Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1506, Chapter 1502: The Lunar War (18)

The bombing continued, with thermonuclear warheads briefly bursting into blinding bouquets of flame on the void barrier.

As a forward fortress built by the Kree Empire, Attilan was once used as a frontline base and supply depot for Void warfare, forming a Void defense line. But now, Attilan has lost most of its strategic support capabilities. If it weren't for the dismantled missile silos, laser cannons, and close-in weapon systems, the Kree Empire wouldn't have allowed such a vital asset to slip away. The four war slave clans who shed their blood for the Kree Empire, and the civilian clans recently transferred to the moon by the Kree research outpost, wouldn't have had the chance to bury Attilan in a crater as their survival base, living a life of pride and fear, clinging to life while dreading the Kree's discovery of Attilan. Damn it, they're even still speaking Kree and using the Kree script, even though the Inhumans' throats aren't suited to that language.

This is a star fortress.

The Starfortress possessed a bridge and numerous shield systems. The outermost shield had been breached in the initial bombardment, and the second and third layers were paralyzed by the assault team's attack; only the shield protecting the bridge remained standing. As the core of the Starfortress, the bridge was also the only place where the outside world could be seen after Attilan was buried. Starlight shimmered above the massive circular dome, and several white streaks of flame left long trails in the bright starry sky. Medusa looked up, her bright, beautiful green eyes reflecting the glimmer. The Gene Council was located on the bridge, but many had forgotten its purpose; thousands of years of renovations and infighting had been enough to make all the clans forget the bridge's entire function.

But the commoner clans still remember, and the kings from the commoner clans still remember.

When the civil war broke out, every Inhuman group vie for control of Attilan. The largest but weakest of the commoner clans, relying on their strongest individual members, fought valiantly to seize the throne. While the Terrigen Mist mutations were highly random, they consistently created exceptionally powerful Inhuman individuals. Furthermore, the Kree Empire created an entity called the Hive to control all Inhumans; no Inhuman could defy the commands of this nanoscale biological swarm. The Hive was Attilan's first ruler, but no one wanted to acknowledge any legitimacy of that mad being. All Attilan chronicles completely erased all records of the Kree Empire's control over the Inhumans.

As a price for victory, Attilan suffered damage far exceeding its current state. To restore most of Attilan's functionality, the commoner clans gathered scholars from multiple clans to jointly renovate the star fortress and opened the bridge to all clans. Politics is the art of compromise, and the Attilan royal family was born. Using genetic mutation technology as a dividing line, and based on the genetic engineering type developed by the Kree Empire—a type of advanced civilization inherited from the oldest intelligent beings in the universe—they defined their sphere of influence and crowned themselves. As a price for this compromise, some commoners who failed to activate their mutated genes became pariahs, and Alpha Primitives were created from human genes to perform labor. It was a despicable agreement, but at that time, the commoner clans could no longer afford any more wars, and neither could Attilan.

Warning: Secondary energy system offline;

Warning: Secondary Shield System offline;

Warning: Captain offline, command error;

Medusa lowered her head and looked at the holographic projection in the center of the circular conference hall.

Each clan's army was marked with heraldic emblems, except for the commoner clans. Although each clan had sent its elite warriors to the palace, Black Bolt had not led his army away from the throne to take on the task of protecting the core of Attilan. This was not a bad thing—intelligence from the front lines indicated that many clan armies sent to scout or ambush had encountered attacks of varying degrees, suggesting that the enemy had quietly infiltrated the core of Attilan without their knowledge. Medusa wanted to ask Black Bolt to abandon the residential and commercial areas, as most residents had taken refuge in buildings near the Genetic Council, hiding from an enemy that might arrive at any moment. Attilan's organization, food, and water supplies were all being tested, and she hoped that Black Bolt would leave the palace and, under the guidance of the Chimilian Clan's wizarding order, kill the invading leader and resolve the problem once and for all.

"I hope," she said, "that you've made progress."

"Ninety-nine heinous souls, Mother Medusa." The representative of the Chimilian clan's wizarding order pursed his narrow lips. None of the Inhumans imprisoned in Attilan were truly good people. As an upper class that didn't need to work, their sins stemmed from a desire to commit crimes; no one cared about these people who should have died long ago. "These sinners are being punished. I need their pain. Only extreme suffering can pierce the veil between reality and illusion, helping our wizards find the leader of the invaders from the etheric tide."

"I know what you'll do. My question is, why haven't you given me what I want yet?"

"Please forgive me, Mother Medusa." The Chimilian clan wizard bowed his head. "Magic is not a discipline that can be precisely measured. Neither the Kree Empire nor the Skrull Empire can control this power. Even the descriptions I utter are merely words that those without the gift can understand. I cannot describe the colors of the sky to a born blind person, nor the beauty of music to a born deaf person. If you truly wish to know, then I can only say that the Aether Sea we face is unusually calm. Souls wander on this vast ocean, their gaze unable to pierce the ice on the surface to see the monsters hidden in the depths. No one is willing to break through that thick layer of ice to release the dangerous monsters. We must proceed with caution, avoiding the wisdom of the ancients, avoiding the bone claws formed by evil deeds."

"What I need is an answer."

“This is the answer, Matriarch Medusa. The outcome was already decided; all I did was embark on the predetermined path to find it. You will obtain the answer, for it is there, and I will dig it out for you from the ice.” The Chimilian clan wizard blinked. He clearly sensed Medusa’s displeasure and impatience, but he truly could not explain to those who lacked the talent what he and the wizarding community had witnessed. “The tormented souls of sinners are paving the way for us, Matriarch Medusa; we will soon have the answer.”

"Excellent, you've finally said something useful." Medusa's words were laced with sarcasm, but the Chimilian clan wizard ignored them. "I need specific timings; Black Bolt's schedule needs to be arranged."

“Ninety-nine wizards, ninety-nine sinners. Their bones turned to ashes, their flesh fused together, their pain forged their souls, and their immense faith can extract anything you desire from the Sea of ​​Souls.” Seeing Medusa about to roar, the Chimilian clan wizard immediately changed his tune. “Soon, very soon, we are approaching the answer. Beneath the ice, Matriarch Medusa,” the wizard said. “The enemy is far more powerful than we are. Perhaps it is a coincidence, perhaps it is intentional, but I have never seen a force capable of calming the Sea of ​​Souls.”

Every wizard, every single one of them is power-hungry, Medusa thought. Did he think I didn't know about the gene-fusion experiments being conducted by the Chimilian clan's wizarding order? Did he think I'd forgotten the true masterminds behind the Alpha Primitive Project? No, this isn't the time to hold the Alpha Primitives accountable for their rebellion; no clan could remain uninvolved then, while the endless stream of low-intelligence laborers crawling out of the pipes continues to destroy everything the decent inhabitants depend on for survival.

"As soon as possible," she said.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)