Pinned under Hill, Vincent saw a rare light in her eyes.
"I don't want a transaction. I want you to treat me like a normal woman. Your lover. Your partner."
"Even if it's just for tonight."
Such emotional, enchanting words moved Vincent deeply.
He felt her sincerity.
It was raw, primal emotion from the depths of her heart.
"I always treat you like a normal woman. I only compensate you all this way because I worry my reputation burdens you. Maybe I'll hurt many women, but my affection for you is genuine, Hill."
Vincent looked at her with sincere eyes, his voice magnetic and seductive, speaking his truth.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
Hill's words were the best aphrodisiac.
The late-night office, empty of others.
It became their battlefield for passionate combat.
Stark Tower.
Nick Fury looked at Tony Stark, who sat slumped on the sofa, defeated.
"Tony, can you tell me what happened?"
Fury's deep voice snapped Tony back to reality.
He called out weakly, "Jarvis, play the recording of tonight's events."
A holographic screen appeared.
It replayed the massacre at the Empire State Building.
"The Ice Demon's hidden power exceeds our imagination. His ice power is just one tool. But that alone can kill us all. Jarvis detected that his freezing ability manipulates the atomic layer. He stops atomic motion directly, lowering the temperature to Absolute Zero."
Tony tried to use a calm, scientific tone.
"Humanity pursues the lowest freezing point—Absolute Zero—but no matter the cost, we only get infinitely close."
"But do you know how terrifying true Absolute Zero is?"
Tony laughed self-deprecatingly.
"I don't know, Tony. Educate me," Fury asked calmly.
"How can you not know? I already told you! Nick!!"
Tony stood up, agitated.
"Absolute Zero! In a space reaching Absolute Zero, all physical phenomena produced by atoms and particles vanish."
"It is a theoretically absolute dead space."
"Energy death. Matter death."
"All dynamic meaning disappears."
"No life can exist in Absolute Zero."
"Life produces energy. Energy produces radiation. Radiation produces temperature."
"Absolute Zero is total nothingness!!!!"
Tony roared.
Fury was silent.
"All our power is meaningless before Absolute Zero. As long as Vincent maintains it, any weapon loses its meaning."
"Space loses meaning."
"Dimensions lose meaning."
"Even Time loses meaning. Permanently frozen."
"Everything stops."
"Stasis equals death."
Tony's roar made Fury understand his despair.
There was no winning this.
"And do you know the temperature of the Heat Rays from his eyes?"
Fury shook his head.
"Jarvis, tell him!"
"Peak temperature exceeded 9 Million Degrees Celsius instantly, sir. It exceeded my sensor range, so I lack precise data."
Fury stopped breathing.
If he didn't grasp Absolute Zero, he understood 9 Million Degrees.
Instant vaporization.
"This ray shoots from his eyes and is guided by his will?"
Fury felt his blood run cold.
He thought of Vincent's psychic power. He could install a GPS guidance system on a death ray.
He only needed to think of a person to kill them.
Or just erase their mind directly.
"So, if the Avengers are built to fight the Ice Demon, we should disband. Even if you gather every superhuman in New York, we can't withstand one look from him," Tony stated the cruel reality.
Fury shook his head. "I built the Avengers not for internal threats, but for extraterrestrial ones."
"Aliens?" Tony's eyes lit up.
He recovered some spirit.
Vincent was too big a blow. A god who could erase him with a thought. His armor was meaningless.
"Yes. Extraterrestrial civilizations. I've encountered three so far. They are stronger than us. I want the Avengers to handle their arrival," Fury said slowly.
The Tesseract project was advancing fast.
Once Fury mastered the Stargate, Earth would gain power. And if aliens attacked, Earth could strike back at their homeworlds.
"Your goal isn't that simple. Speak. What do you want me to do?" Tony asked.
"Financial support. And contact the survivors from tonight. Gather them into an Avengers base independent of SHIELD."
Fury had thought this through.
SHIELD was rotten to the core. Rooting out Hydra was too hard.
So, he initiated Phase 2: Separate the Avengers from SHIELD.
SHIELD would support, but supers would handle supers.
"Tony, if you agree, I'll tell you a secret about your father. I'll transfer all his assets and research left in SHIELD to you. Howard left many concepts we never realized. I believe you can finish them."
Fury offered his terms.
"Fine. I'll establish the Avengers Foundation. I'll provide the base. Now tell me the secret."
Tony said gravely.
"Your parents didn't die in a car accident. They were murdered. SHIELD investigated, but someone inside covered it up. Erased all traces."
Crack.
Tony clenched his fists.
His eyes burned with rage.
"Understood, Nick. The Avengers must exist. I'll use my private funds to build it."
Tony made up his mind.
The Ice Demon shouldn't be his nightmare. That guy was a god.
But Tony believed in human intellect. Even gods have weaknesses.
"By the way, your father theorized a new element. Infinite energy."
Fury handed Tony a cassette tape.
Tony took it solemnly.
"Contact the heroes quickly. Tony, war is coming. Rhodey's death is suspicious, but he was definitely ordered by someone behind the scenes to attack the Ice Demon."
Fury paused. "With our current power, if Vincent's identity is exposed, the public will turn on him. The government will be in a bind. And you know Vincent—he takes revenge, but he doesn't start trouble unless provoked."
"Rhodey chose his path," Tony said coldly.
Fury was right.
Rhodey participated in a black op.
But Tony understood that a company like Oscorp, with such tech and a powerful owner, was a fat sheep everyone wanted to butcher.
Vincent's strike was a warning.
This is what happens when you touch me.
"Tony, rest well. Don't antagonize the Ice Demon. He's a threat, yes. But if aliens invade, with his personality, they'll face the strongest demon in history!!!"
Fury had given up on recalling Captain Marvel for now.
As long as he held the favor owed by Vincent (via Natasha), he had a trump card.
As for Natasha, she would figure it out. Agents shouldn't have feelings.
Hill was the better template. She was about to replace Natasha at Oscorp.
Fury didn't see Vincent as a total enemy yet.
"Nuclear deterrence?" Tony nodded grimly.
After facing death, he saw things clearly.
Oscorp Office.
The "reliable" agent Fury mentioned was currently panting in the Ice Demon's arms.
The tide had receded. Hill was exhausted.
Even with the Super Soldier Serum, she barely kept up with Vincent.
"So, you didn't tell Nick about the favor you earned from me?"
Vincent smiled.
This was interesting.
Hill's attitude shift surprised him.
But when a woman falls in "love" (or hero worship), her mindset changes fast.
Hill wasn't love-struck, but her admiration for him was growing.
"Ever since you warned Natasha about Hydra in SHIELD, I've been careful with secrets. Only Fury knows I took the serum."
Hill frowned at the mention of the serum.
"Your deal with the Military gives Hydra a chance to get the serum. I suspect they've infiltrated the Army."
Hill's warning was valid.
The Military provoking this war was likely Hydra's backup plan.
"The serum is good, but it's the 'Lite' version. It's not the same product you took," Vincent caressed her, laughing lightly.
"As expected of the Ice Demon. Your cunning will make the Military suffer," Hill laughed, not minding at all.
"I value integrity. My word is my bond. I didn't want to cheat them, but they angered me. I want peace to make money, but if they break the agreement, they get punished."
"It's diluted, but they still get 70% of the effect. And my version is more perfect than Captain America's original serum."
Product upgrade complete.
But Steve Rogers' true strength was his will. That was his greatest weapon.
"SHIELD and the Military have conflicts. We're happy you gave them the Lite version."
Disrupting the deal failed, but Hill wasn't discouraged.
"What about SHIELD?"
"Situation unclear. We won't partner with you yet," Hill said helplessly.
"Plus, the serum originated from the SSR (SHIELD's predecessor). We have the tech, but side effects exist. Cap was an accident."
Vincent nodded.
Appearance follows the heart. Cap and Red Skull took the same serum, different results.
Hill recovered her stamina and flipped Vincent over.
"Three hours until dawn," she said excitedly.
Transylvania. An Ancient Cave.
Dracula returned to his homeland.
He flew straight from the Empire State Building, stowing away on a plane.
The land was strange now.
But he wouldn't forget this cave.
Here, he received the gift of the Master.
Became the King of Vampires. Cursed by God.
But today, God met his match. The Seraphim was crushed by a true demon.
Dracula touched the damp walls. He sensed the cave's history.
But he couldn't find the Master.
It seemed the Master had broken the curse and left. No longer a monster in a cave.
"Dracula. Are you looking for me?"
A voice from behind.
A thin, middle-aged man in a suit stood there. He held a wine glass and a bottle of red "wine."
Even through the glass, Dracula smelled the blood.
Potent vitality.
"I failed. I ran like a deserter," Dracula said gravely.
"I can't see through the Ice Demon in New York. But when his psychic scan swept humanity, I had to hide in a sealed coffin to escape his search."
The man said.
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