fbi2

After getting a detailed rundown of why the Coulson Team was even a thing and who was on it, Dante was starting to feel like maybe—just maybe—he had a little too much freedom.

Was this that legendary top-performer treatment?

The kind where you take a dump on your boss's head and he still claps like you just landed a triple-double?

Dante wasn't sure if Fury felt that way, but he did know one thing…

After all that chaos, the noisy lounge finally went quiet.

Could Hela have straight-up wrecked Ada and Harley?

Harley might be unpredictable, but Ada—Ada was the Agent when it came to reading people. No way she lacked that much awareness, right?

So, Dante crept up to the lounge door and peeked through the crack.

What he saw was Hela putting down his phone, arms wrapped around the two "older sisters" flanking her—slightly shorter than her, but still intimidating.

Ada and Harley's earlier hostility toward Hela? Completely gone.

From their eyes, Dante could read only one sentence:

"Death Goddess is awesome."

Seriously?

Dante figured it was time for him to step in and break this up. All this hugging and cuddling…

He was so freaking jealous.

Jealousy really does something to your cellular structure.

Cough, cough, cough! "Ada, re-confirm the landing site and perimeter situation. Harley… what the hell are you doing with that hand?! What kind of normal person just rests their hand on someone's chest?!"

"I saw that Hela-sis had a stain on her chest, so I was helping her rub it clean," Harley replied shamelessly, her tone unnervingly reminiscent of Dante's own teenage years.

Then she and Ada squeezed past him…

And that psychotic girl even pinched his butt on the way out—blatantly taking advantage of him!

"Hey! Don't you know I sell skills, not sex!? That's an upcharge!"

"My Pudding, you've been acting super innocent lately. Can't you learn a thing or two from Hela? At worst, I'll let you pinch me back after the mission."

Harley shot Dante a teasing look, then giggled and walked off.

"Like I'd believe that!" Dante grumbled, then shot a resentful glance at Hela. "This is your fault. How'd you get them on your side?"

"Women just love me."

Hela said it like she was reciting a fact about gravity—no brag, no emotion. Just cold, unshakable truth.

Which somehow made it even more devastating.

---

The Airbus carrying the Star Team finally landed at the target site after a long flight.

And that's when Dante realized—this wasn't some frozen wasteland.

A whole scientific expedition unit was already stationed there, camped up and unloading the heavy-duty gear needed for excavation.

With great power comes great responsibility, but it doesn't mean you're supposed to do everything.

Like right now—digging out a frozen artifact. Sure, he could just Green Lantern-punch a hole through the ice, but letting the professionals handle it wasn't wrong either.

Of course, if Thanos or General Zod showed up mid-dig, Dante—as one of the FBI's top field agents—would absolutely be the first one diving in to throw hands.

Everyone had their job.

Still…

Dante wasn't exactly worried the digging would take too long. What did bug him was the idea that, after all this slow-cooking, something from the mission's fine print might crawl out and put on a whole off-Broadway performance.

"Fair enough," Dante admitted. "But since we're already here, and there's a faster way to dig him out, standing around watching them set up just feels like a waste of time."

"You've got a point. If it saves resources and time, why not?"

Naturally, Coulson was thrilled with Dante's approach.

After all, who did the digging didn't matter—his job was just coordination, not leadership.

Plus, he was dying to meet his childhood idol in person.

Coulson joining the FBI was partially thanks to Captain America's wartime legend. The man still kept a Captain America trading card in the pocket of his inner suit jacket.

"Alright then. Ada, Harley—tell the scientific team to halt setting up the heavy equipment. Have them focus on perimeter security instead."

After giving the order, Dante turned to Coulson. "Let's go. I'm guessing you want to be there when the most iconic Superhero in the Bureau's history sees daylight again."

"Wait, I can go down with you?"

Coulson had assumed Dante would be using his powers solo, and he'd just wait up here for the big reveal.

He didn't think Dante's power included carpooling.

"What are you talking about? Of course I can bring someone. If I couldn't carry you, how would I bring that frozen popsicle back up?"

With that, Dante led Coulson off the Airbus, with Hela and Loki following behind.

And as soon as they got off—

Every head turned.

Not because of their high stats or intense aura—but because…

They were way underdressed.

Loki, at least, was in a dark green suit.

Hela? Hela had bare shoulders.

Good thing they were the Goddess of Death and the God of Mischief. Normal people would've frozen solid five minutes ago.

Cough cough cough, Dante cleared his throat. "You two don't think those outfits are a bit too flashy for this location?"

Sure, the FBI had more superpowered personnel than ever now, but this excavation squad had folks on loan from other departments too.

Let's not make this too extra.

Loki—Earth's most environment-adapted Asgardian—reacted immediately. Emerald magic surged from him in a soft wave that rippled through the outer circle of spectators.

When it faded, both he and Hela were dressed in fur-lined cloaks straight out of a fantasy novel.

"They'll forget we ever got off the plane like this—in ten seconds."

"Look at that," Dante muttered. "The mage finally remembered he can use magic to solve problems."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 39: True Fan Meeting

Loki rolled his eyes at Dante with the usual arrogant flair.

He got the point, sure... but still—

Magic was work. Close combat with his beloved little dagger? That was life.

Dante couldn't hear Loki's internal grumbling, and even if he could, he wouldn't care.

Let the guy eat a few more losses and he'd eventually realize how dumb it was for a mage to run around like a rogue with twin daggers.

He led the group to the area already marked off by the scientific expedition task force.

The original photo of Captain America had been taken when one of the researchers accidentally fell into a crevice in the ice. The poor guy thought he was going to die buried and forgotten, only to discover the winding ice crack led straight to the place where Captain America had been frozen.

After they pulled him out, the research team contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and that's how America got the memo.

Dante's job now? Dig straight down along the same path.

"By the way, Coulson, you haven't seen my powers in action yet, have you?"

"That's right. Everything about you in the Bureau's files is locked behind Level 10 clearance. All I know is what Director Fury mentioned—something about green light?"

"Level 10 clearance?" Dante smirked. "Man, Fury really went full paranoia mode. What's he afraid of, someone coming after me with a hit squad?"

"Well, the FBI is still just the FBI. It doesn't control how the government thinks. The American government and the Bureau have always been at odds. They cut our budget every year. Politicians... their minds aren't wired like normal people," Coulson said with a helpless look."

"Ah... politicians. Got it. Tsk tsk tsk."

Dante chuckled, acting like he didn't care.

Still, after hearing Coulson's comments, Dante revised his plan for Grant Ward.

He'd originally planned to drive him off or take him out.

But now… he thought of a better way to deal with two pieces of trash at once.

---

When they reached the crevice, Dante had to admit—he'd underestimated the scale of Mother Nature.

This wasn't a crevice.

This was practically a canyon!

"Coulson, be honest. How blind do you have to be to fall into a 'crevice' this massive? Were they using their eyes to breathe instead of see?"

"You're really misunderstanding them," Coulson replied with his usual polite smile.

But the way he kept fidgeting made it clear—he was getting pretty excited.

"Originally, it was just a narrow ice crack. Just enough for a person to fall through and vanish into the Arctic icefield."

"But that slip happened a week ago. Then two days ago—before the expedition team even arrived—there were two minor earthquakes in the North Pole. Not big ones, but they shifted the ice layers and cracked the shell wide open."

Dante's eyes narrowed.

No earthquakes before, none after. But right in those two days?

Still, he didn't overthink it and immediately began to transform.

He made the oath, and the Green Lantern ring lit up.

Then, using the imagination granted to all Transmigrators by divine plot armor, Dante materialized an ice shuttle designed for gliding cleanly through glacier layers—thanks to the Will Green Light.

By the time Ada and Harley showed up—orders relayed, mission ready—Dante had already enveloped the group in the green glow and even conjured up custom seats and seatbelts for everyone.

Those who had already seen Green Lantern powers weren't surprised.

But Coulson and Hela?

Totally blown away.

Coulson was just plain amazed. His reaction was the wholesome, wide-eyed "magic is real" kind.

Hela, though… she saw deeper.

The shaping and stabilization of energy like this? It was unheard of in Asgardian power systems.

And this energy was ridiculously stable. Zero leakage, no volatility. It was pure order.

It might not be at Heavenly Father tier yet... but it was clearly heading there.

"What exactly is this power?"

"You mean this?" Dante wiggled the hand with the glowing ring. "This baby's called a Green Lantern Ring. It comes from the Will Green Light, part of the Emotional Spectrum. Runs on pure willpower. The stronger the will, the stronger the ring."

"Green Lantern Ring? Emotional Spectrum? Willpower?" Hela nodded slowly. "I've never encountered this type of power before. But I can sense its stability and potential. Of all the emotional forces, this one must be the most… orderly."

Dante gave her a longer look.

"Yeah. The Will Green Light sits dead center on the Emotional Spectrum. It's also called the Light of Order."

Truly worthy of being a peak Heavenly Father-tier being—even with her current power sealed down to a fifth, her perception was on another level.

But something about it bugged him.

Over the past few days, Hela had touched the ring several times.

When Doctor Doom touched it, the Green Lantern Ring had chosen him instantly.

And Hela? She's not just some big-name goddess sealed for a few thousand years—she'd been joking, sparring, and lowkey flirting with him since day one.

How could she not have willpower strong enough to sync with the ring?

Unless…

She was attuned to another color on the Emotional Spectrum, and the ring rejected her based on that.

Thinking about her life, the Red Lantern's rage or the Yellow Lantern's fear seemed way more aligned.

Dante stopped thinking about it.

Too many Green Lanterns weren't always a good thing anyway—what if it triggered some kind of team-wide DEBUFF?

"Alright folks, buckle up! Old Dante's taking us for a ride!"

With a holler, Dante activated the glacial shuttle and dove straight into the ice layer.

Sure, the crevice had widened a lot, but the basic structure hadn't changed. Dante ran the route through his head—winding, twisty, time-wasting—and decided:

Nah.

He charged straight through.

Come on, he was already using Green Lantern powers. Why play nice with the terrain?

That would be way too normal.

The ancient permafrost, locked tight for who knows how long, shattered like candy glass under the Will Green Light.

In just over a minute, Dante broke through into a massive natural ice cave and landed gently.

The moment they touched down, the glacial shuttle dematerialized and turned into several glowing green lanterns that hovered in place, lighting up the whole cavern.

And there—right there in the distance—encased in a layer of ice:

A man in a blue and white striped uniform, holding a five-point star shield.

The temperature here was even colder than outside. Ada, Harley, and Coulson all instinctively shivered, even under thick Arctic gear.

But none of that could chill Coulson's excitement.

Coulson's face immediately flushed, despite the fact that the temperature in this ice cave was somehow even colder than before.

Dante glanced at him out of reflex. This guy was running on pure fanboy adrenaline.

"Coulson, calm down. Your idol's still an ice pop! Even if you're Captain America's dream guy, you've gotta wait until we get back to HQ!"

"Cough, cough, cough!" Coulson coughed a few times, then shot back, "It's just hard to believe the most iconic hero in American history was frozen up here for nearly a century."

"The real shocker shouldn't be that he survived being frozen for that long! I mean, I'm not knocking your scientists, but we're talking tech from over a hundred years ago…"

If this were a pure Marvel Universe, Dante wouldn't question anything.

But in a mixed universe? Weird is normal.

"No need to worry about that," Coulson replied, like he was about to give a full science lecture. "Back when the Super Soldier Serum was developed, survival in extreme environments was factored in. It gives the subject high resistance to both heat and cold…"

Then he immediately betrayed himself.

"…And most importantly, the research guy who fell down there had scanning equipment. It picked up vital signs from Captain America."

Dante rolled his eyes.

You could've led with the part where you already confirmed he was alive!

Still, he wasn't gonna blame Coulson. The man was clearly overwhelmed. Honestly, it was impressive he remembered this much while riding a full-on emotional rollercoaster.

Whatever. First things first—dig him out.

Dante summoned more Will Green Light, materializing a whole rig of floating, glowing-green ice-breaking tools in midair. Under his control, they began chipping away at the permafrost surrounding Captain America.

After a series of clang clang clang, Cap—ice layer and all—was neatly carved out.

"Huh? That's it?" Harley looked visibly let down. "I was expecting the old ice pop to unfreeze and wake up like BAM, surprise revival."

"Revive your head," Dante muttered, wiping away imaginary sweat. "Yeah, he's alive, but his body's been hibernating for decades. He needs time to boot back up."

The tools made from Will Green Light were absurdly sharp. He'd intentionally left the ice around Cap thick, not just for medical reasons—but because he was afraid of accidentally nicking the guy.

They were going to be coworkers, after all. Would've looked bad.

Although, given Cap's legendary moral compass, even if Dante had accidentally dinged him during excavation, the guy probably would've thanked him anyway.

"Ada, notify the scientific expedition task force that we're done here. They can pack up and head out."

"You're too late," Ada replied smoothly. "Before we came down, I already ordered the expedition team to pull out via the Bureau's command channel. They're probably halfway through loading their gear by now."

Ada Wong, ladies and gentlemen. Queen of Predictive Logistics.

The moment Dante said he'd handle the digging, Ada had made the executive decision to get the regular staff out of here. No way they were sticking around to witness what was coming next.

This is why she was his adjutant. Not the strongest on the squad—but easily the best external brain in his entire orbit.

Dante had imagination and reckless impulse. Ada handled the clean-up and the details.

Seeing that everything was already taken care of, Dante nodded, opened a portal back to the Airbus, and said:

"Time to go."

"W-what kind of power is that!?" Coulson's jaw dropped. This one hadn't been in the dossier.

"Oh, this?" Dante waved casually. "Just a little teleportation magic. First time I'm using it in front of you. Newly acquired."

He tossed Cap's irregularly-shaped ice coffin, into the portal like a chunk of luggage and gestured for everyone else to go in.

Coulson, Ada, and Harley stepped through first.

Coulson and Ada immediately headed to the equipment bay to see if there was anything they could use to start the thawing process. The ice block was too bulky to move as-is.

Harley, maybe because the arctic chill had temporarily frozen her brain cells, actually didn't start bouncing off the walls. Instead, she wandered off to the medical area to grab some vital-sign scanning gear to double-check Cap's status.

Watching her go, Dante felt a little emotional.

Harley was doing something serious. It almost made him feel like all the neck bites and lipstick marks were worth it. Almost.

The price of being her emotional support chew toy. He couldn't remember the last time he left a room without looking like he'd walked through a kiss-themed warzone.

Once the three Agents—none of whom had surpassed human physical limits yet—were safely back aboard the Airbus, Dante turned to call his beloved Goddess of Death and her chaotic younger brother, the God of Mischief.

But the siblings were still standing at the edge of the pit where Cap had been.

Now, all that remained was a large hole.

And both of them were staring into it.

"Hela, Loki, let's roll."

"No. Come here," Hela said without looking up.

"Something's… wrong here."

"What's the issue?"

Dante shut the portal and made his way over.

If Hela—an actual Heavenly Father-tier deity—was bothered by something, it wasn't something to ignore.

She didn't answer right away.

Instead, she summoned a Nightsword from the void with a flick of her hand.

It was a move eerily similar to his own Will Green Light materialization. Dante used imagination. Hela used her divine power as a mold, compressed elemental forces around her, and solidified them into a weapon.

Sounded complicated, but it all happened in a blink.

"What did you find? Why'd you bust out your sword?"

Dante's expression grew more serious.

He hadn't forgotten the "other things" mentioned in the system mission brief.

Could it be… Hela's perception had picked up one of them?

She didn't answer his question.

Instead, she controlled the Nightsword to stab straight down into the pit's center—driving it deeper and deeper.

Then she finally spoke.

"Extend your light along the sword's path. Increase the brightness. Illuminate everything below."

Dante didn't hesitate.

He pushed the Will Green Light to max output and funneled it downward along the sword's path.

After around ten meters, the energy reached something beneath the ice.

Water.

Seawater, to be exact.

The light spread into the frozen depths, illuminating the glacier and the dark ocean below.

And then—

Right in the middle of the glowing green abyss…

An eye opened.

Massive.

Wide.

Staring.

An eye almost as big as the entire ice cavern.

Dante froze for half a second.

Then instantly snapped open his communicator and roared:

"TAKE OFF IMMEDIATELY! NOW!"

"Motherf**ker, there's a giant STARFISH down here!"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 41: That's It?

As soon as Dante issued the warning, he opened a portal, booted Loki through it with zero ceremony, and—while Hela wasn't looking—grabbed her hand and bolted in after him.

The other side of the portal opened on the open ground near the Airbus. Dante emerged, scanning the surroundings immediately.

"Dante! Did I even get a chance to refuse the portal? Was kicking me in the ass really necessary?!"

"Shut it, you tsundere. Keep talking and I'll get your sister to slap you again."

Loki clamped his mouth shut, still fuming.

Not that he had a choice.

His lovely big sister had about as much familial affection for him as a tax audit.

Translation: she was kind of treating him like family now.

And more importantly, Loki couldn't beat either of them. One more snarky remark and he might end up the sad victim of a co-op sibling smackdown.

With Loki finally quiet, Dante exhaled.

Thankfully, Ada had ordered the entire scientific task force to retreat before they even entered the ice cave. Judging by the tracks in the snow, their vehicles were already long gone.

At least there wouldn't be any innocent bystanders to rescue.

"It really was a giant lifeform," Hela said calmly, with zero concern—only satisfaction. "I felt a faint pulse the moment I entered the cave. At first, I thought something was off with the frozen human, but it was coming from below him."

No fear. Just full-on, goddess-level vindication.

She turned to Dante, eyes glittering. "This planet's North Pole actually harbors such a massive creature? Just how many surprises is Midgard hiding from me?"

"My dear Hela, that thing is definitely not from Earth."

Dante shrugged and started giving her the briefest crash course possible.

"That's called Starro. It's an intelligent space monster. Wanders the stars, always looking for a prime parasitic environment."

"Parasitic?"

"Yup. When it finds a good spot, it asexually reproduces thousands of spores that latch onto the locals and mind-control the hell outta them. Doesn't matter which planet—it always ends in disaster."

The difference between Starro and your average space kaiju? Most just smash stuff for fun.

Starro? Starro doesn't smash. Starro settles in, brainwashes the ruling species, hijacks the planet's ecosystem, then strip-mines it like a corporate vampire.

The others leave a mess and go home. Starro moves in, lives rent-free, and takes your entire monthly salary.

That's what you call sustainable overexploitation.

And if a host doesn't get treatment quickly after infection? Game over.

Just as Dante finished explaining, Ada's voice crackled in through the comms.

"I've lifted the Airbus into hover mode. What happened down there? What giant starfish? Are you serious right now?"

Ada might mess around on the regular, but when it came to missions, she was a total pro.

The fact that she followed Dante's one-line freakout and immediately got the aircraft airborne? Perfect response.

Before Dante could reply—

RUMBLE RUMBLE.

The ground shook beneath their feet.

Then, with a blast of force, a massive purple-and-blue starfish erupted from the ice!

Dante instantly cloaked himself in Will Green Light for defense, stepping lightly off the flying ice chunks and putting some distance between himself and the monster.

Loki—while considered "weak" compared to Dante and his charming sister—was still a god. Dodging the clumsy attacks of a sluggish kaiju? Easy work.

Hela didn't even dodge. She just floated there in midair.

And then?

A hundred pitch-black Nightsword manifested around her in an instant.

They spun like deadly petals in orbit.

The second they made contact with the shattered glacier, the entire sky turned into a fine mist of ice powder.

Dante caught the wild gleam in Hela's eyes.

Oh yeah. She was thrilled.

This was Hela, Goddess of Death—conqueror of realms, destroyer of armies, literal war goddess. Calling her a warmonger was practically a compliment.

After being sealed away for over a thousand years, her combat instincts must've been clawing at her ribcage for release.

And now? Giant space starfish? Perfect warm-up target.

That's why Dante wasn't worried about Starro being the real danger.

The actual threat was if that thing got loose and started latching onto civilians. Its spores could wreck towns.

But as a monster?

Please.

Against a Heavenly Father-tier goddess? It was just XP.

Hell, even Loki—if he gave up the rogue cosplay and actually used his ridiculous multiverse-level spellbook—could probably solo Starro.

Suicide Squad killed it in the movie. Sure, that version was weaker, but so was the Squad.

A kaiju getting killed by rats with attitude says more about the monster than the rats.

"You… are all… SLAVES."

A sharp voice echoed directly into their heads.

Dante and Loki exchanged a look.

Well, it was definitely stronger than the movie version. This one had legit psychic projection.

Not much, though. Judging by how long it took to speak those words, the thing probably couldn't maintain a full telepathic conversation.

Maybe a thousand years ago, Starro could've been mistaken for a god by early humans. Might've even ended up as Lovecraft's muse.

But today?

It was just future sashimi for an actual goddess.

Dante didn't even bother attacking.

He and Loki just watched as Hela went full-on blender mode.

The Nightsword danced in formation, each one enhanced with her divine power. Their sharpness wasn't just supernatural—it was Asgardian divine-tier.

Starro never stood a chance.

And just like that—

The starfish was dead.

Aside from its big dramatic entrance, it hadn't offered any of the pressure or weight you'd expect from a true kaiju-class monster.

Because this wasn't beast vs. beast.

It was beast vs. God.

Even so, Dante couldn't help but marvel.

This was Hela at her lowest point—sealed away for a thousand years, drained of most of her power—and she still crushed a universe-level threat like it was a Tuesday workout.

Honestly, if he had to go all out right now? He still wasn't sure he could beat her.

His best assets were:

Green Lantern Ring

Diamond Form

Loki's physical toolkit

That was plenty for smashing Thor, Loki, Tony Stark—heck, even Vision if necessary.

But someone like Hela?

Different league entirely.

Before long, the shredded remains of Starro were scattered across a hundred-meter radius of snow and ice.

And Hela?

Still hovering in the air, radiating joy and goddess energy, laughing like she'd just cured her centuries-long itch.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Universe monster? That's it?"