Chapter 368: Black Clover
Dave stood there for a moment, letting their words hang in the air before answering.
"They won’t come back," he said at last. His voice was steady, almost matter-of-fact. "Not after what they saw."
Bruce stepped forward, arms folded. "That’s what you think. But you didn’t end a war, Dave. You just started another cycle. You killed millions. That doesn’t vanish—it festers. Empires don’t forget humiliation like that."
Rhodey exhaled hard. "Bruce is right. They’ll rebuild, and next time they’ll bring everything they’ve got. And if they don’t come for us, they’ll take it out on some other world that can’t fight back."
Shuri’s head lifted quickly. "So Earth is safe, but at the cost of others. That’s not justice. That’s just shifting the blade."
Natasha’s voice came in quiet, sharp. "Was that really the plan? Protect us by making sure someone else takes the hit?"
Dave looked down for a moment, then back at them.
"I didn’t plan it. I just needed it to stop. I needed to let it out." His tone grew firmer. "And it worked. Earth will have peace. Maybe not the way you wanted it, but it’s peace."
Steve shook his head. "Peace built on fear isn’t peace. It’s only a pause before the next storm."
Silence settled across the room, broken only by the low hum of the base.
Tony spoke last, his voice quieter than usual. "Well... whether we like it or not, the stage is set. Earth isn’t just another world anymore—it’s the center. Every eye in the galaxy is on us now. And they’re all wondering if you’re our weapon... or our warning."
Dave gave no reply. He walked past them, deeper into the base, leaving the others standing together in a silence heavier than relief.
Dave kept walking, his footsteps echoing through the metal corridors until he was out of sight. The silence he left behind was heavier than anything he had said.
Steve’s hands slowly clenched at his sides. "We can’t let this stand," he said quietly, his voice carrying the weight of conviction. "If the galaxy sees Earth as a threat, then everything we’ve built, everything we’ve tried to protect—it’s going to collapse under fear and retaliation."
Bruce exhaled slowly, eyes lowered. "And if they see us as weak, they’ll come anyway. Either way, the decision wasn’t ours anymore. Dave made it for us."
Natasha crossed her arms, gaze fixed on the floor. "The worst part is... he believes he did the right thing. That kind of certainty is dangerous."
Shuri shook her head, her voice sharper than usual. "No. What’s dangerous is leaving it at that. If the Kree—or anyone else—turn their vengeance on a weaker world, then we’re responsible. If Earth is going to stand on this stage, we can’t hide behind fear."
Rhodey let out a humorless chuckle. "So what—you want us to police the whole galaxy now?"
Shuri didn’t flinch. "I want us to stop pretending Earth is alone anymore. That choice was taken from us."
Tony finally raised his head, looking around at them. "Then maybe the real question isn’t about Dave, or the Kree, or who comes next. Maybe the question is—what does Earth stand for now? Because the universe just got a good look at us... and right now, it’s not a pretty picture."
No one answered. The weight of the decision hung in the air, unspoken but undeniable.
Dave shut the door to his quarters behind him, letting the soft hiss of the seal cut him off from the others. The silence inside was thicker than any conversation outside—no arguments, no debates, just the faint hum of machinery.
He dropped onto his bed, not caring about the stiffness of the mattress or the sterile walls. His eyes traced the ceiling as though it might give him answers, but all it gave him was emptiness.
"They’re good people," he muttered under his breath, voice almost a growl. "Steve, Tony, Shuri, the lot of them. They actually believe in the word hero." He turned his head, lips curling faintly—not in amusement, but in something like disdain. "Heroes... always chasing the perfect outcome, pretending the universe runs on fairness."
His hand clenched into a fist, the sheets crumpling beneath it.
"But me?" His voice hardened. "I was never one of them. Never played by that game. All I see is what’s necessary—and if they don’t like it, too bad. Someone has to be willing to be the monster when the galaxy demands it."
He let out a long breath and closed his eyes. Sleep didn’t come easily, but exhaustion weighed heavy. Before drifting off, a thought slipped from his lips, low and almost amused:
"Alt Asta... and null magic... let’s just get it over with."
And then, as though his very soul had slipped into a dream—or something far beyond dreaming—the Marvel world froze. His body stilled, his spirit pulled away, and in the blink of an unseen moment... he was elsewhere.
When his eyes opened, he was no longer in the silence of his room. Instead, he stood—no, he was—within the small, timeworn church of Hage Village. Wooden beams stretched above, candles flickered, and the scent of old wood and incense filled the air.
On the worn stone floor, three small baskets lay side by side, each cradling an infant swaddled in cloth. Soft cries echoed gently against the church walls.
An elderly priest hurried forward, robes brushing against the ground as he bent with wide eyes. Father Orsi, startled yet compassionate, gazed down at the unexpected sight.
His trembling hands lifted the first child, a boy with bright, fierce eyes that shone even as a newborn. "This one... Asta."
Then, with equal care, he turned to the second, whose gaze was calm, steady, and filled with quiet strength. "And this one... Yuno."
At last, his eyes fell upon the third basket—where another child lay, black-haired, sleeping peacefully despite the chill. The baby stirred, a faint murmur escaping his lips, and for a moment, Orsi thought he saw a shadow of something older in the boy’s features.
"...And this one..." the priest whispered, gently lifting him into his arms. "Dave."
Three children, left to fate. Three lives, beginning in the same humble church of Hage Village.
And so, Asta, Yuno, and Dave—three names, three paths yet unwritten—were raised together under the same roof.
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