But at the moment the mechanical components equipped themselves, the immense kinetic energy directly hurled Tony into the sky.
He was flung high by the chest piece that was equipped first.
In midair, he was hit by the arm and leg armor pieces, sending him into a wobbly trajectory.
The last parts to catch up were the helmet and the groin armor.
When those two components clicked into place with a thud,
Tony let out a loud "Fuck!"
Everyone present collectively took a sharp breath.
Even Wenwu, who had maintained a calm expression since his arrival, raised his eyelids slightly, showing a hint of awkwardness.
"Hiss... As expected of the anti-divine armor. Tony spent a few months and came up with this thing?" Lyon didn't know what to say.
If Tony's physical constitution weren't good, this move might have resulted in some serious damage to... certain crucial parts.
Lyon looked up toward the high sky, using his supervision to see through the clouds and spot the airborne fortress.
He hadn't noticed it earlier, but at some point, the fortress had positioned itself above Los Angeles, ready to assist Tony at any moment.
Presumably, the MIB girls were currently watching this battle unfold from the fortress.
Tony, with that display, managed to simultaneously demonstrate what the Rebel Armor truly was in front of both his enemies and his allies.
Before landing, he thankfully activated the suit's thrusters in time, sparing himself from turning the scene into a full comedy show.
After steadying himself, Tony flew back to Wenwu, stopping right in front of him.
"I'm feeling great. That was just a small mishap. Now we can begin," Tony said, pretending to be casual.
Wenwu shook his head in response.
"I'll allow you to make the first move. After ten moves, your fate will be sealed."
He already believed Tony was no match for him.
After witnessing that earlier performance, which resembled a circus clown's act, he became even more dismissive.
"Come on, let's finish this quickly," Wenwu said, shaking both arms.
The ten rings on his wrists glowed with a ghostly blue light, a mysterious power swirling around the rings.
"Ten moves? Are you serious? Sorry, but I only need one," Tony retorted.
He had heard from Lyon that the ten rings wielded by Wenwu held incredible power, capable even of opening dimensions.
Thus, he never underestimated this opponent.
But Tony couldn't afford to lose on momentum.
Without hesitation, he launched his attack, raising his hand and unleashing a laser beam.
This weapon, as shown in the movies, had instantly obliterated an entire army of Iron Man suits created by Aldrich Killian's Extremis team. Its cutting power was immense.
At this moment, the crimson laser shot forward like a lightsaber, slashing straight at Wenwu.
The weapon's sheer power clearly exceeded Wenwu's expectations.
For someone who usually maintained a composed demeanor, his expression suddenly changed.
He raised his hands, which had been hanging by his sides, to block in front of him at lightning speed.
But his reaction was still a second too slow.
The laser was deflected just in time by the Ten Rings, yet it managed to graze Wenwu's cheek.
"Ugh!"
Crossing his arms, Wenwu thrust them forward, sending out a shockwave of energy that dissipated the laser beam instantly.
Using his thumb, he wiped away the blood on his cheek, his half-lidded eyes carrying a faint yet palpable murderous intent born from anger.
"Still nine moves to go."
This time, Wenwu stepped his right leg back, raising his hands into a defensive stance, taking things a bit more seriously.
"Nine moves? That sounds like a long ordeal. But here's some good news for you: the laser I just used can only fire once for now, so you can breathe easy for a moment."
Tony, having gained the upper hand momentarily, immediately switched to mockery mode.
Wenwu's eyes grew colder in response to Tony's words, his disdain evident.
These two men might have been destined to clash from the very start.
Both were the type who couldn't tolerate anyone standing above them, yet each carried an innate habit of asserting their superiority.
When such personalities collided, it was like a spark falling into a gas station—something explosive was bound to happen.
Tony hovered in the air, launching a relentless series of attacks without hesitation.
Palm repulsor blasts, chest energy beams, miniature missiles...
He used every offensive weapon his armor had, regardless of its power.
It looked less like an assault and more like he was conducting a weapons test.
The damage was negligible.
Even the strongest energy beam only managed to push Wenwu back a few centimeters.
He remained completely unharmed.
But the insults? Those landed with precision.
Wenwu's eyes were now sharp and fierce, like those of a hawk, his entire presence oppressive, as if countless icy blades surrounded him.
Tony had completely infuriated him.
But at least he had fiercely regained the momentum he had lost earlier.
"Whoo... Ten moves, huh? Not so easy, right? My turn is over. Now you can—"
"Ugh!"
Hovering in mid-air, Tony crossed his arms, preparing for another round of mockery.
But Wenwu erupted into action in an instant he stopped.
Leaping more than ten meters into the air, the ten rings on his arms flared with a brilliant blue light.
With a single punch, he struck the chest of Tony's armor.
Boom!
Tony curled up like a bent shrimp, plummeting to the ground with a massive crash that kicked up a cloud of dust.
But Wenwu's assault showed no signs of stopping.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He continued his attack, bringing his fists together in mid-air and raising them high, then smashing down on Tony's position like a collapsing mountain.
The booming impact echoed in the wind, the ground trembling as if overwhelmed by the strike.
If this had been the Tony Stark from before his trip to the Resident Evil world, such a blow would have left him on the brink of collapse.
But now the swirling dust and debris were suddenly pierced by a blazing red energy blast, striking Wenwu squarely and sending him flying backward.
In the next moment, the Mark 5 suit—its chest armor nearly obliterated—charged forward. A palm repulsor aimed directly at Wenwu's face began to glow with concentrated energy.
But Wenwu reacted swiftly. The five rings on his left arm radiated with blue light as he grabbed the repulsor cannon and yanked it with force, tearing the entire arm off the suit.
Not stopping there, he mirrored the motion with his right hand, seizing and ripping off the suit's other arm.
Tony instantly lost his balance, and the two of them tumbled through the air, spiraling downward in a chaotic freefall.
When they finally hit the ground, they created a massive crater in the earth.
Wenwu was the first to recover, flipping to his feet with practiced agility. With both hands, he latched onto the seams of the Mark 5 armor. Roaring with the might of the ten rings, he began to dismantle it piece by piece, as though he were taking apart a Lego set.
Large chunks of armor flew in every direction, exposed wires sparking with blue and white electricity.
With the suit reduced to a mangled wreck, Tony, now vulnerable, was hoisted into the air by his collar.
"I must admit," Wenwu said, his tone cold and sinister, "making it this far is impressive. Your little inventions are indeed remarkable."
His eyes glinted darkly. "I should kill you right now, but I've changed my mind."
"Hand over the technology behind this suit," he demanded, "and I'll allow you and your brother to leave here alive."
Tony, his face smudged with dirt from the earlier fall, chuckled dryly. "Is that so? Not a bad offer. But I think you're speaking a bit too soon."
"This is only the start of round two!"
Tony grabbed Wenwu's wrists firmly with both hands, revealing his physical strength for the first time.
"What?" Wenwu's face was filled with shock.
Tony's lean arms exerted tremendous force, prying apart Wenwu's grip with sheer strength.
Wenwu's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Tony, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
"What have you done?!" Wenwu growled, channeling even more power into the Ten Rings. A massive burst of energy exploded outward, sending Tony flying like a spring-loaded projectile.
The true terror of the Ten Rings wasn't just their enhancement of physical strength. It was the immense, deadly energy they contained.
With a flick of his hands, Wenwu sent the Ten Rings spinning off his wrists. They interlinked mid-air, forming a chain-like weapon radiating with power.
This was Wenwu's ultimate combat form, using the Ten Rings as a weapon in their full glory.
Finally, he was serious.
On the other side of the battlefield, Tony stood up unscathed, casually brushing off the dirt from his clothes. He tore off the remains of his shredded shirt, revealing a chiseled and muscular physique beneath.
As he had said before, round two had just begun.
"Who the hell are you?!" Wenwu demanded, his hawk-like eyes fixated on Tony.
"Me?" Tony smirked.
From his pocket, he retrieved a compact Arc Reactor and pressed it against his chest.
In an instant, countless black filaments erupted from his body, weaving together to form a sleek, futuristic suit of armor.
"I'm Iron Man."
_________
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