Ethan Blake didn't bother with any kind of ritual before using the summoning ability. As far as he was concerned, those elaborate ceremonies were pointless. In his mind, he was practically the luckiest man alive. If fate had already dropped him into the Marvel universe and given him a system, then clearly the universe favored him.
Besides, what were the odds that someone blessed with such luck would suddenly become unlucky?
"Begin summoning," Ethan muttered quietly to himself.
Inside his consciousness, the summoning progress bar dropped immediately.
157% became 57%.
A moment later, a small object appeared in his palm.
It was a doll roughly the size of his hand.
The doll looked like a crude scarecrow made from cloth and straw. Its stitching was uneven, and its expression was simple and almost comical. At first glance, it didn't look like anything particularly special.
Then the system notification appeared in Ethan's mind.
"Summoning successful."
"Item obtained: Substitute Doll."
"Substitute Doll: Once bound to the user, the doll can be stored or carried freely. When the host receives a fatal attack, the doll will automatically activate and negate the damage, preventing the host's death."
Ethan's eyes lit up instantly.
"A defensive lifesaver item?"
He grinned.
This wasn't just a useful item—it was an exceptional one. An automatic death-avoidance artifact was the kind of thing that could completely change the outcome of a battle.
Ethan couldn't help feeling pleased with himself.
"Luck of the heavens," he murmured with satisfaction.
The moment his fingers touched the doll, a faint connection formed between him and the item. It felt almost like a subtle thread tying his consciousness to the small scarecrow.
Even when Ethan placed the doll into his golden storage space, the connection remained.
That made him relax.
Carrying a palm-sized doll everywhere wasn't exactly convenient, and leaving something so valuable lying around would be foolish. Storing it in the golden space was obviously the safest option.
With the summoning complete, Ethan was already satisfied with the trip.
Still, he hadn't forgotten why he came here in the first place.
Tony Stark still needed rescuing.
Ethan turned and began walking toward the cave built into the hillside.
While Ethan had been clearing out the entire militant camp, the chaos outside had not gone unnoticed.
Inside the cave, Tony Stark and the doctor who had saved his life were both aware that something unusual was happening.
Gunfire had been echoing through the camp.
At first it sounded like a normal burst of weapons fire, but it continued far longer than expected. Heavy gunshots mixed with explosions from rocket launchers echoed across the desert.
Tony frowned as he listened.
Something was very wrong.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Just as both men were trying to figure out what was happening outside, the sudden sound of someone smashing against the cave entrance echoed through the chamber.
Ethan, standing near the entrance, immediately stiffened.
The pounding was loud and violent.
Outside the cave, Ethan Blake was trying to make sure whoever was inside could hear him. At first he knocked normally, but the thick iron door absorbed most of the sound.
Eventually he lost patience.
With a small gesture, his telekinesis slammed repeatedly into the door.
The heavy metal vibrated under the invisible blows.
Inside the cave, Tony stared at the screen of the computer connected to the crude Mark I armor. The loading bar had reached only seventy percent.
His face turned pale.
"Damn it… were we discovered?"
His voice carried a hint of despair.
At least five more minutes were needed before the armor would be operational. Without that, he had no chance of escaping.
Beside him, the doctor looked at the partially assembled Mark I armor with determination.
"Stark," he said quietly, "I'll hold them off for a while."
Before Tony could stop him, the man grabbed an AK rifle lying nearby and ran toward the cave entrance.
"Ethan, wait!" Tony shouted desperately.
He knew exactly what would happen if the doctor confronted the militants outside. Those people were ruthless killers, and the doctor had no combat experience.
It would be suicide.
But Tony couldn't move.
The armor wasn't fully loaded yet, and he was stuck inside it like a prisoner.
"Ethan! Come back!" Tony yelled.
Then gunshots echoed from outside.
Tony froze.
A few seconds later the gunfire stopped completely.
Silence fell over the cave.
Tony closed his eyes slowly, his heart sinking. He already knew what the outcome had to be.
The doctor had sacrificed himself.
Several moments passed.
Then Tony heard footsteps approaching from outside.
Someone entered the cave.
Ethan Blake walked in calmly, his gaze falling immediately on the bulky Mark I armor standing in the center of the chamber. The armor looked crude and heavy, more like an improvised tank than a sleek suit.
Ethan couldn't help feeling amused.
Iron Man at this stage was something rarely seen. Covered in rough metal plates and welded scrap, the armor looked nothing like the refined suits Tony would build later.
For a moment Ethan even wondered if he should take a photo as a souvenir.
Before he could say anything, Tony suddenly roared.
"Kill me!" Tony shouted like a wounded beast.
His eyes were red with anger and grief.
"Or listen carefully—if I survive this, I'll kill every single one of you! I'll avenge Ethan!"
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?" he said with mild curiosity. "Are you sure about that?"
Tony didn't hesitate.
"I'm sure!" he shouted. "I swear on the Stark family name!"
Ethan nodded thoughtfully.
"Alright."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out an identification badge. Holding it in front of Tony's helmet visor, he spoke casually.
"Ethan Blake. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Our organization has about thirty-seven thousand agents worldwide, so wiping everyone out might take some effort. If you want efficiency, I recommend targeting leadership first."
He pointed casually toward the imagined direction of Washington.
"Our headquarters is in Washington, D.C. If you have spare time, the white building nearby is also worth blowing up."
Tony stared blankly.
His brain seemed to freeze for several seconds.
What… was going on?
At that moment, a familiar voice spoke from the side.
"Stark, I think he's here to rescue you."
Tony's head snapped toward the voice.
"Ethan?! You're alive?"
The doctor stepped forward with a faint smile.
"Still breathing," he said, shrugging lightly.
Just thirty seconds earlier he had been certain he was about to die. When Ethan Blake casually waved his hand and turned the rifle in his grip into twisted scrap metal, the doctor had realized something strange was happening.
"So…" Ethan Blake said casually from the side.
He leaned against a rock and looked at Tony with amusement.
"When exactly are you planning to kill all of us?"
Tony's face froze.
For a moment he didn't know how to respond.
Still stubborn, he muttered stiffly, "When I have time, I'll definitely go."
"Don't forget," Ethan said helpfully, "you swore on the Stark name."
Tony didn't answer.
Ethan waved a hand dismissively.
"Anyway, the enemies outside are already gone. You can come out of that metal suit now. It's safe."
Tony immediately protested.
"This isn't just metal," he said seriously. "It may look crude, but I guarantee the propulsion system, balance stabilizer, and weapons interface are the most advanced designs in the world. Ethan, help me remove the Mark I armor."
He asked the doctor for help because the man had helped him assemble the suit earlier.
Before either of them could move, Ethan Blake spoke again.
"No need to make it complicated."
He raised a hand slightly.
Telekinetic force surged outward.
Within seconds, the massive Mark I armor began collapsing. Bolts twisted loose, metal plates separated, and internal components were ripped apart as if dismantled by invisible hands.
The entire suit turned into a scattered pile of parts on the ground.
Ethan's telekinesis had a natural advantage against machines. Complex devices that weren't perfectly sealed could be dismantled simply by damaging a few key internal components.
Until Tony eventually developed advanced nanotech armor decades later, most of his suits would be extremely vulnerable to this ability.
Tony stared at the destroyed armor in disbelief.
"Wait—what?!"
His eyes widened.
"How did you do that?!"
Ethan shrugged casually.
"You can think of it as a supernatural ability."
Tony immediately leaned forward with obvious curiosity.
"Could you… explain it to me?" he asked, trying to sound casual. "If that's classified, then forget I asked."
Ethan could see the curiosity burning in Tony's eyes.
"I call it telekinesis," Ethan said with a faint smile. "It's hard to explain. But if you want, I can let you experience it yourself."
....
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