Thank You,
Noble Tier: "IamUgoH"
For Becoming A Member On My Pa'treon. The Emperor Protect.
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In the live room, the entire screen blazed with a few bold words:
"Hail to the heroes!"
"Go, hero!"
"Tony, you've reached the height no one else could!"
"Pay tribute!"
On the Network's forum, a new post rocketed to the top of the charts with unstoppable speed. When people clicked to read it, countless viewers burst into tears again.
"The body of a mortal, standing shoulder to shoulder with gods!" That line alone made billions cry on the spot.
Everyone remembered Tony, once arrogant, impulsive, and reckless. A weapons dealer who had watched his own creations fall into the hands of terrorists. That moment shattered his heart. Weapons are not the path to peace.
Upon returning from captivity, Tony shut down his wildly profitable arms business without hesitation. Instead, he devoted himself to forging his iron suit, a weapon reborn as redemption, crafted to reclaim the destruction his inventions once unleashed. His conviction never wavered. He refused to let his brilliance become the cause of endless deaths.
Tony was just a man, a mortal in a shell of steel. He could have remained a billionaire, a playboy. He owed no duty to defend the Earth Age. He wasn't a super soldier enhanced by a national serum like Captain America, nor a god born noble, bearing the burden of nine realms like Thor. He wasn't trained as an ageless spy like Black Widow, nor cursed with the monstrous power of Dr. Banner's Hulk.
And yet, again and again, he donned the steel armor. With nothing but his mortal body, he appeared on battlefields like a miracle, turning the tide where hope had already died. He made us all forget that Tony was human, just an ordinary man who should have lived an ordinary life.
Who did he owe? To whom? His fortune came from his father. His genius was his own. His armor, his own creation. He owed no one anything! He didn't need wealth, fame, or glory. He didn't need applause. He just quietly carried the world on his shoulders. Tony owed no one!
He had no strange destiny, no divine bloodline, no superhuman gift. He wasn't born to save anyone. He should've been living freely, laughing, drinking, building, loving, but instead, he turned his back on comfort, abandoned his company, and flew alone into the Chitauri battlefield… dragging a nuclear bomb into the frozen void of space.
I can't imagine the cold that pierced him as he soared into that icy sky. The armor, frozen stiff, the Mark 7 beneath the bomb, unfinished, yet it tore through Chitauri legions, shattered a colossal bio-mechanical warship, and burned every drop of power just to keep moving. He must have been freezing.
His mission needed no reason. His loneliness needed no audience. His sacrifice needed no applause. But why must a man with a heart of gold have hands so cold and powerless? Is this the fate of a hero? They ache for Tony. Truly miserable. He should've lived for himself. In the end, Pepper's call never connected.
And they suddenly remembered, in all those fragments of his past life, Tony's brightest smile was when he completed the Mark 2 and took his first flight. What a pity. We'll never see that smile again.
The post itself wasn't long, barely a few hundred words. But between every line, tears flowed freely. Replies poured in by the millions, and soon, every major media outlet quoted its title:
"The Body of a Mortal, the Heart of a God." Johan, from the expert group, saw the post too.After a long pause, he added one more line beneath it: "Flesh and blood, heart of steel, the power of mortals equals the divine."
Under his super-body helmet, Tanner exhaled slowly, his gaze falling on the glowing numbers of his account balance. The amount had soared. Just seconds after Tony's final act, the reward spiked, enough to forge several suits. Yet, Tanner felt nothing but sorrow.
"Could this really be… my past life? Why else do I feel this way?" He sat in silence, unable to describe the ache in his heart. He should've been elated, wealth beyond measure, fame beyond compare, but the sight of that Iron Man fading into darkness filled him only with grief.
Across the Terra Federation, as Tony vanished into the void, a wave of silence and sorrow swept the world. But then, something changed. The fragment of Immortal Warrior hadn't ended; it was still playing.
"This… what's happening?"
"Tony isn't dead?"
"Could he have survived?"
"If Tony's gone, wouldn't the Immortal Warrior's vision stop?"
"I don't know… maybe there's another reason!"
"Keep watching!"
A fragile hope flickered in the hearts of billions across Terra, a desperate wish that Tony still lived. The memory screen flickered once more:
[ Everyone looks up at the portal in the sky. Rogers gasps, "Close the passage!" ]
[ Black Widow grips the scepter, plunging it into the cube. A thunderous roar, the teleportation beam vanishes. The portal collapses, disappearing in an instant! ]
"Ah! It's closed! Even Tony's body!?"
"He's dead. Tony, you're a hero!"
"The body of a mortal is equal to a god!"
"No! Look! He's still there!"
"There, in the sky! That's Tony!"
"Damn! He's so high up, his body will be crushed!"
"Thor, hurry! You can fly, can't you!? Save him!"
[ The passage collapses. A golden light flickers. Tony's body plummets from tens of thousands of meters. He tumbles through the air, suit unresponsive, silent. The friction from the fall alone could ignite him. ]
[ Thor spins his hammer. "He's not slowing down!" ]
[ Just as he launches upward, a green blur bursts forth. The Hulk catches Tony midair, smashing through a skyscraper's wall to slow the descent. The impact rips through steel and glass; the ground trembles. Moments before hitting the street, Hulk leaps aside, cushioning the fall with a thunderous crash. ]
"Holy! Hulk's insane!"
"So brave! Who else could do that?!"
"Tony's safe!"
"Thor's too slow, should've flown sooner!"
"Please, let Tony live…"
[ Hulk turns Tony's body while Thor and the others rush over. Rogers checks, "Is he breathing?" ]
[ Thor rips off the helmet, Tony's face is bloodied, eyes shut. Rogers kneels, but pauses. The Arc Reactor still glows faintly. Defeated, Rogers slumps to the ground. ]
"Dead… he's still dead!"
"No way!"
"Tony, don't die!"
"Thor, use lightning, shock him back!"
"Rogers, don't just listen, take the armor off!"
"I can't, I'm crying again!"
"Why must heroes die young?"
"I'll never forget this era of Earth!"
In the live broadcast room, hope flickered, then dimmed. The audience sank into grief,until, suddenly, the memory screen flashed again.
[ Hulk roared. A single, thunderous roar, and Tony jolted awake, gasping for air. ]
At that instant, the entire Terra Federation erupted in cheers. Heroes live!
"Damn it, I didn't cry before, but now I am!"
"My god! Tony's alive!"
"He's a hero, he can't die!"
"Hahahaha! Hulk did it again!"
"The roar of life! He's back!"
Inside the Administration, those who had been sobbing moments ago now wept and laughed all at once. The great hall thundered with joy. In the chief's office,the experts smiled, and the chief slammed his hand on the desk.
"Excellent! Who says heroes must die young?" But beneath the smiles, a shadow crossed his mind.
"Tony's alive, the Chitauri are gone… but the history of the Terra Earth Era still lies in ruins. So what greater being, beyond even the Chitauri, destroyed that age?" The thought refused to fade.
Meanwhile, inside Essen Heavy Industries Group, chief engineer Astor watched the broadcast. Seeing Tony alive, he exhaled in relief, wiping tears from his reddened eyes.
He felt conflicted. At first, he hadn't trusted Tony's research, and even tried to peek at his designs. But when Tony carried that nuclear bomb into space, Astor silently acknowledged his brilliance. And when Tony came back to life just now, he nearly shouted in joy.
The team behind him erupted in cheers, every one of them deeply moved. And since Tony wasn't dead, the scene continued.
[ Awakened by Hulk's roar, Tony blinks in confusion, "What happened? What happened?! Did he just kiss me?" ]
[ Rogers surveys the ruined streets. "We've won." ]
[ Tony laughs weakly. "Good job, everyone. Take tomorrow off, rest up. Anyone tried shawarma? There's a place two blocks away." ]
[ Thor frowns. "Our work isn't finished." ]
[ Tony groans. "Fine, barbecue after we're done." ]