"Whoosh!" As the fiery man, resembling a mass of molten lava, charged toward him, Johnny Storm's eyes lit up slightly. A ball of fire erupted from his hands, blasting toward the advancing enemy.
"Boom!"
In the next moment, a far more terrifying explosion than the previous ones shook the abandoned factory. Even Johnny Storm was left momentarily stunned—his power shouldn't have been this overwhelming.
As the explosion subsided, the fiery man had vanished without a trace. It was unclear whether he had been obliterated by the explosion or had been vaporized by Johnny's flames.
Not only was Johnny perplexed by the outcome, but the other fire-users, who had been preparing to attack, were also dumbfounded. Once they regained their senses, fear gleamed in their eyes.
The strength of each fire-user varied slightly, but none of them should have been able to completely overpower another. Due to the unstable nature of their abilities and the risk of triggering explosions during a duel, their sparring usually ended in a stalemate.
However, now Johnny's attacks were causing them to explode while their own couldn't even scratch him. With such a power gap, how could they muster the courage to keep fighting?
"How can the difference be this big?" Even Robert, observing from the sidelines, showed a hint of surprise. He had assessed these fire-users earlier and knew that, while their powers were unstable, they were still formidable. He had thought that, despite Johnny's fire resistance, the combined force of their explosive attacks could at least cause him some trouble.
But now, the gap between Johnny and these fire-users seemed like the absolute difference between superior and inferior powers. Despite their molten, magma-like appearance, they were still suppressed by Johnny's pure fire abilities.
On further reflection, Robert realized that "suppressed" might not be the right word. He reviewed the earlier scene in his mind and gradually understood what had happened.
"Johnny, try holding back your strength a little," Robert suggested, his eyes on Johnny.
"Huh? Oh, right!" Johnny, still a bit confused by the overwhelming force of his attack, nodded. He gathered a small flame in his hand.
"Fss!" Even though the flame was small, the fire-users gasped and instinctively stepped back, unwilling to face Johnny's fire again.
Though Robert had asked Johnny to restrain his power, the fire-users weren't willing to take any chances. Their lives were on the line, and no one would risk it when the odds were so clearly against them.
Instead of attacking Johnny, they scattered, trying to find another way out. They no longer had time to think about Kilian—every second of survival counted. After all, Kilian himself had shown no better combat skills or strategy.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Unfortunately, despite Robert and Johnny entering the factory, Robert hadn't deactivated the telekinetic barrier. The powerful explosions these fire-users could cause would not only destroy the factory but also alert people outside, creating more trouble.
Thus, the fire-users were only wasting their energy as they crashed into the invisible barrier again. And this time, since they were in their fire forms, they managed to knock themselves out on impact.
"Boom!"
Johnny seized the opportunity, throwing the small flame at one of the fire-users. It caused an explosion so powerful that it was hard to believe he had restrained himself. The blast triggered a chain reaction, engulfing another nearby fire-user, leading to a secondary explosion.
By now, Johnny had realized that the power of the explosions wasn't necessarily linked to his own fire—it was more like these fire-users were blowing themselves up!
Indeed, the nature of the explosions could be seen as self-destruction. Johnny's fire merely acted as the fuse.
Though the fire-users' powers were unstable due to the imperfect Extremis Virus, and overusing their abilities could lead to self-destruction, that didn't mean any ordinary flame could trigger such an explosion. Johnny's fire, however, was uniquely potent, combining both burning and explosive properties.
Still, Johnny wasn't particularly happy with the result. While he had easily overpowered the fire-users, he had hoped for a real fight. His goal had been to understand their abilities and the potential of the Extremis Virus.
But now, every time he attacked, they simply exploded. How could Johnny enjoy a fight like that?
His moment of glory had arrived—crushing the fire-users with ease looked cool, but it wasn't what Johnny had intended.
"This can't be happening! How could he make them explode so easily?!" On the other side, Kilian was in disbelief, unable to accept the fact that his subordinates were being killed so effortlessly. His hatred for Tony Stark made it impossible for him to accept being defeated by the Avengers, especially in such a one-sided manner.
"I've tested this so many times before. Fire, explosives, even high pressure—none of that could make them explode! How is his fire different?"
What Kilian couldn't accept most of all was the glaring flaw in the Extremis Virus. Though he knew it wasn't yet perfected, he had never imagined that it could be so easily countered.
"It seems you're not going to get the fight you wanted. Let's wrap this up," Robert said, shaking his head as he turned to Johnny.
"Fine," Johnny sighed, realizing there was no point in prolonging the battle. He dashed toward the remaining fire-users, who scrambled to escape. But Johnny was too fast. He didn't even need to attack—just by spreading his fiery form, he caused those nearby to explode on the spot.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
A series of explosions erupted in the factory. If it hadn't been for Robert's telekinetic barrier shielding the area, the factory would have been reduced to rubble long ago. The nearby area would have felt the shockwaves too.
Thanks to the barrier, even Kara, outside the factory, hadn't noticed anything unusual. She didn't hear any explosions or feel any tremors. The barrier was becoming more like a domain at this point.
"This can't be happening!" Kilian, who had been largely ignored by Robert and Johnny, was thrown to the ground by the shockwaves from the blasts. He kept muttering to himself in disbelief, unable to accept the destruction of everything he had worked for.
Kilian had spent years developing the Extremis Virus as his tool for revenge against Tony Stark. But now, all his research and efforts had been wiped out so easily, proving that he had no real chance of defeating Stark—not even if he perfected the Extremis Virus.
"No! I refuse to accept this! I will have my revenge!" In a fit of madness, Kilian pulled a small vial of liquid from his pocket and drank it without hesitation.
"Huh, he actually had another dose on him? Impressive. But drinking it? That can't be as effective as injecting it," Robert remarked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
Robert, of course, knew Kilian had no choice. With no tools for injection and no time to spare—especially with two enemies in the factory—Kilian had no other option but to ingest the serum.
"Well, it's over now," Johnny muttered, looking around at the aftermath of the explosions. He was about to relax when he noticed Kilian's strange actions.
After swallowing the virus, Kilian's face flushed red as if he had eaten something extremely spicy. But this was only the beginning of his transformation.
"Whoosh!" Suddenly, a ball of fire burst from Kilian's mouth, catching Johnny's attention.
"As the researcher behind the Extremis Virus, now that Kilian has injected himself, he should be more powerful than these other fire-users, right?" Johnny thought, intrigued by Kilian's display. He held back from attacking, hoping to see Kilian's full potential.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" After a few moments, Kilian was gasping for breath, his power stabilizing. As the researcher, Kilian had the knowledge to survive injecting the Extremis Virus. But whether he could control its power was another question.
Although relieved to be alive, Kilian knew that without defeating Robert and Johnny, he would suffer the same fate as his subordinates.
"Boom!" Suddenly, an explosion erupted from Kilian's position, causing Johnny to blink in confusion.
"Thud!" A loud thud echoed through the factory. Johnny recognized the sound as coming from the ground and, with a strange expression, turned to look at Robert.
"Yes, you could say they're not very bright. They're desperately trying to survive, but they didn't even check if the ground was clear before trying to escape underground," Robert chuckled softly, his tone tinged with amusement.
Indeed, Kilian had managed to survive injecting the virus, but instead of fighting Robert or Johnny, he had opted to escape by blasting through the ground. However, Robert's telekinetic barrier extended underground, blocking any potential escape route.
"Stop struggling. Fight me properly, and maybe I'll give you a quick death," Johnny said, shaking his head in disappointment as he slowly approached Kilian. "You're the researcher behind the Extremis Virus. Your abilities should be different from the others, right?"
"Don't come any closer!" Kilian snapped back to reality, fear gripping him as he saw Johnny drawing near. He glanced at the unharmed ground beneath him and then at Johnny, whose flames were starting to flicker ominously.
"Huh?" Johnny was momentarily taken aback by Kilian's fear. But just then, a spark drifted toward Kilian, triggering a chain reaction.
"Boom!"
The explosion engulfed Kilian in an instant, its force even stronger than the previous blasts. Johnny stepped back instinctively as the flames roared around the area where Kilian had stood. The chain reaction had been triggered by the smallest spark, leading to another massive detonation.
As the smoke and flames began to settle, Johnny's eyes narrowed. He was still processing how easily the fire-users had been taken out, and now Kilian had been caught in the same trap. For a brief moment, it looked like everything was over.
"Is it finally done?" Johnny muttered, feeling both relieved and disappointed.
But just as he turned to speak to Robert, the debris from the explosion began to shift. A figure, wreathed in flames, emerged from the wreckage. Kilian's face was no longer recognizable; his skin glowed red-hot, and his eyes burned with the same intensity as molten lava. His body had transformed completely under the influence of the Extremis Virus, and now he appeared more monstrous than human.
"You... you think this is over?" Kilian's voice was hoarse, but there was a mad determination in his tone. His body seemed to be regenerating rapidly, and the flames surrounding him only grew fiercer as he regained his composure.
Johnny's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected Kilian to survive that explosion, much less to stand back up so quickly.
"Kilian's body... it's fully adapted to the Extremis Virus," Robert observed calmly, though there was a glint of intrigue in his eyes. "He's become a living bomb. His regenerative ability has reached a level where the virus stabilizes his core functions even under extreme conditions."
"I've spent years perfecting this!" Kilian shouted, his voice cracking as the heat around him intensified. "You think you can stop me? I'll destroy you both—and Stark—once and for all!"
Johnny let out a long sigh. "So, you're really gonna keep fighting, huh? You should've stayed down when you had the chance."
Kilian lunged forward, his entire body igniting in a massive flare of heat and fire, aiming to engulf Johnny in a blazing inferno. But Johnny was ready this time, his own fire flaring up in response, and the two forces collided midair.
The impact sent shockwaves through the factory, rattling the very structure as flames exploded in all directions. Kilian's power was impressive—his mastery over fire now rivaled Johnny's—but it was clear that he had lost control. His attacks were wild, driven by fury rather than precision.
"Robert, are you just going to watch?" Johnny called out, his voice strained as he dodged another blast of flames from Kilian. "This guy's turning into a firestorm!"
"I'm letting you have your fun," Robert replied with a slight smile. "Besides, this is your kind of fight, isn't it?"
Johnny rolled his eyes but couldn't help the small grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth. Despite Kilian's power, Johnny knew he could handle it. He just needed to stay one step ahead of Kilian's erratic attacks.
As the battle raged on, it became clear that Kilian's power, while immense, was unstable. His body couldn't handle the sheer heat he was generating, and cracks began to form in his fiery exterior. Johnny noticed this and decided to use it to his advantage.
"Let's see how much more you can take," Johnny muttered, focusing his own firepower into a concentrated blast. He aimed it directly at Kilian's chest, where the cracks were most visible.
"Boom!"
The impact hit Kilian squarely, and this time the explosion that followed was even more intense. Kilian screamed as his body was torn apart by the force, unable to regenerate fast enough to keep up with the damage. The flames consuming him finally began to die down, leaving behind the charred remains of the man who had once been a formidable opponent.
As the smoke cleared, Johnny stood in the center of the wrecked factory, breathing heavily. He glanced around at the destruction and then over at Robert, who was casually watching from the side.
"That was... anticlimactic," Johnny said, shaking his head.
"Well, what did you expect?" Robert replied with a shrug. "The guy was out of his league from the start."
Johnny exhaled, a mix of frustration and relief washing over him. "Yeah, I guess. But I was hoping for more of a challenge."
"You got what you wanted—a fight," Robert pointed out. "Even if it wasn't the kind of fight you hoped for."
Johnny couldn't argue with that. He had come out on top, after all, but there was still a lingering sense of dissatisfaction. He had wanted to test himself against Kilian and the fire-users, but the battle had been more about suppressing a series of explosions than anything else.
"Well, at least it's over now," Johnny said, turning to leave the factory. "Time to report back to Tony and let him know what happened."
"Not so fast," Robert said, his tone suddenly serious. "We still need to secure the remaining Extremis samples and make sure there aren't any more surprises."
Johnny paused, glancing back at Robert. "You think there's more?"
"There's always more," Robert replied with a knowing look. "And we can't take any chances with this stuff. Kilian may be gone, but who knows how many others might be out there with access to the Extremis Virus?"
Johnny nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Let's wrap this up."
As they began to gather the remnants of Kilian's research, both men knew that while this particular fight was over, the real battle against the Extremis Virus—and those who sought to use it—was far from finished.
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