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*****
The unexpected turn in the battle left Fini feeling somewhat depressed and irritable. Watching Tony being caught by Obadiah and forced back into a melee struggle, Fini no longer hesitated and began preparing a portal.
Concentrating intensely on guiding the energy, a wide portal soon flickered into existence not far from where the two were fighting.
It had to be said that Fini's talent was indeed not that great; by the time the gate was fully open, not only had Obadiah seen it, but even the reporters had discovered it.
Fortunately, Tony finally pulled his weight. Through persistent effort, he forcibly moved the battlefield near the portal.
Seeing the stark white snow on the other side of the portal, Obadiah certainly didn't think the opponent had opened a strange circle just for him to admire the view. He realized he had somewhat underestimated the helper Tony had brought along.
Previously, his mind was set on preventing Tony from escaping, but as the battle reached this point, Obadiah began thinking about how he should escape, even if it meant abandoning Stark Industries.
As long as he possessed the miniature Arc Reactor technology and the armor, he could make a comeback and become even stronger.
Technically, Tony was smarter, but in combat, Obadiah believed himself to be more ruthless and poisonous. He was certain he could eventually defeat Tony, but the prerequisite was surviving for now.
Regrettably, although the Iron Monger possessed more strength than Tony, it wasn't easy to shake off the Mark II to escape. Conversely, because the Iron Monger was so heavy and clumsy, it wasn't simple for Tony to force it into the portal either.
Gazing at Tony, who was still circling and struggling after all that time, Fini sighed helplessly. Truly, relying on anyone was never as good as relying on oneself.
After calming his mind and focusing his spirit, Fini stared directly at the Iron Monger's position, concentrating his thoughts intensely as he activated "The Golden Ars Magna."
"Move the portal!"
The sparking portal moved at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly appearing right in front of the Iron Monger. Seeing this, Tony immediately surged his power to lock onto the Iron Monger, forcing it to fall into the portal with him.
Worried that Obadiah might fly back out, Fini also rushed to the edge of the portal, leaped through, and then promptly closed the gate.
Only the excited and bewildered reporters remained on the devastated factory floor.
…
"Where is this?"
Suddenly finding himself surrounded by ice and snow, it would be a lie to say Obadiah wasn't panicked. However, before Fini could answer, he saw the result via the computer system inside his armor.
"Mount Everest!?"
Inside the suit, Obadiah was utterly stunned. One second he was in New York, and the next he was on Mount Everest. Had he not experienced it himself, he would never have believed it even if he were beaten to death.
"Now, Round Two begins!"
Tony announced with a bit of a flair as he charged toward Obadiah. This time, Fini did not stay idle and joined the fray as well.
The thermal weapons on both their suits were nearly exhausted from the previous fight; they were now mostly relying on mechanical melee, an area where Fini felt no fear.
Condensing the Rings of Gaggador in his hands as weapons, Fini utilized the flexibility of the Skywalk to engage in hit-and-run tactics against the Iron Monger. Striking from the east and then the west, he made the battle an agonizing ordeal for Obadiah.
"Who exactly are you? Whatever benefits Tony gave you, I can double it!"
By now, Obadiah had sensed the gravity of his situation. Becoming frantic, he actually began trying to win Fini over.
Fini couldn't be bothered to respond. Everything that had happened today had already left him exhausted; right now, he only wanted to finish farming experience and go back for a good rest.
Although the Rings of Gaggador were a basic spell of Kamar-Taj, their power was not weak. They were at least capable of breaking through steel armor, which, combined with Obadiah's lack of preparation or countermeasures for sub-zero environments, made the situation dire for him.
Under the pincer attack of Fini and Tony, the Iron Monger quickly became battered and riddled with scars.
"Tony! You can't do this to me! I was your father's best friend! I watched you grow up! It was me, I was the one who helped you manage the company!"
Obadiah's panicked voice rang out from within the Iron Monger. He had realized that continuing like this meant certain defeat.
Tony remained silent, though his movements softened slightly. He had once treated Obadiah almost as family; even after returning, he had never imagined it would be Obadiah who masterminded the kidnapping.
After developing the miniature Arc Reactor, he had only told three people: his best friend Rhodey, his most trusted assistant Pepper, and his closest "family," Obadiah Stane.
"Hey, no matter how you want to deal with him, get him out of there before you start thinking."
Noticing Tony seemed to be spacing out, Fini couldn't help but offer a speechless reminder. If this were a movie, this was exactly the kind of rhythm that led to a villain's counter-kill.
Tony snapped back to reality; now was not the time for idle thoughts.
It was night in New York, but it was morning on Mount Everest—the coldest time of the day.
Snow and wind howled through the air, sharp and freezing, causing ice to form on both their suits. The world was a blur of white, and the Iron Monger in particular seemed to be growing increasingly stiff in its movements.
Fini's "Incursio," however, appeared perfectly normal due to its evolved freezing resistance.
Obadiah grew even more desperate and finally chose to flee. The flight system ignited, and the exhaust flames from the soles of his feet instantly melted quite a bit of snow.
A heavy body required more energy to maintain flight. They had been fighting for a long time since the beginning; no matter how powerful the miniature Arc Reactor was, it couldn't sustain them forever.
Obadiah hadn't been in the air for long before his energy began to run low.
"Don't push me!"
Seeing the relentless pursuit from Tony and Fini, Obadiah screamed hysterically. He had only just acquired all of this; his dreams hadn't even started taking off before they were about to be shattered.
"Obadiah, come out and go back with me to confess your crimes!"
Ultimately, for the sake of their years of friendship, Tony spoke to Obadiah.
Confessing was practically a death sentence to him, so Obadiah was naturally unwilling. He felt he could still be "resuscitated." Glancing at a nearby snowy peak, he used the last of his energy to fly in that direction.
He intended to trigger an avalanche to block the two behind him. Although he might get caught in it as well, it was his last chance.
Looking at Obadiah's sudden accelerated flight, Fini felt a bit puzzled. Although he wanted to step in and stop him, truth be told, Obadiah's speed was faster than his Skywalk. While Obadiah couldn't shake him off, Fini realized catching up was unrealistic.
As for Tony, Obadiah was already running out of energy, and as an older version, how much could Tony have left? Pursuing at full speed might result in mutual destruction; with Fini by his side, there was no need for him to be so reckless.
"What is he trying to do?"
Fini asked Tony in confusion as he watched Obadiah head straight for the snowy mountain.
"I don't know."
Tony was also completely bewildered, unable to grasp Obadiah's thoughts. The portal was opened by Fini—Tony hadn't even known about it, so it was impossible for Obadiah to have set an ambush on that mountain.
However, as they reached the foot of the mountain, the two quickly understood the meaning of Obadiah's actions as he fired several missiles into the peak.
"He wants to trigger an avalanche!"
Fini and Tony spoke in unison, their expressions changing instantly.
The massive explosion, as expected, caused the mountain to shake. Like ocean waves, a vast area of accumulated snow began to slide downward, yet Obadiah charged into the avalanche without looking back.
"Dammit!"
Fini cursed inwardly with frustration. If Obadiah truly made it inside, even if they followed, they would likely be buried. As for waiting in the air for the avalanche to pass, that would likely give Obadiah the chance to escape.
However, Obadiah's gamble was certainly not without risk. If one thing went wrong, he might be buried and never come out.
And what Fini had to do now was remove that "might."
Flying quickly to Tony's side and watching Obadiah get closer and closer to the avalanche, Fini immediately said: "Find a way to get me within five meters of him."
Tony made a split-second decision. He grabbed Fini and squeezed out the last drop of his energy—accelerating and sprinting—nearly overtaking Obadiah and reaching his side in an instant.
But after this, Tony's energy was almost completely drained. His flight became intermittent, and with the avalanche imminent, his situation became dangerous.
Reaching Obadiah's side, Fini didn't have the luxury to worry about Tony. Through a tiny but penetrating wound previously left on the Iron Monger's body, he began to use his skill.
Within five meters, anywhere his sight could reach, he could summon anything at will—a skill he had once considered utterly useless!
'Violet Melon Fried Chicken Roll' X3 'Violet Melon Fried Chicken Roll' X3 'Violet Melon Fried Chicken Roll' X3
At a release speed of three per second, the interior of the Iron Monger was filled with "Violet Melon Fried Chicken Rolls" in just a few dozen seconds. It didn't end there; immediately after, Fini added:
"Your system will crash under the low temperature and fail to start!"
After finishing this, the avalanche was almost upon them. Without looking back, Fini hurried to Tony's side, grabbed him, and quickly ascended into the air, watching Obadiah's Iron Monger be completely swallowed by the avalanche.
(End of Chapter)