Even though Tony had avoided a fatal blow, Ivan Vanko's attack still dealt heavy damage to the Mark VI.
The heads-up display inside Tony's helmet began flashing damage reports. But Tony didn't have time to worry about that now—he raised his right hand and fired a repulsor blast straight at Vanko.
BOOM!
Caught off guard, Ivan was knocked backward by the blast. But to Tony's surprise, it barely pushed Vanko back a few steps—the attack had almost no stopping power.
Tony's heart sank.
The repulsor was the second most powerful weapon in the Mark VI. And his #1 weapon could only be used once. If even this didn't work, Tony might really be in trouble.
Oblivious to Tony's thoughts, Vanko cracked his whip again, forcing Tony to dodge. Then Tony charged forward, determined to get in close.
His last-resort weapon was a pulse laser he'd built earlier that afternoon, using the same principles as his basement cutting laser—but overclocked to increase power.
Tony believed this beam could cut through anything—even Vanko's armor. But it had two fatal flaws: its range was under 20 meters, and it could only be fired once.
As Tony closed in, Vanko punched him, sending him flying.
Maybe it was the armor's bulk, but Vanko's suit had greater strength and defense than Tony's. After knocking Tony aside, Vanko fired his jet thrusters, landing right next to him—and whipped at Tony again.
"Now's my chance!"
At close range, Tony activated the pulse laser. Twin beams of blazing light shot from his gauntlets, slashing at Ivan's armor.
But as they made contact, they only left two shallow gashes—the armor wasn't even breached.
BOOM!
Within seconds, the laser system overheated and burned out. All Tony had to show for it were two faint scorch marks on Ivan's suit.
"Vibranium."
Tony immediately understood. His pulse laser could slice through virtually anything—no known element could withstand it. But there was one legendary metal that could: Vibranium.
The Stark family had once acquired a small piece. Tony had seen his father's notes describing it. At first, it looked like ordinary metal—but once forged, it became incredibly durable, nearly impossible to reshape.
It was so rare it had practically become myth. If not for Howard Stark's personal records, Tony might not have believed it existed.
And that small piece had been used to forge a very famous object: Captain America's shield.
Seeing the scratches on Ivan's armor, Tony realized: this wasn't pure Vibranium, but enough had been used to seriously boost its resilience.
"Vibranium? So that's what it's called?"Ivan had no idea what metal he'd been given—only that it was stronger than anything he'd ever worked with."It was just a piece smaller than a fist, but it boosted my armor this much? I'll have to ask for more next time."
He now understood that the strange metal someone had sent him—intended specifically for this armor—was a rare and powerful substance.
Even he hadn't been able to scratch his own armor after mixing it in. But Tony's laser almost cut through it—that scared Ivan more than he let on.
"But now, it's my turn, Tony."Ivan cracked his whip again—this time, it wrapped around Tony's neck. The electric coils surged with power, sending high-voltage currents through the Mark VI.
Sparks flew.
Tony could hear the circuits inside his armor frying, especially around the neck. His HUD flickered violently—the system was failing.
"You've lost, Tony."
Ivan retracted his helmet, revealing his face. He wanted Tony to see exactly who had sent him to hell.
"This really is the end…"
As his armor's control system failed, Tony thought about Pepper. Their last conversation had been a fight. He deeply regretted it.
CRACK!
Suddenly, the electric current stopped. The whip around Tony's neck lost power, and the interference faded. The Mark VI began rebooting.
As the helmet display stabilized, Tony saw a red-caped man standing in front of him.
He was holding Ivan's whip in one hand.
Tony instantly recognized him: Superman. Clark Kent.
Clark's hand gripped the electrified whip, but the current vanished as soon as it touched his palm. It was like the electricity had been absorbed or suppressed by his body.
From Clark's hand to Tony's neck, the whip was completely inert. Not a single volt passed through.
"Tony, how are you losing to a knockoff?"Clark's voice came with a teasing grin.
"Superman? I suggest you stay out of this—or you'll regret it!"Ivan was clearly rattled by Clark's sudden appearance, but tried to keep his composure.
There were two things giving him confidence:
His armor, reinforced with Vibranium.
A special item sent alongside the Vibranium, specifically labeled for use against Superman—"In case he shows up, use this."
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