Chapter 51: Armor Wars - Part 2

Iron Man—Mr. Stark—was standing right in front of me.

I couldn’t process it at first... but this was real.

Whiplash sneered as he opened his mouth.

“Hmph, the star finally makes his entrance—”

He didn’t finish his sentence.

A blast of bluish-white light sent him flying.

Iron Man had both arms aimed at Whiplash.

Repulsor Rays.
These were optical weapons built into Iron Man’s palms. Devices that emit energy in the form of light. He even used them for flight.

And when aimed at an enemy... they became powerful energy weapons.

Struck by the Repulsor Ray, Whiplash was sent flying and plummeted into the central hollow of the building. He instinctively lashed out his whip to catch something, narrowly avoiding a fatal fall.

“Stark...!”

Titanium Man raised his voice in fury, not even trying to hide his anger.

His foot, still pressing down on me, grew heavier.

“Guh...”

A pained grunt escaped my lips.

Iron Man stepped forward.

“Take that filthy foot off him, Muscat.”

“For the glory of my motherland...!”

“Did I stutter? I said take it off.”

Repulsor Rays fired again, forcing Titanium Man several steps back.

“Grrgh!?”

He didn’t get blown away—probably because he was physically stronger than Whiplash.

In that brief opening, I slipped free from Titanium Man and slumped against a wall.

...I wanted to help. But I just couldn’t move.

Iron Man—Mr. Stark—glanced at me.

...Was he disappointed in me?

“For my honor!”

Titanium Man roared and charged at Iron Man.

The effects of the Ice Web had apparently worn off, and he rocketed forward at full thrust.

“You think you can win in close combat? What a fool.”

Iron Man brushed off the attack with one arm and activated his Repulsor Ray.

But it didn’t hit.

That wasn’t the goal.

The thrust from the Repulsor Ray launched his right hand, and with that momentum, he spun and delivered a roundhouse kick.

“Guh!?”

The two armors collided with a dull, heavy thud.

Neither armor was visibly damaged.

But the people inside clearly weren’t so lucky.

Iron Man followed up by slamming his left fist into Titanium Man’s face.

He then opened his palm and fired another Repulsor blast at the staggering enemy.

“Gwah!?”

Titanium Man was sent flying, tumbling onto the walkway suspended above the building’s central void.

Iron Man pointed both hands at the ground and fired Repulsor Rays.

Using the combined thrust with a step forward, he launched himself in pursuit.

He then crossed his arms downward and fired red beams from the backs of his wrists, slicing through the floor.

The severed metal glowed red-hot, already melting.

A 200-petawatt Laser Cutter.

Hot enough to easily cut through Titanium Man’s armor... but Stark had aimed for the floor instead of a direct hit.

Because a direct hit would have been fatal.

“Enjoy your nap on a concrete bed.”

Then, Iron Man ejected both forearm cartridges.

The cut section of the suspended walkway collapsed—and with it, Titanium Man.

“Uwoaaaah!?”

Titanium Man screamed as he fell.

Once the dust settled, he lay motionless, half-buried in rubble.

He’d probably lost consciousness.

“He really is amazing…”

A voice of admiration slipped from my mouth.

The enemy I had struggled against—neutralized in mere moments.

Then suddenly, a whip lashed out from near the ceiling of our level, and a dull-colored armor flew up and landed.

Whiplash.

“Tony Stark... do you remember? Your weapons... they destroyed—”

“Beats me. I don’t care to hear some sob story from the past. What matters is—”

Iron Man raised his left palm toward Whiplash.

“What matters is the present—and right now, you’re trying to kill one of my subordinates like a terrorist.”

“...You haven’t changed. Stark. Always the picture of arrogance.”

Whiplash twirled his whips.

One lashed out, wrapping around Iron Man’s arm.

Electricity crackled, but it didn’t seem to affect Iron Man. He didn’t flinch.

“It’s not arrogance. It’s confidence. Because I am better than you.”

“Spare me!”

The whip sliced through the air and struck Iron Man’s head.

And then—his head flew off.

“M-Mr. Stark!?”

“Hah! That was easier than I—"

Whiplash was about to gloat over his victory—
But then he realized Iron Man’s helmet was empty.

“…What…!?”

“Told you, didn’t I? I’m better than you.”

The supposedly decapitated Iron Man grabbed the floating whip with his free arm.

Both of Whiplash’s whips were now gripped in Iron Man’s hands.

“Impossible!?”

Whiplash shouted, clearly unable to comprehend what was happening.

“Alright, time for a little lesson.”

Iron Man rotated his arms, winding the whips around them, and began to close the distance.

Whiplash desperately kept the electric current running, but it had no effect.

He couldn’t retreat—his whips were reeled in, trapping him.

Bit by bit, Iron Man closed the gap.

“Next time, design your weapons so they can detach. You can do your homework in prison.”

“D-Damn you…!”

Panicking, Whiplash kicked at the approaching Iron Man.

…But if even Titanium Man, who was far stronger, couldn’t hurt him, Whiplash never stood a chance.

From the center of Iron Man’s chest, the arc reactor began to shine more intensely.

“And I’ve already figured out your attack patterns.”

The light narrowed, then surged.

“Stop—!”

A blinding flash burst from the arc reactor.

A high-output energy blast tore through Whiplash, snapping his whips and slamming him into the wall.

Uni-Beam.
Iron Man’s trump card—a direct energy discharge from his semi-perpetual arc reactor.

At full power, it would be lethal. But—

“You have no idea how hard it is to calibrate the output so you only get knocked out.”

He’d held back again.

The headless Iron Man picked up his fallen helmet and reattached it.

I dragged my numbed body toward him, stunned by how quickly he ended the fight.

“Mr. Stark…”

“Ah, Peter. You okay?”

“Yes, sir…”

…Though in truth, my body was still trembling and numb.

“I… I’m sorry…”

“…Huh? What are you apologizing for? Hey, I’m not your abusive boss, y’know.”

The hollow Iron Man suit ruffled my hair—pretty roughly, too.

“But… if you hadn’t shown up, I—”

“That goes both ways, Peter. If you hadn’t been there, my employees would’ve died. I’d be holding a press conference right about now.”

“But still—”

“Peter. Humility’s a virtue, sure—but sometimes, just take the compliment. So… how should I put this…”

He looked just a little bashful.

“…Thanks, Peter.”

“…Ah.”

I almost cried.

Because in that moment, he showed me—
That what I’d done… my resolve… wasn’t meaningless.

“No really, you held on great. Me—I mean, my body’s still in the hospital, but—right, my armor. You held on until it arrived. You did good.”

“…Yes.”

So it was remote-controlled.

I understood now.

I’d heard the stories—
That Stark Industries had satellites allowing Iron Man suits to be operated from anywhere in the world.

…Who told me that?

Mr. Stark himself, bragging about it.

“Oh—but we need to hurry! There are other locations under attack too—”

“That’s fine. No need to worry.”

“It’s… fine?”

“Yeah. I brought along one of my most trusted friends. A straight-laced do-gooder who flew five hours just to keep me company.”

---

I soared through the air, latching onto walls with my tendrils as I moved.

The drone that attacked Michelle wasn’t the only one.

There were still several in the city.

I dashed through the streets, smashing them one by one.

I’ll destroy them all—
Then take Michelle to the hospital.

…I haven’t been authorized by Fury to engage in combat.

Too inexperienced. Too young. No way to take responsibility.

But—

Michelle had trembled before me.

She was terrified.

And yet… she still tried to help me.

So I made a choice.
I would fight.

Fury’s definitely going to be mad later… if I’m lucky, that’s all he does.

I kicked off a wall and launched myself upward.

This black suit—
It was a heightened fusion state.

My physical abilities had multiplied several times over.
But it came with risk.

If I fused too deeply with the symbiote, it would start pulling on my personality.

If I lost control like that… there would be no coming back on my own.

That’s why S.H.I.E.L.D. imposed a strict one-hour time limit.

Just one hour.

If I go past that, they’ll issue a termination order for Agent Gwenom.

So that’s the one thing I absolutely can’t let happen.

I spotted a drone chasing a child.

Spinning in mid-air like a figure skater, I landed a spinning kick.

Alright, next target—

“That’s far enough.”

A voice—and then something slammed into me.

The blow was so powerful, I nearly blacked out on impact…
But I held on.

Crashing through a wooden door, I tumbled into a shop.

Glass displays fell and shattered around me.

Gwenom quivered with rage.

A low growl escaped from my throat.

I immediately stood and looked back at where I’d been struck from.

Standing there wasn’t a green drone—
It was something else. A red suit of armor.

It had to be over two meters tall.

Thick plating on its upper body. Massive arms.
A broad, inverted triangle silhouette.

And in the center of its chest: a bluish-white star-shaped reactor.

…This wasn’t a drone.

It was a real threat.

“Are you the one behind all this?”

I asked while kicking the door toward him.

The airborne door was easily deflected off the red armor’s frame.

“Well now. I thought you were some kind of beast…
Didn’t expect a human.”

I took slow, deliberate steps toward the red armor.

“As for your question—
I can’t say yes, not entirely… but you could say I’m partly responsible.”

“You’re mocking me, huh…!?”

His detached tone sent my blood boiling.

Adrenaline surged, the symbiote stirred wildly.

“…I’ll kill you.”

Fangs grew straight out of my tongue.
My claws sharpened into vicious blades.

I’m going to tear this guy to pieces—!

My skin tingled. Gwenom was excited too.

…Mommy, do you hate him?

Yes. I hate him.

We conversed inside my mind.

“I am Crimson Dynamo.
Figured I’d give my name—for the ferryman’s toll to the underworld.
Don’t take it personally… it’s all for the greater cause.”

Crimson Dynamo’s arms began to glow gold.

The air split with a crackling bzzzzzap as the charge built up.

…If that hits, I might die.

But I didn’t care anymore.

There was no fear—
Only rage and murderous intent consuming my mind.

“You drag innocent people into this… you hurt them… and you have the gall to talk about ‘just causes’? Don’t make me laugh…!”

The symbiote feeds on adrenaline—on anger—and it thrives.

And right now, I’m angry.

Angrier than I’ve ever been in my life.

Gwenom pulses as she devours my fury.

Power surges through me.

I feel unstoppable—godlike.

I take a step forward, ready to unleash—

Then something moves in the corner of my eye—
Up in the sky.

A dark, flying object… humanoid in shape.

A black suit of armor.

Reinforcements?

An enemy?

The armor’s shoulder panels opened, releasing what looked like a flurry of small pens.

They ignited mid-air and rocketed downward.

…Miniature micro-missiles.

They rained down from the sky and exploded—
But not on me.

They detonated in areas away from me…
Exactly where the drones had been positioned.

The precise spots I’d already tracked.

“What the…?”

Crimson Dynamo noticed too, glancing sharply to the sky.

In that instant, the black armor suit dove—
Shooting straight down toward Crimson Dynamo.

It resembled Iron Man’s suit, but… it was different.

It was armed to the teeth—with gatling guns, missile pods mounted on the shoulders, and built-in firearms on both arms.

The black Iron Man reached behind its back and pulled something free.

It looked like a baton—
But it slid open vertically, extending a shaft and revealing its inner mechanism.

Yellow sparks crackled from its core.

Falling from the sky, it slammed the electrified baton directly into Crimson Dynamo.

“Rgh—!?”

A loud crackling sound followed as the armor was scorched and sparked.

Startled, Crimson Dynamo swung his electrified arm and managed to rip the baton away.

The black Iron Man tossed it aside and jumped back, disengaging.

“So… you’re here to meddle now, War Machine!?”

The black Iron Man—now clearly identified as War Machine—landed with a heavy thud.

The ground shook from the impact, and I could feel its weight.

Then, a male voice came from within the helmet.

“I am Colonel James Rupert Rhodes of the United States Air Force.
And you—who the hell are you? Also—”

He raised both arms, weapons shifting into place.

Gun barrels extended, locking onto targets.

“Are you enemies of mine… or of the citizens here?
Answer me clearly—or I’ll turn you both into Swiss cheese with this assault rifle.”

The guns on both arms…

Were aimed not only at Crimson Dynamo—

…but at me as well.

---

“Ohhh… this might be bad, huh?”

I’m munching on my beloved chimichanga.

Perched at the edge of an overpass, peering through my binoculars.

And there—right in my sights—is today’s target.

…Behind me, though? A pathetically lame green HAMMER-brand robot is lying in a crumpled heap.

I tuck the binoculars under my arm and roll up the sleeve of my suit.

My skin underneath? Melted, gooey, and gloriously disgusting.

Strapped to that mess? A sparkly Hello Kitty wristwatch for little girls.

I check the time.

“Forty-two minutes. Not bad—about the length of a streaming drama episode.”

I yank my katana out of the wreckage of the HAMMER junkpile and sling it across my back.

Crack my neck, chuck the binoculars over my shoulder.

CRASH!
Nice sound. They shatter perfectly.

“Aight… I’m not super into this gig, but guess it’s about that time.
Can’t slack off too much or I’ll get yelled at—again.”

I jump off the overpass.

Land square on top of a moving truck.