The viewing stands erupted with thunderous applause, a wave of sound rolling across the arena. Everyone had witnessed Tony's strength firsthand this time, and it was terrifying.
Compared to the grainy internet footage and edited news reports, this was real combat. Unedited. Unfiltered. The highlights showed the missiles screaming from his suit, the forest floor erupting in fire, the precise repulsor blasts. Technology's power had been demonstrated beyond question. With his armor, Tony was undisputedly the strongest competitor, except possibly for Bruce Banner, whose true capabilities remained a frightening unknown.
"Our second finalist is Selene, elder of the vampire clan!" Fox's voice boomed. "Let's give her a round of applause!"
The massive screen switched, displaying Selene's highlight reel. It was a stark contrast to Tony's. She was a blur of black leather, knocking Tony backward with pure, superhuman speed. The clip of her driving a dagger into his armor's joint played in slow motion. Then, her impossible agility as she dodged the missile barrage, weaving through explosions. Finally, the brutal, casual way she stomped Xu Shang Chi into submission.
The audience applauded enthusiastically for her raw, physical performance.
As the applause faded, Selene arrived at the arena first, vaulting onto the stone platform. Her speed advantage was evident. Fresh applause greeted her in-person appearance. Moments later, Tony's armor descended from the sky, repulsors flaring with a high-pitched whine as he touched down.
Tony was surprised to see her. His faceplate retracted, revealing raised eyebrows. He'd expected Bruce Banner's Hulk form to be his final opponent.
Fox stepped forward, her smile professional. "Please surrender the gold coins you've collected."
Both finalists produced their three coins and handed them over.
"Congratulations to both of you for reaching the Dragon Ball tournament finals. The final match will begin in one hour."
Fox gestured toward the viewing area, where their supporters were waiting. "You may rest and prepare. Staff will notify you before the final begins."
With an hour's reprieve, the tension on the platform eased slightly. Tony and Selene headed to their respective supporter sections.
Tony walked over to Pepper and Happy, his armor clanking quietly. "How about that? Your boss looked pretty good out there."
Pepper smiled indulgently, reaching out to touch his arm. "Very handsome, Tony. The most handsome."
Tony's expression shifted to curiosity, his brow furrowing. "By the way, what happened with Bruce Banner?"
He looked back toward the arena, then at Selene's section. "How did Selene, who I defeated, make the finals instead of him?"
After reviewing the contestant list, Tony had considered Banner his primary threat. He'd fought the Hulk. He knew how difficult that monster was.
Happy leaned in, explaining. "It was weird. Dr. Banner was pursued by Xu Xialing and Xu Shang Chi, the siblings. But after transforming, Banner didn't fight back. Instead, he just... gave his gold coin to Xu Shang Chi."
"Then Selene arrived, took down Shang Chi, and took both coins from him," Happy continued.
"Technically, she claimed both Banner's and Shang Chi's coins at the same time." Happy paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "It was probably because Banner's coin hadn't officially transferred to Shang Chi yet. Otherwise, when Shang Chi lost his ticket, he would have been evacuated right away, just like Selene was earlier."
"The organizers probably hadn't finalized the transfer, since the Hulk could have just changed his mind and taken it back."
Tony sighed after processing that, shaking his head. "Lucky girl."
Pepper's voice carried a distinct note of amusement. "Girl?"
Tony glanced over. "What?"
"Tony, she's probably old enough to be your grandmother."
Tony glanced toward Selene's section. If the vampire legends were true, she could be several ancestors' worth of age. But as he watched, seeing her in the black leather combat suit, her athletic figure standing straight and confident, she looked anything but ancient. She was completely different from the cover models he usually encountered.
Pepper rolled her eyes when she noticed Tony staring. She could guess exactly what he was thinking.
The vampires welcomed Selene warmly, their voices low but excited, congratulating her on reaching the finals.
Marcus, however, stepped forward, his expression full of concern. "Selene, you lost to Tony Stark previously."
"Have you developed a strategy to defeat him in the final?"
Selene's celebratory mood vanished, her expression growing serious at the mention of Tony. Reaching the finals was worth celebrating, but without a way to overcome Tony's advantages, she couldn't make her wish.
After a moment of consideration, her eyes narrowed. She identified the core issue. Modern warfare depended on logistics and ammunition supply.
"Tell me," she said, her voice quiet and tactical, "how many missiles and explosives does Tony Stark have remaining?"
"Is resupply possible for him here?"
In Tony's section, JARVIS provided an unsolicited status report in his ear.
Tony had burned through his entire payload. All micro-missiles were expended. Every aerial bomb had been dropped during the engagement with Selene. Only the arc reactor's energy reserves remained at full capacity.
The reactor power was more than sufficient for the final, but he'd lost his ability to seriously injure an opponent at range. His best weapons were gone.
"JARVIS," Tony murmured, "how long would it take to fly home, rearm, and return?"
"Sir, if we return to the Malibu workshop for resupply, insufficient time remains. You would likely be declared forfeit before your return."
Tony grimaced. He'd have to rely on repulsors and the unibeam exclusively. The long-range equipment resupply concept needed to be an immediate development priority.
Thirty minutes passed swiftly.
Smith's transport aircraft returned, its engines humming as it hovered above the arena. He descended with three passengers.
Seeing Xu Shang Chi and Xu Xialing walking under their own power sent a ripple of shock through the spectators. Murmurs broke out in the stands.
Through the video feeds, everyone had watched both siblings get brutalized. They'd been breathing their last, their injuries clearly fatal. Yet now they walked out completely healed, not even a limp between them.
Earlier, when Selene had returned to combat so quickly, people attributed it to vampire regeneration. Legend said vampires healed rapidly from non-fatal wounds. But seeing the Xu siblings, normal humans, fully recovered suggested the Fraternity possessed extremely advanced healing technology.
Shang Chi and Xialing returned to the Golden Daggers section, their heads held high, their faces stiff with pride despite their elimination.
Banner, in a fresh set of clothes, walked to where Betty was sitting. He sat beside her, looking drained. She grabbed his hand immediately, her grip tight, her relief visible on her face.
The medical pods had healed everyone perfectly. The tournament could proceed to its climax with all participants healthy, if defeated.
In one hour, Tony and Selene would face each other with everything on the line.
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