Pepper stood beside him, dumbfounded, staring at Galon like he was some kind of monster. Hope covered her forehead.
Pepper stood beside him, dumbfounded, staring at Galon like he was some kind of monster. Hope covered her forehead and reached through the gaps in the Cloth to pinch his flesh, twisting it 360 degrees to express her dissatisfaction. Tony was speechless—wasn't this a bit too much?
A single Lightspeed Fist could've taken care of Obadiah, but you went with Galactic Explosion? Are you trying to blow up Stark Industries along with him? Or do you have a problem with me?
"Mr. Galon, what exactly was that…" Coulson, still alive, had also climbed to the rooftop and looked at Galon with a bitter expression.
"What? You got a problem?" Galon raised an eyebrow at him.
Coulson instantly broke into a cold sweat, his head shaking like a rattle drum. "N-no, I have no problem."
Like hell he'd say he did. Galon's face already looked dark enough—if he dared speak up, would he be rewarded with a planetary bombardment too?
Sure, dying to a planetary strike would be a great story for the afterlife, but Coulson still preferred living.
And besides, what's done is done. No point chasing after it now. Being the easygoing guy he was, Coulson naturally wouldn't press the issue. It's not like he'd be the one dealing with the fallout—there's still the Director above him to handle that.
"Well, since no one has any objections…"
"Galon!"
Suddenly, Mu stormed in again, fury written all over his face as he pointed straight at Galon.
"W-w-what is it?" Galon started sweating. Mu's gentleness and calm usually ranked second only to Aphrodite. This was the first time Galon had ever seen Mu this angry.
"What do you think?! Didn't I just tell you that Lady Athena's car was nearby?! Was the situation not chaotic enough for you already?! You go and stir up all this noise—are you trying to announce to Lady Athena that you're here!?"
"N-no, I wasn't…" Galon looked just as pitiful as Coulson had moments ago.
"Hmph! I'm reporting this to Lady Melin."
"No—wait a sec!" Galon rushed forward to stop Mu, but his hands grasped empty air—Mu had already vanished.
Standing there like a lost soul, Galon thought, Crap… I'm so screwed this time.
The others who had just witnessed Galon's overwhelming power showed no sympathy whatsoever. In fact, they were holding back laughter at his downfall.
Galon knew this was a done deal. Nothing he could do now. He glared at the others and left with Hope in his arms. Right now, he needed comfort.
With Galon gone, Tony had no reason to stick around either. He left with Pepper. Though they hadn't made it official yet, there was only a paper-thin layer between them and being a real couple. After what Pepper had been through tonight, Tony naturally wanted to comfort her properly.
In the end, only Coulson remained behind, left to clean up the mess.
Still, this mission wasn't without its gains—actually, the gains were enormous.
—
On a road not far from Stark Industries, a Rolls-Royce was driving away.
"Cretia, what just happened back there?" Athena asked her guardian, the Crane Saint Cretia, in a soft, clear voice.
"It was nothing major, Miss. You don't need to worry."
"Mhm! I'm not scared at all. I've got you with me, Cretia! And Daddy and Aiorgeti are here too!" Athena raised her little hand proudly.
"Heh, don't worry, Miss. Aiorgeti and I will protect you no matter what."
"That's right! No one can hurt you while we're here."
(Unless they step over our dead bodies.)
Young Athena trusted the three completely. She didn't know why, but she had this deep faith in them. Not just them—her teachers at school too: Teacher Mu, Teacher Yarugoru, Teacher Medis. There were many little secrets she couldn't tell her parents, but she'd share them freely with those few.
When she started elementary school, her parents originally intended to dismiss Cretia, the Crane Saint. But Athena insisted on keeping her. Dadi the Hellhound Saint and Aiorgeti the Hercules Saint were also meant to be transferred to her father's side, but Athena fought to keep them as well.
She hoped they would stay with her always, to care for and protect her.
With a cute smile on her lips, Athena looked out the car window—her gaze fixed in the direction of Stark Industries.
"Why does it feel so familiar…? So strange…" she murmured softly. No one else heard it. The words were swallowed by the night and locked within her heart.
—
A few days later, Tony held a press conference. Reports about Iron Man had been spreading like wildfire. Most of them speculated that the world-class genius and playboy Tony Stark was actually Iron Man. He was supposed to clear up the rumors and deny everything. But… that was just what people expected.
"Iron Man, huh? Kinda like the sound of it. I think I'll use it from now on—oww…"
Tony hissed through his teeth and shot a resentful look at Pepper, who was doing his makeup.
"Oops. My hand slipped," Pepper said, pouting. But her expression clearly said: Do you want there to be a next time?
"Ahem… moving on. Look at this article—it talks about a powerful ring, kinda like something from a fantasy novel. Though it's not accurate. It's actually made of titanium alloy. But hey, who knows what people will think?"
At that moment, Coulson approached and handed Tony a prepared speech. "Your alibi."
"Right…" Tony took it with an odd expression and scanned the pages.
"You were on a yacht. The Port Authority confirms you were docked at Avalon Harbor all night, and there are fifty witnesses."
"I might as well say it was just me and Pepper, spending the night on the island… reflecting on life?"
"Pfft—You'd be better off claiming you partied with a bunch of swimsuit models. That'd be more believable." Galon couldn't help chiming in from the side.
"Hey! That's slander!" Tony retorted, shooting Galon a look—my girlfriend is standing right here! I'm being serious this time!
"Well… maybe not entirely slander."
Tony breathed a sigh of relief—but the next second, he got smacked in the face with the script.
"…With your capabilities, even two is pushing it."
"Pfft—" Even Coulson, with all his training, nearly burst out laughing.
"Mhm. I can vouch for that," Pepper added matter-of-factly.
Snap! Tony nearly collapsed. You're my girlfriend! Why are you doing this to me!?
"Alright, go get ready. You're up," Pepper smiled, reminding him.
"Fine. I'll be back—shouldn't take long." Tony sighed, cast one last glare at Galon, and walked up onto the stage with his speech.
After he left, Pepper took the chance to thank Coulson for all his help—both with catching Obadiah and cleaning up the mess.
"Agent Coulson, I really appreciate all the help you've given."
"Just doing my job. We'll be working together more in the future."
"You're from the Strategic Homeland Intervention…"
"We go by S.H.I.E.L.D. now."
"Pfft—cough cough…" Galon had just taken a sip of water and nearly spat it out. Was this plagiarism? Or a centipede wearing shoes—layer after layer?
"Is something wrong?" Coulson asked, puzzled.
"No, no problem." Galon waved it off.
"Thanks. But I can't imagine you'd want to stick around just to watch Tony give a press conference, Mr. Galon. According to our data, you're not the type to care for this kind of thing."
"That just means you don't know me well enough."
"Uh… fair point." Coulson had to admit, Galon wasn't wrong. The Strategic Homeland blah-blah-blah—wait, no, it was S.H.I.E.L.D. now—had always prioritized gathering intel on the Saints and the Sanctuary. But they still knew next to nothing.
Still, his impression of Galon had been pretty spot-on. Galon didn't care at all for these kinds of PR circuses. The only reason he was still here was…
"Heh, hope you like the gift we prepared for you, Tony," Galon chuckled to himself.
—
Up on stage, Tony stumbled through the script, occasionally inserting his own thoughts. But in the end, he lowered the paper, hesitating… yet looking resolutely at the crowd of reporters below.
"…The truth is—I am Iron Man."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the room exploded.
It had only been a theory before, albeit a strong one. But now, Tony himself had confirmed it. No one would think he was doing it for attention—he already was the center of attention. Everyone surged toward the stage, shoving microphones in his face.
But the next moment, the commotion came to an eerie halt. The crowd slowly parted as if moved by an invisible force. It didn't harm them—but it held them in place.
Golden light descended. Mu, clad in his Gold Cloth, slowly walked in through the door and approached Tony.
Tony instinctively wanted to call his name—but the words stuck in his throat.
Mu wasn't wearing a mask, but he was using his Cosmo to shield his face from everyone's perception. No one could clearly see him.
"Iron Man?" Mu asked.
"Yes." Tony had meant to ask something, but the question became an affirmation. He nodded.
"By order of our Lord Melin, congratulations, Iron Man. We look forward to the day we fight side by side."
With that, in complete silence, Mu turned and walked out the door. A flash of golden light—and he vanished.
The crowd was freed from their invisible restraints. They all scrambled to check their recorders and cameras, confirming that what just happened hadn't been a dream.
Tony was still stunned, but soon figured out exactly whose handiwork this was. Thinking back to the cocky laughter coming from Galon in the dressing room, and looking at the crowd of journalists going insane below the stage, veins bulged on Tony's forehead.
He was furious.