Just as Tony's vision faded, he thought he was going to die. Suddenly, he heard someone calling him.
"Tony! Tony! Wake up! Wake up! Don't you die on me!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Tony slowly opened his eyes.
"Thank God... Tony, you're alive." Pepper, her face covered in tears, quickly helped him sit up.
Seeing Pepper, Tony looked down at his chest. The old arc reactor he had given her was once again attached to his chest, keeping him alive.
"Pepper..."
For a few seconds, Tony just looked at her without saying a word, then before Pepper could react, he suddenly pulled her into a hug. Pepper froze for a moment before hugging him back tightly.
For the first time in a long while, Tony didn't joke or say anything. He had truly thought he was going to die, and feeling Pepper beside him, he finally realized he was still alive.
After a few moments, Tony slowly let go.
"How... did you know I needed help?" he asked. Only then did he notice Pepper's new assistant, Sarah, standing nearby.
"It was Jarvis. He informed me you were in danger. Luckily, we were already on our way here to get some documents signed. I don't even want to imagine what would've happened if we'd arrived any later."
Tony looked at the old arc reactor on his chest and smiled weakly.
"It looks like updating Jarvis saved my life."
He looked at Pepper's tearful face and forced out a smile.
"Hey... don't cry. You'll look ugly with tears."
Pepper glared at him through her tears.
"You almost died, Tony."
Hearing that, Tony could only smile bitterly.
"What happened? Where is your arc reactor?"
"It's Stane." Tony's expression turned cold. "He was the one who betrayed me. He took it."
"Stane? How could he do that?" Pepper couldn't believe it.
Sarah, who had been silent the whole time, was equally shocked.
"Mr. Stane? But... he has been with Stark Industries for years."
Tony clenched his fists.
"I trusted him. He was the one who ordered my assassination, and today he came here to finish the job."
The more Tony spoke, the colder his voice became. Slowly, he stood up and walked toward the Iron Man suit. Seeing that, Pepper hurried after him.
"Tony, you need to rest. You're in no condition to fight. We can call the police and have Stane arrested."
Tony shook his head.
"No. Stane told me he already built a prototype suit. The police can't stop him. If I don't go now, more innocent people will die."
Sarah looked at Tony with worry.
"Mr. Stark... please be careful."
Tony gave a small nod before looking ahead.
"Jarvis, start."
"At once, sir."
With a mechanical sound, the suit began assembling around Tony piece by piece. The boots locked onto his feet first, followed by the leg armor. The chest plate closed over the old arc reactor before the arm pieces slid into place, and finally the helmet folded shut with a metallic click.
Tony clenched his armored fist.
"Stay safe. I'll come back."
The thrusters beneath his feet ignited with a bright blue glow.
Boom! Tony shot through the open ceiling of the workshop, disappearing into the night sky within seconds.
Pepper stood there silently, watching until he was completely out of sight. She could only pray that he would return safely.
What Pepper didn't notice was that Sarah had already stepped aside and quietly sent a message to S.H.I.E.L.D., informing them of everything that had happened.
"Jarvis, locate Obadiah Stane," Tony ordered.
"Sir, the location has been tracked. Obadiah Stane's vehicle entered Stark Company Building No. 3 two minutes ago."
"Good. Divert all available power to the thrusters."
"Yes, sir."
The blue flames beneath Tony's feet burned even brighter as he flew through the night sky toward Stark Industries.
At the same time, inside a S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle—
Nick Fury had just received Sharon Carter's report. After learning that Obadiah had stolen Tony's arc reactor and built a dangerous armored suit, he immediately used S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources to track him down. Since Sharon Carter had now confirmed that Tony was the one who had been saving people in Afghanistan and possessed the advanced Iron suit, his value to S.H.I.E.L.D. had increased significantly.
"Coulson."
"Yes, Director."
"Take a team and arrest Obadiah Stane immediately. Your first priority is Tony Stark's safety."
Phil nodded.
"And, sir?"
Nick looked at him through the video call.
"If the prototype suit is still there..." Nick paused for a moment. "...secure the suit, along with all research data and blueprints, before anyone else gets their hands on them. I don't want that technology falling into the wrong hands."
"Understood."
Within minutes, several black S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles stopped outside Stark Industries.
So before Tony arrived at Stark Industries, whether lucky or unlucky, Phil and his team reached the company first.
"Sir, this is a restricted area. You're not allowed to enter without authorization." Several security guards stepped forward to stop them.
Phil calmly showed his identification.
"This is a S.H.I.E.L.D. operation."
The guards had no choice but to move aside as the agents rushed inside. As Phil entered the underground lab, he immediately saw the giant armored suit standing in the middle of the room. Obadiah Stane was already inside it.
"Mr. Obadiah Stane, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Tony Stark."
Hearing that, Obadiah showed no fear. Instead, he laughed.
"You people shouldn't falsely accuse me."
"We have the evidence, Mr. Stane. Please cooperate with us." Phil calmly replied.
Hearing that they had evidence, the smile on Obadiah's face slowly disappeared, then his eyes landed on the giant armored suit surrounding him.
"So, you also came for my suit..." he muttered.
Phil didn't answer.
"Step away from the suit and surrender peacefully."
Obadiah looked around at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents surrounding him before letting out a cold laugh.
"I've worked my whole life to build Stark Industries. Do you really think I'm going to hand everything over to you?"
Suddenly, the Iron Monger's eyes lit up.
"Take cover!" Seeing Obadiah's intention to attack, Phil immediately shouted.
"Nobody is taking my suit!" Obadiah roared.
The giant suit swung one of its massive arms, smashing several workbenches into pieces. The powerful shockwave sent nearby agents flying backward.
Phil immediately fired at the Iron Monger, and the rest of the agents opened fire as well.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bullets rained across the armored suit, but they only bounced off the thick armor, leaving nothing more than tiny sparks.
Seeing the battle begin, the frightened scientists screamed and ran toward the exits.
"We need backup!" Phil shouted into his communicator.
Before the agents could retreat far, Obadiah charged after them. Each heavy step shook the floor beneath him. He smashed through equipment and steel tables as if they were made of paper, forcing the agents to dive out of the way while searching for cover.
Just as Obadiah was about to crush one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents—
"STANE!"
A red-and-gold figure shot through the lab entrance at high speed.
Boom! Tony slammed a flying kick into Iron Monger's chest, sending the giant suit crashing backward into several machines. Sparks flew everywhere as heavy equipment was crushed beneath its massive body.
"Tony... you're still alive!" Obadiah growled in disbelief.
Seeing Tony, Obadiah completely ignored the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and charged straight at him. Tony rushed forward as well, and the two armored suits collided head-on.
Bang! The impact shook the entire lab.
Tony threw several punches in quick succession, but Iron Monger's thick armor barely moved. Obadiah grabbed Tony by the arm and hurled him through a steel wall.
The fight quickly moved out of the building and onto the roadside. The loud explosions immediately drew everyone's attention. Cars screeched to a stop while pedestrians screamed and ran in every direction. Some younger people even took out their phones to record the battle from a distance.
Seeing the situation, Phil Coulson immediately ordered his agents to evacuate the civilians.
"Clear the area! Get everyone back!"
"Tony, why won't you just die?!" Obadiah roared as he charged again.
The massive Iron Monger swung its heavy fist toward Tony. Tony barely managed to block it, but the difference in strength sent him sliding several meters across the road.
Since Tony was still using the old arc reactor, he couldn't fight at full power.
"Sir, our energy reserves are running low," Jarvis warned.
Hearing that, Tony knew he couldn't drag the fight out any longer. But after being paralyzed by Obadiah earlier, his body still hadn't fully recovered, putting him at an even greater disadvantage.
Laughing, Obadiah grabbed a parked car with both hands and lifted it into the air as if it weighed nothing.
"Tony, my suit is far superior to yours!"
He threw the car straight at Tony. Tony quickly fired his repulsors to dodge, but another car came flying toward him before he could recover.
Boom! The second car slammed into Tony, sending him crashing into a nearby electric pole. The pole snapped in half, and high-voltage electricity surged through Tony's armor.
"Sir, electrical energy absorbed. Current suit power: 10%."
Hearing this, Tony gathered all the energy into one attack and fired at Stane. The repulsor blast hit Stane right in the chest, sending him sliding across the road. The attack left a long mark on the road as Stane was pushed back. Stane didn't expect Tony's sudden attack, and his suit was badly damaged. Sparks came out from a crack in the armor.
Tony took a deep breath, preparing for his next attack. Enraged by Tony's attack, Stane let out a roar and charged forward. He swung both massive fists wildly, smashing through a parked truck and sending pieces of metal flying everywhere. He had completely gone into a rampage.
The two suits exchanged punches one after another near a building. Every collision shook the ground and cracked the building's windows. From a nearby rooftop, Jack and his group watched the fight.
"Are we not going to help Tony Stark?" Gwen, in her Spider suit, asked Jack.
Hearing Gwen, Morgan looked at Jack expectantly.
Looking at Morgan, then at the fight, Jack hesitated. He knew Tony should win this fight, but if something went wrong, innocent people could get hurt.
A/N: The Patreon version is already updated with 20 advanced chapters. If you'd like to read ahead of the public release schedule, you can join here:
👉 patreon.com/BenBlazecraft