Sure enough, it was pretty much as Ronan had guessed—Kaecilius's plan was nothing more than communicating with Dormammu, then using some method to let Dormammu bypass the barriers of the three Sanctums and descend onto Earth.
The method to bypass the barriers was also ridiculously straightforward.
Destroy one of them.
That's right—the reason Kaecilius picked this exact moment was because of Ronan.
Because of Ronan's big fight with the Scarlet Witch from the 616 universe, the New York Sanctum got wrecked, giving Kaecilius an opening.
In Kaecilius's words, the New York Sanctum was already ruined back then, but for some reason, Dormammu didn't seize the chance to invade Earth.
Instead, he stayed quiet.
So, Kaecilius had to reach out to Dormammu himself.
That's when he found out the Ancient One had been in the Dark Dimension, squaring off with Dormammu, leaving him no shot.
And Dormammu told Kaecilius that as long as he destroyed one Sanctum, he could invade Earth.
When that happened, Kaecilius would be his most loyal servant, basking in eternal life.
And before that, Dormammu even handed Kaecilius a chunk of dark energy to juice up his fighting power.
With Dormammu's orders, Kaecilius got even more hyped.
So, his next target was the Hong Kong Sanctum.
Compared to the under-reconstruction New York Sanctum and London's Sanctum in the UK, the Hong Kong Sanctum was hands-down the best pick.
The reason was simple—it was the linchpin connecting the other two Sanctums.
Plus, based on strength, the sorcerer guarding the Hong Kong Sanctum was a woman—weaker than the others.
Because at a past gathering, the Hong Kong Sanctum's guardian came off super humble and didn't spar much, giving off a real frail vibe.
Of course, that's what Kaecilius said.
When Ronan heard that, he couldn't help but laugh.
Kaecilius sure knew how to pick his spots—picking and picking until he landed on the toughest steel plate.
Maybe Kaecilius didn't know, but Eastern folks have had this trait since forever—humility.
Not that they won't fight—just no need to flex on you.
If it really came down to strength, Kaecilius might not even beat her.
So, Ronan had a two-pronged plan.
On one hand, he told Wong to find Nico, get her fully prepped.
Because once Kaecilius launched his attack, it wouldn't be some small skirmish—he'd have a solid strategy.
No clue what it was yet, though.
But Ronan wasn't about to let anything slip.
On the other hand, Ronan didn't sit idle either—he went straight to Tony Stark.
No big reason—just wanted his help tracking Kaecilius.
According to Tony, aside from that Eastern country, every other nation—including the big white bear that never played ball with the U.S.—he had ways to find someone fast.
So, when Ronan needed to hunt someone down, Tony was the go-to.
A Sling Ring portal opened, and Ronan stepped right into Tony Stark's spot.
The second he walked in, he regretted it.
Because it wasn't just Tony Stark there—tons of others were too.
The Avengers… full roster!
"Uh…"
"Looks like I came at a bad time—I can swing by later."
Ronan glanced around at everyone—the heavy vibe was practically spilling out of the room.
Every face screamed a few big words.
We're fighting!
So, in a situation like this, the best move Ronan could think of was…
Come back later.
"Wait, Ronan—now's exactly when we need you."
But Tony Stark came over, grabbing his arm.
Feeling Tony's grip, Ronan's mouth twitched.
F***.
Did I accidentally spec into "Conan" or some protagonist trait when I reincarnated—wherever I go, trouble follows?
"We've been debating whether to accept oversight—it's not really up to us."
"Now, we've got a perfect example right here."
"Ronan's group—it's kinda like us."
"But they're disciplined, everyone's got their role."
"And for years, they've stayed out of the public eye while still protecting Earth."
"So why can't we be like them?"
Tony pointed at Ronan beside him, using Kamar-Taj as a case study.
Sure, he didn't know much about what Kamar-Taj really was behind Ronan, but from the scraps Ronan dropped, he could piece it together.
"But they don't answer to any government either."
"Just like the Avengers used to be—free, making our own calls."
"Once we're under government control, places that need us, they might block us from going; places we don't need to be, we could end up as killing machines."
"That's not what we want."
Steve Rogers also used Ronan's Kamar-Taj as an example.
Hearing all this, Ronan roughly got the gist.
Probably recent public pressure forcing the Avengers to pick a side.
Accept government oversight—or reject it and retire.
"Wait, he's that little shareholder of yours?"
"How's he doing those circle tricks?"
Black Widow, off to the side, looked at Ronan, surprised.
In the room, only Black Widow, Falcon, and War Machine didn't know Ronan.
Everyone else had met him.
"We'll get to his identity later—but isn't Ronan's group exactly what we dream of?"
"No oversight, calling our own shots, but still united and organized."
Steve Rogers looked at Tony Stark.
Tony sighed.
"No need to spell out what kind of people we are."
"Getting us to function like them—it's damn near impossible."
"Because if we could've pulled that off, we'd have done it by now."
Tony shook his head—he was a realist and knew this team better than anyone.
His words left Steve Rogers speechless.
The team's issues weren't just Tony's—or Steve's—they were everyone's.
Getting them to gel? Harder than climbing to heaven.
For a moment, the meeting room sank back into silence.
Ronan stood off to the side, super awkward.
He came here for help—not to be a showpiece.
"How about this, guys—you hash out your stuff first, we'll talk mine later."
Ronan sighed—he knew what was going down.
Who was right or wrong? He couldn't say.
After everything he'd been through, plus that kid's impact, Tony had figured out a lot.
Like how so many tragedies on Earth stemmed from them.
The New York battle? Maybe still Loki's fault.
But Sokovia, the Helicarrier crash in D.C., or even Lagos not long ago?
Almost all their doing.
No—not almost. Definitely all their doing.
Add that kid's mom tearing into him, and Tony was drowning in self-doubt.
Steve Rogers wasn't wrong either.
The Avengers' firepower could wipe out a small country without breaking a sweat.
If they got locked under government control, they'd be weapons—killing machines.
If somewhere needed them but the overseers said no?
Things could get messier.
So, their argument wasn't that simple.
"No, I've gotta step out first."
Steve Rogers stood up after checking a text, turning to leave.
The message wasn't anything else—it was about Peggy Carter.
"She passed in her sleep."
Another pillar holding Steve Rogers up in this world crumbled completely.
Once everyone cleared out, Tony Stark sat on the couch, staring at the TV with a worn-out look.
The screen kept looping news clips.
Every single one about the Avengers' mounting "crimes."
Including condemnation from Wakanda's king.
After all, over a dozen Wakandans lost their lives in an Avengers op.
Click.
Ronan walked over, shut off the TV.
Handing Tony a glass of whiskey, he plopped onto the couch beside him.
Tony took the glass, glanced at Ronan, snapping back to reality.
"You're not legal yet, right?"
"Drinking's against the law."
He pointed at the identical glass in Ronan's hand.
"What, the ever-lawless Tony Stark's turning into a good citizen now?"
"Or you just short one glass?"
Ronan grinned at Tony, taking a sip under his gaze.
What can you say—Ronan's tolerance could outdrink three Tonys without needing peanuts.
"Nah, I'm just rethinking what we've been up to lately."
"What do you think I should do?"
Tony took a sip too—you could tell he was torn.
His personality hated being leashed by some UN crap.
But one stark example after another forced him to face reality.
"Sorry—can't give you an answer on that one."
"Besides, I came here today to ask for your help."
Ronan shrugged—let them wrestle with that headache.
It was their "family drama"—sure, Ronan was tight with them, but not the whole team.
He just had to look out for his friends—not his friends' friends.
"Alright—what do you need?"
Tony took a deep breath, shelving it for now.
"I'm here to ask you to find someone."
Ronan set down his glass, handing Tony a prepped photo of Kaecilius.
Seeing Kaecilius's getup, Tony raised an eyebrow.
"Don't tell me he's one of yours."
After Ronan's firm nod, Tony perked up.
"Mind telling me why you're after him?"
Ronan didn't hide anything from Tony's question.
"No big deal—just that he betrayed our organization."
"More specifically, he turned his back on the oath we all uphold."
Ronan didn't go into details—just hit the core.
Tony was a bit shocked.
"Your kind of group gets traitors too?"
He almost couldn't believe it.
"Why wouldn't we?"
"Any organization's made of people."
"And since it's people, you can only get relative unity—not absolute."
"Some sell out their country or group for profit—others ditch us for more power or longer life."
Ronan wasn't surprised by this.
Simple reason—Kamar-Taj had been around forever; it'd be fake if it didn't pop out a few turncoats.
Dealing with mystical stuff daily—someone's bound to get crooked ideas.
Eternal life's one of the biggest lures, right?
Over the years, how many mortals and Kamar-Taj sorcerers had Dormammu tempted with eternity?
Human nature's got its flaws—doesn't matter the race or nation.
"Guess I praised you guys a bit too soon earlier."
Tony raised an eyebrow, slipping back into his usual vibe.
"Yeah, too soon—but our group doesn't do infighting like this."
"Oh, sorry—forgot how many times you've split already."
Ronan didn't hesitate to rub salt in Tony's wound.
That salt hit, and Tony sure felt the sting.
His mouth twitched, and he turned away.
"What's his name?"
Tony switched topics.
"Kaecilius."
"Like the photo—white guy, curly hair."
Speaking of white guys with curly hair, for some reason, Ronan suddenly thought of Strange, still bouncing between wards and operating rooms.
Should be his wedding soon, right?
Guess he'd have to swing by then.
"Alright, I can help you track him."
"Just didn't expect every kind of group gets traitors."
Tony seemed to feel a pang.
Ronan shrugged.
Kamar-Taj had a traitor, sure—but it beat the Avengers splitting every other day.
If he remembered right, this split lasted till Thanos showed up before things thawed.
If that's how it went, Ronan might have to juggle both sides later.