( 3rd POV )
The sea whispered against the jagged cliffs of Malibu, its waves crashing gently below the modernist sprawl of Tony Stark's cliffside mansion. Inside the mansion, shadows clung to the sharp lines of furniture and the empty hallways. It was quiet—eerily so. No music played, no whir of machinery or gentle voice of an AI to break the stillness.
Tony sat on the edge of one of the leather couches in the living room, eyes unfocused as they stared through the transparent walls into the void of the night. The fireplace flickered idly beside him, its warmth unnoticed.
"Tony..."
"Tony..."
"Tony!"
Tony flinched slightly, as though awakening from a dream. He turned his head, slowly, like a machine out of oil. There stood Yinsen, dressed in a simple shirt and slacks, his brow furrowed with concern.
"Hmm?" Tony blinked, his voice barely a hum. But the vacancy in his eyes spoke louder than any words.
Yinsen stepped closer, crouching slightly to meet his gaze. "Hey. Are you okay? You've been staring into space for—well, too long."
Tony gave a half-hearted smirk. "I'm just wondering when my cheeseburger is going to arrive."
But Yinsen wasn't buying it. He had seen that look before, it was when they had 'that' conversation with the Chaldea before. He sighed. "Is it... about Chaldea? About what they told you?"
"Hah?" Tony scoffed, forcing out a chuckle that barely masked his skepticism.
"You mean their ridiculous way of spinning tales about humanity's impending doom? And those half-baked CGI clips they throw together to make their behind-the-scenes battles look dramatic?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.
He waved a dismissive hand before continuing, "Pfft, of course not. Who in their right mind would buy into a story like that? Definitely not me. I've seen bad science fiction with better effects before. I'm only curious about their technology, that's it."
Yet deep down, Tony was shaken. The revelations Chaldea had shared with him were so absurd, so incomprehensible, that even his genius mind struggled to process them.
It had been some time since Tony and Yinsen were dropped off at his Malibu mansion by Chaldea's crew. The journey from Afghanistan to California had been swift, but in that brief span of time, Tony had been confronted with truths he wasn't prepared for.
Truths that made him question the very fabric of reality. Is it real? Or it was just a mere illusion? The lines blurred as he replayed everything they had told him.
Chaldea had explained their purpose, their origins, their role as defenders of humanity and Earth itself. At first, Tony had scoffed, dismissing their storytelling ability, and regarded them as a scammer.
But as time passed and more details were revealed, his skepticism began to waver.
For the first time in his life, Anthony Stark felt small—insignificant in the vastness of the universe. Obviously, Chaldea had withheld their deepest secrets, modifying their story to fit within the framework of his world, but even the fragments they shared were enough to shatter Tony previous beliefs.
The existence of beings beyond human comprehension—aliens, divine spirits, true ancestors, BEASTs, Galactus, Celestials—was overwhelming.
And then came the footage.
Chaldea had shown him clips of their battles—conflicts beyond anything Tony had ever imagined. He watched, dumbfounded, as they fought against the unkillable Tiamat, as they stood against the fearsome Goetia. The sheer scale of destruction, the raw power displayed, left him speechless. Even nuclear bomb pale in comparison.
'Is this something humanity could fight?' The question lingered in his mind, haunting him.
But just as Chaldea reassured him that the BEAST had been dealt with, they delivered another blow—another revelation that sent his thoughts spiraling. They told him that other forces from the starry sky had been watching Earth for a long time, waiting for the right time.
Among them was a force led by a being called Thanos.
Hearing Thanos' ultimate goal, Tony felt a wave of frustration wash over him. He rubbed his temple, trying to make sense of it all. This was far beyond his pay grade—far beyond anything he had ever considered. And worst of all, Chaldea had saved him not out of kindness, but because they wanted him to deal with that madman.
His intention in building a suit of armor was solely to aid his escape from the hands of terrorists and to modify it before confronting those bastards who threatened him with his own weapon. However, reality struck him harshly.
For a time, Tony didn't know what to do. Whether to believe them or not, and even if he accepted their words as truth, he lacked the confidence to shoulder the fate of Earth on his own.
Tony knew himself the best, he was selfish, flawed, and entirely unprepared for such a responsibility.
That was why, even after arriving home, he remained dazed—lost in thought, drowning in uncertainty. And when Yinsen finally asked him about it, Tony did what he did best.
He acted tough and he lied in front of his friend.
For a moment, the fire crackled softly in the silence.
Then a voice broke the quiet: "Sir, your vital signs indicate severe psychological strain. Would you like me to notify Miss Potts or initiate a medical protocol?"
It was his own AI, Jarvis, worried about him before he asked whether he should call the doctor or not for him.
Tony looked up, almost startled. "No, JARVIS. Just send a secure message to Pepper and Happy. Tell them I'm back. Tell them to get back in here ASAP—but keep it off the grid. I'm not ready to deal with press, paparazzi, or politicians."
"Understood, sir."
Yinsen returned to the sofa, rubbing his hands together thoughtfully. "You know, I never imagined that saving your life would involve interdimensional warfare."
Tony smirked. "Yeah, well, no shit, baldy. You should've taken their over when they asked you to join them. There's no way out now."
"I'm not planning to." Yinsen replied with a smile. Da Vinci had been trying to recruit Yinsen before they drop Tony off, but the man declined the invitation and decide to stay with Tony instead,
Tony sat down again, more grounded now. His eyes drifted to the scrap version of arc reactor embedded in his chest. He tapped it absently, the faint glow reflecting in his pupils.
"This thing kept me alive," he said slowly. "But maybe it can do more."
Yinsen raised a brow feeling surprise. "You want to integrate their technology? Their... magecraft?"
Tony's eyes gleamed. "Hmph, why not? Their so-called magic mumbo jumbo is just science we haven't dissected yet. Give me their blueprints, their schematics, their spells—I'll build something they've never seen before." He glanced at his bloated metal suit he builds in the cave before.
After that he stood again, the firelight now casting long shadows behind him.
"It'll be a long journey for sure, cause we need to improve our foundation first, but when those aliens came to invade, at least I have a confident to send them back to where they belong."
Tony looked toward Yinsen, his expression sharpened, intellect ignited.
"We're going to turn this mansion into something new. Get ready to work tomorrow, Baldy."
.....
( Ken POV )
The subdued thrum of the Shadow Border's engine reverberated through the confined corridors like a mechanical lullaby, echoing softly against the reinforced steel walls. Somewhere behind me, the rest of the crew and Servants were no doubt catching a rare moment of sleep, recovering from the long day that started in a desert cave and ended with us dropping off a man in his luxurious looking mansion.
But I couldn't sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, his goatee haunted me—Tony Stark. The supposed to be hero wearing his red and golden iconic suit is replaced by a silverish white suit instead, while the man wearing them opened his mask and then show his smug villain smile toward me.
Just that image and the name Superior alone managed to haunt me. Worried for what he could become, I'm personally just want to end him instead, but obviously I couldn't do that. For now.
My boots made almost imperceptible echoes as I walked the dim hallways of the Shadow Border. A glance through one of the side panels showed the chaotic cascade of colors outside—zero sail, a distortion of time-space that looked like auroras dancing across a shattered mirror.
When I reached the cockpit, I wasn't surprised to find Da Vinci still at the controls.
"Da Vinci," I greeted her as I slipped into the seat beside hers. The cushion let out a quiet puff of air as I settled in.
She turned toward me with a blink, visibly surprised. "Oh? Master? Shouldn't you be asleep? Or did you come to admire my brilliance at work?" Her voice carried its usual teasing lilt, but her eyes searched my face with a flicker of concern.
I ran a hand through my hair, resting my elbow on the armrest and my cheek against my palm. "Couldn't sleep. Kinda hard after guilt-tripping a genius billionaire into rethinking his entire life while handing him PTSD on a silver platter. And as a bonus, I think I might've made him into a model worker."
Da Vinci chuckled softly, but it faded just as quickly. "You're worried about Stark. That's why you so looked troubled?" Her gaze settled on me, eyes filled with quiet curiosity.
"Kinda of..."
"You shouldn't let it weigh on you, Master," she continued, her voice gentle but firm. "We didn't disclose any of our secrets to him, and it's not as if we deceived him either. If anything, we're helping him prepare—giving him an early warning about the invasion, should it ever come."
I understood Da Vinci's reasoning. Logically, she was right. We had done nothing wrong. And yet, every time my eyes drifted toward the mission board on my system, a lingering unease gnawed at me.
[ Missions:
Special Missions:
3. Rescue the soon to be Superior Ironman before sending him back to where he belongs: 1/1 (Complete)
Rewards: 3x Saint Quartz, 50.000 Quantum Piece ]
It's all fine and joyful If Stark's epithet had remained simply Iron Man, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. But Superior? Even with my limited knowledge of comic lore, I had heard enough to know that this version of Stark was far from heroic.
And because I didn't know much about him, I couldn't shake the unease that had settled in my gut during our conversation. There was something off about him—something that made me wary.
'First, there were mutants. Then the Ghost Riders. And now, the Superior Iron Man. Where the hell did we get isekai'd into?'
I exhaled sharply, rubbing my temples as the thought weighed on me.
'Don't tell me the next one is going to be 'The Maker'—Reed Richards.'
The idea alone sent a shiver down my spine.
'Damn, my paranoia.'
"I'm just worried that one day, he might turn against us. This multiverse is too damn complicated—you never know what's going to happen next." Despite my attempt at nonchalance, the unease never truly faded.
Da Vinci offered a reassuring smile, though there was a hint of wry amusement in her expression. "Don't worry about it, Master. Director Olga and the others have already decided to monitor every single person we've identified on your list using SHEBA. I know it's a bit intrusive—it does breach their privacy—but for now, it's the only way we can prevent the scenario you're worried about."
Her words made sense, but I could tell even she wasn't entirely comfortable with the measures Chaldea had taken. It was shameless, yes, but it is necessary.
Chaldea was at a disadvantage in terms of connections and knowledge of this world, and without precautions, we'd be walking blind into unknown dangers.
"It's better to be prepared than to be caught off guard, right? Fufufu," she added, her usual playful tone returning.
I exhaled, shaking my head with a small smirk. "All's fair in love and war, huh?"
The thought amused me, but more than that, it reassured me. At least I wasn't fighting alone—I had people backing me, people who understood the stakes just as well as I did.
'It looks like Olga isn't as useless as she used to be. She's all grown up now, haha. Her and Nick Fury would get along well.'
Da Vinci chuckled, pulling me from my thoughts. "See? You get it, Master. Fufufu."
As the tension in my body eased, I felt the exhaustion creeping in. My limbs grew heavier, my mind slower. A yawn escaped me before I could stop it.
Yawn…
"Looks like our brave Master is finally surrendering to sleep," Da Vinci teased.
I rolled my eyes at her teasing and was ready to head back to my room, but before I did, there was one last thing I needed to ask.
"Right, Da Vinci—where's our next destination? You said it'd be a fun place to visit, and I have to admit, I'm looking forward to it." My voice carried a hint of curiosity.
Her lips curled into a smug smile, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Our next destination," she said, pausing for dramatic effect, "is the land of permafrost."
.....
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A/N: Next is Russia and after that the last arc of this volume will start!
Give me the stones, comments and reviews, I appreciate it. Thanks!