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*****
Fini actually had no idea that his previous display of power had once again sent shockwaves across the globe. To those who had witnessed the true extent of the event, the impact was nothing short of earth-shattering.
At S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Tony Stark had long been a subject of special surveillance. The moment the robots surrounded him, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been alerted, though at the time, they were baffled by the situation.
Even many within Hydra were left in the dark, as the organization was far from being a monolith of shared secrets.
However, their lack of information didn't stop them from recognizing the sheer danger of the situation. Before they could even reach out to Tony for an inquiry, the battle had already erupted. In a life-or-death struggle, Tony hardly had the luxury of answering his phone.
Having learned their lesson from the Iron Monger incident, S.H.I.E.L.D. had utilized the numerous surveillance devices near Stark Industries to monitor the battle in real-time.
Inside the Director's office, Nick Fury watched the feed. As he saw Fini hovering in the sky, extending his palm to release that terrifyingly destructive 'Explosion Magic,' he found himself unable to remain seated.
"I hope Natasha can bring back some good news," Fury muttered to himself.
With that thought, he immediately dialed Black Widow's number through an encrypted line.
Meanwhile, Natasha, who happened to be nearby listening to Pepper Potts finish a phone call, was deep in thought. She had noticed that in her haste and anxiety, Pepper had accidentally let a name slip.
"Fini, is it...?"
A flicker of realization crossed Natasha's eyes. Barring any surprises, that had to be the name of the 'Silver Knight.'
Just then, Nick Fury's call came through. The first thing she heard upon answering was: "Are there any results from the investigation?"
Noticing Pepper's questioning look, Natasha responded naturally into the phone, "Thank you, but I already have enough of these products. I don't need any more for now."
She hung up immediately and offered an apologetic explanation to Pepper: "Telemarketer."
Pepper didn't give it much thought. She was too busy worrying about Tony's instructions. "Tony wants us to stay inside the building for now. They still haven't found the person controlling the robots from behind the scenes."
"Then for safety's sake, we should head to the lobby," Natasha suggested with a nod.
Once they reached the lobby, Natasha used the excuse of going to the restroom to find a secluded spot. She dialed Nick Fury back and delivered a direct report:
"The robots are being controlled by Ivan Vanko. His goal is revenge against Tony. The Silver Knight's name is likely Fini. Based on current observations, they don't seem to have much daily contact."
"Only a name...?"
Nick Fury was clearly unsatisfied. After a moment of silent deliberation, he finally gave his orders: "Drop your cover. They're still in the middle of a battle. Find an opportunity to approach him. Even if you can't uncover his full identity, do your best to get a way to contact him."
Natasha was slightly surprised by the directness of the order, but she nodded in obedience nonetheless.
Aside from S.H.I.E.L.D., many other unconventional channels allowed the world to witness this spectacle—namely, the citizens of New York who risked their lives to record videos on their phones beneath the tower.
When the sky was filled with that sea of flames, the world fell into a momentary, stunned silence.
It wasn't just through videos; anyone who was in New York that day couldn't possibly have missed it.
The people of New York at this time were still relatively "innocent." They hadn't yet experienced the Hulk's battle with Abomination, they hadn't suffered through an alien invasion, and they didn't yet know that Captain America "might" be a Hydra agent. Even Iron Man's debut show had been a censored version; they had only seen the first half.
At this point in time, the local sentiment was still simple and honest—though not in the "Gotham" sense of the word.
"Divine punishment! This is divine punishment! He is a messenger of God!"
Through the videos captured by the death-defying onlookers, people gained a new understanding of Fini. Some even attempted to deify him, perhaps because that was the only way they could reconcile such a scene in their minds.
"A weapon. He possesses a weapon far more advanced than Stark's. It's incredibly stealthy, and its power is utterly terrifying."
There were also those who attributed Fini's 'Explosion Magic' to some kind of specialized weaponry. While many were willing to believe this theory, those truly in the know understood perfectly well that Fini wasn't carrying any weapons at all.
Well, unless you counted language as a weapon!
Coincidentally, a small drone camera deployed by S.H.I.E.L.D. had perfectly captured the process of Fini chanting his spell. Although the drone was destroyed immediately after the magic was released, the video data had been transmitted back in real-time.
Upon learning the incantation for 'Explosion Magic,' both Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately began conducting experiments.
They tried various languages, different tones, and even various poses.
They exhausted every possible method to simulate Fini's release of the magic, but unfortunately, they were all missing one key component: a System.
This wasn't something that could be used just by knowing the words. Furthermore, they had no idea that Fini only chanted to enhance the power; he didn't actually need the words to release the spell.
However, there was one thing everyone agreed on.
Who, exactly, was the Silver Knight?!
Various underground channels and dark-web sites once again began offering bounties for the Silver Knight's true identity. The sums involved were so astronomical that even Fini himself might have been tempted to turn himself in if he saw them.
In reality, the number of people who knew his identity wasn't exactly small. Almost everyone in Kamar-Taj knew, but outside of those mystical walls, it was only Skye, Pepper, and Tony.
Those three would certainly never reveal his identity. As for the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, it was even less likely. Setting aside Fini's status as the provider of their "meals," the sorcerers themselves were people of profound experience. Even someone like Kaecilius wouldn't betray Fini for mere gold.
The sorcerers all had their own higher pursuits!
Fini, currently unaware that he had become the world's most mysterious individual, was busy cleaning up the remaining stragglers while helping the injured. In the meantime, he was having a quiet chat with Rhodey.
"Did you come up with the nickname 'War Machine' yourself?"
Fini had always been a bit annoyed by his own moniker. He was clearly a mage, yet he had been saddled with the title of a 'Knight.' It didn't sit right with him no matter how he heard it.
"Yeah. Is there a problem with it?"
Having realized that Fini was young and had a decent personality, Rhodey had begun to step out of the shadow cast by that terrifying Explosion Magic. After all, unlike Tony, he wasn't yet familiar with Fini.
"No, it's pretty cool!" Fini replied casually, his mind already spinning with ideas on how to change the 'Silver Knight' nickname.
"What about you?" It was impossible for Rhodey not to be curious about Fini. He carefully scrutinized the 'Incursio' armor for a long time before he couldn't help but ask, "Who built this armor for you?"
"And how does it fly?"
"Uh..." Fini paused, a bit helpless, before answering, "It's an heirloom. And the armor doesn't fly—I fly myself."
"But I don't see any wings on you?" Rhodey blurted out.
"..."
The sheer logic of that statement left Fini momentarily speechless.
Fortunately, Tony interrupted their idle chatter. He looked up at the sky, his voice tense with warning: "Something's coming. Be careful."
If there was anyone who found this turn of events harder to stomach than anyone else, it was Ivan Vanko. He had imagined this would be a joyous feast of revenge, but he never expected things to turn out like this.
He had started with an overwhelming advantage—the ultimate winning hand. How could he possibly lose?!
And then Fini had shown him exactly how.
(End of Chapter)