Just as Tony hesitated slightly, feeling a bit at a loss about how to deal with the monster in front of him—
Obadiah, piloting the Iron Monger armor, chased over. Seeing the strange thing before him, he instinctively assumed it was yet another bizarre invention Tony Stark had secretly made.
After all, the appearance of this Bugster monster completely exceeded common sense. In Obadiah's worldview, anything this abnormal had to be something created by the genius Tony Stark—someone he both admired and envied.
And the timing was too "coincidental," appearing right at the site of their battle. If that wasn't a secret weapon Tony had hidden away, then what else could it be?
"Tony, what is that? Another secret weapon of yours? Didn't expect you to be hiding something like this."
"But this thing looks like a gigantic toy. It doesn't even have any weapon systems installed. I bet it's not finished yet—just a prototype."
"I don't know what you're trying to build, but right now it's nothing more than a big moving toy. Top-heavy, stability terrible—just walking should already be a challenge."
"You think something like THAT can fight my Iron Monger? Watch me tear your new toy apart."Obadiah spoke coldly to Tony, staring at the bizarre structure.
"Go ahead."Tony shrugged casually, indifferent.
"Tony, you really think that ridiculous thing is going to beat my Iron Monger?"Obadiah roared angrily, interpreting Tony's calmness as mockery.
He raised his arm and fired a missile, blasting the enormous Bugster monster.
Tony felt his heart clench—The child inside won't get killed, right?
That thing looked extremely unusual, and Jarvis still couldn't analyze the material structure. Judging by its shape, it must have considerable durability. One missile shouldn't destroy it instantly… right?
"What—?!"Obadiah exclaimed in disbelief.
When the smoke and fire cleared, the strangely shaped monster was completely unharmed.
The huge Bugster monster, attacked by the Iron Monger, reacted as if it had found its target. Its supporting legs pushed off the ground, and its massive body—seemingly weightless—jumped lightly into the air, charging straight toward the airborne Iron Monger.
"Damn thing—!"
Obadiah rapidly pulled the Iron Monger into a steep climb to dodge the assault, activating every weapon system and unleashing a storm of firepower.
But although the Iron Monger's firepower was fierce, it had little real effect—barely slowing the monster but causing no actual damage.
"Tony! What have you hidden from me this time?! How many secrets are you still keeping from me?!"Obadiah shouted, both furious and terrified that his strongest assault did nothing.
"Believe it or not, this thing really has nothing to do with me."Tony answered helplessly.
"Not you? What, did it appear out of thin air?"Obadiah scoffed, refusing to believe him.
"Actually… yes, it DID appear out of thin air."Tony muttered in his heart. But even if he said it, Obadiah would never believe him.
Even Tony himself wouldn't believe such a violation of basic energy–mass conservation if he hadn't personally watched it form.
"This monster is annoying, but as long as I kill you, even the strongest weapon system is useless without someone to control it."A thought struck Obadiah. He bypassed the Bugster monster and lunged toward Tony.
To him, the only explanation was that Tony was remotely controlling this strange weapon.
Eliminate Tony → Monster stops moving → Capture control system → Double victory.
Tony saw the Iron Monger rushing at him and glanced at the monster, as if trying to understand its internal structure.
"Kid… looks like the great Iron Man has to finish off this oversized brute before I can rescue you from inside that thing."
He muttered helplessly.
He ignited his thrusters to evade—
But BOOM! The monster's body unexpectedly extended, sweeping directly into the Iron Monger before Tony could react. Iron Monger was smashed to the ground, its thrusters extinguished.
Then the monster moved at a speed completely inconsistent with its massive size, leaping onto the slow-starting Iron Monger.
Obadiah barely lifted off the ground before being slammed violently away. The right leg thruster malfunctioned.
The Iron Monger was already heavy and inflexible—now its mobility was crippled. Obadiah had no way to dodge the monster's assault.
All he could do was fire desperately, but his ammunition was quickly exhausted. The monster ripped weapon systems off the armor like tearing apart cardboard.
And then, like a lamb waiting for slaughter, the Iron Monger began to be dismantled and crushed.
"No—Tony! I was wrong, please forgive me! I'm sorry—AAAHHHH—!"Obadiah screamed as the Iron Monger was crushed and twisted beyond recognition.
But begging the wrong person didn't help. The Bugster monster wasn't controlled by Tony, and Bugster creatures did not spare victims out of mercy.
One final scream—and Obadiah Stane and the Iron Monger were reduced to pulp under overwhelming strength.
"Sorry… I couldn't save you."
Tony stood silently to the side. Although he'd planned to take down Obadiah himself, such a horrific death still chilled him.
He stared alertly at the monster.
Iron Monger couldn't even scratch it—while Tony was already near energy depletion. If the monster went berserk, how could he stop it?
Normal weapons were useless. Maybe energy beams or EMP could work—if he had enough power.
He ordered Jarvis to lock onto the Arc Reactor inside the wreck of Iron Monger, ready to retrieve it.
After losing its target, the Bugster monster stopped, then started rampaging wildly—tossing cars into the air and smashing buildings effortlessly.
"Damn it, I have to stop this thing."Tony gritted his teeth, ready to risk retrieving the reactor.
BANG! BANG!
Suddenly, the monster shook violently, roaring like a wounded beast—even though it had no vocal mechanisms capable of producing such sound.
The attacks it was receiving now were clearly far more effective than anything Iron Monger had done.
Tony turned to see the reinforcements—and nearly cursed out loud.
"What the hell is THAT? Non-mainstream anime chibi armored dwarfs? Bobblehead dolls?"
Tony couldn't stop himself.
The ones arriving were Li Hua and Elena, transformed into Kamen Rider Brave and Kamen Rider Sniper, but currently in Level 1 chibi form—three-head-tall proportion, giant helmet eyes, absurdly cute.
The two Riders kept striking the Bugster, using their agility to dodge and counterattack repeatedly.
The more they hit, the more unstable the monster became—its body flickering with yellow light, half transparent, like it was dissolving.
Tony kept commentating:
"What's with those weapons? That sword and that gun—those are toy models, right?"
"And why are there game-like visual effects when they attack? Are they playing a video game right now?"
But undeniable was the fact that their attacks were highly effective—these systems were designed specifically to destroy Bugster monsters.
Soon, the Bugster collapsed under the dual assault, and the child fell out while the monster shrank and vanished into light.
"My baby!"The mother rushed over.
Tony moved forward to speak, wanting to ask who these armored figures were and what the monster was—
"Take the child and get away. It's not over yet."A serious male voice came from inside Brave.
Tony turned—and realized the light wasn't disappearance. It was condensation, shrinking into a humanoid monster, covered in gamer-like costume elements.
"Need help from the great Tony Stark to finish this one?"Tony called out.
"You're Tony Stark?"A pleasant female voice came from Sniper.
Tony's eyes lit up.
"Miss, you heard right. Standing before you is the one and only great Tony Stark."
"You'd just get in the way. Stand back and watch."
Li Hua replied calmly as he pulled the lever on his belt—
"LEVEL UP!"
Tony watched Brave's upgrade animation, jaw dropping.
"Did he just put his face on the back? Slimmed down and swapped front and back?"
Sniper pulled her lever as well, transforming to Level 2.
(End of Chapter)