The battle with Obadiah had already passed two weeks ago. However, in these two weeks, the entire New York, and even the whole of America and the world, had been ignited by this war.
The "fire" instantly spread across the globe. People from all over the world, especially Americans, began to protest against the government, demanding an explanation. They needed an explanation.
When disasters and dangers occur, when irresistible forces appear, who can protect them? Is it the military or the police? The battle with Obadiah lasted nearly an hour, affecting four blocks and causing nearly a hundred casualties.
Yet, during that hour, there was no military intervention, no police rescue. The government did nothing. Did they not notice? Or were there factors preventing them from acting?
Moreover, what made people even more uneasy was the immense, unstoppable power Obadiah displayed. It made them doubt whether the government had the strength to stop such a force.
Amidst this doubt and unease, people found something to cling to, someone to rely on! They needed someone to support their crumbling sense of security. And that person was the figure who stood against Obadiah in this war, the figure who used his small frame to stop this behemoth—Tony Stark.
Was he a guardian with immense power? He was a hero! Americans loved the word "hero."
As for the other figure in this war, Raiden, his presence was erased with the help of unknown forces. After all, someone had to step forward in this war, and compared to the unknown magic, technological power was more reassuring to people.
At the center of this storm, Tony Stark... he still hid in his workshop every day, seeing no one. This was normal, as Tony had been doing this for the past few months. But Raiden sensed something unusual... he noticed that Tony seemed to be avoiding him.
Despite Tony best efforts to hide it, Raiden still saw the truth in Tony eyes during their few encounters over the past two weeks.
Tony was afraid of Raiden, fearful of Raiden, suspicious of Raiden... he no longer trusted Raiden.
Since the battle with Obadiah, Tony had never dared to look Raiden in the eye. Raiden didn't know why, or what had happened, but whenever he wanted to talk to Tony, Tony would find excuses to avoid him.
In the end, the matter was left unresolved.
...
In Manhattan, at Raiden home, Raiden, Yinsen, and the belated Pepper and Rhodey were sitting by the window, chatting. Pepper and Rhodey had been extremely busy lately.
As the military representative between the military and Stark Industries, Rhodey had been handling various press conferences after the battle with Obadiah, needing to give the people an explanation.
Pepper was also swamped, dealing with internal issues at Stark Industries, including the problems left behind after Obadiah disappearance. For instance, dealings with some Middle Eastern terrorist organizations, the handling of illegal weapons, and most importantly, the issue of Obadiah inheritance.
Obadiah had left all his shares to Tony. Long ago... Obadiah had drafted a will stating that if he disappeared for more than a week, everything under his name would automatically transfer to Tony Stark.
Now, that will has taken effect, and Tony has suddenly become the true authority of Stark Industries. He fully owns Stark Industries, which means Tony will has completely become the will of Stark Industries.
All the decisions and changes Tony had made earlier will now be fully implemented in Stark Industries without Obadiah, and all these matters will be handled by Pepper, which is why she has been particularly busy lately.
Finally, today, she managed to squeeze out a little time to rest.
"Raiden, do you know the identity of that woman who appeared last time?" Rhodey asked, looking out at the bright sunshine outside.
This was a question Rhodey had wanted to ask after the battle with Obadiah, but Tony had been acting strangely at the time, so Rhodey never got around to it. Now, with some free time on his hands, he curiously asked Raiden.
This question also piqued the curiosity of Yinsen and Pepper, who were present.
"She's a god" Raiden replied calmly.
The other three immediately sat up straight upon hearing this.
"A god?" Pepper voice trembled as she asked "The kind of god we think of?"
Raiden turned to look at the three of them, shrugged, and said.
"Sort of. But it's really not a big deal. You can think of them as people with immense power, who are ageless and immortal—well, not exactly immortal, since they can be killed."
The three of them stared at Raiden with looks of disbelief. Killed? He made it sound so simple. However, having all experienced life-and-death situations, they didn't dwell on it too much, especially Yinsen, who was a werewolf himself.
What did he care about some god?
"But," Raiden suddenly added "I'm worried about Tony. He's been acting very strangely lately."
"When has he ever been normal?" Pepper blurted out, but immediately realized it might not be the most appropriate thing to say.
She quickly added "Obadiah's betrayal was a huge blow to Tony. Give him some time."
Yinsen and Rhodey both nodded in agreement with Pepper, but Raiden still seemed concerned and shared his doubts with them.
...
"You're saying Tony is afraid of you?" Pepper asked, puzzled.
Raiden nodded.
"How is that possible? We know Tony... Why would he be afraid of you? It doesn't make sense!" Yinsen also asked, trying to comfort Raiden.
"Maybe you're overthinking it. It can't be."
"But I've also noticed Tony unusual behavior. After the battle with Obadiah, I saw the way he looked at Raiden... I couldn't understand it at the time, but now that Raiden mentions it, maybe that explains the look" Rhodey said after a moment of contemplation.
"But it doesn't make sense! Why would Tony be afraid of Raiden? We're family, we've been through life and death together!" Yinsen stood up, visibly agitated.
"Yinsen, Yinsen, calm down. Maybe there's some misunderstanding we're not aware of. I want to talk to Tony, but he's always avoiding me. I thought maybe you could help" Raiden said, walking over to pat Yinsen on the shoulder and urging him to sit back down.
"I'll go talk to Tony tonight. I'll have a chat with him. Tony is a peculiar person, but he must have his reasons for acting this way. I'll ask him" Pepper chimed in from the side.
Raiden nodded. Pepper was indeed the perfect choice.
After a bit more conversation, Pepper and Rhodey left, as both were quite busy. After handling some company matters, Pepper immediately headed to Tony house.
After all, Pepper and Raiden were also friends. Their time together had made Pepper quite fond of Raiden, and she didn't want any major misunderstandings between Tony and Raiden.
Meanwhile, Tony was sitting in his workshop, staring blankly at the wall. His mind was filled with the words Obadiah had said to him...
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