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"Remember, you just need to try your best to hold him off, then lead him through the portal. I'll handle the rest."
On the way, Fini explained the plan to Tony. If the opponent had equipped the armor, the general idea was for Tony to take point while Fini stayed in the back to open a portal. Once they were transported to the battlefield, the real fight would begin.
"You have that little faith in me!?" Tony was somewhat dissatisfied with Fini's arrangement. He didn't think he was no match for Obadiah, but considering safety issues, he eventually agreed to the plan. Still, he wouldn't admit defeat verbally: "The creator of the Iron Man armor is on your side, you know."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Fini responded perfunctorily. In truth, given Tony's current state, he did have the strength to fight the Iron Monger. Although his Arc Reactor was a first-generation model, it had been fully charged during their time at the house.
With the agility of the Mark II and his technical superiority, while he might not crush the Iron Monger, holding his own in a fifty-fifty fight shouldn't be a problem.
The two charged in recklessly. There wasn't much difference between using a keycard to open doors and Tony simply smashing through them, so there was no need for stealth.
As they expected, upon receiving the Arc Reactor, Obadiah's first priority wasn't to have people research replication technology, but to test if it was suitable for the Iron Monger.
After all, the technology for the Arc Reactor had always been there; it was just a matter of miniaturizing it. Ensuring it worked within the iron suit was the most important thing.
Thus, as soon as the two entered the factory floor, they immediately saw the Iron Monger—several times taller than the Mark II and looking somewhat bloated.
"So ugly!"
Regarding the Iron Monger, Tony was like a child whose toy had been stolen, muttering complaints under his breath: "This is an insult to my technology. My Mark I looked ten times better than this."
"Don't start. He literally modified it based on the Mark I blueprints," Fini exposed him ruthlessly from the side.
"Which just proves he changed all the good parts."
When it came to being stubborn, Tony rarely lost to anyone.
Because they had finally found their target, both felt a sense of relief and even found the leisure to joke around.
Their bickering alerted Obadiah, who was currently testing the armor. From within the massive suit came Obadiah's arrogant voice: "Tony, I didn't expect you to still be alive. Did Pepper save you? Actually, you should have just stayed there and let go. Look at this; it's much stronger than your little toy."
"No, aside from being much stronger in the 'ugly' department, you're inferior in every other way!" Tony's personality dictated that he wouldn't follow conventions; he actually started arguing with Obadiah.
Fortunately, Obadiah wasn't that unreliable. Facing both Fini and Tony, he clearly knew they hadn't come for a chat.
"Tony, you shouldn't have shown up. Is this the helper you brought?" Obadiah looked at the silent Fini and continued: "Tony, let me show you today that you aren't the best at everything."
"You improved your technology, and I improved mine. I have more power, and I am stronger."
After saying this, he charged forward with giant strides, leaving Tony to complain to Fini: "The technology he 'improved' was mine to begin with, and it's a total downgrade."
"Quit talking, he's coming."
Although 'Incursio' focused on defense, Fini had no hobby of being a punching bag. Seeing Obadiah approach, he immediately used the Skywalk to ascend and retreat, preparing to open a portal.
"It's past working hours, there won't be anyone here. Let me test myself against him first, then you can open your little fire-door later."
Tony was indeed still Tony Stark. His arrogant nature led him to change Fini's battle plan; he insisted on competing with Obadiah, perhaps to prove that he truly was the best.
Fini gritted his teeth and shot a glare at Tony, who had also charged forward, before helplessly withdrawing his hand gestures.
He wasn't yet skilled enough with portals to control their position at will. Given the size of the Iron Monger, opening a large enough gate was already a bit troublesome. Without Tony's distraction, getting the Iron Monger to jump in on its own wouldn't be easy.
Watching the two iron men battle below, Fini felt a bit bored and contemplated joining in. But after hesitating for a long while, he gave up on the idea.
At the same time, he secretly decided never to cooperate with Tony in battle again.
If it weren't for the sake of farming more experience and the entire 85-suit Mark series in the future, why would he swallow his pride and be at Tony's beck and call? Fini thought silently.
As time passed, the battle between the two escalated, and the commotion grew louder. After all, these were modern weapons—missiles, machine guns, and energy cannons—none of which had low destructive power.
This was also why Fini didn't want to join; it was easy enough to dodge when alone, but being together made it easy to get hit by friendly fire.
"Tony!"
Watching the battle grow more intense, Fini frowned and shouted at Tony, reminding him that they couldn't keep going like this.
Hearing Fini's call, and realizing he indeed hadn't been able to take down the Iron Monger for a long time, Tony stopped being willful. He turned back, intending to head to Fini's side and proceed with the plan.
However, Obadiah misunderstood Tony's behavior, thinking Tony was trying to flee. After the recent combat, he had to admit that his carefully improved Iron Monger wasn't much stronger than Tony—at least it was weaker in terms of flexibility.
This put Obadiah in a terrible mood. He regretted not killing Tony directly earlier, which strengthened his resolve not to let Tony escape again.
"Tony, I built this company from nothing. I absolutely won't watch you destroy it. Today, you must die here."
Obadiah fired all the weapons on his body, launching a barrage of missiles at Tony. The sight made Fini's scalp tingle; without a word, he quickly ascended, distancing himself from the spot.
Faced with such a massive attack, Tony was clearly startled. Looking at Fini, who had sold out his teammate without hesitation, he cursed inwardly. With no time for second thoughts, his eyes frantically searched for cover.
"BOOM!"
Flames soared into the sky. The commotion from the explosion was enough to shake nearly all of New York, let alone the bustling Manhattan area.
The world is never short of people who court death, especially when it involves a headline-magnet like Stark. Journalists stationed nearby had noticed the movement long ago and rushed over without a second thought.
The security perimeter, already damaged by the two, couldn't stop the resourceful reporters. Consequently, they discovered the fierce battle between Tony and Obadiah.
Looking at the battlefield engulfed in fire, a normal person would usually think of fleeing immediately. But how many reporters are normal? Their first reaction was the excitement of finding a massive news story.
Because they were wearing armor, the two weren't recognized immediately, but that didn't stop the reporters from seeing that they definitely belonged to Stark. They believed this would put Stark Industries—which had been fading from the trending topics—back on the front page.
For money and news, this group of reporters actually started a live broadcast right then and there, leaving Fini, who had returned to the battlefield, dumbstruck.
"Really..."
Fini didn't know how to judge them. Should he say they were professional, or was "suicidal" more appropriate?
Before coming here, Fini had thought that with his participation, he might be able to prevent Tony's identity from being exposed. But plans can never keep up with changes. Who knew it would turn into this situation?
Or perhaps, with Tony's showy personality, becoming the publicly known Iron Man was bound to happen sooner or later anyway!?
(End of Chapter)