The explosion outside thundered through the manor.
Killian, who had been giving orders to his men, immediately turned toward the monitor. On the surveillance feed, Iron man and Kai were landing in front of the estate.
A crooked grin spread across his face.
"I really underestimated them… finding this place."
He cracked his neck. "But that's good—it saves me the trouble of hunting them down."
"Sir, please use the escape route," one of his men urged. "Leave this place to us."
"No need," Killian said flatly, rolling his shoulders as the Extremis virus began to glow beneath his skin.
"Now that the guests have arrived, it'd be rude of me as the host not to greet them."
He smiled wickedly. "Besides… it's time to end Tony Stark."
He slammed a button on the table.
Alarms wailed throughout the entire manor.
Meanwhile
In another room, the actor still pretending to be "The Mandarin" flinched at the alarms and dove under a table.
"Oh God, it's over! The FBI or CIA must be here! I'm just an actor, I swear!"
"Shut up!" Morgan snapped. The Extremis glow flared beneath her skin. "Hide here and don't move. I'll go check."
Outside the Manor
Sirens blared as people scrambled in panic. Tony scanned the area through his armor HUD.
"The people here are really enthusiastic," he said with a smirk. "About fifty of them."
He turned to Kai. "Kai, I'll handle Killian—you take care of the rest, alright?"
Kai sighed. "What a hassle…"
"Double bonus."
"Done."
Before Tony could say more, Killian strode out through the main gate, flanked by over fifty armed guards.
Facing Iron Man and Kai—the infamous "Flash Man"—Killian spread his arms, fearless.
"Welcome to my manor! Tony, did you like the seaside villa I sent you as a gift?"
Tony's eyes flared behind his visor.
"Oh, I liked it very much," he said through gritted teeth, "I thought you'd be running scared like last time in New York. But this is even better—now I can return your gift personally."
Killian's grin widened. He loved seeing Tony angry.
"You know, Tony, my father used to say: the early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."
He began pacing slowly.
"I'm actually grateful you stood me up that night. Because of you, I received the greatest gift in the world—despair."
"You know despair?" Killian continued dramatically, until—
Crunch.
Killian froze. His gaze shifted.
Kai stood beside Tony, munching on a bag of potato chips, totally unfazed.
The expression on his face said it all: Don't mind me, carry on.
Killian's jaw twitched. He inhaled sharply and turned back to Tony.
Tony raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet.
Killian resumed, voice shaking slightly with anger.
"So… you took revenge on me, injured Happy, blew up my villa, and tried to kidnap Pepper—all because of that night?" Tony asked.
"This is only the beginning, Tony," Killian said coldly.
"Just like when you left me on that rooftop—first, I had hope. Then, I wanted to jump. I was invisible, forgotten, nothing."
His skin began glowing hotter with Extremis energy. "And from that night on, I learned—once the devil has a face, he'll be hunted down. So I hid mine… until now."
Crunch.
Killian's eye twitched violently.
"...For this purpose, I even created a terrorist—'The Mandarin'—just for you."
Crunch.
"And I arranged for your loved ones to be captured—Pepper, the Vice President—so you could taste true—"
Crunch.
"F**K! Can you please stop eating?!"**
Killian finally exploded, flames bursting from his hands as his Extremis rage flared to full power.
He had prepared a decade for this confrontation—a perfect speech, a moment to break Tony Stark psychologically.
And now… all of it was ruined by one guy eating chips.
Tony turned to Kai, watching him casually tilt the bag and chew another crisp.
The billionaire actually laughed. "You know, I used to think you were lazy—but this? This is art."
Kai raised a brow. "Hey, you told him to keep talking."
Killian's veins burned orange under his skin. "I swear—"
He snatched a submachine gun from one of his men and aimed it straight at Kai.
The barrel flashed.
The bullets tore through the air—
And Kai just smiled.