Joren pulled the brim of his hat lower.
A heavy weariness spread through his body.
It wasn't merely the strain from excessive Ripple consumption.
It was deeper.
Mental.
Spiritual.
Star Platinum: The World.
So that was it.
He had always sensed something unnatural in Star Platinum's speed — a distortion beyond motion itself.
It had never been simple velocity.
It was interference with time.
Only tonight had that door truly opened.
Behind him, the Beast had vanished.
Madam Gao's life force was fading.
Kingpin had been sent flying, his fate uncertain.
The battle was over.
Joren forced his exhausted body forward and stepped out of the theater.
SHIELD Arrives
SCREEECH—!
Tires screamed across asphalt.
Several unmarked black SUVs converged from every direction, forming a steel perimeter around him.
Doors opened in perfect synchronization.
Dozens of agents in black tactical gear deployed with silent efficiency.
Specialized rifles rose in unison.
No shouting.
No wasted motion.
Only dark muzzles trained on the boy at the center.
A tall figure stepped from the lead vehicle.
Maria Hill.
Black uniform immaculate.
Tablet in hand.
Expression colder than steel.
"Joren Joestar."
Her voice was precise, controlled.
"By directive of the World Security Council and pursuant to Article 17 of S.H.I.E.L.D. Special Operations Authority, you are identified as an unregistered enhanced individual directly connected to a Class-A catastrophic event."
"I am ordering you to cease resistance and accompany us immediately."
Joren's gaze moved across the agents… and settled on Hill.
One madman down.
Now bureaucrats.
"I refuse."
He stepped forward.
"This is not a request."
Hill raised her hand.
Agents tightened grips.
Safety switches clicked.
"Easy, Hill."
A hoarse voice cut through the tension.
Nick Fury emerged from the darkness behind her, trench coat shifting in the night breeze.
His single eye never left Joren.
"You don't tickle Godzilla with back scratchers."
He stopped five steps away.
"A hell of a fireworks show, kid."
His gaze flicked toward the shattered theater.
"You solved a problem. A big one."
"But you also lit a sun over this city."
"Everything hiding in the dark — moths, sharks, things without names — is going to swim toward that light."
Joren stopped.
"That's not my problem."
Fury shook his head.
"When you flip the table, you don't get to ignore the mess."
"Now the sharks smell blood."
"That makes it my problem."
"And like it or not… it makes it yours."
Inside the Theater
Peter's spider-sense buzzed sharply.
"We have to go."
He grabbed Daredevil's arm.
Matt listened.
Silent heartbeats.
Controlled breathing.
Cold operational discipline.
"The FBI?" Peter whispered.
"No," Matt murmured. "Worse."
Using the collapsed stage as cover, they slipped through the hole Kingpin had smashed in the rear wall — and vanished into the night.
Standoff
"I'm done talking," Joren said.
"Move."
He stepped toward Fury.
Agents tensed instantly.
The smell of oil and cold metal thickened the air.
Fury didn't move.
"Before you cause more incidents," he said, voice lowering, "I need to know who you are."
"And which side you're on."
Joren's eyes remained calm.
Unmoving.
The message was clear:
Try me.
Hill's raised hand hovered mid-command.
Instinct warned her.
Pulling the trigger would be irreversible.
Fury understood conventional leverage had failed.
He exhaled slowly.
"Alright, kid."
He raised both hands slightly.
"We compromise."
"You don't come with us."
"But you don't walk away yet."
"We wait for an expert I trust to confirm you're not about to melt Manhattan."
Incoming
A distant roar tore across the sky.
A red streak burned through the clouds, trailing flame.
Agents looked up instinctively.
Hill's posture relaxed — just slightly.
Fury didn't look.
He watched Joren.
Searching for reaction.
There was none.
Only mild impatience.
The streak slowed, hovering.
Thruster wash blasted dust and debris outward.
Then it descended.
THUMP.
A red-and-gold armored figure landed between Joren and the SHIELD perimeter in a classic kneeling pose.
Servos hummed.
The arc reactor glowed soft blue.
He stood.
"Wow," a familiar voice said.
"Looks like I missed the good part."
"Fury, you always call me after the explosions."
The helmet's glowing eyes scanned the battlefield.
They stopped on the lone high school boy.
"So this is the 'major threat'?"
The visor retracted with a smooth mechanical slide.
Tony Stark smirked.
"Kid looks like he got lost on the way to detention."
He tilted his head.
"Jarvis, scan."
[Scanning, sir.]
[Vital signs… anomalous.]
[Bio-energy signature: unreadable.]
[Unknown interference field detected.]
[Deep analysis blocked.]
[Recommendation: maintain safe distance.]
Tony blinked once.
Then looked back at Joren.
"…Well."
"That's new."