It was another earth-shattering revelation.
Every single diary owner's eyes went wide with shock. Tony Stark carrying a nuclear missile into the sky?
What kind of apocalyptic scenario was this? What exactly was happening in the future?
Even Thor could not help but suck in a sharp breath. Nuclear weapons were not entirely unheard of among interstellar civilizations. While the technological development of different cosmic empires varied wildly, many of them eventually unlocked the power of nuclear fission and fusion.
Asgard frequently interacted with various alien factions, so they were well aware of nuclear missiles and the devastating fallout they produced.
It was a purely technological method of destruction, completely antithetical to Asgardian magic. However, Thor possessed a deep respect for a nuke's terrifying yield.
Humans might have been born physically frail and weak, but they were exceptionally gifted at inventing horrific ways to kill each other.
"I carry a nuke into the sky?" Tony Stark was utterly dumbfounded. He was completely frozen in shock.
Set aside the question of how he managed to undergo such a radical psychological transformation to the point of absolute, selfless sacrifice. The two most critical details in that entry were the location and the weapon.
The Battle of New York. And a nuclear payload.
How was that even possible?
Tony snapped out of his daze. The exhaustion from spending the entire day placating furious politicians and corporate elites instantly evaporated.
This revelation was infinitely more potent than any espresso.
New York was the undisputed capital of the modern world. If Earth had a central hub of commerce and culture, it was undeniably there.
A massive, devastating war erupting in the heart of New York was entirely unprecedented. For generations, Americans possessed an unwavering belief that their homeland was an untouchable fortress. The devastating fires of World War I and World War II had never reached their shores.
But according to the diary, a war was going to completely engulf American soil. Specifically, New York.
"Impossible. How could any hostile force bypass the United States Navy?" Tony muttered, refusing to believe it. It sounded like pure fiction.
No single nation on Earth possessed the military projection required to invade the American mainland. Furthermore, no nation could possibly withstand the apocalyptic retaliation that would immediately follow an attack on New York.
When it came to the major global superpowers, mutually assured destruction was an absolute guarantee.
Tony shot up from his chair and began pacing frantically across his hotel suite.
"Is this World War III?" Tony theorized aloud.
Judging by the fact that he was physically capable of carrying a missile, he couldn't be that old in the future timeline. Even if an elderly Tony Stark wanted to fight on the front lines, his body wouldn't allow it.
Therefore, this catastrophic war had to occur within the next twenty years.
That was the crux of the issue. What single event within the next two decades could possibly trigger World War III?
Would the United Nations Security Council completely fracture? Would the leading superpowers turn their guns on each other?
That was the only logical scenario that could result in a full-scale battle in New York with nuclear missiles in play.
"But that doesn't make sense," Tony argued with himself.
Ever since the dawn of the nuclear age, the major global powers had spent decades avoiding direct military conflict. Proxy wars and quiet arms dealing were standard protocol, but open warfare? None of them had the foundational desire or the economic incentive to completely annihilate each other.
"Sir, it could also be an extraterrestrial invasion," J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice interjected calmly, instantly shifting the trajectory of Tony's thoughts.
"Of course. An alien invasion." Tony's eyes widened in realization.
However, the realization did absolutely nothing to soothe his anxiety. In fact, it made his blood run cold.
If given the choice between fighting a unified alliance of hostile Earth nations or fighting an alien armada, Tony would definitively say the aliens were infinitely more terrifying.
Even a massive superpower like Russia could only guarantee mutually assured destruction against the United States. They couldn't outright conquer them.
Tony recalled his earlier, arrogant critiques of Asgardian and Dark Elf technology. He had initially thought their civilizations were bizarre and surprisingly small-scale. They didn't fit his sci-fi expectations of what an interstellar empire should look like.
But now, he understood the truth. They were Magitech civilizations. Their evolutionary path was entirely different from a pure science-based species.
For instance, a normal human could not survive in the vacuum of space. To achieve spaceflight, humanity had to dedicate trillions of dollars to developing life support systems, heavy spacecraft, and pressurized suits.
Asgardians did not need any of that. Thor had casually mentioned that his divine physiology allowed him to survive in the vacuum of space without breathing. His innate magical energy sustained his life signs perfectly.
That alone bypassed massive technological hurdles. Not to mention the Bifrost. They didn't need massive faster-than-light dreadnoughts. They could just open a magical bridge and instantly teleport anywhere in the Nine Realms.
It was completely logical for a magical civilization to have "primitive" technology. They simply didn't need it.
But a purely technological alien civilization would not have those innate magical shortcuts. If they wanted to cross the stars, they had to ruthlessly conquer the laws of physics.
Theoretically speaking, any alien civilization technologically advanced enough to cross the vast, desolate gulf of deep space and arrive at Earth would possess a military force far beyond human comprehension.
No nation on Earth would stand a chance. Whether it was the United States, China, or anyone else, humanity would be completely helpless.
The triumphant Hollywood movies where scrappy human militaries unite to defeat the alien armada were pure fantasy.
In reality, if an alien fleet reached Earth, their technological supremacy would be absolute. Humanity's strongest weapons might not even be able to breach their baseline defenses.
Just looking at the golden energy shields Asgard had displayed in the diary's video was proof enough. Earth had nothing capable of piercing that kind of barrier.
How could they possibly fight a war like that?
It wouldn't just be natives throwing javelins at Gatling guns. The technological gap would be far more exaggerated than that.
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