Tony knew just how lucky he was. If Ethan hadn't been there, even sacrificing his own life might not have been enough to stop the disaster. New York would have been largely destroyed regardless of what he tried to do.
When they returned to the Avengers' gathering point, Captain America immediately stepped forward and asked the question everyone was thinking.
"Was the missile taken care of?"
Tony nodded and gestured toward Ethan. "Ethan teleported it to an uninhabited desert in New Mexico and detonated it there. There may have been a few casualties, but compared to a nuclear explosion in New York, the damage is practically negligible."
Technically speaking, there was no such thing as a truly uninhabited land anymore.
With modern technology and improved transportation, even the most remote places occasionally attracted travelers, researchers, or reckless adventurers looking for danger. Some people even wandered into barren deserts seeking thrills—or their own end.
This time, however, there was no better choice.
If anyone had happened to be wandering through the Alamogordo desert when the explosion occurred, then all that could be done now was to observe a moment of silence.
Everyone present exhaled in relief.
The nightmare had been averted.
Captain America turned toward Ethan, his expression filled with genuine respect.
"Thank you, Ethan," he said sincerely. "You just saved eight and a half million people in New York."
Ethan shook his head calmly.
"Not me."
The others looked at him with confusion, unsure what he meant. Ethan smiled slightly and corrected himself.
"It was all of us."
Tony immediately snorted.
"Sure, sure—it was all of us," he said smugly. "But Ethan probably gets eighty percent of the credit. I'll generously take ten percent, and the rest of you can split what's left."
Thor crossed his arms and spoke with mild irritation. "Iron Man, I killed plenty of Chitauri myself."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Tony, don't forget the big monsters. Hulk smashed most of those."
"HULK!" the green giant roared proudly, clearly pleased to be included in the discussion.
While the group joked and argued about their contributions, a familiar figure approached from a distance.
Nick Fury walked toward them wearing his usual black trench coat.
Ethan glanced at him with mild curiosity. Every single time he saw Fury, the man was dressed exactly the same way. Ethan couldn't help wondering whether Fury owned any other clothes at all.
Or perhaps the trench coat was simply part of Fury's body at this point.
The first thing Fury said when he arrived was directed at Ethan.
"What I promised you will be delivered in three days."
Fury's tone was calm, but his satisfaction was obvious.
During the Battle of New York, Ethan had played an overwhelming role. Most of the Chitauri forces had been destroyed by him, and even the nuclear missile launched by the World Security Council had been neutralized because of him.
It was no exaggeration to say that Ethan had practically turned the entire battle around by himself.
At the same time, Fury had gained tremendous leverage when reporting the victory to the World Security Council.
Previously, he had been somewhat worried that Ethan might refuse to cooperate or deliberately hold back.
But now it seemed the agency's evaluation of Ethan had been accurate.
Although Ethan often ignored rules and acted unpredictably, he clearly possessed a certain sense of justice.
Of course, if Fury had known the full truth—that the battle could have ended two hours earlier if Ethan had wanted it to—his opinion might have been very different.
Because if the portal had closed earlier, the World Security Council never would have ordered the nuclear strike.
Justice?
Ethan definitely had some.
But if justice and summoning energy ever conflicted, the summoning energy would win every time.
"Ethan, what did that braised egg promise you?" Tony suddenly asked curiously. "Damn it, I should've negotiated my payment before coming here."
Nick Fury's face immediately darkened.
He was painfully aware that Ethan sometimes jokingly called him "braised egg," but at least Ethan had the decency not to say it directly to his face.
Tony, on the other hand, had absolutely no such restraint.
"Tony," Fury said coldly, "don't forget that S.H.I.E.L.D. already pays you a consulting fee every year."
After the events involving Thor, Fury had officially hired Tony as a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D.
Tony's annual payment?
Ten kilograms of vibranium.
"The consulting fee is for consulting," Tony replied immediately. "It's not payment for being a hired thug. Those are two completely different job descriptions."
Tony clearly hoped to squeeze a little more vibranium out of Fury.
Fury simply ignored him.
His attention shifted toward Loki.
"Even if you claim to be a god," Fury said coldly, "you're now in the custody of humans. Loki, as the person responsible for starting the Battle of New York, you will face judgment under human law."
Loki said nothing.
Instead, he casually glanced toward Ethan from the corner of his eye.
The meaning of the look was obvious.
Big brother… you promised.
Thor stood nearby looking extremely uncomfortable.
On one hand, Loki was his brother.
On the other hand, Thor had just fought in the battle himself. He had seen the destruction firsthand and knew many innocent people had died.
Those deaths were ultimately Loki's responsibility.
And as a warrior of Asgard, Thor believed such crimes deserved punishment.
At that moment, Ethan spoke.
"I think Loki should be handed over to Thor and taken back to Asgard for trial."
Tony immediately frowned.
"Why?" he asked seriously. "Ethan, Loki started this war. We can't just let him walk away."
Most of the Avengers nodded in agreement.
Aside from Thor, everyone else clearly supported Tony's stance.
Ethan calmly explained his reasoning.
"Don't forget something important. Loki is Thor's brother. He's also Odin's son—raised by Odin for more than a thousand years, even if he was adopted."
He paused before continuing.
"And Odin is one of the most powerful beings in the entire universe."
Seeing that some of them still didn't fully grasp the implication, Ethan simplified the explanation.
"If you need a comparison… imagine a hundred versions of me fighting Odin."
He shrugged.
"All hundred would still lose."
The Avengers exchanged uneasy glances.
"Never underestimate how protective an old father can be," Ethan added casually. "Besides, I believe Asgard will punish Loki appropriately. Right, Thor?"
Thor immediately nodded.
"Of course," he said firmly. "Loki will be imprisoned in Asgard for the rest of his life."
He shot Ethan a grateful look.
Thor knew exactly what Ethan had done for him.
If Loki remained on Earth, death would be the only outcome waiting for him. As Loki's brother, Thor could never stand by and watch that happen.
If the Avengers insisted on executing Loki, Thor would have been forced to fight them to protect him.
Nick Fury thought about the situation for a moment before nodding.
"Very well," he said.
Thor quietly exhaled in relief.
Then he suddenly remembered something.
"This time I came to Earth not only to capture Loki," Thor said. "I was also supposed to retrieve the Tesseract so Asgard can repair the Bifrost. Where is it now?"
"Thor," Ethan replied calmly, "I know the Tesseract originally belonged to Asgard. But right now it's my trophy."
After finally obtaining the Space Stone, there was no way Ethan would simply hand it over.
Thor looked awkward.
Ethan had helped him before, and he had just defended Loki as well. Asking Ethan to surrender the Tesseract now felt incredibly uncomfortable.
But Ethan continued speaking before Thor could say anything else.
"That said, lending it to you temporarily isn't a problem."
Thor immediately relaxed.
"Thank you, Prophet," he said gratefully. "Once the Bifrost is repaired, I'll return the Tesseract to you."
In Thor's mind, the Tesseract was simply an energy source.
It was useful, certainly, but not truly valuable—certainly not compared to something like Mjolnir.
Ethan removed the cube and handed it to Thor.
At that moment, Tony suddenly clapped his hands together.
"Hey, guys," he said with a grin. "I know a great barbecue place nearby. Anyone feel like grabbing something to eat?"
....
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