Schmidt was dead, the doomsday plan thwarted, and everything had finally settled.
Steve and his team returned to Arica with countless spoils of war, welcod by the cheers of the people. The president himself awarded them dals.
But none of this truly mattered to them. What they cared about most was the war.
Though the Third Reich was already faltering, its demise imminent, the sooner the war ended, the more people could be freed from disaster.
And then, there was that mysterious Sanctuary, the enigmatic Father of the Earth lin, and the enigmatic Saints.
Humans are strange creatures, especially those in power. Like sufferers of paranoid delusions, they fear any force beyond their control, assuming it will one day threaten them.
There will always be mortals who dare to face the radiance of the gods.
Steve and the others could already foresee the absurd orders that would co from politicians if they reported information about the Sanctuary. Thus, Steve, Peggy, Colonel Phillips, and Howard unanimously decided to keep it a secret.
However, many had seen Garon, and many had witnessed the devastation at the Hydra base. So would inevitably be unable to resist the lure of wealth and power.
"Phillips, I need an explanation."
Senator Brandt sat arrogantly on the sofa, questioning Colonel Phillips.
"An explanation? What explanation?" Phillips feigned ignorance.
"Intelligence! The intelligence on the 'Sanctuary'! Why is there no ntion of it in your reports?" Brandt demanded sharply.
It was only by chance that he had learned of this matter, realizing he had been kept in the dark.
A single individual capable of annihilating an entire Hydra base—if such power could be controlled, Arica would be unrivaled. The entire world would bow before them. And as the mastermind behind it all, he, Brandt, would have an unobstructed path to the presidency.
"Sanctuary? What Sanctuary? I don't know what you're talking about." Phillips continued playing dumb, cursing the unknown informant in his heart.
"Don't play dumb, Phillips. I've received reliable intelligence. You had the help of that so-called 'Sanctuary' to destroy Hydra. The reports indicate that a single individual from there possesses the power of an entire brigade—perhaps even a whole division! Is it so kind of superpower or an advanced weapon? I don't care. What matters is whether they can serve us!"
"If you've already received 'reliable intelligence,' then why are you questioning ? I truly don't know what Sanctuary is," Phillips said with a shrug, feigning helplessness.
Though he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, he trusted Steve's account. The speed at which Hydra's base had been wiped out—within ten minutes—was enough proof. Thousands of well-equipped Hydra soldiers had been slaughtered effortlessly, and according to Steve, half of that ti was spent simply chatting.
During the mission to rescue the prisoners of war, their mysterious ally had erased an entire factory from existence with a single attack.
Was this soone they could afford to provoke?
Yet Brandt wanted to recruit them—what a joke. If they were truly angered, they could just as easily turn their power against the Allies.
Phillips was determined to feign ignorance. Steve had earned their goodwill, and Howard had a friendly relationship with them. If they stayed out of it, perhaps they could be spared.
"Listen, Phillips. We have the world's finest soldiers, the best weapons, and the strongest superheroes. You don't need to fear them," Brandt declared.
"And?" Phillips asked.
"Hmph! If you won't cooperate, I'll act on my own. The credit will be mine alone. Out of respect for our years of acquaintance, I won't report your falsified battle reports. Consider yourselves lucky!" Brandt sneered.
Just as he was about to storm out, Phillips spoke again.
"Brandt, do you believe in mythology?"
Brandt scoffed. "Oh? What, are you interested in joining now? It won't be that easy."
But to his surprise, Phillips had no such intention.
"I suggest you start believing. After all… better safe than sorry."
"Coward."
Brandt slamd the door behind him.
Phillips' expression darkened. He imdiately picked up the phone.
"Get Rogers, Agent Carter, and Stark to my office. Now. I an imdiately!"
Hearing the urgency in his voice, the secretary wasted no ti.
When the three arrived, Phillips confird no one was eavesdropping before explaining the situation.
Steve sighed. "I'm starting to think Schmidt wasn't entirely wrong. They're far too arrogant."
"Sir, we can't just stand by and let these fools ruin the future of our country," Peggy said firmly.
"Of course not. That's why I need the three of you to head to Greece before they do. We must establish friendly ties with the Sanctuary and make it clear we have no association with Brandt."
"But… we barely know anything about the Sanctuary. We don't even know how to find it," Steve said, frowning.
"This is intelligence I gathered in secret. It may help." Phillips handed them a file.
Since the first ntion of the Saints, he had sent trusted agents to investigate.
What they found was astonishing.
The Sanctuary was real. It had existed for at least a thousand years, possibly much longer.
Located in Athens, Greece, hidden within Lycabettus Hill, it was unreachable. Anyone attempting to find it would be lost in an impenetrable fog, inevitably returning to their starting point.
Only a rare few had ever reached the Sanctuary and t the Saints.
Even so, the local people believed in its existence, seeing it as their eternal protector.
Ancient texts, though scarce, contained records of the Sanctuary and even described a Great Holy War over two centuries ago.
Seeing the three fall into stunned silence as they read, Phillips gave them ti to process it. He had felt the sa disbelief when he first saw the reports.
After reading through it multiple tis, they finally looked up, their expressions conflicted.
"This…"
"The authenticity is uncertain, but you'll have to make your own judgnt."
"I believe it," Peggy said suddenly.
Steve and Howard were shocked—Peggy, the most skeptical of them all?
"Two centuries ago, an impossible Little Ice Age struck Europe. A sudden sumr snowfall led to massive disasters, reshaping the continent. It lasted five years before the world stabilized," she explained.
"You an—!" Howard flipped through the file, his eyes widening.
"Look here! During the war, when the battle reached a stalemate, Poseidon awakened. To prevent his interference, the Gold Saints of Scorpio and Aquarius fought alone against the sea god. They never returned, but Atlantis was frozen! Are you saying—?!"
"…We can't be certain, but we must go to the Sanctuary," Steve said.
"Agreed. I'll stall Brandt as long as I can. You three leave imdiately, and keep a low profile," Phillips ordered.
The three nodded solemnly.
anwhile, lin had entered Asia. The land bore fresh scars from war.
He had sent Garon back to the Sanctuary—after two years of traveling, the boy was overdue for an education.
At first, Garon resisted, but lin shut him down with one sentence.
Sigh "If my guardian is nothing more than an illiterate fool, I'd be terribly disappointed."
Garon, usually fearless, went silent. Then, gritting his teeth, he promised to study hard.
He feared nothing—except disappointing lin.
"Studying? Hah! A little hardship won't defeat a Saint!"
lin smirked as he watched Garon leave.
"Little brat, did you really think I couldn't handle you?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers