"You absorbed the Space Stone and the Power Stone?" Hela exclaimed, glossing over his humor since she really didn't understand it. She stared at the empty Infinity Gauntlet and sighed. "What's the use of this thing then?"
"No use." Tony, in an attempt to test his infinite energy, grabbed the Infinity Gauntlet and made his palm blasters send out an energy wave. It came out a darker shade of purple. "Oh! Melts like butter on a hot plate!"
Feels crazy good! I feel like I can… melt an entire planet.
He didn't know how the energy would affect him, but it made him feel really strong physically. Like he was no longer in his 40s, but rather in his early 20s.
The Infinity Gauntlet melted away entirely, losing its shape and purpose. In the end, it turned into a simple puddle of gold. But Tony grabbed it and stored it. Since it was strong enough to hold the Infinity Stones, he wanted to research its composition. Perhaps he could make a suit out of something similar.
"Done and dusted, my goth goddess."
"Don't forget your place, Stark."
Tony wanted to stay between those legs, but he held back. Although they'd been intimate already, they hadn't reached that level yet.
"Well, we're done here—high five to us. Now, about that promise… Let me demonstrate how I can take over the Kree Empire without so much as warming up a repulsor."
"Still clinging to that? Stark, with what you wield now, you could bend galaxies to your will—and you're preaching restraint?" Hela said, scoffing at his non-violent suggestion.
Tony chuckled and raised his right palm flat. Jarvis then simulated a hologram on it based on his imagination. "Sure, violence might get you a galaxy or two, Hela. But that's conquering. Ruling? Whole different game. If you want people to follow you, you don't win their turf—you win them. They're the ones who stick around after the smoke clears, chanting your name and making your statues to worship."
"Hmm…" Hela frowned and said nothing. After all, she considered herself a goddess. And Tony invoking worship and statues helped. "Very well. Show me then."
"As you command, my goddess."
Oh, how much he loved to tease her. Now, she couldn't even do anything to him thanks to his increased strength. She was stuck with him for good, with her home world also destroyed; Odin dead. She lacked ambition, so following Tony around was the best entertainment she could find.
Besides, there were more interesting… bits.
####
Of course, Tony didn't ignore Earth. He used a small shiny portal to connect to the internet at times to see what was going on back home. If there was any major crisis that needed him. Pepper was doing a great job at stitching up the world as one giant economy. The massive asteroid he'd left behind did plenty to end wars between nations and bring everyone on the same track.
Sure, a few rare supervillain attacks occurred. But by now, Earth was protected by over ten thousand Iron Guardians, spread across the globe. Any supervillain that appeared got battered by the Iron Guardians, Fantastic Four, Avengers, and the X-Men.
Tony had already sent a message to all the worried folks that he was fine and would return soon after finishing his work. After all, ending the Kree Empire wasn't his only goal. He wanted to find a new alloy to build his new Iron Man suit. He wanted to future-proof himself so no greater threat would harm Earth.
Not that he didn't fool around whenever he got the chance. Meeting the so-called Guardians of the Galaxy was interesting. Who'd have thought a kid from Missouri would be having space adventures with his green girlfriend? He was sort of jealous. But again, he had Hela by his side, and they were unofficially dating in space.
It was just a simple understanding between him and Hela. As time passed, their intimacy grew, but her attitude never changed. Although she started to care more for him, her goddess ego never went away. Still in bed, she made all the cries and moans that Tony wanted to hear. Her long legs, her godly body, and her perfect face left no regrets.
Talking about Ego, he helped Peter Quill against his cosmic father. The man called himself a Celestial. But Hela scoffed at the declaration and revealed that a real Celestial would chew the likes of Ego up in one breath.
That alarmed Tony. He started to wonder what the hell was the upper limit of power in the universe. And the more time he spent in space, the higher it kept going. Hela's knowledge almost turned him into a doomsday prepper. That was until she revealed that most interdimensional, trans-universal beings don't bother with the mortal world. And that they are governed by their own laws that they can't break. As the likes of the Living Tribunal exist.
After 3 years, countless fights with Hela that almost became physical, then countless makeups in words and bed, and countless adventures across the universe, Tony finalized his plan for the Kree Empire.
First came information warfare. For that, Tony used Jarvis to infiltrate the Supreme Intelligence and gently take over without destroying too much. While Jarvis ate up the Supreme Intelligence, Tony used the gained knowledge to strengthen Jarvis in real-time and also digested the greater, crazier information about genetic experiments, metallurgy, and everything else. He copied it all, as Earth would need it to advance.
The citizens of the Kree Empire slowly started getting plastered with information about the wrongdoings of their military. The injustices inflicted on them. The Blue Kree, the so-called original, purebloods, that dominated the upper class were suddenly revealed to be pretentious, abusive bastards. The Pink Kree, the genetically mixed Kree, who were actually the majority, were strategically fed word about all the injustice they were facing.
It was a long process that Tony kept up for a year, slowly introducing tension in society. He even divided the upper class into subclasses. Super rich, super powerful, the super influential, and those not. Then he introduced imbalance in the administration, favoring certain Kree citizens and ignoring other high achievers. The Supreme Intelligence did everything, so they just followed orders.
And then, strategically, the Nova Empire attacked the Kree fleet in space. The news spread everywhere. Rumors spread that the attack was planned by the Pink Kree who wanted to take back control from the Blue Kree. Those considered low-class, who clearly outnumber the purebloods, started rampaging across the Empire.
"And now comes the savior! The Goddess of Death, out to bring justice to the unfortunate." Tony declared and looked at Hela, who was dressed in slightly different armor now as she'd taken Odin's fit. Although black was still the theme, now there were golden streaks all around, and her cape was also golden, matching with her horns.
Honestly, Tony found it hot, having done her once while in that armor. It was sort of a roleplaying thing.
And finally, with Odin's spear, she looked like a true, majestic, goddess.
"Ready?"
Hela nodded, proud. Her new horned helmet didn't cover her eyes. She didn't have that dark makeup around her eyes either. She needed to look noble and beautiful, and she was now.
"Go then, make your entrance. End the tyranny and bring order."
They were already in Hala, the Kree Homeworld, staying underground and manipulating everything. The planet was currently wrecked by riots, massacres, and a constant power struggle. The rich and powerful Blue Kree used all weapons and tools they had to violently suppress the lower class masses. Using all sorts of military tools available. Entire streets were painted in blood.
Then, on a violent massacre site where a million Kree freedom protestors had gathered, a loud crackle thundered in the sky. All heads looked up, and all guns stopped, the various flying fighter crafts stopped.
BOOM!
Then fell the blade and golden thunder from the sky, frying up the flying fighters, the gun-wielding droids, and all the other electrical machines. It was aimed at the Kree military that was trying to massacre.
BOOM!
Hela moved around like a storm, killing the military with the swipe of her spear. She kicked the ground and craters formed. She aimed her spear at the sky and all flying crafts fell. She saved the already injured Kree men and women from mindless shooting.
"You shall not pass through! I am Hela, the Goddess of Death and War—Death isn't yours to grant... it's mine to command."
Back underground, Tony sat with a Kree drink in hand, his fingers tapping on the alien computer. The live broadcast of a goddess descending was being shown across the Kree Empire.
It was beautiful, with special angles and all. Jarvis did great with his access to public cameras. It was just the start of something greater. Turning Hela into a warrior of the people, the image of true justice and impartiality. It wasn't wrong, however. She simply considered everything beneath herself, so all were equal.
For a whole year, from planet to planet, the revolution of the Kree Empire swept through, led by Hela with her army of ten million freedom fighters. It was already decided that she was the Queen now, and had renamed the Kree Empire to Asgard Empire.
Slowly, with no respite, the blue-skinned Kree power holders were killed, arrested, trialed, and then executed. Changes swept through in administration, Jarvis using the Supreme Intelligence to shift the balance.
By the time Tony's fifth-year stint ended in space, the entire Kree Empire had fallen. And true to his word, 'he' hadn't raised a single blaster. He'd remotely orchestrated it all and conquered the empire.
To Hela, it was clear that Tony was the real conqueror, not her.
Soon enough, Hela, the Empress of Hala of the Asgard Empire, took her throne. Her coronation was simple, marking the Independence of the Kree and the rebirth of Asgard. With a carefully controlled narrative, she was worshiped and loved.
As for Tony—He spent the final night with the beautiful goddess.