"What?!"
"The Matrix army was annihilated by the God of Magic with a single spell?"
"And an entire galaxy was wiped out along with them?!"
"You've got to be joking~!!"
When Albert's report came through, Emperor Kerry was utterly stunned.
The Supreme Wisdom was equally shocked.
Just how many Matrix families are there?
They couldn't know for certain.
But as long-time adversaries, they had conducted extensive research on the Matrix clans. While an exact number was impossible to pin down, one thing was clear: the Matrix forces far outnumbered what remained of their own empire.
And from the footage Albert had sent back—
The true strength of the Matrix family was beyond any conventional measurement.
Only a united effort from every civilization across the galaxy might have been enough to stand against them.
Yet that entire force was obliterated—by a single being.
And not just obliterated—the God of Magic didn't even seem to try.
He made it look effortless.
Unimaginable. What kind of unfathomable power does this master of the Magic Net possess?
If casually erasing a galaxy is only a fraction of his might... then what would it look like if he went all out?
They dared not even imagine it.
Awe and terror mixed in equal measure whenever they thought of the God of Magic.
A unanimous decision was made: never provoke him.
Absolutely not!
The Magic Net!
The Empire needed to link to the Ley.
Both the Supreme Wisdom and Emperor Kerry understood: while the Matrix family's main force had been destroyed, their remnants still lingered across many territories.
There was always the chance they could rise again.
They had to connect to the Ley.
They had to stay close to the God of Magic—cling to that divine thigh for protection.
At the same time, they needed to mobilize their forces to sweep the empire, cleansing every pocket of Matrix resistance. Only then could the Kree Empire rebuild.
To prevent other civilizations from taking advantage of their weakened state, it was vital to connect to the Magic Net. With that connection, they would no longer appear as vulnerable prey.
Everyone connected to the Magic Net was, in some sense, part of the same whole.
It dulled the scent of blood in the water.
And it would temper others' suspicions too.
After all, the Kree Empire's reputation across the galaxy was... notoriously bad.
Nearby, Nova Supreme and her officers also listened to Kerry's communication.
Hearing the sheer scale of the God of Magic's feat, they couldn't help but feel a deep sense of awe.
And relief.
Thank the stars they had already connected to the Magic Net.
Had they not... the Matrix family might've bypassed the powerful Kree altogether and targeted Xandar.
And Xandar, lacking the military might of the Kree, would likely have been crushed without hope. Assimilated. Erased.
They were lucky—truly lucky.
"Since the Matrix family's main force has been eliminated, let's move now," Nova Supreme proposed. "We must eliminate every Matrix stronghold within Kree territory as quickly as possible."
Emperor Kerry readily agreed.
There was no longer any arrogance in his tone, no sense of superiority over the Xandarians.
Of course, Nova Corps and the Kree weren't the only ones involved in this operation.
The Nova Corps had already contacted every known civilization that was connected to the Magic Net and had spacefaring capabilities.
Their warships were en route to Xandar.
Once assembled, they would divide the galaxy into zones and launch a coordinated purge—an operation to eradicate the Matrix family in one sweep.
The Matrix must not be allowed to remain.
The fate of the Kree was a cautionary tale.
News of the battle between the Matrix and the Kree Empire spread quickly across the galaxy.
All civilizations now knew: the once-mighty Kree Empire had suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Matrix—and had nearly been wiped from existence.
And everyone understood why.
Because the Kree had not been connected to the Magic Net... and so the Matrix had targeted them first.
If not for the God of Magic's intervention, the Kree might be no more.
As a result, civilizations responded in different ways.
Those already linked to the Magic Net were filled with gratitude and a sense of security.
After all, even the Matrix didn't dare challenge a civilization backed by the God of Magic.
But those who hadn't connected yet?
Fear.
Terror that they might be next.
No one wanted to suffer the same fate as the Kree.
And everyone saw how the proud Kree scrambled to connect after their near-extinction.
Suddenly, countless civilizations rushed to link to the Magic Net.
Even the Sovereign.
Arrogant as ever, the Sovereigns considered themselves the third most genetically advanced civilization in the galaxy.
But pride was one thing—reality was another.
And reality made one fact painfully clear: compared to the Kree, they were nothing.
Of course, the Sovereign never acted like they believed that. Their arrogance remained intact. In their eyes, they were the true nobility of the universe.
When Ayesha, the High Priestess of the Sovereign, heard of the Matrix-Kree conflict, her face curled into a sneer.
Her tone dripped with mockery.
"Those Kree fools... relying on low-grade, outdated genetic tech and thinking they're unbeatable."
"And in the end? Annihilated by the Matrix. What a waste of space and resources."
"If it were our Sovereign race, the Matrix would be nothing. Laughable."
"We are the perfect race, after all."
The officers delivering the report dared not respond.
Even her handmaidens, backs turned under the throne, looked awkward.
One of them even stifled a laugh.
But none of them dared correct Ayesha. They were used to her exaggerations by now.
At that moment, an envoy from the Sovereign Council arrived and delivered the latest directive:
All members of the Sovereign race were to connect to the Magic Net.
"What is the Council thinking?" Ayesha scoffed. "Do we really need to connect to the Magic Net?"
Even as she spoke, she secretly sighed in relief.
Because yes—she feared the Matrix too.
That kind of population—tens of billions, maybe even hundreds of billions—wiped out in an instant.
The Kree's fate had been brutal.
If the Sovereign had been targeted instead... they wouldn't have stood a chance.
Honestly, she had to give credit to the Council. Wise decision.
"The Magic Net... the God of Magic... just what kind of being are you?"
"If I could obtain your genetic code... perhaps I could give birth to the most perfect offspring."
Though the Sovereigns had long abandoned traditional reproduction, they weren't against reviving it for the right partner—if it meant superior genetics.
Naturally, any resulting child would be born Sovereign.
In another timeline, Ayesha once set her sights on Star-Lord's divine genes.
And now, seeing the incredible power of the God of Magic, Ayesha was utterly fascinated—despite never meeting Aaron.
"I wonder... does he carry divine genes as well?"
Her thoughts spiraled.
She immediately ordered her people to gather all available information on the Magic Net.
Specifically, she wanted to contact the Guardians of the Galaxy.
According to legend, Gamora and Nebula were apostles of the God of Magic. Only by contacting them could one gain the highest level of access.
As High Priestess, Ayesha naturally demanded the best.
...Perhaps she'd even get the chance to meet the God of Magic in person.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Aaron's absence had not gone unnoticed.
The Dimensional Lords, long hiding in the shadows, could no longer resist the temptation of the real universe.
They launched a new wave of attacks.
The five major Dimensional Lords factions—Nastirh, Mistery, Mephisto, Satannish, and Dormammu—leveraged Limbo's unique properties to manifest their most powerful avatars in the real universe.
Nastirh, not being a full-dimensional Dimensional Lord, was able to enter in full form.
Mistery also managed to manifest physically, thanks to her unique traits and her Soul Blade.
But they were far weaker than in their home dimensions.
Stripped of full access to their power and divine authority.
They weren't alone, of course.
Numerous Dimensional Lord cultists followed.
The invading force was massive—unprecedented.
At New York's Sanctum Sanctorum...
Though Kamar-Taj had been secretly warned by Mistery and had made preparations, the sheer scale of the invasion overwhelmed them.
The Avengers and the Bureau of Magic had also been alerted by Tony and stood ready.
But the disparity in strength was staggering.
The God of Magic—and the woman—were gone.
And the Dimensional Lords knew it.
They had only one chance.
If they couldn't seize the Earth now, they'd never get another opportunity.
The God of Magic grew more powerful by the day.
If they waited, he'd become an unmovable wall.
Illyana, the traitor among the Dimensional Lords, didn't want Limbo to invade Earth.
But she knew she couldn't stand against the four other Dimensional Lordsalone.
If she tried, she would be crushed.
She had spoken with Aaron, and agreed—let them pass for now.
After the Matrix was dealt with... they'd deal with this.
As they entered Earth, Illyana remained calm on the outside—but inside, she was fraught with anxiety.
How long would Aaron take to return?
Would things spiral too far?
She had no answer.
And so, under pressure from the other Dimensional Lords, she joined the invasion.
Standing in their way were the Kamar-Taj sorcerers, led by the Ancient One.
These magicians, empowered by Dimensional Lords energy stolen in prior battles, were now stronger than ever.
Even against full-fledged Dimensional Lords, they were ready to fight—and to make a difference.
They stood strong beside the Ancient One, defending New York's sanctum.
Dormammu glared at them.
He saw his old rival—Ancient One.
He saw the magicians behind her.
And rage boiled in his chest.
They were the ones who stole his energy...
The dark dimension had become a laughingstock.
For a time, it had been nothing more than a charging station—feeding power to the enemy.
Unforgivable.
Today, he would settle the score.
They would all pay.
Dormammu charged forward.
Behind him, Dimensional Lord cultists surged, and the other Dimensional Lords followed.
The goal was clear:
Destroy the three Sanctums.
Kill every resisting magician.
Then the Dimensional Lords could expand their domains, corrupt the Earth—and eventually, the universe itself.
If that happened, they could fully manifest their power.
And even if the God of Magic returned—
He would kneel before their overwhelming might.
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