"Actually, Miss Wanda was nurtured by Master Malrick. Your original plan for her was simply to find a stable career after college," Jarvis explained.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "What's the difference? Being an Avenger is a good job."
"I think you may need to improve your interpersonal skills, sir," Jarvis replied smoothly.
Tony pouted. Ever since Jarvis had evolved into a fully realized lifeform, he was becoming harder to deal with.
"I've analyzed enough data to know sincerity is the best approach. Perhaps you could try it sometime," Jarvis continued. Then his voice sharpened. "Sir, I've detected a strong energy surge ten kilometers away. It's approaching fast."
Tony stiffened. "Another one? What is this, a wholesale market for Infinity Stones?" He peered toward the horizon.
A black haze spread in the distance, swelling like a rolling tide.
"Hahaha, it's here! It's finally here!" Cassandra, though clearly strained from wielding the Stones, laughed manically. Cracks split across her skin as raw energy surged through her body. Even her healing factor couldn't keep up. She was burning herself alive to unleash more power.
"Your commotion attracted it," she screamed. "It's hungry, and now you're all food!"
Her body tore under the strain, blood dripping, yet she laughed as if welcoming salvation.
The mutants who had been feigning death suddenly bolted upright. Panic spread like wildfire.
"Alioth is coming! Run!" they shouted, stampeding out of the fractured battlefield Wanda had stabilized.
Recognizing the danger, Wolverine scooped up the barely conscious Captain America, strapped him into a thruster rig, and shot into the sky. As they passed, Steve's voice carried a grim warning:
"That's Alioth! A storm-born entity that devours everything—even time and space itself. Anything swallowed by the void is gone forever. This is why the void is barren. Get out of here while you can!"
With that, they vanished from sight.
Tony squinted at the horizon. What had been a haze was now a stormfront only a few kilometers away. Its true form revealed itself—a colossal tempest shaped like a hunting beast, lightning flashing through its violet-black body. At its forefront was a monstrous head, its blood-red eyes burning above a jagged, hyena-like maw.
Everywhere it passed, land, air, and even vegetation were consumed, erased from existence.
"Do you see it?" Cassandra shrieked, her laughter echoing across the battlefield. "Scarlet Witch, you're trapped! You'll be nothing but a snack for him!"
She forced more energy into the Stones, overpowering Wanda's Chaos Magic and locking her in place.
"Alioth will feast well today," Cassandra crowed. "A Scarlet Witch from nowhere, served on a silver platter!"
Her voice grated on Tony's nerves. He quietly summoned three Arc Reactors from his dimensional storage and tilted his head toward Wanda. "Quick question—do you have time to swat away the giant death-dog barreling at us?"
Straining under Cassandra's assault, Wanda only shook her head.
"Fantastic," Tony muttered, tossing the Reactors skyward. "Then it's Iron Man's turn to save the day."
Three armors materialized midair, assembling themselves piece by piece: the Gold-Titanium Alloy Nano Armor, the Fungus Armor, and the enchanted Mark 14, forged from Kamar-Taj alloys and inscribed with runes of the Vishanti. Alongside his Vibranium suit, these were Tony's primary combat models.
Each had its purpose. Gold-Titanium was a fallback against sonic interference, when Vibranium's properties faltered. The magic-enhanced Mark 14 granted spellcasting on the fly. And the Fungus Armor—Mark 15—was a biotech experiment designed to assimilate and overwhelm organic threats.
"Jarvis, let's go. Time to take the puppy for a walk."
Four armors roared into the sky, propulsors blazing, streaking toward Alioth. Tony launched the first volley of lasers. Bright beams tore into the storm, cutting through its body but leaving no lasting mark.
"Sir, analysis suggests this creature lacks a physical form. Standard weapons are ineffective," Jarvis reported.
Tony grimaced. "So it's angry, but not hurt?"
"Precisely. And it's chasing us now."
"That's all I need. We're buying Wanda time."
He issued rapid-fire orders. "Jarvis, take control of Mark 12, 13, and 14. Hit it with the new high-energy cannons. I'll switch to biotech."
Without hesitation, Tony's Vibranium armor disassembled. He plummeted for a split second before dropping neatly into the waiting Fungus Armor. The suit sealed around him, its biomaterial shifting and growing until Tony stood fifteen meters tall. Dozens of tentacles lashed outward, spearing into Alioth's storm-form.
"Let's see how you like this."
But the attempt failed. The tentacles shuddered, finding nothing to consume.
Tony clicked his tongue. "Figures." With a command, the suit disintegrated, and he dropped into the magic-infused Mark 14. Flames burst from its runes, propelling him to safety as Alioth devoured the empty Fungus Armor behind him.
"Jarvis, ready?"
"Laser cannons charged, sir."
Above Alioth, two armors merged their nanotech into massive barrels, forming Tony's latest weapon—a dual laser cannon powerful enough to vaporize a meteorite.
"Fire!"
Twin lances of light ripped through the storm, detonating against Alioth's core. The explosion lit the sky, a thunderclap echoing across the void.
But then Alioth inhaled. The flames, smoke, even the energy of the blast were sucked into its endless maw. With a sudden lunge, it swallowed the two armors whole before resuming its relentless pursuit.
Tony's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me. It eats explosions too?"
He banked hard, fleeing. "Jarvis, I think we're out of options. Let's run."
"Sir, if you deployed more armors, it could increase your survival probability."
Tony nodded sharply. "Good idea."
Reaching into his storage again, he hurled out Arc Reactors one after another.
Moments later, over a hundred Iron Man suits burst into formation, scattering in every direction.
"Run! Run, Jarvis!" Tony shouted. Then he added quickly, "But don't fly faster than me!"
_____
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