Marvel x Genshin: Mavuika, The Sun Goddess Rules Asgard — Chapter 94

Chapter 94: Entrustment

Howard looked at his son, the silence in the grand living room stretching on for a long, heavy moment.

He saw the fire in Tony’s eyes. It wasn’t the fleeting, impulsive passion of a young man chasing a new thrill, but a steady, resolute flame born from deep and sober consideration. He heard the sincerity underpinning every word, a weight and gravity he had rarely heard from his son before.

Howard had waited for this day for what felt like a lifetime.

He had always hoped, always prayed, that Tony would one day mature, that he would willingly take on the mantle of responsibility and carry the torch of the Stark family into the future.

But now that the moment had finally arrived, the emotion that washed over him wasn’t simple relief. It was a complex, churning sea of pride, worry, and a deep sense of release.

His son had finally grown up. And he, at last, could lay down his heavy burden.

Maria moved to Howard’s side, her touch a familiar comfort as she gently took his hand. She said nothing, but that simple gesture conveyed everything: her unwavering support, her complete understanding, and her absolute trust in her husband’s decision.

Howard drew a deep breath, then let it out in a slow, shuddering sigh.

He pushed himself to his feet and walked over to Tony. At seventy years of age, he was a bit shorter than his son, his back now carrying a slight stoop from decades of work and worry. Yet, in the soft morning light filtering through the windows, his figure seemed exceptionally tall, casting a long shadow.

“Tony,” Howard began, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly, but his eyes were as firm as steel. “If you are truly ready… if this is what you truly want to do…”

He paused, letting the weight of the moment settle between them. Then, with the solemnity of an oath, he declared, “Then, Stark Industries is yours.”

A brilliant light flared in Tony’s eyes, but before he could speak, Howard raised a hand to forestall him.

“However,” Howard continued, his expression hardening into one of deep seriousness, “you must remember, this is not a gift. It is a responsibility. You will be responsible for every employee in this company, for the future of our legacy, and for the name of Stark itself.”

Tony met his father’s gaze and nodded, his own expression just as solemn. “I know.”

Howard studied him for a long time, the stern lines on his face slowly melting away until, quite suddenly, he smiled. It was a truly relaxed, genuinely gratified smile—the kind Tony hadn’t seen on his father’s face in more years than he could count.

“Good!” Howard said, his hand landing on his son’s shoulder in a firm, proud clap. “Then we’ll go to the company tomorrow. I’ll convene a board meeting to officially announce the handover, and then…”

His gaze drifted past Tony, out the window toward the sun-drenched garden and the distant, sparkling sea. “Then, I can finally take a long vacation with your mother. She has always wanted to go to Greece.”

Maria smiled as well, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She crossed the room to Tony and wrapped him in a gentle hug.

“We are so proud of you, Tony,” she whispered. “We always have been.”

Tony hugged his mother back tightly, his gaze meeting his father’s over her shoulder. Howard gave him a single, sharp nod—a father’s ultimate recognition of his son, and the symbolic passing of a baton from one era to the next.

“Congratulations, Tony.”

The voice, carrying a familiar, easygoing smile, drifted down from the second floor.

Tony looked up to see Mavuika leaning against the railing of the mezzanine. He had no idea how long she’d been standing there. Her body was canted slightly forward, elbows resting on the smooth wooden handrail as she observed the scene in the living room below with a warm, knowing smile.

The morning sun slanted in from a window behind her, gilding her silhouette with a halo of golden light. She was dressed simply in a white long-sleeved shirt and dark trousers, looking for all the world like an ordinary person enjoying a quiet morning at home.

Tony rolled his eyes. “What’s there to congratulate?” he shot back, his voice laced with feigned disdain. “Dealing with a mountain of boring board documents every day, glad-handing a bunch of hypocritical politicians and businessmen… how is any of that worth celebrating?”

He paused, a teasing smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. “Besides, after I take over the company, the time I have to help you fix your bike is going to shrink. Drastically.”

“Do you know what that means? It means your poor motorcycle might have to wait several days for repairs. It means you might have to temporarily say goodbye to those insane off-road adventures. It means—”

“It means you’ll assign the best engineers at Stark Industries to be specifically responsible for my vehicle?” Mavuika interrupted, her smile becoming even brighter. “Or perhaps you’ll design a fully automated maintenance system, allowing the motorcycle to self-diagnose and self-repair?”

Tony was momentarily speechless, then he couldn’t help but let out a short laugh. “You certainly have high expectations.”

“And you wouldn’t do that?” Mavuika asked, descending the stairs with steps so light she seemed to be dancing on air.

“Fine,” Tony finally conceded with an exaggerated shrug. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll design something so your bike stops showing up at my workshop every other week.”

She walked to the window, gazing out at the sunny garden, her voice relaxed and unbothered. “It doesn’t matter. I have plenty of time, after all. I’ll just come find you when you’re free.”

Their lighthearted banter filled the room, dissolving the last of the serious atmosphere and replacing it with a comfortable warmth.

With the matter of Stark Industries settled, Howard felt the long-dormant thought of retirement finally surface. The idea had been brewing in the back of his mind for years.

He was over seventy years old. He had lived through a world war, founded a corporate empire from nothing, and participated in projects that had fundamentally changed the course of human history.

His life had been rich enough, exciting enough. Now, it was time to leave the stage to the young.

And since he was handing over Stark Industries, it was also time to let go of S.H.I.E.L.D.

This decision was far harder. Stark Industries was his life’s work, but S.H.I.E.L.D. was his duty—a responsibility to his country, to the world, and to all those who fought in the shadows to protect it. He had been there at its very founding, watching it grow from a small, fledgling intelligence agency into a global security organization. It was like watching his own child grow up.

But now, that child was sick.

It had been infiltrated by HYDRA. It might even be harboring alien spies. Howard had tried his best to investigate, to purge the infection, but the clues were too few and the enemies were buried too deep.

He needed someone younger, sharper, and with far more energy to continue this fight.

Before he could truly step away, however, Howard knew he had to entrust two massive, ongoing problems to a worthy successor.

The first was the threat of the Skrulls.

The green-skinned prisoner was still locked away in the reinforced room of the villa. It needed to be fed and watered daily. It required constant surveillance. But more, someone had to continue the investigation into its accomplices and uncover their true purpose for infiltrating Earth.

The second was the resurgence of HYDRA.

Bucky’s reappearance was obvious proof that the organization had not only survived the war but had spent the intervening decades growing stronger and more insidious in the shadows. They had wormed their way into the very heart of S.H.I.E.L.D., and likely other organizations as well, secretly advancing some unknown, terrifying plan.

Both problems were dire, the dangers they posed incalculable. They could not be entrusted to just anyone.

Howard needed someone capable, determined, and above all else, trustworthy.

After long and careful consideration, a candidate emerged in his mind.

Nick Fury.

He was a young agent who had been making waves within the agency, rising through the ranks with astonishing speed. Howard remembered his file. Fury’s performance at S.H.I.E.L.D. was impeccable: his mission completion rate was near-perfect, his judgment was razor-sharp, and his actions were swift and decisive.

More, he possessed ambition. But it wasn’t the blind, self-serving ambition of a lesser man; it was an ambition tethered to clear goals and a powerful sense of responsibility.