It didn't take long for the gods to return to Earth, and it didn't take long for everyone to know about it. In the world of the internet, there are few secrets. Countless people began discussing news about the gods online.
Some fanatics kept posting about the power of the gods they believed in, hoping to gather more believers for their own deities. This was especially true for sects with already vast followings, such as Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism, all of which had large, passionate groups of followers and well-known sects. These sects mobilized all their resources to convert more people to belief in their gods.
After all, these sects had grown so large over thousands of years without direct intervention from their gods. Now that the gods had finally responded, their enthusiasm exploded even further.
In contrast, smaller sects, such as Madame Elche and the Oceania Mythology, or even small deities with limited influence, had much less competitiveness. Generally speaking, large sects had many gods. However, the powerful deities within these sects rarely used the magic net, with only a few prominent gods—sometimes even smaller gods who had only been mentioned once or twice—spreading it.
If the powerful gods had directly joined the battle for believers on Earth, there would have been no suspense at all.
However, thanks to the rapid spread of the magic net by Thor and the God of Magic, Asgard wasn't far behind in this competition and managed to win many followers. Although they were called believers, their primary role was simply to connect to the magic net. Whether or not they truly believed in their gods didn't matter to the gods. What mattered was the magic net, not the believers.
The most frequent discussions on the internet were still happening on the "713" magic website. News spread that the contracts distributed by various gods were identical to those issued by the God of Magic in Asgard. It was even reported that the recently famous Magic Bureau used the magic net to train mages.
Upon verifying with the believers, this information was confirmed. Furthermore, the Church of the Goddess of Death, an evil sect that had been active for some time, was also using the same contract!
A shocking theory soon emerged: the magic net distributed by the gods had been established by the God of Magic! Aaron, the God of Magic, was the creator of all of this. The gods of many pantheons were relying on the power of the God of Magic!
This speculation quickly spread worldwide. Almost everyone started to believe this theory.
However, the large sects were quick to deny these rumors. They could never accept that the great gods they worshipped were reliant on "imitations" created by foreign gods. They all firmly believed that their gods were the true creators of the magic net and that the others were mere copies or forgeries. After all, these were the gods who created the world! A latecomer like the God of Magic could never be considered equal to their gods. It would be an insult!
In any case, the return of the gods had completely disrupted the Earth. Even state institutions had lost their functions. In the face of the powerful manifestations of the main gods, they dared not speak out. After all, many soldiers were believers of certain gods and had signed the magic net contract as soon as the event occurred!
At an Avengers training base near New York,
Next to the base, there was also a Magic Bureau training site. Today, high-ranking officials from both sides gathered for a secret meeting about the events of the day. At this moment, Nick Fury's face was darker than the bottom of a pot.
The return of the gods had caught them off guard. It wasn't just the Avengers or the Magic Bureau. The events of the day had brought serious challenges to the world's ruling class.
Although there had been gods, aliens, mages, and mutants before, the world had still largely been dominated by technology. However, with the simultaneous appearance of multiple gods, the future was now uncertain. The world might soon shift from a technology-centric development path to one focused on extraordinary magic.
They also realized that they had lost their absolute hold on the masses. If someone were fortunate enough to suddenly acquire powerful magical abilities, it would pose a serious threat to global stability and peace.
It was like the case with Electro-optic Man, now causing chaos in Africa. Behind the scenes, Eric, the new king of Wakanda, was helping him. Wakanda was no longer a secret, and T'Challa had revealed its true nature, openly discussing the connection between Eric and the Electric Man Max. They were trying to use the power of the Avengers and the Magic Bureau to defeat Max.
What was even more taboo was that they were discussing how to defeat each other and solve this dark crisis all at once. But now, the gods' return had completely thrown off their future plans.
"Because of this, our Magic Bureau has a lot of work that can't be carried out..."
Tony Stark briefly explained his thoughts. "According to the report from J.A.R.V.I.S., more than 50% of the world's population has already connected to a certain god. This number is still growing, and it's expected to surpass 60% within two hours!"
"At this rate, at least 80% will be connected within three days! It's conservatively estimated that in the next week, less than 5% of the world's population will not be connected to the magic net."
"This is a new era, where extraordinary abilities become the norm. We need to change our strategy and design a new work program."
Tony had once imagined that one day, all people would be mages, but he never expected it to happen so soon. This sudden shift had completely disrupted their original plans. And the unseen gods? They were the most frightening aspect of this situation.
"Do you think that the contracts given by the gods are the same as those given by the God of Magic?"
Nick Fury asked, looking up.
"I've checked. They are definitely the same!" Tony nodded. "Although the names of the gods signed on them differ, the contracts are identical."
Tony had confirmed this over and over, even going to Kamar-Taj, where the Ancient One also affirmed the information.
"Did the God of Magic and the gods come to an agreement?"
"Why are the gods listening to him?"
"Is the magic net really that powerful?" Nick Fury couldn't understand why all the high gods in mythology would suddenly appear at the same time, seemingly coordinated by the God of Magic.
Thor, who had been a bit dazed, was now the focus. Tony turned to him.
"What do you think about this?"
"This matter should be written by Thor; I think he knows more about it." Tony cast his gaze on the slightly dazed Thor.
During this time, Thor had become more familiar with the group, and they had formed a deeper bond. Through Thor, they had learned a lot of information about Asgard. It wasn't classified, but it gave them enough insight into the world beyond.
They had asked the God of Magic for information, but Thor himself didn't know as much as others thought. He only knew about Aaron's exploits.
Thor had often shared stories about fighting side by side with Aaron, vividly describing the key battles. However, when it came to the magic net, he was unsure.
"If you want to ask about the relationship between the gods and the God of Magic, I can give you a simple explanation."
Thor spoke, suddenly serious. "All of this started with Almighty City…"
The invitation from Almighty City had first been conveyed to Asgard and then relayed to Thor by Odin and Heimdall, informing him of Aaron's involvement. However, Aaron had never appeared, and the information had to be shared by Qin and others. Thor had missed last year's meeting.
Calculating the time, this year's meeting of the gods should be happening now. Thor had wanted to go, hoping to meet his idol, Zeus, but unfortunately, he hadn't been invited. Only the God of Magic had been asked to attend, so Thor would miss the meeting.
Thor explained the meeting of the gods, Almighty City, and the connection between the gods. This revelation left Nick Fury and the others wide-eyed in surprise.
"So, the God of Magic has reached an agreement with the gods, and now they are using the magic net to increase their power?"
"Zeus, Jesus, Jade Emperor, Brahma..."
"The gods from fairy tales really do exist?"
"My god..."
"Then why haven't they descended to Earth to protect world peace all this time? Do they have to wait for the magic net to appear before they show up to reap the rewards?"
Thor shrugged and answered with a doubtful but proud tone, "Probably because the Earth has been covered by us for all these years… Our Asgardian strength is among the best among the gods."
"Except for a few gods, no other gods can defeat my father!"
Few believed Thor's answer. The gods met so often that it seemed they didn't care about anything—so why hadn't they shown up? Was there something they feared on Earth? Why hadn't they appeared in person? Even this time, it was only through a dream, not their physical forms.
Thor added, "Actually, it's easy to understand. The power of the magic net is far beyond what you can imagine. My father and king have already said that the magic net might be the greatest creation since the birth of the gods!"
"Its power and the difficulty of its creation have even amazed the gods themselves."
"Alright, I'm leaving first. I need to go to Aaron to get more details."
Thor said, eager to find Aaron and learn more. He had no interest in continuing to discuss strategies for maintaining national rule with the group. After a brief explanation, he left to find Aaron.
Left behind, the group could only frown as they tried to digest the shocking news about the meeting of the gods.
When Aaron and the others returned,
The discussion about the gods continued. However, the trip to Almighty City had left Amora, Sif, and others disillusioned with the so-called gods.
Before going, they had imagined the gods as all-powerful and fearless. But after their visit, they were disappointed to discover that the gods were simply powerful beings who had fear, desire, and calculation—and were, frankly, disgusting!
They could openly speak about it, and it was clear: these gods, especially Zeus, were nothing like the gods they had expected. Compared to Odin, Thor, and even Aaron, they were inferior. They were too frightened by a God Slayer to even step out of Almighty City.
Aaron didn't comment much about the gods
He had known what to expect, so it wasn't a surprise. Gods were just that—gods.
In comparison, Sif and Amora, Asgardian elites who hadn't become official gods, were more like gods than these so-called deities.
As time went on, the number of connections fed back by the magic net increased at an astonishing rate. Earth was only a small part of it.
The gods in the meeting weren't just those local to Earth—there were also alien gods, like K Ronan, who ruled certain races on specific planets. Some gods were the shared beliefs of entire planets or even multiple worlds.
The gods who hadn't attended the meeting were also aware of the magic net and had connected to it, spreading it across their realms. The magic net was expanding rapidly.
If the entire Milky Way were a holographic map, one could clearly see numerous light spots. The magic net was becoming denser and covering more area within the galaxy, pushing the communication plan to a new level!
And in this joyous moment, Thor arrived…
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