The chaos from Asgard finally came to an end as a brilliant beam of the Bifrost shot into the sky and disappeared.
When it came down to it, this was nothing more than a family dispute within Asgard's royal lineage.
Yet, it left behind a devastated town on Earth—half a district in ruins, a street reduced to rubble, and scattered remnants of alien battle mechs...
The gods clashed in the sky, wielding lightning.
Beams of energy crisscrossed, tearing apart the earth and buildings like they were mere paper.
For the first time, the people of this era experienced what it felt like to tremble in fear before the sheer might of an alien civilization.
Since 1995, the cradle of human civilization had been violently shaken once again, a dire warning that time was running out for humanity.
Of course, despite everything, peace would eventually return.
Except for the destroyed areas that needed rebuilding, Puente Antiguo gradually returned to normal.
The temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. research base, set up nearby to study Mjölnir, had lost its purpose the moment the hammer flew away.
After wrapping up data collection, the base was promptly disbanded.
Notably, Dr. Erik Selvig and Jane Foster, experts in astrophysics, were reassigned to another secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility to continue their research on space, energy, and interdimensional travel.
The bridge between humanity and the cosmos had not been severed.
Within that deep blue cube, the gateway to the stars would soon open once more.
And next time, what awaited on the other side wouldn't be mere discovery—it would be war.
.........
Puente Antiguo – Hotel Room
In the bathroom, a silver-haired girl hummed a tune, standing under the warm cascade of water as she gently washed herself.
'Sigh... This was supposed to be a family trip, but it turned into a battlefield instead.'
Kagura pouted inwardly.
The Destroyer's firepower had been insane—she had almost died! (Probably...?)
Since arriving in the Marvel universe, she had already fought countless battles against various threats.
With each encounter, she had grown more adept at wielding her abilities.
But the more she understood her powers, the more questions she had.
Who am I?
What exactly am I?
How did this automaton-like body of mine come into existence?
Was I created by someone?
Unanswerable questions swirled in her mind.
And then there was what Thor had said during the battle:
'The energy within you feels both familiar and foreign to me.'
Familiar yet foreign?
Kagura mulled over his words.
Could she be something from Asgard?
No, that's ridiculous.
She shook her head, dismissing the thought.
The idea that she was an Asgardian construct was absurd!
However, there was a strong possibility that her core energy was somehow linked to something—or someone—Thor and Asgard had encountered before.
Unfortunately, there was no way to confirm anything until she met Thor again and asked him directly.
Wiping the water from her face, she shifted her focus and pulled up her skill and attribute list.
By now, she had accumulated quite a number of skills:
Attack Skills:
[Basic Combat Techniques / 0]
[Close-Quarters Weapon Mastery / 0]
[Directed High-Energy Electromagnetic Pulse / 20]
[Electromagnetic Manipulation / 10]
Defense Skills:
[Basic Self-Healing / 10]
[Photosynthetic Energy Absorption / 0]
[Resilience]
[Passive Ultra-Speed Regeneration / 15]
[Full-Spectrum Electromagnetic Cloaking / 10]
Mobility Skills:
[Short-Burst Speed Boost / 5]
[Low-Altitude Flight Adaptation / 0]
Support Skills:
[Basic Cyber Intrusion / 5]
[Corporate Management Mastery]
[Stealth Electromagnetic Mind Disruption / 10]
There were also three skills she had knowledge of but hadn't activated yet:
[Core Energy Conduction / 10]
[Photonic Tissue Regeneration / 10]
[Modern Firearms Mastery / 0]
Since escorting Thor, her QP (Quantum Points) had increased to 30.
She had plenty of QP to spare—why not activate the remaining skills now?
Considering how often she found herself in support roles, being able to charge others up or heal them seemed like a smart investment.
Focusing on the activation options in her holographic UI, she watched as the skills switched to active status.
As usual, her core energy adjusted her body accordingly, generating new structures and subsystems within her.
QP decreased. Abilities upgraded.
[Skill: Core Energy Conduction / 10 Activated]
→ Converts core energy into a specific type of energy to charge a target.
[Skill: Photonic Tissue Regeneration / 10 Activated]
→ Accelerates biological tissue regeneration within 10 seconds using core energy.
As for the oddly named "Modern Firearms Mastery" skill...
Well, she was already a melee combat specialist—probably no need for that one yet.
That left her with 20 QP in reserve.
Stepping out of the shower, Kagura grabbed a fluffy towel and began drying herself off.
'My body feels just like a human's, yet it can generate all these special skills and structures through my core energy… I really am something else, huh?'
She glanced at her reflection, smirking as she muttered:
'An automaton? More like a mechanical doll.'
Then something caught her eye.
A connection between her attack skills—"Electromagnetic Manipulation" and "Directed High-Energy Electromagnetic Pulse."
She rubbed her eyes, making sure it wasn't just stray hair messing with her vision.
'Huh? What's this?'
A new notification appeared:
[New Skill Synergy Detected]
"Directed High-Energy Electromagnetic Pulse" + "Electromagnetic Manipulation"
Effect: Allows multiple consecutive uses of Electromagnetic Pulse during Electromagnetic Manipulation activation.
'Oh wow... That's actually pretty useful.'
Kagura grinned.
This "Skill Synergy" wasn't exactly a new ability—it was more of a guideline on optimizing skill combinations.
By activating multiple related skills, she could combine their effects, achieving greater combat efficiency than using them separately.
In this case, she could trigger Electromagnetic Manipulation, then freely unleash multiple High-Energy Electromagnetic Pulses within the skill's active duration—maximizing her energy efficiency and damage output.
'Not bad! Feels like I just leveled up!'
With her skills sorted out, her attention shifted to Core Energy Level—a stat that still puzzled her.
The "Form a Superhero Team" side mission wasn't complete, and her Core Energy Level was stuck at 50/100.
Since she had no idea what leveling it up actually did, her next objective was clear: complete the mission.
But what did she need to do for Griffin Security to be considered an actual superhero organization?
Was there a minimum member requirement?
Currently, the only permanent members were herself, Bucky Barnes, and Natasha Romanoff—without much structured organization.
Thor was an occasional ally, but not an official member.
As for Tony Stark... well, flamboyant Iron Man didn't exactly fit the covert protection agency aesthetic.
Unless, of course, he insisted on joining.
Either way, once she got back to New York, she'd need to start recruiting more heroes.
Because this was just the beginning.