The Black Lion - Cleaning the House. (Patreon)

Ronan the Accuser, The Dark Aster – Earth.

“AAHHHHHG—!” screamed one of his soldiers, seconds before being carbonized by the ravenous black flames, while two more began to levitate for no apparent reason, utterly terrified, before being hurled toward the formidable enemy beast, which tore them apart without a single ounce of mercy.

The enemy… was simply relentless, and Ronan, as a warrior, could recognize it.

But as a Kree… he was furious, more than he had ever been in his life.

This miserable planet, C-53, was supposed to be filled with disgusting primitives.

Not this.

Ronan roared, more enraged than ever, and once again tried to launch himself toward the filthy human who, somehow, controlled those terrifying black flames, so powerful that they were even capable of melting parts of the mighty materials the Kree used in their ships.

And like the three previous times, Ronan failed again, becoming prey to the most dangerous of the three invaders.

At first glance, he appeared to be the weakest of the group, this human did not transform into a monstrous beast nor did he unleash devastating flames from his arms, but he possessed something far more terrifying.

His mind.

Ronan had dealt with annoying telepaths and telekinetic beings before, but they had never represented a real threat to him, and in his arrogance, he believed this human would be no exception.

And now… he was paying the price.

An overwhelming invisible force crashed down upon Ronan’s body, so powerful that it forced him to his knees, completely helpless, unable even to raise his head to look at the human.

Behind him, the rest of his soldiers were being utterly massacred without the slightest trace of mercy, the Kree soldiers simply could not match the speed at which the beast moved, severing their combat rifles and clearing the path for the mad human of flames to incinerate them completely.

Imposing, Ronan felt his warhammer being ripped from his hand, levitating innocently until it hovered beside the human.

He had a trained physique, though not particularly young, black hair and brown eyes that looked at Ronan as if he were the most insignificant vermin.

The captain of the Dark Aster raised his gaze with titanic effort, he knew he had been defeated, the ship’s systems had begun to fail and power was no longer being distributed to the engine room, which meant the invasion had been a damned failure.

So, without truly thinking and filled with fury, Ronan lifted his gaze and spat:

“This is not the end, human, the Kree will return, with more troops than ever and—”

However, before Ronan could finish his speech, the human, staring at him, made his own hammer strike him with overwhelming force.

“AAHHHHHHG—!” Ronan screamed in agony as he felt his own weapon shatter one of his knees, hearing his bones crack as they were destroyed, leaving his leg bent at an unnatural angle.

“Silence, beast,” the human spat in perfect Kree, looking at him with complete indifference, as if Ronan, one of the most decorated captains of the Kree Empire, were nothing.

Helpless, the Accuser watched as the rest of his soldiers were slaughtered, a grotesque spectacle, dead and burned bodies, severed limbs and blue blood painting the engine room corridor, the Tesseract completely unprotected.

The greatest and most humiliating defeat in the history of the Kree… and he was solely responsible.

When the humans regrouped, the beast that moments ago had been tearing apart his soldiers shifted form, returning to a human shape as if nothing had happened, while the flame-wielding madman laughed with amusement.

“That was fun, it’s been a long time since we got that much exercise hahaha—”

“We’re not done,” said the leader, making both humans nod, as the holographic device on his wrist activated, receiving a transmission.

“Gold One, this is Red One, we have taken control of the ship, we have prisoners and Harrison is back, the Kree fleet is retreating—”

Ronan was left completely stunned by those words, reality slamming into him, the Kree shook his head again and again, whispering that this could not be happening, that these… primitives were not capable of defeating the mighty Kree.

And yet… reality said otherwise.

Humans were far more formidable than he had expected, his army was broken, the Chitauri torn apart and hunted like beasts, and an entire Kree fleet shattered, fleeing like cowards to avoid annihilation.

However, Ronan did not believe they would get far… and a second later, fate proved him right.

“It seems your son has returned, more furious than ever, that famous Potter fury is powerful in him,” said one of the humans, as Ronan watched from a shattered section of the ship as a kind of… emerald projectile flew at incredible speed toward the retreating fleet and, to his disbelief, began tearing through them as if they were made of paper.

A second later, another human ship, separate from the fleet, jumped into the atmosphere directly in the escape vector of Yon’s fleet and without hesitation began raining plasma upon the remaining ships.

One by one, the remaining vessels were destroyed and shot down, some still trapped in the atmosphere began falling back toward the planet, while Yon’s flagship was left completely dead and adrift in orbit, perfect for boarding, although the humans did not seem interested in prisoners.

The emerald projectile suddenly changed direction and began flying straight toward them, faster than even Kree fighters.

“It seems we will have company,” said the brown-haired human, his tone polite and calm, completely different from the beast Ronan had seen moments ago.

Seconds later, the projectile drew close enough for Ronan to recognize it as a humanoid figure, clad in human-made armor, someone clearly familiar to these humans who held him subdued.

A minute later, Ronan watched as the warrior who had single-handedly torn apart half a Kree fleet entered through the breach of the Dark Aster and landed softly before him, looking at him the same way the others did.

Not as the Kree conqueror, the destroyer of worlds and war hero of the Empire.

But as a nuisance.

“I see you have returned, son,” said the human, pride evident in his voice.

“Yes, the alliance with Asgard and Jotunheim is official, once this disaster is dealt with I will restore order and prepare the planet for unification, we have no time to waste, news of a destroyed Kree fleet will spread quickly and we will have more unwanted visitors, we will accelerate our projects, summon the Cult, all of them, it is time they become useful, we will plan the colonization and fortification of the entire solar system,” said the armored warrior.

The three humans nodded instantly, as the newcomer looked at Ronan with indifference.

“I assume there is a reason this thing is still alive,” he said.

“He will serve as an example, he is the ship’s captain, a public execution in honor of the fallen will boost morale, and he is a mine of information, I want time to tear his mind apart completely.”

The warrior nodded and walked toward the engine room where the Tesseract was located.

“Understood. Send him to Olympus for processing, I will grant you full access for interrogation, Natasha has full control of the ship and the battle is over, the council will meet in a few hours, I expect your presence, we have… much to discuss.”

The last thing Ronan saw before losing consciousness was the human taking the Tesseract with his bare hands.

And then everything went black.

Nick Fury, New York City.

“I want a damage assessment, get our agents helping the rescue teams, the fight is over, but there are people trapped, move!” ordered the director of SHIELD, for the first time in a long while, out in the field, doing his part and lifting debris alongside the rest of the agents, who had been completely useless during the battle.

Earth… had been saved, the Kree attack, a full battle fleet, had been shattered thanks to Harrison’s fleet and his allies.

“This is going to take too long, many lives were lost, the world won’t forget this,” said Phil, walking calmly toward Fury, observing how the human ships hovered in the skies over New York, powerful and imposing, a symbol of humanity’s defiance against the stars.

There was damage, of course, some ships had massive holes, scars from humanity’s first space battle, some were even in the city’s bay being repaired by Harrison’s drones.

And then there was the imposing station, which was beginning to rise toward space, where it would take its rightful place.

“The governments won’t be happy about this, they’ll demand that this technology be shared and—”

Coulson’s words were cut off the moment a sonic boom shook the entire city, as Harrison Evans made his entrance.

“I didn’t know Mr. Evans could fly,” said Coulson with surprise.

“There’s a lot we don’t know about the Black Lion,” Fury admitted, watching as Harrison levitated several meters above the ground, observing how the avenue, once full of life and color, was now a complete ruin, with hundreds of people engaged in rescue efforts.

Harrison raised both arms, generating a kind of unknown blue wave, which expanded across the ruins of what had once been New York.

The result was immediate, all the debris began to glow and levitate on its own, allowing rescue efforts to become far easier.

Rescuers could now lift massive chunks of rubble as if they were paper, greatly accelerating the work across the city.

“Is there anything he can’t do?” Coulson asked aloud, smiling as a young girl was rescued from a collapsed building and taken to one of the Gaia chambers deployed by Evans Technologies.

A second later, Harrison landed just meters away from Fury, clad in an armor so absurdly advanced that Fury could not even begin to comprehend it.

“Fury,” he said calmly, as he began walking toward the SHIELD director.

Fury nodded and, without wasting time, began speaking.

“The material damage is in the hundreds of billions of dollars, everything outside your area of influence has suffered catastrophic damage, there isn’t a single zone untouched, and the deaths… we’re talking tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of casualties, Harrison,” said the director solemnly.

At those words, Harrison stopped completely, even beneath the armor, Fury knew perfectly well that he was furious.

“And the government’s response? Where are the soldiers? I thought the most powerful military in the world would have the decency to assist one of its own cities,” he asked in a calm tone, one that made it clear he was beyond furious.

Fury grimaced and opened his mouth to respond, just as a voice interrupted.

“President Kelly ordered General Williams not to send soldiers or support to the city, without a doubt, as retaliation against you”

All three men turned as a group of New York police officers approached, led by Captain George Stacy, all of their faces marked by exhaustion… and fury.

“Captain Stacy, good to see you,” said Harrison calmly, prompting a tired smile from the man.

“There’s a lot to do, the battle was won, but the cost was too high, this… the people won’t forget this, Harrison, the betrayal of Kelly and the Senate,” he said, his hatred and anger evident as he looked upon his ruined city.

“Don’t worry, this ends today, that’s a promise,” Harrison said, as the eyes of his armor flared with emerald light.

“My Lionesses, to me,” he commanded.

An instant later, several portals opened around him, as his inner circle—the famous Lionesses—began to appear one by one.

Powerful, beautiful, intelligent women, all in service to the Black Lion.

All of them looked at Harrison with determination, awaiting his orders.

“I’m glad you’re all safe, my loves, and we’ll have time to speak later, but the situation is dire and the consequences of this incompetent government have placed us in a complicated position,” he said solemnly.

Miss Frost stepped forward and asked with resolve:

“Then… Ascension Protocol?”

Harrison nodded.

“Ascension Protocol. Put all our assets in position, contact Fleet Master Rogers, I want every drone from the station dedicated to rebuilding the city, we will rise from this stronger than ever,” he declared.

“Your wish is our command, my love,” said Miss Frost, stepping back through her portal, followed by the rest of the Lionesses.

Moments later, a swarm of drones and sentinels began descending from the sky, clearly the aid Harrison had promised, while one of the fleet’s ships began moving toward an unknown destination.

“Things are going to change around here Fury, and for your own sake, I hope you’re on the right side when it happens,” said the Black Lion before disappearing.

Leaving behind a concerned director…

But filled with something he had not felt in many years.

Hope.

President Kelly, Secret Bunker – Washington D.C.

“Where the hell did that come from?!” the pathetic man spat as he watched, for the tenth time, the footage of Harrison Evans’ fleet destroying the alien ships and defending not only New York City, but the entire planet.

And humiliating him in the process.

“The people are furious, the Senate is in emergency session, no one knows what to do, the entire East Coast has risen against us, they curse your name and your government,” said one of his secretaries, as videos from across the country began to appear, protests and riots, calling him a murderer and demanding his head for failing to send aid to New York.

He was finished, and he knew it.

“We can still save this, we—” however, Kelly’s words were cut short when an alert rang throughout the bunker.

“What the hell is happening now?!” he shouted in fury and fear, which only increased when he saw that in the skies above Washington, his city…

One of those terrifying ships of the Black Lion appeared.

It did not need to hide—quite the opposite, it was here for a reason, and everyone in the bunker knew it.

Out of nowhere, a swarm of drones emerged from the ship, each heading in very specific directions.

Toward the United States Senate building.

The Black Lion’s intention was more than clear.

“Shit…” said one of his secretaries, completely terrified, as he stood up and watched how every single senator was pulled from the building and taken aboard the ship, screaming in terror.

“Sir, you need to see this,” said one of the Secret Service agents, showing one of the exterior cameras of the White House, where, to their surprise, stood none other than Harrison Evans, levitating calmly several meters above the ground, fully visible.

Kelly frowned, another proof that the Black Lion was some kind of damn mutant, he could use this, a smear campaign and—

However, those thoughts died instantly the moment Harrison Evans raised one of his hands.

And then… it happened.

The entire bunker began to tremble violently, the metal creaking under an invisible pressure.

“Sir, the bunker!! It’s moving!!” shouted one of the secretaries in terror, as the presidential bunker was literally ripped from the ground and lifted into the air.

“What the hell is happening?!” Kelly screamed, utterly terrified as the bunker was dragged out of the earth and deposited in the front lawn of the White House, directly in view of hundreds of reporters and civilians.

For a few moments, no one inside reacted, completely stunned by what had just happened.

Until the metal began to creak again…

And one of the walls was literally torn away, exposing them completely.

At the mercy of Harrison Evans, who looked down at them from the sky as if they were nothing.

“President Kelly, for your ambition and incompetence, as of this moment, you are removed from office. You will be arrested and judged for your disgusting crimes,” said the terrifying Black Lion.

Kelly, offended by the lack of respect, responded with fury and stupidity.

“By what authority?!” he shouted, ignoring the cameras and witnesses.

The answer of the Black Lion?

“Mine.”

An instant later, Harrison Evans raised his hand, a red glow—

And everything went black.

And in that very moment…

The fate of all humanity had changed.

Forever.