Tony Stark didn't know how he'd made it back to the Malibu mansion.
The Mark III suit was wrecked—its thrusters cutting in and out—wobbling the whole way like it might fall apart at any second. More than once, he'd nearly plunged straight into the ocean.
The pain in his body was nothing compared to the shock in his mind.
That green giant serpent that devoured everything. The absolute, crushing power. The helplessness—like an infant—he'd felt in front of it. It all kept replaying in his head, over and over.
When he finally wrestled the suit—on the verge of coming apart—down into the mansion's garage, he stumbled on landing and almost fell out of the armor.
Pepper had already been waiting there, frantic. The moment she saw him battered all over, pale as death, tears flooded her eyes. She hurried forward with Happy to support him.
"Tony! God—your injuries are terrible!" Pepper's voice shook with sobs.
"I… I'm fine, Pepper." Tony forced a smile, only to tug at his ribs and suck in a sharp breath. Right now, he needed a strong drink, somewhere quiet, and a full-body scan from JARVIS.
But when Pepper and Happy half-carried him into the living room, Tony froze so hard it was like someone had hit a pause button on him.
He forgot the pain entirely.
A chill shot from the top of his head down to his feet, like his soul was about to flee his body.
On that wide, soft sofa, Tsuda Takao was lounging comfortably against the cushions.
That part wasn't the problem.
The problem was what Takao had in his arms—one on each side.
On the left was Skadi. Like a lazy cat, she curled against him, her long white hair spread across his legs. Her crimson eyes were half-lidded, looking like she was thoroughly enjoying the intimacy. One of Takao's hands was gently combing through her hair.
And on the right…
It was the green-haired witch—the one who'd become a nightmare serpent on the battlefield, the one who'd swallowed Hulk and Abomination in a single bite—
Mobius.
Now, she'd tucked away every trace of danger. She looked like a docile lover, leaning close against Takao's other side—her head resting on his shoulder. Her emerald eyes held a teasing smile as she watched Tony standing in the doorway like he'd been turned to stone.
She even lifted a gloved hand and lightly patted Takao's cheek, speaking in that uniquely languid, playful tone of hers:
"Look, look—our dear little lab rat. Your friend who plays with tin toys seems to have gotten a bit startled~"
Seeing Tony's "I've seen a ghost" expression, Takao couldn't help laughing. He patted Mobius's hand.
"Snakey, stop scaring him. He just came back from a brutal fight."
Then he cleared his throat.
"Ahem… Tony, let me introduce you. This is my… uh, other companion—Miss Mobius."
Tony's brain fully blue-screened.
He looked at Takao. Looked at Skadi. Looked at Mobius—smiling with her head on Takao's shoulder like some beautiful, venomous temptress.
His worldview got smashed into pieces, reassembled, and smashed again in a matter of seconds.
That terrifying existence that devoured monsters… was now acting like a normal woman, clinging to his tenant?!
It was more horrifying than being squeezed in Abomination's hand.
"Y-you… you…" Tony pointed at Mobius, his finger trembling so hard he couldn't form a complete sentence.
Pepper and Happy recognized Mobius too—blurry images had already spread through the news and S.H.I.E.L.D. briefings. Their faces went white. Instinctively, they took a step back, like they were staring down some prehistoric beast.
Mobius didn't care in the slightest.
She casually curled a finger.
From the shadow behind Tony, a small green snake slipped out and bit him on the neck. A cold liquid streamed into his bloodstream.
"Oh my God—what did you do to me? What did you inject into my body? Are you stealing my kidney?!"
Tony nearly jumped out of his skin. He yanked the snake off and threw it away, then started patting himself down like he'd lost his mind.
And then—something felt wrong.
Just moments ago, he'd needed support just to walk. Now he felt sharp and energized, and the pain was… fading?
"Wait—huh? I… I feel amazing?"
He touched himself again, realizing the aches had dulled dramatically. He checked the injuries on his body—wounds that were visibly healing at an unnerving speed—and his face snapped into disbelief.
"Please rest assured, Mr. Tony-the-lab-rat," Mobius added helpfully, "your body—hollowed out by smoke, alcohol, and women—has no value as an organ donor."
"Yes," she followed up, even more kindly, "you don't even qualify as a lab rat."
Takao hurried to smooth things over.
"Tony, that was a high-potency cell-repair agent Snakey prepared for you. No toxins, no side effects. She's just… um… a bit tsundere with her words. But trust me—she doesn't mean any harm."
Tony's mouth twitched.
That snake had looked lethally poisonous when it sank its fangs into his neck—he'd genuinely thought he was done for.
But after being saved twice—once right there on the battlefield—he couldn't exactly refuse to acknowledge it, no matter how unwilling.
"Ahem… I see. That's… a very distinctive injection device. But I anticipated something like this, obviously. Anyway—thank you, Miss Mobius."
Mobius seemed satisfied with his reaction. She straightened up slightly, still pressed close to Takao. Her emerald eyes shone with undisguised amusement as she looked Tony over from head to toe.
"Oh? Looks like our little tin man has found his confidence again. So—how did it feel, nearly getting yourself killed by your own crude little toys?"
(End of Chapter)
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