[Author's Note]
Some readers feel that Captain Marvel's personality here is problematic. In the films, after awakening her memories, her attitude toward non-Earth beings is extremely hardline—especially considering that tens of thousands of people died on Earth due to alien infighting.
The fact that she didn't immediately attack Clark was already out of respect for Nick Fury.
In the original canon, her character traits are impulsive, disobedient, and highly self-centered. Even when she's wrong, she rarely admits it. She maintains an arrogant stance toward the Kree, Thanos during the Avengers era, and even Thor.
Moreover, the Space Stone was originally entrusted to Nick Fury by her. Seeing it now in Lucas's possession, it's only natural for her to assume it was taken by force—and thus speak harshly.
---
Clark was furious.
This woman had appeared out of nowhere, radiating arrogance from the very first moment.
Not only had she delayed Lucas from continuing the rescue of his wife and child, she had immediately demanded that Lucas hand over the Space Stone.
What angered Clark the most was her accusation—that the tens of thousands of deaths caused by the Zod incident were his fault.
Holding Lois in his arms, Clark glared at Carol and said angrily:
"You're right—I'm not a native Earthling. But I'm a Kryptonian who grew up on Earth!"
"I've lived here for over twenty years, and I've never intentionally killed a single person!"
Carol descended to the ground, her eyes cold and judgmental as she looked at Clark.
"No matter how you justify it, you cannot deny this fact," she said.
"Those Kryptonians came because of you."
"Whether you intended it or not, the tens of thousands who died on Earth did so because of Kryptonians."
"Their deaths are on your heads."
At this point, Nick Fury could no longer stay silent. If Carol continued, she would truly become public enemy number one.
"Carol, that's not how it is!" Fury said quickly.
"The Tesseract was given to Lucas by me—voluntarily. I can't explain the reason here right now."
"And this incident really isn't Clark's fault. He never wanted things to turn out this way."
"If he hadn't intervened, the casualties would have been far greater, and the consequences far worse."
"Right now, the two of them have something extremely important to take care of. Let's discuss accountability after they return."
Even after hearing Fury's explanation, Carol remained unyielding.
"Even so, he is not innocent. He must face judgment."
"As for the Space Stone—I entrusted it to you. You lost it. I have both the authority and the responsibility to reclaim it."
She then looked directly at Lucas and Clark.
"Until I resolve these two matters, neither of you is going anywhere."
Clark's anger finally boiled over.
Accountability could be discussed later—he had never been afraid of taking responsibility.
But stopping Lucas from saving his wife and child?
That was unacceptable.
Just as Clark was about to act, a hand suddenly stopped him.
Lucas stepped in front of Clark, pushing him back gently.
"Protect Lois," Lucas said calmly.
"I'll handle this."
Clark wanted to argue, but Lucas had already walked forward, standing directly before Carol.
Looking down at her, Lucas spoke coldly:
"Carol Danvers, there's no need for unnecessary words between us."
"On Earth, on Kree worlds, or anywhere in the universe—the strong make the rules."
"So instead of arguing, why not settle this the fastest way possible?"
"With a fight."
Lucas already understood why Carol wanted the Space Stone.
Her power—everything she had—came from the light-speed engine created using the Space Stone.
If Lucas fully comprehended the stone, he could potentially find her weaknesses, restrain her—or even defeat her.
And right now, Lucas had no patience to waste on a reckless woman.
"Oh?"
Carol laughed.
Nick Fury's heart sank instantly.
Sure enough, the next second—
Carol's body erupted in dazzling, prismatic energy.
At the same time, Lucas's aura surged violently outward.
The two powers collided midair, neither yielding an inch.
The shockwaves blasted outward like a storm, forcing everyone nearby to retreat rapidly.
"Shit! If you're going to fight, don't do it on Earth!"
Nick Fury roared.
If these two human-shaped nuclear weapons fought here, the planet itself might not survive.
The Space Stone on Lucas's left hand flared with brilliant light.
Space twisted violently around them—
And in an instant, both figures vanished.
Only then did Fury finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Fury," Tony said grimly as he stepped forward with Captain America and the others,
"I think you owe us an explanation."
With no choice left, Fury could only explain his history with Carol to everyone.
"So her power comes from a light-speed engine powered by the Space Stone?" Tony muttered thoughtfully.
"She tanked Kree missiles and casually destroyed a warship," Steve said in awe.
Clint shook his head helplessly.
"Director, I understand why you called her back—but why now of all times?"
Everyone nodded.
She hadn't helped with the battle—
instead, she ended up fighting the very person who saved Earth.
Fury sighed deeply.
"I didn't have a choice. You all knew how dire the situation was back then. Lucas hadn't returned, and Earth was on the brink."
"And how was I supposed to know when she'd arrive? You can't blame me for that!"
Natasha sighed softly.
"Director, you'd better start thinking about how to clean this up."
"Because no matter who loses, you're not getting out of this unscathed."
Fury's face twitched slightly.
She was right.
The bitter fruit he had planted—he would have to swallow himself.
"All we can do now," Fury murmured,
"is hope those two don't actually destroy each other."
---
Meanwhile, far from Earth—
Near Mars.
Lucas had chosen this location because he had just been here not long ago. The spatial coordinates were familiar, making teleportation most stable.
Behind them, Mars itself was riddled with massive, visible fractures—scarred and battered beyond recognition.
If Mars could speak, it would surely be screaming in terror:
"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!"
_____
T/N:
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