"I already know what you reported. They're just a rabble—nothing worth worrying about."
A clear voice, tinged with languid indifference, drifted into Alexander Pierce's ears. He bowed respectfully, continuing to listen to the so-called gospel of God.
Gilgamesh lifted his eyes slightly, gazing down at the holographic projection before him. "Continue doing what you're supposed to do. Don't bother me again until you have actual results."
"As you command!" Pierce remained kneeling, lowering his proud head even further.
It wasn't genuine devotion that brought him to his knees, but the conclusion of Hydra's internal psychologists: this posture made their "god" feel respected.
These conservative gods loved worship—particularly human flattery.
Because of this, Pierce had even studied ancient rituals and etiquette for a time.
While it never earned him Gilgamesh's praise, at least it prevented him from provoking the deity's displeasure.
Meanwhile, within S.H.I.E.L.D., yet another operational meeting on how to deal with Gilgamesh had begun.
Nick Fury—bald, one-eyed, wrapped in a black leather trench coat—held a pointer as he directed everyone's attention to the combat footage of Gilgamesh displayed in the center of the briefing room. He spoke animatedly.
"His opponent possesses superb combat skills. Each of his Noble Phantasms can unleash unique magical effects, but due to his personality, he rarely reveals them. More importantly, his weapons are unbelievably sharp—cutting through metal like paper."
"Relax, Fury. In the face of absolute power, no matter what little tricks he has, I can deal with him easily."
Captain Marvel crossed her arms, her expression relaxed and dismissive. After years of roaming the universe, even a planet-destroying cannon felt like a mild sting to her.
This so-called war council meant nothing to her. In Carol's eyes, holding a serious meeting just to discuss how to deal with a small fry she could swat aside was an utter waste of time.
She was only still here for one reason: to give her good friend Nick Fury some face.
What a coincidence.
Her thoughts were exactly the same as Gilgamesh's.
Both were overwhelmingly powerful—and both completely dismissed the other.
This was the unwavering confidence born from absolute strength and countless victories.
Every truly strong being possessed this confidence; maintain it long enough, and confidence turned into arrogance—and then into cold composure.
Gilgamesh, however, leaned more toward arrogance than composure.
These two invincible individuals, shaped by vastly different worlds, had grown into opposite extremes…
Nick Fury couldn't refute Carol's claims. He understood her strength well enough to admit she had the authority to speak that way.
Thor remained silent. After everything he'd been through, he had matured; he no longer tossed out impulsive warnings. Doing so would only boost the enemy's morale and weaken his own—a taboo before any battle.
Even so, Captain Marvel's arrogance made him secretly shake his head. Don't be fooled by Carol's bravado, he thought. She'll change her tune once Gilgamesh knocks her around.
On the other side of the table, Stark lay slumped forward, one hand propping up his cheek, his eyes fixed oddly on Nick Fury. He had recently come out publicly as gay, which sent the media into a frenzy. Now, dozens of paparazzi camped outside Stark Tower day and night, hoping to catch something scandalous.
Tony, bold and flamboyant as always, openly flaunted his relationship with a handsome but delicate, soft-spoken young man. The two constantly appeared in public, displaying affection without restraint.
Pepper Potts had broken down in tears over it and resigned from Stark Industries in heartbreak.
She had never imagined that after surviving countless competitors, her romance with Tony would be defeated—not by another woman—but by a timid, gentle man.
"Why are you staring at him like that?" Natasha asked, brows raised in confusion. Sitting beside Stark, the Black Widow followed his gaze toward Fury.
Nick Fury was far from good-looking; even with the eye patch on, he radiated a kind of intimidating ugliness.
Even if Tony liked men… there was no way he liked that kind, right?
Little did she know that as time passed, Stark's personality had been almost completely warped by the curse. His fascination with men only deepened, to the point where he had become entirely indifferent to his own appearance.
"Don't you think his eyepatch is sexy?"
Tony clasped his hands beneath his chin with a shy expression, completely smitten.
He only snapped out of his daydream when Nick Fury called his name.
"Tony, will your Iron Man suit be ready for the upcoming battle?"
"Of course!" Stark immediately regained some composure at the mention of his armor, confidence flashing across his face. "I've secured a new contract with the King of Wakanda, and with the addition of alien nanotechnology, I've designed and developed a suit called the Vibranium Nanosuit. I've named it the Anti–Light God Armor."
"Anti–Light God Armor?"
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone present perked up. It was well-known that Captain America's shield, forged from vibranium, was tough enough to withstand Gilgameshdin's Noble Phantasm.
Just how powerful would an entire suit composed of vibranium nanobots be?
"Thanks to the material improvements, the Anti–Light God Armor is far lighter overall. Combined with vibranium's kinetic-energy absorption properties, it can remain intact even when struck by a missile.
"I've designed twenty-four transformation modules for it—covering long-range weaponry, melee weaponry, flight propulsion, and reinforced defense. It can instantly shift forms to adapt to any combat environment.
"I believe that next time I face Gilgameshdin, he won't even be able to make this armor budge."
Thor rolled his eyes without meaning to, Carol let out a bored yawn, and only Fury, Hawkeye, and Natasha looked genuinely pleased.
Now this—this was someone who did big things.
After suffering a loss, he went straight back and engineered counter-armor. Fury had always known Stark was brilliant, and this only reaffirmed it. Scratching his head in satisfaction, Fury felt that this time, victory was practically guaranteed.
With this lineup and equipment, they could handle Thanos with ease—no exaggeration needed.
After all, Captain America's combat power was still inferior to Carol's.
Replace a fifty-fifty brawler with the strongest warrior, add a nano-vibranium Iron Man, and losing again would be absolutely ridiculous.
"In that case," Fury declared, "this operation will be led by Carol, Stark, and Thor as the main attackers, with Barton and Natasha providing support and disruption."
No one objected. Fury nodded in satisfaction.
"Now, moving on to the second item on the agenda…"
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL for more chapters.