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Chapter 59 – Lines of Fire
The air rippled with heat.
Smoke curled off the scorched concrete as Iron Man landed hard, his repulsors fading to an amber glow. The shockwave scattered dust across the ruined platform.
Guardian straightened, his left arm still faintly smoking from his last strike. Wisps of cataclysmic energy pulsed along his gauntlet.
Tony's faceplate lifted, revealing sweat, soot, and the usual Stark smirk.
"Please tell me I'm not hallucinating. Did you do your voodoo on Cap again? And—who's the water lady?"
Guardian didn't look at him. His eyes stayed locked on the Mandarin, whose cracked armor still glowed with the light of two rings.
"They're Steve and Natasha," he said flatly. "Don't get distracted."
Tony exhaled through his teeth. "Right. So… where's my magical upgrade?"
Guardian replied without missing a beat. "On your next birthday. Or wedding—whichever comes first."
Tony snorted. "That's cold, wizard."
"Focus," Guardian said, chi flaring faintly around him. "You handle Killian. I'll deal with the Mandarin."
Steve's voice came through the comm. "Nat and I will take the Extremis soldiers. Keep the heavy hitters busy."
Guardian nodded once. "Then move."
For a second, everything froze — the wind, the heat, the noise.
Then the battlefield erupted.
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Guardian vs. Mandarin
Guardian sprinted forward, his staff spinning before snapping into twin nunchaku glowing with blue chi. Mandarin's sword ignited mid-swing, releasing a beam of compressed energy that sliced through the air.
Guardian ducked under the blast, his weapon striking out in a blur — a burst of blue light crashing into Mandarin's side.
A red glow flared from the villain's rings, forming a hexagonal barrier that absorbed the blow with a hiss.
"So," Mandarin said, his voice distorted through his cracked helmet, "you are the new Guardian of the Miraculous. I once heard of a story about— the Cat that erased the empire. Tell me—"
he raised his sword, its edge dripping energy— "which is stronger: the rings with the power of God, or the Jewels of Concept?"
Guardian rolled his shoulders, smirking faintly.
"How about we skip the lecture and find out?"
He blurred forward — fast and silent. His nunchaku extended mid-thrust, slamming into Mandarin's chest and denting the armor. Sparks showered.
Mandarin snarled and vanished in a blink, the teleportation ring flaring.
Guardian's senses screamed — too late.
Mandarin reappeared behind him, sword already in motion. The blade came down, but Guardian twisted, staff forming mid-spin, blocking the strike. The clash sent a thunderclap through the dock.
They locked weapons, chi against energy, power rippling outward.
Mandarin's voice was a growl. "Is this it? The strength of the Guardian?"
Guardian's eyes narrowed. "Nah. This is just me warming up."
He slammed his palm into Mandarin's chest.
"Clout."
Violet cracks tore through the armor, eating through the plating. Mandarin roared, activating both rings at once. The explosion threw Guardian backward into a cargo container.
He staggered to his feet, coughing. His ribs screamed in protest.
"Okay," he muttered, "that one hurt."
He lifted his hand, chi swirling between his fingers.
"Plagg—Divide. Stomp—Roar. Unify."
The blue and black light merged — the air bending around him, heat warping the space itself as energy spiraled through his veins.
His weapon reformed into a heavy war hammer, aura swirling like a storm caught in metal.
"Let's see how those gods' toys handle this."
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Tony vs. Killian
At the far end of the docks, Iron Man landed amid molten puddles.
Killian turned, flames dancing over his body, eyes gleaming like embers.
"Tony Stark. Ten years late, but right on time."
Tony cracked his neck. "I like to make an entrance."
Killian smiled, jabbing a syringe into his arm. His veins flared like lava.
"You know what my father used to say? 'The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.'"
Tony groaned. "You're not seriously opening with dad jokes."
Killian stepped closer, his voice soft.
"In Switzerland, I waited for you. I thought you'd actually show up. But you didn't. And that night, I learned something — power isn't in the spotlight, it's in the shadows. You gave me that gift, Tony."
Tony raised his hand, palm glowing. "Yeah, you're welcome. Now here's your refund."
The repulsor blast hit square in the chest, blowing Killian off his feet. But he got up — the wound glowing molten, the heat bending the air around him.
Tony muttered, "Okay, that's new. You look like a glow stick that lost a fight with a lava lamp."
Killian lunged, his hand molten red, gripping Tony's arm and searing through the armor plating.
"Feeling hot, Tony? Stuck? Like a turtle in its own shell?"
Tony winced, blade ejecting from his gauntlet — slicing through Killian's wrist. The severed hand melted into the floor, hissing.
"Yeah? Take your time."
Killian screamed as his limb reformed, glowing brighter. His body twisted, reshaping — veins of magma spreading like cracks through glass.
Tony backed up. "And now you're… what, Molten Man ?"
Killian grinned, voice warped. "I can do this all day."
Tony sighed. "You and Cap should start a club."
The next blast sent both of them tumbling into the inferno.
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Steve & Natasha vs. Extremis Soldiers
Not far away, chaos reigned.
Steve's shield shimmered with green light as he called, "Shellter!" The barrier flared just as three Extremis soldiers self-detonated against it. The blast rattled his bones, but the shield held.
He lowered it, exhaling, then sprinted forward. The next soldier swung — Steve's counter was instant, his shield edge glowing as it struck the man's jaw. He fell, out cold.
Beside him, Natasha darted through the battlefield like a storm.
Her sword shimmered with lightning, slicing through flames and flesh alike.
She laughed — short and fierce. "Okay, this feels amazing!"
"Focus, Nat!" Steve shouted, deflecting another strike.
She spun, her sword shifting to water.
"Water Dragon!"
A wave erupted from her blade, sweeping across the dock and crashing into the next group of Extremis soldiers. Their bodies froze mid-attack, locked in ice.
Steve smirked. "You're enjoying this too much."
"Don't sound so surprised," Natasha replied, flicking droplets from her sword. "I've been fighting psychos like these without powers for years. Now that I've got them — I'm gonna have some fun."
Steve chuckled under his breath. "Just don't forget we have to return them."
"Do we have to?" she said, lightning sparking at her fingertips. "Then let me have some more fun and see who takes down more."
They dove back into the fray, their strikes syncing like rhythm and melody — shield and storm, protection and power.
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Back to Guardian
Mandarin attacked first — teleporting in flashes, his sword striking in bursts of molten light. Guardian's hammer met each blow with thunderous precision, deflecting sparks into the sky.
Guardian leapt back, pulling a weighted bolas from his belt. With a spin, he hurled it forward — it wrapped around Mandarin mid-teleport, glowing with orange seals.
Mandarin froze, his power faltering.
"Ready for the ride?" Guardian said.
Mandarin struggled — his rings flickered, unresponsive. The Ox Miraculous flared on Guardian's nose.
"No power tricks this time."
Guardian pulled him in — one strike.
The fist connected with a dull, devastating thud.
The Mandarin's armor shattered, rings flickering dimly.
Guardian stepped forward to grab them — but Mandarin's hand caught his wrist, trembling.
"Only I can remove the rings," he rasped. "You don't have the qualifications."
Before Guardian could respond, a new voice echoed from behind.
Calm. Even. Unfamiliar.
"Are we done yet."
A figure in a white suit appeared, black spots rippling across his sleeves.
Guardian turned — too slow.
The kick hit like a truck, sending him flying across the metal floor.
The man looked down at Mandarin. "Let's get you to base."
And they sank into a black portal.
Guardian pushed himself to his feet, breathing ragged. The docks were burning, the night sky torn apart by light and smoke.
Mandarin was gone — taken by that man in white.
But the battle wasn't finished.
A distant boom shook the docks, followed by a wave of heat that forced him to turn.
Flames rose higher than the cranes, molten metal spilling across the pier like liquid fire.
"Guardian," Steve's voice cut through the comms, ragged and loud over the static. "We've got a problem—big one!"
He looked toward the east end of the port — and froze.
Something massive was rising from the inferno.
A creature of molten steel and glowing lava, its shape half-human, half-nightmare. Extremis energy pulsed through its veins like lightning through magma.
Tony's voice came through next, breathless and straining.
"Killian's gone full meltdown! He's—he's pulling the metal from the docks—!"
The monster turned its burning gaze toward them, roaring as molten debris rained into the ocean. Natasha and Steve stood their ground, battered but still ready.
Guardian lifted his hammer, energy still flickering around it.
"Tony," he said through the comms, voice steady despite the exhaustion. "Status?"
"Still in the fight," Tony replied. "But if you've got any more of that disintegration magic left, now's the time to use it!"
The molten creature bellowed again — and the screen of Guardian's visor reflected its burning outline.
He tightened his grip on the hammer. "On my way."
With one swing, chi surged beneath his feet. The ground shattered as he launched himself toward the firestorm, streaking through smoke and ash toward the next battle.
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End of Chapter 59 – Lines of Fire
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