At that moment, the damage Matthews had sustained wasn't particularly severe. In fact, the injuries he was suffering weren't even caused by Tony Stark's attack. Rather, they stemmed from the power granted to him by the Extremis virus. Once the virus pushed his body's limits to the extreme, it began to destroy him from within.
The current version of the Extremis virus was an unstable prototype. While it granted the user immense strength and even regenerative abilities, it also relentlessly damaged their body whenever they used these powers. The user would eventually reach a point where their body couldn't withstand the constant cycle of destruction and regeneration, leading to a catastrophic explosion.
As Matthews lay on the ground, his body's heat fluctuated unnaturally. His internal temperature had already begun to spiral out of control, but Tony Stark hadn't noticed this. Stark assumed that Matthews was simply exhausted from overexertion, given the high temperatures Jarvis had recorded from the metal sphere. Sustaining such intense heat output for an extended period would surely drain anyone's strength.
Tony had arrived at this conclusion based not only on his knowledge of Johnny Storm's flame abilities but also on the current temperature readings from Matthews.
"Shit! What kind of power is that? Have you, Tony Stark, abandoned the realm of science?" Matthews asked, breathing heavily as he slowly regained his composure. He stood up and looked at Tony with confusion. The abilities Tony had displayed just now were beyond his understanding.
Matthews was quite familiar with Tony Stark, not only because of Stark's widespread fame but also because Stark was the ultimate target of their group. Killian had always kept an eye on Tony, frequently discussing him. As a result, Matthews and the others were forced to learn a lot about him.
This was probably the definition of a hater obsessing over their target.
"Abandoned science? What are you talking about? This is the power of technology. You're just not used to it yet," Tony replied with a hint of sarcasm, his gaze sharpening. Matthews had to be dealt with, but Tony knew he needed to extract as much information from him as possible first.
Matthews' strength was already far beyond that of an average superhuman. His explosive firepower was like a stronger version of Johnny Storm's, and that posed a significant threat to ordinary people. And Matthews wasn't alone. Tony needed to understand where he came from, who was backing him, and how many more of these individuals were out there.
"Why did you target Pepper? Was it to get to me? Who's behind you, and how many of you are there?" Tony asked, raising one hand toward Matthews. His palm glowed with energy, ready to fire, as he interrogated him.
"Heh…" Matthews sneered, ignoring Tony's threat. "Do you really think I'm out of the fight? I've heard about your involvement in all these superhuman incidents, but I didn't expect you to be so pathetic."
Tony's brow furrowed beneath his armor as he noticed a change in Matthews' body. If Matthews had been a smoldering mass of molten lava before, he now resembled a lit fuse on a bomb.
"Zing!" Reacting quickly, Tony fired his repulsor beam from his hand, and liquid metal surged from his suit, forming a large shield in front of him.
"Thud!" Even though Matthews moved swiftly, he couldn't avoid the shot entirely. Tony had aimed for his head, but Matthews managed to dodge slightly, taking the blast to his shoulder instead. His arm, along with half of his shoulder, was obliterated.
Despite the severe injury, Matthews didn't lose his ability to fight. He showed no sign of pain as he hurled a ball of fire directly at Tony.
"Boom!" An explosion followed, but Matthews realized that his flames hadn't touched Tony. The side of the room where Tony stood was relatively free of smoke and debris, and Tony hadn't been blown away. Clearly, his attack had been blocked by Tony's massive shield.
Matthews frowned, but he didn't stop. Or rather, he couldn't stop.
Killian had been right—Matthews wasn't the strongest among them, but he was the most stable. If anyone else had been sent to capture Pepper, they might have blown themselves up along with her when things went wrong.
But even Matthews had his limits. The current version of the Extremis virus wasn't perfect, and by using his powers, Matthews had essentially lit a fuse within his own heart. It was an irreversible process.
Matthews knew his fate was sealed. He had mentally prepared for this, but he still felt a sense of bitterness. His only desire now was to take Tony Stark down with him, to have company when he went to hell. He didn't care that Tony was his boss's sworn enemy, someone Killian had vowed to deal with personally. Matthews was beyond caring. He was a dead man walking.
In one last desperate move, Matthews leaped into the air, seemingly gaining the ability to fly, and soared over Tony's position. Mid-air, he ignited all the remaining energy within his body.
"Boom!"
A massive explosion erupted behind Tony, a bright and spectacular blast. Though it didn't reach the heights of a normal firework, its destructive force obliterated everything around it.
"Phew, that was close. If I had been wearing my older suit, I might have been injured," Tony muttered to himself as he emerged from the explosion. His suit had shifted into a new form, and just before the blast could reach him, a large shield had materialized from his back, protecting him and the suit. The shield wasn't just made of metal but was also reinforced by an energy barrier.
The explosion had been powerful, but it only managed to shatter the energy shield and slightly damage the outer layer of his armor.
Even so, it was an impressive display of strength, especially considering Matthews had only injected himself with a flawed version of the Extremis virus.
Tony couldn't help but wonder what kind of devastation a perfected version of the virus could unleash.
"Damn it! I didn't get any useful information, and there are more of these guys out there. The worst part is, they seem to be targeting Pepper…" Tony muttered in frustration as he surveyed the destruction around him.
"According to the temperature readings, this guy's explosion reached a higher temperature than Johnny Storm's strongest attack. If every one of these flame-users can reach this level, it'll be a disaster!"
The Avengers had dealt with groups of similarly powered individuals before, whether it was the Spider-Man incident, the Shadow Soldiers, or even the vampires and werewolves. But none of those posed the same level of destruction as these walking firebombs.
The death toll might have been similar across those incidents, but the sheer scale of destruction caused by the fire-users was unmatched.
Tony was starting to feel like he understood why the authorities were so wary of Robert. People with such terrifying destructive power were simply too dangerous.
"Jarvis, tighten surveillance! And pull up footage from the area around Stark Tower. I want to see if there were any suspicious individuals," Tony commanded as he flew back toward Stark Tower.
Returning to the Avengers' base wasn't an option right now. Pepper could still be in danger, and Tony had to be vigilant. He didn't know why only Matthews had come after her, with no backup, but he knew this incident was just the beginning. Pepper wasn't out of danger yet.
When Tony arrived back at Stark Tower, the entrance was swarmed with reporters. This was the first time Tony Stark had been attacked, and it was bound to be big news. The reporters were eager to get the story.
"Mr. Stark! Was this attack the work of a superhuman?"
"Iron Man, why are superhumans targeting you? Are they seeking revenge?"
"Why didn't Superman come to rescue Miss Pepper? Is there bad blood between you superheroes?"
"Iron Man, why didn't the police or government intervene? Is Stark Industries operating independently now?"
"Iron Man, did you kill the superhuman responsible for the attack?"
Tony hadn't even landed before the barrage of questions began. Under different circumstances, he might have held a press conference to explain everything. But with the fire-user situation unresolved, doing so would be reckless. If one of the fire-users infiltrated the press conference and detonated, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Tony could protect himself and Pepper, but there was no way he could save everyone. Any deaths resulting from such an explosion would be on him, too, for creating the opportunity for the fire-user to strike.
With this in mind, Tony waved dismissively at the reporters and said, "All your questions will be answered in due time. Stark Industries' press department will release a statement, and you can share it then. I know you want first-hand information, but I'm telling you now, staying here might not be safe…"
"The fire-user wasn't acting alone. They're part of a group. If one of them is hiding among you and decides to blow up, not even Superman could save you all in time."
"Hiss…" The reporters, usually a bold bunch, gasped audibly at Tony's words. They instinctively looked around at their colleagues, their expressions growing more cautious.
Until now, the superhuman incidents hadn't directly affected them. But the thought that it could happen at any moment rattled them.
Not all the reporters knew each other, and seeing unfamiliar faces in the crowd only heightened their anxiety. When they saw Tony fly into Stark Tower, and Stark's security team preventing them from entering, they reluctantly decided to leave. Though frustrated, they had no choice but to wait for Stark Industries' official statement.
On the top floor of Stark Tower, in Tony's office, Tony and Pepper were discussing the situation. Pepper's office was currently being
renovated after the damage, with Stark Industries' own workers handling the repairs to ensure no fire-users could infiltrate.
"Sir, we've identified how the fire-user gained entry into Stark Tower," Jarvis announced, displaying footage in front of Tony and Pepper.
"How careless!" Tony remarked when he saw that Matthews had disguised himself as a repairman. He turned to Pepper and said, "Looks like we need to set up our own maintenance department."
"Is that really necessary? We don't have that many repairs," Pepper replied, furrowing her brow.
"Then we'll just hire them. We can have them take external jobs and give them a bigger cut. They'll need facial recognition to enter the building, so at least we'll prevent anyone from sneaking in again," Tony said, making the decision. He looked at Pepper affectionately and added, "I just don't want you to face any more danger…"
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