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"Where the hell are we?" Natasha asked as soon as she walked out of the portal. She was not the only one with such a sentiment. The group found themselves in a world with a black earth, a red sky, and two suns floating above their heads.
"This is Earth," Wong replied.
"How is that possible?" Sam continued.
"No, he's right. My scan indicates this is Earth, but somehow, it has been terraformed," Tony revealed.
"Terraformed? By what?" Banner asked.
"There is unknown energy in the environment, and the source is two moons in the sky," Tony explained as he looked at the sky.
"Those are not moons," Natasha added. "They are metal objects, probably ships. Why do they feel familiar?"
"That's Asgardian Magic," Wong said as he used a spell to increase his vision and look at the moon.
"Are you sure?"
"The Sorcerer Supreme once brought back the entire Asgardian Library, and I dabble in their magic," Wong explained.
"Edward did say he likes to collect books and knowledge," Natasha nodded. "Let's hope he didn't steal those ones."
"He wouldn't," Wong immediately replied, but paused as he realized the current Sorcerer Supreme was different than the Ancient One, and it wouldn't pass him to steal these books.
"Didn't he say we were allies with Asgard? I think this was more an exchange of knowledge," Banner said.
"Guys, we have a bigger problem," Sam suddenly said, changing the discussion.
"What did you find?" Natasha asked.
"The energy that is ravaging the planet, I felt it was familiar, and I checked. It's a mixture of Asgardian Magic, energy from the Blood Demon God Dimension, and energy from the Nine Hells — Beelzebub, to be precise."
"Are you sure?" Wong asked, as he had recognized these entities, and so did the others during their training. After all, these entities were the biggest variables to their timeline's survival.
"During my training, I had to summon creatures from different dimensions and even create unique creatures based on these dimensions. I would not forget the horror of these Demon God Dimensions."
Natasha raised his hand to control the energy in the air, condensing it into a black-red ball. Although unfamiliar with those specific energies, she knew about dimensional energy due to her connection to the shadow dimension. So, after a brief analysis, she could roughly confirm Sam's analysis.
"So, what's our next plan of action?" Wong asked.
"Our mission is to find Arishem and the other Celestials and return them home. So, our first step will be to locate them," Natasha said.
"But, what about the people of this world?" Banner asked.
"What about them?"
"Well, there must be people alive, right? Maybe we can give them a hand," he suggested.
"And what would that do? Have you forgotten what happened when we tried to be nice?" Natasha reminded him. Even if they could save the survivors, they would just be swallowed by their counterparts in their timeline.
"Oh, right," Banner said before lowering his head. His response made everyone slightly depressed. They were supposed to be heroes, beacons of hope to the people. However, they now had to compromise their mortality to prioritize their people and survival.
"I can build a tracker. People on different timelines have slightly different energy signatures, which I can detect. However, I would need access to a higher energy source to build a scanner capable of detecting things on a universal scale," Tony said.
"How long will that take?" Natasha asked.
"More than five hours," Tony replied truthfully.
"That's too long. We need a faster way," she shook her head. "Wong, can't you use divination to find our target?"
"Basic divination, yes, but not for people who are of a higher tier than me," Wong shook his head."
"Sam, do you have anything?" Natasha asked.
"I do have a tracking beast, but it would need to be boosted before it can find its target."
Natasha frowned: "How long will it take if I grant you access to the Shadow Dimension?"
"About an hour."
"That's still too long," she shook his head. She pondered briefly before remembering something. "Didn't Edward say Clint would be our eyes? Can't we contact him?"
"Yes, I have a way," Wong nodded before taking out an orb from his pocket. He cast a spell, and a few seconds later, the sound of breathing emanated from the orb.
"Hello, Barton."
"Give me a moment, I'm almost there," Barton said, and the team waited. "Arishem and the Celestials are fighting in a dimension I call the Cult Dimension. There is an entrance to that dimension on Planet Kashar in the Omegul System. I'll send you the coordinates."
"Alright." As soon as Wong received the coordinates, he opened a gate to Planet Kashar. "Clint said the entrance to the dimension was the second-highest mountain on this planet. So, it should not be hard to find."
"Found it," Tony said as he played with a holoscreen released from his wash. "The dimensional walls are the thinnest in this place." His hologram showed the mountain, and Wong opened another portal to their designated area.
Wong hit the void before him, releasing spatial tremors. "Yep, this is the entrance, alright."
"We can't just barge in, can we?" Banner asked.
"No, we need reconnaissance. Tony or Sam," Natasha asked.
"I got it," Sam said before summoning a creature called InvisiCrow, sending the creature through the opening. Sam shared his vision with the creature and reported to the team. "The door leads to an underground cave protected by a bunch of people in black robes. I understand why Clint called it the Cult Dimension."
"What's their energy level?" Natasha asked. As weird and foreign as Edward's Tier System was, she had to admit it was a great way to assess risk in a mission or when dealing with unknown entities.
"Most are regular humans, a few have Tier 1 energy signature, and one person holding a staff is Tier 3."
"Staff? So, a Sorcerer?"
"It appears so. Based on preliminary observation, he seems to be the person of the highest status in this cave. His job might be to safeguard the dimensional entrance," Sam reported.
"In that case, the plan is simple. Go in fast, deal with everybody else, and capture the leader. We need to get information from them," Natasha ordered, and the team nodded. They entered and executed the plan.
Natasha summoned two shadow daggers and turned into a blur. Sam fused with one of his summons and went on a rampage. Banner used a partial transformation of his arm to deal with the enemy. The only one not acting was Tony, as he seemed distracted by something as soon as he entered. Everyone wondered whether his suit was malfunctioning.
"The operation was smooth," Natasha said as she brought an elderly person with a black robe and staff. But why do I feel something is wrong?"
"You too?" Wong asked.
"We are losing our strength," Banner said. "I can feel my power slowly sapping away." His training mainly involved the mind and soul, which made him extra sensitive.
"He's right," Natasha said as she sensed her shadow energy rapidly dissipating. "What's going on?"
"This dimension is very exclusive and rejects most forms of power or energy," Wong explained with a severe tone.
"That's not good news for us," Sam complained.
"We have much greater problems," Tony suddenly said.
"What happened to you?"
"My sensors detected an abnormal amount of dimensional vibrations. After analyzing the situation, the only explanation is that a powerful being is trying to tear apart the dimensional wall of this realm and forcefully enter," Tony explained.
"Another intruder?" Natasha asked with a frown.
"Or a possible invasion. It's normal for dimensions to invade each other," Wong explained.
"But why now? Shouldn't the people in these foreign dimensions be in the Blank Realm fighting our people?" Banner asked.
"Remember, only the Tier 10 entities are left, but the others are still present. And now that there is a power vacuum due to these rulers' absence, it makes sense some people would take advantage of the situation and invade," Tony reminded.
"We need to move quicker," Natasha said as she looked at the leader.