Ethan Blake could teleport, while Tony Stark had to rely on flight systems. Because of that difference, by the time Ethan arrived at Stark Industries, Tony had probably just launched from Malibu Beach and was still on his way.
The moment Ethan appeared near the battlefield, he immediately saw several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents crouched behind cover, pistols raised as they fired repeatedly at a towering steel monster.
"…Seriously?"
Ethan stared at the scene, completely speechless. These people were agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., supposedly one of the most powerful intelligence organizations in the world, yet they were pointing ordinary pistols at a machine nearly nine meters tall.
He shook his head slightly, almost amused by the absurdity. No wonder S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by HYDRA so thoroughly that it had practically become a sieve without anyone noticing.
With a casual flick of his hand, telekinetic force swept outward.
The agents were instantly lifted off their feet and pushed several meters to either side, clearing the path in front of the massive armored figure. The move happened just in time, because another step from the Iron Overlord would have crushed them into paste.
"Mr. Ethan, are you here to help?"
Phil Coulson's face lit up when he saw Ethan standing there. His relief was obvious, like someone spotting reinforcements at the worst possible moment.
Ethan shrugged. "No. I'm just here to watch the show. Tony should be arriving soon, and he specifically said he didn't need my help."
Coulson opened his mouth as if to argue, but after a moment he closed it again. In truth, Ethan had no obligation to get involved at all, and he had just saved several of Coulson's agents from being flattened.
"Tony? Is Tony okay?"
Pepper Potts, standing nearby, immediately reacted when she heard Tony's name. Her voice carried clear anxiety.
As for asking Ethan to fight the giant steel monster himself, the idea didn't even occur to her. To Pepper, Ethan was just a normal man who happened to know Tony. The walking tank in front of them was something entirely different.
"He's fine," Ethan said calmly. "Give it a few minutes and you'll see him."
"Boom… boom…"
Before anyone could say more, the ground began trembling violently.
More than ten meters away, the pavement suddenly cracked open. Concrete split apart as something massive forced its way upward from below.
A colossal armored machine emerged from the shattered ground, its steel body towering over the surroundings.
The Iron Overlord.
"Let's move," Ethan said casually. "We'll wait for Tony to deal with this thing."
He had absolutely no intention of contributing to the fight. The only reason he was here was to watch a real-life Iron Man battle and collect Obadiah Stane's soul at the end.
Unfortunately, the future had a way of ignoring people's plans.
Inside the Iron Overlord, Obadiah Stane noticed the three figures standing nearby and clearly decided not to ignore them. The massive machine turned and began marching toward them with thunderous steps.
"Agent Coulson… what do we do now?"
Pepper clenched her hands tightly together. She forced herself to remain calm while looking at Coulson beside her, though the fear in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Run?
Could they even escape?
Even if they scattered in different directions, the row of missiles mounted on the Iron Overlord's arm made it obvious that running wouldn't save them.
"Mr. Ethan?"
Instead of answering Pepper, Coulson turned to Ethan.
Ethan sighed softly. There went his chance to enjoy the fight as a spectator.
Technically, he could teleport away right now without any difficulty. But Tony hadn't arrived yet, and if Ethan disappeared, Pepper and Coulson would almost certainly die.
Besides, he still needed Tony's help with something.
"Back away," Ethan said calmly. "Leave this pile of scrap metal to me."
Pepper stared at him as if he had just announced he planned to wrestle a tank barehanded.
"Then we'll leave it to you, Mr. Ethan," Coulson said without hesitation.
He immediately pulled Pepper away to a safer distance.
Inside the Iron Overlord, Obadiah finally got a clear look at Ethan's face. His voice echoed through the armor's external speakers.
"You're… the FBI agent who rescued Tony in Afghanistan?"
"That's me," Ethan replied with a relaxed nod.
"In that case, I should thank you," Obadiah said with a cold laugh. "If you hadn't saved Tony, I never would've gotten my hands on this armor. To show my gratitude, I'll make your death quick."
The Iron Overlord raised its massive steel arm—thicker than a tree trunk—and swung it straight toward Ethan's head.
Meanwhile, Pepper—who had been dragged away by Coulson—saw the giant fist descending and instinctively closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths, bracing herself for the worst before cautiously opening them again.
The moment she looked back, her eyes widened in disbelief.
After several seconds of stunned silence, she spoke hesitantly.
"…Is that thing broken?"
Coulson shook his head slowly, though he said nothing.
Inside, however, he felt a deep sense of relief.
He already knew Ethan possessed unusual abilities. After all, he had personally witnessed Ethan effortlessly subdue Natasha Romanoff earlier. But even with that knowledge, Coulson had doubted whether anyone could handle the monstrous machine in front of them.
Now the situation was clear.
Ethan wasn't just holding his ground.
He was doing it easily.
Inside the Iron Overlord cockpit, Obadiah was experiencing the same confusion as Pepper.
Broken?
Otherwise, why had the steel arm suddenly stopped mid-swing?
Even worse, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull it back.
Ethan's telekinesis gripped the Iron Overlord's arm like an invisible giant hand, locking the massive limb in place.
Then Ethan flicked his wrist.
The enormous machine was hurled sideways like a toy.
The Iron Overlord smashed through several walls before finally coming to a stop.
Obadiah struggled to regain control, forcing the damaged armor to stand upright again. His expression inside the cockpit turned dark as he realized something important.
The man in front of him was… strange.
Don't get close.
That thought immediately surfaced in his mind.
If close combat wasn't an option, then there was only one solution.
Destroy him from a distance.
Two missile launchers extended from the Iron Overlord's shoulders.
The next second, they fired.
The explosions created a violent shockwave that shattered every window in the surrounding buildings. Flames and smoke filled the air as debris scattered across the battlefield.
Inside the cockpit, Obadiah exhaled slowly in relief.
With that level of firepower, even if the man's body were made of iron, it should have been melted into slag by now.
But before two seconds had even passed, a voice spoke from within the smoke.
"The yield on these missiles is a bit disappointing," Ethan's voice said casually. "Definitely not Tony's work. Let me guess… Hammer Industries?"
Obadiah's eyes widened in horror.
What the hell?!
Was this guy even human?!
The dust gradually cleared.
When Obadiah saw Ethan standing there completely unharmed—his clothes not even torn—an icy chill ran down his spine.
As Ethan calmly began walking toward the Iron Overlord, fear took root in Obadiah's heart.
Monster.
At close range, he couldn't win. At long range, his strongest weapons couldn't even scratch the man.
Though he hated the idea, Obadiah knew there was only one option left.
Escape.
"Damn it! Just wait until next time!" he shouted angrily.
The Iron Overlord's foot thrusters ignited with a bright red glow. The massive armor lifted slowly into the air as the flight system activated, preparing to flee.
"You threaten someone and then run away?" Ethan said with a raised eyebrow. "That's not how this works."
He lifted one hand slightly.
An invisible force crushed the Iron Overlord's thrusters like they were made of thin aluminum. The powerful engines crumpled instantly under the pressure.
The armored giant dropped from the sky and slammed heavily onto the ground.
Before Obadiah could react, Ethan's telekinesis surged again.
The Iron Overlord's massive arms were ripped straight out of their sockets.
....
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