[Mysteries On Marvel] Chapter 113/114

"These threads… when did they…"

Caught off guard, Obadiah nearly tore himself apart under the tension of the cursed threads. Furious, he scanned his massive body to identify the culprit responsible for his near collapse.

Upon noticing the impossibly fine yet unbelievably strong and sharp silver threads cutting through his high-strength alloy armor, disbelief filled his face.

This wasn't scientifically possible.

"What are these threads?"

In Obadiah's understanding, no material on Earth could possess such durability and sharpness.

At that moment, a streak of light, trailing a massive tail, cut through the night sky at supersonic speed. It descended with a thunderous boom, landing right in front of Iron Monger.

Thud!

Tony, clad in the Mark II armor, had arrived from his seaside mansion. Seeing the battered and bruised Iron Monger and the clown-masked figure nearby, Tony hesitated.

"What… is going on?"

Was he seeing things?

How had such a seemingly invincible mech ended up in this state? And with no visible heavy weaponry nearby, how had the masked clown achieved this?

Before Tony could voice his confusion, the clown turned to him and addressed him directly.
"Tony Stark?"

The sound of his name snapped Tony out of his stupor. Eyeing the clown with a mix of discomfort and wariness, he replied cautiously, "That's me. And you are?"

Ignoring Tony's guarded tone, the clown spoke nonchalantly:
"Perfect timing. Tell Eren that I've rescued Pepper from this big guy. He owes me one."

Eren?

The name startled Tony briefly, but he quickly pieced it together.
This guy must be someone Eren sent. No wonder he managed to save Pepper from Iron Monger.

During his flight here, Tony had received a frantic call from Pepper, describing how a mysterious clown-masked figure had saved her from Iron Monger. She'd begged Tony to hurry and rescue the man who had risked his life to save hers.

But now, looking at the situation, Tony wondered if the mysterious figure had ever needed saving. If anything, it seemed like he might've been the one to finish off Iron Monger entirely if given a few more minutes.

Nevertheless, Tony offered his gratitude.
"Thank you for saving Pepper. As for Eren, I'll make sure he gets your message."

"Good."

Dusting his hands, the clown gestured toward Iron Monger's battered frame.
"Alright, this big guy is your problem now."

With a wave of his hand, the cursed threads binding Iron Monger softened, transforming into a harmless silver strand that coiled back around his finger.

Despite the threads' unassuming appearance, neither Obadiah, who had firsthand experience with their terrifying power, nor Tony dared to underestimate them.

Tony couldn't help but wonder:
Are those threads, like the paper crane, another mysterious artifact?

After encountering Eren and witnessing his inexplicable abilities, Tony had grown curious about the world of the arcane. Using his vast resources, he had even collected a few peculiar items, like a cup that could turn water into low-grade wine after soaking overnight, or a mirror that made him appear more attractive.

But even without comparison, Tony knew his trinkets were nothing compared to Eren's paper crane or the threads wielded by this clown-masked figure.

If the timing had been different—and if the clown hadn't just saved Pepper—Tony might have asked outright if the threads were for sale.

"Goodbye, big guy."

Retrieving his threads, the clown gave Iron Monger a casual wave before vanishing into the shadows of the abandoned vehicles littering the road.

For Eren, who had nearly exhausted his arsenal of high-powered weapons, Tony's arrival was perfect.

Now, the heavy lifting against Iron Monger could be left to Tony. Eren planned to watch from the sidelines and swoop in later to claim the mysterious blue energy core once Tony had dealt with Obadiah.

"I'll kill you, you bastard," Obadiah growled, his crimson eyes fixed on the spot where the clown had disappeared.

The next moment, the mysterious blue energy core in his chest flared, sending streams of light cascading over his entire frame.

Under the blue glow, the damage caused by the cursed threads began to repair itself. The torn circuits and broken components restored rapidly, as though time itself had reversed.

However, the energy expenditure dimmed the blue core significantly, revealing its limitations.

Clank, clank!

With his mech fully repaired, Obadiah directed a cold, venomous glare at Tony.
"Tony, you're lucky you survived last time. But I won't show mercy again. This time, I'll kill you myself—and then that damned clown."

Hearing the all-too-familiar voice, Tony's expression darkened.
"Obadiah… I should've known. Surrender now. This time, you won't get another chance."

"Surrender?" Obadiah sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Who do you think you are?"

(End of Chapter)

"Surrender? Who do you think you are?"

With a furious roar, Iron Monger lunged forward, closing the distance to Tony in an instant. A steel-clad fist sent Tony's Mark II flying through the air.

As the suit skidded across the ground, Obadiah pursued relentlessly.

Fueled by rage and humiliation from his battle with Eren, Obadiah unleashed his frustration on Tony. Blow after brutal blow rained down on the Mark II armor, overwhelming Tony with a barrage of strikes.

Tony managed to blast Iron Monger back momentarily with a repulsor shot, giving himself some breathing room.

But no sooner had he recovered than a barrage of missiles launched from Iron Monger's frame, forcing Tony to dodge frantically.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions lit up the night, filling the air with smoke and debris.

Inside the Mark II, Tony's expression grew grim.
"How many weapons does this guy have?"

While the Mark II clearly had superior mobility and performance, there was a problem.

Tony had never designed the suit as a full-blown war machine. It lacked the heavy arsenal necessary to counter the enhanced armor and weaponry of Iron Monger.

Bang!
A massive punch sent Tony crashing into the ground again.

The Mark II now sported numerous dents and scorches, while Iron Monger's thick armor absorbed the punishment with little visible damage.

This couldn't go on.

Struggling to his feet, Tony activated the arc reactor in his chest. A charged energy beam blasted from the reactor, sending Iron Monger flying backward.

"Now it's my turn!"

Capitalizing on his suit's agility, Tony maneuvered behind Iron Monger. Grabbing onto its neck, he tore off a thick piece of armor.

Before he could dismantle more components, Obadiah roared in fury.

"Damn it!"

Iron Monger's massive hands grabbed Tony, slamming him to the ground with bone-rattling force.

Before Tony could react, Iron Monger's colossal foot came down toward his chest.

Tony fired his repulsor at point-blank range.

Boom!
The energy blast disrupted Iron Monger's balance, toppling the mech. Tony seized the opportunity to escape, taking to the skies.

Hovering above, Tony stared down at the smoking Iron Monger, his face dark with frustration.

"Damn it, why was that clown able to beat you into that sorry state, but when it's my turn, you suddenly turn into a monster?"

"Do I look weaker? Easier to bully?"

Tony, of course, would never admit to being weaker.

Determined to finish this, he issued a command to J.A.R.V.I.S.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., channel fifty percent of energy. Target the reactor core in his chest."

"Understood, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.

As energy gathered, the arc reactor on Tony's chest glowed brighter and brighter, emitting an aura of destruction so intense it even made Obadiah, still recovering, feel a pang of dread.

Without hesitation, Obadiah launched every remaining missile at Tony.

At the same time, Tony unleashed a massive energy beam from his arc reactor.

Boom!

The beam collided with the missiles mid-air, triggering a devastating explosion.

The resulting shockwave radiated outward, obliterating everything in its path. Vehicles were torn apart, debris was flung through the air like bullets, and the asphalt cracked and peeled away to expose the road's foundation.

The deafening explosion drew immediate attention.

Units from the NYPD, FBI, and Homeland Security scrambled to the scene. Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s backup team, already en route following Coulson's distress call, diverted straight to the blast zone.

Before the dust even settled, five modified S.H.I.E.L.D. armored vehicles arrived on the scene.

Heavy weapons were deployed immediately. Agents armed with rocket launchers took aim at the smoky epicenter of the explosion. A vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun was positioned, its barrel pointed at the same spot.

"Go, go, go!"

Heavily armed agents disembarked, spreading out cautiously to surround the area.

Half a minute later, as the dust cleared, the scene came into view.

In the middle of what used to be a smooth road lay a massive crater several meters in diameter, splitting the street in two. The surrounding asphalt had been stripped away, exposing the underlying foundation.

Near the crater, two steel-clad figures lay motionless—one large, one small.

Just as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents approached, the smaller, red-and-gold figure stirred.

"Damn it…" Tony groaned, climbing to his feet and muttering angrily.

"It's that mind attack again. I'm sure now—that clown-masked lunatic is definitely working with Eren."

"Unbelievable. We're supposed to be on the same side, and that maniac still knocked me out. What the hell?"

"J.A.R.V.I.S., record the data from when I was hit by the psychic attack. One day, I'm going to figure out how to counter it—and then I'll beat both of them senseless."

(End of Chapter)

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