No one expected the God of Light's test to be such a completely new challenge.
But what shocked everyone even more was his intelligence network. Even while standing inside the White House—where every single information channel was secretly controlled by S.H.I.E.L.D.—he still managed to know about a doctor in South Korea named Helen Cho.
The power of the gods was truly unfathomable.
"Great God of Light, we will definitely deliver results and show you all of our capabilities," Pierce said without hesitation.
When it came to scientific manpower, Hydra was arguably the best in the world—packed with brilliant, quick-thinking, and utterly unhinged researchers. After all, Arnim Zola had abandoned his own humanity and turned himself into an artificial-intelligence program.
As for funding, Hydra's influence stretched across the globe, secretly controlling countless conglomerates. With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s support, buying the White House itself wouldn't have been impossible.
The only real obstacle was the Cosmic Cube. Its true form—a gemstone—was something Alexander found absurd, and even he didn't know where Nick Fury had hidden it. Tracking it down would take time.
But overall, it wasn't a major problem.
Having received Gilgamesh's promise, the group happily shut down the projector—only to immediately start another small meeting.
"Where did this guy get his intel? He even knows what's going on in Korea!" Baron Zemo muttered, a cold shiver running down his spine. He was suddenly aware of the danger in cooperating with a being like this.
Alexander, however, brushed it off. "The stronger the God of Light is, the greater our chance of victory. As long as we help him ascend the throne, Earth will be ours to command."
Arnim Zola, ever the pragmatist, had already pulled up information on Helen Cho. "The so-called Cradle of Regeneration is an autonomous regenerative system built on human tissue cells. It integrates gene technology, nanotechnology, and intelligent systems for medical applications—capable of repairing wounds, regenerating organs, and even recreating the human body."
"I didn't expect Korea to have such talent. This Helen Cho is truly remarkable," someone remarked.
Whitehall asked, "If this technology is combined with artificial intelligence, could it really create true mechanical life, just as the God of Light said?"
"Of course," Baron Strucker replied with confidence. "According to the data, it's feasible. And if the God of Light says it's possible, then the success rate must be 100%. The gods must have conducted such experiments already—otherwise he wouldn't sound so certain."
What he didn't know was that the gods—being a magical-technology civilization—had never performed such research. Gilgamesh's confidence came entirely from memories of his past life.
"But even if we create mechanical life… how do we fuse the Cosmic Stone with a human body?" Zemo asked.
Arnim Zola chuckled. "Have you all forgotten the Tesseract-powered weapon I made for Red Skull?"
At that, smiles spread across their faces. When it came to Tesseract research, no one on Earth surpassed Dr. Zola.
And so, a grand experiment began.
Alexander Pierce bypassed Nick Fury entirely. Using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s name, he directly invited Helen Cho—preparing for kidnapping if persuasion failed.
At that time, Helen Cho was struggling to secure funding for the Cradle of Regeneration. The moment she heard that S.H.I.E.L.D. was willing to invest, she agreed without hesitation.
Soon, scientists from all over the world gathered at the Sokovia base, where secret research quietly began.
Meanwhile, Pierce started probing for the Tesseract's location, but Nick Fury remained tight-lipped. Ever since he learned that someone had bypassed Hill and met the God of Light directly, a sense of crisis had been gnawing at him. He knew something was wrong inside S.H.I.E.L.D., yet he couldn't find any clues—and could only set the matter aside.
So he waited for Captain Marvel's return to Earth, believing that once she arrived, she would be able to suppress all monsters and demons.
Meanwhile, in an abandoned factory—
Norman Osborn, dressed as the Green Goblin, swept his gaze across the notorious villains gathered before him, a flicker of greed rising in his eyes. Everyone here, himself included, had once been under Loki's banner—drawn either by profit or by the allure of divine power.
But ever since Loki's trip to the White House, he hadn't shown himself again. What used to be a villainous alliance now stood leaderless, fraying at the edges.
"Bullseye, you've taken over Kingpin's forces," Dr. Otto Octavius spoke first, his mechanical arms twitching impatiently. "Do you have any news about Loki?"
He had only joined because Loki agreed to fund his research. Now that the golden goose had vanished, his funding had evaporated overnight.
Bullseye toyed with a throwing knife as he perched on a rusted machine. "Things are messy. All I heard is that Kingpin's locked up in some place called S.H.I.E.L.D. He followed Loki to the White House. Now that Kingpin's imprisoned, it looks like our God of Mischief is in serious trouble too."
Norman Osborn let out a strange smile. "I've heard a bit more. Word is, his brother—the God of Light—handed him over to a sorcerer. Only by mastering that sorcerer's magic can Loki regain his freedom."
"Magic…?" Otto fell silent. A man of pure science, he had suffered greatly when confronted with Loki's sorcery. And if Loki was now actually studying magic in earnest, his power after 'graduation' would be terrifying.
Electro scratched his head, visibly disappointed. "Shame… I actually got along with him pretty well."
Sandman grumbled, "So what, does that mean we're breaking up?"
"No, no, no—absolutely not! My research still needs him!" Dr. Lizard and Otto blurted out almost at the same time. Both relied heavily on Loki's support, and neither was willing to see the group collapse.
Erica, who had stayed quiet until now, crossed her arms. "Employers as rich and generous as Loki are rare. We should think about rescuing him."
Green Goblin snorted. "Rescue is basically impossible. You have no idea how powerful the God of Light really is."
Bullseye shrugged. "Then how about we just… keep things as they are?"
He should have been the happiest one—now leading all of Kingpin's forces—but having glimpsed the world beyond, he no longer wished to crawl in the mud. Who would choose to struggle among mortals when they'd tasted the ease of following a god?
His suggestion drew murmurs of agreement—exactly what Osborn had hoped for.
"Gentlemen," Osborn said, spreading his arms theatrically, "fighting on our own only makes us easy prey for superheroes. Since we already have this alliance, why not unite fully—and finish Loki's unfinished mission?"
"For example?" Erica's eyes narrowed, clearly wary of his intentions.
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