The moment his Nano Godbuster Armor surged to 200% capacity, Tony Stark knew his foresight had paid off.
This latest upgrade ran on an enhanced Arc Reactor, powered by a synthetic element—a refined isotope that Malrick once described as being derived from the Tesseract itself. Its molecular structure was as close to perfection as science could reach, far surpassing anything Earth had seen.
But Tony hadn't stopped at simply creating the element. Using alien warship schematics recovered from Malrick's optical computer, he had rebuilt the Arc Reactor's entire structure. Now, one reactor delivered the energy output of ten. At full power, it could unleash nearly 100 billion joules per second.
And yet, Thor's lightning—raw and divine—had overloaded the armor and charged it beyond capacity, pushing it to double its normal limits.
Tony's HUD flickered, warning signs flashing. If this were one of the old armors, I'd be a scorch mark on the arena floor by now.
"Jarvis, channel everything into the chest cannon. Time for Point Break to taste his own thunder."
"Understood, sir."
Across the armor's golden-red surface, nanotech whirred to life. Plates shifted, energy conduits lit up, and the chest cannon swelled with a radiance like a rising sun. The golden glow grew brighter and hotter until the entire arena basked in its light.
The crowd gasped. Even the Asgardian spectators—who had seen their share of cosmic forces—flinched at the sheer destructive potential radiating from the human's weapon.
If fired at full power, it could shatter a comet.
Their shouts echoed in panic, urging Thor to dodge.
But Thor was Thor. He stood defiant, Mjolnir spinning in his grip. The sensation of danger crawled across his skin, raising every hair on his body, yet he didn't retreat. Instead, he roared and hurled himself forward, hammer first, straight into the incoming blast.
The cannon erupted.
A column of searing golden-white energy tore across the arena, colliding with Mjolnir in a cataclysmic explosion. The impact cracked across the energy shields protecting the stands. Dust and shards of stone whipped through the air before disintegrating against the barriers.
When the light faded, Mjolnir tumbled across the ground. A moment later, Thor slammed against the shield wall like a ragdoll, sliding down to the floor with a graceless thud.
Silence.
The Asgardian crowd froze in disbelief.
Even Odin sighed, turning his gaze away from his fallen son.
Inside the waiting lounge, the sorcerers stared wide-eyed. Mordo muttered, "Did he seriously just take that head-on?"
Wong shook his head. "Maybe he forgot his glasses today."
Back on the arena floor, Tony lowered his smoking gauntlet. For a rare moment, he was at a loss for words. "Is he overconfident, or just missing a few brain cells?"
"Sir," Jarvis replied evenly, "scans indicate Thor is unconscious. The odds of him getting back up immediately are very low."
Tony groaned. "Seriously? I didn't even get to test half the features of this suit. Didn't even bring out the Ten Rings. And he's already down?"
He shook his head. "Strong guy, sure, but brains? Definitely not a family trait."
The armor shifted back to default mode, the cannon retracting. Tony turned toward the royal dais. "So, no referees here? Nobody going to call this match?"
Before Odin could respond, the heavy wooden door to the Asgardian side creaked open.
Loki stepped out, horned helmet gleaming, eyes flashing with mischief. He looked down at Thor's motionless body, then sneered at Tony. "Foolish Midgardian. Do you think you've won? You've merely awakened a god's wrath."
Tony pinched the bridge of his nose inside the helmet. "Great. One brainless guy goes down, another walks in."
Before he could say more, Jarvis interrupted. "Correction, sir. Thor's vitals are spiking. He's waking."
Tony looked down just in time to see Thor's fingers twitch.
"Already? It hasn't even been half a minute!"
Mjolnir whistled through the air, drawn back into Thor's grip. In an instant, the God of Thunder surged back to life, electricity crawling across his body like a living storm. His hair stood on end, his eyes glowed, and lightning poured from his very skin.
With a roar, he swung Mjolnir.
The hammer smashed against Tony's chest with the weight of a mountain. Armor cracked, nanites scattered like sparks, and Tony was sent flying across the arena. Thor gave no pause, chasing him down in a blur of thunder, hammering him again and again.
Each impact shredded the armor, the nanobots scrambling to repair only to be immediately torn apart. Shards of metal rained down, scattered like confetti.
For a moment, it seemed Thor would crush him entirely.
But then, as Mjolnir descended once more, the nanites on Tony's chest hardened into vibranium plating. The hammer struck—and rebounded, sending Thor staggering backward.
Tony's thrusters flared, propelling him to safety.
"This guy's like a whole different person once Mjolnir's in play," Tony muttered grimly. "Looks like the hammer isn't just a weapon, it's the main course."
"Recommendation?" Jarvis asked.
Tony grinned. "Recommendation? Easy. Time to bring out the special toys. Activate Ten Rings protocol."
Nanotech shifted again as the legendary Ten Rings fused into the armor's joints, glowing with power. Energy surged across the Godbuster Armor, wrapping Tony in a shimmering aura.
He flexed his fists, the suit humming with newfound strength. "Alright, Point Break. Round two. Let's dance."
Thor spun Mjolnir overhead, a storm brewing once again. "Good! Come at me, warrior of Midgard!"
Their collision shook the skies. Fist met hammer, lightning clashed with nanotech, and the battle roared from ground to sky and back again. The arena exploded with cheers, the crowd chanting Thor's name as the two titans traded blow after blow.
Tony's fists sparked with energy as he drove Thor back step by step. For once, the god wasn't overwhelming him. For once, Iron Man stood as his equal.
He laughed inside the helmet, exhilarated. "This is it! This is the rush Malrick must've felt when he punched Dormammu in the face."
His gauntlets flared with arcane symbols as Jarvis executed the final switch.
"Now, Jarvis—magic mode. Power the palm cannon with the mystic reserves."
A circle of fiery glyphs spun into existence at his palms, crackling with arcane energy.
Tony leveled his hands at Thor. "Let's see how you like science and sorcery."
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