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*****
Fini had no desire to join the Avengers. Aside from the fact that he was already a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj, he knew that this team would eventually get tangled up with the government.
Whenever politicians became involved, even the best intentions would sour, and the most cohesive teams would inevitably face an endless string of trouble. Because of this, Fini made a phone call, and only after repeated and insistent demands did he finally secure a meeting with an exceptionally busy Nick Fury.
"I don't recall ever saying I would join the Avengers."
Hearing Fini's opening statement, Nick Fury maintained a thick-skinned expression of complete ignorance. He asked, "What do you mean? Why do you say that?"
Looking at Fury, who was clearly trying to play dumb and gloss over the matter, Fini merely stared back with a cold, piercing gaze.
Right now, the entire world was discussing the members of the Avengers, and he absolutely did not believe that Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. were not manipulating the narrative from the shadows. Furthermore, he strongly suspected that Fury had deliberately dragged him into the mix to use him as a shield to divert the public's attention.
After all, the current members of the Avengers barely had any good publicity to leverage.
The merged entity of Banner and Hulk went without saying; at this stage, people's fear of him still far outweighed their fondness. Hawkeye and Black Widow were both elite S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but the public currently held no good feelings toward S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, which naturally dragged Hawkeye's reputation down with it. As for Black Widow, one look at the glamour-shot photos released by S.H.I.E.L.D. made it obvious they were trying to mitigate the damage, but such a method meant her positive influence was bound to be limited.
Meanwhile, although Thor had attracted a great deal of attention, he was currently back in Asgard. No matter how curious people were, they had no opportunity to actually see him. After a brief wave of curiosity, they gradually pushed him to the back of their minds.
That left only Captain America and Iron Man.
Captain America had already experienced a massive wave of popularity when he was falsely wanted, so people had already discussed him to death. As for Tony Stark, he was already the most active superhero on the planet; even without joining the Avengers, there would never be a shortage of news surrounding him.
Therefore, only Fini—the most mysterious man on Earth, whose body was always enveloped in armor and whose true identity carried a price tag that had reached astronomical heights—remained the ultimate talking point. The revelation that he was supposedly a member of the Avengers was a topic guaranteed to ignite everyone's curiosity and spark endless debate.
Add to that the fact that Fini had disappeared for more than half a year, leaving many wondering where on earth he had gone, and the discussions regarding him instantly became the hottest topic of the moment. It was precisely because of this that Fini had specifically sought out Nick Fury.
"I assume you wouldn't want me to personally step forward and publicly clarify this matter, right?"
Hearing Fini's words, Nick Fury's brow instantly furrowed. He had indeed wanted to utilize Fini's identity and the surrounding hype to divert public attention away from S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra. But the prerequisite for that plan was that Fini remained cooperatively on his side.
Once the intelligence regarding the Battle of New York was fully exposed to the public, the world's understanding of the universe was refreshed, and along with it, their perception of Fini was completely rewritten. Although they had previously known Fini was incredibly powerful, they realized they had still grossly underestimated his strength.
From some of the blurry video footage leaked by S.H.I.E.L.D., it was evident that during the Battle of New York, Fini had practically fought against the entire alien army single-handedly. That massive, majestic Blue-Eyes White Dragon—even rendered in a quality only slightly better than a pixelated mosaic—still exuded a terrifying aura. The blazing crimson flames and the white light of destruction left everyone completely stunned.
When a person is only slightly stronger than you, you might feel envy. But when that person is so strong that you cannot even see their shadow, any thought of comparison or rivalry completely vanishes.
Fini had already been regarded by many as a divine messenger or a Knight of Divine Punishment. The exposure of the Battle of New York's details did not just introduce the Avengers to the world; it pushed Fini's prestige to an absolute peak.
This outcome was actually something Nick Fury had not anticipated. Although he had wanted to use Fini's influence to shift the spotlight, he never expected that it would expand Fini's influence to such an astronomical degree.
Consequently, if Fini were to step out and clarify that he was not a member of the Avengers, regardless of the reason he gave, the public's eyes would inevitably snap right back to S.H.I.E.L.D. If the public ended up uniformally hostile toward S.H.I.E.L.D. because of Fini's rejection, things would become far more troublesome. Therefore, Nick Fury absolutely could not allow Fini to make a public statement.
"Even though I tried my absolute best, a faction of Hydra still managed to escape," Fury explained grimly. "S.H.I.E.L.D. must go into hiding now and avoid drawing any attention. Right now, you are the only one who can help S.H.I.E.L.D. pull this off."
After so many years of deeply rooted infiltration, Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. had long become almost indistinguishable from one another. This internal war couldn't really be called a victory for S.H.I.E.L.D.; it was merely a victory for Nick Fury. Both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra were losers. Following this battle, S.H.I.E.L.D. would no longer be able to cover the sky with one hand in this country as it had done before.
Hearing Nick Fury's justification, Fini let out a cold sneer. "Haven't I helped you enough already? Besides, you didn't even bother to ask me before doing this. Is this how you display an attitude of asking for help?"
"I apologize."
Nick Fury admitted his mistake and apologized with absolute decisiveness.
Although Fini had not personally participated in the direct combat between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra this time, if Fini hadn't given him that initial potion, Fury would have died long ago at the hands of Ghost. Furthermore, without Ava, Pietro, Wanda, and most importantly, Sitwell, it would have been impossible for him to defeat Hydra so securely.
In truth, the situation reaching this point wasn't what Nick Fury had genuinely wanted either. He had only hoped to use Fini to divert a bit of attention, not turn Fini into the definitive guardian deity of Earth.
He looked at Fini and immediately said, "I will find a way to slowly clarify this matter later, but at this stage, I must ensure S.H.I.E.L.D. successfully recedes back into the shadows. Besides, why are you so averse to joining the Avengers?"
If it were actually possible, Nick Fury would very much like Fini to join the Avengers, even if it meant he wouldn't have absolute, total control over the team.
"Many reasons," Fini replied, glancing at Nick Fury without showing the slightest intention of elaborating. He then demanded, "So, when exactly do you plan to clarify this?"
Nick Fury fell silent for a moment before slowly replying, "Once S.H.I.E.L.D. stabilizes."
The war with Hydra had only just concluded, and S.H.I.E.L.D. was currently a chaotic mess. On one hand, Fury had to root out the remaining Hydra agents who had slipped through the net; on the other hand, he had to deal with World Security Council superiors, managing them to ensure S.H.I.E.L.D.'s continued existence.
Furthermore, regarding Fini's current situation, he found himself in a tough spot. It seemed that unless Fini actually joined the Avengers, no amount of public clarification would yield a beneficial outcome for S.H.I.E.L.D.
Hearing Fury's evasive answer, Fini was angered to the point of laughter. He said coldly, "So, by that logic, the timeline is entirely up to you? You'll just explain it whenever you feel like it?"
If S.H.I.E.L.D. failed to stabilize for a long time, was he supposed to wait around for a year or two?
"I will give you exactly one month. If you don't clarify it by then, I will go out and explain it myself."
Fini gave Nick Fury a strict deadline. One month was not exceptionally long, but it was certainly not short either; it was more than enough time for Nick Fury to figure out a solution. Furthermore, next month would mark the alignment of the Convergence. After obtaining the Reality Stone, dealing with Asgard and the Dark Elves would be his most critical task ahead. He had no time to waste lingering around here.
The moment he finished speaking, Fini didn't wait for Nick Fury's response. He directly opened a golden, spinning portal and stepped through it, leaving the office instantly.