Both Stane and Stark remembered it vividly.
There hadn't been any truck in front of Senju Haruto at all!
If his earlier display was merely giving machines the semblance of life, then what they were seeing now was creation out of nothing.
At least… that was how it appeared to both Stark and Stane.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the scene before Stark made him feel the limits of his own knowledge. Still, his pressure was nothing compared to Stane's.
After all, this wasn't Stark's first encounter with Haruto. One of those times, he'd even been saved because of him.
Stark might always wear the mask of arrogance, pride, and defiance, but deep down, he understood gratitude. The old arc reactor in his chest had even been inscribed with words from Pepper.
That was Stark—a man with a warm heart behind the sharp edges.
So, for him, this was only shock at Haruto's magic and power.
For Stane, it was something else entirely.
His first attack could still be brushed off as a mistake. But the second? That was a direct attempt to kill Senju Haruto.
"I—"
Stane had just opened his mouth when Haruto cut him off.
"Optimus Prime."
The moment Haruto spoke the name, the truck in front of him responded.
Its parts scattered and reassembled with incredible speed, shifting as if life itself had surged into the steel. In seconds, the vehicle transformed into a towering humanoid form.
Optimus Prime.
Every inch of him was forged from metal, imposing and unyielding.
Within a few breaths, not a trace of the truck remained—only a majestic, powerful mechanical lifeform.
He stood eight meters tall. Compared to him, the three-meter-tall Iron Monger was nothing more than a child.
Because he had been born through Haruto's system reward, Optimus's consciousness carried a deep imprint of recognition. He knew perfectly well who had created him.
Senju Haruto was his Creator. His Master.
And he—his knight.
"Master."
Optimus's deep voice thundered like an oath as he dropped to one knee, the image of a knight swearing loyalty.
Iron Monger?
He wasn't even worth looking at.
If Optimus wanted to strike, it would be over in an instant.
The only thing that could make him tread carefully now… was Haruto's will.
"This…"
Even Stark was left gaping.
Though both Iron Monger and Optimus were machines, the difference was unmistakable.
The overwhelming power. The natural air of a leader.
This wasn't something that could be replicated through numbers or mass production.
And that made Stark all the more shaken by Haruto's strength.
Just how terrifying was this man's true power?
How many more hidden cards did he hold?
"You're that man?!"
Suddenly, Stane's face twisted in realization.
This ability to turn machines into living beings—it was identical to the one who had saved Stark.
It was him.
The one who had massacred the Ten Rings!
The man he'd been desperately searching for all this time.
Fear rose from deep within Stane's chest, flooding his heart and spreading to every cell of his body.
His pupils dilated, his pores tightened, the hairs on his body stood on end.
Sweat poured down his forehead, dripping past his heavy brows.
This terror pushed him toward despair.
Forget Optimus Prime for a moment—just Haruto's ability to turn a single truck into a living giant was enough to horrify him.
That meant Haruto could just as easily turn every car on the street into soldiers.
He had done exactly that with the Ten Rings.
The memory of their grisly deaths crushed the last of Stane's defenses.
He could no longer contain himself. He screamed, hoping the noise would drown his fear and clear his head.
Then he acted.
Without hesitation, he pushed the Iron Monger's weapons to maximum output.
His one thought now—escape.
Before Optimus made a move, he had to flee. The farther the better.
Rumble!
Flames burst from the Iron Monger's back, lifting the steel giant into the sky.
"Haruto, he's running!"
Stark spotted it immediately, shouting in alarm.
His own arc reactor had little energy left. Even if he launched into the air, he couldn't stop the Iron Monger.
"He won't get away, Master."
Optimus understood at once. He needed no command.
The massive Autobot straightened, turning toward the ascending Iron Monger.
He couldn't fly—but that hardly mattered.
Optimus bent his knees slightly, then exploded upward with tremendous force. His eight-meter frame shot into the air, covering dozens of meters in a single leap.
Stane had never imagined such power.
No—he should have. He simply couldn't bring himself to accept it.
Boom!
His brain worked furiously, but it was pointless.
When Optimus's massive hand clamped around the Iron Monger's leg, escape was no longer possible.
Dragged downward, the armored suit tumbled back to the ground with Optimus.
The Iron Monger had never been properly tested. The reactor issue meant the design wasn't stable. It hadn't solved icing problems. Even the escape systems were unreliable.
CRASH!
The impact thundered like an earthquake.
Optimus's landing carved a crater into the ground, sending cracks racing across the street.
Glass shattered in every shop along the block.
The scene wasn't just shocking—it shattered the onlookers' entire understanding of reality.
Their calm lives.
The science they thought they knew.
All of it ground into the dirt before their eyes.
Steel suits. Living machines.
These were things that belonged in movies, in fantasies of future technology.
And yet, here they stood, alive, real, right in front of them.
And that Asian-looking man—Senju Haruto.
Who on earth was he?
He had blocked bullets with mysterious power. Now Optimus Prime himself called him "Master."
Could it be… he had created Optimus Prime?
Why had no one ever heard of him?
What in the world was happening?!
But Haruto paid no mind to their shock or speculation.
He didn't so much as glance at the bystanders.
The order he had given Optimus was never just to catch the Iron Monger.
After dragging the suit across the ground, Optimus planted one massive hand on its chest.
Iron Monger was just an improved version of the crude Mark I, cobbled together in a cave.
There was no way its materials could stand against Optimus's strength.
Metal groaned as Optimus pressed harder.
The armor caved in, collapsing inward.
And along with it, Stane himself was crushed like scrap.