Bang! Bang! Bang!!
Banter grabbed one of Tony Stark's feet and, as if swinging a weightless ragdoll, casually slammed him into the ground around them, gouging out several large craters in the floor.
Although the metallic coverage of the exoskeleton armor on Tony Stark wasn't as high as his original suit, the difference in materials actually made it heavier—right now it weighed over two or three tons. Yet in Banter's hands, it felt lighter than nothing.
He smashed him a few times, found the grip a bit awkward, and flung Tony into one of the craters.
Boom!!!
In an instant, it was as if a missile had struck the ground.
Thick dust billowed up, and lying in the pit was a man covered in grime, looking as though all hope had drained out of him.
Tony lay quietly in the crater, his hollow eyes wide open but seeing nothing, staring blankly at the ceiling. His hands rested calmly, crossed over his abdomen, looking so peaceful he might as well have passed away.
But the sound coming from his mouth—like the pitiful whimper of a wronged child—told everyone that he was still alive.
In fact, Tony wasn't just alive; he hadn't even been seriously injured. The exoskeleton's protective systems had activated at the critical moment. However, the overwhelming gap in strength between them had completely sapped his will to resist.
The armor he'd spent a week modifying, plus the Extremis virus that could boost his physique to the point of beating Steve—combined, they were nothing in Banter's eyes.
With that kind of power, hitting him was like an adult beating a child. How could he fight back?
Even the armor he'd barely managed to repair had already developed cracks and was on the verge of collapse.
Couldn't win in a fight, couldn't win in an argument.
Whatever. It is what it is.
Tony decided to just lie there and take it. Enjoy it, even.
He clasped his hands together, looking for all the world like he'd peacefully drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Banter frowned slightly and glanced down at his own fist.
"The strength did perfectly inherit Four Arms' power, but..."
"Because of the difference in body structure, I'm missing two arms, so a lot of the combat techniques engraved in my genes no longer apply. And although the strength in a single arm could be said to combine Four Arms' power with Spider-Man's, overall, my strength has actually decreased."
That was perfectly normal.
The combined power of two arms working together—compared to arms spread apart—far exceeded the simple sum of one plus one equals two, let alone with four arms.
Sure enough, this ability still had flaws at present.
Even if he could acquire the superpowers of other species, differences in body structure would still weaken those abilities.
"Would fusing with Humungousaur's form be better?"
Humungousaur was even stronger than Four Arms, and that species, like humans, only had two arms. Though its fighting style was a bit reckless, combat techniques were something Banter could learn on his own.
Of course, the premise was that he didn't fuse with that pitiful win-loss record too.
The jobber dinosaur—no joke.
Banter glanced down at Tony, who was lying on the ground like a dead pig that no longer feared boiling water, and decided not to continue his experiments.
He looked up at the host, who immediately understood and announced that Tony Stark's championship challenge had failed.
And so this long-awaited championship challenge came to an anticlimactic end.
The match could be said to be anything but exciting, let alone bloody—after all, Tony hadn't even died. But the audience seemed quite satisfied. Who wouldn't be, with a heavyweight like Banter making an appearance?
For the people of Sakaar, simply getting to see Banter was already a tremendous surprise.
As for Tony Stark losing so cleanly—well, that was only natural.
The King of Sakaar was born great!
And now, the great Banter was sitting by the window in Tony Stark's room, eating amber Oakey fruit while gazing outside.
The amber Oakey fruit was something Banter had cultivated after Sakaar regained its vitality, to ensure the planet's many inhabitants could fill their bellies. Using the power of the wild demon vine, he had extracted genes from plant seeds that Plumber members had collected from across the universe.
The fruit was extremely rich in nutrients, could adapt to all kinds of environments, and could even be used as an energy source.
It was precisely because these traits closely resembled the fruit from Luke's homeworld that Banter had conveniently chosen this name.
"I'm serious, little Ben. You can't just stand by and watch Earth die, can you?"
After soaking in the pool for a while, Tony was full of energy again.
Honestly, the moment he'd laid eyes on Banter, he had actually relaxed a lot. Even though the two of them had fought in the arena, even though he'd lost, Tony didn't really care.
A loss was just a loss.
He hadn't come all this way to compete.
Seeking help was what he needed to do.
Although Banter had spoken coldly during the match, Tony didn't believe the other would truly abandon Earth.
"Don't forget Peter. He's still on Earth! And all your friends—can you really just abandon them?"
"I can rescue them individually," Banter said. He wasn't just saying this to Tony; he was also putting the question to every person on Earth.
The Plumbers could absolutely ignore Earth.
They did play the role of guardians, but there was no need for them to protect Earth selflessly.
Whether to accept the Plumbers' rule?
That question had already been laid out before everyone.
Normally acting all arrogant, wishing you'd just get lost, but the moment trouble strikes, you come begging for the Plumbers to selflessly give everything. How is that supposed to work?
Even though Banter himself was from Earth, he could just take the people he cared about and leave.
Sakaar was far larger than Earth.
If you wanted the Plumbers' help, then you had to accept being ruled and governed by the Plumbers!
It wasn't that he wanted to get involved in politics. On the contrary, this was a reminder to those disgusting politicians not to try anything with the Plumbers—otherwise, Sakaar's thunder would sooner or later come crashing down on their heads.
"Listen, Tony, this isn't up to me. The Plumbers originally set up a branch on Earth, but then you said Earth didn't need 'aliens,' and you went and created Ultron... Honestly, the Plumbers have wanted to give up on Earth for a long time now. It's only because of me..."
Banter paused, said nothing more, and simply looked at Tony, signaling that he held considerable influence within the Plumbers.
Sure enough, Tony said, "You're a Plumber magistrate. Can't you make them change their minds? If you'd go speak to that King of Sakaar, maybe he'd reconsider. Right now, no one except the Plumbers can deal with Ultron!"
"If Ultron really does wipe out everyone on Earth, do you think it'll just stop there and not spread its twisted ideology across the universe?"
"Of course I can..."
Banter smiled faintly. "But why should I clean up your mess?"
"I seem to recall someone calling me a nobody."
Tony: ...
You little punk, you sure know how to hold a grudge!
Tony thought to himself.
But instead, he breathed a sigh of relief. Since Banter was talking like this, it at least meant that once the other's anger subsided, everything would be fine.
The only question was what price he, Tony Stark, would have to pay.
"As long as Earth is safe, I can give you Stark Industries!" Tony said heavily, pressing his lips together.
It was a difficult decision, but not because he cared about the money. It was because Stark Industries had been founded by his father, and it was one of the few remaining connections between him and the old man he'd spent years at odds with.
Banter rolled his eyes. "Do I look like someone short on money?"
Banter couldn't care less about Stark Industries' wealth.
Setting aside that the Plumbers already controlled an incredibly vast territory in the universe—where every single planet's value far exceeded that of an entire nation—just Banter's personal wealth on Earth was beyond anyone's reach.
Don't forget, besides Primus, Banter also occupied the anti-vibranium mine beneath the Antarctic seabed.
One could say his personal wealth already rivaled the richest nation, Wakanda.
A tiny Stark Industries, compared to Banter's total assets, was like the gap between a shell company and ten thousand Tenzents.
Tony instantly felt suffocated.
"If not money, then what do you want?"
"Am I so poor that I have nothing but money?" He frantically clawed at his bird's nest of hair and said something that made every Earthling want to kill him.
"You don't want my technology, do you?"
"Please, even setting aside the Plumbers, Primus's technology is a bit more advanced than mine... except for Ultron."
Tony truly felt like he had nothing.
Only the artificial intelligence Ultron had truly surpassed its era. But the problem was, if Ultron were actually useful, he wouldn't be here humbling himself before Banter today.
"Actually, Ultron is outdated too." Banter mercilessly shattered the last shred of Tony's self-esteem.
"That's impossible!"
Tony retorted, "Although Ultron did go off track, it's still without a doubt my greatest creation. There's no way any AI in this world can surpass Ultron!"
He strongly disagreed, believing that even the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree Empire—something Banter had mentioned before—couldn't be superior to Ultron.
Banter always preferred to let facts speak. He snapped his fingers. "Eunice."
Immediately, a projection of a beautiful blonde girl appeared before Tony's eyes, and in an extremely short time, she proved to him that she was an AI far superior to Ultron.
"Not just an AI. Eunice already possesses true thought and life."
For that, he had to thank Ultron's gift.
Tony was utterly defeated.
He sat on the ground, looking at Banter as though staring at a devil. "Then what else do you want from me?"
He felt that ever since Banter appeared, his life had encountered one enormous setback after another.
It was as if his past so-called genius was nothing but a laughable joke.
Compared to Banter, his intelligence and talent weren't worth mentioning.
When he'd been dying from palladium poisoning, Banter had already discovered a new element. When he'd still been wearing the early Mark suits, Banter had already gotten energy shields, anti-gravity systems, nanotech, neurotoxins... all set up.
It was as if his suits weren't advanced at all, but rather like an outdated kerosene lamp in the age of electricity...
Originally, Tony had been secretly proud of inventing a groundbreaking AI. Even after Ultron went berserk, he still didn't think anyone could surpass his achievement, because the path of AI had reached its end.
But Banter had casually whipped out the upgraded Eunice.
Damn it!
Is there anything you, Banter Parker, can't do?
Why was Ban born, if To was also to be born?
"Little Ben... what exactly do you want... what else do I have to give you?" he asked, defeated and dejected, as if utterly spent.
"Little Ben?"
Banter raised an eyebrow. "I understand. Tony Stark struck it rich in America. Business is doing great. Thinks he's some kind of genius inventor, that he can protect the world with those little robot tricks. You don't need a friend like me—called me a nobody. But now... you come to me and say, 'Little Ben, please help me take down Ultron.'"
"But you show me no respect at all. You try to order me around with your stinking money. You don't treat me as a friend. You won't even call me Brother Ban!"
Tony: ???
What the—bro?
Tony was dumbfounded. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Banter continue:
"If you want my help, it's simple. First, all your assets will no longer belong to you. They will be used to compensate everyone who's been hurt because of Ultron and because of you."
"Fine." Tony nodded.
He didn't care about money. Even if he truly ended up with nothing, he believed he could rise again from the ashes.
"Second, from today on, the moment you see me, you have to call me Brother Ban." Banter said with a smile.
"What?" Tony stared in disbelief, eyes wide. "Little Ben, do you have any idea how many years older I am than you? Your uncle isn't even that much older than me!"
"Hmm?" Banter scratched his ear and looked at him sideways. "What did you call me?"
"Little—Brother Ban."
Tony swallowed his pride.
"Good!"
"Third, right now you have to shout at the top of your lungs: Tony Stark is a big idiot with an IQ lower than an elementary school student, and compared to Brother Ban, I'm like an uncivilized gorilla."
"Hey, Banter, don't push it!"
Tony stood up in anger. "I refuse to admit you're smarter than me!"
"What did you call me?"
"Br-Brother Ban..." Tony nearly choked on the words, his face turning green. Thinking of his current situation, he had no choice but to compromise. "Fine, I admit I'm not as smart as you, but only a little bit."
Banter smiled without a word.
"You bastard..." Tony trembled with rage.
Whatever. There's no one else here anyway. I'll shout if I have to. At worst, I can just deny it all later!
He took a deep breath and yelled, "I, Tony Stark, am a big idiot with an IQ lower than an elementary school student, and compared to Brother Ban, I'm like an uncivilized gorilla. Happy now!"
"No problem, gorilla." Banter hopped down from the window, ready to leave.
Seeing this, Tony excitedly moved to follow.
"Why are you following me?"
"To see the King of Sakaar, then return to Earth and take down that traitorous son of mine, Ultron!" He cracked his knuckles.
"No need for you to go."
"You're still a convict laborer, Tony Star-gorilla. Stay in the Sakaar arena for now. Oh right, you lost the championship challenge too, so starting today, you're back to sleeping on the floor in the dungeon."
Banter kicked him back inside.
/-\
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