— New York, Kagura Hitomi's Residence
After completing the basic tests on the A1 body at NERV, Kagura returned to New York.
Compared to the increasingly stabilized YoRHa Project, there were far more urgent matters in New York that needed her attention.
As for the continuation of the YoRHa Project, she had already entrusted everything to Cortana.
The successful testing of the A1 unit marked a critical milestone—the YoRHa androids were now ready for mass production.
Kagura had already designed multiple variations of android models to diversify the combat capabilities of the YoRHa Corps.
Now that Cortana had a body, she was officially a member of the Griffin Security Division.
From this point forward, all YoRHa androids would fall under her direct command.
Using the "Skylark" technology she had once developed to control drone swarms, Kagura built a cluster-based command system tailor-made for Cortana.
This would allow her to simultaneously operate thousands of androids, each fulfilling their own specialized roles.
Honestly, Kagura's version of an "Iron Legion" made Stark Industries look outdated.
After all, she had a true, top-tier AI on her side.
And the A1 unit? That was only the beginning.
Next would come models like A2, 2B, 9S, T-800...
...Wait. Did something strange sneak into that list?
Ah well—no need to overthink it!
The girl protests in vain...
At this moment, unlike her usual self—lounging on the sofa gaming—Kagura was hard at work in the basement of her home.
Among the remnants left by the Dark Elves, the most valuable and dangerous item was undoubtedly the Aether.
Kagura stared at the crimson substance, magnetically sealed in an isolated chamber, deep in thought.
Where should she store this thing?
It was obvious—under no circumstances could the Aether be handed over to the military. Nor could it go to Tony Stark or the Avengers.
The last Infinity Stone she handed over had still not resurfaced.
For the record, she did tell Steve Rogers early on that the Mind Stone still embedded in Loki's scepter was likely somewhere in the Eastern European nation of Sokovia.
But despite that, the Griffin squad dispatched to find it hadn't had much luck. Rumor was, what remained of HYDRA had hidden the scepter very cleverly.
Given that experience, Kagura had no intention of ever handing the Aether over to anyone again.
She didn't even tell the Avengers just how powerful it was.
Sure, in the original MCU, the Asgardians took the Aether and gave it to the Collector for safekeeping...
But honestly, Kagura and Star-Lord, for that matter thought that was a colossally dumb move.
Seriously, who thought storing an Infinity Stone in a shady galactic pawn shop was a good idea? Might as well just shout its location across the universe!
Even if the Collector were powerful, there's no way he could fend off every greedy artifact hunter out there.
Odin, Odin... If you wanted to hand the Reality Stone to Thanos, just say so.
The girl muttering sarcastically...
So, back to the question:
Where should the Aether go?
Kagura considered storing it at Rhodes Island Industries. But even with maximum security, one slip of information could bring in all sorts of trouble.
Like Thanos.
Or Thanos.
Or... Thanos.
Kidding, of course—this is an Infinity Stone we're talking about!
Something countless beings across the universe would kill to get their hands on.
Even the most secure vault at Rhodes Island didn't feel safe enough.
So as a temporary solution, Kagura just brought it home...
Before deciding on a long-term hiding spot, she figured it was best to first revert the Aether to its true form, the Reality Stone and effectively destroying the superweapon form the Dark Elves had created.
The Aether, a sentient, fluid-like entity, instinctively sought to invade and bond with lifeforms, following its programming to enact destruction.
In its current form, it was far too unstable to store safely.
Even ancient Asgardians could only seal it away in deep space.
But if she could restore it into the solid, crystalline form of the Reality Stone, it would be more secure and might even allow her to harness its abilities more safely.
The restoration process sounded incredibly difficult.
But after extracting the Dark Elves' database from their warship, Kagura had all the data she needed.
After all, who better to undo the curse than the one who understands the curse?
"Break time's over—back to work. Aether Restoration Log, Entry #19. Gamma ray frequency calibrated. Power output increased to 4.2 times the standard."
While speaking into the log, Kagura resumed the restoration procedure.
According to the recovered data, the Aether could be reverted by irradiating it with gamma rays of specific frequencies and intensities.
This would undo the magical-lock system the ancient Dark Elves had placed on it.
Of course, the process had only ever existed theoretically.
Not even the Dark Elves had tried it themselves.
So theory had to become practice—one experiment at a time.
"Logging experimental data. Target... wait—something's happening!"
Kagura's eyes lit up as she saw the Aether's fluid form destabilizing, collapsing inward into a solid mass.
"Aha! It's working!"
She opened a holographic display and rapidly recorded the results. "Entry #19—success. Gamma ray output at 4.2x standard."
"Aether destabilized and began condensing. Restoration to Reality Stone in progress!"
Inside the containment field, the red fluid swirled into a vortex.
Tiny crystals formed within it, drifting like red snowflakes in the dark.
The crystals grew, collided, and fused—gradually pulled toward the center.
"Wow... it's beautiful."
The reformation of an Infinity Stone was a majestic sight—one that left Kagura in awe.
As the red flakes merged, bursts of radiant light erupted from within. Energy surged, flickering the lights throughout the basement.
"Yikes! Please don't explode—this is my house!"
Kagura winced, panic flashing across her face. "If it goes boom, I'm sleeping on the street tonight!"
'DING—!'
Suddenly, the swirling crystals stopped. Drawn by a powerful force, they shot toward the center all at once.
'BOOM!'
With a sharp burst of red light, the container shattered.
The Reality Stone had been restored.
A deep crimson gem floated within the magnetic containment field, glowing softly, radiating power.
"So this... is the Reality Stone."
Kagura gazed at it, a spark of inspiration flickering in her eyes.
And right on cue, her internal interface brought up a new system prompt.
[Core Energy Recalibrated. Dual-Core Mode Activated.]
[Reality Stone successfully integrated.]
[Original concept skill framework remains unaffected.]
[New abilities can now be derived.]
Of course—the safest place to store the stone was within herself.
Kagura gently touched her chest. "Well... guess I did put all my eggs in one basket after all. But hey, sometimes that's the right call. Better that than having the basket snatched by the nearest villain."
[Quest Completed: Obtain an Infinity Stone]
[+20 QP Earned]
[Current QP Balance: 40]
[Core Upgrade Progress Increased]
[Android Core Level: Lv. 3]
[Progress: 250/300]
[New Quest Available]
[Rescue Quicksilver / Cost: 20 QP]