The conflict in the small town in northern Italy, remained unknown to the outside world.
Aside from the Italian government and key members of the World Security Council, only S.H.I.E.L.D., the 13th District, and Anton knew the full details of what had transpired.
As for the targeted villain factions—Hydra and the Black Qi Mage, Sword Dragon—their fates were self-evident. The new leader of Hydra, Baron Strucker, was killed at the hands of Shazam, while Sword Dragon was sealed with magic and taken prisoner by the 13th District.
Of course, the captured prisoners weren't limited to Hydra and Sword Dragon. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff also surrendered after being threatened by Shazam, choosing arrest over resistance.
While Sword Dragon was a powerful individual, his influence was limited. Despite his ties to Hydra, he was not a particularly dangerous figure once stripped of his abilities.
In contrast, Hydra's losses were devastating.
This time, the organization suffered a severe blow.
After Alexander Pierce's downfall and Hydra's shift from the United States to Europe, senior operative Mitchell Carson—who had remained hidden in the U.S.—was exposed and captured alongside Pierce, becoming a prisoner of the U.S. military.
With Hydra's U.S. operations collapsing, Europe became their new center of activity. However, after the recent incident, their European leadership was decimated. Baron Strucker was dead, their main base was destroyed, and countless agents were either killed or captured. Those who weren't detained were now scattered, leaderless, and in disarray.
While Hydra prided itself on the motto "cut off one head, and two shall take its place," even they needed time to recover. With most of their senior leadership wiped out, new replacements would take time to emerge.
This provided S.H.I.E.L.D. with a critical opportunity—one they could exploit to deliver an even heavier blow to Hydra before it could regain its footing.
Though completely eradicating Hydra was unlikely, at the very least, the organization would be unable to resurface for months, possibly years.
With this in mind, S.H.I.E.L.D. exchanged intelligence with Anton before immediately launching follow-up operations.
Despite their curiosity about the demon baby in Anton's arms, both Coulson and Hill understood that trying to take something from Anton—or the Justice League, or Batman—was a fool's errand.
Anton's decision to adopt the demon baby was clearly not simple, but no one dared challenge him on it.
Following a series of major events—including Nick Fury's departure into space—Coulson and his team had come to terms with their own limitations. They had no interest in overextending themselves.
For now, their priority was handling what was within their power.
Everything else? That was the Justice League's concern.
Interfering unnecessarily would only provoke the Justice League—an outcome far worse than simply staying out of their way.
Anton, who had returned to Los Angeles with the 13th District operatives, remained unaware of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal deliberations.
However, from the expressions on Coulson and Hill's faces, Anton could tell that S.H.I.E.L.D., as represented by these two, had been thoroughly outmatched by the Justice League under Batman's leadership. They no longer dared to provoke him.
After returning to Los Angeles, the matter of the demon baby—Hellboy's custody—was quickly settled.
The 13th District reported the full details of the operation to senior military officials, who then initiated discussions with the World Security Council. After careful deliberation, both parties agreed that entrusting the demon baby to Anton was the most reliable course of action.
On one hand, there was hesitation in taking the simplest, most brutal approach—killing the infant Hellboy. Since this was the first recorded instance of a demon in its infancy, the scientific and military communities were driven by curiosity. They saw an opportunity to study demon physiology and behavior over time, building a database for future reference.
On the other hand, the Justice League had an impeccable track record—every operation they had undertaken had ended in complete success. The decision-makers believed Anton's adoption of Hellboy was backed by the Justice League, and they saw a strategic advantage in allowing the child to grow under their supervision. If the Justice League intended to nurture the demon into a future ally, the military and the World Security Council were inclined to follow their lead.
The next day, while Anton was waiting for an official response at the 13th District base in Los Angeles, he received a call from John Koehler. Speaking on behalf of the U.S. military and the World Security Council, Koehler confirmed the approval of Anton's adoption request.
After ending the call, Anton turned to the crib where Hellboy lay sleeping and smiled.
Knock, knock, knock!
A knock at the door interrupted the quiet moment.
Jackie Chan and his companions entered the room.
Holding a baby bottle, Xiaoyu rushed forward, leaned over the crib, and smiled at the sleeping Hellboy. "Aside from the red skin and the horns, he's actually kind of cute."
She then turned to Anton. "By the way, what's his name?"
It was obvious that they had just been informed of the decision approving Anton's guardianship.
"Anung Un Rama," Anton replied. "That's his name."
"Anung Un Rama?" Jackie Chan and Xiaoyu exchanged glances before Xiaoyu's eyes lit up. "That sounds nice! Did you come up with it?"
"No, it was Constantine's idea," Anton said. "According to him, that's the kid's true name. He's not a pure demon—he's a hybrid, part demon, part human."
"Not a pure demon?!" Jackie Chan suddenly realized why Anton was so intent on adopting the child.
Demons, by nature, were evil.
But this baby—despite his demonic appearance—was not a full-blooded demon. He had human ancestry as well.
That meant there was a chance he could embrace his human side rather than succumb to demonic instincts.
"I hope he grows up well," Jackie Chan said sincerely, then added, "But Anton, what's your plan? His appearance… it's not exactly subtle. Once he gets older, how will he go out in public? You can't just keep him hidden away forever."
"That's where Dad comes in," Anton replied, looking at Jackie Chan. "Since he's a magician, I'm sure he knows a spell to alter appearances, right?"
"What?" Jackie Chan was taken aback, immediately realizing what Anton was implying.
"Yeah!" Xiaoyu clapped her hands. "Dad must know a way!"
…
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