Three days passed quietly.
During this time, the U.S. government worked at full speed to rebuild after the disaster. They cleared battlefields, repaired damaged buildings, and kept everything organized.
In addition to government agencies, Stark Industries led by Tony Stark also participated, along with members of the Church of Holy Light. Stark Industries focused on repairing mechanical and technological damage, while the church mainly treated the injured through their healing believers.
Compared to hospitals, the believers of the Holy Light were far more effective. Their divine skill, Life's Radiance, healed wounds faster and more safely. Because of this miraculous ability, the church gained countless new followers, with many people joining and becoming devout believers.
But not all organizations were as pure as the Church of Holy Light.
Inside a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. military base, a closed room contained only two people: Tony Stark and Nick Fury.
"Tony Stark, saying out loud that you are Iron Man took a lot of courage. It left quite an impression," Nick Fury said, standing in front of a huge glass tank before turning toward Tony with a meaningful look.
Seeing the bald man with the eyepatch, Tony showed a trace of curiosity.
"And you are?" Tony asked.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Nick Fury, Director of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."
"Strategic what now?" Tony shrugged, looking like he didn't care.
"We just call it S.H.I.E.L.D.," Fury replied with narrowed eyes.
"Wow, still no clue. But no problem, give me a second," Tony smirked.
"Jarvis, search the entire net for information on S.H.I.E.L.D. If you can't find anything, hack the Pentagon's internal servers."
"Yes, sir," Jarvis replied in Tony's ear.
Moments later, the AI's voice returned.
"Sir, no information exists on public networks. So I hacked the Pentagon's internal servers and found what you wanted."
Tony glanced at Fury and teased, "Nick Fury, your government's network defenses are pathetic. Less than a minute and I was in. Truly disappointing. Jarvis, read the file."
"Of course, sir. S.H.I.E.L.D., short for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. A special task force created to handle unusual events. Current director, Nick Fury…"
Jarvis read the report aloud.
"A task force for unusual events? So you must know what really happened a few days ago with those demons appearing, right? Director Fury, I can call you that, can't I?" Tony asked, his expression growing serious.
Fury's face remained blank. "Mr. Stark, you can call me whatever you want. As for the demon incident, I can't share that information. It's classified at the highest level. Unless you join S.H.I.E.L.D., I cannot disclose anything."
"Oh really? Then forget it. I have no interest in your organization. If we're done here, I'll be leaving," Tony said carelessly, turning as if to walk away.
Fury's voice stopped him. "Tell me, Tony. Do you want humanity's fate to rest in the hands of humans, or in the hands of outsiders?"
Tony froze, silent for a while before answering seriously without turning back. "Fury, I know what you're trying to do. But I have to warn you, it's incredibly dangerous."
"Dangerous or not, someone has to take responsibility. Do you really want the next disaster to leave humanity's fate in the hands of some so-called god? And what if the disaster was caused by that same god?" Fury countered.
Tony muttered, "The Church of Life… you've seen what they can do. Maybe we should just trust them."
"Trust only works when both sides are equal. Otherwise, it's just an excuse for weakness. S.H.I.E.L.D. exists to protect humanity. We cannot afford to take risks. I may sound paranoid, but I firmly believe that the greater the power, the stricter the control must be. Otherwise, it will lead to endless problems," Fury said with utmost seriousness.
"So, what do you want to do?" Tony asked, now more solemn.
"Humanity needs its own power, strong enough to protect this planet. That's why I want you to join us," Fury replied.
Tony shook his head with a bitter smile. "I may be arrogant, but even I don't have that kind of ability."
"Tony, the world doesn't revolve around you, nor is the Church of Holy Light the only source of extraordinary power. There are many other special individuals out there. My goal is to gather them together, to form our own human defense team," Fury said firmly.
"A defense team for humanity?" Tony's eyes lit up with interest for the first time.
"Yes. I call it the Avengers," Fury declared.
Tony and Fury's secret conversation was something Roland Phils knew nothing about. Even if he did, he would only feel mildly surprised.
In the original Marvel storyline, the Avengers formed mainly because of Loki. When the trickster god tried to invade Earth, Iron Man and other heroes joined forces to defend the planet.
But now, because of Roland's presence, Fury's paranoia led him to view Roland as a potential threat. To prepare, he decided to form the Avengers ahead of time.
The reason for their creation was different, but the result was the same: the Avengers had been born.
As for Roland, he didn't think much of them. At least not yet. With his strength, even sending just one of his ship girls could wipe them out easily.
Still, dismissing them didn't mean ignoring them. After all, the group would eventually gather some of the brightest minds in the Marvel world. Underestimating them would be a mistake.
A week after the demon invasion, the world seemed to return to peace. Roland and his ship girls resumed their sweet and carefree days.
Within that week, Enterprise had advanced from Apostle to Saint. The method of advancement was, of course, the same as always.
Inside a wooden house in Roland's divine realm, Effie, Bismarck, Laffey, and Ikaros sat around a mahjong table, playing happily. Outside, sacred beasts and birds roamed freely, filling the land with harmony and vitality. The place looked like paradise itself.
Not far from the game room, Roland soaked in a warm hot spring. Beside him, Enterprise attentively tended to him.
"Commander, is this alright?" she asked shyly.
"Hmm, a little stronger," Roland said with eyes closed, enjoying her massage.
"Okay," Enterprise replied, her face red as she pressed harder.
"That's it," Jason Kin, now Roland Phils, let out a satisfied sigh. This was the good life.
Encouraged, Enterprise smiled happily and put in even more effort. "Commander, is this enough now?"
"What, do you know other techniques?" Roland asked curiously.
Enterprise nodded. "I learned some better massage methods from the others. They can help you relax even more. Would you like to try?"
Her shy tone made her seem even more alluring than usual. Roland immediately understood what she meant. He had already experienced it once before with Bismarck, so anticipation filled his face.
"Can you use your new method in this setting?" he asked with a grin.
Enterprise hesitated, glanced around, then nodded. "The environment is a little different from when my sisters taught me, but it's fine. Don't forget, I'm an aircraft carrier. I can hold my breath for a long time."
"..." Roland blinked. "Hold your breath?"
"Yes, Commander. I can show you right now," she said, taking a deep breath before slipping beneath the hot spring's surface.
Roland couldn't help but marvel at her skill, letting out a sound of admiration.
Hearing it, the ship girls at the mahjong table smiled knowingly.
"Enterprise finally made her move. I was starting to lose patience," Bismarck chuckled.
"She's too reserved. That's why it took so long," Laffey added softly.
"No matter what, it's finally happening. The Commander will be very happy," Ikaros said with a grin.
"How could he not? This method was perfected through Effie's countless trials," Ikaros teased.
"You three, even daring to make fun of me now?" Effie gave them a glare, though her cheeks were red.
From the very first time she served her young master, she had noticed this special preference of his. Over the years, she had always made sure to fulfill it, because her mission had always been to make him happy.
Now that the other ship girls had come into his life, she felt it was her duty as his closest maid to teach them as well. After all, making her master happy was the very reason she existed.
While Roland enjoyed his heavenly life in his divine realm, far away in Brazil, at a beverage factory, a furious roar suddenly erupted. The roar was followed by terrified screams echoing through the night.
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