Impact

After finishing everything, Feeney looked down at the avalanche and thought that if Obadiah still managed to escape after this, he'd just have to accept it.

Though he'd been in too much of a rush to focus properly, and the Golden Great Deduction Technique didn't seem to last long, it should still have been enough for the snow to bury Obadiah.

He hadn't stuffed Iron Monger full of Sumire's Fried Chicken Rolls because he was worried Obadiah might get hungry. He'd done it to limit his movements. Even Tony would have trouble taking off his armor now, and Obadiah's technology was far less advanced.

Once the avalanche hit, if Obadiah dared to open his Face Mask, snow would pour inside. If he kept it shut, the armor would be stuffed full of fried chicken rolls, making it hard to breathe and move—and nearly unbearable.

"What did you just do?"

Tony asked from where Feeney was holding him beneath himself. His energy had been running low, and he'd been focused on controlling his flight, so he hadn't noticed what Feeney had done.

Feeney gazed at the immense avalanche, marveling at the power of nature. When he heard Tony's question, he answered casually, "Nothing. I just treated him to some fried chicken rolls."

"Huh!?"

Tony looked stunned, as though he didn't understand. He'd actually thought Feeney had some way of stopping Obadiah.

"Do you think he'll survive?"

Several dozen minutes passed before Feeney suddenly asked. The massive avalanche was still going, and given what he'd done, Obadiah probably wouldn't survive. That meant he'd just killed someone with his own hands.

"..."

Tony fell silent. In his heart, perhaps he still hoped Obadiah would survive, but he knew the chances were slim. He didn't know what Feeney had done at the end, but it couldn't have been for nothing.

"I'll take care of this, but before that, could you find somewhere to put me down?"

With his energy depleted, Tony could no longer stay airborne. He was currently dangling in the air, held by Feeney's hands.

"Sure!"

Feeney couldn't be bothered to stay any longer. He put Tony down and opened a portal. The battle had effectively ended not long after Obadiah was buried by the avalanche, and Feeney had already earned the experience—more than he'd expected.

Back in Tony's workshop, both of them were exhausted. Feeney immediately dispelled his skill, which made Tony envious. Tony still needed a machine to help him get out of the Mark II.

After Tony had removed his armor, Feeney was ready to leave. Before he did, though, he remembered the reporters from earlier. With S.H.I.E.L.D. uninvolved this time, he was curious about how things would unfold, so he asked:

"Have you figured out what you're going to say tomorrow?"

"Say?" Tony was startled, then seemed to catch on. "You mean the reporters?"

"I had a look just now. The internet's already flooded with reports about you. There's no way to delete them all."

In this information age, even S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't omnipotent. They might have been able to keep things under control before the story spread, but now that it was out, it would be hard to rein it in.

Hearing that, Tony immediately said to Jarvis, "Jarvis, play tonight's report."

"Of course, sir!"

"At approximately 8:40 tonight, a massive explosion occurred at the Arc Reactor Project Area, owned by Stark Industries. Our reporters risked their lives to capture the following footage."

The footage showed Tony fighting Obadiah. Tony had been hiding off to the side, so he hadn't appeared much on camera. The video was so clear it looked like a movie. Someone seeing it for the first time might even mistake it for a film trailer.

"Although Tony Stark announced the closure of the Weapons Division only recently, several pieces of evidence prove that they're still selling weapons. Could this be one of their new weapons? As you can see, they..."

"Regarding Tony Stark..."

"This isn't a film trailer, nor is it special effects. Stark is definitely plotting something in secret. I urge a thorough investigation into them. They..."

People were discussing the incident everywhere—in the news, online, and even in bars and on street corners.

"We'll see what happens tomorrow." Tony's expression was indifferent, giving no hint of what he was thinking. For now, he was more concerned about Pepper and Obadiah.

"By the way, if you can, come by again tomorrow. We'll go check things out."

Whether Obadiah was alive or dead, Tony couldn't just leave him alone. But if Tony flew there in his armor tomorrow, it would be more convenient to have Feeney open a portal.

"Sure."

Feeney nodded. He believed in seeing things through to the end.

If Obadiah had somehow survived and escaped, Feeney would need to be wary of that enemy lurking in the shadows. If he was dead, Feeney bore some responsibility, too, so helping take care of the aftermath was only right.

"I'll head back, then."

As Feeney said goodbye to Tony, somewhere else, a certain bald man with dark skin was flying into a rage.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Triskelion Building.

"I want to know who they are! Where are they now? Tell me, Agent Coulson—what have you found out? Am I supposed to wait until the whole country knows before I find out?"

"I'm very sorry, sir!"

Facing the one-eyed bald man, who was practically spitting in his face, Coulson apologized like a man being unfairly scolded.

"I suspect one of them is Tony Stark. Based on the behavior in the video, the other seems to be a familiar enemy. As for the third, I have no information about him at present, sir!"

"Then go find some!"

Nick Fury glared with his one eye, his face as dark as an egg.

After Coulson left, Nick Fury played the video again in his office, watching without blinking. When he saw Feeney open a portal at the end and take the three of them away, his brow finally furrowed.

"Who are you?"

Nick tapped his fingers on the desk, his one remaining eye full of caution. Tony and Obadiah had fought fiercely, but to him, that was nowhere near as dangerous as Feeney's final move.

Coulson, after being severely reprimanded by his superior, was left racking his brain for a solution. Going straight to Tony for answers was clearly out of the question, so he'd have to try another approach. He opened his phone and found a number.

"Hello, Ms. Potts. This is Agent Phil Coulson. I was wondering if you have a moment. I'd like to ask you a few more questions."

After returning home and washing up, Feeney lay in bed thinking over everything that had happened that day. He might have killed someone, but he wasn't particularly bothered by it.

He felt no fear, no unease, and little guilt. Maybe it was because he didn't know Obadiah well, and Obadiah had been such a bad person!?

Feeney wasn't sure. He hadn't interacted with Obadiah much—in fact, they hadn't even exchanged a single word—but that didn't stop him from knowing Obadiah was a bad person.

Maybe that was why he didn't care!?

Feeney scoffed and shook his head. Ever since he'd learned that this was the Marvel Universe, he'd thought about the possibility of killing people, or aliens, and things like that.

He'd expected he would eventually get used to it, but he hadn't thought it would happen so easily. Either way, it was a good thing. There was no point in brooding over a bad guy.

Putting all that aside, Feeney began to examine what he'd gained that day—the most important thing being experience.

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