Chapter 7 – Devil Armor Test & Ten Rings Revenge
Tony Stark had never been a patient man.
Especially when a brilliant idea popped into his head — like right now. He stared at the holographic projection of the ferocious demonic armor, his eyes gleaming with manic excitement.
"Jarvis! Activate all robotic arms! I want to wear this thing in 24 hours!"
"Sir, calculations show that the Mark-2-Devil Edition is significantly more complex than the original Mark II. Estimated completion time is at least three times longer."
"Then hook the coffee machine up to an IV drip!" Tony waved his hand without looking up.
And just like that, Chen Tian and Yinsen were trapped in the lab under Tony's tyrannical work schedule.
Day 2
"Chen Tian! Summon Diablo again! I need him to verify the hellfire energy output parameters!"
Chen Tian lay sprawled on the couch, looking dead inside. "Tony… this is the third time today…"
"Come on! Science demands sacrifice!" Tony yanked him up. "Think about it — this will be the first armor in history to fuse hell technology!"
Yinsen quietly raised a crucifix in the corner. "…I think I need to visit a church."
Day 3
"No! Why did it fail again?!" Tony clutched his hair in frustration.
Not far away, Chen Tian popped open the faceplate of a crude test armor.
"Tony, even though I'm younger than you, if you don't fix the thruster output soon, I'm going to use my sword to cut off your little Tony!"
Day 4… Day 5…
Until the fifteenth day since Diablo was first summoned in the lab…
The laboratory was a complete disaster zone.
Coffee cups formed small mountains. Empty energy drink cans rolled everywhere. Tony's hair looked like it had been struck by lightning. Chen Tian and Yinsen slumped in the corner with empty, lifeless eyes.
But —
Two armors stood proudly in the center of the lab.
On the left: the original Mark II — sleek, elegant gold-and-red armor, precise and refined.
On the right: the Mark-2-Devil Edition — dark red scales covering the entire suit, menacing curved demonic horns on the helmet, lava-like patterns swirling around the arc reactor, and mechanical wings slightly spread on the back, as if ready to tear through the air at any moment.
Tony stood before them, face full of pride. "Behold!! Tony Stark's masterpiece of genius!"
Chen Tian weakly raised a hand. "…Can I go to sleep now?"
"Sleep?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "No no no, now it's time for testing!" He strode toward the demonic armor. "Jarvis, initiate donning sequence!"
Robotic arms immediately went to work, locking each piece onto Tony's body. As the final faceplate clicked shut, the armor's eyes flared with crimson light, and flames flowed like liquid across the surface.
"System online, Sir," Jarvis's voice came from inside the suit. "Hellfire thrusters ready. Sulfur smoke generator fully charged."
Tony flexed his arms. The scales shifted smoothly with a metallic hiss. "Perfect! Now —"
He raised his hand. The palm repulsor began charging with dark red energy. "Let's test firepower!"
"Tony! Not inside the lab —" Chen Tian's warning came too late.
BOOM!!!
A dark red energy beam blasted straight through the laboratory wall, sending the outdoor swimming pool exploding into the sky.
Alarms blared throughout the entire mansion.
Pepper's furious scream echoed from upstairs: "TONY STARK!!!"
Inside the armor, Tony was silent for two seconds. "…Jarvis, engage flight mode."
"Engaged, Sir."
The demonic armor's back thrusters erupted with sulfur-scented flames. Tony shot out through the massive hole in the wall like a rocket, leaving a trail of scorched marks behind him.
Chen Tian and Yinsen stood amid the ruins and exchanged a look.
"…Did we just create a monster?"
Yinsen silently pulled out his crucifix. "Is it too late for me to quit?"
Over the lab comms, Tony's manic laughter mixed with the roar of the thrusters:
"This thing is awesome!!!"
Chen Tian and Yinsen looked at each other again. Yinsen sighed and patted Chen Tian's shoulder.
"It's all yours now, young man. I can't take it anymore." With that, he sprinted out of the lab at Olympic-level speed.
Chen Tian watched Yinsen flee, then looked up at the shattered ceiling and the wreckage around him.
"Is this book called Marvel: Starting With Helping Tony Stark Become Invincible? Also… is Tony still Iron Man when he wears this suit? 'Iron Demon' sounds more accurate!"
Tony Stark piloted the Mark-2-Devil Edition into the night sky. Hellfire thrusters carved a dark red trail across the clouds, sulfur smoke trailing behind like a demon's cape.
"Jarvis, report status!" Tony's voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"All systems nominal, Sir. Hellfire thruster output at 147% of design capacity," Jarvis replied calmly. "However, I must warn you — this speed has already exceeded human physiological limits…"
"Shut up, Jarvis!" Tony laughed as he rolled through the air. "This is real flying!"
He dove sharply, demonic wings fully extended, pulling up just a hundred meters above the ground. Sulfur smoke left a long charred streak on the earth below.
"Weapons system test!" Tony raised his arm. Dark red runes flowed across the armor as the palm cannon charged.
BOOM!
A lava-like energy beam struck a distant abandoned factory, turning it into a sea of flames. The shockwave shattered glass for a full kilometer around.
"Holy shit!" Tony whistled. "This is even stronger than I imagined…"
He continued climbing, quickly breaking through the stratosphere. The armor's scales vibrated slightly in the thin atmosphere, yet the hellfire thrusters burned steadily even in vacuum.
"Sir, I recommend returning to base," Jarvis warned. "Although performance exceeds expectations, prolonged exposure to hell energy may affect your vital signs."
Tony checked the data on his HUD. Several indicators were indeed turning red. He clicked his tongue. "Fine. Playtime's over for today."
On the return flight, Tony deliberately slowed down, letting the armor descend gracefully onto the Malibu mansion's landing pad. Robotic arms automatically removed the suit piece by piece.
When the final faceplate opened, Tony still wore a satisfied grin. "Perfect! This is easily ten times better than my original Mark II!"
He turned toward the lab and found Chen Tian and Yinsen already passed out on the couch. Tony shrugged, poured himself a glass of whiskey, and stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, admiring the two armors standing quietly under the moonlight.
"Jarvis, log it," he took a sip. "Mark-2-Devil Edition — maiden flight test: 100% success."
In the distance, the destroyed swimming pool was still smoking. Tony pretended not to notice and whistled his way back to bed.
Late Night – Stark Industries Underground Lab
Obadiah Stane stood in front of a pile of scattered parts, his face dark as thunder.
"This is what you've accomplished in half a month?" He grabbed a twisted metal plate and smashed it to the ground. "A pile of scrap?!"
The engineers in the room stayed deathly silent, none daring to look up.
"Sir, we've tried our best to replicate Mr. Stark's design," the lead engineer explained shakily. "But the arc reactor technology is far too complex. We…"
"I don't want excuses!" Obadiah grabbed the engineer by the collar and dragged him in front of a massive prototype. "Tony built one in a damn cave, and you people —" he pointed at the three-meter-tall, clunky armor, "give me this walking iron coffin?!"
The prototype's shell was crude. Its joints used thick hydraulic rods, and instead of a miniature arc reactor, its chest was a mess of tangled wires connected to over a dozen car batteries.
"At least… at least it can move…" the engineer muttered weakly.
As if to prove it, the prototype let out a harsh mechanical whine. Its right arm twitched upward — then bang! — the elbow joint exploded in a burst of black smoke and hung limply.
Obadiah's temple throbbed violently.
"Useless! All of you are useless!" He kicked over a workbench in rage, parts scattering everywhere. "Justin Hammer's team is better than you!"
In the corner, a bespectacled technician gathered his courage. "Sir, the problem might be the power source. Without an arc reactor, we can never…"
"Then steal one!" Obadiah hissed like a venomous snake. "Tony's mansion, his lab — there must be blueprints or samples…"
The technicians exchanged terrified glances. Obadiah's expression grew darker. He had decided to take matters into his own hands.
"Chen Tian! Yinsen! Wake up! I have a genius idea!"
Tony Stark's voice boomed through the lab like thunder. He held a cup of coffee in one hand and frantically swiped at the holographic projection with the other, modifying the Mark-2-Devil Edition blueprints.
Chen Tian lifted his face from the couch with great effort, heavy dark circles under his eyes. "Tony… it's six in the morning…"
"Technically, 5:47 AM," Yinsen corrected weakly, trying to block the glaring sunlight with his crucifix. "And we only went to sleep at 3 AM…"
"Sleep is for ordinary people!" Tony slapped the table excitedly. "Listen, last night's test was perfect! Hellfire thruster efficiency exceeded expectations by 47%, and the palm cannon is powerful enough to level a military base!"
He took a huge gulp of coffee, eyes sparkling. "But! I found one small issue — the sulfur smoke is too obvious. It basically screams 'Hey, I'm right here!' So I'm adding stealth mode!"
Chen Tian and Yinsen exchanged a look and sighed in unison.
"Tony," Chen Tian rubbed his temples, "are you sure we shouldn't fix the swimming pool first? Pepper looked like she wanted to stuff you into the arc reactor when she saw that hole last night…"
Tony waved dismissively. "The pool can wait! Technology cannot!" He pulled up the new design. "Look, I'm planning to add a nano-coating that absorbs specific light wavelengths, combined with the spatial distortion effect from the hell energy —"
"Wait," Yinsen interrupted, "did you just say 'hell energy spatial distortion effect'?"
"Yeah!" Tony said as if it were obvious. "Last night I noticed the armor creates a slight warp in space around it, like heat haze. If we can control that effect, we can theoretically achieve optical invisibility!"
Chen Tian slowly sat up straighter. "Tony… are you sure this is still just 'technology'? It sounds more like…"
"Magic?" Yinsen finished, gripping his crucifix tighter.
"Bullshit!" Tony rolled his eyes. "It's just energy manipulation that science hasn't explained yet. Chen Tian, you need to summon Diablo again today. I need to measure the spatial fluctuation parameters when he releases energy."
Chen Tian's face immediately collapsed. "Summon again?! Tony, do you know how embarrassing it is every time I have to shout those cringy summoning lines?"
"Science demands sacrifice!" Tony patted his shoulder and turned back to the workbench. "Jarvis, prepare Experiment #37. Oh, and remind me to buy sedatives. Pepper said if I blow up the house again, she'll stuff me in a rocket and launch me into space."
Yinsen quietly pulled out his phone. "I'm booking a ticket to Nepal…"
Chen Tian slumped back onto the couch, staring at the still-unrepaired hole in the ceiling and muttered, "Why did I even transmigrate to this world…"
While Chen Tian and Yinsen were being worked to death by the hyper-excited Tony, the lab TV suddenly switched to a news report about terrorist activity in the Middle East.
All three froze.
The footage showed terrorists massacring villagers. The group called themselves the Ten Rings.
When the host mentioned the Ten Rings, a photo appeared on screen — not the bald Raza from the movie, but the bearded Abu Bakaar.
"Jarvis, activate full weapons systems on the Mark-2-Devil Edition." Tony dropped his wrench. The metal tool clattered loudly on the floor, and the lab fell deathly silent except for the hum of the arc reactor.
Chen Tian noticed the bulging vein on Tony's temple. "You're not going to…"
"Exactly what you're thinking." Tony was already walking toward the demonic armor as robotic arms began assembling it. "The Ten Rings used my weapons to slaughter how many villages? Now it's their turn to taste what it feels like to be hunted by a demon."
Yinsen stood up abruptly, his crucifix swinging wildly. "Are you crazy? Showing up in the Middle East wearing that thing? People will think you're the new terrorist!"
Tony didn't answer until the armor was fully donned. The demonic faceplate slid down, covering his face. Crimson light flared in the eyes, and red flames erupted outward.
His voice boomed from within the suit, deep and demonic, like a hellish god roaring:
"I don't care. I just want to tell these bastards — God may not punish them…"
The hellfire surged brighter.
"But the devil will!"
--------------------------
If you want to read 100 chapters ahead and support the story, check my P@treon: patreon.com/inkshield