Carol opened her mouth, wanting to ask something, but Mavuika had already turned away.
Golden-red flames rose from her body, Burning silently in the vacuum.
Without using any propulsion devices, she transformed into a flaming comet with just a thought, flying toward the depths of the starry sky. Her speed increased until she became a speck of light in the distance, vanishing among the stars.
Inside the spaceship, there was a long silence.
Finally, Fury spoke first: "So... are we going to your mother ship now?"
Talos was still immersed in the shock from moments ago, nodding mechanically: "Yes... yes, let's go."
Carol sat back in the pilot's seat, but her fingers were unconsciously touching the back of her neck.
Mavuika's words echoed in her mind.
"That woman..." Carol whispered, "Who exactly is she?"
"The sun goddess of Asgard, if what Talos says is true," Fury said. He walked to the porthole, looking in the direction where Mavuika had disappeared, then turned to Talos.
"You're saying Asgard actually exists? It's not a myth?"
Talos gave a bitter smile: "Agent Fury, in the Universe, many things you Earthlings consider myths are actually real history."
"Asgard has guarded the Nine Realms for a long time; they are one of the oldest civilizations in the Universe. As for Mavuika, the sun goddess... I've read about her in ancient Skrull archives. It's said she once single-handedly defeated the leader of the Dark Elves during the 'Dark Elf War,' leaving them, who were once the darkness of the Universe, completely broken ever since."
Carol started the ship and flew toward the cloaked vessel.
Her thoughts were in disarray: the lies of the Kree Empire, the truth about the Skrulls, her own lost memories, and that strange woman's gaze that seemed to see through everything...
"She said she was going to'solve the trouble'," Carol suddenly thought of something and said, "What trouble?"
Talos's expression changed: "Could it be... the Kree have caught up?"
...
Near Lunar Orbit.
Four Kree Empire starships glided through the void, their blue-and-gold hulls reflecting the cold light of the distant Sun.
They were the elite of the Imperial fleet. The energy cannon arrays at the bows were on standby, and the engine nozzles flowed with ghostly blue ion streams.
On the command bridge of the fleet's flagship, Ronan the Accuser stood before the observation window.
He wore the robes of a high-ranking Kree Empire Commander and held the Kree War Hammer, his expression cold and stern.
Behind him, a holographic star map displayed their position; they had already crossed Mars's orbit and were approaching the Earth-Moon System.
"Jump engine charging complete, Officer," a technical Officer reported.
"In thirty seconds, we can execute the final short-range jump directly to the target Planet's Low Earth Orbit."
Ronan nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the blue Planet outside the porthole that was becoming increasingly clear.
Earth, designated as 'C-53' in the Kree Empire's archives, was a primitive but strategically important fringe World.
According to intelligence, the remnants of the Skrull Rebels were hiding there.
"Prepare for jump," Ronan ordered, his voice low.
"Upon arrival, immediately initiate scans to lock onto the Skrull ship's signal and commence an extermination strike on C-53."
"Understood, Officer," the adjutant replied, but then asked somewhat hesitantly.
"But according to ancient records, this star system belongs to Asgard's sphere of influence, the 'Nine Realms'. Should we..."
"Asgard has been silent for a millennium," Ronan interrupted him, his tone laced with contempt.
"Their glory fades as Odin grows old. A dying civilization is nothing to fear."
This was the perception instilled by the Kree Empire's mainstream historical view. Asgard was certainly powerful, but that was in the past.
The Universe now belonged to emerging powers, to interstellar empires like the Kree.
Ronan believed this implicitly, and his ambition would not allow him to fear legendary names.
The countdown began: 10, 9, 8...
Just as the jump engine was about to activate, the bridge alarms suddenly shrieked.
"High energy reaction! Directly ahead!" the sensor Officer's voice trembled with disbelief.
"Speed... impossible to calculate! It's rushing straight here from the direction of the Planet!"
Ronan looked up sharply. Outside the porthole, a golden-red speck of light was speeding toward them at a velocity that defied physical common sense. One second it was far off near Earth, the next it was right before their eyes.
It wasn't a ship or a missile, but a human figure—a woman with long flowing hair and flames Burning around her body, suspended in the vacuum without any protection, blocking the path of the four Kree warships.
"Abort jump!" Ronan barked the command, his hand already tightening around his war hammer.
Mavuika stopped less than five hundred meters from the flagship, which on a space scale was practically face-to-face.
She looked around at the four warships, a hint of coldness flashing in her amber eyes.
The Kree Empire's insignia, the blue-and-gold paint—typical creations of an expansionist civilization.
Moreover, they had already penetrated as far as Lunar Orbit; one more step and they would be at Earth.
Has Asgard been silent for too long? Long enough for these outsiders to intrude into the Nine Realms' territory so recklessly, skipping even the most basic protocols of notification?
Inside the bridge, Ronan's subordinates fell into a brief state of chaos.
"My Lord Ronan, there's a person..." The adjutant's voice went up an octave as he pointed out the observation window, looking as if he'd seen a ghost.
"She's just... floating out there..."
"I can see that," Ronan's voice was relatively calm, but the knuckles of his hand gripping the hammer had turned white.
He saw Mavuika too. Her long golden-red hair danced like fire in the energy field, and the golden flames around her burned quietly in the vacuum. Even through the reinforced glass and hundreds of meters of distance, those eyes still made one feel the oppressive weight of having their soul stared down.
This was clearly no ordinary being. Ronan's tactical computer quickly analyzed the situation, and the feedback caused his heart to sink—the energy readings had already exceeded the instrument's limits.
At that moment, Mavuika's voice rang out directly in the consciousness of all the Kree present, not through any communication channel, but via a higher dimension of information transfer.
"I will only warn you once, Kree."
Her voice was calm, but every word carried the weight of a thousand tons.
"The Nine Realms are Asgardian territory. Any unauthorized approach is considered a provocation against Asgard. Now, I give you ten seconds to leave immediately!"
A deathly silence filled the bridge, followed by a spreading panic.
"My Lord Ronan, it's an Asgardian!" An older technical Officer recognized Mavuika's characteristics, his voice trembling.
"Those flames... the records say the sun goddess of Asgard looks exactly like that! My Lord, we..."