"What is it…?"
Gwen's voice was soft, unsteady, her thoughts still hazy as she tried to catch her breath.
Noah didn't even glance at the phone.
"Doesn't matter," he said casually. "We're busy."
And just like that, he ignored it.
Elsewhere—
"What did he say?" Rodriguez asked, tension clear in his voice.
Tony Stark exhaled, rubbing his temple.
"He told us to handle it ourselves."
Wilson Fisk frowned deeply. "Handle it ourselves? Then we escalate. Deploy something decisive."
Tony shot him a look. "Like what?"
Fisk didn't hesitate. "A nuclear strike."
"That's insane," Rodriguez snapped immediately. "The target is already near New York. You want to drop a nuke anywhere near him—and everyone else here?"
Fisk didn't respond.
The room fell into an uneasy silence.
None of them understood why Noah had suddenly stepped back.
If they knew what he was doing at that exact moment…
They might have blamed it on distraction.
On the outskirts of New York—
Thor advanced.
Steel barriers rose around him, twisted and hurled forward in waves, but they shattered the moment his hammer swung.
Each strike tore through metal like it was nothing.
His eyes locked onto a figure in the distance.
Magneto.
The distance closed in seconds.
Thor raised his hammer—
Lightning crashed down.
The blast engulfed Magneto completely.
And passed straight through.
A hand grabbed him.
Kitty Pryde.
She pulled Magneto into a phased state, both of them slipping beneath the ground and vanishing instantly.
Thor's attack hit nothing.
He let out a low, frustrated breath.
Then kept moving.
Forward.
Toward the city.
Behind him, the storm intensified.
Without Magneto's control, the suspended metal collapsed, crashing down in a thunder of debris.
Dust filled the air.
Above, helicopters circled at a distance, cameras fixed on the scene.
Every major network was broadcasting it.
Satellites tracked it.
The entire world was watching.
They all had the same question.
Why wasn't Noah Vale doing anything?
This man—
This storm-wrapped figure—
He didn't look weaker.
If anything, he looked like someone capable of changing everything.
In the city center, Thor stopped.
He raised his hammer and roared—
"NOAH VALE!"
The sound tore through the streets like a shockwave.
Windows shattered.
The ground trembled.
"COME OUT AND FACE ME!"
Miles away—
Noah paused for a moment.
"…What was that?"
He glanced toward the window, vaguely aware of the disturbance.
Then shrugged.
"Probably nothing."
A moment later—
His phone buzzed again.
And again.
And again.
He glanced at it this time.
The Interdimensional Chatroom was lighting up.
[Playboy]: @Deep Blue Get over here now! He's already inside New York!
[Playboy]: @Deep Blue What are you doing?! Stop ignoring this!
[Playboy]: @Deep Blue MOVE!
The messages cut off abruptly.
A system notice appeared.
Tony Stark had been muted.
Noah finally replied.
[Deep Blue]: Relax. I'm on my way. Handle it for now.
Tony let out a long breath on the other end.
At least he'd responded.
Meanwhile, Noah sat calmly, waiting a moment longer before standing up.
He reached for a light jacket and slipped it on.
Before leaving, he glanced back at Gwen.
She was sprawled across the bed, exhausted, barely able to move.
"I'll be back," he said casually. "We'll pick this up later."
He stepped outside.
With a flick of his hand, a golden portal opened.
Then he walked through.
Across the city—
Television broadcasts were already spinning the story.
A reporter stood in a helicopter, voice steady despite the chaos behind her.
"This is the Daily Bugle, reporting live. The individual you see ahead—surrounded by lightning—is attempting to challenge our world leader."
Her tone carried a certain confidence.
"Despite defeating Magneto, he appears to have overestimated himself."
She adjusted her headset.
"Mr. Vale has yet to respond—not out of inability, but disinterest. This level of provocation simply doesn't warrant his attention."
The narrative was clear.
Carefully shaped.
Behind it all—
Smith.
Since Noah had taken control, global media had been… reorganized.
Unfavorable reports disappeared.
Critical voices were removed.
The message was consistent everywhere.
Noah always came out on top.
Challenge him?
Irrelevant opponent.
He ignores you?
You're beneath notice.
You insult him?
He's too magnanimous to care.
No matter the situation—
The conclusion stayed the same.
Noah wins.
Even if he lost—
They'd call it strategy.
Standing in front of a screen, Noah chuckled softly.
"Smith's doing a great job."
Then he stepped forward—
And disappeared.
Back in the streets—
Thor continued forward, calling out Noah's name.
Then—
A voice cut through the noise.
"Can you keep it down? You're breaking half the city."
Thor turned.
A young man stood nearby, casually rubbing his ear, as if annoyed by the noise.
Black hair.
Calm expression.
Completely unfazed.
Thor's eyes burned with recognition.
The face matched exactly what he'd seen before.
"NOAH VALE!"