….
"Note to self." He muttered under his breath, tugging at his scorched sleeve. "Next time - fireproof clothes. Priority number one."
Tony's helmet head shifted, locking onto the boy, Jin-Hoo.
"...." For a moment, silence.
Then his voice came through, with a flicker of pride. "Kid, you just earned yourself a place in this crazy mess. Welcome to the team."
Yinsen stayed crouched behind the shield, his face pale and oddly blank - yet beneath that blank stare, his eyes carried what words couldn't:
Disbelief.
Just seconds ago, he had watched it with his own eyes.
Guns floating in the air, spraying death in perfect formation.
A Repulsor Blast hurled straight at the boy's face - only to bend and scatter harmlessly, like pebbles bouncing off stone.
The only noted damage taken was his half burned sleeves, which Jin-Ho had brushed away as if it were nothing.
It was all surreal.
"Yo, Tony–
Jin-Ho's voice was weaker now, and for the first time he addressed him by name - no mocking 'old man,' or casual suffix.
"Can you take care of things? I am… pretty tired."
Maybe he overdid it, his face was pale, sweat streaking down his temple. But Tony couldn't help but poke.
"Already? Guess it's finally time for me to step in. Watch and learn, kid - I will show you how it's really done."
"Yeah, yeah…"
Jin-Ho was too drained to argue.
The pounding of boots echoed, guards finally shaking off their fear and storming toward the tunnel entrance, guns raised.
Tony stepped forward without hesitation, taking the lead.
Jin-Ho using his [Telekinesis] dragged the shield up, planting it in front of him.
Unbeknownst to him, the repeated use pushed his proficiency to its limits, hitting an impressive 99%.
◤-----------------------◥
「Skills:」
-> [Telekinesis] Level 1(Proficiency 99%)
◣-----------------------◢
Still, he was too drained to summon another force field like before - those flashy barriers had burned through him faster than he would admit.
He still had a little juice in reserve, but he was saving it.
Just in case.
And moreover, he didn't have the strength left to flex, not the way he wanted.
As inevitable as it was, the metal man had to take the charge.
So, this should do the trick to protect himself.
Yinsen already had a metal shield.
Tony didn't need one.
"Okay, kid, I am off. Take care." He launched himself into the fight.
Now, it was just Jin-Ho and Yinsen, standing awkwardly in the dusty corridor.
"Hey…" For some reason, Jin-Ho's greeting came out awkward.
Then Yinsen's knees buckled. His shield clattered against the stone as he sagged, his face pale as paper.
"Whoa—hey, hey!" Jin-Ho caught him just before he collapsed. "What happened? He—"
But the words died in his throat the moment he felt it.
Warmth and sticky?
He glanced down, his palms were slick with red:
Blood?
It can't be his, and he was sure it was also not his enemies.
And it can only mean one thing. "Damn… That old man… he screwed up."
The truth was, it hadn't been long since Yinsen was injured - barely a minute.
A guard, playing dead on the floor, had raised his weapon the moment Tony's back was turned. The crack of the gunshot had echoed through the cavern. Tony had whipped around instantly.
"You okay?!" He shouted, eyes darting.
And Yinsen, pale but steady - had just nodded, brushing it off, refusing to admit the truth.
Because what was the point?
Even if he had said it, there was nothing they could have done.
But here? With no doctors or supplies. It is useless.
Better to keep moving, not slow anyone down.
He knew he was already being a burden. In fact, if it wasn't for him being a liability, with Jin-Ho's powers and Tony's metal suit - they could easily blast off this place down to pile, and escape.
Even now, down below, Tony was still tearing through the stragglers, metal fists and fire clearing the last resistance… and making sure no sudden ambushes were placed for his safety.
From above, Jin-Ho shouted, voice raw. "Hey, old man! Yinsen's hit! Not vital, but he is bleeding out fast!"
Tony slammed his armored foot into a guard's chest, sending him sprawling, and twisted his head toward them.
"Kid." His modulated voice growled. "I take my eyes off you for one damn second and you already screw it up?"
"Don't you fucking put that on me!"
Jin-Ho barked back, as he ripped a strip of cloth from his already-burned sleeve and pressed it against Yinsen's wound, tying it tight.
"Ugh—why am I even wasting breath arguing with you?" He muttered, gritting his teeth as Yinsen groaned under his hands. "Just finish your cleanup and make it fast."
….
Jin-Ho might have actually miscalculated something major.
He assumed with him being here, the escape should be easier, but he forgot about the weak Yinsen - he understood how hard it is to protect even one.
Was it worth the effort? After all, this world did survive without him.
….
The desert air split with the thunder of gunfire.
Out in the open, under a sky burning with heat, Tony's armor was a walking war machine taking the brunt of it all. Bullets were shot into him from every direction, sparking off steel, ricocheting into the sand.
Dust kicked up around his boots as round after round failed to punch through.
Tony advanced, each heavy step made the ground tremble, hydraulics hissing like a beast waking from its cage.
"Alright, you sons of bitches. Let's even the odds."
The shoulder rig snapped into place with a metallic clunk, and the Mark I lit up the battlefield.
Gunfire shot out from his suit, tearing through the line of terrorists.
The sand turned dark with smoke and blood as men scattered, but there was no cover in the barren plain.
Out here, their numbers meant nothing.
A rocket whooshed out from his arm and struck a jeep head-on.
The explosion ripped the air apart, sending fire and debris raining down.
Screams filled the desert, swallowed by the roar of Repulsor Blasts as Tony swept the field, turning the open dunes into a furnace.
He didn't hold back anymore. With Yinsen down, the fight wasn't about cleaning up - it was about time.
Time he didn't have.
Every second wasted was another drop of blood draining from Yinsen's body.
So Tony unleashed everything.
Repulsor Blasts, rockets, gunfire - every crude, improvised weapon strapped to that suit spat death until the battlefield was nothing but smoke, ash, and silence between bursts of screaming.
But the price was clear: the armor was already showing signs of strain.
Dents, gouges, a seam splitting at the shoulder joint.
The heat was baking the metal, and bullets still hammered relentlessly.
It was holding, yes - but not forever.
On the ridge behind, Jin-Ho knelt in the sand, pressing down on Yinsen's wound with hands stained crimson.
The cloth he had tied was soaked through, but the bleeding slowed, barely.
It wasn't deep, thank god, but enough to kill him if they didn't act.
His teeth ground together as he worked, ignoring the heat, the smell of iron in the air.
◤-----------------------◥
[Basic Healing Talisman]
◣-----------------------◢
Yinsen groaned weakly, his voice strained. "Leave me here… don't waste time… you will die if you don't—"
"Shut up." Jin-Ho shut him down, though his hands never stopped moving.
"You have to—"
"Just shut the fuck up for once, old man!"
The outburst cracked louder than the gunfire, startling even Jin-Ho. Yinsen blinked, eyes widening - not from pain this time, but from the sting of words.
Jin-Ho leaned close, pale and sweating, fury holding him upright. "You think I don't want to leave you behind? You and that other fossil down there? I am barely keeping my moral compass intact, so don't hand me that temptation. Sit down, shut up, and let me do my job."
Right no matter how belittled himself, Jin-Ho wasn't someone to leave a dying person.
For once, Yinsen didn't argue.
His chest rose and fell in a shallow breath, and then, through the blood and shock, came the faintest curve of a smile.
Down below, Tony ripped through the last wave like a storm of steel and fire.
Jeep carcasses burned, guns lay scattered across the sand, and the field smelled of oil and ash.
He stood at the center of it all, chest heaving, suit battered but unbroken.
The battle had peaked - but the clock was still ticking.
….
.
[To be continued…]
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