"I want to visit the City of Hades again, and I want to meet Mr. Aaron in person!" Tony said to J.A.R.V.I.S. after the Avengers had left the building.
There weren't many ways to contact the City of Hades. After all, Aaron had stopped appearing in front of people after acquiring the global industry.
The only information about Aaron was the scattered images that had been circulated and were now regarded as prophecies. As for the man himself—the talented painter—very few people had actually seen him.
"J.A.R.V.I.S, can you reach Mr. Aaron?"
"I'm sorry, sir. The City of Hades, where Aaron is located, seems to be outside of this dimension. I cannot send any notifications there."
"So..."
There was a saying in the legends: call the name of a god, and the god will hear your voice. As a staunch materialist, Tony had never believed in destiny or gods. He didn't even believe in God. In a country where faith was often considered a necessity, Tony had managed to run a powerful military-industrial conglomerate without it. This kind of behavior, not believing in God, would have long since been swallowed up by other groups.
In this seemingly free country, neither human rights, nor race, nor even beliefs were truly free.
"Calling the name of a god..." Tony put down what he was holding and sat on the sofa, quietly recalling the scene when he first entered Aaron's gallery. Gradually, a name that was both familiar and unfamiliar appeared in his mind.
"Hades..."
In an instant, a familiar aura appeared beside him. Tony looked back in shock, only to find Aaron sitting there indifferently. He picked up the half-finished red wine on the table and poured himself a glass.
This man... no! This god! He had just appeared behind him so naturally, without any emotion. He was indifferent, yet not as aloof as the legends suggested.
"Lord Hades?"
Aaron walked over, a wine glass in his hand, a mysterious blue glow in his eyes. Tony had never seen such eyes—so pure and without a trace of desire. Pure eyes were the window to a person's soul, and Tony had never seen a soul so devoid of any desire in all his decades of life. Aaron was the first, and he would probably be the last.
"I wondered who was calling me. The voice was familiar, but I didn't expect it to be you, old friend."
This term, "old friend," was a sign of Aaron's recognition of Stark. Although they had only met once, the only other person Aaron called a friend was Spider-Man, Parker, whom he had met when he first awakened. Even now, one had become New York City's friendly neighborhood hero, and the other a true god. Yet Aaron didn't want Parker's soul to fall into his world.
Now, the second person Aaron called a friend was Tony. This was because, in the endless years and future timelines, this man was worthy of a god's respect. Although he was a playboy and a free spirit, he was able to turn the tide and save lives. This kind of person could go to hell.
"Mr. Aaron? I didn't expect you to come in person..."
"You want to visit the City of Hades?" With just one glance, Aaron saw through Tony's thoughts. In that battle in space, Aaron's pawn had destroyed the entire Dark Elves' fleet with a simple wave of the hand, and the red and gold figure that had appeared behind him was Tony. Aaron didn't care about it, but Tony was treating it as his personal nightmare. If this nightmare wasn't resolved, he wouldn't be able to rest.
"In that case, I will take you with me to the Underworld!"
Tony didn't even have time to react. A dark door opened to one side, and countless galaxies appeared before his eyes. "This is... the universe?" To span the entire universe with the power of the body alone—how powerful was this Underworld?
Aaron entered this world with Tony, arriving at the edge of the Underworld.
"You are the first human to enter here in the flesh, Tony..."
"The first?" Sure enough, Aaron was no longer human.
"I saw your future, your future achievements, and that is why I brought you into this world..."
"This is the world of death..."
The Power of a God
"However, this is also the world of the living..." As Aaron spoke, he waved his hand, and the darkness in front of him dispersed, revealing a mysterious, uncreated space. "In my name, a family shall be born in the depths of this Underworld!"
With his words, a new race was born on the edge of the Underworld.
"Dark Elves?"
That's right, these were the same race as the Dark Elves, created by Aaron based on their template. But unlike Malekith's elves, these could use magic and were masters of the bow and arrow. This was the power of a god—to create a world, to create a race. How could a human being reach such a miraculous level?
"Can humans truly not reach the level of a god?" Tony stared into the space and asked softly.
Upon hearing this, Aaron laughed. "Humans want to replace the gods. Why not?"
The three brothers—Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon—were the children of the Titan King from ancient times. They inherited the power of the Titan gods. However, for all of them, whether it was Hades or Athena, every time a new human awakened to their power, it was a stage of re-awakening the will of the gods.
The will of the gods no longer existed in this world. But to use a human body to reach the level of a god? That was too simple.
"Here. Take this..." Aaron flipped his hands, and a piece of metal the size of a human body appeared before Tony's eyes.
"This is Orihalcon steel. You can also call it Kobelco. It is the hardest metal in the world, without a doubt."
"I believe that with your wisdom, you will be able to create armor that can rival the gods. Believe in yourself, Stark..."
After speaking, Aaron waved his hand, and Tony disappeared from this world.
When he woke up, Tony found a small pentagram symbol on the back of his hand. This was the mark of the Underworld. The soul of a person with this mark could not escape from the Underworld, no matter what. From this moment on, Tony Stark was a man of the Underworld.
(End of Chapter)
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