Chapter 24: The Death of Obadiah Stane
It was fine when Sherlock didn't say anything, but as soon as he spoke, Obadiah Stane struggled even more violently. The giant hand made of rock kept shedding stones with Obadiah Stane's struggles.
However, under Sherlock's magical supply, stones continuously replenished, replacing the parts destroyed by the Iron Monger.
Without giving Obadiah Stane more time, Sherlock's eyes narrowed, and with a flick of his wand, a giant serpent made of spectral blue flames burst forth from Sherlock's wand.
The moment the flame serpent appeared, it seemed to have a target, almost without any pause, it directly coiled around the giant hand made of rock, and the next second it appeared in front of Obadiah Stane.
Just like a python hunting in nature, the flame serpent clearly regarded Obadiah Stane and the Iron Monger he controlled as its prey, directly coiling around the giant rock hand and the Iron Monger's massive body.
The body made of Fiendfyre almost instantly burned the rock giant hand gripping the Iron Monger into scorching lava, shattering into pieces. The extremely high temperature also made the Iron Monger lose its ability to resist.
Obadiah Stane watched the continuous alarms inside the mech, his inner panic no longer concealable, and almost shrieked as he activated his last resort.
An escape device hidden inside the Iron Monger.
Accompanied by a whirring mechanical sound, Obadiah Stane was ejected from the Iron Monger like discarded waste.
He landed extremely awkwardly not far away, and the Iron Monger, no longer controlled by Obadiah Stane, almost instantly turned into a puddle of molten iron under the scorching of the flame serpent.
Seeing that the flame serpent had completed its mission, Sherlock, without any hesitation, immediately used a counter-spell to make the Fiendfyre serpent disappear without a trace.
This was a magic from Grindelwald's notes; compared to Dumbledore's notes, Grindelwald's notes contained more various Black Magic, among which Fiendfyre was one that Sherlock understood relatively well.
However, controlling Fiendfyre was always a difficult point for Sherlock; even with Grindelwald's improved Fiendfyre, it was quite strenuous for Sherlock.
It was precisely because of this that almost the instant Obadiah Stane was ejected and the Iron Monger turned into molten iron, Sherlock immediately stopped the Fiendfyre magic.
Obadiah Stane watched in terror as Sherlock steadily advanced towards him. The wide hood and cloak, coupled with the black mist emanating from beneath the hood, made Sherlock look like a demon from hell.
Even the scorching molten iron that the Iron Monger had turned into, Sherlock merely waved his wand, and that puddle of molten iron disappeared without a trace.
"Demon!! You must be a demon!!!"
Obadiah Stane had almost lost his sanity. Looking at the approaching Sherlock, Obadiah Stane almost crawled up from the ground, using both hands and feet, howling as he ran into the distance.
Boundless fear had almost completely consumed Obadiah Stane's reason. In his fear, Obadiah Stane did not notice the abnormality around him at all.
But Tony, standing at the edge of the battlefield, saw it clearly. Although Obadiah Stane seemed to be constantly running in the opposite direction,
the space around Obadiah Stane, however, kept compressing around Obadiah Stane as Obadiah Stane advanced.
Although Obadiah Stane tried desperately to escape, it seemed to make little difference from running in place.
Sherlock, behind Obadiah Stane, did not experience such a situation; he continued to advance step by step. In fact, ever since Obadiah Stane was repelled by Sherlock, Sherlock had maintained his forward momentum.
None of Obadiah Stane's attacks or strategies could stop Sherlock's advance, and even now, Obadiah Stane had not escaped Sherlock's control.
The magic Sherlock used to control Obadiah Stane's escape, making him appear to be running in place, was a variation of the Spatial magic Sherlock learned at Kamar-Taj, a simplified version of the Ancient One's dazzling Spatial magic.
In just a short while, Sherlock stood behind Obadiah Stane, looking at the disheveled Obadiah Stane with a half-smile, and slowly said,
"I told you, as the protagonist of this play, you can't escape."
The voice from behind him startled Obadiah Stane. He didn't understand why, even though he had been running for a long time, the devil behind him could still catch up.
In his terror, Obadiah Stane almost comically tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his face.
Despite his disheveled state, the fallen Obadiah Stane still had an exceptionally strong will to survive. He immediately turned over and sat up, begging Sherlock for mercy.
"Let me go, I shouldn't have competed with Tony for control of the corporation, I shouldn't have been so deluded as to harm your parents and Tony, let me go, as long as you let me go, everything I have now, immediately, right now, will all be yours, as long as you let me go!"
Listening to Obadiah Stane's plea, Sherlock stopped his movements, as if he were truly considering Obadiah Stane's proposal.
Seeing that Sherlock seemed to be considering his proposal, looking distracted, Obadiah Stane, without any hesitation, pulled out a carved 1911 pistol from his Pregnant, a self-defense weapon he had always carried with him for decades, never leaving his side.
However, it was clear that Obadiah Stane had miscalculated. Sherlock was not considering Obadiah Stane's proposal; in fact, he had always been wary of Obadiah Stane's sneak attack.
Even stopping his movements and feigning thought was merely a cat-and-mouse game.
The moment Obadiah Stane pulled out the pistol, Sherlock's wand emitted a milky white light, striking Obadiah Stane, who was sitting on the ground.
Almost instantly, Obadiah Stane, who had just aimed at Sherlock, discovered in terror that, except for his eyes, his entire body seemed to be frozen, unable to move an inch.
His finger was already on the trigger; if he had just half a second more, it would have been enough for him to make a desperate counterattack, but now there was no possibility of resistance.
Instantly, a huge sense of despair almost completely engulfed Obadiah Stane. The next second, that despair turned into deep fear.
After Sherlock petrified Obadiah Stane with the Petrification Curse, he lightly flicked the wand in his hand, and the original wand disappeared without a trace, transforming into an ice pick the size of a tea needle.
"I told you I would make you face your death in a way a million times more miserable than my parents. I keep my word."
As his voice fell, Sherlock bypassed Obadiah Stane's gun-wielding hand and pressed the ice pick against Obadiah Stane's chest.
Then, at the slowest possible speed, he slowly pushed the ice pick in his hand into Obadiah Stane's heart.
Of course, before killing Obadiah Stane with the ice pick, Sherlock didn't forget to add a Super-Sensing Charm buff to him.
This spell is mostly used to enhance the five senses in the wizarding community, but it is also a terrifying spell if not handled properly.
It can easily have the same effect as the Superman drug when Nida fought Sal Apollo in God of Death.
In the Wizarding World, if no one helps you break the curse, then just wait for your mind to collapse.
But right now, Sherlock felt he could let Obadiah Stane experience Sal Apollo's joy. Wait 100 years to die, and then spend another 100 years feeling the knife slowly pierce his heart?
Hopefully, his brain can hold up.