Steve was also somewhat helpless. Even though he didn't really understand magic, it was clear that he couldn't inflict any significant damage on the transforming monster in mid-air.
At that moment, the dark curtain surrounding Riot gradually contracted, the black becoming more and more profound and dense. Some spots of light, like stars, appeared behind him, ripples spreading out from the cosmos, and suddenly, a dazzling halo was emitted from the very center.
In the utter stillness, a massive shockwave diffused out silently. Stark, who couldn't dodge in time, was blown away. Jarvis alerted him from within his suit: "Caution! Caution! Suit damage at 45%, still rising, recommended to retreat..."
"Damn it, why is the damage so high?"
"An unknown force has corroded the defense system, the suit material can't withstand this power, it's aging rapidly. It's suggested to retreat, to retreat...."
Stark steadied his stance and said, "Retreating isn't going to help much. If my suit can't hold up against magic corrosion. Damn it, I should've prepared earlier…"
"I can't retreat now! Jarvis, increase power output!"
"Warning, if you continue to push beyond this limit, the energy within you might risk collapsing. Are you sure you want to override the highest level safety protocol?"
Stark didn't respond, but fixed his gaze at that black hole in mid-air.
The transformation of Riot continued after the bright halo; a darker night shrouded him, chaotic and mad powers formed countless shadows around him.
Riots' figure began to grow larger. The chaotic dark power lifted him, layer upon layer of armor covered him, and a longsword made of darkness was condensed in his hand.
Seconds later, a massive chaos monster, overshadowing everything else, appeared in the New York sky.
The dark power around him almost solidified, no one could see the Riot in the center through the radiating energy, but his external appearance was terrifying enough for everyone to see.
The starry sky above New York gradually became brighter, as if one could gaze at the cosmos directly through the night sky. A dark tornado rose from the top of Riot's head, prodding into the cosmos. When the starlight shone down, it projected an endless amount of chaotic power onto Riot's body.
Modu said, "Nal's power portal is open…"
The chaotic power began to spread, within the black curtain, Riot's figure slowly emerged. The power of the black curtain was absorbed into him, and a monster far more terrifying than before emerged.
He still maintained the shape of the Symbiont but grew larger. Many strange patterns appeared on his body, countless enormous tentacles formed from chaotic power emerged from his back, each one bigger than the skyscrapers in New York.
With a wave of one of its tentacles, Steve was knocked down to the ground.
The Red Tank roared and charged forward but was flung away by a tentacle. When that monster landed, the sweeping of its tentacles caused buildings to collapse and the ground to split. The black fog spread from the cracks in the ground.
Then, Stark heard Riot's human voice.
"Look at this! The fragile bodies of humans are worthless!"
"You can never match these magnificent alien forces! Humankind will be corrected!"
"The Life Stone is humankind's greatest plan!! I am the pioneer of humanity!
"Iron Man?? Hahahaha!!"
"You are so proud of your armor! Look at you now! What can you do?"
"The human race will never be able to contend with the mighty power of the cosmos! Your armor is as fragile as paper in the face of such a force!"
"You wish to resist me with this puny mecha?! Foolish mortal! You will never learn humility!"
"Your arrogance will inevitably be smashed by the endless cosmic power!! Hahahaha!"
Drake laughs arrogantly, manipulating the tentacles behind him to whip at Stark's mecha, forcing him to continuously dodge. Stark took a deep breath and said: "...JARVIS! Disable the final security protocol!"
"Warning! Warning..."
Just as Stark was about to confirm, a familiar voice came from afar: "Iron Man! Catch!!!"
Upon hearing Peter's voice, Stark instinctively turned around and caught the object Spider-Man had thrown from a distance. Looking down, Stark saw a polyhedron shimmering with magical luster in his hand.
Another tentacle lashed out. Stark dodged hastily, and Spider-Man shouted, "Look here!"
Stark turned to look at Spider-Man, whose finger pointed to his own chest. Stark glanced at his chest and the crystal in his hand, understanding that this was the "magic reactor" created by Shiller.
"And also!!" Peter's shout came again.
Stark paused for a moment, then without hesitation, he inserted the crystal into the installation slot of the mecha. His chest bled heavily from the unfinished slot, and upon completion of the reactor substitution, Stark heard Peter's voice echoing in his ears: "He wants me to remind you!!! The secret of magic is——"
"What you wish comes true!"
Instantly, pure magic energy poured into the mecha, and strange patterns crawled onto the armor's surface. Watching the mad extraterrestrial creature laugh shrilly, Stark muttered to himself: "What you wish comes true..."
The night sky was silent for a moment, then like an eon.
Then, Iron Man disappeared. The mecha that had seemed so insignificant in front of the alien creature vanished completely.
What appeared instead was a vast starry sky descending upon New York.
The brilliance of magic spread out, bringing a curtain of lights as gorgeous as the aurora. Every speck of light scattered, forming stars scattered across the cosmos.
The shape of the stars began to change from scattered to orderly, and the magical brilliance shifted from mysterious to orderly. Amidst the interweaving starlight, the rising of Mars and the sounding of steam horns, the most enthralling melody of the industrial age, began to roar.
In a flash, the sound of metal colliding was louder than thunder, the air currents of gears and gears rotating were stronger than a storm, and the intertwined light of flames was brighter than the sun.
No one had ever thought of, nor ever seen, the ultimate form of mechanical civilization millions of years in the future, descending upon this planet along the brilliance of the magic nebula, bringing grandeur and splendor that surpassed any creature's imagination.
Just a few dozen seconds later, amid the quiet night sky surrounding the Earth, human wisdom was turned into reality by magic, and a new possibility emerged in countless bizarre and absurd universes——
Wall of chips stacked layer upon layer, circuitry flowing with light whizzing by, igniting the sun, welding the stars, connecting the cosmos, the endless mechanical might, was here.
The petite mecha was gone, and the Iron Man had left the battlefield he swore to guard. There were no longer superheroes streaking across the New York sky like meteors. There were no more Iron Man's mechas.
In their place was a great aggregation of endless machinery spanning the Earth's sky. It was the eternal master of all steel and machinery, the creator who is always present in mechanical civilization——
Iron Demon God Stark.