Nolan had already anticipated what would happen next with Blackwing.
But Blackwing himself wouldn't believe it.
Nor would the other members of his mutant clan.
The reason was simple: in their eyes, Blackwing was the strongest being alive.
No matter how many tricks Nolan Lock had up his sleeve, the outcome of this battle wouldn't change.
The only thing that made them uneasy was not the Titans, but the method Nolan had just employed.
A ring of light appeared out of nowhere, and from within it, Nolan retrieved a massive mechanical arm.
How had he done that?
Was it some kind of spatial technology?
They had never even heard that such terrifying tech existed in this world.
Most importantly, the force field projected by that arm had completely stopped Blackwing's assault.
The implications were too frightening to even imagine.
All they could hope for was that Blackwing hadn't used his full strength, and that the mechanical arm's barrier had nearly reached its limit.
Otherwise, they would have lost any chance of killing Nolan Lock.
As for their own deaths?
Ha.
The Titans were raining down fire.
Blackwing had no idea what his clan members were thinking behind him. All he knew was that he had to keep unleashing his power to resist the relentless bombardment.
Even if he could withstand it, he would grow exhausted.
Finally, Medusa's expression shifted.
She had realized the truth.
At this point, they were nothing but a burden to Blackwing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to forcefully block the attacks in such a manner.
"We need to leave now!"
Medusa shouted.
"Blackwing is already exhausted. Our presence here is preventing him from moving freely!"
Hearing her words, the others quickly understood and began retreating without hesitation.
Blackwing, despite still unleashing his power, allowed a rare smile to appear on his face.
No one understood him like his wife.
Even without seeing his expression, she could predict his thoughts.
He felt proud to have a wife like her.
And now, the real battle was about to begin.
At this moment, Blackwing's spirit soared.
But as Medusa and the others attempted to retreat, suddenly, a dense stream of fire shot toward them.
The forest could not block these attacks.
Trees the thickness of bowls snapped with sharp cracks, falling to the ground.
These were bullets.
Under this caliber, even trees were as fragile as sand.
Medusa suddenly felt a cold gust brush past her.
Turning, her pupils shrank in shock.
"Goruk!"
Blackwing's personal bodyguard, one of the strongest even among the mutant clan, had vanished leaving only his upper torso and a stunned head behind.
Thud.
The suspended head hit the ground heavily.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
"Retreat!"
Medusa reacted just in time.
Before she could fully process, another clan member was shredded by the bullets.
The surrounding trees continued to fall under the hail of fire, smashing onto the forest floor.
"What terrifying firepower."
Seeing the devastation inflicted on the mutants, Tony Stark's expression grew complicated.
This weapon was dangerously lethal.
It had the firepower of a Barrett rifle combined with the firing speed of a Gatling gun.
Even a tank would be paper-thin in front of this kind of technology.
This was the kind of weapon capable of rewriting human warfare history.
At the same time, it was the one thing Tony feared the most.
"Nolan, inventing something this dangerous could destroy humanity."
Nolan ignored the concern.
"It's never the weapon that kills, but the one who wields it. Humanity's civilization is a history written by war. These weapons are dangerous, yes, but they're far from altering the very nature of human warfare."
He looked toward the Titans in the air.
Tony followed his gaze and let out a bitter laugh.
Nolan was right. The exoskeleton suits alone couldn't change the nature of human combat.
The Titans, on the other hand, could.
"You're playing with fire."
"No. These are just the basics. They are balanced. And with human ingenuity, in thirty years at most, weapons exceeding these Titans will emerge."
"Balanced?"
"Emperor Titans."
Nolan replied decisively.
"They will hang over humanity like the Sword of Damocles. Their purpose is to counter extraterrestrial threats and any force that could destroy Earth."
"You…"
Tony's face turned pale with shock.
None of this could have been in the official agreement.
Yet Nolan continued:
"You can help me write the final program."
Tony hesitated briefly, then nodded decisively.
Nolan smiled knowingly.
Tony Stark had never cared about contracts. Whether in the main universe or this one, human nature remained the same.
All Tony worried about was who controlled such a dangerous weapon before it was fully built.
A full magazine of bullets emptied.
The APU battle mech units stopped firing, as it seemed the mutants had been eliminated.
"Use thermal imaging to track survivors."
After reloading, the commander gave the order.
Ten APU mechs separated from the main force, heading toward Medusa and the others.
Meanwhile, the commander watched Blackwing's fight against the three Titans.
Blackwing's attacks weren't in vain.
The Titans had suffered varying levels of damage.
However, because they had been prepared, they were equipped with sonic shielding, leaving the pilots largely unharmed.
Seeing Medusa and her group facing potential death, Blackwing's rage peaked.
He even abandoned fire exchanges with the Titans, turning to roar at the APU units.
That one shout destroyed more than half of the frontline exoskeleton mechs.
But it also left an opening.
Dust filled Blackwing's location.
"This time, he's finished."
The Colonel inside a Titan said with lingering unease.
After such relentless bombardment, their ammunition was down to 20 percent.
"No one could survive this."
The pilot of Unit Two also doubted Blackwing's survival.
As the dust cleared, nothing seemed to remain, as if Blackwing had been obliterated.
But then…
The Unit Two pilot's face changed dramatically.
"No, Colonel. He's still alive!"
The Colonel tensed, noticing the target reappear on radar. Its life signs were dire.
"Attack!"
He barked.
Twenty percent of their firepower would be enough.
At that moment, Tony's eyes widened.
Blackwing, who should have been far away, suddenly appeared beside him, rushing past toward Nolan.
His goal was clear.
He didn't know if his wife survived, but he knew that if Nolan Lock didn't die, he couldn't escape.
To kill Nolan Lock was the only way to hope for survival.
Seeing Blackwing so close, Nolan sighed.
Trying to rely on brute force instead of letting the Titans finish the job?
"Why can't this war end cleanly?"
He had intentionally held back, letting the Titans deal with Blackwing.
Reports of this battle would surely prompt the White House, and even the UN Security Council, to increase funding once they saw the altered terrain.
But if he killed Blackwing… the results would be less impressive.
No choice.
A faint trace of killing intent appeared in Nolan's eyes.
Someone wanted to die.
What else could he do but oblige?
At some point, Nolan drew his plasma blade from his back.
Hum.
A ghostly blue light cut through the air.
Blackwing, face frozen in disbelief, was sliced in two.
Nolan's expression remained calm as he gazed down at Blackwing's fallen body, a hint of scorn in his eyes.
"Do you think I removed the AT barrier for nothing?"
Though the first unit was still incomplete and couldn't sustain long-term use, Nolan's own strength was his greatest confidence.
"Dead?"
Tony stepped closer, confirming Blackwing's demise, then glanced around helplessly.
"I think I need to rethink my approach."
This had once been a dense forest.
Now, the trees were sparse, revealing the destruction outside.
The main attack points had been devastated as if a hurricane had passed.
He once thought the Mark series was the pinnacle of mech design.
Now he realized he needed something bigger. At least as large as the Thunder Hammer unit.
Looking at the two- to three-meter-high Thunder Hammer suit, Tony abandoned his notion that precision was everything.
When finesse couldn't solve the problem, size was justice.
Nolan glanced at Tony, noting the change in him.
If he could hear Tony's thoughts, he would likely be laughing wildly.
He had conquered the Tony Stark of both worlds.
What is genius?
This.
No delicate idea could withstand overwhelming firepower.
Range is truth. Caliber is justice.
Outside the forest, Medusa lay on the ground, her face pale, a mixture of fear and anger.
Goruk and the others were dead. She was the only one left.
Blackwing had been right. Humanity's power had forced the mutant clan to flee Earth.
Yet she believed her husband would survive.
It was the only reason she hadn't run earlier.
The barrage and destructive sonic winds had ceased.
Had Blackwing won?
Medusa thought.
But she clearly saw the three Titans land. They hadn't fallen in defeat.
An impossible thought crossed her mind.
Her husband, the king of the mutants, the strongest being she knew, had been defeated. Perhaps even killed.
Run.
Suppressing all emotions, Medusa turned and fled.
Suddenly, someone appeared in front of her.
"Crystal!"
Surprised at first, a smile spread across her face.
Crystal was here. Which meant Tetanus was too.
Though Tetanus was a dog, it possessed spatial movement abilities.
She looked behind Crystal and saw the massive canine.
"Tetanus, take us back to the Moon!"
Medusa commanded.
The next moment, three mechs appeared within their line of sight.
"Hurry!"
Impatient, Medusa didn't wait for questions. Crystal, without hesitation, activated Tetanus's spatial ability.
Bullets scorched the ground, kicking up mud.
"Where did they go? They vanished!"
The approaching soldiers were confused.
"Damn it, they got away!"
Back on the Moon, Medusa revealed the truth to Crystal.
Blackwing's fate was unknown. The rest of the mutants were dead.
When the news reached the clan, they erupted in chaos.
Inside the Titan base, Colonel complained about Nolan acting without orders. Nolan laughed it off.
The Colonel could only let it go.
After this battle, his respect for Nolan reached unprecedented heights.
For soldiers, nothing inspires more respect than powerful weapons and strong allies.
Nolan had given them both.
And the mech forces themselves were terrifying.
The upper management's attention to Lock Technologies would now skyrocket.
"A woman got away?"
Nolan shrugged.
Although many mutants had abilities, only Blackwing had posed a real threat.
Now that he was gone, the others were irrelevant.
The Colonel said,
"I've reported this battle to my superiors. Someone will contact you soon."
Before he finished, Nolan's phone rang.
The caller ID showed the newly sworn-in president.
"Excuse me, I need to take this call."
He showed a glance to the Colonel and Tony, then stepped aside.
"Nolan, you've truly given me a huge surprise!"
Jonas Bennett's voice trembled with excitement.
Nolan smiled.
"I see you've received the news. Information travels fast.
But as I said, the Titan Program wasn't created for Blackwing or the mutants.
If we couldn't even handle Blackwing, would this program ever be worth the investment?"
"You're right. But now, you've given me a satisfying answer. No, a perfect one beyond my expectations."