Inside the temple in New York.
The core of the temple, a huge sphere resembling a globe, was covered with points of light.
Densely scattered, each flickering point represented a dimensional channel that connected to Limbo.
"Somewhat shocking," thought Aron, taking on his duties as temple guardian for the first time.
He wasn't going anywhere. He was honestly standing guard in front of the core, staring at this glowing sphere.
According to the Ancient One, Limbo had now become part of the Main Dimension.
In the process of merging the two dimensions, countless channels collided and intersected with one another.
These sparkling points on the core were exactly those passages, extremely unstable, short-lived. Most extinguished within a second, never to be used.
But a small number of channels were different. More stable. Their location and time of appearance could be detected and used.
It was precisely because of this that many things from Limbo suddenly ended up on Earth, while people and objects from Earth suddenly vanished into Limbo.
"Overall, the impact is not so destructive," Aron concluded after observing the core for a long time.
The two worlds did not shatter like planets colliding and disappearing in an explosion. The merging occurred at the dimensional level, while the material aspects remained separate.
Limbo did not appear next to Earth, nor in the Solar System or the Milky Way. Its relationship to Earth was like that of Asgard to the Nine Realms – close, yet infinitely distant.
"All in all, it's not that terrible," muttered Aron, recalling the moment when the Ancient One first warned him about the coming collision of dimensions. At that time, her tone was alarming, almost overly serious.
"Alas…" he also remembered the irony with which she had spoken.
What had she told him then? "For now just attend the course and wait until Master Daniel recovers in Kamar-Taj."
"Ridiculous," grumbled Aron.
"I've been to Kamar-Taj a dozen times, and Daniel never showed up. Supposedly recovering… Bah, I bet he's resting in Hawaii."
He laughed to himself.
At the same time, he knew the Ancient One's concerns were not unfounded. The reason the collision with Limbo had not caused a catastrophe was simple, he had already conquered Limbo and become its master.
If not, Belath would have already led demon legions in an invasion of Earth.
"According to the Ancient One…" Aron narrowed his eyes. "This merging with Limbo has weakened the barrier of the Main Dimension. In the future, collisions with other dimensions may become more frequent."
He looked thoughtfully at the core, as if through the sparkling points he could see the faces of old enemies and allies waving at him.
"No," he shook his head decisively.
"I must take the initiative. My current power is not enough. I must continue to grow…"
At that moment, his concentration was broken by the sound of a mobile phone.
"Hello?"
Aron picked up the phone.
Tony Stark was on the line.
After just a few sentences, Aron's face turned strange, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Are you sure the American political elite hasn't completely lost its mind?" he asked.
"A reverse invasion? Is that something a person can even think of? And… there's no oil in Limbo! What are they even looking for there, magma?"
...
According to what Tony said, the American military, along with its allies, was preparing for a massive offensive on Limbo.
Aron was stunned.
Were they really that brave?
The scene of the last invasion, when Belath led the demons against New York, had been forgotten so quickly?
While Aron was asking questions, Tony patiently answered from the other side of the line.
"They believe the reason for defeat in the last New York war was that the battle was fought on Earth. Many weapons of mass destruction couldn't be used. And now, after another demon appeared on the streets, panic among the population has reached its peak. The governments have no choice, they must send troops."
"And it's not just about America. Other major powers around the world also plan to send soldiers. Aron, I think this is an opportunity…"
Tony's tone was tense, but also excited.
He had called precisely to try to convince Aron to join him in this attack.
Aron was silent for a moment, then laughed. He understood what Tony was trying.
"Tony," he said calmly, "this time I will not go with you. And no, it's not because I'm lazy, nor because you're not offering me enough money…"
He smiled. "It's because you and your generals are asking me the lord of Limbo, to accompany you in an invasion of Limbo. Doesn't that sound… a bit absurd?"
Even he himself felt strange at that sentence.
To invite the Lord of Hell and ask him to lead an attack on his own dimension? Only Tony could come up with something like that.
"Wait a minute! What did you just say?" Tony suddenly raised his voice. "What kind of lord of Limbo are you?"
"Lord of Limbo," Aron answered with a smile. "The Hell you're planning to attack."
"What?!"
On the other side of the line Tony's voice was full of disbelief, followed by a few seconds of silence.
"So… last time, you were…"
"No." Aron cut him off. "Last time when Limbo attacked Earth, the lord was not me. Do you remember that demon, Belath? The one who knocked you out of the sky with a single blow, so that your armor split at the seam…"
"…Can you please stop describing it like that?" Tony sounded as if a vein was popping on his forehead. "My armor wasn't sewn together with needle and thread."
"In any case, you know what I mean," Aron continued coldly. "Belath was the lord of Limbo back then. He led the invasion, and he was destroyed. After that, I took the throne. So… if you now carry out an invasion, we're talking about my territory."
Aron didn't show a trace of panic. On the contrary, the whole thing seemed funny to him.
Tony, however, was completely shocked.
"…Fine. I'll go inform the council immediately! They must pull back the troops!"
Because how else?
Attacking Limbo sounded insane enough in itself. But now, when Limbo had a Lord who had just answered the phone…
Victory?
That was a fantasy.
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