S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.

Since the incident at the Triskelion, Fury had conducted most of his operations and administrative work from the Helicarrier. Now, seated in his office, he noticed Agent Hill’s slightly flustered arrival and immediately addressed her. “Agent Hill, what’s going on?”

Fury’s office was equipped with a direct alert system linked to the Avengers, allowing him to summon them with a single button. This gave him a sense of calm in most situations.

Agent Hill approached Fury and pressed a remote-like device. A holographic screen materialized before him, displaying the night sky outside the Helicarrier. Hovering in the air was a human woman, glowing with radiant energy, clad in a red, blue, and gold skintight suit, staring directly at the Helicarrier.

Recognizing the familiar figure, Fury took a deep breath, nodded slightly, and said with measured gravity, “Agent Hill, invite her in.”

“Director, are you sure?” Hill asked.

Fury nodded. “No problem. I know her—she’s an old friend.”

Looking at Fury, Agent Hill nodded. “Understood. I’ll bring her in right away.”

As Hill turned to leave, Fury sat back in his chair, pulling the pager from his pocket. His mind drifted to past events. Back then, Coulson was just a rookie at S.H.I.E.L.D., which wasn’t even called S.H.I.E.L.D. yet—it was the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. A long, cumbersome name, hard to remember.

Age brought a tendency to reminisce, and Fury wasn’t far from that stage.

When Agent Hill returned, escorting a disheveled-looking Carol to his desk, Fury snapped out of his reverie. He stood, approaching Carol, and the two shared a deep embrace.

“Carol, you haven’t aged a bit,” Fury said. “Though you look a little… rough. Was the trip back a long one?”

“I was dealing with some cosmic pirates when I got your signal,” Carol replied. “Didn’t have time to clean up before coming back. But it doesn’t seem like there’s a major crisis here. Why’d you call me?”

“Take some time to freshen up and grab a bite,” Fury suggested. “We’ll talk after. No need to rush.”

Carol nodded. “Alright, I’ll get cleaned up.”

Carol followed Agent Hill to a dormitory, where she washed up and ate under Hill’s guidance. She returned to Fury’s office with a can of Pepsi, now dressed in a white, short-sleeved, tight-fitting summer soldier’s uniform and pants.

Sitting across from Fury’s desk, she cracked open the can, took a sip, and said, “Alright, Fury, tell me why you brought me back.”

“Of course, but first, take a look at this,” Fury replied. He tapped his desk, swiped, and made a throwing gesture. A holographic screen appeared before Carol, displaying footage of the Avengers’ past battles, alongside images of enemies like the Shadow Council, Ultron, and the Chitauri.

After watching the footage, Carol’s expression turned serious. “Fury, are these all your and Earth’s enemies?”

“Not quite,” Fury clarified. “The ones with an ‘A’ symbol in the top left are allies—members of the Avengers, Earth’s superhero team. The others are enemies they’ve faced.”

“So, Earth’s got plenty of powerful heroes protecting it,” Carol said. “Why call me back then?”

“Because of these people,” Fury said, swiping again to display holographic screens with images of Sebastian, Banner, Wanda, Pietro, and Thor.

Looking at Carol, Fury spoke candidly. “These five are current Avengers, but they’re also unstable elements. Banner transforms into a massive green brute with incredible strength—the angrier he gets, the stronger he becomes, and he’s prone to losing all reason, turning into a destructive monster. Wanda and Pietro aren’t from this world—Sebastian brought them from a parallel universe. They once served an enemy called Ultron but recently regained their memories and joined the Avengers. Their innate powers are extraordinary, and I’m not certain of their loyalty to this Earth. Thor hails from Asgard, a place—”

“I know Asgard, Fury,” Carol interrupted. “Those people are no pushovers.”

“Exactly,” Fury continued. “Thor’s the heir to Asgard. If Asgard and Earth ever clash, I’m not sure where his loyalties would lie. It might sound harsh, but I can’t afford to let my guard down with him. And finally, the one I consider the most dangerous: Sebastian Shaw.”

“He’s an alien?” Carol asked.

“No, pure human,” Fury replied. “But he’s an extraordinarily powerful sorcerer.”

“Sorcerer?” Carol’s face lit up with interest.

“His power is immense, and his magic is unpredictable and nearly impossible to defend against. His recent displays of strength worry me the most. Strength alone wouldn’t concern me so much, but Sebastian isn’t someone who’d sacrifice everything for others. His actions are driven by his friends and his mother, Alisha. If something puts him at odds with us, he won’t hesitate or waver—and that’s what makes him so dangerous.”

Fury played videos of Sebastian’s past battles, including a near-complete recording of his recent fight with Ultron. As Carol watched, her casual demeanor vanished, replaced by a grave and cautious expression. Even through the footage, she could tell Sebastian had the potential to threaten her.

————————

Sebastian stood alongside Kaecilius before the newly completed castle. Under the combined efforts of a construction team and Tony’s robotic building crew, the castle and its associated facilities had been fully constructed. All necessary infrastructure—plumbing, electrical wiring, basic teaching equipment, dormitory furniture, and even kitchen appliances and cooking utensils—had been installed. In short, Sebastian’s magic school was structurally complete, awaiting only its magical enchantments.

Sebastian was well aware that building a Hogwarts-like institution single-handedly was impossible. Even with his current magical prowess, which would have made him a peerless sorcerer in his previous life, constructing such a school was beyond his reach.

“Kaecilius, how’s the recruitment of the mages you were tasked with?” Sebastian asked.

“They’ve all been gathered,” Kaecilius replied. “They’re ready to begin enchanting the land and buildings at your command, Master Sebastian.”

“No rush,” Sebastian said. “First, I need to ensure no one has tampered with this place. If we enchant it now and find issues later, it’ll be a headache to track down.”

With a step forward, Sebastian raised his hands, wand held high, and began chanting a cryptic, otherworldly incantation. At his level of power, any spell requiring such a lengthy recitation was a grand ritual. The spell he cast was derived from Asgardian magic, refined by Sebastian’s own improvements.

As he chanted, a gentle breeze stirred across the previously still land, converging from all directions toward Sebastian. The winds seemed to vanish into his body. To Kaecilius, a fellow sorcerer, these breezes were streams of ambient magical energy, drawn to Sebastian by the incantation’s pull.

When the final syllable was spoken, Sebastian sharply waved his wand, unleashing a blinding white flash from its tip. The light struck the magic school and its grounds, bursting into a massive, translucent lattice of energy, shimmering translucent dome that slowly descended, enveloping the entire area, castle and land alike.

In that instant, every surveillance device buried within the grounds—cameras, drones, remote robots, and other espionage tools—exploded into nothingness as the dome settled. Similarly, any scrying or detection spells cast upon the area were obliterated, rendered null by the dome’s power.

Sebastian had no interest in tracing the culprits. They were likely governments, organizations, or magical factions—too many to pursue. Eliminating their interference was enough. If they dared meddle again, he’d sever their reach without hesitation.

“Alright, bring them in,” Sebastian said. “The spell will hold for over an hour, plenty of time for them to set up what I need.”

At his words, a large case appeared before Kaecilius. He opened it, revealing two hundred sixteen magical runes. “These are two hundred sixteen runes,” he explained, “capable of forming a three-layered hexagram array. The array can be broken down into thirty-six one-star arrays, six two-star arrays, or a single three-star array. Each one-star array requires six runes, each two-star array requires six one-star arrays, and the three-star array requires six two-star arrays. These arrays are interconnected, with each rune as a node. There can be no mistakes.”

“Rest assured, Master Sebastian,” Kaecilius said. “I’ll assign the most trustworthy mages to work with me on this.”

“Good. Bring them over,” Sebastian replied.

The two hundred sixteen runes had cost Sebastian his entire stock of Adamantium. During their forging, he had infused them with Wolverine’s blood, enchanting them with a special spell to imbue a degree of living essence. This allowed the runes to self-repair unless completely destroyed.

Kaecilius’s wand, modified by Sebastian, now featured concealment and portal-opening functions. With a single grip, the wand appeared in his hand. He waved it in a circular motion, opening a portal. Thirty-five mages stepped through from the other side.

Upon emerging, they immediately bowed to Sebastian. They knew Kaecilius served the Dark Wizard of the Avengers, and he had briefed them thoroughly before today.

Sebastian eyed the mages Kaecilius had recruited. He was certain some harbored ill intentions—likely more than one or two. But that didn’t matter. He needed hands to work now. Those willing to contribute could do so, and afterward, he’d deal with any disloyalty. He had plans for a Sorting Hat—not to divide students into houses, but to assess their aptitudes and detect any ulterior motives. Those with malicious intent would serve as material for its creation.

Under Kaecilius’s lead, the thirty-six mages, including himself, each took a set of six unique runes to designated positions. Following blueprint instructions, they buried the runes six meters underground.

Sebastian entered a secret chamber beneath the castle’s center. Sensing each rune’s position, he made minor adjustments to ensure precision. Satisfied, he carefully removed the Reality Gem from his person and placed it in a brazier at the chamber’s heart.

The moment the Reality Gem touched the brazier, it dissolved into a swirling mass of Aether particles, blazing like fire. It supplied boundless energy to the castle, activating the runes, which began to resonate and shift in response.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep