Chapter 118

Ivan walked slowly in his prisoner suit, entered his cell, and sat down.

He didn't believe he would be in this place for too long. Soon someone would get him out. His knowledge was invaluable at the moment.

And as he expected, not even a day passed before he received signals to escape. They handed him a bomb that he used to blow up the door. There was chaos in the prison, so he easily made his way out with the help of some guards.

Ivan was escorted into a car before being taken somewhere.

He smiled slightly, wondering who his captor was.

With his knowledge of the Arc reactor, it wouldn't be difficult to create several suits somewhat inferior to Stark's. But if there are enough of them, it's still possible to defeat him.

Furthermore, his own suit needs many improvements. Before, he did what he could with what he had, but with a sponsor loaded with money, things are easier.

Ivan was quickly taken out of the vehicle and brought before a man he recognized.

Justin Hammer.

Ivan couldn't help but feel pleased to see him. An idiot like Justin is easy to manipulate.

Fortunately, he didn't end up in the hands of some strange organization.

"Look who's here, my number one idol," Justin said loudly with a smile.

"Come on, let him go," Justin said when he saw that Ivan was still handcuffed.

With hesitation, the guards quickly released them before Justin dismissed them.

"I'm Justin Hammer," he said, shaking Ivan's hand.

Ivan just shook his hand and nodded.

"Come on, have a seat," Justin said.

"We have everything. Order whatever you want," Justin said while eating ice cream.

"You see, I invited you here because I really admire you. No one dares to mock Tony as you did since he got that suit. You stood up and challenged him, unfortunately, he wasn't there," Justin said, shaking his head in pity. It would have been great to see the fight.

"But it's not enough to kill him and be done with it. You have to end his legacy, erase his name, make him forgotten," Justin said.

Justin continued talking for a long while, motivating Ivan and giving him reasons to work with him.

"Alright," Ivan said, nodding in agreement with the proposal to work together.

Not that he had another choice, and he really wanted to ruin Stark.

"Also, I want my bird. I sold it before leaving Russia since it was possible that I would die or never return," Ivan said with his Russian accent.

"Hm... sure, with money, nothing is impossible," Justin said, surprised for a moment before laughing.

Both of them ate and boarded Justin's jet before flying to New York.

...

The next day.

"You're telling me there was an explosion a few hours after Ivan entered prison, and he died?" Tony asked mockingly Rhodes.

"That's the official report, although it's clearly very suspicious," Rhodes said.

He had come to visit Tony in his own armor to inform him about Ivan. After all, Ivan was likely still seeking revenge.

"They're a bunch of idiots. I wonder who was responsible. It must have been someone who was in Monaco, so they could react faster than the others," Tony said.

"It's still unknown. I'm pushing for an investigation," Rhodes said, shaking his head.

"Well, whatever happens, happens," Tony said, shaking his head.

"Be careful. After all, he's coming for you," Rhodes said, nodding before flying away in his armor.

"I'm not worried about myself," Tony muttered, thinking of Pepper. She was the one who could truly be in danger.

Tony hesitated for a while before taking out his phone and dialing Damian's number.

He didn't like asking Damian for help. Damian was his friend, and he already felt indebted to him. He didn't want to become dependent on his favors.

"Hello," Tony said softly.

"Hey, Tony, what's up?" Damian asked, smiling.

"I'm sure you know about Monaco," Tony said.

"Yeah, it was pretty boring. I was hoping for a good fight. Did you chicken out?" Damian joked.

"Screw you, I would have torn him to pieces," Tony said, annoyed.

"I need someone to secretly protect Pepper," Tony said after a moment of silence.

"Hm... sure, I'll take care of it," Damian said, thinking about the irony of life.

Natasha had told him that Fury wanted to assign her to Stark Industries for a while due to the suit conflict. She had rejected it, but it seems he'll have to convince her to accept.

"Thanks, sorry for asking," Tony sighed.

"What are you talking about? It's simple," Damian laughed. It would also be good for Natasha to relax for a while.

...

Damian hung up the phone with a smile before looking for Natasha. He frowned when he felt she wasn't at home, so he used his phone to call her.

"Hey, honey, is everything okay?" Natasha asked when she answered.

"Hey, babe, remember when you told me that Fury wanted you to join Stark Industries? Well, could you accept? Considering the situation, Tony asked for my help to protect Pepper, and I thought you could take it as a vacation," Damian said, smiling.

"Hm, alright, I'll do it, but you have to tell him. I already rejected it, and I don't want to see his smug face. It's funny how someone expressionless can have a smug face," Natasha said, annoyed.

"Sure, I'll call him, don't worry," Damian said, smiling slightly.

"I'm a bit busy. See you at home, honey," Natasha said before hanging up quickly. She was investigating some escaped HYDRA operatives.

Damian looked at his phone again before simply sending a message to Fury, then he put away his phone and walked to the living room.

In the living room, Damian saw Sophia looking at some documents, deep in concentration.

"What are you doing?" Damian asked, approaching curiously and sitting next to her.

"Hello, I'm checking everything to make sure it's in order. Three of the women who worked here will leave in a few months, so I'm reviewing their severance payments," Sophia said, smiling at Damian.

"I also have to start interviewing for the three new ones who will be coming," Sophia said.

Damian put on a thoughtful expression as he imagined some scenarios.

"Tell me about the maids," Damian said, looking at Sophia.

Sophia looked at Damian with some surprise before starting to speak.

"There are always six women who take care of everything in the house, from cooking to cleaning," she said.

"At the age of 35, they leave with a good amount of money. The idea is for them to go out and pursue the life they want. Then, three new ones are hired, and the cycle continues," Sophia explained.

"Hm, I have an idea. Let me know when you're hiring," Damian said, thinking about one of his projects.

"Sure," Sophia said, unfazed.

Damian remembered something else he had to do, so he disappeared from his house and appeared in Madripoor.

Damian approached the scientist and greeted him with a smile.

"Sir, I was just about to call you," said the scientist with a smile.

"The armors are ready, and I was thinking of doing something really flashy to celebrate."

"A 90s Spartan march through the streets of Madripoor," the scientist said, looking at Damian.

"Hm, it could be," Damian nodded slightly as he weighed the pros and cons.

"This would help foster a sense of belonging in the country, not to mention reminding everyone that this is still the most advanced place in the world," the scientist said proudly.

"Is that the only reason you want it?" Damian asked, laughing.

"Well, I agree. Call Frank and his group, and let them join too. I'll be monitoring from Knowhere to ensure nothing goes wrong while the replacements are in place," Damian said, nodding.

"We can do it today, how about 12 noon?" the scientist asked.

"It seems like you had everything ready," Damian said, wordlessly.

"I can arrange everything in two hours," the scientist said seriously.

"I'll prepare a carriage for my lord to ride at the front with his family," the scientist said.

"As for that, we'll see. I'll ask my family if they want to," Damian said, not making any promises.

"Then I'll be back in about an hour, prepare everything here," Damian nodded before disappearing.

The scientist smiled excitedly and ran to the training area.

Unlike before, the place was already full, and the 90 suits were visible in their respective positions.

"Guys, we did it! We're going to have a military parade," the scientist announced to all the soldiers.

The Spartans rejoiced and celebrated together. It would be great for them to have their families see them in the suits and to have the attention of the entire country, and perhaps the world.

...

Damian returned home and began gathering everyone. Natasha was the only one missing, but after sending her a message, she said she would arrive shortly, so everyone sat in the living room, waiting for her.

His daughters were showing him their rune drawings, and Damian congratulated them with a smile.

"Daddy, when can we learn magic?" Alice asked with a smile.

Damian couldn't help but sigh in his mind at the question.

"Darling, learning magic is a bit dangerous. When you're older, you'll be able to learn," Damian said, taking Alice's little hands and trying to convince her.

The three girls pouted, looking at Damian, almost making him give in.

The other women in the room looked at them, chuckling softly at Damian's struggle.

Fortunately, Natasha arrived at that moment, and Damian quickly changed the subject.

"Well, in Madripoor, there will be a military parade with all the new armor. The scientist wanted us to ride at the front of the parade in a carriage. What do you all think?" Damian asked everyone.

To be honest, he didn't like being at the center of attention like that, but if his family wanted to, he didn't mind. After all, it was a new experience for anyone.

The women looked at each other before thinking the same thing. It was annoying and uncomfortable to just sit there and wave while everyone looked at them.

"What's a military parade?" Ivy asked, looking at Damian.

"It's when soldiers walk through the streets for people to see. It's a way to show how strong the soldiers are," Damian smiled at his daughters, giving them a simple explanation.

The girls weren't entirely convinced, so Damian showed them a video of what it looked like.

"I don't know, it's too long," Alice said, looking at the video's duration and realizing it was just like driving in a car for hours.

"It's okay, sweetheart. If you don't want to go, it's fine," Damian smiled, looking at his other daughters who also shook their heads.

"I suppose you all don't want to go either," Damian looked at everyone else in the room.

They all nodded. They were seen enough on social media; they didn't want to spend hours in a carriage, waving at people.

"Alright, we'll still go and watch, but we won't participate. We'll leave in about an hour," Damian announced to everyone.

"Okay, let's go take a bath and change our clothes, girls," Ana said, getting up.

"Come on, my little lightbulb," Natasha said, picking up Alice and carrying her in her arms.

"Mom! I'm not a lightbulb," Alice protested.

"Hey! Don't bother my daughter," Carol ran after Natasha, defending Alice.

Everyone went to change, and as Damian received a call, he smiled softly when he saw that it was from his eldest daughter.

"Hello, sweetheart, how's my little explorer?" Damian asked with a smile.

"Papa!" Monica exclaimed, feeling embarrassed.

"Everything's going well. I've found some really strange things," Monica said excitedly.

"Really? Show me, send me a photo," Damian said with a smile.

"Give me a moment," Monica said before quickly minimizing the call and sending him one of the photos she had taken.

Damian looked at the photo with some astonishment. It depicted a bipedal dinosaur-like creature with spikes on its back and several people at its feet. Clearly, it was a very ancient drawing.

"I found it underwater on the other side of an underwater tunnel. It seems to be some kind of giant creature if the drawing is to scale, though it's hard to tell. It should be over a hundred meters long," Monica said.

"I'm searching for any bones or traces of the creature, but so far, I haven't found anything," Monica said with regret.

"Hm, I see. When will you be back, darling?" Damian asked his daughter.

"I don't know. I want to see where this trail leads me before I come back," Monica said.

"Alright, remember to let me know if you find anything potentially dangerous," Damian said in a normal voice.

"Come on, Papa, what can represent a threat to me on Earth?" Monica said nonchalantly.

"Darling, don't think that way. Earth is very old, and many powerful beings have come to this place. We don't know what surprises await. Always approach everything with caution," Damian advised Monica.

"Sure, Papa, you're right," Monica reluctantly agreed.

"Alright, darling, take care. I love you," Damian said, saying goodbye.

"I love you too. See you soon," Monica made a kissing sound towards the phone before hanging up.

Damian stared at the photo Monica sent, clearly resembling Godzilla. He really wants to know what's going on.

He quickly shifted his attention to his daughter, sensing her in the middle of the sea, quite far away. From now on, he'll pay more attention to her than usual.

At that moment, everyone came downstairs, already dressed.

"I know it's not time yet, but how about we go to Madripoor and have some ice cream?" Ophelia suggested.

"Sure, give me a minute. I'll go change," Damian agreed, knowing he would investigate that matter later.

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