"You want to come and go as you please? Did you even ask for my permission?"
Duncan stood stoically, surrounded by several Xenomorphs.
Originally, he could have quietly parasitized Abomination, steadily accumulating his strength without having to reveal his powers so blatantly.
But unfortunately, the ill-intentioned Ikaris showed up.
"Since you're already here, why not stay awhile?"
If possible, Duncan would have gladly turned Ikaris into one of his kind.
Having a "budget Superman" Xenomorph would greatly enhance his combat strength.
Although extremely difficult, as Duncan currently lacked the power to defeat Ikaris or find an opportunity to parasitize him, Ikaris wasn't as easy to deal with as Abomination.
Suddenly— Rip!
Ikaris was finally injured.
His opponent didn't just have arms and legs but also a powerful tail and a deadly surprise weapon: the inner jaw!
The Abomination Xenomorph violently launched its inner jaw, tearing a chunk of flesh from Ikaris's face.
Ikaris widened his eyes in disbelief, touching his blood-soaked face as his gaze turned crimson.
It wasn't just seething anger but an unprecedented anxiety creeping into his mind.
He wasn't really the Superman. He could be injured, could flee, and had to weigh the risks of battles like this—was it even worth exposing himself in such a risky fight?
Most importantly, Ikaris had no idea what the limits of the Abomination Xenomorph were. The more they fought, the stronger it seemed. It was breaking him mentally.
With a furious roar, Ikaris smashed his fist into the Abomination Xenomorph's face, following up with another series of devastating blows to its head.
The speed at which their bodies clashed shattered the sound barrier effortlessly, creating shockwaves comparable to explosions. Visible ripples of destruction spread outwards.
Tanks fired rounds, and a swarm of armed helicopters launched missiles.
At this level of destruction, the losses were too catastrophic for the military to remain passive.
General Ross, standing aboard a helicopter, watched the chaos before him with vacant eyes.
If it were just Abomination fighting the Hulk, there might still be room to salvage the situation. But now? Forget it. He was bound to face a military tribunal.
"Who is this flying guy?! And who is he fighting?!" Ross bellowed, unable to keep his composure. "Fire on both of them!"
Ikaris, struck by several rounds, retaliated by unleashing his heat vision, destroying all helicopters in sight—including Ross's.
Just as Ross was about to perish on the spot—
Iron Man returned in time, shielding Ross from the explosion with his back and grabbing him mid-air, accelerating toward a nearby skyscraper.
"I don't like you, but if you die here, that'd be a joke," Tony remarked.
"Tony Stark! You should've let those monsters kill me."
"You're right. That would've forced the government to deal with them, and your Super Soldier program would continue without a hitch," Tony replied coldly, dropping Ross onto the skyscraper before flying back to the battlefield.
To be honest, Tony thought intervening was suicidal. The Mark III suit couldn't withstand punches from either of these two monsters. But he had no other choice.
At that moment, as if by coincidence, the Abomination Xenomorph—now battered—had its head cracked open, spilling its highly corrosive blood everywhere.
Ikaris's eyes lit up. Victory was imminent—or so he thought. But in the next second, the corrosive blood splattered onto his face, causing him to let out an inhuman wail.
Ikaris was stunned as he felt his face melting.
"AAAAAHHHH!!!"
His screams were piercing as he clutched his face. But this only made it worse; his hands came into contact with the acidic blood, which began eating away at them too.
This isn't just a mutated species—this thing is leagues more terrifying. The more injured it became, the more dangerous it grew, unleashing even deadlier attacks.
The Abomination Xenomorph, now fully enraged, ignored its rapidly healing injuries, extending its massive arms to grab Ikaris tightly before smashing him through a dozen skyscrapers.
Ikaris was shaken. Deep down, he still believed he could win if the fight continued. But against an enemy whose blood alone could inflict such catastrophic damage, the fight wasn't worth it.
Weighing the pros and cons, Ikaris decided to flee.
Without hesitation, he used the momentum to escape, crashing through the rooftop of a building and smashing General Ross into a mist of red as he ascended into the sky.
Covered in blood and gore, Ikaris didn't stop. He soared into the night sky, disappearing from view, desperate to find a safe place to deal with the acid now corroding his bones.
As for Ross? Sorry, no matter how influential he was, Ikaris didn't care about ordinary humans. All he wanted was to escape to safety and clean off the acid.
Moments later, Tony Stark hovered silently above the scene, staring at the blood-stained rooftop and wreckage below.
"If I say Ross's death has nothing to do with me, that it wasn't intentional and purely an accident—Jarvis, do you think the judges will believe me?"
"Unlikely, sir. Based on my calculations, they probably won't, though they lack concrete evidence."
"Great. Jarvis, let's rehearse our testimony. If they ask whether it was deliberate or accidental—"
For the first time, Tony felt being a superhero was far from glamorous.
One person dying was troublesome enough, let alone someone as high-profile as Ross—and because Tony had deliberately left him there.
"This is a disaster."
But don't misunderstand—Tony wasn't lamenting Ross's fate. Ross's shady dealings meant even if he survived tonight, the best outcome for him would've been life in prison.
Tony was lamenting his own misfortune. Barely into his superhero career, and he was already embroiled in such a mess.
Tonight had been a harsh lesson. If the Hulk and Abomination weren't bad enough, the two new monsters that showed up were even worse, with their reckless destruction and horrifying combat abilities.
For the first time, humanity truly realized that superhumans like these lived among them. If they fought without restraint, they could easily cause apocalyptic disasters.
Who could stop them? The military with its tanks and helicopters?
So far, that seemed ineffective. And deploying high-powered weapons wasn't always an option—and might not work anyway.
Tony shifted his gaze to the Abomination Xenomorph, landing fifty meters ahead of Duncan.
The previously feral and violent Xenomorph now stood calmly beside Duncan, its grotesquely swollen muscles receding as it silently waited.
"Impressive. It's like a well-behaved little girl—but I'm guessing it doesn't have a gender."
Tony approached Duncan, skimming through the data Jarvis had uploaded on him.
"Tony Stark. Nice to meet you under these circumstances," Duncan said with a kind expression.
"You're celebrating too early. More trouble is coming your way soon," Tony retorted. "Buddy, do you have any idea the global chaos your creations are causing?"