South Dakota.
The vast plains stretched endlessly, and among them stood a lonely farmhouse.
"Is this the address Ajak left you?" Aron, guided by Tony, opened a portal and stepped onto the spot.
"That's right. She said this was her sanctuary." Tony was already in his newly developed Mark 45 armor.
He cautiously observed the surroundings. The reason for such caution was clear: Ajak, a member of the race of Eternals, hadn't been exactly gentle during his last encounter with her. Her "little shock" had been enough to give him serious trouble.
"Aron, I have to tell you, the women of this race are extremely violent," Tony grumbled. "They don't accept even the slightest bit of flirting."
They slowly approached the house, and Tony awaited something to happen.
"Go to the back of the house." Aron stopped, sensed something strange, and frowned before saying it. In an instant, he teleported to the rear of the house, while Tony slowly flew overhead.
The sight caught them both off guard.
Behind the house, a tent had been set up, and beside it lay the body of a woman whose skin had turned bluish.
"That's her! That's Ajak!" Tony immediately recognized her.
"She's been dead for quite some time."
Aron had no forensic skills, but he crouched beside the body, took a nearby branch, and gently poked it. The body was stiff, a sign death had long since occurred.
"Looks like she was attacked by some beast." Tony activated his armor's sensors. The analysis revealed bite and claw marks across Ajak's body.
"Who are you!?"
A voice rang out just as Aron and Tony were examining the body.
At that moment, a violent sound ripped through the sky. Descending at lightning speed was Ikaris. From his eyes shot two golden beams that struck Tony, knocking him to the ground.
Luckily, the armor protected him. He wasn't injured, but he was thrown off balance and clumsily rolled several times across the grass.
Aron knew Ikaris was coming, but he hadn't warned anyone, he preferred to watch. When he saw that Tony was the target of the attack, he decided to seize the opportunity.
"Who are you, pirate Superman? Who gave you the right to hit my friend?" Aron calmly said, teleporting high into the air.
Ikaris, as the mightiest of the Eternals, immediately sensed his presence. He tried to turn, but before his eyes appeared a gigantic fist.
"This guy… Heavenly Father?" The thought crossed his mind, and then the punch launched him like a cannonball straight into the ground.
Boom!
The earth exploded under the force of the blow. A massive crater spread in waves, the ground rising like rippling tides.
Aron patted his chest with satisfaction. "Good thing I restrained my strength. I almost forgot I'm on Earth. If that had been full power, the entire meadow would have turned into a wasteland. The Ancient One would've surely scolded me."
The moment Ikaris was struck down, two cries rang out.
"Ikaris!"
Two women ran onto the scene.
One was older, sturdier, with a calm but serious expression. She looked ordinary enough, yet her presence radiated strength.
The other was smaller, with the appearance of a teenager, short-haired, with something boyish about her, reminiscent of Peter Pan from a fairy tale.
"Ikaris!"
Sprite glared angrily at the crater where Ikaris lay, struck down by Aron's blow. Her small fists clenched, and visions of various monsters began appearing everywhere around them.
"Stop, Sprite!" The Asian woman remained calm, firmly grabbing the girl and halting her illusions. Then she lifted her gaze to Aron.
"Aron, I know you. You are the Lord of Hell. Calm yourself, we are not your enemies."
"Let me introduce us. My name is Sersi, she is Sprite, and that stubborn guy is Ikaris. We are all members of the Eternals."
Sersi clearly spoke their names and introduced them, showing she knew exactly who she was dealing with.
"It's fine, don't be tense. I only avenged my friend." Aron smiled lightly, as though he hadn't deliberately let Ikaris attack Tony just so he'd have an excuse to strike him. Of course, he didn't say that aloud. No one would ever know, not even Tony Stark, who was just now getting up from the ground.
"That punch was incredible." Tony stepped up to Aron, brushed some dust from his armor, and added, "Besides, I heard everything. Thank you, my friend." He discreetly gave him a thumbs up, his expression saying it all.
Aron only smiled. "See this? Two guys who just barely survived, and they're still thanking me."
Meanwhile, Ikaris stood up and climbed out of the crater. This time, he didn't dare activate his laser beams again, nor did he take to the skies. He remained grounded, walking with the others.
"Be careful," Sersi whispered, "this man is dangerous. I think he's a Heavenly Father. We mustn't act rashly."
Sersi looked at him with visible disgust. "Ikaris, please. Have you ever heard of the internet? Type in 'Lord of Hell' and see who comes up on the front page. The whole world knows who not to mess with, yet you have no clue."
Everyone gathered again around Ajak's body. This time, the Eternals gave a more detailed opinion on the cause of death.
"She was killed by mutants," said Ikaris, crouching beside her and observing the marks on her body.
Sersi and Sprite nodded.
"Aron," Sersi began, "I need to explain to you. Mutants are a terrifying, predatory species. They possess dreadful destructive power and incredible reproduction speed. Planets on which they appear soon become lifeless, turned into dead worlds. Our mission, the mission of the Eternals, is to eliminate them."
Tony raised an eyebrow, while Aron crossed his arms.
"Eliminating mutants is the duty of the Eternals," Ikaris continued. "If we fail, all life on Earth will vanish. No one will be spared."
Aron felt he had heard enough of this exaggerated boasting.
Although he hadn't watched the film Eternals, he had seen Avengers!
"Guardians of the Earth, huh?" he thought. "Where were you when Thanos arrived? I didn't see any of you back then."
He laughed inwardly, recalling the events he had seen during the Avengers' battles. It was clear to him the Eternals liked to sound grandiose, but their actions told a very different story.
Aron pulled out the Eye of Agamotto and his gaze fell on Sprite.
Throughout the entire conversation, Aron noticed details others had missed. When they had examined Ajak's body, the expression on Sprite's face had been wrong, far too calm, far too familiar. He could almost say she had been there when Ajak died.
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