The Extremis Virus worked exactly as the manual had promised.
The instant it was injected into his bloodstream, Tony Stark felt as though thousands of blades were shredding him from the inside out. Agony consumed every nerve, every fiber, every thought.
But as quickly as the pain came, it dulled. His body grew numb. Then came a new torment—his organs felt like they were being mashed into pulp before violently knitting themselves back together again. Every single cell in his body screamed, broke apart, and was reforged in an endless cycle. Heat seared him as if his entire body had been set ablaze, glowing red like molten iron pulled straight from the forge.
Several times Tony felt his consciousness slipping, certain death had already taken him. Yet every time, something pulled him back—like an unseen guardian angel whispering not yet. To Tony, it felt as if centuries of torture passed. In reality, only seconds ticked by.
The side effects of Extremis were as fierce as a summer thunderstorm, but they also faded just as quickly. His temperature stabilized. His mind cleared. His skin was slick with sweat, his face pale, but inside—he was remade.
The Extremis enhancement sharpened his reflexes beyond imagination. The world around him slowed. Thor and Hulk's titanic clash unfolded before him as if someone had pressed the "half-speed" button. Every punch, every tremor, every ripple of thunder and rage came to him in slow motion.
A mental note, he thought bitterly. Maybe it's time to move Avengers Tower out of the heart of New York. This… this is reckless.
The building groaned under the fury of Thor's lightning and Hulk's brute force. Entire floors shook, glass shattered, and reinforced steel bent like twigs. Then Thor's eyes narrowed—he could sense the change in Stark. With a roar, lightning surged from his body, lancing through the skyscraper like divine judgment.
Tony gasped for breath, then turned to the gleaming Genesis Armor waiting nearby. His hand shot out. What happened next defied every law of science.
The armor stirred. As though drawn by some invisible force—or perhaps sheer willpower—it liquefied into a pool of molten silver. The shimmering mass flew toward his outstretched hand, streaming like living quicksilver. Then, like Venom enveloping a host, it surged into his pores, threading into his bloodstream, vanishing beneath his skin.
In a heartbeat, the armor was gone. Absorbed.
"Ho?" Outside, Gene watched with a small smile tugging at his lips. "Now that's… interesting."
"What kind of technology is this?" Dr. Samuel Sterns—the Leader—stared in wide-eyed disbelief. "No… no, that's impossible!"
As if on cue, Hulk roared. At Sterns' command, the green behemoth slammed a fist into Thor's jaw, sending the God of Thunder hurtling like a crimson comet through the horizon until he vanished beyond the skyline. With Thor gone, Hulk turned, nostrils flaring, eyes locking onto Stark.
The ground trembled under Hulk's furious charge. Each footstep cracked the floor, every stride a seismic event. He raised his titanic fist, blotting out Tony with its sheer size. Even Hulkbuster armor would struggle to survive a blow like this.
But Stark didn't flinch. Didn't move. To Sterns, it looked like fear had paralyzed him.
Then Stark moved. Calm. Controlled. He lifted his palm.
Silver light flashed in his eyes. In less than the blink of an eye, liquid metal beneath his skin surged outward, sculpting itself into form. The exoskeleton of the Genesis Armor erupted across his body, locking into place. Silver-white plating solidified, sleek and impossibly strong, while three miniature arc reactors hummed across his massive gauntlet.
The armor roared to life.
BOOM!
The collision of Hulk's fist against Genesis Armor detonated like a sonic bomb. Shockwaves ripped outward, glass shattering in every direction like a storm of crystal rain. The floor caved beneath Stark's alloy boots, leaving a massive crater. But the armor—and the man inside—held firm. He had met Hulk's full-force punch head-on.
"Now it's my turn," Tony growled.
He raised his arm. Energy built. A beam of molten orange plasma burst from his palm, thicker than his own torso, and slammed into Hulk's chest.
The jade giant flew. The unstoppable Hulk was hurled away like a ragdoll, crashing through walls and vanishing into the rubble outside.
The debut of the Genesis Armor was nothing short of a triumph.
Its first battle… a decisive victory.
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