Phil Coulson and the others looked up at the sky.
My neck was aching from waiting, but there was still no movement from the sky.
Thor shouted again, " Heimdall! Take me back!"
The air was completely still.
Thor's heart sank, and a sense of foreboding suddenly arose within him.
Kamar-Taj, the main hall.
Looking at the chessboard, Ancient One said helplessly, " Richard, you've won this game."
Richard shook his head and smiled, " Sorcerer Supreme, there is no such thing as winning or losing between us."
Ancient One chuckled and said, "You, you don't need to comfort me."
Then, her expression changed, becoming serious. "Are you really sure about this?"
Richard also stopped smiling and nodded solemnly, "You know me well. Although I am cautious, I hate being on the defensive even more."
His gaze pierced through the Spatial Barrier, landing on the Demons and Monsters drifting between Earth Dimension Interlayer. He sneered, "Since some dare to extend their claws towards Earth, don't blame us for finding them one by one."
"Alright then," the Ancient One said with a relieved smile, "Perhaps the path you've chosen is the right one."
She glanced at the stubborn Thor the God of Thunder outside the Town of Hockum and suddenly said, " Thor the God of Thunder, after all, Odin's chosen successor. For the sake of Asgard and Odin protecting Earth for thousands of years, don't let him die on Earth."
Richard smiled and agreed, "Don't worry, Your Sorcerer Supreme. I gave Thor the opportunity as agreed, but unfortunately, he failed to seize it in the end."
"From this moment forward, Earth will no longer accept Asgard's protection; the two sides will officially become allies of equal standing."
Allies?
The Ancient One gave Richard a deep look, muttering to herself: God of Mischief Loki's reaction was rather strange...
And then there's Hela...
Meanwhile, Strucker, who was guarding the London Sanctum's teleportation hall, suddenly heard Richard's voice in his mind.
[You can begin, Strucker ~]
Strucker opened his eyes and abruptly sat up.
" Arbiter! Begin the operation!"
Hundreds of Arbiter, clad in white robes with red stripes, responded in unison, "Yes, High Priestess!"
They quickly opened a series of crimson Portal and went inside.
Strucker turned to the temple's resident Sorcerer and said, " Sorcerer Daniel, please shut down the New York Sanctum's Defense Weave and let those Dimensional Minion in."
Sorcerer Daniel took a deep breath and replied in a solemn voice, "Yes, High Priestess!"
He formed a control hand seal and softly shouted, "Release!"
'Buzz~'
The entire New York Sanctum trembled slightly.
The Triangular Defense Formation surrounding Earth, specifically the point representing the New York Sanctum, rapidly dimmed.
With one corner of the stability triangle gone, the once intact defense network instantly collapsed, revealing a significant gap.
Soon, a Hell Flame Demon 'accidentally' discovered the Magic Array Gap.
"Look what I've found?!"
It excitedly spewed forth Hell Sulfur Flame.
" Magic Array Gap! Earth's Defense Formation has malfunctioned!"
The Hell Flame Demon immediately turned and flapped its wings to leave.
"I must report this discovery to the Lord immediately!"
"Hahaha, thanks to this achievement, I can request a drop of Flame Demon Essence Blood from the Lord, enough to transform me into a Intermediate Flame Demon!"
Not long after, a wisp of black mist drifted here 'unintentionally'.
"A gap?! Magic Array Gap?!"
The intense emotional fluctuations instantly caused the black mist to lose its disguise.
The black mist dissipated, revealing its true form.
That was none other than Mirror Demon from the Dark Dimension.
" Lord of Darkness, I must report this news to the leader!"
The Mirror Demon's body instantly disintegrated, once again swiping away a wisp of black mist, and twisting and turning as it slipped into a tiny crack in the dimensional interlayer.
Then, one by one, bizarre Dimensional Minion discovered the gap 'inadvertently'.
"Gap!"
" Magic Array Gap!"
"Reporting to the leader!"
"A reward!"
"A generous reward!"
Without hesitation, they turned and left, reporting the news to their respective leaders.
The Dark Dimension, the Eternal Night Throne.
Dormammu received the 'good news' reported up through the ranks, and a hint of sarcasm flashed in his eyes.
Having learned his lesson from Richard, he simply didn't believe that there would be any gaps in Earth's Defense Formation.
Dormammu snorted and waved at Death Wing Lord: "This is a trap, don't worry about it."
" Orini, your Death Wing Legion's most important task now is to find Umar's hiding place!"
"This..." the former Prince Orini, now the Death Wing Lord, said hesitantly, "Great Lord of Darkness, Umar seems to have received support from some Hidden Faction Leftover from the Old Era. Her whereabouts have become elusive, and we cannot pinpoint her location for the time being."
"Then think of a way!" Dormammu said impatiently. "With your relationship, I believe you'll come up with a solution."
The Death Wing Lord sensed the coldness in Dormammu's words and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
He quickly bowed his head and replied, "Yes, Great Lord of Darkness. Please believe me, I will find the Dark Queen's hiding place."
"Don't disappoint me again, otherwise..."
Dormammu waved his hand, throwing Death Wing Lord off the Eternal Night Throne.
Earth, on a bustling street in Los Angeles.
Mephisto's Clone disguised himself as an elderly gentleman leaning on Walking Stick and wearing a sharp suit, strolling leisurely down the street.
He admired the wide variety of goods in the shops along the street while constantly observing the passersby.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, turned smoothly, and walked into the narrow alleyway beside him.
Mephisto raised his Walking Stick and slammed it to the ground.
"Come out."
A wisp of black smoke rose from the ground and quickly transformed into a small Winged Demon.
The Winged Demon prostrated itself on the ground, respectfully saying, "Great Hell Sovereign! After our persistent search, we have finally found a breach in Earth's Defense Formation!"
"A gap in Earth's Defense Formation?!" Mephisto exclaimed in astonishment.
However, having suffered greatly at Richard, his first reaction was exactly the same as Dormammu's.
This must be a trap set by Richard!
But his extremely Greed nature also made him unable to resist fantasizing.
What if this news is true?!
So he commanded, "Tell the Blackheart to send his men to invade Earth through that breach..."