"I also have an Ark Reactor made by Ivan, and I don't believe that once I produce cost-effective individual armor, you will continue to stand by him!" Justin Hammer brooded for a while before finally taking a deep breath, deciding to spare no expense to salvage Hammer Industries' declining situation.
After all, if things continued as they were, there would be no reviving Hammer Industries. The company's innovation and manufacturing capabilities were mediocre at best, having relied on affordability rather than quality. Of course, affordable meant just that—barely serviceable. Now, Justin Hammer was determined to change the course for Hammer Industries. Even if he couldn't match Tony Stark's Iron Man suits, being able to produce individual armors would still allow Hammer Industries to make a significant turnaround.
"As long as it works, Ivan's death is irrelevant. At least to me, he still holds some value…" After making his decision, Justin Hammer moved into action. Since he couldn't save Ivan, he wouldn't waste time on him, as their relationship was merely one of mutual use.
Meanwhile, at Tony Stark's home, although only four people were dining, dozens were bustling in the kitchen—Tony Stark's house was large enough to accommodate such a crowd. Admittedly, the chefs were skilled, especially after Robert requested that they focus on quantity over presentation.
While these chefs couldn't match Robert in grilling, the variety of other dishes they prepared were beyond Robert's own culinary skills, making the meal quite satisfying.
Seeing Robert wolfing down the food, the chefs, motivated by their professionalism and the paycheck, didn't react much. However, Tony Stark, Pepper, and Hank were wide-eyed with astonishment. Although Robert had warned them about his appetite, his capacity for food was still shocking.
Tony even wondered how Robert managed to eat enough daily without being constantly hungry. Tony had transferred money to Robert before without any significant reaction from him, raising more questions in his mind. However, Tony felt it inappropriate to ask outright or throw money at Robert as he might with others, fearing his own head might roll before his money reached its target.
Eventually, when the chefs seemed exhausted, Robert finally had his fill. They took their pay with a sense of depletion after catering to such an appetite. Robert treated the place like a buffet, and any dish he wanted to retry had to be made from scratch, compounding the chefs' challenge.
"Thanks for the meal!" Robert said contently after eating, surprising Tony Stark. It was the first time Tony had heard Robert speak with such a demeanor. Until now, Robert had seemed to Tony a person of immense destructive power, extremely ruthless as if life held little value in his eyes.
This encounter made Tony reconsider his understanding of Robert, realizing that Robert only eliminated those who were indeed malicious and hostile. Even Tony himself wouldn't hold back against such adversaries…
After contemplating this, Tony felt a better sense of Robert, appreciating his help even more and considering bridging the gap between them.
"You saved Hank's life and mine before. Anytime you want, just come over. I'll set you up with a lifetime meal ticket here, how about that?" Tony proposed, smiling at Robert.
"That sounds pretty good. I'll come over when I have the time!" Robert's eyes lit up, then he looked at Tony's superficially bandaged wounds and offered, "Let me help you heal those wounds. It must be uncomfortable to leave them like that…"
After returning home, Tony had confined Ivan and briefly checked on Hank, finding no serious issues, and then joined Robert for the meal. Although Hank had fully recovered, Tony himself was still injured. Even with advanced medical technology, Tony's wounds weren't healing rapidly.
With a hum, Robert's healing light enveloped Tony before he could react, completely restoring his recent injuries and eliminating any residual fatigue in his body. Tony felt revitalized, as if reborn—a level of healing far beyond anything his own technology could achieve.
"Holy crap!" Tony couldn't help but curse in amazement, then noticed Pepper and Hank looking at him strangely, as if questioning why he was so surprised by such a recovery after seeing what Robert had done for Hank.
Coughing awkwardly, Tony lowered his voice and asked Robert, "That familiar sensation, did you gain the power of horse charms?"
Having worked with Steve and Bucky many times, Tony was somewhat familiar with new abilities and considered Steve's laser eyes quite limited but still powerfully effective. Given his latest suit hadn't been perfected, his energy beams hardly matched up to laser vision.
Thus, seeing Robert's abilities, Tony immediately thought of charm powers, remembering the sea healing goddess who had saved him using horse charms. Of course, now reformed, he harbored no ill intentions…
"It's similar, but my abilities lean more towards healing…" Robert nodded, acknowledging that his healing powers were indeed awakened by horse charms, which Tony wasn't wrong to guess.
"So, you
're pretty much all-powerful now? Strong destructive power and healing abilities? A mix of angel and demon!" Tony remarked, somewhat in awe.
"Angels and demons are not so different!" Robert shook his head, recalling his encounters with Rachel and Gabriel. In his view, angels were not necessarily kinder than demons; both were equally capable of evil, and their supposed virtues were largely the same.
"You've met angels?" Tony's eyes brightened, eager to learn more.
Tony had no religious inclinations despite being a staunch defender of science, and even though his views had slightly shifted, he remained uncommitted to theistic beliefs. However, he was curious about angels, especially since Robert suggested they weren't as benevolent as legends suggest.
"Yeah, I can share a bit, but you need to be prepared…" Robert glanced around, lowering his voice.
"Don't worry, there are no Jehovah's followers here…" Tony reassured with a laugh, eager to hear what a real angel was like from Robert.
Robert nodded and shared some details about the Shadow Hunters and their interactions with Rachel, causing Tony and the others to exchange looks of disbelief.
"So, the angel is dead, but the blood of the angel gave some Shadow Hunters abilities?" Tony furrowed his brows, "What if heaven decides to take back their powers and lives?"
"That's out of our hands. I can't just strip away their powers, and they've accepted their fate quite willingly…" Robert shrugged, speaking softly.
"So, all these supernatural powers come with a price? What about science? Does the power of science also require a sacrifice?" Pepper raised her hand timidly, looking at Robert after glancing at Tony.
"I'm not sure about that. I don't have much knowledge in that area, but there likely isn't a 'science god' or dimension…" Robert pondered for a moment, thinking it unlikely since scientific achievements typically don't become inherent to an individual like supernatural powers.
For instance, anyone could wear Tony's Iron Man suit and mimic him; even if there were differences, the power level wouldn't be drastically different.
As Robert concluded, silence fell. Even though he had warned them to be prepared, hearing that angels might not be as virtuous as believed was still hard for Pepper and the others to accept, especially since Robert hadn't even touched on Gabriel or the affairs of heaven.
"It seems that so-called gods really aren't reliable. Humans must rely on themselves!" Tony declared firmly. "Heaven and hell should stay away from human affairs!"
"That would require enough power," Robert mused, thinking of distant dimensions and even entities like Mephisto from hellish realms. If such beings could fully manifest their power on Earth, even he and Clark might not be enough.
Clark, especially, had limited means against beings from dimensions like hell, whose soul-based attacks were formidable—Clark's primary weakness.
Realizing the scope of potential threats, Robert knew that neither he nor Clark were truly prepared for the worst.
"Your power isn't enough?" Tony looked at Robert in surprise, considering Robert had previously defeated a demon lord. If even Robert felt insufficient, Tony's new suit seemed less significant.
"Definitely not. If it were, I'd dive into hell and clear it out right now!" Robert shrugged, explaining that moving from Earth to hell wasn't as hard as the reverse. Even Constantine could open hell's gates, which made it relatively simple.
Hearing this, Tony glanced at his latest suit and muttered, "Maybe my power isn't enough either…"
"Tony, you just rested…" Pepper realized Tony's intent and sighed.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. But first, I need to deal with Ivan; otherwise, he might affect all of Stark Industries…" Tony reassured her, then began to ponder his next steps.
Directly killing Ivan wasn't Tony's style. While he wasn't against killing in battle, executing a captured enemy felt off to him. Plus, Ivan still held value, albeit not for Tony personally but potentially for others…