"Mom, Dad, I knew you wouldn't just sleep underground like that. When did you come back?"
Holding her long-lost loved ones, Artoria finally stopped hiding her longing. To save Howard and Maria, Artoria had accepted the Master's Rune spells. Using runes related to dreams, Artoria successfully entered Howard's dreams and played fragments of the future for him. Unexpectedly, Howard succeeded and managed to avoid the disaster. This planted the impression in Artoria's heart that 'fate is not unbreakable.' However, she later worried about the world's corrective force, fearing that Howard and Maria might have died in that place. This was Artoria's knot.
The moment she saw Howard and Maria this time, Artoria's knot unraveled. Everything she had done was not in vain; her parents in this life had indeed survived. All of this made Artoria feel incredibly relieved. Thinking of this, Artoria couldn't help but burst into tears, tightening her hold on Maria and Howard.
"My dear daughter, we have returned. It's okay."
Maria shoved Howard aside with her hip, pushing him away from Artoria. She hugged her favorite little daughter tightly. Since childhood, this child had never cried, fussed, or acted spoiled; she was very well-behaved and obedient. However, Maria would have preferred her little princess to act more spoiled toward her mother. She felt her child was pitifully well-behaved, so she cherished Artoria all the more. Maria didn't know that Artoria, having lived two lifetimes, couldn't act like a real child, acting spoiled and cute toward adults without a care. Even as a baby, she would just cry once when wet and twice when hungry. Her well-behaved nature made Tony, who was entering his rebellious phase at the time, feel completely ignored.
"Hey! You brat, what are you looking at?"
Pushed aside by Maria, Howard looked at his wife with resentment. He also wanted to get close to his child, but seeing Tony on the side made his blood boil. 'You brat, are you enjoying watching the show from the sidelines? If I weren't so old, Father would teach you a good lesson in mixed martial arts.'
"Hehe~! You old geezer."
Regarding being used as a venting outlet by Howard, Tony looked up with his nose in the air, a punchable expression, showing deep disdain for his old man. This infuriated Howard. He really wanted to smack this bastard kid. 'How dare you use 'palladium' as the life-support device on your chest? Do you have a Death wish? Knowing it would poison you, you didn't go find new elements, instead acting like, 'Father is going to kick the bucket tomorrow, so I'm going to have a good time today,' in a decadent manner.' Howard couldn't stand it. When did he ever teach him to be depressed when facing a desperate situation? He was truly an idiot who called himself a genius.
"The new energy Arc Reactor—it works well, doesn't it?"
Thinking of this, Howard put on a mocking expression and said to Tony with a wicked smile, pointing at Tony's chest. The place where a shiny new Arc Reactor used to be was now empty because Artoria had used the healing serum invented by Maya to fix it. But before the repair, Tony had been agonizing over the new energy source. As soon as Howard said this, Tony's face turned black.
"So that really was from you. No wonder Jarvis didn't find any traces of anyone entering. You old geezer, you faked your Death for so many years and still come to lecture me? Even if you hadn't given it to me, I could have found the new energy source myself."
Tony, who had been quite grateful, saw Howard's expression and felt his head explode with anger. He said with a black face and stubborn mouth, indicating that even if you hadn't given it to me, I could have found the new energy source myself. 'You gave it to me, fine, but no need to rub it in!' Howard's ability to mock was even stronger than Tony's; who knew if it was genetic.
"You old geezer."
"You little brat."
The mother and daughter on the side were chatting about daily life, while the Father and son here were mocking each other and even started fighting. It seemed their way of expressing love was extreme. It was just like the saying, 'Fighting is intimacy, scolding is love, and when love reaches its peak, you kick.' The two were now performing this 'extreme love.' Although Howard had entered old age, his body was still very robust; he was actually pinning Tony down and smacking him. While there was certainly an element of Tony letting Howard win, it showed that Howard's physical condition was still very good.
"These two! Seriously, they aren't children anymore."
Maria pulled Artoria to the sofa in the room and sat down, quietly watching the scene of Howard and Tony fighting, but she had no intention of breaking it up. Artoria sat next to Maria, looking at the happy Maria and thinking, 'Mom, you are truly black-bellied.'
"What a boring act, like a three-year-old."
Watching Howard and Tony, who wouldn't spare each other, Artoria evaluated their behavior as being just like children. Artoria quietly snuggled up to Maria, enjoying the reunion after so many years. The joy in her heart allowed Artoria, who usually couldn't express her emotions even if she died, to express them at this moment. Like a large feline, she showed her soft side to Maria.
This made Maria very happy; her child was finally acting spoiled toward her. This was the first time. Artoria enjoyed the family happiness with her parents. On the other side, the Hydra members were feeling very bitter. They were now so battered they were on the verge of collapse. The enemy's reinforcements kept coming, while their side had already begun to show signs of decline. All of this made Pierce very anxious, especially with the Baron and Madam Hydra watching him from behind. He was now very afraid that if he were careless, he would be killed by these two poisonous snakes.
"Mr. Alexander Pierce, we can already see the outcome now. Continuing this meaningless battle not only sends my soldiers on a path to certain Death without hope of victory, but also depletes a large portion of Hydra's strength. You must take responsibility for this, Mr. Pierce."
Playing with a sharp dagger in his hand, the Baron didn't even look at Pierce. In his mind, Pierce was already a dead man. Having tricked so many of their forces and elites into this, this person was no longer suitable to be a leader. If they dealt with this guy next, they could swallow half of his soldiers and weapons, which would compensate for their losses.
Madam Hydra didn't say a word, but she basically agreed with the Baron's statement and understood the Baron's intention. At this time, it was time to make a decision. They couldn't let their entire force be lost here because of Pierce alone. It was time to stop the losses. Many high-level elite soldiers had died and were hard to replace all at once. Moreover, training an elite soldier was not only expensive but also took a very long time. So, there was only one way to ensure they didn't lose everything, and that was to divide up Pierce's subordinates.
"Baron and Madam, please don't be anxious. I will definitely be able to turn the tide."
Pierce, a shrewd person, could already see the impatience of the Baron and Madam Hydra. That murderous tone was no joke. Pierce had been in a high position for a long time. Although still ambitious, he no longer had the fighting spirit of his youth. He had begun to fear Death. Greedy, he didn't want to give up his power and status. Under these premises, the most important thing was that he absolutely could not die. He explained to the Baron and Madam Hydra with panic in his heart.
But the more he was like this, the deeper the murderous intent hidden in the eyes of the Baron and Madam Hydra became. This leader had already decayed and had forgotten the mission of Hydra. Such a guy was not worthy of leading the soldiers of Hydra. No wonder this plan failed; under the leadership of such an incompetent Commander, it would be strange if they didn't lose.
"Then we will give you one last chance, Mr. Alexander Pierce."
Madam Hydra wore a meaningful smile on her face. This was indeed the true 'last time.' The hidden meaning in her words was that he had to die whether he won or lost. Not knowing that these two already wanted to kill him, Pierce breathed a sigh of relief. This posture made the Baron want to vomit.
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