Don't assume Tony had the upper hand just because Obadiah was wailing like a beaten dog. In fact, that wasn't the case. nanometal repair requires an enormous amount of energy to support it.
This energy consumption was a burden even for Tony's latest miniature arc reactor, let alone this old reactor whose energy was almost depleted.
So only Tony himself knew how truly awkward his expression behind the mask was at that moment.
"Sir, energy is at eight percent. I recommend stopping repair work," Jarvis's timely reminder made Tony's face even uglier. He really hadn't expected the energy to deplete so quickly, almost to the point of being unsustainable.
He was very worried that if this continued, Obadiah might notice a flaw, because he knew very well that once the energy ran out, Mark I would just be a slightly harder nut. As long as Obadiah had patience, with his Iron Monger, he could definitely peel open Mark I's shell. At that point, he would have truly lost.
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And just as he was feeling uneasy, Jarvis's voice rang out again.
"Sir, there's an external communication. It's from Mr. Zhou Yi."
"Put him through, Jarvis."
Jarvis diligently carried out Tony's command, and soon Zhou Yi's voice appeared next to his ear.
"Tony, you can't keep this up. You've already caused enough of a ruckus."
"What do you mean, pal!" Tony asked, a little unhappily, the current predicament making his temper short.
"Take Obadiah into the sky and settle your grievances there. It's already chaotic enough down here because of you two. If you don't want me to intervene, then get up there and fight properly!"
"Damn it, what if he can't fly?"
"Then use your brain and take him somewhere deserted. Do you want me to help you by throwing you both up there?" Zhou Yi's tone also became harsh. He never liked cleaning up other people's messes, especially not such a bad one.
Tony, not wanting Zhou Yi to intervene, gritted his teeth and shouted at Obadiah.
"Obadiah, don't you consider yourself a strong man? Is this all you're capable of? It's utterly ridiculous."
Obadiah, who was already in a dilemma, heard this mocking voice, and the circuit named 'reason' in his brain immediately snapped. He glared fiercely at Tony, clenching his fists tightly. This manifested externally as the Iron Monger, like a rampaging beast, violently smashing the ground in front of him.
The immense power created deep craters and dense cracks in the hard ground. This immediately let Tony know his taunt had worked.
"If you're still a man, then let's have a real duel to settle the grievances between you and Stark."
Having said that, Tony immediately ascended into the sky. He was gambling, gambling on whether Obadiah could fly, and also gambling on whether he would pursue him. In his heart, Obadiah was a proud man, and also a patient one. So he wasn't sure if Obadiah would follow his plan. But he still needed to gamble, because only by gambling would there be hope of winning.
In fact, after a period of venting, Obadiah's mind had become somewhat clear. Watching Mark I's figure grow smaller and smaller, he suddenly had the idea of taking the opportunity to escape. As long as he could escape, with his resources, he might still be able to continue living.
Even if the US Government started a manhunt for him, he could rely on his allies outside to continue his life.
For a moment, he really wanted to act on this idea. He even started looking for an escape route. But before he could take a step, a discovery made all his previous thoughts come to naught.
He saw Zhou Yi, in a place only he could see. Zhou Yi stood there, quickly covered in a layer of pitch-black armor. Watching him transform into another appearance, Obadiah abandoned all his previous plans and ideas.
In the face of absolute power, everything is an illusion. This was the saying Obadiah, a proponent of might makes right, most adhered to. And now, in the face of the most powerful force, he had no choice but to taste the cruel reality.
He knew very well what Dawn Knight meant; it was a power capable of resisting natural disasters, a mythical hero. And in front of him, escape naturally became meaningless. He didn't believe he could escape in front of Dawn Knight, especially when Dawn Knight was also Zhou Yi.
So at this moment, he was left with only one choice. And Obadiah, forced to make this choice, gritted his teeth, placing all his unwillingness and hatred onto Tony.
In his opinion, all of this was Tony's fault. Even Zhou Yi blocking his escape route was a backup plan Tony had set up to force him into a decisive battle. As for the reason, he could guess it, it was nothing more than to avenge his father and himself.
"Since you want revenge so badly, then come on, Tony. Let me see what you're capable of, see if you can defeat me head-on." Men are hot-blooded, let alone a ruthless Tycoon like Obadiah. With no hope of survival, he resolutely chose to fight. For him, it was a dead end anyway, so why not die gloriously and spectacularly.
With this in mind, he roared and activated the Iron Monger's booster System. The powerful thrust made him ascend like a Rocket, and he pursued Tony in the sky with extreme acceleration. Just as Tony had envisioned, he could fly, and he intended to fight Tony to the death in the sky.
"Sir, our enemy can fly. And he is catching up at an extremely fast speed. Our distance is shrinking."
Jarvis reported the current situation to Tony, which made Tony breathe a sigh of relief. Because things were finally developing as he had envisioned.
"What is our remaining distance, and also... how much energy is left!"
"The distance is still 1400 meters, but it is rapidly decreasing. Energy is at six percent."
After hearing Jarvis's answer, a strange smile appeared on Tony's face. Those familiar with him knew this was his usual smile before he went crazy.
When his respect for Obadiah turned into bitter hatred, when all the truth was laid bare before him, Tony Stark had an epiphany: he had to personally deal with Obadiah Stane, to put an end to everything between him and the Stark family.
But everything before him was not enough to fulfill this realization. Mark I, with insufficient energy, could not defeat the Iron Monger, and after today, he would have even less chance. This made him feel depressed and agitated for a time, but soon his intellect led him to a solution, a crazy one.
However, although this method was crazy, in Tony's eyes, it was already the one with the highest success rate. He was unwilling to rely on others' strength; as long as he could kill Obadiah, he was willing to take the risk and gamble with this crazy method.
"Jarvis, transfer all energy to the booster and hand repulsors."
"Sir, I must remind you, this is sixteen thousand meters in the air.
Doing this will quickly deplete all your energy, and you will fall."
"Do as I say, Jarvis. I know what I'm doing!"
As an intelligent System, Jarvis had no right to oppose Tony. He could only obey Tony's commands. Soon, all of Mark I's energy was mobilized. At this moment, Tony resolutely turned his body, holding his hands level and accelerating downwards. He was going to have a head-on collision with Obadiah's Iron Monger in the air.
"Is this what you want, Tony? Good, then I'll give it to you!" Obadiah had obviously discovered Tony's intention, and this was exactly what he wanted. For him, he was going to die anyway. If he could take down Tony, this Genius, before he died, Zhou Yi, as his friend, would surely not feel good about it.
Thinking of this, he immediately increased his propulsion power and charged straight towards Tony's Mark I.
Under the crazy acceleration of the two, 1400 meters was but an instant's distance. And just as the two steel bodies touched, Tony suddenly shouted.
"Now, Jarvis."
All remaining energy was instantly supplied to the high-energy beam emitters in his hands. The high-energy beam, far exceeding normal power, played an unexpected role at this moment. It was like a sharp arrow, tearing open the Iron Monger's outer shell. Although after tearing open the shell, the high-energy beam completely disappeared due to lack of sustained power. But for Tony, it was enough.
Because next, his own impact would be the most fatal blow.
"No!" In Obadiah's final roar, Mark I, along the gap torn open by the high-energy beam, crashed into the Iron Monger's shattered body at supersonic speed. The terrifying kinetic energy created by the intense collision instantly twisted and deformed the Iron Monger's body completely, turning it into an unrecognizable pile of airborne junk.
Obadiah, who was inside, naturally could not have survived. This was clearly answered by the blood seeping from the countless twisted metals.
Obadiah was completely finished, but for Tony, he was not doing well either. The violent impact exceeded his imagination, and also exceeded Mark I's tolerance. As mentioned before, nanometal has its upper limit of endurance, and it was quite clear. This impact pretty much exceeded its upper limit.
Large chunks of metal particles peeled off Mark I like dust. Within the exposed armor, even twisted and deformed exoskeleton structures could be seen. Mark I was in such a miserable state, so Tony naturally wouldn't be doing well either.
His arm was completely twisted, and there were multiple deformed areas on his body. The most critical problem was that he had lost consciousness. And he had lost consciousness at an altitude of almost ten thousand meters. Mark I's energy was completely depleted, and even if some energy remained, Mark I's current state could not guarantee a safe landing.
Tony unknowingly fell into a huge crisis; he was free-falling from tens of thousands of meters in the sky. As he got closer and closer to the ground, the bystander finally couldn't stand by any longer.
A figure appeared in the air, catching the falling Tony. He glanced at the falling remnants of the Iron Monger, and bright rays immediately shot out from his eyes. The heat ray, far more terrifying than Tony's high-energy beam, instantly incinerated the Iron Monger's remains into ashes.
Zhou Yi didn't want such a thing to fall into the hands of ambitious people, so destroying it on the spot was the best choice.
And after doing all this, Zhou Yi disappeared into the air with Tony. As a friend, he could not stand by and watch him die. So this guy Tony really caused him a lot of trouble.