Since the Battle of New York, Ethan Voss's kingdom had entered a period of explosive population growth. Humanity had finally been forced to confront a simple truth: the world they lived in was no longer ordinary. Aliens, superhumans, secret organizations—these things were real now, and everyone knew it. Once that realization spread, more and more elites from various industries quietly found their way into Ethan's divine realm, each bringing their skills, influence, and ambitions with them.
At the same time, although the Tesseract had been temporarily loaned to Odin, Ethan's Divine Realm still enjoyed a stable and impressive daily income. The Mind Scepter continued to generate hundreds of Wolverine-level abilities every day, steadily strengthening his growing domain. With his resources secure and his realm expanding, Ethan returned to a leisurely lifestyle. However, that peace didn't last long before important news reached him.
Happy Hogan—Tony Stark's longtime bodyguard—had been seriously injured in a bombing.
An enraged Tony Stark quickly appeared on national television, openly provoking the mysterious enemies responsible for the attack. Instead of playing it safe, he went straight for the throat.
"My name is Tony Stark, and I'm not afraid of you!"
His voice carried across the broadcast with raw anger and complete confidence.
"You're a coward. Wash your neck and wait for me. I'll personally come collect your corpse."
"We'll settle this like men—just you and me!"
"If you're still a man, remember my address: Malibu Port, number—, zip code—!"
"I'm waiting for you!"
Watching the interview video with a faint smile, Ethan picked up his phone and dialed Stark's number.
"Hello, Stark. Need my help? Or better yet, why not ask S.H.I.E.L.D. for assistance?"
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before Stark's voice returned, darker and colder than usual.
"I have nothing to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore."
"And the same goes for you."
"Nonsense," Ethan replied immediately.
"You seem to have forgotten that I'm a shareholder of Stark Industries. I also hold a small seat on the board. How could we possibly be unrelated?"
He paused briefly before continuing in a more serious tone.
"Speaking of which, Happy is technically my employee too. As a boss, it's only right that I help avenge my staff."
Stark snorted angrily.
"Your employee? Ninety-nine percent of him belongs to me. What does that have to do with you?"
"His revenge is my responsibility. Stay out of it."
"You're really judging a gentleman by the standards of a rogue," Ethan said with a laugh. "Fine, I won't argue with you."
Then his tone shifted slightly, becoming deliberately mischievous.
"But I did promise to take care of Pepper for you. In case you die on your revenge mission, how about entrusting her to me…"
Click.
The call ended instantly.
Ethan stared at the disconnected line and chuckled.
"Hmph. What a stingy guy."
He leaned back comfortably in his chair.
"Just wait. When you're battered and half-dead, I'll personally come over and comfort Pepper."
On the other side, Tony Stark ended the call with a cold expression and returned his attention to the bombing footage. Frame by frame, he reviewed every explosion that had occurred in recent weeks, searching for patterns or clues.
With his intelligence, it didn't take long before he noticed something suspicious.
One particular explosion had occurred in Rose Hill, Tennessee.
According to the timeline, it seemed to have happened before the rest of the bombings began.
Tony leaned forward, eyes narrowing as the idea formed in his mind. If he investigated that location, he might uncover something useful.
"Jarvis," he said calmly.
"Yes, sir."
"Plot a flight plan to Rose Hill, Tennessee."
"Flight plan prepared, sir."
Just as Tony finished giving the order, the doorbell rang.
He frowned slightly, both surprised and cautious. At a moment like this, who would come knocking at his door?
After quickly putting on a piece of his armor for safety, he checked the security feed.
The visitor made him pause.
Maya Hansen.
The woman who had once spent an entire night with him—an unforgettable encounter that had caused him to completely miss a scheduled meeting on the rooftop years ago.
When he opened the door, Maya stepped inside with an urgent expression.
"Stark, I need to talk to you about something important. But not here. Maybe we can go somewhere else."
Tony sighed helplessly.
"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't refuse if a beautiful woman invited me out."
"But I have a girlfriend now. And you're coming to my house asking me to go out with you. How exactly do you expect me to agree to that?"
Maya rolled her eyes.
"No, I'm serious. Is sex the only thing you can think about? Maybe I just want to ask you something about my research."
Tony snorted.
"Hmph. That's exactly what you said last time too. Look how that turned out."
Maya crossed her arms, clearly irritated.
"You're nothing but an egomaniac with a bad attitude. Who would even like you?"
Tony gasped dramatically.
"How can a mouth at body temperature say something so cold? You were the one who kissed me first. I was the passive party in that situation."
Before Maya could respond, another voice floated down from upstairs.
"Tony? Do we have guests?"
Pepper's voice echoed through the house as the sound of high heels clicking on the floor approached.
Tony immediately lowered his voice and spoke quickly.
"Today's not a good day to talk about this. How about we schedule another time?"
Then he raised his voice and called upstairs.
"A botanical scientist named Maya Hansen. I don't know her."
Suddenly remembering something, Tony leaned closer and whispered nervously.
"Don't tell me there's a twelve-year-old Stark waiting for me in the car outside."
"He'd actually be thirteen," Maya replied dryly.
Tony shuddered.
Maya sighed in exasperation.
"Of course not! I really have something important to discuss with you. My research from back then—now—"
"Hi there. I didn't realize we had another guest."
Pepper walked down the stairs and casually slipped her arm around Tony's.
"Tony, you have a very attractive scientist friend."
She looked at Maya with a playful smile.
"You two probably have more than just a simple acquaintance, right? Ex-girlfriend?"
"No," Maya answered bluntly.
"Our relationship was very simple. Just a one-night stand."
She then continued seriously.
"I came here today to warn you. This place is extremely dangerous. You should move out immediately—"
Pepper laughed warmly.
"Oh, believe me, breaking up with him was a very wise decision."
"You were lucky to escape early. Otherwise you'd be dealing with a complete disaster. Let me tell you—"
Maya forced a polite smile, clearly struggling to remain patient.
"Ma'am, I'm not here to kidnap anyone. I'm here to rescue people. Could you please stop trying to assert dominance?"
She gestured toward the door.
"Gentlemen… wouldn't it be better if we left first?"
"No," Tony said firmly.
"I'm not afraid of them. Let them come."
Pepper frowned.
"Tony, we should go into the city and hide for a few days."
The two immediately began arguing again.
Standing nearby, Maya looked around helplessly. Her gaze eventually drifted to the television in the living room, which was broadcasting live news coverage.
Several helicopters were flying over the ocean.
The camera zoomed in closer.
The lens was pointed directly at the rooftop of this very house.
Suddenly, a long trail of smoke streaked across the screen.
A missile.
"Boom!"
The violent explosion shattered the peaceful scene in an instant. The blast wave tore through the villa, sending debris flying everywhere.
As her body was hurled into the air, Maya Hansen screamed silently in her heart.
Damn you, Tony Stark!
You openly provoked terrorists on live television, yet you didn't even install proper security systems around your own house?
Where's your radar? Where's your defense grid?
Are you seriously planning to fight them naked?
Where does your confidence even come from, you idiot!
…
The television broadcast the entire destruction of Stark's seaside villa in real time.
Watching the footage, Ethan couldn't help but shake his head.
Both the hero and the villain in this little drama were truly something else.
Stark believed that as long as he wore his armor, he could dominate the entire world. Everything else simply didn't matter to him. For someone who had once supplied weapons to the Pentagon, his understanding of modern warfare seemed surprisingly shallow. He relied entirely on his own advanced technology.
As for the villains, they were unbelievably bold.
Within the United States itself, several armed helicopters had just bombed Tony Stark on live television.
That level of audacity suggested powerful backing. Even the President of the United States might struggle to authorize something like that.
As expected, the Marvel universe was full of idiots.
Of course, Ethan wasn't simply sitting back and enjoying the show.
The moment the attack ended, he immediately set out for the Malibu border area.
He arrived just as evening began to fall.
Don't ask why he was there.
The answer was simple.
He had come to deliver some warmth.
.....
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