A one-on-one fight?
Wilson's mouth twitched as he scrutinized the mech.
It wasn't fear, but rather the opponent's armor thickness, which was almost comparable to a main battle tank. It was completely cheating!
But Tony clearly couldn't be bothered to reason with him. He swung an iron fist, several times larger than Kingpin's head, which, with the assistance of its mechanical structure, directly produced bursts of sonic booms.
Bang!
The air was struck with an ear-splitting sonic boom, and the airflow, like a tangible force, slapped Kingpin's face.
The powerful force momentarily tensed Kingpin's face, giving him the illusion of facing a heavy tank head-on. But in that life-or-death moment, he completely abandoned the idea of escaping.
"He actually dared to voluntarily abandon his weapon and choose to engage me in close combat?"
His ferocity ignited, Kingpin, without hesitation, suddenly clenched his five fingers into a tight fist.
The air eagerly escaped through his fingers, emitting a low roar. Then, taking a half-step, his right fist, charged with power, directly shot out, colliding with the armored fist.
"Ha, is he crazy?"
Inside the armor, Tony almost burst out laughing at the sight: "He actually dares to clash flesh against steel? Watch me beat him to death!"
The next second, the outcome defied his expectations.
Boom!
The collision of human and mech fists actually produced a roar no less than an explosion!
However, what shocked Tony even more was that he was actually suppressed by Kingpin's strength. The internal machinery of the armor's right arm was literally slowed down.
Before Tony could recover from his shock, Kingpin, now at full power, pressed forward again, slamming his massive fist onto the armor's helmet!
Bang!
Even with the armor's astonishing defensive capabilities, Tony was still knocked back several steps.
"Are you serious? He's so fat, yet he can still be this strong?!" His head was full of questions now, and he slightly regretted why he had shown off by discarding his weapon earlier.
In reality, Kingpin's seemingly obese body was entirely muscle!
His strength was even astonishingly immense, to the point where a full-force punch could cause tens of tons of destructive power!
Otherwise, why would Bullseye choose to pledge allegiance to him?
In the comics, Kingpin's strength could even overpower Spider-Man, which shows just how incredible it was.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Veins bulged on Kingpin's forehead, his face flushed purple, and his exhalation sounded like thunder striking the ground.
He stomped his foot down fiercely, and the luxurious wool carpet covering the hall, along with the floor tiles, cracked and shattered, his foot creating a crater over half a meter wide!
"Get up—for me!"
Kingpin, with a wide stance, tightly clasped the armor's right arm with both hands, then spun around and literally threw the several-ton mech away.
"Is this guy really human?" Even Tony was shocked by Kingpin's strength.
To be able to withstand a punch from the armor with just human strength, and even throw a several-ton armor away,
"What the hell?!"
Tony was dumbfounded. His armor was actually losing in close combat to a human?
"Who do you think I am?"
Kingpin advanced with heavy steps, like a heavy tank, charging at an astonishing speed and directly crashing into the armor.
Boom!
Tony, already unsteady, was once again knocked off balance.
The massive armor crashed to the ground with a thud. Kingpin, with his legs coiled, leaped high into the air and directly sat on the armor, raining down punches like a downpour!
"I am Wilson Fisk, the black Mafia Emperor, Kingpin!!!"
Each punch weighed tens of tons. Even though the armor was designed with a thickness capable of withstanding artillery, it couldn't withstand Kingpin specifically targeting its weak points!
In just a few punches, Kingpin discovered the armor's weakness: "Found it!"
He grinned menacingly, grabbing the gaps in the armor's plating with his bare hands. With a roar, his brute strength erupted, and he literally tore off the outer layer of the armor!
"Jarvis!"
Tony finally panicked a little, hastily calling Jarvis: "Get this guy off me!"
The miniature cannons on his shoulders were about to aim, but Kingpin was one step ahead. His large, fan-like hand grabbed the cannons, and with a powerful pull and yank!
Rip!
The two shoulder cannons were thus literally torn off by him!
"Your biggest mistake was not putting down your weapon!"
Kingpin's face was contorted in a sinister grin, his violent eyes flashing with murderous intent as he stared at the armor pinned beneath him: "I rule Hell's Kitchen not just with my brain, but with my might!"
Was the Anti-Emrys Armor going to be dismantled on its first appearance?
Tony wished he could slap himself twice. Why did he have to throw away his weapon and engage in hand-to-hand combat with this human tank!
Now look, he was being rubbed on the ground, his face completely lost!
"Get off me!" To avoid further embarrassment, Tony swung wildly, finally managing to knock Kingpin away.
He panted as he got back up, ordering Jarvis to check the damage.
He didn't know until he checked, and when he did, he was startled!
The outer armor was almost completely stripped off, and both shoulder cannons were totally destroyed. Fortunately, the inner armor was intact, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
But that sigh, barely out for half a second, caused Tony to break into a cold sweat.
"This thing, is it your equipment?"
Kingpin, it turned out, had taken advantage of the chaos just now to secretly snatch the Plasma Gun from his waist.
He wasn't an idiot; how could he dismantle such a massive contraption with just human strength? Of course, he had to find a handy piece of equipment.
After eyeing this armor for so long, the weapon mounted on its waist naturally fell into Kingpin's calculations, so he directly snatched it during the confusion.
"Weren't you very arrogant? Huh!"
Kingpin laughed even more boisterously, holding the modified Plasma Gun: "Let you taste its power yourself!"
Boom, boom, boom.
The moment the trigger was pulled, the Rocket-accelerated bullets poured out like a torrential rain!
As the developer, Tony was all too aware of this thing's destructive power, and he scurried away in terror.
Even though he escaped relatively quickly, the armor still sustained multiple damages, and the mask was covered in flashing red lights, indicating that this armor, in which he had placed such high hopes, was on a countdown to its demise!
In desperation, Tony no longer cared about his pride: "Hey, hey, hey, Emrys? Come save me!"
Suddenly, a single explosive round accurately pierced through the barrage, directly striking Kingpin's left shoulder!
Bang!
The terrifying destructive force shattered Kingpin's shoulder!
"Ah ah ah!"
Kingpin cried out in agony, clutching his broken arm. He turned to see a person slowly walking towards him.
"Honestly, were you doing this on purpose?" Tony stared at Emrys resentfully.
The armor was almost completely dismantled, and this guy only leisurely appeared now. It's hard not to be suspicious!
"Nonsense! I just arrived!"
Emrys spoke with righteous indignation, looking at him with disdain: "Do you think everyone is like you, secretly researching some 'Anti-Emrys Armor' behind my back?"
Heh, heh, do you even believe that flimsy excuse yourself?
Tony didn't believe his nonsense at all. It was clearly because he couldn't stand the 'Anti-Emrys Armor' and deliberately waited for it to be dismantled before showing up!
Avoiding Tony's resentful gaze, Emrys looked at Kingpin and smiled gently: "Nice to meet you, I am Merlin Emrys ."
Hearing that name, Kingpin suddenly understood everything and glared at the armor: "You are Tony Stark?"
"Cough, cough, that's right, I am the genius Tony Stark."
Tony puffed out his chest, raised his head, and deliberately opened his helmet, revealing his widely recognized face: "Blame yourself for kidnapping Pepper, otherwise I wouldn't bother coming to find you!"
Now, Kingpin finally understood. It turned out that all this trouble was caused by that bastard Obadiah!
"I surrender."
Kingpin decisively chose to yield: "I can release your woman and compensate for the losses. I only ask that you let me go."
Let you go?
Don't be ridiculous. If I let you go, where would I get my system points?
Emrys showed a kind smile, then drew his gun and fired: "Sorry, but no."
But unfortunately, Kingpin seemed to have already guessed it, ducking his head in advance to dodge the bullet. Under the strong desire for survival, he actually burst out with astonishing speed!
He instantly darted into a secret room hidden by the wall.
"Oh no, that guy got away!" Tony was startled by the guy's speed. He disappeared in a flash, even faster than a rabbit!
"Tsk."
Emrys clicked his tongue lightly, his brows furrowing.
Tony, beside him, had Jarvis display a scan. Upon seeing it, his eyes immediately widened: "Hiss... over twenty centimeters thick alloy door? This guy built a fortress!"
"Fortress? What good is that!"
Emrys sneered, then pulled out another gun he was carrying: "Watch closely. The loyal Plasma Gun will never disappoint you!"
The gun's blue heating coils lit up in layers, releasing a chilling aura of destruction.
Boom!
A scorching ball of high-energy particles, moving at a speed untraceable by the naked eye, directly blasted a tunnel through the air, striking the twenty-centimeter-thick alloy door!
The twenty-centimeter-thick alloy door was literally melted through, revealing a huge hole several meters in diameter.
The alloy at the edge of the hole showed signs of being melted by high temperatures.
As for Kingpin, he was, incidentally, melted away by the Plasma Gun that had melted through the alloy door.
"Killed 'Kingpin' Wilson Fisk."
"Gained Source Power: 2000 units."
"Do you want to set the current world as a permanent anchor point?"
"Oh, not bad!"
Emrys raised an eyebrow, secretly delighted.
"As expected of the king who ruled the underworld, the reward is extraordinary. It's completely different from those small-time villains on the street."
"If everyone could be as outstanding as 'Kingpin,' why would I have to put in so much effort?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Does it even need asking?"
He silently urged the Traveler System in his mind.
"Anchoring in progress. Please wait, esteemed Traveler."
"Loading… Loading…"
"No, you're not loading a game, what the hell are you loading?!"
Emrys grumbled to himself, but fortunately, the waiting process wasn't too long.
"Ding~"
"Esteemed Traveler, the current world anchor point has been fixed."
"Please 'name' this Anchor World."
"Hmm, let's just call it 'marvel cinematic universe-99999'." To make it easier to identify in the future, Emrys simply chose its original name.
"Naming successful. marvel cinematic universe-99999, first Anchor World."
"Esteemed Traveler, the following permissions have been granted to you. Please read the regulations carefully."
"Permission 1: The Traveler can travel to this world at will."
"Permission 2: Adjust the time ratio between the two Worlds."
"Permission 3: Can bring personnel, supplies, equipment, etc., besides the Traveler, to the 'Anchor World' (depending on the situation, energy units and source power units will be consumed)."
"Current Anchor World permission level: LV1."
"The higher the world permission level, the more personnel, supplies, and equipment the Traveler can mobilize, and even receive a special blessing."
The Traveler System updated a large section of rules all at once, which truly made Emrys dizzy.
But fortunately, these updated 'rules' were not difficult to understand.
In short, Worlds fixed as anchor points have a hierarchy of permission levels.
He could not only control the time ratio between the two Worlds but even bring more people directly to the Marvel universe. The downside was that it would consume energy or source power.
As the world permission level increased, he would also receive a 'Heavenly Mandate Blessing' then.
It was probably similar to an 'ID card' or a 'protagonist's halo,' right?
Putting aside the distracting thoughts in his mind, Emrys focused and carefully weighed the pros and cons, his gaze lingering on the second permission: "How much can I adjust the time flow to now?"
"Esteemed Traveler, your current permission level allows for a maximum adjustment factor of '10'."
In other words, he could make the time flow in the Marvel universe ten times slower than in the Warhammer Universe.
Emrys fell into contemplation. If he could utilize this point well, it would be equivalent to gaining more time, which would allow him to deal with the cults a bit more leisurely.
"Can you adjust the time flow to 1:10 for me now?"
"Esteemed Traveler, time flow cannot be adjusted at the moment."
"You need to leave the current Anchor World before you can readjust it."
"Alright, it looks like I'll have to wait until I go back to adjust it."
Emrys had originally thought he could take advantage of the different time flows to make more preparations to deal with the danger of the cults.
But it turned out that this path was blocked, preventing him from taking advantage of the loophole.
"Hey, what are you spacing out for?"
Suddenly, Tony's big face leaned over, scrutinizing him strangely: "Ever since just now, you've been staring at Kingpin. You don't have some special hobbies, do you?"
Kingpin had already been melted by the Plasma Gun; even if his tastes were heavy, it wouldn't be this outrageous, right?
Looking at Tony's suspicious gaze mixed with disgust and a hint of shock, as a kindred spirit and mischievous friend, Emrys naturally guessed his thoughts and immediately slapped him: "What garbage are you thinking about? I just suddenly thought of something!"
Tony, who was sent flying by the psionic energy, not only wasn't angry but instead said cheekily: "That's not certain. Who knows if you have some special hobby?"
"Do you believe I'll dismantle your armor?" Emrys said exasperatedly and fiercely: "Then strip you naked, hang you in the room, and wait for Pepper to come over. She'll definitely love it!"
Hearing his 'mischievous friend' threaten him with Pepper, Tony's expression immediately changed, and he hastily begged for mercy: "I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong, it was a slip of the tongue just now!"
"I still like your arrogant look from just now. Please restore it, thank you."
Emrys smiled playfully, watching Tony quickly slide into begging for mercy.
After they playfully bickered for a while, Pepper, wearing high heels and with a slightly swollen face but otherwise unharmed, appeared at the door, jogging.
"Pepper."
Tony gazed at her with deep affection.
"Tony! Tony!"
The moment she saw Tony, Pepper's inner grievances seemed to finally find an outlet.
Wearing high heels, she ran and threw herself into Tony's arms, crying profusely.
"It's okay, it's okay, you're safe."
Tony tightly embraced Pepper, deeply inhaling the scent of her hair, and softly promised: "From now on, I will never let anything happen to you again, I swear!"
"I say, why don't you two find another place?"
Emrys, standing nearby, couldn't stand eating dog food anymore: "Don't forget, the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. are still outside."
"Ah!"
Pepper's face flushed with shyness, and she broke free from Tony's embrace.
Afterward, Obadiah was naturally imprisoned on charges of assassination and other crimes.
Unfortunately, the sudden loss of a large sum of 'Source Power' made Emrys' heart ache, and he inwardly cursed the old man for being ineffective.
But he naturally had no objections to Obadiah's handling.
Anyway, he had already earned enough 'Source Power' for now, and with Tony interceding, he naturally couldn't take action.
After all, no matter what, Tony was his first truly sincere friend in the Marvel universe. Although his initial intentions weren't pure, at least the outcome was good.
"Oh, right, there's something I need to tell you."
Sitting in the living room, Emrys held a wine glass and looked at the drunken Tony: "I'll be leaving in a couple of days. As for when I'll be back, it's hard to say."
"You're leaving?"
Upon hearing this, Tony, who had been tipsy just a moment ago, immediately sobered up, staring at him with wide eyes: "Why? Give me a reason. Do you think I haven't treated you well?"
"Of course not, my dear 'Tony'."
Emrys swirled his wine glass, smiled, took a sip, and said calmly: "Do you remember what I told you? I am a wanderer, a traveling merchant."
"Can't you stay a little longer?" Tony subconsciously tightened his grip on the wine glass.
Perhaps he himself hadn't realized that during their time together, he had long come to regard Emrys as a 'good friend.'
"Don't make that face. We'll meet again in the future, won't we?"
Emrys raised his glass, a smile playing on his lips: "Besides, without a nagging guy like me, aren't your ears much quieter? You should be happy!"
Tony's expression remained stiff for a long time, then he slowly lowered his head: "Yes, I should be happy. Now that you bastard is gone, no one will bicker with me anymore."
Despite saying so, he still felt a bit lost.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot the most important thing."
With that, Emrys suddenly pulled out a rusty iron piece from his pocket and tossed it onto Tony's lap: "A belated birthday present. Happy birthday, Tony."
"What is this?"
Tony looked at the seemingly rusty iron piece, but he didn't exclaim in disgust as he usually would.
"A deflection field generator, rechargeable type."
Emrys put down his wine glass, looked at the shocked Tony, and slowly said: "Given your personality, who knows if you'll be targeted by someone after I leave? So, after thinking it over, I decided this thing is more suitable for you. I don't want to come back next time and see a tombstone."
Once the anchor point was fixed, Emrys' stay no longer consumed any energy units.
Of course, this was limited to him alone.
If he were to carry other people, supplies, equipment, etc., through, it would still require the consumption of energy or Source Power.
Tony, however, was somewhat uncharacteristically absent; ever since he learned that Emrys was about to leave, he hadn't been seen for days, and even Jarvis wouldn't reveal anything.
Emrys was curious but didn't have the extra mental capacity.
Most of his arrangements in this Marvel Cinematic universe involved the future.
Whether it was Vought's Compound V, the cooperation with S.H.I.E.L.D., or Tony Stark's investment, it would be difficult to see results in the short term.
Emrys had expected this and wasn't too disappointed.
After he returned, and the time flow between the two Worlds was adjusted, the seeds he had planted would quickly take root, sprout, and grow into towering trees.
Of course, to secure the 'seeds,' Emrys still had one more thing he had to do.
It was still the same coffee shop, and Nick Fury was still waiting inside early. Emrys, accompanied by Black Widow, walked into the coffee shop.
"I heard you're leaving soon?"
Fury didn't seem surprised. He put down his coffee and looked at him with keen interest: "When will you be back next time?"
"I don't know. Maybe a month or two, or maybe a year or two."
Emrys, naturally, wouldn't be so foolish as to tell the truth to such an old fox, so he gave an ambiguous answer.
"Then I wish you a smooth journey, Emrys."
Upon hearing this, Fury smiled and then steered the conversation back to the main topic: "You asked to see me this time, presumably about Vought?"
"Indeed Fury!"
Emrys gave a thumbs-up, praising without reservation: "As expected of the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., seeing right through my little scheme."
".It's too obvious, rein it in a bit." Fury's mouth twitched, and he covered his head helplessly: "Besides, you deliberately revealed Compound V to us, wasn't it precisely because you hoped S.H.I.E.L.D. could help you monitor Norman Osborn after you left?"
Emrys, whose thoughts had been exposed, showed no embarrassment and admitted openly: "Yes, that's what I was thinking, but didn't you still agree?"
"Why would I refuse?"
Fury also smiled, saying calmly: "If Compound V can truly grant humans superpowers as you described, I have no reason to refuse, do I?"
"Don't forget, I have conditions attached."
Emrys toyed with a coin, chuckling: "Did you bring what I asked for?"
In fact, Compound V would be exposed sooner or later. Rather than that, it was better to expose it proactively in exchange for more 'resources.'
On the day of the Hell's Kitchen siege, he deliberately leaked information about Compound V to Fury.
Thus, this led to the scene where Fury paid a heavy price, used S.H.I.E.L.D.'s connections, and allied with the military to surround Hell's Kitchen.
He didn't do all of this just for Tony.
After all, he couldn't stay in the Marvel universe all the time, and human hearts are the most uncontrollable thing in the world.
So Emrys thought of a plan: on one hand, proactively expose Compound V and use S.H.I.E.L.D. to restrain and monitor Norman Osborn; on the other hand, obtain corresponding 'compensation.'
Killing two birds with one stone, how wonderful!
"Of course I brought it." Fury placed a cubic box on the table: "The Super Soldier Serum you requested, along with the Infinity Formula Serum, and detailed research data for both serums."
"What about the rest?" Emrys didn't rush to take it but watched him quietly: "You should know very well that the value of Compound V is far greater than these two serums."
"You're asking for too much Vibranium. It's impossible to get it in a short time."
Fury shrugged, putting on a helpless expression: "Unless we rob Wakanda, even if we emptied S.H.I.E.L.D., we couldn't meet your demands."
Emrys nodded without surprise; to be honest, he hadn't held much hope: "What about the remaining items? You should at least compensate me for my losses."
"I'm starting to dislike you, Emrys." Fury glanced at him, pulled a box from under the table, unlocked it, and placed it directly in front of Emrys: "The items you requested: one tube of Gravitonium, ten portable diffusion energy sticks, and an electrostatic camouflage veil."
It was a pity that the current S.H.I.E.L.D. could only be squeezed for this much.
Things like the Obelisk were absolutely classified, and even if Emrys asked, Fury couldn't give it to him.
"Then, it's been a pleasure working with you, Director Fury."
Emrys smiled, closed the box, then calmly stood up and offered his sincere blessings: "I hope when we meet next time, you'll have more good things to offer."
"That depends on what you're willing to trade for it."
Fury also stood up, extending his hand with a smile: "S.H.I.E.L.D. has many good things. As long as you can afford the price, I don't mind showing them."
After resolving the issues with S.H.I.E.L.D., Emrys finally returned with a full haul.
Carrying the large box and the Vibranium box containing the two serum data, he drove back to the seaside Villa, intending to say his final goodbyes to Tony.
"You're finally back."
As soon as he entered, he saw Tony's face full of resentment, like a 'little wife' who had been abandoned.
But upon closer inspection, one could notice Tony's sunken eye sockets and bloodshot eyes, clearly indicating he hadn't slept at all these past two days.
"I just went to take care of a few things."
Emrys sat down and poured himself a glass of whiskey: "Did you remember what I told you?"
"I know, isn't it just Compound V?"
Tony pouted, his tone a bit impatient: "With me around, you can rest assured. No matter if it's S.H.I.E.L.D. or Norman Osborn, they won't be able to take it!"
"Then I'll leave it to you, Tony~"
Emrys drained the whiskey in his glass, lowered his head, and checked the 'time': "If there's nothing else, I should go. See you later."
"Wait."
Suddenly, Tony called out to him.
"What else is there?"
Emrys looked at him with some puzzlement.
"I don't like owing favors. If I let you leave like this, who knows when you'll be back?"
As he spoke, Tony clapped his hands, a familiar mischievous grin appearing on his face: "Jarvis, give our Mr. Merlin a little surprise!"
The entire living room suddenly plunged into darkness, then a beam of light shone on the wall.
The original wall rotated like a revolving door, pushing out a streamlined humanoid armor from behind. Its overall paint scheme was silver and black, and its design conformed to the human body, quite similar to the authentic Iron Man.
The triangular Arc Reactor on its chest emitted a warm blue light.
"Please allow me to formally introduce you. Mark 5, Emrys' custom model."
Tony, with an extremely flamboyant slide, came before the silver-black armor and excitedly said: "The outer armor incorporates Adamantium, making it far more durable than the Mark 3 combat model. Not only that, considering your travels, I've added a portable mode."
With that, he clapped his hands.
The humanoid armor instantly transformed into a briefcase.
Tony carried the briefcase over, looked at the still-shocked Emrys, and handed it to him: "Consider it an early birthday present, Emrys."
Emrys didn't know what to say. He had originally thought that Tony's research progress might only result in a decent armor when he returned next time.
But... after seeing Tony's bloodshot eyes, he suddenly understood.
It turned out that Tony's absence these past two days was to prepare this 'birthday present' before he left.
"Thank you, Tony."
Emrys was deeply moved. As expected of the Marvel 'succubus,' who could resist this!
"Wait, I almost forgot to ask." Suddenly, as if remembering something, he stared at the briefcase: "You didn't, by any chance, implant an AI in it, did you?"
"Of course, I specifically developed a smart AI assistant!"
Tony proudly and confidently introduced the greatest advantage of this armor: "I named it 'Sunday,' and it has a large number of self-learning programs input into it."
Seeing Emrys, whose eyes were already wide and mouth agape, Tony thought he was overjoyed, so he patted his shoulder: "Don't worry, it won't be long before Sunday grows to be an AI second only to Jarvis."
"No, no, no, I beg you, Tony!"
Little did he know, Emrys was almost scared to death, grabbing his arm: "Delete the AI assistant system, not a single bit can remain, understand?"
"Why?"
Tony was completely puzzled: "Isn't an AI assistant good? Why delete it?"
"Because... I don't want to die young!"
Emrys was on the verge of tears. Tzeentch was next door!
Once this thing went to the Warhammer Universe, it could be corrupted by Chaos in minutes, and might even fall into becoming an electronic demon!
"???"
Tony didn't understand, but he was greatly shocked.