Chapter 129: Changes in Strength
Tony had kept his secret well; there hadn't been any rumors about Kassadin spreading around the island.
"Will you be taking Miss Sonya with you when you leave?"
Although Tony had no intention of exposing anything, he couldn't resist asking a rather gossip-filled question. The moment he asked, Sonya felt a slight jolt and glanced over at Kassadin.
"Tony, don't start with the jokes," Harvey interjected, his tone exasperated as he watched Tony's nosy expression.
"I'm not joking," Tony replied, still curious. "You've had Miss Sonya looking after you all this time. What are you going to do when you go back and there's no one to take care of you? You think you'll get by on your own?"
"Remember when I first arrived here? You got me a secretary right away. Without Pepper by my side, I wouldn't have been able to adapt to this place."
Tony spread his hands, an expression of seriousness on his face.
"I know you're the type who needs someone to take care of you, but do you have to be so proud about it?" Harvey responded, clearly unimpressed by Tony's self-satisfaction.
"It's the truth! What's there to be ashamed of?" Tony replied, shrugging it off as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"Sonya has to manage the island," Harvey explained. "There are a lot of things only she can handle, so she can't come with me. Besides, I didn't have anyone looking after me before, and I was fine. I'll just have to adjust when I first get there."
He glanced over at Sonya, then back to Tony.
"Yeah, I get it. The island wouldn't run as smoothly without her," Tony acknowledged, conceding the point. He turned to Sonya, offering a helpless shrug, as if to say there was nothing more he could do.
As someone well-versed in romance, Tony could see that Sonya had feelings for Harvey. It was obvious. All it would take was a small signal from Harvey, and she'd be more than willing to take things further.
But for some reason, Harvey hadn't acted on it. Tony couldn't understand why. There was no way Harvey was shy or worried about the relationship complicating things. That was impossible.
Hell, if Harvey had any qualms about it, Tony would bet his life on the fact they weren't genuine concerns. After all, if Tony ever wanted to sneak around behind Pepper's back, he'd do it without hesitation. He'd just be careful enough not to get caught.
And with Harvey's ability to travel across galaxies in seconds and change his appearance at will, he could probably have a wife on every planet without breaking a sweat.
Over the past ten months, Tony had also noticed that while Sonya didn't entirely fit Harvey's criteria for strength, she certainly met the other two—she was gorgeous and incredibly smart. Her work ethic was flawless too.
Sonya noticed Tony's gesture toward her and shook her head, smiling.
"I'll be getting back to work on the AI systems now. I won't interrupt your little one-on-one time any longer."
Tony had originally come by to discuss business, but the conversation had veered into talk of returning to Earth after Sonya had brought it up. With everything squared away, Tony said a few more words before making his exit.
"Don't take Tony's words too seriously," Harvey said after Tony flew off in his Iron Man suit. "He's got a sharp tongue, but he's a good guy."
"I know," Sonya replied. Despite feeling a little flustered by Tony's mention of "alone time," she didn't show it, smiling politely instead.
Harvey, noticing that Sonya didn't blush or seem overly concerned, admitted to himself that sometimes, even he had difficulty reading her emotions.
"When I'm away on Earth and things get busy here," Harvey continued, "don't be afraid to cut back on some of the orders. We've got plenty of time on our hands, so making a little less money won't hurt us. What's more important is keeping an eye on the people here on the island and making sure you continue to grow stronger."
Since they were already talking about Earth, Harvey decided to offer some advice.
Sonya could tell that Kassadin would be gone for quite some time. His words only confirmed her thoughts.
"I'll handle things to the best of my ability, Mr. Kassadin. There's no need for you to worry," Sonya replied. "I'll get back to work now. I haven't responded to those people after receiving Mr. Tony's final decision."
Even though part of her wanted to tell him to return soon, her position didn't allow for such sentiments. So instead, she simply nodded and smiled before walking away.
"Alright, go ahead," Harvey nodded back.
As Sonya left, Harvey found himself alone in the living room. He casually picked up the drink she had prepared for him, sipping it as his thoughts wandered.
The fact that there were no major disasters or monsters to feast on in the universe had significantly slowed his evolution. At this point, each upgrade required two million energy points.
His extravagant five-meal-a-day diet came at a high cost, and he was only managing to gain about 370,000 energy points per day. So, after ten months, he had only evolved fifty-five more times, bringing his total to 587.
Kha'Zix's skills have also evolved significantly:
Unseen Threat, Level 50: If the target within five meters is alone, they'll be considered isolated. In this state, your cutting and piercing abilities are massively enhanced.
Taste Their Fear, Level 80: You strike forty times in an instant. If the target is isolated, the power increases dramatically.
Void Spike, Level 80: Releases explosive spikes of venom in all directions. If a target is hit, it restores your life force and accelerates healing. Currently, it has a 360-degree radius and covers ten kilometers.
Leap, Level 80: Leaps with immense power, significantly increasing jump distance, impact force, and flight speed.
Void Assault, Level 80: Allows you to slip into the darkness of the Void, massively increasing your speed and allowing you to phase through matter undetected.
Additionally, his Void Skin had evolved 150 times, his Mental Resistance 65 times, and Breathing twice.
As long as he didn't threaten Earth directly, the Ancient One wouldn't move against him. Even if she did, he was confident enough to escape if necessary.
Harvey's power gave him confidence and a sense of security. As long as he could prevent Thanos from collecting all six Infinity Stones, or perhaps seize them for himself, there would be no need to worry about getting snapped out of existence with the snap of a finger.