"You… you killed him?"
Peter's kick had shattered Ivan Vanko's heart instantly. Blood stained the man's face, yet a faint trace of life still lingered.
After all, true death only came when the brain ceased functioning. Even with the heart destroyed and blood flow cut off, the brain could survive for a short while longer.
But that didn't change the outcome.
Ivan was already as good as dead.
No doctor in the world could save him.
By the time Ivan collapsed, Tony had finally snapped out of his shock. He hurried over from the balcony, his mind still racing with unanswered questions.
Looking at the corpse on the ground, confusion flickered across his face.
"Am I seeing things?" Peter said casually, raising an eyebrow. "Because I don't see any gratitude on your face. If anything… you look disappointed."
He tilted his head slightly.
"I just saved your life. Or would you prefer I revive him so he can give you another lash?"
As he spoke, Peter pulled out a green serum, holding it as if he were about to inject it into Ivan's body.
Tony's gaze immediately locked onto the vial.
"So that's the serum…" he muttered, before quickly waving his hand. "Alright, alright—I get it. Thank you for saving me."
He paused briefly, then added dryly, "Even though I was technically about to save you first."
His attention quickly shifted back to Ivan's chest.
More specifically—
To the Arc Reactor that had been driven deep into his body.
Now that he could examine it up close, Tony's expression grew serious.
There were slight differences in structure—
But there was no doubt.
It was an Arc Reactor.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Tony asked, frowning.
But his eyes drifted toward Peter.
He had a feeling—
Peter already knew the answer.
After all, those earlier words…
"I can find someone here who can build an Iron Man suit."
That hadn't been a bluff.
"You knew he was coming for me, didn't you?" Tony pressed. "That 'anyone can build a suit' line—you weren't just talking."
He raised a hand, stopping Pepper from approaching, while signaling to Happy to bring over the suitcase.
The familiar case.
The one that could turn him into Iron Man at a moment's notice.
"What? Planning to attack your savior now?" Peter asked lightly, completely unfazed.
Tony ignored the jab.
He took the suitcase, clearly ready to suit up if necessary—but Peter's indifference only made him more uneasy.
"This man is Ivan Vanko," Peter said at last, walking over to the body. "His father—Anton Vanko. You might recognize that name if you check your Arc Reactor schematics."
He tapped the reactor embedded in Ivan's chest.
"I did my homework before coming to do business with you. Especially about this."
With a casual motion, Peter reached down and tore the Arc Reactor free.
At the same time—
He silently offered Ivan's soul to the Infinite Multiverse Altar System, converting it into a piece of rich, dark "chocolate."
He slipped the reactor into his pocket.
Then popped the "chocolate" into his mouth.
"Mm."
…
Continuing as if nothing had happened, Peter said, "You've met people from S.H.I.E.L.D., right? Call Nick Fury later. He'll tell you everything about him."
He patted his pocket lightly.
"I'll take this off your hands—save you some trouble. When you're free, come find me. We'll go over the details properly."
He wasn't worried Tony would back out.
Not when his life depended on the serum.
"You still haven't told me how you knew he'd be here," Tony insisted.
Peter glanced at him, as if the answer were painfully obvious.
"I saw him coming up from the balcony earlier."
A perfectly reasonable explanation.
Flawless.
Tony had no way to refute it.
And just like that—
The incident ended as abruptly as it began.
Because of Peter's intervention, things never spiraled into disaster. The fact that someone else had replicated the Arc Reactor remained hidden, sparing Tony from intense scrutiny—especially after he had recently assured the U.S. Congress that his technology was impossible to replicate.
Of course—
Peter had his own reasons for keeping things quiet.
After all—
The Arc Reactor would soon belong to him as well.
As for Ivan?
Peter had no interest in controlling him long-term.
The man's technology was outdated.
Inferior.
Howard Stark had continued developing the Arc Reactor after expelling Anton Vanko, refining it into a far superior version.
If Peter was going to learn—
He would learn the best.
And with the regenerative serum in his hand—
Tony Stark had no choice.
He would come.
The Iron Man armor?
Just a bonus.
Besides, Peter didn't need it.
The Green Goblin armor was already a form of powered exoskeleton—sleeker, more compact. With a proper energy source like the Arc Reactor, scaling it up would be trivial.
Watching Peter and Felicia walk away, Tony let out a quiet sigh.
…
Just a few months ago, when he had publicly declared himself Iron Man, he had felt invincible.
Untouchable.
As if the world itself was in the palm of his hand.
This era—
And even the next—
Would bear his name.
Or so he had thought.
Now—He wasn't so sure.
Perhaps this era still belonged to many.
But the next one?
That name—
Would not be Stark.
It would be—
Parker.
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T/N:
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