As Lucius turned his gaze toward Hala, the capital of the Kree Empire, a colossal consciousness suddenly emerged.
"Outsider…"
A faint, ethereal voice echoed within the mind of the Kree host under Lucius's control.
"Who are you?" Lucius asked, sensing the presence was directly addressing him.
"I am the Supreme Intelligence," the vast, dreamlike voice replied once more.
Before Lucius's spiritual form, a massive and indistinct humanoid face materialized.
"So it's you, the leader of the Kree Empire," Lucius said with a light chuckle, recognizing the identity behind the visage.
The leader of the Kree Empire was not an organic being, but a superintelligent computer, an amalgamation of the collective knowledge and intellect of countless generations of Kree minds.
Compared to other cosmic civilizations, the Kree were cold, self-serving, and deeply entrenched in nationalism, imperialism, and militarism.
Believing that an emotional organic being could never rule their people with logic, fairness, and longevity, they created the Supreme Intelligence, a hyperintelligent entity programmed with every scientific, philosophical, military, and ideological record since the Kree race's inception.
This digital overlord had ruled the vast Kree Empire for centuries, directing its path through massive data calculations and designing the future of the species.
"Outsider, I know why you've come," the enormous face said to Lucius, now in his black mist form. "The Mad Titan has already acquired the Space Stone and the Power Stone. Should he obtain the remaining Infinity Stones, a universal catastrophe will be inevitable."
"You know…" Lucius's expression shifted subtly with surprise.
That the Supreme Intelligence was aware of Thanos's actions, and even the existence of the Infinity Stones, was unexpected.
Despite the Kree's immense technological prowess, they were still merely one of many advanced species in this universe.
They were vastly outclassed in cosmic hierarchy by entities like the Celestials and the Elders of the Universe.
That the Supreme Intelligence would be privy to the secrets of the Infinity Stones, which even many cosmic elders only vaguely understood, was astonishing.
In the source material, the Infinity Stones were closely guarded mysteries within this universe. Even the Elders had only partial knowledge of them. Thanos, himself a descendant of the Eternal Titans, learned their true nature only after encountering the Infinity Well.
Many who had held the Stones didn't comprehend their true power.
Ronan the Accuser, a native Kree, merely embedded the Power Stone in his hammer to boost his strength.
Loki, the Trickster God of Asgard, used the Space Stone just to open portals.
"This world has seen more than one outsider," the Supreme Intelligence continued. "From them, I've gathered… some very interesting information."
At that moment, dark, colossal aircraft silently appeared in the sky.
Cloaked warships?
While Lucius was engaged in mental dialogue, an entire fleet of advanced Kree battlecraft had encircled the city unnoticed.
"What are you doing?" Lucius asked, his tone flat as he stared at the giant digital face.
"I told you, I've learned many things from those other outsiders. Now I'm curious… how much you might offer." The voice remained calm, but Lucius clearly detected a faint trace of amusement.
Heh… So you're trying to capture me.
The airships began to deploy massive metal pillars, bristling with advanced technological energy, down onto the city.
Some planted themselves in the outskirts, others embedded into the streets, and several remained suspended midair.
With a soft series of click-clack mechanical sounds, the pillars unfolded and reshaped themselves, releasing a shimmering dome of light that enveloped the entire city.
"Star Patrol Fleet?!"
"What's happening?! They're sealing us in…"
"Is this a military operation? Get inside, quickly!"
Chaos erupted in the streets. The previously orderly cityscape became a swarm of panic as citizens scrambled for shelter.
Yet, amid the fleeing crowds, one figure stood completely still.
A green-skinned, pointy-eared man stared skyward at the descending dreadnoughts, and smiled.
Then, the elite "Accuser Corps" unit disembarking from the ships abruptly froze in mid-motion, their bodies falling limply to the ground.
The Old One Virus, now elevated to the status of a True Deity, could only be constrained by higher-tier forces such as Ruleforce, not mere technology.
Attempting to trap him with advanced Kree weaponry was laughably naïve.
"W-What… are you?" the Supreme Intelligence's voice rang out again, now laced with an emotion previously absent:
Fear.
In an instant, it had lost connection with the Star Patrol Fleet and its elite Accuser unit.
As a militarist autocracy, the Kree Empire placed ultimate trust in strength and order.
The Accuser Corps were the apex of that ideal, elite warriors drawn from the finest ranks, doubling as enforcers of both military and judicial authority.
They operated alongside robotic sentinels in joint missions. To maintain control, the Supreme Intelligence had secretly embedded micro-monitoring chips in their brains.
Figures like Ronan the Accuser and the second Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, had both served within this fearsome force.
Yet just moments ago, every surveillance chip implanted in them had been instantaneously destroyed.
Then, the city-wide metal pillars began to vibrate in unison. The energy dome dissipated.
The sky returned above the citizens' heads.
"What happened? The seal's gone…"
"Maybe the military's done?"
"Ah, glory to the Empire and the Accuser Corps, for keeping us safe!"
With the rainbow-colored shield gone, those still out in the open breathed a collective sigh of relief. In their minds, the danger had passed.
But just as the civilians relaxed, a missile streaked toward the city's heart, so fast it was barely visible to the naked eye.
BOOM.
A dazzling column of light erupted into the heavens.
Its brilliance could be seen for thousands of miles, dyeing the sky a vivid red.
There was no mushroom cloud, no lingering black smoke. But the city had been completely annihilated, erased from the surface of the planet.
After realizing it had lost all control over the Star Patrol Fleet and Accuser Corps, the Supreme Intelligence made a decisive choice:
It launched a high-powered, non-nuclear, area-denial weapon, flattening everything within a hundred-mile radius.
The Kree's advanced arsenal surpassed Earth's manyfold. Though this weapon was more destructive than any nuclear bomb, it produced no radiation and left the ecology largely intact, ensuring the area could be redeveloped and resettled swiftly.
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