"Hm. Compared to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s so-called 'Super Soldier Program,' you people really do seem far more reliable."
After fastening the pale-blue bracelet around his wrist, streams of information flooded directly into Tony Stark's consciousness.
Only then did he truly grasp how terrifying the Hero League actually was.
Being openly mocked for the "Avengers Initiative" made Phil Coulson's face darken instantly.
But under Ulric Cinder's oppressive presence, he didn't dare say a word—only silently etched Tony Stark's name into his mental blacklist.
"Wait—what's this D-Class Hero designation?"
"The lowest hero rank."
"No, no, no," Tony protested. "You're telling me that I—Iron Man—only rank that low?"
"Of course not," Aiden Cross replied calmly. "With your current armor, you already possess C-Class combat power."
"But unless you can personally defeat a Dragon-level disaster, your hero rank can only be raised gradually through energy points."
"..."
Aside from the initial five core members, any heroes who joined later would not receive special promotion through the chairman's authority unless they possessed the power to solo a Dragon-level threat.
At present, Iron Man was still getting crushed by Tiger-level monsters—Dragon-level disasters that could annihilate multiple cities were completely out of his league.
That meant he would be staying at D-Class, First Seat for quite some time.
Nick Fury watched Tony and Aiden Cross converse, then fell silent.
He already knew—
Iron Man had completely aligned himself with the Hero League.
Without another word, Fury stood up and headed for the door.
"Director?" Coulson followed immediately.
"We need to investigate internally," Fury said grimly.
"If Hydra truly still exists—and has already infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.—then the situation is far worse than we imagined."
Aiden Cross didn't care in the slightest about their departure.
In his eyes, the entirety of S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't worth as much as a single Iron Man.
Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Captain America had some value—but compared to Tony Stark's combined research potential and combat scalability, they fell far short.
"Alright," Aiden Cross said, standing up from the sofa.
"Unless there's a special circumstance, the Hero League won't issue mandatory recruitment orders."
"You're free to do whatever you want—develop new armor, or go out hunting monsters."
Gurgle—
Seraphina Dawnshield staggered out of the villa's basement.
In her arms was a massive crate filled with wine bottles—every single one a vintage Lafite.
As for basement security codes?
Irrelevant.
A single Divine Fist Warning had blown a hole straight through the wall.
"Hey! You—put that Lafite down!" Tony shouted.
"Don't be stingy," Seraphina replied cheerfully.
"Good things are meant to be shared."
"You don't even taste it! And those bottles are practically extinct!"
Watching Seraphina drink priceless wine like plain water made Tony's heart bleed.
He wasn't an alcoholic—but savoring a glass now and then was a pleasure.
And Lafite from that year?
Nearly unobtainable, even with unlimited money.
Yet while everyone was distracted, Seraphina had cleaned out his entire hidden stash.
"Look on the bright side," Aiden Cross said lightly.
"You can't beat her anyway."
"I—"
Tony felt like he'd swallowed a fly.
As Aiden Cross said, even if he wanted revenge, reality wouldn't allow it.
The most likely outcome was being pinned to the floor and beaten senseless.
Given Tony's pride, he might very well design something like an Anti-Paladin Armor someday—just as he once did for the Hulk.
[Ding — Hero League Notification]
Member 'Gareth Ironblade' has slain a Tiger-level disaster. Energy gained: 5 (Chairman gains 50).
[Ding — Hero League Notification]
Member 'Gareth Ironblade' has slain a Wolf-level disaster. Energy gained: 0.2 (Chairman gains 2).
[Ding — Hero League Notification]
Member 'Titan Valor' has slain a Demon-level disaster. Energy gained: 20 (Chairman gains 180).
[...]
A cascade of kill notifications erupted across the Chairman's Ring.
Only Aiden Cross could perceive them.
In moments, his energy total surged past 1028 points—enough for ten full random summons.
However, such a concentrated wave of monster deaths felt… wrong.
It was likely that among the beings awakened by Monster Factors over the past month, a leadership structure had begun to form—testing the boundaries of this unknown force.
Otherwise, disorganized monsters would never converge so deliberately on the Hero League's perimeter.
"Let's go. We're heading back."
"It seems we have… visitors."
"Yes, Senior."
"At your command, my lord."
"Hey—wait! At least let me bring the wine with us!"
Seraphina hugged the crate possessively, utterly reluctant.
Tony's eyelid twitched violently.
If not for the risk of being punched into orbit, he would have protested immediately.
"Do you want me to send you off with my private helicopter?" Tony asked.
"Or are you flying back?"
"No need," Aiden Cross replied.
"Any Hero League member can initiate a ten-second transfer countdown and teleport directly to headquarters."
"…What kind of black-tech nonsense is that?"
Tony stared blankly.
This was far beyond anything modern science could explain.
A blue teleportation array spread beneath the group's feet.
After a ten-second countdown, space folded—
And the four figures vanished instantly, transported back to Hero League Headquarters.
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