You can read ahead up to 70 chapters on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GGS6395
"From my perspective, my loyalties don't require anyone else's approval."
Arthur offered a faint smile. "But I do respect your dedication, Nick… and I genuinely look forward to seeing where your path leads."
Fury stared intently at Arthur. In the next blink, the man was gone, completely vanished, as if the space he occupied had simply folded itself away.
A faint, unsettling sense of loss washed over Fury.
"I must be getting old," Fury mumbled, rubbing his face tiredly with both hands. He stood up and left the room.
He couldn't recall the last time he stood on a skyscraper's edge, just watching the city sprawl below.
It felt like so much had changed over time. He used to focus fiercely on the chaos of one city. Then his focus widened to the entire world. And now… his gaze was constantly fixed on the stars.
Arthur stood there, absorbing the neon glow and the restless flow of traffic. "Am I… getting too deep into the role?" he murmured to himself.
If someone plays the part of a hero for long enough, they eventually start to embody it.
That's precisely how Arthur felt now: he should do certain things, rather than merely wanting to do them.
His motivation was no longer thrill or curiosity, but a heavy sense of duty and commitment. Of course, the lingering pressure and fear that Thanos once represented still haunted the back of his mind.
Yet, now he felt he possessed the strength to face any challenge without flinching.
Even if the real Thanos arrived, a confrontation wouldn't be impossible, …assuming Thanos was foolish enough to agree to a fair one-on-one duel.
Thanos was never a lone wolf. His dominance over the cosmos stemmed not only from his personal might but from his staggering armada.
Arthur glanced up at the distant moon. The plan was in motion.
What began as a fantasy was being transformed into reality by Tony and Banner. Once the Interstellar Warship was completed, their faction's military power would leap up several tiers.
And if Tony truly succeeded in completing the AI project, bringing everything under central control, the overall combat capability of Camp Lehigh would become a force the entire universe would have to reckon with.
"As long as everything goes according to plan…" Arthur whispered.
"What plan is that?" A voice drifted in from behind him, clear and familiar.
The corner of Arthur's mouth curved up. "You know exactly what plan."
"Your schemes are getting wilder by the day. I can barely keep up anymore." The newcomer stood beside Arthur, setting his iconic shield down beside him. Following Arthur's gaze, he too looked down at the city.
Out of his peripheral vision, he noticed a figure in tight red spandex swinging awkwardly between the buildings like some kind of acrobatic menace…
Both men decided to pretend they hadn't seen anything.
"Are you ready?" Arthur asked.
"What kind of 'ready' are we talking about?" Steve glanced at Arthur, and noticed Arthur's eyes were locked on a specific spot, watching with unusual intensity and focus.
Steve followed his line of sight, but saw absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.
But Arthur wasn't the kind of person whose attention was held for no reason.
"Ready to track down our old enemy," Arthur said, his gaze deepening. "Another journey out into the universe."
"I thought you'd stick around to keep an eye on Fury," Steve noted.
"…Do you really think I have the time or the patience for that?" Arthur replied. "We'll leave enough capable people here on Earth. Our target is the stars and the void."
"That sounds more like you," Steve commented, then realized Arthur was still staring in that same direction, observing intently. Sometimes he frowned. Sometimes his expression softened. Sometimes his lips curled slightly. Sometimes he let out a dramatic sigh…
What in the world was holding his attention? What on earth was going on over there?
Steve strained his eyes, but still couldn't detect anything unusual.
No villain was bullying innocent people, no disaster was unfolding. Everything appeared perfectly peaceful, and the spot Arthur was fixated on didn't seem to be on the ground, but perhaps the third or fourth floor of a nearby building?
What could possibly be there? That weirdo in the red spandex?
If it was that guy, then yes, it might be compelling enough to capture Arthur's attention… But why couldn't Steve see anything?
The building's exterior was clean and unremarkable. Nothing seemed remotely out of place. No surprises. No anomalies.
"So, if you're free, come with me," Arthur said. "This time, it's about a final resolution."
"I'm in!"
Steve nodded immediately. That went without saying. There were certain things he absolutely had to be there for. But even so, he couldn't help his curiosity:
"Seriously, what were you looking at?"
"Hmm?" Arthur turned to Steve with an air of innocence, then patted his shoulder. "Over there, fourth floor, there was a beautiful woman taking a shower just now."
"..."
Steve felt, quite definitively, that his soul had been played with.
Some preparations could wait, but others needed immediate attention.
Steve had rested sufficiently since returning from space. The only reason Arthur had sought him out today was that he had a brief errand outside of Camp Lehigh and knew Steve was nearby, so he dropped by to say hello.
Upon returning to Camp Lehigh, Arthur called for a small, critical meeting.
But even before the scheduled time arrived, a handsome, dark-skinned man had already returned from his distant homeland.
"Arthur, you owe me a massive thank you. You genuinely wouldn't believe how difficult this was." T'Challa opened with an undeniably smug, triumphant tone.
Arthur couldn't help but laugh. "If you want, I can offer you a raise."
"…That is truly insulting!"
Would T'Challa, the ruler of an entire nation, care about a salary?
To Tony Stark, money was just a set of digits. To T'Challa, money wasn't even digits… it was a meaningless concept!
Arthur sighed dramatically. "Do you even realize what you're turning down? The raise I offered you could feed the population of a struggling nation for an entire year."
"Then my suggestion is that you channel those funds directly to the people who need them," T'Challa countered. "My father, by the way, did not agree to your full proposal."
Arthur nodded. "That's expected. If he had agreed completely, I would have found that genuinely suspicious."
"However, he is willing to conduct a preliminary technological integration with us," T'Challa continued, a slight lift in his voice. "I don't know what that truly means for either side, but I also secured approval to set up a branch of your operations inside Wakanda. And if you trust me, I can serve as the director. I'll make sure many technologies that the main headquarters might normally be denied will be discreetly funneled through the branch to HQ."
Arthur mulled over the details for a long moment, slowly realizing what the proud King was actually doing…
Could this be the legendary maneuver of... Screwing over his own father for the greater good?
(End of Chapter)