Chapter 91: The Barrier Dissolves

Watching the barrier in the distant sky vanish, the expressions of the four people in the car grew grim. S.H.I.E.L.D. had already fallen into the hands of the cultists, so the situation with the military and government was not difficult to imagine.

“The cultists must have sabotaged the nodes. Once the tsunami makes landfall, America will become a living hell. I wonder how things are in other regions,” Natasha said as she drove toward the Avengers Tower. Along the way, people who noticed the shield’s disappearance screamed in terror.

Fury was trying to contact the federal government but found his communication devices forcibly offline. In anger, he slammed his fist against the car window. “How much longer until we reach the Avengers Tower?”

“About five minutes, sir,” Natasha replied, deftly weaving the vehicle through the streets. She understood Fury’s mood was grim. With S.H.I.E.L.D. under cultist control, and this revelation coming at such a critical moment, any further mishap could mean the agency’s total collapse.

After a tense rush, they finally arrived at the Avengers Tower. Upon entering, Fury immediately requested J.A.R.V.I.S. to activate all defensive systems. J.A.R.V.I.S. quickly contacted Tony Stark.

“Go ahead, J.A.R.V.I.S. But why this sudden visit from Director Fury?” Tony asked, working on defensive node designs on the beach. The previous nodes had been destroyed by cultists, whom Tony had subdued after arriving.

“I’m sorry, Tony. S.H.I.E.L.D. has fallen. The cultists have taken control of headquarters. We need your help,” Fury said succinctly. With S.H.I.E.L.D. compromised, they could only rely on the Avengers.

“I always said that agency wasn’t reliable. I’m heading back to find Captain,” Tony said, abandoning his work immediately. He knew well that with S.H.I.E.L.D. occupied by cultists, the problem was far greater than a few failed defense nodes.

Sure enough, after Tony found Steve, the blue barrier that had retreated westward vanished. “Well, I guess we don’t have to worry about returning now.”

What no one knew was that the issue was far deeper than just the defense nodes. The energy hubs across America had ceased supplying power, and the shields across the entire Americas had vanished.

Though defense nodes only required a single pattern to be drawn, the shield’s generation depended on designing the coverage area during the energy core’s creation. Both needed to align perfectly to avoid boundary errors.

Without the cross-check of energy cores, no matter how many defense nodes were drawn, they would be ineffective. However, if defense nodes were insufficient, the boundaries would blur—that explained why Tony had noticed the shield shifting from east to west. Because of this, the permanent members of the Security Council did not forbid the proliferation of defense node patterns but tightly controlled the energy cores.

Governments never disclosed to the public that the shield technology was alien. To soothe the populace, this information was withheld even at the United Nations Assembly, instead presented under the Security Council’s authority.

Although many high-ranking officials doubted the truth, the crisis left no room for disputes. The Security Council also prevented civilians from drawing defense nodes in areas designated for military control, so the exact energy core production methods were never publicly revealed.

All energy cores were firmly held by the Security Council, while individual regions managed their own nodes—a measure to prevent countries from causing trouble later. After all, if a global shield rose, humanity’s most terrifying weapon—nuclear arms—would lose its threat.

The international order’s stability since World War II relied heavily on nuclear deterrence. Now, that power was weakened, signaling the order’s impending collapse.

America, boasting the world’s largest number of nuclear power plants, controlled the energy hubs for all defense nodes across the Americas. Other nations dared not resist America’s dominance.

Even as apocalypse loomed, humanity’s politicians continued their intrigues—one reason the Starborn Empire still refused contact with Midgard.

Meanwhile, before the public fully understood the crisis, media had already uncovered explosive news.

“...We still do not know why the government has shut down the shield. With the tsunami approaching, our government seems to abandon millions of lives. Does this mean the people have been betrayed...?”

“...According to our latest intelligence, the entire Americas barrier has vanished. What is the government’s intention...?”

“...Those politicians have forsaken us. They must be secretly building a Noah’s Ark. Let us unite and overthrow these hypocrites!...”

At the same time, various nefarious figures emerged, inciting the public to riot. In an instant, the United States seemed to plunge into chaos.

Canada, Mexico, and other nations suffered similarly. Their people began to question their own shields’ safety and joined the unrest. The entire Americas descended into turmoil.

News of America’s turmoil spread rapidly worldwide. Citizens began questioning their own shield security, demanding answers. Government spokespeople were overwhelmed, forced to restrict media statements.

What had happened at the top echelons of America was simple: a group of immortal-obsessed capitalists, upon discovering a way to eternal life, colluded to control the President. To pledge allegiance to the “Holy Sect,” they voluntarily handed over the energy cores to the sect’s emissaries.

However, some capitalists, upon seeing the true forms of these emissaries, abandoned the alliance. After all, mermaids and fishmen, though a single word apart, presented vastly different appearances.

Their belief was that if the cult truly existed, then perhaps genuine gods did too. Although the church showed no supernatural power upon testing, these wealthy individuals trusted that with so many religions on Midgard and the presence of Asgard, other deities might grant them immortality.

Thus, they chose to abandon the devil’s deal. But they were few and could not sway those obsessed with eternal life. They resorted to secret plans, meeting covertly with the President to prepare to eliminate those zealots once and for all.