The faces of the Council members were grim.
The Time Stone was in the hands of the Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange. How could that possibly be considered under their control?
But at this point, comforting themselves with that illusion was all they could do.
Because the only alternative was war with Nolan.
And none of them could even imagine what such a war would look like.
Even if Hela were completely removed from the equation, facing Nolan alone was already beyond their ability to predict.
Not to mention Hela's allegiance remained unknown.
Until they confirmed where Hela stood, they absolutely could not risk going to war with Nolan.
Maria Hill listened silently as the Council argued.
Her expression wasn't pleasant, but she understood the situation well enough to keep quiet.
She simply waited for them to reach a conclusion before conveying it to Nolan.
The discussion was fierce, but it didn't last long.
Only a few minutes later, the Chairman looked at Maria Hill and spoke.
"Tell Nolan Lock we've decided to compromise."
"But he must guarantee that he will never use the Infinity Stones to threaten Earth."
"And at least one of the Stones must remain under Earth's surveillance."
The reason was simple.
Even if they were willing to compromise, they couldn't allow every Infinity Stone to disappear completely from their sight.
If they could at least monitor one Stone...
Granted, the idea was almost laughable.
Someone as powerful as Nolan undoubtedly had countless ways to fool any surveillance system.
But they had no better option.
This was nothing more than a way to preserve a shred of dignity.
Maria Hill could only nod helplessly.
She reactivated the call.
"Fine."
"We agree."
"But you must guarantee that at least one Infinity Stone remains under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance."
"It can stay in your possession, but there must always be a S.H.I.E.L.D. camera monitoring its location."
"If you can't even agree to that..."
"I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to go to war."
"I accept."
Nolan smiled.
The request was practically meaningless.
Even Red Queen could fabricate a flawless stream of fake surveillance footage.
Of course, Nolan understood exactly what this was.
The Council had already surrendered.
This was simply their last attempt to save face.
Since he had already secured the real prize, he had no interest in embarrassing them further.
Hearing his agreement, the Council members all let out quiet sighs of relief.
To be honest, they had feared Nolan would reject even this symbolic concession.
At least he was still willing to give them a little room to breathe.
That alone was enough.
After hanging up, Nolan looked toward the others.
Their expressions were all rather complicated.
He didn't care.
Tony Stark let out a whistle.
"You bastard."
"I honestly didn't expect those old Council guys to fold so easily."
Tony understood perfectly.
Although Maria Hill had spoken to Nolan directly, she had never been representing S.H.I.E.L.D.
She represented the entire World Security Council.
The highest governing authority on Earth.
Since they had compromised, it meant the world's governments could no longer restrain Nolan.
From this moment forward, Nolan's status had risen to an entirely different level.
Tony merely shrugged.
There was no point comparing himself to Nolan anymore.
He had already accepted reality.
Take Nolan out of the equation, and he was still Iron Man.
"Dammit..."
Tony grumbled to himself.
Could he still even call himself Iron Man?
Even so, after glancing at Nolan, he suddenly felt much lighter.
Trying to compete with someone like him was exhausting.
It was far easier to accept reality.
Whenever Earth faced another catastrophe, Nolan would step forward anyway.
Having someone that powerful on humanity's side wasn't exactly a bad deal.
Of course, Tony still had no intention of giving up.
If one day he built an armor capable of standing against Nolan...
He would absolutely let Nolan know.
But until then...
He was content to avoid the issue.
Nolan shrugged.
"If you had my strength, I imagine the Council would compromise with you too."
"And honestly, I don't think I've done anything wrong."
"Some people may believe keeping these Stones threatens Earth's safety."
"But if they were in someone else's hands, I'd feel exactly the same."
"At least I've saved Earth countless times."
"So I believe I'm the safest person to keep them."
"As for everyone else..."
"Sorry."
"I don't trust them."
"Maybe."
Bruce Banner sighed helplessly.
"You're the boss."
"Your call."
He hadn't forgotten that he was still an employee of Lock Technologies.
And the man standing before him was his boss.
Nolan simply smiled.
Bruce was technically his employee.
But more importantly...
He was his friend.
There was no need to complicate things.
Tony grinned.
"So..."
"What now?"
"Thanos is dead."
"Earth should finally be safe."
"How about a luxurious vacation in Hawaii?"
He shot Nolan a meaningful look.
The implication couldn't have been clearer.
Nolan chuckled.
"That actually sounds like a great idea."
"Once I finish cleaning up everything here..."
"Maybe we can head to Hawaii together."
"Hey!"
"So you guys are planning a vacation without inviting me?"
Peter Quill protested loudly, looking thoroughly offended.
He had always been the type to make friends quickly.
After fighting side by side, he already considered everyone here his companions.
Now they were planning a vacation without him?
That was unacceptable.
"Hawaii..."
"Just hearing the name makes it sound amazing."
Quill's eyes sparkled.
He had left Earth when he was still a child.
Most of his memories of the planet had long since faded.
Compared to Earth, he knew far more about the Ravagers and the stars.
Yondu merely glanced at Quill without saying a word.
The war was over.
Whatever Quill wanted to do was his own business.
Besides...
Hawaii sounded interesting.
This beautiful blue planet probably had plenty of breathtaking places worth visiting.
Nolan looked around at everyone and smiled.
"In that case..."
"Once everything here is settled..."
"If anyone wants to visit Hawaii..."
"You're welcome to join us."
"My treat."
Several people's eyes immediately lit up.
Many of them had never been to Hawaii.
Peter Parker was one of them.
As Spider-Man, he spent nearly all of his time fighting criminals.
He wasn't exactly wealthy.
Vacations weren't cheap.
He'd never had the time or money to travel.
The only trips he'd ever taken were school field trips.
Needless to say...
He was genuinely excited.
Of course, not everyone cared.
Thor, for example.
He had been to Hawaii more than once.
With his abilities, traveling there was effortless.
He had even taken Jane there several times.
It was beautiful.
But after visiting repeatedly, the novelty had long since faded.
Right now...
He had something far more important on his mind.
Valkyrie.
She had agreed to come to Earth and fight to protect Asgard.
More importantly...
Thor had used Hela's whereabouts to persuade her to come.
Yet despite the war lasting this long...
There had been no sign of Hela.
For someone who had devoted her life to avenging her fallen sisters...
Valkyrie had undoubtedly spent every moment searching for Hela.
With that thought, Thor walked over to Nolan.
In a lowered voice, he asked,
"Mr. Lock..."
"Do you know where Hela is?"
He had developed quite a headache over the matter.
Recently, he'd heard more than once that Hela maintained regular contact with Nolan.
That only made him more uneasy.
If those two ever joined forces...
No.
Even if Nolan stayed completely neutral...
Asgard would still pay a terrible price defeating Hela.
Thor couldn't accept that.
He didn't want his people to suffer another devastating war.
The problem was...
He had no idea how to prevent it.
Nolan glanced at him.
"So..."
"You want to settle things with Hela?"
"Honestly..."
"I don't think your chances are very good."
"If you insist on fighting..."
"I'm not convinced you'll be the one walking away victorious."
Thor frowned.
"Impossible."
"Hela is powerful."
"But Asgard isn't what it used to be."
"I have Loki."
"And Valkyrie."
"Valkyrie is incredibly strong."
"Together, there's no way we can't defeat Hela."
Nolan shook his head.
"The two of you aren't enough."
His blunt answer made Thor frown even deeper.
He was about to argue...
When suddenly, Valkyrie strode over.
Her eyes were ice cold.
"You know where Hela is?"
There wasn't the slightest attempt to hide the hostility in her gaze.
Nolan looked at her calmly.
"And what does that have to do with you?"
"Why should I tell you?"
His expression carried unmistakable contempt.
He found this woman unbearably arrogant.
Even more irritating than Captain Marvel.
The reason was simple.
Carol Danvers' confidence had been forged through years of protecting countless civilizations.
Her overwhelming strength and endless victories had naturally shaped her personality.
Countless worlds across the universe admired and revered her.
Her pride made sense.
But Valkyrie?
Nolan had never heard of any remarkable accomplishments from her.
He had no strong opinion of her before today.
But walking up to him with that attitude?
That alone was enough to destroy any favorable impression.
And after behaving like this...
She still expected him to tell her where Hela was?
What a joke.
Since when had Nolan ever been that accommodating?
Unfortunately...
Valkyrie had no idea what he was thinking.
She simply repeated coldly,
"So..."
"You do know where Hela is."
The chill in her voice deepened.
Even Thor's expression changed.
This was Nolan.
Even Thor himself wouldn't dare speak to Nolan that way.
The reason was obvious.
Nolan's strength had already surpassed everyone's imagination.
Even Thanos had failed to dominate him.
Yet Thanos had effortlessly crushed all of them.
The difference was beyond comparison.
How could Valkyrie possibly dare provoke Nolan like this?
Did she really think he wouldn't retaliate?
Nolan's face slowly turned cold.
"I do know where Hela is."
"But unfortunately..."
"I have no intention of telling you."
"If you're determined to find out..."
"Feel free to try another method."
"Perhaps..."
"You can force the information out of me."
The instant those words fell...
Rage blazed in Valkyrie's eyes.
She was about to make her move.
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