"My turn," Tony said as he took action.
He activated every system simultaneously. The ten rings' powers all fired at once.
Matter manipulation destabilized War's Celestial armor. Ice projection flash-froze the moisture in the air around them.
Mental amplification disrupted the Celestial programming. Flame generation created a sphere of fire that burned at solar temperatures.
War screamed as the combined assault hit him. His magnetic shields collapsed. The Celestial armor began to crack.
But Tony wasn't finished.
He released War and made quick gestures with both hands. Mystic symbols appeared in the air around him. Orange light formed complex patterns. Ancient One had taught him well during those training sessions.
"Chains of Cyttorak," Tony intoned.
Magical chains materialized out of nothing and wrapped around War's body. They bound his arms and legs. Restricted his movement. More importantly, they disrupted his connection to Earth's magnetic field.
War thrashed violently but the mystical chains held firm.
Tony flew forward and placed both palms on War's chest. His arc reactor glowed bright blue. Starktonium energy channeled from his core through his arms.
"This is going to hurt, Magnus. I'm sorry."
The energy beam fired at point-blank range directly into War's body. It bypassed the Celestial armor and struck the programming nodes that controlled him. The Starktonium energy was uniquely suited to disrupting Celestial technology.
War's screams echoed across the sky. The Celestial armor began to glow red hot. Cracks spread across its surface like a spiderweb.
Tony increased the power. He had to burn out every trace of corruption or it would reassert control.
The chains of Cyttorak shattered as War's body convulsed. But before he could escape, Tony shifted tactics. He channeled his Homo Supreme strength and grabbed War's head with both hands.
Then he headbutted him with full force.
The impact created another visible shockwave. War's Celestial armor cracked completely. Pieces fell away revealing Erik Lensherr's actual body beneath.
"Sorry Magnus, go sleep."
War's eyes rolled back. He went limp.
Tony caught him as they began to fall. He scanned Erik's body with the armor's medical systems.
[Celestial corruption eliminated. Subject's connection to Earth's magnetic field permanently damaged. Power output reduced by 89%. Neural pathways stable. Subject unconscious but alive.]
Tony descended slowly toward the ground. He landed in Hyde Park away from the worst destruction. Emergency responders were already flooding into the area.
He laid Magneto down gently on the grass. Erik looked old now without the Celestial armor. His face showed the strain of what he'd been through.
Three Horsemen freed. One remained.
"M.A.R.V.E.L., locate Death. Where is Colossus?"
[Target detected in Prague, Czech Republic. Massive destruction pattern indicates systematic demolition of resistance base. Estimated casualties: 40,000 and rising.]
Tony looked down at Magneto one last time. Then he activated his repulsors and shot into the sky heading southeast.
The hunt wasn't over yet.
---
Tony crossed over Germany and into Czech Republic in minutes. Prague appeared on the horizon.
And he could see the destruction from fifty miles away.
An entire section of the city was simply gone. Flattened. Buildings reduced to rubble. Smoke rose in massive columns that were visible from space.
And walking through the devastation was Death.
Colossus had been transformed into something beyond his original metal form. He was fifteen feet tall now. His body was pure Celestial metal that gleamed silver under the afternoon sun.
Every step he took shook the ground like a small earthquake.
The last major resistance base in Europe had been built beneath Prague's old town. Underground bunkers protected by layers of reinforced concrete and steel. Designed to withstand nuclear strikes.
Death was tearing through it like paper.
Tony watched through his sensors as Colossus grabbed a tank and crushed it between his hands like a tin can. Soldiers fired everything they had. Missiles. Bullets. Energy weapons. Nothing scratched his armor.
Death was completely indestructible.
Tony descended rapidly. He had to draw Death away from the civilians before more people died.
"Colossus!" Tony's voice boomed through external speakers. "Your fight is with me!"
Death's massive head turned. His eyes glowed with Celestial energy. No trace of Piotr Rasputin's gentle soul remained in that gaze.
"Another insect," Death rumbled in a voice that sounded like grinding metal. "You will be crushed like all the others."
He turned away from the soldiers and walked toward Tony. Each footstep left deep impressions in the concrete.
Tony didn't wait for Death to reach him. He attacked first.
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