It was basically the same conclusion.
After Tony informed the other Avengers over the phone, Captain America Steve Rogers made a direct decision.
Assemble the Avengers.
Wipe out the remaining HYDRA forces together.
To be honest, Noah didn't think this was really necessary. He didn't believe Darren Cross had become stronger just because he lost his hair.
As a villain, his strength was honestly mediocre. Tony alone would probably smash him flat.
Still, assembling the Avengers had its advantages.
Many of them held personal grudges against HYDRA.
And as an official organization, the Avengers were best suited for handling this kind of cleanup. The authorities were also more than happy to see these annoying HYDRA remnants dealt with properly.
So, without much effort, Tony gathered nearly the entire Avengers roster.
It was a luxurious lineup.
The most interesting part was that Ant-Man took the opportunity to officially join the Avengers.
First, he already possessed... special abilities.
Courtesy of Hank Pym.
Second, he was a hardcore Captain America fan.
With those two points combined, his joining wasn't strange at all.
Unfortunately, this also meant he was destined to be little more than an accessory.
The reason was simple.
Darren Cross was severely overinflated.
After putting on his meticulously crafted suit, he acted as if he were invincible and everyone else was trash.
He openly mocked Tony Stark's Iron Man armor as outdated metal junk.
He mocked Captain America as a museum relic that belonged behind glass.
That attitude instantly enraged the two Avengers giants.
Tony stopped hiding his magic entirely.
He activated his newest magically enhanced Iron Man armor.
Darren Cross immediately began questioning his life choices.
When Noah saw the footage on TV, he was slightly surprised. He had assumed Tony would keep that ability hidden.
Of course, even if it was exposed, Noah didn't think Tony would say anything he shouldn't.
The higher-ups understood this perfectly.
If Tony started talking nonsense, they'd be the first ones to suffer.
The dominance displayed by mages was still deeply etched into the minds of ordinary people-especially the final appearance of that giant dragon.
No one wanted to see that thing descend on their homeland again.
As for Darren Cross?
He was beaten so badly that he genuinely started doubting reality.
Tony's armor was filled with things that made no sense.
Floating without thrusters could still be explained away as anti-gravity or magnetic levitation.
The blue flashes and terrifying metallic particle weapons could be passed off as electromagnetic technology.
But then-
Fireballs.
Ice arrows.
Runes appearing out of nowhere.
Those gave him a splitting headache.
It felt like he was recalling something long forgotten, yet couldn't quite grasp it.
Despite his mental collapse, Darren Cross's survival instinct was strong.
Realizing he was probably finished, he immediately turned to attacking nearby civilians to force the Avengers to split up-especially Tony.
That was when Steve finally got his moment.
His shield worked perfectly with Thor's hammer.
Protecting civilians was effortless.
He blocked every laser shot cleanly.
At that point, Cross genuinely wondered if he was trapped in some absurd nightmare.
If not for the pain from Tony's beating, he would have believed it was all a cruel joke.
He truly couldn't understand what kind of world he was facing.
The ending had no suspense.
Tony completely crushed Darren Cross.
With Ant-Man Scott's assistance, Cross was disarmed and apprehended on the spot.
The operation was a success.
As for hunting down the remaining HYDRA members?
That had nothing to do with Tony anymore.
There was no need for the entire Avengers team to stay mobilized. Official agencies like the FBI also needed to do something, after all.
Scott's situation, however, was less smooth.
His decision to join the Avengers-and his close ties to Stark-infuriated Hank.
Hank was deeply unwilling to see this happen.
He feared his work would be taken by Stark again. Given Scott's... intellectual shortcomings, Hank felt Tony's success rate in doing so was frighteningly high.
That said, Hank wasn't stupid.
Under the pressure exerted by mages, the ordinary world had begun gathering its own superheroes.
This was both an opportunity and a shackle.
By joining, Scott-and Hank by extension-would receive immense benefits. Their family would be well taken care of.
Scott's status as an Avenger also granted them considerable privileges.
That mattered.
Especially to Hank.
He had always dreamed of rescuing his wife, even if he didn't know whether she was still alive.
As for the constraints?
They were inevitable.
Once you possessed terrifying power and relied on it, the outcome was obvious.
Refusing to join meant surveillance.
At worst, becoming a target for capture.
Hank Pym had worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.
He knew exactly how to choose.
The most critical factor was something else.
He noticed that Tony and Noah's relationship was... unusual.
Even a fool could tell that Tony's earlier moves were magical.
Which meant Tony had likely learned magic.
So, after some internal struggle, Hank agreed.
Reluctantly.
The matter ended there.
Although the Avengers lost Vision and Wanda because of Noah, they gained Ant-Man much earlier than expected.
Fair trade.
As for what came next, Noah couldn't be bothered to think about it.
His relationship with the Avengers was neither close nor distant.
He didn't have the time to focus on them.
What he didn't expect was Tony calling after everything settled.
Hank Pym wanted to see him.
Noah didn't think much of it.
He didn't quite understand why Hank wanted a meeting, but he didn't mind.
What he didn't expect was that Hank brought his entire family.
"I mean," Noah spread his hands helplessly, "you could've told me beforehand. I'm still just one person."
"I thought so too," Tony said, pointing at Hank and the two people behind him. "But plans change. I didn't bother telling you. It's not a big deal."
Noah tilted his head.
Bringing a few people really wasn't a big deal.
Especially Hank.
To this day, Hank still carried traces of Noah's magic. In that sense, Noah had crossed a line.
Hank was an ordinary person.
An innocent one.
If there were a place to report it, Noah, Lupin, and Snape would all get into trouble.
But only trouble.
Their identities made the outcome obvious.
Lupin's status was lower, but as a former Order of the Phoenix member, the Ministry wouldn't push too hard.
As for Snape and Noah?
One was the head of Slytherin.
The other was the guardian of the New York Sanctum.
Trying to seriously trouble either of them meant either insanity or youthful ambition.
At most, the case would be archived and shelved indefinitely.
Final result: inconclusive.
Still, Noah considered himself a responsible mage.
He didn't intend to evade this.
"Alright," Noah turned to Hank. "Why are you here? And with your whole family?"
"Well..." Hank hesitated, then asked uncertainly, "Is this your current appearance?"
"Of course." Noah smiled. "It's been over twenty years. I was bound to change. Just not as obviously as you."
"Hm." Hank nodded. "You look much better like this. More like a mage. Less like a pompous kid."
Pompous kid?
Noah tilted his head.
He didn't like that label.
He turned toward Scott, who had been staring at him, clearly wanting to speak but lacking the courage.
Noah suddenly found him... amusing.
"You've been staring at me," Noah said. "What's wrong? Do I look strange?"
"Uh..." Scott hesitated. "You're that... that young mage from last time?"
"And?" Noah nodded. "Just a spell. Nothing special."
"Magic..." Scott swallowed. "You're a mage? Like, the legendary kind?"
"Yes."
"Like the ones in stories?"
"Something like that."
Scott paused.
Then asked the question that had been burning in his mind.
"Did you participate in the Battle of New York?"
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