"Abominable brat! You can't hide forever! I'll kill you—I must kill you!"
Abomination's roars echoed through the ruined street as he swung and smashed at Kurogai Alexander Blackwood. Again and again, his massive fists carved through the air, but each time they met nothing. The instant his punch came forward, Kurogai had already moved, reappearing at another angle.
Not even the hem of Kurogai's coat was touched.
To Abomination, it was maddening—like being turned into a living punching bag. He could dish out destruction against anything else, but this infuriating human seemed untouchable.
Kurogai didn't respond to the monster's howling threats. He simply kept pressing the attack, each strike finding its mark while the Abomination could only defend.
"Good! Good!" Hulk cheered from the sidelines, clapping his massive green hands together like thunderclaps. "Hulk likes this!"
For once, someone else knew what it was like to face an opponent they couldn't hit. And the fact that it was happening to Abomination, someone Hulk despised, made the moment even sweeter for him.
In the middle of this flurry, Kurogai felt the Fifth Pupil Ring stir.
The Fifth Pupil Ring is saturated. Upgrade available. Proceed?
Not yet, Kurogai answered in his mind. Now wasn't the time for tinkering—his focus was on the fight.
A sudden mechanical chime rang through the air. Firelight streaked down from above as a red-and-gold figure descended beside Kurogai.
"I swear, Kurogai, I turn my back for a few days and you start this?" Tony Stark's voice crackled from within the armor, casual but edged with surprise. His eyes flicked between Hulk and Abomination. "These two big guys aren't exactly your run-of-the-mill troublemakers."
"This isn't a fight you want to join," Kurogai replied, giving the armor a brief glance. "Your suit's good, Stark, but not that good. They could tear it apart."
"I saw enough on my way in," Stark said, his usual humor dimmed by what he'd witnessed. "Two beings tearing down buildings like toy blocks… the raw force alone is terrifying. Arm strength in the hundreds of thousands of tons, easy."
He paused, glancing at Kurogai. "And you're holding your own against them. Which makes you the scariest thing here."
Stark remembered when Kurogai had dismantled the Iron Monger with his bare hands. That memory was enough to dull his shock.
"In that case," Kurogai said with narrowed eyes, "you must have a plan. You wouldn't be here otherwise."
"You know me too well," Stark answered with a grin in his voice. "After our last… encounter, I got my hands on something special. Took a lot of work, but I forged it into a little present."
From a compartment along his armor, Stark drew a long, sleek blade nearly two meters in length. Its design screamed Stark—stylish, precision-crafted—but the blade itself was matte black, its edge swallowing light. The material was unrecognizable.
Kurogai's golden eyes sharpened. Deep within him, the Ultimate Pupil reacted.
"This is…" he muttered.
The subtle resonance from the Pupil Ring pulled at his attention. Almost all of his abilities came from the Rings, and any reaction like this was rare—important.
"Where did you get this?" Kurogai asked sharply, ignoring the lumbering shadow of Abomination circling behind.
"Didn't I just say? Found a strange metal. Decided to make it into something sharp."
"Let me see it."
Stark hesitated a beat, then tossed the blade over. He trusted Kurogai enough to know he wouldn't just run off with it.
Kurogai caught the weapon one-handed. For its size, it was perfectly balanced. The dark metal was cool to the touch, almost unnaturally so.
A guttural roar split the moment. Abomination saw Kurogai's attention diverted and lunged, seizing the chance to strike.
Without even turning his head, Kurogai swung the blade in a single smooth arc.
The edge bit into Abomination's thick hide, cutting deep enough to expose pale bone. The monster howled in agony and staggered back, clutching the wound.
"Not bad," Kurogai said, lowering the weapon. "No wonder you were confident enough to come closer."
The fact that the blade could pierce Abomination's defenses was impressive—but Kurogai's mind was elsewhere. The Pupil Ring was still pulsing, sending a clear message: this weapon, this metal, was linked to its power.
The discovery tightened his focus. Whatever this material was, it was valuable—perhaps even essential—to unlocking more of the Rings' potential.
And as that thought solidified, the Ultimate Pupil whispered its reason.
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