The phantom image dissolved into nothingness, jolting the group back to reality. Dozens of meters away, Steve's crumpled form jerked violently before uncurling with a pained groan. Maria Hill rushed to his side, helping him sit up. "Captain, how are you feeling?"
Steve's face twisted in agony, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. His breaths came in ragged gasps, leaving him unable to respond. "Captain!" Coulson's voice rang out as he emerged from the cabin, sprinting toward them. Behind him, a squad of black-clad S.H.I.E.L.D. agents advanced with weapons drawn.
Big Head reacted instantly, unleashing his psychic power to seize control of a portion of the troops. The air erupted with gunfire as chaos ensued. Coulson broke away from the skirmish, joining Hill to help Steve to his feet. Hong Fei stomped the ground, snatched up the shield, and hurled it toward Steve. It embedded itself in the dirt just in front of him. "Still standing?"
Steve shook off their support, bending with visible effort to retrieve the shield. "I... can... do this all day," he managed between labored breaths. Hong Fei chuckled. "Good to hear." Earlier, Steve had dropped a blue skill card, hinting at a resilience akin to Matt Murdock's infamous endurance.
Coulson, visibly frustrated, opened a case and pulled out a bulky weapon, aiming it at Hong Fei. "Stand down. Trust me, you don't want to test this." Bang! The revolver's report echoed sharply, and Coulson's weapon clattered to the ground. He clutched his arm, hissing in pain. "Lesson for you," Hong Fei said coolly as he holstered his gun. "Next time, skip the monologue."
He turned back to Steve. "Let's see how long you can last." Steve steadied himself, drawing a deep breath. Suddenly, a low rumble echoed from the sky, and Frank's voice crackled in their ears.
"Fighter jets incoming, along with military reinforcements. I'm breaking off from Tony Stark to handle the jets. Jessica, clear those armors fast and get over here. Abomination, take on the ground troops. Keep the fight contained—don't let them draw the jets into long-range strikes."
Abomination obeyed instantly, leaping down the mountainside. Jessica unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, sending the surrounding armors scattering before darting off to support Frank. At the same time, Tony descended from above, his high-speed approach targeting Hong Fei directly. Clang! His blade flashed as he halted abruptly in front of Hong Fei.
"Come at me, then!" Hong Fei taunted. Tony snorted. "You think I'm unprepared? Jarvis!" He glanced upward. Three seconds later, a red dot pierced through the clouds, hurtling toward the battlefield. Tony shot into the air, colliding with it mid-flight. Hong Fei squinted, finally making out the shape—a rectangular metal pod painted red.
As it descended, the pod's outer shell burst open with a series of sharp cracks, its mechanical components unfolding and transforming rapidly. Tony reached it in an instant, merging seamlessly with the massive metal structure. The ground trembled as debris flew, and through the settling dust emerged a towering armor, nearly two meters tall. Its sleek frame belied its power, and its eyes glowed with electric intensity.
Tony's voice echoed from within. "This armor was made just for you. Ready?" Hong Fei studied it carefully, his expression unimpressed. "Let's find out."
Hong Fei exhaled as his Psychic Power flowed freely, meeting no resistance. Relief washed over him. He swung his longsword in a silver arc—the blade's energy tore through concrete as it raced toward Tony's armor. The armored figure dodged, then lunged forward with sudden, terrifying speed.
The back plates of the suit hissed open, twin rows of thrusters flaring to life. Tony shot forward upright, faster than before. Shoulder panels slid apart as gauntlets and chestplate glowed—multiple energy weapons charging simultaneously.
Hong Fei pivoted, sweeping his blade upward to summon a shimmering air shield. The incoming barrage detonated against it, sending shockwaves rippling across the translucent barrier. Before the explosions faded, Tony closed the distance. His armored arm swung down—a ten-meter energy beam screaming through the air like a guillotine.
The shield split with a violent crackle. Hong Fei's eyes widened as he threw himself sideways. The beam sheared through pavement like hot wire through wax, leaving a smoldering black trench. Thick smoke coiled upward as the energy blade retracted with a snap.
Even Steve and Coulson froze. Fury, halfway up the Quinjet ramp, spun around. "A lightsaber?" Hong Fei asked, eyeing the scorched earth. Tony's voice dripped with smugness through the speakers. "You could say that."
Hong Fei snorted. "Bullshit. Ten-meter blades? That thing's gotta drain your core in seconds." Inside the suit, Tony's grin faltered. The kid wasn't wrong—the unstable energy matrix forced the beam to extend uncontrollably, burning through power reserves like a fusion reactor on overload.
"Power's what counts," Tony shot back, but the defensive edge in his voice betrayed him.
Fury's gaze sharpened. He agreed—raw destructive potential trumped efficiency. If only Stark weren't so damn unpredictable. The Tesseract project could've used that firepower.
"Power's useless if you can't land a hit." Hong Fei sprang, his blade a silver streak aimed at the armor's chest. The strike peeled paint off the plating but barely scratched the metal beneath.
Tony staggered back, repulsors already whining to life. "Upgraded the alloy. Like it?" Secondary Adamantium—courtesy of Fury's generosity.
In the distance, Abomination waded through artillery fire. The ground troops' barrage sent shockwaves across the battlefield, shells cratering the monster's hide. Jets circled like vultures, missiles streaking toward Frank and Jessica—only to detonate midair, shredded by precise gunfire. Against the nimble armored suits, conventional weapons were useless.
Fighter jets hovered in the distant sky, occasionally firing missiles trailing white smoke at Frank and Jessica, but the projectiles detonated prematurely, shredded by counterfire. General Ross barked orders over the radio, his voice raw. Another artillery salvo hammered Abomination's bulk.
Abomination seethed with rage, but his fury didn't translate into strength. The Military's escalating firepower pinned him down, rendering him incapable of advancing alone. Overhead, fighter jets and armed helicopters swarmed in increasing numbers, steadily ratcheting up the pressure on Frank and Jessica. The relentless beyond-visual-range strikes demanded more and more of their attention.
Yelena and Natasha lay sprawled on the ground, clutching their heads. Antonia stood over Luke and Matt, one foot planted firmly on each of their chests. Big Head manipulated the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to seize control of the fighter jets, steering Fury toward Steve and the others. The focal point of the battle remained Master Hong. He launched himself into the air, activating his Eyes of Death, and fixed his gaze on the armor. Its sole weak point became clear.
The chest, where the reactor was housed. But this vulnerability wasn't easy to exploit. Tony's reflexes were razor-sharp now, and the armor's speed and strength had been significantly enhanced. That terrifying energy beam was something Hong Fei really didn't want to face head-on. "I've had Jarvis analyze every fighting style in the world. Your techniques are an open book to me!" Tony declared.
As he spoke, Tony lunged forward, his punch exploding like a cannonball. Simultaneously, plates behind the armor's elbows slid open, revealing energy thrusters that blazed with intensity. This cutting-edge armor didn't just enhance technique and reflexes—it also harnessed immense, surging energy. Tony's counterattack was ferocious, largely because the armor amplified his combat prowess exponentially.
With an ample power supply, the armor maintained peak speed and strength without faltering over time. Hong Fei leapt aside, but Tony pursued him relentlessly. Every punch and kick was augmented by additional energy propulsion, and Hong Fei had to stay vigilant against the sudden bursts of energy beams from Tony's arms.
For the first time, Tony had gained the upper hand against Hong Fei in a direct confrontation. Whoosh! Another energy beam erupted, narrowly grazing Hong Fei's ear. Even through his nano armor, Hong Fei felt the searing heat. Missing his target, Tony cut off the energy beam. Hong Fei thrust his sword forward, using the momentum to retreat.
Walking on air, he sheathed his blade and spread his arms. Golden energy surged through his body. Seeing this, Steve shouted, "Tony, look out!" The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them. He'd forgotten he was supposed to be on Hong Fei's side and shot an apologetic glance his way. Hong Fei ignored him.
As the golden light enveloped him, he asked, "What if I accidentally kill you?" Though he'd absorbed and integrated the Dragon Power, he hadn't fully mastered it yet. Previously, he'd consciously held back, but now that Tony's armor proved unbreakable, he couldn't keep his power within controllable limits. The risk was real.
To Tony, however, this sounded like pure mockery. "In your dreams!" he retorted, unleashing energy beams from both arms, slashing wildly at Hong Fei. In an instant, Hong Fei surged forward, his speed eclipsing anything he'd shown before, leaving the crisscrossing energy beams in his wake. As he closed the distance, he thrust out his right palm.
Golden light erupted from his right arm, and the air current from his palm pierced through the atmosphere in the blink of an eye. Boom! A deafening explosion echoed as the armor's shell vibrated violently, leaving a clear palm print etched into the alloy.
Tony staggered back abruptly, all the energy thrusters on his back flaring to stabilize his position. Without hesitation, he charged back into the fray, seemingly fearless. Watching from the sidelines, Fury furrowed his brow, then turned to Steve. Steve took a deep breath and said, "Be careful. I'm going to help!"
Seeing Fury charge forward, Hill caught the case he tossed her way. He scooped up Coulson's fallen weapon in one fluid motion, pivoting to train it on Antonia. A crackling energy blast tore through the air—she twisted aside at the last second, giving Luke and Matt the opening they needed to scramble free from beneath her.
"Get to the Captain!" Fury barked between shots, never letting up his suppressing fire as Antonia danced between the energy bursts.