Because Aldrich Killian had injected himself with a far more concentrated version of the Extremis virus than the mercenaries, his strength and regeneration were significantly greater.
Even when Hawkeye's explosive arrows struck him directly, they failed to kill him.
The blasts merely injured him for a brief moment before his body regenerated.
This made the battle extremely frustrating for Peggy Carter and the others.
At the same time, Rhodey had rushed off earlier to help Tony. Without the heavy firepower of the Iron Patriot armor, the pressure on Carter's group increased even further.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield—
After being smashed into the ground by Karl, the Mandarin activated the ring on the middle finger of his right hand.
A powerful vortex of air formed around him.
He lifted himself out of the crater and rose into the sky.
Although his clothes were covered in dust and his hair was slightly messy, he had not suffered any serious injuries.
When he floated to the same height as Karl, his eyes burned with anger.
He had never expected this man—whom he had previously dismissed—to be so powerful.
And Karl had even teleported behind him instantly.
The Mandarin's expression darkened.
He raised his left hand.
The ring on his thumb flashed.
BOOM—!
A thick red laser beam shot toward Karl at nearly the speed of light.
The beam struck Karl directly.
However—
Karl didn't even attempt to dodge.
The laser hit his Gold Cloth, but he felt no pain at all.
The Saint Cloth completely blocked the attack.
Karl's eyes suddenly turned red.
Two crimson beams shot from his eyes toward the Mandarin.
BANG—!
The Mandarin hadn't expected Karl to counterattack while still being targeted by his laser.
He immediately manipulated the airflow to evade.
But Karl's eye beams tracked their target based on line of sight.
Dodging was impossible.
Realizing this, the Mandarin stopped his own attack and raised his right hand.
The ring on his thumb flashed.
The red beams Karl had fired began slowing down midair.
Then—
They vanished.
Their molecules had been restructured and dispersed.
Karl raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't expected the Ten Rings to possess such terrifying abilities.
Not only could they disintegrate matter, but they could also recombine molecules.
The versatility was astonishing.
Karl immediately activated Mind Control.
His immense psychic power surged toward the Mandarin.
A moment later—
The Mandarin clutched his head.
A splitting headache overwhelmed him.
Realizing what Karl was doing, he quickly activated the ring on his left ring finger.
The ring enhanced his mental strength.
With the boost, he barely managed to resist Karl's psychic invasion.
Karl was surprised.
The Mandarin's mental power had suddenly increased dramatically.
So that ring could amplify mental strength as well?
Karl remembered the rumors he had heard about the Ten Rings.
They seemed to function as personalized artifacts, usable only by their owner.
Some sources even claimed the rings could be controlled remotely.
That thought made Karl frown slightly.
If he obtained the rings but couldn't use them, that would be extremely disappointing.
Then Karl remembered something.
He reached into his system space and took out the Mind Stone.
The yellow gem floated into his palm.
Karl's psychic power instantly multiplied.
The Mandarin's resistance collapsed immediately.
Within seconds, Karl completely controlled his mind.
Karl smiled faintly.
"What abilities do each of the Ten Rings possess?" Karl asked calmly.
Under the influence of Mind Control and the Mind Stone, the Mandarin had no ability to lie.
Karl was genuinely curious about the full capabilities of the rings.
The Mandarin spoke mechanically.
Left Hand Rings
Pinky Ring
Can freeze surrounding air, lowering temperature to absolute zero.
Ring Finger Ring
Enhances mental power and allows short-range mental domination of another person.
Middle Finger Ring
Generates powerful electricity, with output depending on the user.
Index Finger Ring
Produces fire and infrared radiation, igniting molecules in the surrounding air.
Thumb Ring
Emits intense visible light and laser beams.
Right Hand Rings
Pinky Ring
Absorbs all light, creating absolute darkness.
Ring Finger Ring
Breaks atomic and molecular bonds, disintegrating objects.
However, it requires a 20-minute cooldown after use.
Middle Finger Ring
Creates powerful air vortices, enabling flight or offensive attacks.
Index Finger Ring
Generates shockwaves equivalent to 350 pounds of TNT, along with sonic and electromagnetic waves.
Thumb Ring
Recombines atoms and molecules, accelerating or slowing particle motion.
While describing the abilities, the Mandarin stared blankly.
He had no control over what he was saying.
Karl was astonished.
The absolute zero ring alone was terrifying.
Karl himself had worked extremely hard to achieve similar results.
Yet the Mandarin could accomplish it effortlessly with a single ring.
The rings possessed abilities such as:
molecular disintegration
matter reconstruction
energy projection
darkness generation
The power they offered was incredible.
"Give me the rings," Karl ordered calmly.
"And explain how to use them."
Under mind control, the Mandarin obediently removed all ten rings and handed them over.
He then explained their activation methods.
Karl nodded and stored the rings inside his system space.
Then Karl used telekinesis to pull the Mandarin toward Tony.
Once the Mandarin was placed in front of Tony, Karl released the mind control.
"Alright, Tony," Karl said casually.
"He's yours now."
"He's powerless."
"You can deal with him however you want."
"I'll go handle the other one."
Karl glanced at Tony's miserable state before flying toward Killian.
Meanwhile, the Mandarin regained consciousness.
When he realized he was standing in front of Tony Stark—
And that all ten rings were gone—
His expression turned pale with fear.
He frantically searched his hands.
"Where are my rings?!"
"Tony Stark! Where are my rings?!"
He shouted in panic.
At that moment, he had completely forgotten that he no longer possessed any power.
Tony looked at him with contempt.
Then he kicked the Mandarin directly in the chest.
BOOM—!
The Mandarin flew backward across the ground.
At the same time, Tony noticed something.
The electromagnetic interference affecting his other vibranium armors had disappeared.
Tony immediately summoned one of the suits.
The armor assembled around him instantly.
Tony locked onto the Mandarin.
Then he fired a miniature missile.
BOOM!
The Mandarin—now completely powerless—was blown apart instantly.
His body disintegrated into dust.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield—
Killian had already realized the Mandarin had been defeated.
He immediately attempted to escape.
But Carter, Natasha, and Barton blocked every possible route.
They launched attack after attack.
Just as Killian struggled to break through—
Karl slowly landed in front of him.
Killian froze.
His face filled with horror.
The Mandarin had not known how powerful Karl truly was.
But Killian did.
And now—
Karl was standing directly in front of him.
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