President

"Have to admit, you two are much tougher than I imagined!" 

Natasha and Pepper were tied to stretchers made of special fireproof material, watching helplessly as Killian injected another tube of orange-red liquid into their arms. 

"This is a stabilizer. Though not fully perfected, it will help you endure the second stage. With this, you'll soon undergo your final transformation!" 

Killian gazed at the faintly glowing skin of the two women with an expression like he was admiring priceless treasures. 

"Pepper Potts, the woman who made Tony Stark. Without you, Tony would be a mess in his personal life. After he invented that ridiculous iron suit, you helped him manage a massive business empire. He doesn't deserve you, Pepper. Compared to you, Stark is nothing but trash!" 

"Natasha Romanoff, a top-tier agent forged by the brutal training of the Red Room. You were already above most people. No ridiculous armor, no so-called superpowers, and yet you became a superhero and a part of the Avengers. While the name might sound laughable to me, you surpass those with superpowers by hundreds of times in my eyes!" 

"Compared to you, if Blake didn't have his superpowers, he'd be nothing. He doesn't deserve you either!" 

Killian stood before them, wearing a smug expression as if he were judging the world. 

"And what about you?" Natasha's expression remained calm, even with a faint smile as she spoke, her pride in Blake shining through. "Kidnapping us two injured women instead of facing Blake directly — is that what you're proud of?" 

Before Killian could respond, Pepper spoke up. 

"You look down on Tony, yet you used my life to force him to perfect your virus. Even without his armor, you still rely on him to stabilize your fiery body. Killian, you lost from the start. Whether in intellect or courage, Tony surpasses you." 

"Shut up!" 

Killian could endure Natasha's words with a smile, but Pepper's struck a nerve, driving him into a fit of rage. 

Tony Stark — the deepest thorn in Killian's heart. 

"I didn't have his privileged upbringing or elite education. I had nothing but my own effort. And yet, I can't even gain a shred of dignity. Put us in the same position, and I'd outshine him a thousand times over, a thousand times!" 

Killian's hysterical shouting was met with Pepper's disdainful spit. 

"I see now," Killian wiped the spit from his face, his rage cooling into an eerie calm. "You're angry because you're afraid for him, afraid I'll drag him off his pedestal and crush him beneath my feet. Watch carefully — I'll defeat him right before your eyes!" 

With that, Killian turned to his men. "Keep a close eye on them!" 

As he prepared to leave, gunfire erupted outside, growing louder with bursts of thunder. 

The first shot was fired by Rhodey, who had just arrived and spotted the President suspended high above the deck. 

At that moment, Colonel Rhodes' loyalty to the President burned strong. Seeing him not only strung up but also being roasted under two massive spotlights, Rhodey couldn't stand it. He drew his gun and shot out both lights. 

The gunshots caught the attention of Extremis soldiers scattered around the area, who immediately turned toward the sound. 

Blake, Tony, and Thor simultaneously launched into the air, attacking the massive ship from three directions. 

"Damn it, I really miss my armor!"

Rhodey glanced at the three figures in the sky, grumbled, and chose a direction to slowly fight his way in, hoping to rescue the President along the way. 

The President was hanging high on a tower crane. For Rhodey to run across the deck, figure out how to climb the crane, and save the President, he would have no strength left for combat. 

"Hey, can one of you give me a lift? I need to get the President down and retrieve my armor!" 

Rhodey surveyed the distance and, with no other options, spoke into his earpiece. 

"No, Rhodey. Your President can hang up there a little longer; he won't die. Just stay put and wait for reinforcements," Tony's voice came through. 

"Who knows when your reinforcements will show up?" Rhodey muttered, unwilling to accept it. 

"Hey, Rhodey! Look up!" 

Hearing Blake's voice, Rhodey instinctively looked skyward. From the distant horizon, a cluster of fiery jets surged through the air, rapidly closing in on his location. 

In just two or three seconds, the fiery cluster had arrived, splitting apart to reveal dozens of suits of armor, each distinct in color, design, and functionality, arranging themselves in midair. 

Rhodey gave them a quick glance. There were at least twenty suits of armor. 

(Tony's suits here likely range from Mark 15 to Mark 37, though the exact number is unclear.) 

"Tony, is this what you do every day in your fancy sky base?" Rhodey asked, stunned, as he stared at the lineup of armors in the sky. 

"Everyone needs a hobby!" Tony replied. "Jarvis, lock onto all targets with elevated body heat. Make sure to differentiate Pepper and Natasha from the rest." 

"Heartbreaker, give Rhodey a ride and protect him during the fight!" 

All of Killian's Extremis soldiers were aboard the massive ship. The ship was large, and the enemies were spread out, which had forced Blake, Tony, and Thor to fight scattered aerial skirmishes earlier. 

With Tony's army of suits arriving, a full-scale battle finally erupted. 

"Thor, find the highest point and provide lightning support to assist Jarvis. Tony and I will go in to rescue them!" 

The high temperatures and self-detonations of the Extremis soldiers posed a considerable threat to Thor, especially in close combat. While not fatal, multiple simultaneous explosions could overwhelm even him. 

However, Thor's lightning was devastating to the Extremis soldiers. Once the energy in his lightning reached a critical threshold, each strike could cause the unstable energy within an Extremis soldier to spiral out of control, turning them into human bombs. 

Stability — this was the greatest weakness of the Extremis soldiers. Not only were they vulnerable to external energy interference, but even excessive emotional fluctuations could raise their body temperature, leading to self-detonation. 

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