Faced with Thor's bewildered questioning, Nick Fury finally grew serious. He slowly laid out his reasons, his voice cold and pragmatic as it drowned out the arguments around him.
"Because you showed us the gap between us."
"A private feud between you and your brother Loki, a squabble within Asgard, a clash of divine power unleashed on a whim-that alone was enough to level an entire town."
"When the Destroyer ran rampant in New Mexico, if Rimuru hadn't stepped in and destroyed the rampaging weapon in time, the entire area would have been flattened."
Fury swept his gaze over the group, every word cold and grounded in reality.
"You Asgardians call yourselves the guardians of the Nine Realms, looking down on everyone from on high."
"But to Earth, you're gods from beyond the stars, and threats from beyond the stars."
"A conflict between just two Asgardians was enough to upend a town."
"The universe is vast. Beyond Asgard, there are countless alien civilizations, interstellar fleets, raiding races, and high-level exotic beasts."
"Since alien threats are real and could arrive at any time, Earth can't keep taking a beating forever."
"I'm pursuing the Phase Two plan and using the Tesseract's energy to make weapons, not out of ambition, but for self-defense."
"I have to give Earth the power to strike back on equal terms. Otherwise, if an alien army comes knocking one day, we won't even have a chance to fight back."
When he finished, silence fell over the command room once more. Then a new, fiercer argument erupted.
Steve was the first to object, his opposition firm and unmistakable.
"Self-defense isn't playing with fire!"
"The Tesseract is an unknown, a hidden danger, a source of disaster! Using a disaster to make weapons is the greatest danger of all!"
"You're gambling