step is to find their location," Natasha said.
"But what about the people in this world?" Banner asked.
"What happened to them?"
"Well, there have to be people alive, right? Maybe we can help them," he suggested.
"So what? Have you forgotten what happened when we tried to show kindness?" Natasha reminded him. Even if they can rescue the survivors, these people will eventually be swallowed up by their corresponding selves in the timeline.
"Oh, right," Banner said and lowered his head. His answer made everyone feel a little frustrated. They should have been heroes and beacons of hope for people. However, now they have to compromise morally for the survival of their own people.
"I can build a tracker. People in different timelines have slightly different energy signatures that I can detect. However, I need to access a higher energy source to build a scanner that can detect on a cosmic scale," Tony said.
"How long will it take?" Natasha asked.
"More than five hours," Tony answered truthfully.
"Too long. We need a faster method," she shook her head. "Wang, can't you use Divination to find our target?"
"The basic Divination is fine, but it won't work for people with a higher rank than me," Wang shook his head.
"Sam, what can you do?" Natasha asked.
"I do have a tracking beast, but it needs to be strengthened before it can find its target."
Natasha frowned. "If I let you access Shadow Dimension, how long will it take?"
"About an hour."
"It's still too long," she shook her head. She pondered for a moment and suddenly remembered something. "Didn't Ian say that Clint would be our eyes? Can't we contact him?"
"Okay, I have a way," Wang nodded and took out a magic ball from his pocket. He cast a spell, and a few seconds later, breathing sounds came from the magic ball.
"Hello, Barton."
"Wait for me, I'll locate it right away," Barton said, and the team waited patiently. "Arishem and Celestials are fighting in a place I call 'Cult Dimension'. There is an entrance on Kasha of Omega Galaxy. I will send you the coordinates."
"Okay." As soon as Wang received the coordinates, he immediately opened a portal to Kasha. "Clint said that the entrance to that dimension is on the second highest mountain on the planet. So, it shouldn't be difficult to find."
"Found it," Tony said while fiddling with the holographic screen projected from the watch. "Dimensional Barrier is the thinnest in this place." His holographic image showed the mountain, and the king once again opened a portal to the designated area.
Wang hit Void in front of him and released Spatial Tremor. "Yes, this is the entrance."
"We can't just break in, right?" Banner asked.
"No, we need to do some reconnaissance first. Tony or Sam go," Natasha asked.
"Leave it to me," Sam said, summoning a creature named "Invisible Raven" and letting it pass through the entrance. Sam shared vision with the creature and reported the situation to the team. "Behind the door is an underground cave, guarded by a group of men in black robes. I understand why Clint called this Cult Dimension."
"What are their energy levels?" Natasha asked. Although Ian's level system was strange and unfamiliar, she had to admit that it was indeed a good way to assess risks when performing tasks or dealing with unknown entities.
"Most of them are ordinary people, a few have the energy characteristics of the first level, and there is a person holding a staff who is Tier 3."
"Wand? So he's a mage?"
"It seems so. According to preliminary observations, he seems to be the person with the highest status in this cave. His task may be to guard the entrance to this dimension," Sam reported.
"In this case, the plan is simple. Break in quickly, kill the others, and capture the leader alive. We need to obtain information from them," Natasha ordered, and the team members nodded. They entered the cave and began to implement the plan.
Natasha summoned two Shadow Daggers and turned into an afterimage and rushed in. Sam and one of his summoned beasts, Fusion, rampaged through the crowd. Banner used part of his arm Transfiguration to deal with the enemy. The only one who didn't move was Tony. He seemed to be distracted by something as soon as he came in. Everyone thought that his armor was malfunctioning.
"The operation went well," Natasha said as he dragged an old man over in black robes and holding a staff. "But, why do I feel something is wrong?"
"Do you feel this way too?" Wang asked.
"We are losing power," Banner said. "I can feel my power slowly draining away." His training primarily involved the mind and soul, making him particularly sensitive to the loss of energy.
"He's right," Natasha agreed, and she also felt that her shadow energy was dissipating rapidly. "What on earth is going on?"
"This dimension is very exclusive and will exclude most forms of power or energy," Wang explained solemnly.
"This is not good news for us," complained Sam.
"We are in big trouble," Tony suddenly said.
"What's wrong with you?"
"My sensors detected an unusually strong dimensional vibration. After analyzing the situation, the only explanation is that there is a powerful being trying to tear Dimensional Barrier apart in this field and forcefully break in," Tony explained.
"Another intruder?" Natasha asked with a frown.
"Or a potential invasion. Invasions between dimensions are common," Wang explained.
"But why now? Shouldn't these people from alien dimensions be fighting with our people in the Blank Realm?" Banner asked.
"Don't forget, only the Tier 10 entity has left, the others are still there. Now there is a power vacuum due to the absence of these rulers, and it makes sense that someone wants to take advantage of it and launch an invasion," Tony reminded.
"We have to move faster," Natasha said, looking at the captured leader.