Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

"That’s enough for today."

Evenson brought the meeting to a close.

The Eredar Twins nodded in agreement.

None of them expected this plan to come together overnight.

Their position had improved dramatically, but they were still a long way from controlling the Felscar Rift.

Gnos was now bound by contract, placing the Rift’s fel artillery under Evenson’s command. The Soul Engine’s fuel problem had been solved, and Agatha, thoroughly disgusted with Har’mondas’s incompetence and encouraged by the Twins’ return, had brought both herself and her Doomguard forces over to Evenson’s side.

On paper, the balance was beginning to shift.

In reality, Har’mondas remained the greatest obstacle.

The Pit Lord was monstrously powerful, nearly impossible to kill, and commanded the largest military force in the Rift.

Most of the Burning Legion’s soldiers there were Felguards and Wrathguards.

Brutal. Savage. Merciless.

Exactly what most people imagined when they pictured demons.

Their loyalty to Har’mondas had nothing to do with affection. They simply obeyed the strongest.

Kill the Pit Lord, and they’d kneel to the victor.

Until someone stronger came along.

The problem was surviving long enough to prove it.

As long as Har’mondas lived, those elite demons would remain firmly under his command. Finding a way to neutralize them before the final confrontation was essential.

Only then would Evenson have a realistic chance of taking the Rift.

Alythess flicked a small violet sphere toward Gnos.

"Catch."

He fumbled awkwardly with his mechanical hands before carefully picking it up.

"I assume you don’t want to frighten everyone while you’re working here."

Gnos held the bead up to the light.

His eyes widened.

"A Jewel of Deception..."

The Burning Legion had relied on these countless times when infiltrating other worlds.

Without another thought, he tossed it straight into his mouth and swallowed.

Evenson stared.

"...You know, most people carry magical artifacts in a pocket."

To be fair, he admitted, nobody was going to steal it from there.

As long as digestion didn’t become a problem.

The Jewel activated immediately.

Gnos’s hulking demonic body melted away, replaced by a balding, thin old human with weathered features. Even his cybernetic prosthetic limbs became perfectly ordinary-looking arms.

Salyssra gave an approving nod before tossing a thick stack of documents into his hands.

"Starting today, you’re in charge of the Tomorrow’s Edge Project."

Gnos blinked.

"You are to turn these designs into reality as quickly as possible," she continued. "And they must be suitable for mass production."

Then she smiled.

It wasn’t a comforting smile.

"And don’t disappoint me."

She never explained the consequences.

She didn’t have to.

Anyone who had served under the Eredar Twins knew they possessed an endless imagination when it came to punishment.

Gnos shivered and hurriedly opened the files.

His greatest fear was discovering some impossible research problem.

Instead, after only a few pages, his shoulders visibly relaxed.

"Oh... neural-machine interfacing."

He almost laughed.

"This is practically our specialty."

The Gan’arg race had pioneered much of the Legion’s cybernetic engineering. Connecting flesh and machinery was second nature to them.

Then he reached the later design schematics.

His expression changed.

He frowned thoughtfully.

"The engineering is excellent..."

He flipped another page.

"...but who designed this frame?"

"The concepts are clever, but aesthetically..." He grimaced. "...it’s hideous."

The documents originated from the technology Evenson had purchased from Gnos while repairing his car. Sarah had later organized the research before Ivan Vanko refined it into practical blueprints.

Naturally, the final design reflected human engineering principles.

Slim.

Efficient.

Modular.

Everything Gnos hated.

"An exoskeleton?" he muttered with open disdain. "If you’re upgrading someone, replace the limbs completely. That’s proper cybernetics. Building armor around perfectly good flesh is just compromising."

The Twins answered his criticism with synchronized kicks.

Gnos folded instantly.

"I’ve reconsidered!"

He clutched the blueprints to his chest.

"The elegance was simply too profound for me to appreciate at first glance. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. The Twins’ wisdom truly knows no bounds."

Evenson pinched the bridge of his nose.

Even genius engineers, it seemed, had absolutely no dignity when survival was involved.

"...Actually..."

Gnos hesitated.

"Could I request two assistants?"

Seeing everyone look at him, he hurried to explain.

"I’m not trying to avoid work. I’m new to Earth. I don’t fully understand your scientific standards or manufacturing equipment yet. Without local help, adapting Legion technology could slow the project down."

He offered an awkward grin.

"I’d hate for that to delay the Twins’ plans."

"A reasonable request," Alythess agreed. "We’ll find suitable candidates."

"Until then," Salyssra added, "become thoroughly familiar with the materials."

"Yes, my lady."

At that moment Evenson glanced at his watch.

His eyes widened.

"Oh, no."

He sprang to his feet.

"I’m late."

The entire reason he’d rushed over that morning was because he had another commitment afterward. Between Har’mondas’s surprise attack and calming the Eredar Twins, the hours had slipped away.

He hurried from the building, climbed into his car, and drove straight to a nearby park.

Several familiar faces were already gathered on the grassy field.

The Avengers.

Parking at the roadside, Evenson jogged over.

"Sorry I’m late."

"You’ve got good timing," Carter said. "The important part’s just about to start."

She stood with one arm linked through Captain America’s.

Dottie had claimed his other arm.

Steve Rogers wore the expression of a man who had accepted that resisting this situation was completely futile.

At the center of the lawn stood Loki.

The God of Mischief wore enchanted restraints, a heavy muzzle covering his mouth. Beside him, Thor carried the container holding the Tesseract.

The brothers exchanged a long, complicated look.

Neither spoke.

Then Sif stepped between them.

She looked as though she were marching into battle.

"I’m sorry, Evenson," she said. "The Bifrost hasn’t been fully repaired yet. This trip can only transport three people."

She offered an apologetic smile.

"You’ll have to wait until next time if you want to visit Asgard."

"No problem."

Evenson waved the concern away.

Then he flashed her an encouraging grin.

"Just make sure you win. I’m rooting for you."

Sif blinked before giving him a puzzled look, clearly unsure what he meant.

A heartbeat later, a brilliant pillar of rainbow light descended from the heavens.

The Bifrost.

Thor, Loki, and Sif vanished into its radiance, returning to Asgard.

As the farewell came to an end and everyone began drifting away, Evenson called after one person.

"Tony."

Tony Stark turned.

"Want to take my car for a spin?"

He smiled.

"I’ve got something I’d like to pick your brain about."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!