He looked at the giant beast that had temporarily lost its ability to move, then looked down at the bald man below who was patting dust off his cape. Tony opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't say a word. All the plans he'd prepared suddenly felt a little unnecessary.
The geothermal steam in Yellowstone National Park was still erupting, but the suffocating pressure had faded by more than half with the lava giant's collapse to its knees. Only the lava steadily oozing from its shattered leg proved that what had just happened wasn't an illusion.
Saitama looked up at Tony in the air and waved. "Mr. Stark, uh… does this need to be dealt with for a bit?" He pointed at the still-struggling giant.
Tony finally snapped back to reality. He took in a breath of scorching air and slowly descended to the ground not far from Saitama.
"…Leave it to me. Saitama… you're always so efficient."
"Oh, good then." Saitama nodded, as if he'd just handled something trivial. "It's way too hot here. I'm heading back first. Next time there's something like this, you can call me earlier."
Watching Saitama turn around and stroll off along the same path he came from, Tony Stark smiled helplessly and began contacting S.H.I.E.L.D.'s logistics and cleanup teams. He knew this sudden crisis had ended in a way he never expected.
But as he watched the still-surging energy readings inside the beast, and the chain of geological changes triggered by its collapse, a trace of unease rose in his chest.
This lava giant awakening… might only be the beginning.
The tremors caused by the lava giant's kneeling hadn't fully settled before the anomaly struck again!
From the broken knee where Saitama's punch had shattered it, and from other cracks across the body created by the impact of its fall, the lava that had been slowly flowing suddenly turned violent.
As if some restraint had snapped, the red-hot magma surged like a breached dam, blasting out with far greater pressure and volume!
Ssssss—!
The blazing magma spread like fire serpents, racing toward the lower ground. And this section of Yellowstone just happened to border a valley formed by ancient glacial movement—its floor buried under thick ice and year-round snow that never melted.
The red fire serpents met pure ice-blue in an instant!
The collision of extreme cold and extreme heat triggered a violent reaction. The ice layer melted at terrifying speed, producing enormous amounts of white steam, while the surface of the magma rapidly cooled, hardening into black volcanic rock.
But more magma poured in, wave after wave, while the meltwater was continuously vaporized. In moments, the valley filled with deafening steam-blast booms. Thick white vapor shot into the sky, quickly swallowing the entire battlefield, and visibility dropped to almost nothing.
"Damn it! Large-scale steam explosions! Everyone fall back! Fall back!" Tony's voice echoed through the fog via external speakers. He had to activate the suit's dehumidifying system and infrared scanning just to barely make out the surroundings. The searing heat and humidity made water droplets bead across his armor, and the system kept blaring high-temperature warnings.
And then—things got worse.
This valley had once been a hidden outpost for the remnants of the Frost Giants of Jotunheim on Earth. They had been lurking here, trying to recover their strength. The lava giant's awakening and rampage had already put them on alert. Now, with the beast down, magma flooding the land, and the huge energy turbulence and blinding steam created by lava colliding with glacier ice, they saw it as the perfect opportunity.
An opportunity to seize control of their territory again—and even wipe out these annoying "Midgard" guardians while they were at it.
(End of Chapter)
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