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HP: Bloodraven Chapter 258 - Earth’s United Vanguard (VIII)
🕑 Added 2025-10-10 14:17:42 +0000 UTC"The Kree Empire..." Even thinking the name made his chest tighten. "They aren’t just another advanced race spread across the stars. They’re a cold, efficient, and ancient war machine—a species built for conquest, shaped over thousands of years through discipline, experimentation, and an obsession with control."
"The worlds under their rule are stripped bare and turned into factories of war, churning out soldiers, ships, and weapons capable of erasing entire planets. Every Kree is born into service, their worth measured by how much they can offer to the Empire’s endless conquests."
"Things like art, joy, or compassion don’t exist there anymore. They gave those up long ago. What remains is purpose, drilled into every fiber of their being, and that purpose is domination. And what’s coming for this planet sits right at the top of that hierarchy..."
"...Ronan the Accuser."
A heavy silence followed the room at the mention of the name, while Talos continued to speak.
"The man isn’t just a soldier. He’s a zealot encased in armor, carrying judgment like it’s sacred flame. Where the Kree Supreme Intelligence rules through calculation and logic, Ronan embodies their devotion to conquest. To him, war isn’t duty—it’s divine."
"He commands fleets that can blot out the sky, armadas forged from the Empire’s finest—warships bristling with weapons capable of turning civilizations into ash. And that’s only the strength of the forces under his command."
"The warlord himself is no ordinary being either. His physiology stands at the pinnacle of mortal potential and far beyond most baseline species. A master of combat, seasoned in warfare and strategy, he’s a weapon sharpened by countless battles. With his infamous weapon, the Cosmic-Rod, he is, for lack of a better term, a one-man army."
Although Talos had never personally faced that nightmare, he had heard enough from countless victims—entire colonies erased beneath the glow of the warmonger’s cursed weapon. While on the run, he had also witnessed firsthand the devastation left in the man’s wake.
"The Kree... they call him the Supreme Accuser, the living executor of the Empire’s will."
As the green-skinned alien spoke, laying bare everything he knew about the invasion bound for their planet, and with the memories they had all seen still fresh in their minds, even the archmages’ faces had hardened. The magnitude of what's coming had finally gripped every soul, both those watching from afar and those present in the room.
---
The X-Men, led by Charles Xavier, were the last to arrive. Among them were Ororo Munroe, better known as Storm; Raven Darkholme, the shapeshifter called Mystique; Logan, the Wolverine; Henry McCoy, the brilliant Beast; and, of course, Professor X himself.
Their numbers were small, but these were the only adults Charles could spare, and he obviously wouldn’t bring the children under his care into a war.
On top of that, the message he had received was urgent, and he hadn’t had time to reach out to anyone else, including some of his old enemies-slash-allies.
But really, Maverick only needed Ororo—the rest wouldn’t be of much use anyway.
A few hours had passed, and by this point, it wasn’t just the people physically gathered in Maria’s home who were part of the meeting. This threat—even if Maverick had wanted to keep it under tight wraps—could not ultimately be hidden from the upper echelons of the world’s powers.
It was, after all, a global catastrophe that was imminent—not simply a threat to a single city like London or New York. Anywhere, big or small, poor or rich, town, city, or country could be affected if things went wrong. So it was only logical that the whole world be involved when discussing the plan to resolve the matter.
However, it wasn’t feasible for every leader to gather at what, to them, was just a random citizen’s home. The next best option, one that could be implemented quickly, was to hold a conference where everyone could at least watch and voice their concerns.
And thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s technology, combined with Maverick’s magical vision enhancements, it wasn’t a difficult task—hence, the gathering now included a live video link too.
The World Security Council, the International Confederation of Wizards, the Director and top officials of S.H.I.E.L.D., and many heads of state and magical governments were also watching, their eyes fixed on the events unfolding in Maria’s living room.
On top of that, Isabella had also brought in her crew and started streaming the meeting live to the entire magical world. Only the magical world, of course—the muggle side, their civilians had no idea.
What? Who was going to reprimand her, she, Isabella Garling, with two thick thighs behind her? Besides, what she was doing was right under the eyes of five archmages, and since it technically didn’t break the statute of secrecy—i.e., revealing magic to the general muggle public—nobody even thought to question her. Such was the thinking of the hierarchy of the magical world.
Anyway, after everyone had gathered, the first thing Maverick did was play the memories for those physically present—starting with Yon-Rogg’s communications with Ronan the Accuser.
As a high-ranking commander in the Kree Empire, Yon-Rogg had a meticulous and structured understanding of the Kree military, and especially of Ronan, the general personally leading the fleet on its way to Earth.
For magicals, memories were like CCTV for the muggles—only in 4K-plus resolution. Experiencing the Kree commander’s viewpoint in vivid detail left no doubt about the severity of the situation for those gathered.
At least for those physically present, it was crystal clear after that point that they had been summoned for a good reason—and, more importantly, that Maverick had made the right call in doing so.
As for whether they all believed it, or if Maverick had tempered the memories… that was never a question. Would a dignified archmage gather the entire world just to lie to them?
Finally, for those watching and listening via the video link, who couldn’t experience the memories firsthand, Maverick turned to Talos and asked the alien to speak from his perspective, explaining everything he knew about the Kree Empire and the forces Ronan commanded.
---
“Mr. Alien... Talos. From what I can understand, this... extraterrestrial warlord’s purpose in coming here is to eliminate your people, right?”
A politician’s instinct was immediate. A voice from the screen cut through the room as the Prime Minister of India spoke, his remark obvious, though not said outright.
“If you’re suggesting we play it safe by handing over what the enemy wants and thinking we’ll be spared, then your thinking is far too shallow. Respectfully, Mr. Prime Minister,” Maverick said, his eyes narrowing at the screen.
“I agree with the High Councilor,” said Alexander Piers, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., as Maverick paused. “Besides, this is a warmongering intergalactic warlord. I highly doubt he’d consider a peaceful resolution, even if we gave him what he wanted.”
“With all due respect, human leaders, you cannot assume Kree thinking is like human thinking, or even like that of any other civilization,” Talos said, his tone calm and measured as he faced the large screen. “Yes, you could hand me over, thinking you’d be safe, but I guarantee that would only feed the Accuser’s arrogance.”
“How would you know that?” another voice echoed from the screen. It was the Prime Minister of Japan, his tone cautious but firm, seemingly agreeing with his Indian counterpart. “You said it yourself... you’ve never met this... alien.”
“There will be no negotiations and certainly no compromise,” Maverick snapped, his hand flattening on the table. “Unless, of course, you want us to look weak in front of the enemy?”
“I agree with the High Councilor,” the President of the United States said, leaning forward in his chair, backing Maverick’s tone. “Compromise is for the weak. Our world will not be taken because we tried to appease a conqueror on first contact.”
A woman’s voice from the screen then asked, practical and clipped. “Do we have a technical way to know when and where the invaders will arrive?”
“We’re working on it, Ms. Carter,” Maverick answered, then glanced at Morex beside Talos. “Is the project finished, Morex?”
Morex shrugged, lazy confidence in his posture. “It’s been finished for a while. It’s up and running. It can detect anything within a range out to the Moon’s orbit and around Earth. I can extend the range if you want.”
“No, that’s enough,” Maverick said, then looked toward the screen that showed Peggy Carter and nodded at her.
“So what happens when your radar detects the fleet? What support can individual governments provide?” the Queen of England asked from her square on the feed. Beside her, Maverick also noticed his father sitting quietly yet confidently. As expected of his old man.
“Have your air forces ready and on standby,” Maverick said, addressing all the muggle leaders. “If a missile or one of their fighter pods slips past our outer defenses, you will be the last line.”
He paused, then let his gaze fall to the square on the screen showing the ICW assembly. “And to the International Confederation of Wizards, scatter your great-magi across the globe. If anything gets through, work with the muggle air forces to intercept and eliminate it.”
He then turned back to the people at the table. “What do you think?”
A beat of silence, then Dumbledore leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “Indeed. Scattering our ranks worldwide will greatly reduce the chance that anything slipping through can cause widespread devastation. Even if the chance is small, spreading our defenses is wise.”
“SHIELD will also mobilize all its air offensive units on standby,” Director Piers added, leaning forward slightly.
“So will the X-Men,” Xavier said calmly.
“Yes,” Hank said from beside him, “though it’s only the X-Jet. Still, it’s advanced, and capable of intercepting missiles, even ballistic ones, provided we get a heads-up in time.”
At his words, a military officer seated near the President couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and ask, “Charles Xavier, are you saying you, a civilian, have a weaponized aircraft?”
“Gentlemen,” fortunately for Charles, Maverick had cut in swiftly, halting the rising argument. “This is neither the time nor the place for your bickering.”
The President of the United States also raised a hand and motioned to his general to stand down. He then leaned forward. “Are you sure, High Councilor,” he said, eyes narrowing, “that our air forces can’t offer offensive support instead of just waiting? What if these aliens, once their weapons come within range of our surface, decide to fire... say, targeting every country on Earth at once? How sure are you that you can intercept all of them at once?”
It was a fair point. Even with Maverick and the other archmages working together, they would still be hard pressed. Each might be powerful enough to take down Ronan on their own, but stopping a barrage of ballistic weapons launched from fifty warships at once would be nearly impossible to intercept, even if all five fought together.
However... it wasn’t just five archmages who would be the only offensive line in Maverick’s plan. There’s Danvers, Ororo, and many great magi at his side, and together, he was confident they could drive Ronan away from the planet sooner rather than later.
From what he had gleaned from Yon-Rogg’s memories, the Accuser would not stand idly by while his fleet was being destroyed. Once he truly saw and understood the full power of Earth’s offensive vanguard, there was a very high chance he wouldn’t hesitate to flee and abandon his mission.
And even if he didn’t flee, that was fine too. Because Maverick’s confidence also came from the two old farmers hiding in the wings. Surely they wouldn’t let some punk do whatever he wanted to their planet, would they?
At least, the Sorcerer Supreme had already given him her word—literally via a text—that she and her forces would intercept anything, say, a warhead slipping through their defenses. With that assurance, he could face Ronan with a confident mindset, knowing he wasn’t endangering any lives on the planet.
Therefore, that particular scenario the President of the United States had mentioned would, he was sure, never come to pass.
He considered the question the leader of Uncle Sam had proposed for a long beat, then leaned forward, letting his gaze sweep across the faces in the room and the tiles of the large screen. It was time to let everyone in on the plan, he decided.
“My plan is…”
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Author’s Note:
Sigh. It’s tough trying to fill in all the holes, but I think I pulled it off pretty well. Next up: the interception, and then, boom... this arc wraps up.
I’m thinking of showing reactions from all over the magical world while it’s happening. Sounds good? I’d love to hear what you think.
On a serious note, your support really means the world to me, and I can’t thank you enough.
And again... don’t forget to drop me your feedback. I’m all ears 😁
Comments
zain sad
Next chapter pless
Jonah Rivera
I just caught up right at the good part😭
