When the fight ended, the area was unrecognizable, turned into a true graveyard of machines. Destroyed robots were scattered everywhere, and what was once a beautiful and pleasant environment was now reduced to rubble.
It hadn't been long since Prime, Tony, and Rhodes had wiped out all the robots, but Prime sensed a new presence approaching. Slowly, he raised his gaze to the sky.
"By the way, Tony, when were you planning to tell me you had a non-human friend?"
"Look, I just found out about this myself, and honestly, did you think I was going to tell you? You're my friend, not my mom, okay?"
Prime heard Rhodes' question to Tony, but his attention was directed elsewhere. His senses detected a new approach, and soon after, his ears picked up a loud sound. To the others, there was probably no noticeable noise, but to Prime, it was clear that something was coming closer.
Moreover, Prime's keen sense of smell easily detected a familiar scent in the air. It was similar to Tony and Rhodes' suits, but this odor seemed slightly more intense than theirs.
"Something is approaching"
Tony commented, and soon all eyes were on the same spot Prime was observing. From the sky, something landed in front of the trio. The first thing Prime noticed was that this figure was significantly larger than Tony and Rhodes, possibly twice their size.
"Hmm... It's so good to be back"
As these words were spoken, the robot's helmet opened, revealing the identity of the person inside. Prime squinted his eyes upon recognizing Vanko. He had no personal interest in Vanko, but it was impossible to forget the face of someone who had tried to electrocute his daughter.
Next, a whip extended from Vanko's arm, releasing a current of electricity that seemed much more intense. Prime compared the strength to what had been used previously against his daughter and noted that it was now significantly more powerful.
"That's not good"
"No, it really isn't"
Tony and Rhodes seemed to sense the threat, but to Prime, Vanko was no more than a minor obstacle, something he could easily brush aside. To Prime, Vanko was just a pebble in the path, something that could be kicked away without much effort.
(Are you aware that your current thoughts are quite disturbing?)
Sara's words elicited a small laugh from Prime, though his laugh sounded much more menacing than friendly to others. Prime was aware of this and, lately, cared less and less about humans. In his view, anything that didn't fall into the "family" category was irrelevant.
At that moment, Prime realized that Tony was, in fact, much more important to him than he had imagined. Only now, seeing Vanko—someone Prime didn't care about—standing in front of him and Tony by his side, did this importance become clear.
"You speak as if you're not thinking the same thing I am"
Although Prime and Sara shared the same mind and, while they didn't always agree on everything, they were generally aligned, both, at this moment, showed complete disinterest in Vanko's life. To them, Vanko was nothing more than walking trash.
"Leave him to me. I have a score to settle with this guy"
Hearing Prime's words, Tony and Rhodes exchanged glances, remaining silent for a few seconds.
"Are you sure? He's big, and that whip looks like it could cause some serious damage if it hits you"
Upon hearing Rhodes' question, Prime let out a brief laugh. Then, he narrowed his eyes in Vanko's direction and replied.
"He might be big, but as the saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall"
With these words, Prime began to walk slowly toward Vanko. Lowering his helmet, he watched Vanko swing his two whips. One of them was launched toward him, and Prime slightly dodged, managing to avoid the attack. Although he felt the approach of the other whip, he chose not to evade, letting the attack happen.
The whip coiled around Prime's body, and, as if anticipating this moment, Vanko quickly wrapped the second whip around Prime as well. A few seconds later, the electricity from the whips intensified, and it was clear that Vanko was trying to electrocute Prime.
Rhodes and Tony, watching the fight unfold, exchanged glances for a few seconds. Rhodes quickly tried to move towards Prime, but Tony stopped him by putting his hand out, blocking his path.
"What are you doing, Tony? Isn't he your friend? If this continues, he's going to end up dying"
Hearing Rhodes' words, Tony smiled briefly. From his point of view, if there really was a being capable of killing Prime, there wouldn't be anything they could do; they'd both be dead soon after.
"Relax. If he was really at risk of dying from something like this, I doubt he'd have looked so confident moments ago. Let's just wait"
Upon hearing Tony's words, Rhodes sighed resignedly and turned his attention back to the fight. Observing more closely, he noticed something curious: the monster seemed completely indifferent to the shock, as if it wasn't even feeling it.
Though it wasn't exactly the case, Rhodes' thoughts were close to the truth. In reality, Prime wasn't completely indifferent to the shock; however, the intensity was so low that, from Prime's and Sara's perspective, it felt more like a massage than a lethal attack.
"You know, I've been thinking… Is it just me, or does this guy's attack feel more like a massage than a real hit? When Annie was hit, it seemed like she was in a lot of pain, so I figured this would hurt more"
Though Prime understood Sara's question, he wasn't particularly surprised. He knew that his own strength was exceptional and that no later symbiote would likely surpass his power. Scream, Annie's symbiote, had trouble in the last fight with Vanko, not because Vanko's attacks were painful, but because the constant electricity interfered with her movements. Even though Scream was resilient, the electricity still hindered her ability to counterattack.
Putting these thoughts aside, Prime grabbed the whip and, applying considerable force, pulled Vanko towards him. As Vanko was hurled toward Prime, he transformed his hand into a huge hammer and delivered a precise blow to Vanko's head, sending him flying.
Then, Prime pulled Vanko back toward him and repeated the process. After a few seconds, Prime grabbed both whips with both hands and began spinning his body, wrapping Vanko in a continuous spin. With immense force, Prime launched Vanko into the air and, with a powerful move, slammed him down to the ground, using all his strength.
Next, Prime grabbed Vanko by the neck. His face was marked with several cuts, and Prime didn't even notice when the mask fell off. Vanko, coughing and laughing, looked at Prime and, with a challenging smile, declared.
"You've lost"
Then, something in Vanko's chest began to glow intensely. The same glow enveloped Vanko's suit and the surrounding robots, indicating that an explosion was imminent. Tony and Rhodes exchanged worried glances before Tony said a few words and quickly moved away from the area.
"Pepper!"
Rhodes left just as quickly as Tony, leaving only Prime and Vanko at the scene. Prime then turned his attention back to Vanko, who continued to smile maniacally.
"I should have done this earlier"
Saying this, Prime swiftly bit into Vanko's head with a single bite, ripping it off in one go.
"The taste isn't even that good"