"Roar!" A single roar echoed, indicating that the Cyclops King had been provoked by Tony Stark. Although he had faced powerful adversaries and sustained injuries before, it was the first time he had been wounded by someone he perceived as an ordinary human.
For a demon lord of hell, such an event was an unforgivable disgrace. Despite the lack of witnesses, the Cyclops King still wanted to tear Tony Stark apart.
"Shh!" A terrifying energy wave shot towards Tony Stark's armor, scorching a deep trench into the ground and releasing a bizarre aura.
"Buzz!" At that moment, Tony Stark's arm armor transformed instantly, a shield appearing in front of him, forming an energy barrier that blocked the incoming energy wave.
"Hmm?" The Cyclops King frowned at this sight. It wasn't merely because Tony Stark had blocked the attack; the eerie power within the energy wave had no effect on him.
That sinister power wasn't without its function. If it touched a living being, it could influence their consciousness, potentially driving them mad and rendering them combat ineffective.
Yet, against Tony Stark, this power had no effect, leaving the Cyclops King bewildered.
Clearly, the Cyclops King was aware of technological entities, but he severely underestimated their capabilities.
"Bang!" As the Cyclops King hesitated due to his failed attack, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, punching him away.
It wasn't Tony Stark himself but one of his armors. JARVIS had accurately analyzed the Cyclops King's moment of vulnerability and seized the opportunity.
The spare armors Tony Stark brought were as powerful as his own suit. Under JARVIS's control, they were nearly as formidable as Tony Stark himself.
Had it not been for material and technological limitations and the high cost of these armors, Tony Stark might have already created a legion of demon lord-level battle suits.
Of course, this was one of Tony Stark's current goals: enhancing the combat power of his individual suit and increasing the overall strength of his armor army.
The greatest advantage of technological power is its replicability. A problem one suit can't solve might be handled by a hundred or a thousand. As long as the cost of each suit could be reduced, there would always be a way.
Imagine if Tony Stark had a thousand demon lord-level suits. Would he need to fear the hellish demon lords sneaking into his world? A concentrated firepower would be enough to obliterate them all. This was exactly what Tony Stark was working towards.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Boom!"
As the first armor sent the Cyclops King flying, more suits coordinated under JARVIS's control, launching a seamless combo attack, sending the Cyclops King flying repeatedly.
This endless combo was inspired by JARVIS observing Robert's techniques. Although a single suit wasn't fast enough to maintain an endless combo, multiple suits could achieve this under JARVIS's precise coordination.
Now, Tony Stark, equipped with his fleet of suits, was much stronger than when he last faced Morbius. He now truly had the power to single-handedly defeat demon lords. Despite the Cyclops King's frustration and anger, he found himself unable to counter Stark's armors effectively.
Especially because JARVIS's controlled armors moved silently. The Cyclops King couldn't sense them as they had no life force. Only during energy surges could he detect them, making it difficult to defend against their relentless attacks.
Faced with such a situation, the Cyclops King began considering retreat. He suspected this might be a trap designed to lure demon lords like him. But escaping under the continuous assault of these armors was challenging.
Meanwhile, in another location, Robert and Constantine arrived. Robert didn't intend to let Constantine sacrifice all nine demon lords; that would be wasteful. But he also knew he had to give Constantine some reward for his efforts.
After all, Constantine had discovered these demon lords, thus averting a major disaster on Earth. So, rewarding Constantine by letting him sacrifice a couple of demons was necessary to ensure his continued cooperation.
But Robert wouldn't let Constantine clear all his debts, fearing he might lose motivation or become reckless without any obligations.
"Thanks, Saiyan! You're my best friend now!" Constantine said excitedly, looking at the hell demon below. This was the third demon Robert had targeted; the first two were already killed by Robert.
Given Robert's current strength, demon lords were no match for him, even without transforming into his enraged great ape form. The first two demon lords didn't even have time to speak before being slain by Robert.
"Don't. I don't want to be your friend. Let's just cooperate occasionally," Robert replied firmly, not giving Constantine a chance to push for more. He knew Constantine would cling to him if he encouraged any closer relationship, and Robert didn't want to deal with that.
Robert then turned his attention back to the tavern below, remarking, "This demon seems interesting. He's the strongest among the nine, almost as powerful as the top demon I first encountered..."
"But he's still far weaker than you, Saiyan!" Constantine replied obsequiously, rubbing his hands expectantly. "Let me clear out the people here, and you can capture him for me to sell at a good price..."
"Okay... Huh? Another hell demon? But this one isn't one of the nine you found..." Robert paused, sensing another demon's presence outside the tavern.
This new demon's aura was less pure but still at the demon lord level.
"Huh? Another demon lord?" Constantine looked in the same direction, puzzled. "Where did this one come from? I haven't seen it before... Wait, isn't that Hell Baron?"
Constantine recognized the demon. Hell Baron was known to be a demon of hell, yet he was also considered part of Earth's supernatural community and even had military affiliations. He was more officially recognized than the Avengers.
Unlike hidden high-ranking demons or succubi on Earth, Hell Baron didn't arrive by his own will. Summoned to Earth as a child, he was found and raised by the American military.
Initially, the military intended to study him due to his devilish appearance—red skin, horns—but as he grew, they discovered he wasn't as violent as a typical demon, likely due to his upbringing.
As Hell Baron matured, he gained their trust and was given a small unit to lead, handling various matters.
Initially, Hell Baron's power was comparable to a super soldier's, with his unique right hand being his primary advantage. Over time, especially after numerous encounters with hellish invaders, his strength grew significantly, reaching the demon lord level.
Hell Baron considered hellish beings as opportunities to gain merits and enhance his power. Sensing demonic presences excited him, leading him to personally confront such threats.
Unaware that this time he faced a demon lord stronger than himself, Hell Baron approached the tavern, ignorant of the two pairs of eyes observing him from above.
"Interesting. What is this, a hell version of a wild child? Or the other way around?" Robert mused aloud after Constantine explained. He found it surprising how the environment could influence even hellish creatures.
Though Robert had never visited the hell dimension, he understood it was a place of extreme hostility, where even the kindest person could become violent over time.
This understanding was why Carter Slade chose to provoke Mephisto, preferring his soul to vanish rather than become a mindless demon harming his former compatriots.
"If this can happen once, could it happen again?" Robert pondered, considering the possibility. Hell Baron might be an anomaly, but that didn't mean the government couldn't replicate it.
Given the influx of demon corpses to research facilities, Earth's advanced technology might well create an army of engineered demons.
If they could be trained like Hell Baron, the government could have a powerful demon army, unbound by hell's influence but just as formidable.
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