Chapter 358: The End and Unforeseen Events

Not only was Tony Stark's own Iron Man armor hitting Ivan's Iron Legion into the sky, but the other armors were also pounding the Iron Legion, driving them away from Stark Industries Tower.

After all, even if Ivan hadn't deliberately installed self-destruct devices in the armor, a real energy explosion would be enough to destroy not only Stark Industries Tower but also the surrounding blocks and even the city area, given the power of the Arc Reactors.

Moreover, it wasn't just the armors near Stark Industries Tower that needed to be handled this way; the armors in the downtown area needed similar handling. As for Tony Stark's villa district, he wasn't too worried; if it got blown up, at most his residential area would be destroyed. His labs and other facilities had been reinforced by Tony Stark some time ago, so even an explosion would not affect them.

As for the area around Tony Stark's home, it was all villa territory, and there were no other houses nearby. In Tony Stark's eyes, few people were qualified to be his neighbors, and he owned all the land around there. He could bomb it however he wanted!

"Really clumsy!" High in the sky, Tony Stark sent Ivan's armor flying and disdainfully watched, admitting that Ivan's armor did have its unique aspects. Tony Stark was still unfamiliar with its fire control system, but the armor's enhanced defense showcased Ivan's skills.

After all, an armor's defense is not just about the materials but also requires the development of specialized systems and technologies to elevate the armor's defensive capabilities.

If it were just about power systems, they wouldn't pose much difficulty for military personnel. The military's replicas showed that they had their own understanding of power systems, and though far from matching Tony Stark's Iron Man, they were at least operational.

What the military really lacked was the black technology of armors. As for materials, the military had no shortage, evident from the vibranium armor set, which probably cost as much as Ivan's entire Iron Legion, yet it was just a toy for the military...

"Damn you! I'll kill you!" At this moment, filled with rage at Tony Stark's taunting, Ivan gathered a terrifying energy beam in his chest and blasted it towards Tony Stark not far away.

"Hmm?!" Tony Stark's pupils dilated slightly as he saw the energy gathering in Ivan's Arc Reactor and quickly reacted. Ivan's attack was not the only threat; the surrounding armors also fired energy beams, though not all targeted Tony Stark—most were aimed at the Iron Man armors.

Compared to Tony Stark, who had JARVIS's assistance, Ivan, controlling multiple armors, was undoubtedly more challenging. Even with his genius, Ivan couldn't develop an AI like JARVIS in a short period of time, not to mention a perfect replication.

Without JARVIS's help, Ivan made errors in controlling the other armors, reducing the number of attacks targeting Tony Stark...

With a "buzz," Tony Stark, who did not develop personal energy shields, faced the energy beams and chose to counter with his own energy.

"Sizzle!" The energy beam released from Tony Stark's palm repeller and Ivan's Arc Reactor continued to deplete each other. Tony Stark's new Arc Reactor had surpassed the original palladium version, but the two energy beams were very similar, appearing as two different manifestations of the same energy type.

As for the other beams targeting Tony Stark, his other armors managed to block them. The sky was filled with dangerous energy clashes, and it was fortunate Tony Stark had moved the battlefield here. If it had been at Stark Industries Tower or on the ground, even if the two energies didn't explode upon clashing, the force released from their consumption would not be easy to withstand.

Fortunately, the battle was somewhat under Tony Stark's control. The two different Arc Reactors emitted very similar energies, but Tony Stark's was an upgraded version, containing energy levels and quantities that Ivan's older Arc Reactor couldn't match, even if it was larger...

As the energies continued to clash, Ivan horrifyingly realized that Tony Stark's palm repeller was continuously pushing back his energy beam. If his beam was completely repelled and struck him, he knew what awaited him.

"Why? Why can your Arc Reactor, though smaller, release so much more power than mine?" Ivan clearly saw the gap between him and Tony Stark but was still unwilling to accept it. "Your Stark family are just thieves who steal intellectual achievements. How can you achieve this? It's not fair!"

"Perhaps, the Arc Reactor on your chest was indeed created by my father and your father together. However, the one I'm using now was independently invented and built by my father and me. It uses a new, unrecorded element, not palladium energy!" Tony Stark said seriously after looking at Ivan, who was struggling but dared not dodge.

"The matters of the past, who's right and who's wrong, no one can truly tell, and the perspectives we stand from are indeed different. But now, if you had used the Arc Reactor for more than just fighting against me, perhaps you wouldn't have ended up in this situation..."

Hearing Tony Stark's words, Ivan inside his armor looked bewilderedly at Tony Stark. He understood what a new, unrecorded element meant all too well. He had always thought the Stark family were thieves who stole their Vanco family's intellectual results, but now, Ivan was confused. He realized that what he had believed might have been wrong...

But it was too late. Knowing the truth and yet being defeated by Tony Stark was worse than dying by his hand. With resentment as his only companion, it would at least leave him with only bitterness, not the complex feelings he now faced.

Yes, Ivan knew he was doomed. From the moment the energy beams began clashing and locking into each other for a deeper consumption, there was no escape for him. If he tried to cut off the power from the Arc Reactor in his chest to dodge, the energy beam released by Tony Stark would instantly penetrate his armor and body...

Ivan's armor was too slow in responsiveness and its speed, and its defense was insufficient to block Tony Stark's energy beam. Ivan understood this clearly, so he knew any struggle was utterly meaningless.

"To be honest, I should thank you for killing Obadiah Stane. I truly couldn't bring myself to do it, even after he planned my kidnapping and nearly killed me..." As Ivan fell silent, the energy beam getting closer to his body, Tony Stark spoke sincerely.

"Oh? Is that so? Then perhaps, I should really thank you on his behalf!" Just as Tony Stark's words fell, a sneering voice came from below, catching both Ivan and Tony Stark's attention.

With a "pop," the energy beam finally pierced through Ivan's armor and Arc Reactor, followed by a massive explosion from the reactor.

"Boom!"

The explosion sent Tony Stark and all surrounding armors flying. Unlike Tony Stark, who managed to get his armor airborne again, the armors Ivan had created crashed to the ground, motionless as if they were completely wrecked.

However, these armors weren't directly damaged from the fall; their operational commands had stopped. Only Ivan could control these armors, and with Ivan's death, the armors entered a locked state, a precaution Ivan took in case someone tried to take over his armors after killing him. Thankfully, Ivan hadn't gone as far as Obadiah Stane in installing a self-destruct program within the armors...

"Obadiah?" As Tony Stark took flight again, he looked warily at the masked figure of Obadiah on the ground. The voice just now had been his, but it sounded utterly different from the Obadiah Tony remembered.

Moreover, due to his previous experience with Mysterio, Tony was familiar with masks. Seeing the mask on Obadiah's face, Tony had a bad feeling. Although Obadiah's mask differed from the one Mysterio had worn, Tony could sense their similarity.

Especially now, as Obadiah's demeanor had completely changed. If previously Tony thought of Obadiah as a smiling tiger—amiable on the surface but dark-hearted—now, the masked Obadiah displayed his darkness unabashedly.

"You can call me Obadiah, but you might as well call me General Samos!" the entity possessing Obadiah's body said with a smile, looking at Tony Stark. "After all, having taken over his body, naturally, I should fulfill his final wishes..."

"Before he died, he wanted revenge on two people, one named Ivan and one named Tony Stark. I didn't expect to find you both in the same place, which saved me a trip. And you even took care of Ivan for me, which was very considerate!"

"General Samos!" Tony Stark's heart sank upon hearing General Samos's words. The mask that had nearly controlled him and Mysterio was known as General Bartz, and now Tony was sure that General Samos was associated with General Bartz.

"JARVIS! How's the situation with Mysterio? Also, contact the Saiyans for me, and bring over some spare armors. We can't fight here; help me move the battlefield!" Tony quickly issued his commands.

Facing an opponent like General Samos, Tony naturally wanted a proper fight, but it was safer with backup. More importantly, since they were both on the ground, starting a fight here would be too destructive.

Despite not being confident in blasting General Samos away, Tony didn't dwell on fulfilling Obadiah's last wishes, focusing instead on dealing with the threat before him.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

One by one, Iron Man armors charged towards General Samos, ready to attack. This was Tony Stark's initial test

 to gauge General Samos's strength.

"Boom!"

However, as the armors approached General Samos, terrifying explosions sounded—they were being destroyed by General Samos's powerful punches!

While these armors weren't as advanced as the one Tony Stark wore, their ease of destruction was beyond his expectations, especially as Tony realized that General Samos's strength was formidable.

Facing Ivan, a power-type armor, and now encountering General Samos, another power-focused opponent, made Tony Stark consider developing a strength-oriented armor to handle such foes...

"You've been mumbling for so long, and that's all you've got?" As the armors exploded, General Samos scoffed disdainfully at Tony Stark, setting off alarms in Tony's mind.

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