When Rimuru arrived at Tony's villa on the Malibu coast in California, she couldn't help but gasp.
New York had just lost a villa to an explosion, and now here was an even better one—facing the sea, blooming like everlasting spring. Damn rich people!
However, as soon as she remembered that this villa would soon be blown up too, Rimuru's mood immediately brightened.
Thinking of that, she couldn't help but smile wryly.
Tony Stark's luck was truly comparable to the Suzuki Conglomerate in Detective Conan.
In Dimensional Sniper, the 40-billion-yen Suzuki Tower collapsed; in Sunflowers of Inferno, a high-class exhibition hall, built with great effort, exploded; in Pure Black Nightmare, an entire amusement park was destroyed.
Conan fans had long summarized the rule: any grand building invested in by the Suzuki Conglomerate and heavily introduced at the beginning of the story will explode 100 million percent.
And Tony Stark?
In Iron Man 1, the New York villa was blown up and the R&D center destroyed; in Iron Man 2, the industrial expo park was blown up; in Avengers 1, the newly built Stark Tower was blown up; in Iron Man 3, the California villa was blown up; in Avengers 4, the rebuilt Avengers Base was blown up again.
Was he destined for explosions?
After Rimuru waited for a bit, Pepper, graceful in her high heels, walked over.
"Pepper, you're getting even more beautiful!"
"You only know how to flatter people. I've been staying up late recently—my skin is so bad I can hardly bear to show my face!"
Although Pepper said that, the smile on her face couldn't be hidden. She was glowing.
Rimuru wasn't falling for that. If she actually agreed that Pepper's skin looked worse, she'd definitely be disliked and blacklisted.
Heh. Women.
The clever and witty Rimuru had long seen through everything!
Pepper truly had high emotional intelligence and was great at conversation. Once they started talking, she controlled the flow effortlessly, and the two chatted happily.
"Rimuru? What a rare guest!"
Seeing Rimuru, Tony Stark—hair messy, having just walked out of the lab—suddenly brightened.
He had just finished debugging the Mark IV, and Rimuru showed up right on time. Clearly, Heaven couldn't wait for him to get revenge on her!
Tony Stark was extremely confident in the Mark IV. Its speed, armor, and weapons were all uniquely upgraded.
Compared to the Mark III, its performance was nothing short of revolutionary.
"Rimuru, my Mark IV is finally done. What about your Fengshen? Let's set a time and do a rematch!"
"No."
Rimuru refused immediately, without hesitation.
Huh?
Tony froze. Was the rejection too fast? Did she misunderstand something?
Where was her pride?
"You're not scared, are you?" Tony provoked.
Rimuru remained steady as a rock. "The Mark lost to Fengshen, and Tony wrote a big '服' (admitted defeat)."
Tony Stark: "…"
"Strength depends on the version. My Mark is already at the fourth generation. What about your Fengshen? Isn't it still Fengshen One?"
"The Mark lost to Fengshen, and Tony wrote a big '服' (admitted defeat)."
Tony's face instantly darkened. If he wore an eyepatch, he could cosplay Nick Fury flawlessly.
Gritting his teeth, Tony said, "If you have the guts, let's compete again. I guarantee I'll beat your Fengshen so badly it'll be looking for teeth all over the ground!"
Rimuru: "The Mark lost to Fengshen, and Tony wrote a big '服' (admitted defeat)."
Tony was about to lose it.
He only lost once—why wouldn't she let it go?
"Just once more! One more match!" Tony said, eyes red.
Rimuru: "Are you begging me?"
Tony gritted his teeth. "…Yes. I'm begging you."
Rimuru: "The Mark lost to Fengshen, and Tony wrote a big '服.' Even if you beg, it's pointless."
Tony nearly exploded.
I, Tony Stark, richest man in the world, Iron Man, superhero—have never wanted to punch someone this badly. What do I do?
Pfft!
Seeing Tony and Rimuru bickering, Pepper burst into laughter.
Both turned toward her. Pepper still couldn't stop laughing.
"Rimuru, Tony, do you know how funny you two looked just now? Like a father and daughter. Your personalities are way too similar!"
Rimuru and Tony pointed at each other and said in unison:
"Me and them as father and daughter? What kind of international joke is that?"
Rimuru: "Pepper, how could a greasy old man like Tony produce such a cute, excellent child like me?"
Tony: "Pepper, you've always been my capable assistant, but you're mistaken this time. I, Tony Stark, the greatest genius in human history, could never father a mischievous gremlin like Rimuru!"
"Greasy old man? Are you talking about me?"
"The greatest genius in history? Pepper, quick—help me hold down Einstein's coffin lid!"
Watching them roast each other back and forth, Pepper laughed so hard she was shaking.
Tony was like an old child completely led astray by Rimuru.
Still, it was incredible. Outsiders would never believe that the dignified Iron Man could be angered to this degree—yet still unable to do anything about Rimuru.
"Tony, why is the energy-saving lamp on your chest gone? It looks terrible. Why don't you have a doctor put it back?"
Put the energy-saving lamp back?! Was that even human speech?
Palladium was poisoning him—he was practically vomiting chlorophyll juice every day!
This little gremlin—she just wanted to see him suffer!
Tony's chest heaved, fury burning. He wished he could throw his Iron Man gauntlet straight into Rimuru's face.
Draw your sword, brat!
After taking a deep breath, Tony finally said, "Fine. Tell me—what will it take for you to agree to a rematch?"
Rimuru: "Fengshen is a weapon of war—meant for killing enemies, not for competition."
Tony: "I'll cover the materials for Wind God II."
"…Huh?"
Rimuru's eyes instantly lit up, both turning into shiny golden '$' signs.
What did you say? Repeat that?
Seeing Rimuru's expression, Tony regretted it instantly. "I was so stupid. So incredibly stupid."
It wasn't that Rimuru didn't want to compete—she was simply too poor to afford materials for Wind God II.
He should have realized sooner!
Rimuru, trying to remain righteous: "Fengshen is a weapon of war—"
Before she finished, Tony spoke again:
"And I'll cover the materials for Wind God III."
Gulp.
Rimuru swallowed hard. Suddenly, Tony Stark looked incredibly tall and radiant—shining like a saint of money.
The power of money… so strong. So dazzling.