"So busy... the follow-up for the disaster victims isn't even resolved yet, and now there's a new problem. Why do I feel like ever since I became Iron Man, I've encountered more supernatural events and crises? Is it because I wasn't paying attention before, or are these threats really increasing?" Tony Stark sighed and muttered to himself after receiving Robert's message.
In Tony Stark's memory, he hadn't completely avoided supernatural events before becoming Iron Man. But those were after meeting Robert during his kidnapping. Before that, Tony had no idea there was a supernatural world; he was a staunch believer in science.
But now, Tony increasingly felt something was wrong. Previously, the supernatural world was hidden; ordinary people might never encounter it. Now, supernatural events were frequent, with many deaths.
This situation made Tony ponder. He wondered if the increase in supernatural events was due to the proliferation of supernatural powers, or if superheroes' emergence triggered the rise of supervillains.
However, Tony quickly dismissed this thought. Speculating wouldn't yield any results now. This incident was clearly tied to the Hell dimension. Even without other supernatural events, the Hell dimension's invasion would still occur.
Without any supernatural powers on Earth, facing a Hell dimension invasion would be hopeless.
One Hell lord could unleash nuclear-level destruction. Now, with nine Hell lords, they could indeed annihilate all life on Earth, especially since Hell lords could launch continuous attacks.
"JARVIS, locate them! Let's deal with these guys immediately!" Tony snapped out of his thoughts and quickly ordered. Although Robert's message indicated that the nine Hell lords had just arrived and were still scouting, Tony didn't want to waste any time.
Even if these nine Hell lords hadn't caused chaos yet, there were already nine or more deaths. Creating human avatars of Hell lords required sacrifices and planning.
"Yes, sir." JARVIS quickly responded. After locking onto the Hell lords' locations from Robert's data, Tony Stark set off with his mech.
Due to previous events and technological limitations, Tony Stark's mech hadn't improved much, still at the nuclear blast level. However, there were advances in its melee capabilities and endurance. Most importantly, Tony now had backup mechs, meaning he didn't have to worry about his primary mech being damaged in battle.
By bringing backup mechs, JARVIS could control them for assistance, enhancing Tony's overall combat ability. If his primary mech was damaged, the backups could repair it—a small but significant technical breakthrough.
"JARVIS! Evacuate the area..." Tony arrived over a tavern, noticing the lights below. "And buy the tavern if possible. Clear out the people to avoid collateral damage."
"Sir, there are no civilians nearby. The tavern is filled with supernatural beings. I cannot call them human. Also, the tavern is unowned, do we still need to buy it?" JARVIS's response made Tony frown. He hadn't expected the tavern to be occupied by supernatural beings, but it confirmed Robert's information. The Hell lords were indeed gathering information, not acting recklessly.
In fact, these Hell lords weren't seeking secrets. They wanted to understand why so many people died on Earth.
Originally, these Hell lords came to exploit the situation. Seeing so many sudden deaths, they assumed a major event had occurred. But upon arrival, they found most of Earth peaceful, with only a lingering sadness.
This was contrary to their expectations, making them wary of a possible trap. They suspected someone might be using human souls as bait to capture them, so they planned to act cautiously.
Unfortunately, before they could figure things out, Constantine accidentally discovered them, and then Robert targeted them.
"Supernatural beings..." Tony's eyes narrowed at JARVIS's report. He decided that supernatural beings were still people. Not all were evil; it was best to let them leave to avoid unnecessary harm.
As for those who refused to leave, Tony wouldn't hesitate to deal with them. His other mechs could take care of them, preventing future disasters.
A worn mech quickly landed at the tavern's entrance, drawing attention. This place, filled with supernatural beings, had never seen scientific tech like Tony's mech.
"Cough, everyone, the tavern is closed today. I have some matters to handle. I'll buy you a drink later..." Tony's voice echoed from the mech.
Before Tony finished, mocking laughter interrupted. The crowd jeered at the mech, not taking Tony's words seriously.
"Who is it? The famous Iron Man? Why send this tin can? Do you think a bit of technology can handle supernatural matters?" Someone mocked, looking disdainfully at Tony outside.
"That hooded, goateed, one-eyed middle-aged man, it's him!" A bartender put down his glass, walked to the door, and pointed out.
"Huh?!" The one-eyed demon lord's face darkened. He didn't recognize Tony, but realized the bartender was referring to him.
A beam shot from the demon lord's eye, targeting the bartender, but the bartender vanished into a portal, avoiding the attack.
The bartender was a former shadow hunter. After receiving Constantine's information, he identified the demon lord and awaited backup.
Having seen Tony at the magic base before, the bartender recognized him but didn't expect Tony to brazenly send a mech inside. For safety, he revealed his identity and left.
"Huh? What's going on? A demon lord?!" As the one-eyed demon lord attacked, some realized his identity, their faces changing. They tried to flee, but the mech's chest arc reactor glowed brightly.
"Boom!" An explosion erupted in the tavern, or rather, where the tavern had been. It vanished instantly, and the supernatural beings inside were obliterated.
Tony had given them a chance, but they mocked him. So, he had the old mech self-destruct, showing them some power and testing the demon lord's defense.
"Well, well, I haven't acted yet, and someone's causing trouble. Is this all a scheme?" The one-eyed demon lord's voice, filled with cold anger, resonated as the dust settled. He stared at Tony in mid-air.
"A scheme?" Tony was puzzled, unaware of any scheme. He wondered if someone else was targeting these Hell lords.
"You can't be the mastermind. Bring out your backers. Your technology is impressive, but you lack true power. You're just an ordinary human," the demon lord said, flying up to Tony.
"If you reveal your backers, I'll let you die comfortably and won't hold your attack against you. Otherwise, you'll suffer and die painfully, your soul enduring eternal torment in Hell."
"Your generosity is astounding," Tony mocked, firing a repulsor beam at the demon lord.
The beam missed. In the open space, hitting the demon lord was difficult.
In a flash, the demon lord disappeared, reappearing before Tony, grabbing for his neck.
Tony couldn't track the demon lord's movements himself but, with JARVIS's assistance, he reacted. His mech's arm produced a laser sword, slicing at the demon lord's chest.
The laser sword pierced the demon lord's chest, blood spurting out. Whether the demon lord was caught off guard or underestimated the attack, he was wounded.
As the demon lord's blood flowed, he grabbed Tony's mech's neck, trying to incapacitate him.
Clearly, even knowing Tony relied on technology, the demon lord didn't fully understand it. He didn't realize the mech's power didn't come from Tony himself.
Or perhaps he was confident he could reach Tony through the mech. Killing Tony would render the mechs useless.
However, the demon lord failed. Tony had prepared for such an attack.
Energy surged from the mech's neck, as powerful as a repulsor blast. The neck also morphed, spinning blades cutting into the intruder's hand.
Under the dual assault, the demon lord retreated, glaring at Tony. He hadn't expected this ordinary human, lacking supernatural power, to wound him—piercing his chest and slicing his hand.
This was a first for the demon lord, fueling his rage.
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