The matter was decided. Loki and the others would not be executed immediately. They still carried knowledge and value that could not be discarded so lightly.
But this raised a new problem—where should they be imprisoned?
S.H.I.E.L.D. was in ruins. The once-mighty organization had been shattered and reduced to rubble. No matter how one looked at it, this place was no longer suitable to hold beings like Loki and his followers.
"It seems S.H.I.E.L.D. must be rebuilt as soon as possible," Arakawa Zenkichi thought silently, his eyes narrowing.
The task, however, was far from simple. The S.H.I.E.L.D. that once existed had not been built overnight. Its scale and reach had been achieved through decades of growth, refinement, and staggering amounts of resources. To rebuild it in a short span of time was almost impossible. Not only time, but the sheer cost alone would be astronomical.
Still, Zenkichi had already given his word to Nick Fury that he would aid in rebuilding the organization. He was not a man who went back on his promises. What he said, he would do.
The question now was—where to obtain such a massive amount of money?
"The military of the United States?" The thought flickered across his mind.
The United States military was the strongest on Earth, supported by enormous annual revenue and endless hidden funds. They had the resources he needed. More importantly, their relationship with Zenkichi was far from friendly. They had crossed his bottom line more than once. If this weren't the Marvel Universe, if Earth weren't at the center of countless fates, he might have already razed that nation to the ground.
And yet, here it still stood, harboring powerful figures and hidden threats. For now, it served as a convenient source.
"Don't worry," Zenkichi said as his gaze turned briefly toward Nick Fury. "I'll find the funds you need—soon."
His calm tone carried an absolute certainty, as though the problem had already been solved.
With a wave of his hand, his strength surged. The distorted exile space tore apart under his power, returning them to the present world. Before leaving, he sealed Loki and the others' abilities, binding their strength so escape would be impossible.
These were not ordinary beings—they were dangerous, with abilities that surpassed most present. Even the Avengers, in their current state, could not match them one-on-one. That was not a weakness of the Avengers, but rather a sign that they had yet to reach their full potential. Their true power lay in the future.
"You handle the wreckage of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Zenkichi instructed, his eyes sharp as they met Fury's. "I'll secure the funds."
And with that, he vanished, leaving only the lingering pressure of his presence.
Nick Fury stood in silence, watching his retreating figure disappear. A deep frown etched itself onto his face.
"Where could he possibly get that much money…?" he muttered.
It wasn't millions, or even billions. What they needed now stretched into the realm of hundreds of billions, perhaps more. No ordinary method could raise such a fortune in so little time.
Yet, despite his doubts, Fury recalled everything he had observed of Zenkichi since their meeting. The man was powerful, unyielding, and above all, true to his word. He was not the type to make empty promises.
If Zenkichi said he would do something… then somehow, against all reason, he would.
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