Tony's words were firm.
And Tony was no longer young.
Though he still looked to be in his early thirties, he had long since learned how to think calmly. He knew that reviving the dead would inevitably be troublesome. Setting aside the resurrection process itself, the aftermath alone would bring endless complications.
Even so, Tony still intended to try.
He had carried this thought for far too long to abandon it now.
As for Noah's promise and the uncertainty of magic, Tony wasn't worried.
Even the simplest spell could fail. Bringing the dead back to life-something once considered impossible-was bound to come with unpredictable consequences. If it actually succeeded, then no outcome afterward would be surprising.
If everything went too smoothly, Tony would feel uneasy instead. He would suspect he was dreaming.
Experimentation was only natural. As long as the soul itself wasn't harmed, the risks were acceptable.
"Resurrection?" Iron Man Tony froze for a moment. He glanced at Natasha, then looked back at Noah. "Are you serious?"
"Otherwise?" Noah tilted his head. "I agreed to this with Tony five years ago. Not you. This was our decision. I promised Asgard, and I promised Tony. Now I need to run an experiment."
"But..." Iron Man Tony frowned. "This doesn't feel right. Disturbing the dead-"
"Mr. Tony Stark."
Tony stood up.
He looked straight at the version of himself from another universe, his expression serious. "This is my business. This is our universe's business. It's my decision. You don't need to involve yourself."
His words were blunt.
As he spoke, he activated his armor, staring down the other Tony. The hostility in his attitude was unmistakable.
Strangely, Iron Man Tony didn't react much at all.
While the surrounding Avengers fell silent, weighing their options, he remained still.
After a long pause, he sighed and nodded.
"My apologies. You're right. This is your universe." His voice was sincere. "I acted on impulse."
Then he hesitated. "But... have you really considered how they'll feel? Being brought back to an unfamiliar era. An unfamiliar world."
"I don't know," Tony replied calmly. "But it's something I have to do."
He paused.
"Enough, Mr. Stark. Damn, this is a strange conversation. But I'll say this-I can make my own choices. I know what I'm doing. As for the result, that's up to how my parents feel about it."
He said nothing more.
Iron Man Tony understood that anything else he said would be meaningless.
Truthfully, his own feelings were complicated. Unreasonably so. Almost childish.
Noah didn't care about the back-and-forth between the two Tonys.
In his eyes, the opinion of the Tony from another universe didn't matter. This universe wasn't his. As Tony himself had said, the decision was his alone.
Once Tony obtained the cloned bodies of his parents, Noah opened the Mirror Dimension and stepped inside.
Tony followed without hesitation.
Neither of the two Stranges objected. If anything, they were deeply interested in the act of resurrection itself.
The remaining Avengers exchanged looks with their counterparts and followed one by one.
Noah intended to perform the magic in a parallel space. If his Domain erupted in real space, every mage on Earth would immediately sense it.
That wouldn't end well.
The overall strength of Noah's Domain already far exceeded his current limits. Even he found it troublesome.
After everyone entered, Noah sealed the Mirror Dimension and opened his Domain.
For a brief moment, suffocation washed over the Avengers-including the two Stranges. But Noah adjusted it immediately, and the sensation disappeared.
Ignoring their reactions, Noah lifted his gaze.
Only he could see the passage connecting to the world of the dead.
He began calculating his next steps.
Following the Ancient One's notes would require elaborate preparations-magic circles, ritual materials, time-consuming setup. It was inefficient.
More importantly, those notes focused on how to open the gate to the dead.
Noah no longer needed that.
He could open it himself.
The unnecessary steps were discarded. Only the most critical part remained.
Summoning the souls.
With that decision made, Noah began casting the spell based on the notes and his own understanding. At the same time, he mobilized the Soul Stone to ensure the souls' integrity.
"It's only a test version," Noah murmured, "but it's extremely detailed. The modifications fit perfectly."
As his magic flowed, Noah noticed something unexpected.
The degree of alteration to this "ninjutsu" was astonishing.
It was far stronger than the Susanoo he had reconstructed.
Still, he wasn't discouraged.
He knew exactly where the gap between himself and beings like the Ancient One or Odin lay. That knowledge kept such thoughts from affecting him.
As the magic continued, Noah sensed something else.
A dark, chilling aura began spreading through the Mirror Dimension.
Everyone felt it.
An instinctive fear. The fear of death itself.
Especially when Noah slowly raised his right hand, pale golden light blooming from his palm.
A gate appeared.
Pitch-black marble. Wailing echoes. Completely incompatible with the light that had summoned it.
"What is this?" Even Tony and Strange couldn't understand it. The other Avengers felt only overwhelming unease.
"This?" Noah stared at it. "I don't know either."
The gate looked solid, yet unreal. Something between existence and illusion. Like a projection from another dimension-yet firmly connected to this world.
Noah rubbed his chin.
This was nothing like the Impure World Reincarnation.
He had followed the records exactly. Why this appeared was beyond him.
"Well," he muttered, "let's call it the Gate of Hell."
The name settled instantly.
As if it had always been meant to be called that.
The thought lingered uncomfortably in his mind.
Noah rubbed his head. Something about it felt wrong. There shouldn't be any Cthulhu-style elements in this universe.
Yet the closer he felt to the truth, the stronger the unease became.
He shook his head and pushed the thought aside.
Under his control, a small amount of blood seeped from the clones of Tony's parents and flowed into his hand. His magic guided it into the black gate.
The gate creaked open.
From within the wailing darkness, two figures emerged.
The scene sent chills through everyone present.
Was this really resurrection?
Or something else entirely?
But as the figures solidified, all doubt vanished.
Everyone recognized them.
The two Tonys froze, then trembled. Even the two Captain Americas looked shaken.
Noah watched quietly.
He had worried that the countless parallel worlds might cause complications-that too many versions would respond.
But that didn't happen.
As the blood entered the gate, Noah sensed countless similar souls, yet the gate selected precisely these two.
The accuracy was terrifying.
The potential even more so.
Howard and Maria's souls soon awakened. Faced with the crowd, they looked dazed, unable to understand what had happened.
As awareness returned, Howard stepped in front of his wife, eyes sharp and wary.
"Who are you?"
Noah answered calmly.
"The one who woke you up."
"???"