After dealing with several over-dedicated security guards, Aurelius Viremont slowly made his way into the interior of Stark Tower, intending to catch a glimpse of the birth of the supervillain, Iron Monger.
Just then, a massive circular structure caught his attention.
From the perspective of the Six Eyes, terrifying energy pulsed before him like a beautiful cake waiting to be tasted. He immediately threw the thought of the Iron Monger to the back of his mind. What was a metal suit compared to pure energy?
Through the meticulous manipulation of the Six Eyes, massive amounts of electricity began to bleed out from the giant Arc Reactor, which Aurelius Viremont proceeded to absorb greedily.
[Energy Points +1]
[Energy Points +1]
[Energy Points +1]
...
Since Energy Absorption reached Lv.3, this was the first time he had pushed it into overdrive, frantically devouring electricity! He dumped all the energy points into his template, and the integration percentage jumped every few minutes!
Template Integration: 28%
Template Integration: 29%
Template Integration: 30%
When the integration reached 30%, a flood of memories surged into Aurelius Viremont's mind. It was a high-level manipulation of cursed energy—Black Flash!
In the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, when a physical blow and a cursed energy impact land almost simultaneously—specifically within a margin of $0.000001$ seconds—a distortion in space occurs! The power of the attack is then amplified to the power of $2.5$!
This was a scaling technique; as his base strength increased, the power of the Black Flash would grow exponentially. Due to the nearly impossible conditions required to trigger it, no sorcerer can use Black Flash with 100% certainty. It was usually considered a feat of pure luck.
However, Aurelius Viremont was different.
He possessed the Six Eyes and Energy Absorption—two extraordinary abilities from different worlds. As his skill levels rose, his control over energy would far surpass even Satoru Gojo's. In the future, it was highly likely he could land Black Flash with 100% consistency! At that point, by reinforcing his body with energy absorption and cursed energy, Aurelius Viremont might even be able to trade blows with the Hulk!
As Aurelius Viremont was absorbing energy, he suddenly heard a gasp from behind. He glanced back and saw Pepper Potts, who had just escaped certain death.
Strangely, the moment he turned to look at her, Pepper let out a piercing scream. Her legs shook so violently she nearly collapsed before she turned and bolted out of the Stark Tower entrance as fast as she could.
Aurelius Viremont stood there, somewhat bewildered. He slowly reined in the manic, ecstatic grin on his face and stopped absorbing electricity, finally giving the ravaged room a moment to breathe.
He began to seriously doubt himself: "Do I really look that scary?"
Pepper Potts sprinted out of Stark Tower and immediately looked back. Only when she saw the terrifying "White Demon" wasn't pursuing her did she finally heave a sigh of relief.
She had originally thought the news reports were exaggerated. After seeing him in person, she realized the media hadn't lied at all; if anything, the reality was far more twisted than the reports! The White Demon was horrifying!
Recalling that crazed smile and the white-haired silhouette amidst the lethal arcs of lightning, Pepper shuddered again.
"Pepper..."
Just then, Tony's voice crackled in her ear. Before he could say anything else, she blurted out, "Tony, the White Demon... the White Demon is here too!"
Tony Stark was baffled. Obadiah is one thing, but why is there a White Demon now? However, he didn't have time to dwell on it. Pepper's scream indicated she was in danger!
Tony boosted his thrusters to the limit. His speed surged, and within seconds, he spotted the Iron Monger aiming its weapons at Pepper. Without a moment's hesitation, he barreled through a hail of gunfire and slammed into the Iron Monger, crashing through several walls until they tumbled onto the highway outside.
The two continued their brawl on the asphalt. Tony was clearly at a disadvantage. Even after leading the Iron Monger into the high atmosphere—using the freezing temperatures to stall the suit and send it plummeting—he couldn't finish Obadiah off.
Finally, just as Tony was preparing to have Pepper overload the circuit to detonate the rooftop reactor, he heard the crisp sound of footsteps approaching.
"Tsk, tsk... such a powerful energy source. It would be a pity to destroy it."
The sudden voice caused both Tony Stark and the Iron Monger to turn toward the source simultaneously. Neither of their detection systems had sensed his arrival!
They first saw a shock of white hair, followed by a pair of brilliant sapphire eyes shining in the night and a handsome face wearing a cynical smile.
Then, they heard the mysterious man speak to Tony Stark: "I'll kill Obadiah for you. In exchange, you give me an Arc Reactor. Deal?"
Tony immediately commanded his AI, "Jarvis, pull up his profile!"
Jarvis responded instantly: "He appears to be Aurelius Viremont, the Level 5 Mutant who appeared in Manhattan a few days ago. The media refers to him as the 'White Demon'."
Jarvis projected Aurelius Viremont's detailed files and photos of his abilities onto Tony's HUD. Seeing the terrifying azure black hole and the eerie black-red singularity, Tony fell into a momentary daze. Did the world change this much while I was tinkering with the Mark II?
After a quick scan, Tony didn't hesitate. He looked at Aurelius Viremont and said, "Deal!"
Obadiah had witnessed the entire transaction. Although he didn't believe a human could possess such power, he didn't want any further complications. He called out to Aurelius Viremont, "White Demon, kill Tony for me. I'll pay you $100$ million and give you three Arc Reactors!"
He watched Aurelius Viremont with confidence, waiting for the "Demon" to surrender to the power of money.
But to his shock, the White Demon simply let out a mocking laugh. He bared his teeth and grinned: "You? Can you even make an Arc Reactor?"
Obadiah went silent. He indeed didn't know how to build one. He had intended to deceive the mutant, kill him once Tony was dead, and keep the money for himself.
Seeing his plan exposed, Obadiah sighed and said dismissively, "Young man, it's best not to be too clever for your own good."
Suddenly, Obadiah diverted all of Iron Monger's remaining power into a sudden, frantic strike toward Aurelius Viremont. He intended to kill this mutant intruder instantly. As for the power shown in the videos? How could a human possibly possess such strength? It must be special effects!
A barrage of missiles and a massive steel fist arrived simultaneously. Just as Tony and Obadiah thought Aurelius Viremont was finished, they witnessed something that shocked them to their core.
Both the missiles and the giant fist stopped dead inches away from Aurelius Viremont, unable to move forward a single millimeter.
Then, they saw the mysterious mutant swing a seemingly slender arm toward the massive Iron Monger.
BOOM!
A terrifying explosion of black lightning erupted at the point of contact between the fist and the suit!
The massive Iron Monger was sent flying by a mere human blow. It smashed through layers of walls, crushed through massive metal fixtures, and was finally launched back onto the highway, embedding itself deep into a concrete wall on the far side of the road!