Tony indeed needed preparation. There was a critical problem: his parents had been dead for years, and obtaining DNA samples from their remains for cloning was... complicated.
It was a crazy idea-whether it was Noah's or Tony's-but neither cared.
For Mages like them, breaking conventional wisdom was second nature. Even Strange, though he found it bizarre, didn't reject it. If resurrection magic existed and could be strictly controlled, he felt it could be beautiful.
Yes, strictly controlled. Otherwise, who knew what chaos it might bring. Still, Strange didn't voice it-he trusted his Mentor to handle it. In his eyes, no one valued the stability of Earth's magical world more than Noah.
After discussing these messy matters briefly, Noah followed Tony into the basement.
He was genuinely interested in the new spacecraft Tony and the team had developed.
He hadn't forgotten that the Mad Titan they were to face had a fleet. While Mages could fly on their own, having ordinary people build powerful ships to handle lesser threats was convenient.
Noah felt the enemy ahead wasn't simple. That intuition had grown stronger since his return from the parallel Marvel Universe.
His actions had pushed the Mad Titan into a corner.
He had two likely responses: hide until Noah died-which seemed nearly impossible-or go all out.
Of course, even desperate, the Titan wouldn't act blindly. He'd block Odin and Noah's Mentor from interfering, then deal with those holding the Infinity Stones.
Noah judged the second option far more likely.
Odin and the Ancient One were godlike, but restrained. If they could act freely, nothing could stop them. Noah preferred to face the Titan himself. He had come this far-if he wasn't willing to shoulder the responsibility, he didn't deserve his status.
If the Titan attacked, Noah hoped the Ancient One and Odin would arrive only as a grand finale, not as shields for the juniors. Deities eventually left the universe and could return, but not instantly.
"Better to rely on oneself. Besides... I am the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth."
Noah surveyed the spacecraft in the Avengers' basement-a space specially prepared with magical arrays. He could finally relax.
Tony had successfully developed Star Wars-level technology. Massive warships filled the space, far exceeding a Helicarrier in size. At least five Helicarrier-class vessels, plus various large, medium, and small ships.
The sheer scale made Noah's blood boil-an inevitable reaction for men drawn to massive steel constructs.
Tony's magic had grown even stronger, integrating with the ships. Noah silently admired the effort.
Through Tony, he learned something simultaneously amusing and infuriating: officials in Washington D.C. had learned of these weapons and tried to claim access. Tony had flatly refused.
Even Fury's consultants were ejected on sight if they got too curious.
"Just a bunch of idiots thinking they can take something from me. They're dreaming," Tony said bluntly.
Steve stood awkwardly nearby. "Rest easy, Tony. I wouldn't do that."
"Believe me, I dislike them even more than you do. Even if they count me as one of them because of my past, they're not like the people from my era."
Steve Rogers' disgust was easy to understand. Pure justice had driven him to fight in World War II. Even now, awakening in a complicated world, he threw himself into new battles rather than linger in comfort.
Noah mused: what if Steve, this embodiment of justice, was combined with Holy Light? A Paladin? An intriguing thought-but not urgent.
"Alright, enough speculation," Noah said, smiling. "Keep up the good work. By the way, how's the pilot training?"
"I'm testing autopilot programs," Tony said. "Jarvis handles most of it reliably, though humans as captains are preferable. I just can't find trustworthy ones yet."
Noah tilted his head. Trust was scarce. Within the Avengers, most had ties to higher-ups. Good soldiers, maybe, but Tony didn't want them captaining these vessels. Finding capable Mages was even harder.
Could he hire others from different systems? Perhaps-but would anyone trust hired guns? Asgardians might, but their lazy nature could be a problem.
Noah sighed. Using Jarvis as a substitute seemed reasonable.
"Why so many ships at once? Planning an interstellar war?" he asked.
Tony shook his head. "Constant upgrades and improvements. Magic-science fusion works, but it still leans toward science. Mostly... boredom, really."
Noah couldn't argue. Tony's energy was a good thing. He wasn't the old man burdened by entitlement-he was back to being proactive.
Noah glanced at Strange, poking around a ship, then turned to Steve. A Paladin might be... fun.
"Steve, what do you think of your current strength?" Noah asked.
Steve blinked. "Uh... I'm not sure what you mean, sir."
"No need to complicate it. I have a unique, pure energy, entirely mine-but it seems well-suited for you."
"A power... suited for me?"