Breakthrough

Tony Stark's return gave Fanny a sense of urgency. This meant that Mark III and the Iron Monger would follow soon. However, no matter how powerful the Stark Industry was, they could not build the armored suits in just a day or two. Therefore, there was still enough time.

It wasn't all bad news either: Fanny already knew how to deal with Iron Monger.

Controlling the portal spell requires a clear image of the destination. The more details one could remember of the destination, the faster and easier the portal would appear.

Fanny could open portals to his New York residence and Kamar-Taj without much effort. Those were the places with the clearest image in his mind.

He could open portals to his school and the Himalayas with some more focus. And the key to defeating the Iron Monger lay in the Himalayas.

The highest mountain range in this world was seven thousand meters above sea level. The highest peak there, and therefore the highest peak in the world, was Mount Everest, where the temperature reached as low as -60 degrees.

When Tony was making the Iron Man armor, he did not consider the problem of the surface freezing, which had caused the system to fail. Fortunately, he discovered it early and changed the materials to space-grade alloys in time.

But Iron Monger never knew about it, primarily because he never had Tony's miniaturized Arc reactor. He couldn't perform all the necessary tests even if he wanted to.

Anyway, the low temperature was the key weakness of the Iron Monger. Fanny's idea was simple: pull a portal to drag Iron Monger to Mount Everest and fight him there.

This would ensure that the Iron Monger would have reduced combat capability, but more importantly, it would ensure that Fanny could escape in time if he couldn't defeat the Iron Monger. It would also protect the New York citizens from the effect of their battle, killing three birds with one stone.

The only problem would be if the enemy insisted on escaping him.

The opponent could fly, and Fanny couldn't force him into the Mirror Dimension just yet. It would be difficult to catch up to Iron Monger if he flew away, so Fanny felt that he still needed Tony Stark to come along after all.

He could defeat the enemy and help Iron Man gain experience!

If Fanny only wanted to defeat the Iron Monger, there were a lot of easier ways. Obadiah, on his own, was just an ordinary human.

But what Fanny wanted was the experience gained from fighting, not simply defeating Obadiah. That was why it was so troublesome.

Mount Everest was a hostile environment. Fanny would be suppressed along with the Iron Monger, but it was acceptable.

Compared to the Iron Man armor, 'Demon Armor Incursio' had a lot of different strengths and weakness

es. The technology available to Tony Stark shouldn't be able to exceed the speed and adaptability of 'Demon Armor Incursio' for many years.

Fanny took a week off from school. Because there weren't a lot of classes to begin with and his grades were pretty good, the teacher agreed without much thought.

Fanny opened a portal with the sling ring.

Cold winds sent snow fluttering around.

Mount Everest was truly the highest peak in the world. Fanny could still feel the chilling wind even within the 'Demon Armor Incursio.' He would need to work hard in this environment if he wanted to achieve a "breakthrough."

Kamar-Taj's training method was primarily devised to be used alongside spell training, so it wasn't very effective to improve pure physical strength. Thus, Fanny decided to find a different training method.

Climb up!

The only way to reach the highest point was to climb with his bare hand. Under the protection of 'Demon Armor Incursio,' he probably wouldn't die if he falls…

Other than the treacherous climb itself, the hardest part is to control his own limits. If he reached the limit of his stamina and the Demon Armor Incursio was forcibly removed from him, he would actually die from the cold. After all, he couldn't open the portal and return home without the armor.

One day, two days, three days.

Soon, six days passed.

Fanny's climbing speed and distance had improved every day, but he still hadn't reached any enlightenment or breakthrough.

Fanny knew the reason full well.

It was because of his fear. He was afraid to push the armor's limit and die here. Therefore, despite increasing his limit every day, he was still operating well within that limit. This fear was keeping him from breaking through.

"I can't go on like this!"

Today was the last day of his leave. Fanny had to make a decision. This time, he did not continue to climb up. Instead, he sat quietly in a wide-open space. This was the battlefield he chose for the next battle.

The wind was biting cold, and the snowflakes were rushing around him. Fanny endured the cold, sitting on the snow while 'Demon Armor Incursio' was slowly sapping away his strength.

The sky was getting darker, and the temperature was getting even lower.

"I can't hold on any longer..."

Fanny felt the weakness in his body. 'Demon Armor Incursio' made him feel as if he was really bound by a demon, torturing him with the wind and snow.

"No, if I go back now, won't it be the same as a few days ago?"

Fanny gritted his teeth and forced himself to persevere. But looking at the dark scenery, waves of doubt filled his heart.

It would be so easy to just give up on everything.

Fanny kept thinking about why he was so desperate. He could've continued cultivating his strength step by step without taking such extreme risks.

Fanny had not realized that while he gritted his teeth, the bright silver armor on his body began to darken. It's as if it was going to melt into the darkness, disappearing—as if it was becoming invisible.

"It might not be necessary, but I choose this!" Fanny suddenly whispered to himself as if debating his own thoughts. "I am just an ordinary person. Other than being a bit handsome, what else do I have left if I don't put in the effort?"

"I bet half of my chances with my face. Am I going to rely on that all my life?!

"I may not be a hero, but I will never be a coward!"

Fanny clenched his fists and stood up. In the darkness, his figure became a faint wisp, but the scarlet eyes on his helmet burned ever brighter. An immense force slowly filled the armor.

The sense of weakness was like waves that attacked Fanny. He felt that his 'Demon Armor Incursio' could disappear at any time, and then he would fall unconscious on the ground.

The cold snowflakes fell on his face, and a heart-piercing chill instantly swept through Fanny's entire body. A long sword floated in front of him.

The 'Demon Armor Incursio' was forcibly removed!

"Am I going to die here?"

Fanny thought silently, trembling as he looked at the sword in front of him. He was barely standing, but his will was steadfast. He stretched out his hands with great effort and screamed against the howling wind:

"Incursio!"

Fanny squeezed every last strength in his body.

A roar filled his ears as if responding to his shout. Fanny grinned. He had succeeded. He had broken through.

There was no need to use 'Ars Magna.' Fanny conjured a portal solely with the power of 'Demon Armor Incursio.'

Fanny staggered through the portal. He really had no strength left now, and he blacked out as 'Demon Armor Incursio' dissipated.

He saw Skye's frightened petite face at the edge of his consciousness.

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Author note: The book recommended by the big boss, "Because I'm too afraid of bad luck, I have to use all my luck." I hope that everyone will support me and remember to come back! (TL. Note: I don't think we have that series translated.)