The war was finally over. To be honest, this time the Earth's Avengers got lucky during the Chitauri invasion. Most of the Chitauri army had already been bombarded before their main force could even invade Earth. Although it was unintentional, the actions of Myu of Papillon and Sylphid of Basilisk had already solved most of Earth's troubles.
Right now, all the Avengers were gathered at Stark's Mansion, which would, from this day forward, be the new Avengers Tower.
"If not for the appearance of those Specters, our country would have been hit hard this time," Banner finally said, breaking the silence. There was no denying it; if Myu and Sylphid hadn't shown up, the Avengers would have been facing hundreds of thousands of Chitauri troops who had already invaded Earth. At that time, politicians would have undoubtedly started urging the President to press the button.
New York was the most economically prosperous place among the more than 50 states in the United States, a hub for countless businesses. If it had been blown up, no one could predict the consequences. But at that critical moment, the three Specters had solved the problem.
The damage was still significant. Half of New York City was completely destroyed in the hurricane. However, with the assistance of the federal government, most of the people in that half of the city had already fled to safe zones. So, according to the official media, the battle only resulted in billions of dollars in losses and tens of thousands of lives.
"According to the Associated Press, the appearance of these so-called superheroes brought no benefits to the country but instead caused a huge disaster!" a news anchor said. "Next, let's go live to our reporter with a city councilor!"
Natasha Romanoff, Barton, Banner, Captain America, and Tony were all watching the news. Captain America, in particular, was clenching his fists so hard they were almost dripping with water.
"These… these assholes!" he cursed. With a heavy punch, the glass on the table shattered.
"This matter is the responsibility of S.H.I.E.L.D. and those Avengers!" a slick congressman said to the reporter on camera. "If they hadn't conducted special experiments without telling the citizens, it would have been absolutely impossible for these damned aliens to invade Earth!"
"Yes! I completely agree with the senator's point of view!" another voice chimed in. "We strongly urge S.H.I.E.L.D. to either disband the Avengers organization or place it under the jurisdiction of the military!"
"And those men in black!" a third voice added. "I strongly urge the Federation to pull the plug on this uncontrolled organization. It not only endangers the lives and property of the people, but it also greatly affects the public's trust in the military!"
"This matter, whether it's S.H.I.E.L.D. or this so-called 'Hades Army,' they must come out and apologize to the great United States of America!"
Crack!
The glass on the floor shattered, and shards soaked in wine lay everywhere. Steve was still a little shaken, but Tony couldn't take it anymore.
"These ignorant fat pigs!" he cursed, shaking the glass shards from his hands. "Did they think anyone else could produce the power of a nuclear explosion? The Specter who appeared last single-handedly destroyed hundreds of Chitauri warships! If it weren't for them, we would be using weapons of mass destruction right now under the orders of those fat pigs!"
But did they think the people were stupid? When the crisis came, how many troops did the U.S. Army deploy? And how many lives were saved in this battle? Those closest to the battlefield knew that the three men in black battle suits had wiped out most of the enemies. Most importantly, the city was protected with the help of those heroes! To this day, no one had seen the last warrior who flew into space return, nor did they know what kind of person this "Hades" was.
Queens Street, New York
A pair of young people sat outside a street cafe, facing each other and chatting about the latest news.
"Looks like you've got your powers. How does it feel, Parker?"
Aaron picked up the coffee on the table and took a slow sip. "Ugh! So bitter!" he said, quickly spitting the coffee out of his mouth. He called the waiter over to add some sugar and milk.
"Don't even get me started," Parker said. "With great power comes great responsibility."
The person sitting across from Parker was the very same being the Specters from the New York incident had believed in: Hades, the god of life and death, and Lord of the Underworld.
"With great power comes great responsibility, huh?" Aaron smiled. He still liked the taste of the coffee here—bitter and hard to swallow. "You have a good uncle and a good girlfriend…" Aaron recognized the girl sitting next to Parker and knew her future fate: Gwen Stacy. He knew her days were numbered. The current Parker was unaware of this, and Aaron, of course, didn't tell him. It was better to let things develop naturally.
"Look, Brother Aaron! Aiacos is on TV!" Vera's voice suddenly reached the three of them.
Aaron looked back at the TV screen. There, a man wearing a black Garuda Cloth was flying in the sky, waving his fists and crushing two invading generals. One was Ebony Maw, a master of linguistics, and the other was Black Dwarf, a warrior as big as the Hulk. Both were directly crushed to pieces by the collapsing space caused by the friction of Aiacos's attack.
Hearing Vera's voice, Parker's face changed as he looked at his old friend with embarrassment.
"Aaron… you're not the Hades they're talking about, are you?"
For some time now, Parker had been hearing a rumor. A demon from hell had appeared in the world. He had a cute little girl and a huge dog under his command, and he had wiped out a U.S. fleet by himself. Looking at Aaron, Vera, and the big dog, Cerberus, who was currently licking whipped cream, Parker couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.
"Haha, would you believe me if I said I was Hades?" Aaron turned his head and threw the question back to Parker. He then added a little fresh milk from the waiter into his coffee, stirred it, and took a sip.
"Ah, milk coffee. It tastes much smoother."
(End of Chapter)
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