Asta's warnings fell on deaf ears as far as the Council members were concerned—at least for the first two days.
Following their disastrous conversation, Asta stopped accepting Nick Fury's calls and barely offered a word in response.
This sent the Council into a towering rage.
Unlike Thor—whose departure with Loki they could stomach since putting the God of Mischief on trial offered them no real leverage—the Tesseract and the Scepter were different.
To Earth, those two artifacts were more precious than a hundred Lokis.
Consequently, they buried Nick Fury under a mountain of pressure, ordering him to deploy the Avengers immediately to arrest these "aliens from The Blue."
In the Council's eyes, these newcomers possessed zero sincerity for peaceful coexistence and were acting like common intergalactic bandits.
Fury, however, was in no position to grant their wish.
It wasn't just that he had no desire to spark a true war with The Blue; it was the simple, frustrating fact that he couldn't find their small craft.
Even knowing the ship was somewhere on Earth, the planet's current technology was like a blind man searching for a needle in a haystack.
Nick maintained that this wasn't a failure of will, but a limitation of science.
While the Council was livid, they couldn't exactly strip him of his rank overnight—mostly because they didn't have a replacement who could magically conjure the ship's coordinates.
Still, they filed his defiance away in their ledgers, waiting for the inevitable moment they could settle the score.
Left with no other options, they took to the airwaves in New York, broadcasting a demand for a face-to-face confrontation with The Blue.
On the second day after that decree—and the third day of Asta's radio silence—the world collectively held its breath.
It wasn't for some complex political reason. It was simply because a behemoth, large enough to be seen from half the planet, had pulled up alongside Earth, locking into a geosynchronous orbit that loomed over the world like a silent judge.
"That is a Star-Destroyer."
After three days of silence, Asta finally showed mercy by sending a reply, though it came as an ultimatum:
"Madam Herta's dignity is not to be trifled with. If you cannot produce the list of personnel who authorized the nuclear strike, then you will no longer require the luxury of choice."
In truth, things weren't quite so dire.
For starters, Herta wouldn't actually lay a finger on Earth, if only out of respect for the Ancient One.
Besides, Herta wasn't some anti-human monster; she didn't just go around obliterating planets on a whim.
Without the world's knowledge, the Ancient One had long ago handed the Time Stone over to Herta for research, a gesture meant to ensure that Herta would never view Earth as an enemy unless absolutely necessary.
Is it hard to imagine the Sorcerer Supreme surrendering such a relic?
Perhaps, but in this universe, raw power is the only true currency.
Even if both women knew Herta's temperament wouldn't lead her to destroy Earth, the Ancient One was more than happy to stay on the good side of a powerhouse with such impeccable character.
A legend's favor is never given for free.
Earth, however, was blissfully unaware of these backroom dealings.
To the masses, this was an alien ultimatum of the highest order.
Anyone with eyes could see that these visitors were in an entirely different league than the Chitauri who had just trashed New York.
Through satellite imagery, the reality sank in: a warship several times larger than Earth itself was no joke.
Even if it didn't fire a single shot, its sheer mass colliding with the planet would be enough to end humanity a thousand times over.
The people of New York, still reeling from the trauma of the Chitauri invasion, finally hit their breaking point. It certainly didn't help that just the day before, their leaders had been poking the bear known as The Blue.
Protests erupted the moment the Star Destroyer was spotted.
"What are those politicians doing?! Why is there a warship parked over our heads?!"
"Damn them! I knew they couldn't do anything besides collect taxes!"
"Step forward and show some sincerity! Now!"
"Friends from The Blue! We don't know why those tax-eating bureaucrats offended you, but we like you!"
Waves of marches and protests flooded New York, with people hoisting banners of friendship and peace, desperate to prove to the visitors that they weren't on the same side as the Council.
When the United Nations received Asta's reply via Nick Fury, they moved with lightning speed to sever ties with the involved Council members.
They announced that these "criminals" would be personally delivered to an Interstellar Court—though they weren't entirely sure if such a court even existed.
Under normal circumstances, the UN didn't carry that kind of weight.
But the scale of this crisis changed everything. The high-and-mighty Council members woke up to find themselves at war with the entire world.
Asta wasn't surprised by the UN's sudden pragmatism. But what did she want with these people?
She simply informed Fury, the middleman, of the verdict: "Death sentences for all."
"The death penalty?" Nick Fury blinked, momentarily stunned.
Capital punishment was virtually non-existent in his jurisdiction.
Asta found herself momentarily speechless at his hesitation, but she was a woman who understood cultural gaps.
She offered a blunt reminder: "If you wish to join the interstellar community, you must first learn the meaning of awe. What do you think their choices have brought upon Earth?"
"How many planets do you think exist in this universe that were snuffed out without ever knowing why they were dying?"
"What kind of ripple do you think the destruction of a single planet makes in the cosmos? The answer is none. No one would even notice."
Nick felt his scalp go numb.
Eliminating a civilization was far more efficient than threats and negotiations.
The muzzles of the Star Destroyer were shoved right in Earth's face; to the beings on that ship, the only value in Earth's destruction might be the aesthetic quality of the fireworks it made.
Who would seek justice for them? Asgard? Captain Marvel?
The sheer vastness and cruelty of the universe were laid bare in that moment.
"Madam Herta is not a person who destroys others for sport, and The Blue reflects her character in its diplomacy. Perhaps you cannot fully grasp what I am saying, but for that fact alone, Earth should be profoundly grateful."
Nick did grasp it. He understood it perfectly now.
Forget the decision-makers of the nuclear strike—even if the Tesseract and the Scepter belonged to Earth, the mere fact that they hadn't been annihilated was something they should be thankful for.
The realization left Fury feeling utterly powerless.
The Avengers—the team he had assembled to face alien threats, the heroes who had stood against the Chitauri—seemed like nothing in this shadow.
It wasn't that the Avengers were weak; it was that Herta was simply too powerful. Still, the gap between his expectations and reality was a bitter pill to swallow.
"I understand. Thank you to The Blue for the leniency in this matter," Nick said, his voice laced with bitterness. "And of course, my deepest thanks to Madam Herta for her magnanimity."
He found it suddenly very difficult to breathe.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.