The Arbitrators' warplane, deathwing, tore through the clouds, its specially modified silent engines carrying them over Devon County.
This warplane was Tony's latest research, equipped with the 'Everlasting Sun' secondary engine, a derivative of the Eternal Core, providing immense power. It could reach an average speed of Mach 5, simultaneously transport 50 of Tony's automated combat robots and 50 people, and its outer shell used the same technology as the Mark-Eclipse Edition, capable of forming an energy shield on its surface.
Tony stood in the cockpit, his fingers rapidly sliding across the holographic projection, adjusting the warplane's scanning system.
"Jarvis, magnify the thermal imaging," Tony frowned.
"Magnified, sir," Jarvis's voice was calm and clear. "A large number of abnormal heat sources have been detected within the urban area of Devon County, presumed to be Mephisto's followers. The number... exceeds five hundred."
"Five hundred?" Dr. Banner's face was solemn. "This is no ordinary cult gathering."
"They aren't ordinary followers," Dante leaned against the cabin wall, his fingers lightly tapping his sword hilt, a playful smile on his lips. "I can smell the demonic scent on these guys all the way up here."
"Demon followers?" Pietro raised an eyebrow. "So, we're dealing with lunatics from Hell this time?"
"Pretty much," Dante shrugged. "But don't worry, I'm specialized in this."
Tony glanced at him, saying nothing more.
"Steve's safe house is just ahead," Tony pulled up a real-time feed, his face suddenly changing. "Damn it!"
On the screen, countless distorted figures were frantically assaulting a dilapidated shack.
These "followers" had bizarre forms, their skin an unnatural reddish hue, as if scorched by Fire, and their eyes burned with eerie green Hellfire.
Their limbs were twisted and deformed; some had bat-like wings extending from their backs, others had arms transformed into burning bone blades, and their roars were like the wails of demons from the depths of Hell.
Meanwhile, on the roof of the safe house, Steve was wielding his vibranium shield, desperately fending off the climbing enemies. His uniform was tattered, blood dripped down his arm, but he still held the roof steadfastly, not allowing any enemy to breach the defense line.
"Banner, you stay in the cockpit," Tony quickly gave instructions. "Jarvis, authorize Dr. Banner temporary control. I'll call when I need Hulk."
Banner nodded, the green in his eyes flickering. "I hope you guys are fast."
Tony turned to Dante. "Ready, Uncle Red Coat?"
Dante stretched his neck. "Just waiting for you to say that, Rich Idol."
As the hatch opened, the strong wind howled in. Dante stood at the opening, his red coat flapping in the wind. He looked down; there was nothing but thick clouds below, but he knew the spot he was staring at was where the priest holding the black heart scepter was located.
"I'm going first," Dante turned back and winked at Tony. "Don't make me wait too long."
Before his words faded, he leaped down. Tony followed closely, his Mark-Eclipse Edition armor completing its donning in mid-air.
"Jarvis, initiate 'Valkyrie Array' protocol, release all drone mechs."
"Command confirmed, Sir."
Dozens of combat-model robots streamed out from the deathwing's belly, their laser cannons weaving a dense net of Firepower.
Dante had already drawn his twin pistols during his descent, and silver-white bullets precisely struck several demon followers attempting to pounce.
"Remember, Stark," Dante's voice came through the comms. "Demons fear three things—holy silver, holy Water, and me."
Tony chuckled. "Jarvis, you heard what Uncle said. Record the data, adjust weapon parameters."
Dante's figure plummeted like a meteor. Just as he was about to hit the ground, he suddenly did a backflip, Rebellion's blade tracing a crimson Arc Light, smashing spiderweb-like cracks into the ground.
Amidst the rising dust, he slowly straightened up, his red coat billowing in the wind and dust, his eyes under his silver hair carrying a devil-may-care smile.
All the demon followers' roars paused for a second at that moment.
It must be said, when it came to showing off, the Sparta family feared no opponent.
"Hey, everyone," Dante raised Ebony and Ivory. "Party time."
The next second, gunfire roared!
His movements were so fast they almost left afterimages. He fired his twin pistols continuously at incredible angles, each silver bullet precisely piercing the heads or hearts of the demon followers.
He fired while retreating, his body swaying slightly with the rhythm of the shots, as if dancing a deadly waltz.
A demon follower with bat wings lunged from the side. Dante didn't even look, backhanding it with his sword, splitting it in half, while simultaneously pressing the pistol in his other hand against the chin of an attacker from behind and pulling the trigger.
"Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen..." He counted leisurely, then suddenly slid to dodge a burst of Hellfire, dropping to one knee, crossing his pistols, "Twenty!"
Two magic-infused bullets spiraled out, colliding in mid-air and exploding into a barrage, purifying all demon followers within a ten-meter radius.
At the same time, the scream of turbine engines came from the sky.
Tony's Mark-Eclipse Edition armor had transformed, its gold and red paint rapidly switching to the blue, White, and black 'Light Angel Mode.' Six mechanical wings unfolded from his back, each wingtip glowing with a brilliant blue energy pattern.
"Jarvis, initiate full-area lock-on."
"Lock-on complete, Sir."
Small hatches on his armor and the six wings simultaneously popped open, revealing hidden miniature missile bays.
In an instant, hundreds of miniature tracking missiles poured down like a swarm of bees, exploding into continuous clouds of explosions among the demon followers. Tony hovered in the air, his palm repulsors switching to high-energy laser mode, the beams precisely pinpointing and firing at the higher-tier demon followers attempting to regenerate.
"Dante, your right," Tony's voice came through the comms.
"Got it~" Dante dodged a bone blade with a side roll, then plunged Rebellion into the attacker's chest, using the downward force to pin it to the ground, then freed his hand to fire three shots at the other side. "By the way, your armor is pretty impressive, isn't it?"
"Of course," Tony swooped down, the photons erupting from his wingtips slicing across the throats of four demon followers. "Want to have a competition?"
"Of course."
Dante grinned, then suddenly charged, Rebellion spinning in his hand before he plunged it into the ground.
"Jackpot!"
The ground instantly burst, crimson demonic energy erupting like a volcano, sending dozens of surrounding demon followers flying. He used the momentum to leap up, performing a spinning kick in mid-air, sending a pouncing demon follower towards Tony.
"Catch!"
Tony raised an eyebrow, a miniature missile ejecting from his armor's shoulder, precisely hitting the incoming demon follower and blasting it into ashes.
"Thanks, but I prefer to clear the area myself."
He spread his arms, the energy patterns on his six wings suddenly glowing brightly, and countless laser beams scattered from the wingtips, sweeping across the battlefield like divine punishment.
Dante whistled. "Whoa, area-of-effect mode?"
"It's called efficiency," Tony chuckled, his palm repulsors switching to laser sword mode, a brilliant blue light blade extending from his wrist armor. He swooped down, the light blade slashing, and three demon followers were instantly cut apart.
Dante was not to be outdone, switching his twin pistols to shotgun mode, blasting a demon follower's head at close range, while simultaneously backhanding another with an upward slash from Rebellion, splitting it in half.
"Efficiency? That's too boring."
He suddenly slid, passing between two demon followers, pressing his twin pistols against the back of their heads and pulling the triggers.
"Fighting needs some style, you know?"
Tony rolled his eyes. "Style doesn't pay the bills." But he secretly told Jarvis in his armor, "Record Dante's combat style, input it into the armor's close-quarters combat system."
"Sir, Mr. Dante's combat style is not very suitable for ordinary humans. If forcibly adapted, it might cause you a large number of sprains and bone dislocations after combat."
"I know, but it's cool, Jarvis! Record it and modify it to suit me!"
He raised his hand and blasted a sneaking demon follower with a palm repulsor, while a row of miniature drones ejected from the back of his armor, automatically locking onto surrounding enemies and firing lasers.
Dante, on the other hand, did a backflip, Rebellion spinning several times in his hand before he plunged it into the ground, a burst of demonic power sending a circle of demon followers flying.
"Stylish!"
Tony shook his head helplessly. "You really are...."
Before his words finished, the ground suddenly vibrated violently.
The priest in the dark red robe finally moved.
He slammed the black heart scepter in his hand onto the ground, and a crimson energy wave spread out like a tide. All the purified demon follower remains began to squirm and reassemble, transforming into even more grotesque forms.
"Oh, this isn't good," Dante narrowed his eyes.
Tony's armor system blared warnings. "Sir, high-dimensional energy reaction detected!"
The priest's red Fire eyes locked onto the two of them, his hoarse voice like the wailing of a thousand souls:
"The game... is over."
Dante and Tony exchanged glances.
"Looks like we have to get serious," Dante twisted his neck.
Tony's light blade glowed again. "Suits me just fine."
------
On the roof of the safe house, Steve could finally catch his breath.
He knelt on one knee, his vibranium shield stuck beside him, blood dripping from his damaged uniform.
The surrounding demon cultists had been mostly cleared out, and the remaining few were quickly dealt with by the X-Men.
Beast Hank panted, his blue fur soaked with sweat, and he looked at the distant explosions and flashing laser beams, sighing, "Tony Stark and that guy in red... it's like they're having a party."
"A party?" Cyclops Scott rubbed his aching temples.
"Their fighting style is practically showing off."
A flash of silver light.
Pietro suddenly appeared in the middle of the group, carrying a golden box on his back, covered in Greek inscriptions, with visible electric currents pulsating on its surface.
"Delivery arrived."
Quicksilver placed the box in front of Steve.
"Chen Tian said this thing is better for smashing people than your vibranium shield."
Steve frowned, looking at the roaring lion relief on the box lid: "This is..."
"I don't know," Pietro patted the box.
"Chen Tian specifically asked us to bring it."
The moment Steve's fingers touched the box lid, twelve golden clasps sprang open simultaneously.
In a dazzling light, the disassembled parts of the Cloth floated up, each piece of armor flowing with a texture like liquid sunlight.
Two bolts of lightning shot out from the pupils of the Leo helmet, incinerating the last few lurking demons.
Steve instinctively grabbed the floating right arm armor, and the golden alloy flowed like liquid, enveloping his forearm.
In an instant, a low lion's roar echoed in his ears, and a translucent interface projected onto his retina, with two brief skill descriptions flashing in his vision:
"[Lightning Beam Fist: Consumes 60% stamina]"
"[Plasma Lightspeed Fist: Consumes 99% stamina]"
"Chen Tian asked me to pass on a message."
Pietro suddenly dropped his playful demeanor, imitating Chen Tian's teasing tone: "'Put on this Cloth, and you'll be a Saint, so smash them!'"
Steve's fingers tightly gripped the arm armor of the Leo Cloth, and golden light flowed over his entire body like flames.
The lion's eyes of the helmet burst forth with dazzling electric light, as if a lion king's roar echoed in his ears.
He raised his head and looked at the battlefield.
Dante's Rebellion had already pierced the priest's chest, scarlet demonic energy and Hellfire intertwined and exploded, pinning the dark red robed figure to the ruins.
However, the number of demon cultists was still astonishing; they swarmed from all directions, their twisted limbs crawling on the ground, and burning bone blades tearing through the air.
Tony's drone army wove a net of firepower in the air, with laser and missile explosions constantly erupting, but the monsters continued to regenerate and reassemble, seemingly endless.
"Tony!" Steve suddenly shouted, his voice amplified by the Cloth, sounding like thunder.
"Clear the battlefield!"
Tony's armor suddenly turned, his brow furrowed beneath the mask: "What?"
But the next second, his pupils suddenly contracted.
Steve, at this moment, looked more like a golden war god from a myth.
The Leo Cloth covered his entire body, each piece of armor flowing with the radiance of liquid sunlight, and the lion's mane of the helmet burned like fire in the wind.
His fist slowly rose, golden energy gathering between his fingers, and the air distorted from the high temperature.
"Jarvis!" Tony ordered without hesitation.
"All units, evacuate the battlefield immediately!"
"Command confirmed, Sir."
The drone army instantly ascended, and the shelling ceased.
Dante kicked away the priest's remains, looked up at Steve, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Oh? Going to use a big move?"
Steve took a deep breath, and the power within him surged like a torrent.
The skill interface on his retina flickered, and the characters for [Plasma Lightspeed Fist] glowed with a scarlet hue.
— Now!
His fist suddenly swung out.
"Plasma Lightspeed Fist!!!"
In an instant, time seemed to stand still.
A golden light tore through space, followed by a second, a third... countless golden fist shadows exploded like a supernova!
Each punch accurately hit a demon cultist, and golden trails wove a net of destruction across the battlefield.
The air was ionized by the high temperature, and in the blinding flash, the demons' bodies disintegrated into ashes before even touching the punch's wind.
Tony's armor system blared warnings: "Warning! Detecting ultra-high frequency energy fluctuations!"
Dante raised a hand to block the incoming heatwave, his red coat flapping violently in the chaotic energy currents: "Wow... This is way more exciting than my Jackpot."
The golden fist shadows lasted for a full two seconds.
When the light dissipated, the entire battlefield had turned into scorched earth.
All the demon cultists—whether charging, regenerating, or even lurking in the shadows—were completely annihilated, leaving no ashes behind.
Silence.
Steve knelt on one knee, the Cloth's glow gradually dimming.
This attack had almost completely exhausted his stamina, and sweat dripped down the golden armor, evaporating into white mist on the scorching ground.
Tony slowly descended beside him, his mask retracting, his face filled with shock: "...Captain, when did you learn a move like that?"
Steve panted, managing a weak smile: "Just now."
Dante walked over, Rebellion resting on his shoulder, tossing a silver coin with his other hand: "Not bad, you take out the grunts, I'll take out the BOSS."
He pointed behind him.
The priest's remains were burning in the fire, the black heart scepter shattered, and the dark red robe turned to dust.
Steve managed a smile, but with his stamina depleted and the enemies cleared, he sat down heavily on the ground, and the Cloth automatically detached, flying into the golden holy box.
Tony watched as the Cloth on Steve flew into the box, and he immediately became furious, "Damn it! That kid Chen Tian held out on me!"
"Something this cool! I want one too! Jarvis! Contact Chen Tian for me! Tell him to get me an armor just like Steve's!"
Dante leaned against Rebellion, his shoulders shaking with laughter: "Hey, rich boy, bribe me, maybe I can put in a good word with my nephew?"
Tony was silent for two seconds, then suddenly a black card popped out from a hidden compartment in his armor, and he tossed it to Dante: "Fine, I'll bribe you, help me get a Cloth, a cool one."
Dante caught the black card, flipped it with his fingertips, and the card spun in a graceful arc before he casually tucked it into his inner coat pocket: "Deal."
Pietro whistled nearby: "Wow, Stark Industries VIP black card? Dante, you hit the jackpot."
Dante winked at him: "Don't worry, everyone gets a share, I'll treat you to pizza later."
Everyone laughed.
However, amidst the laughter, Steve slowly stood up, his face a bit pale from exhaustion.
He took a deep breath, his voice low: "Everyone... what appeared here was just a small part of their forces."
The air instantly quieted.
Tony frowned: "What do you mean?"
Steve clenched his fist, his gaze fixed on the distance: "Their true stronghold... is in Devon County."
Dante's smile gradually faded.
He straightened up, spun Rebellion once in his hand, and put it back behind his back: "So, there's bigger trouble?"
Steve nodded, his eyes complex: "And... Bucky is there too."
Tony's mask clicked shut, his armor's engines silently activated, and his palm repulsors glowed faintly blue: "...Then what are we waiting for?"
Dante stretched his wrists, Ebony and Ivory spun once between his fingers, then settled securely into their holsters: "Looks like the party isn't over yet."
Pietro grinned, silver light shimmering around him: "This time I'll have to run faster, so I don't get caught in another explosion."
Banner's voice came through the comms at the right moment, "I hope Hulk isn't needed this time either."
Steve took a deep breath, bent down, and picked up the golden holy box.
The lid clicked shut, and a golden light flashed in the pupils of the lion relief.
"Let's go," he said in a low voice.
"This time... I must get answers from Bucky."
Tony's armor thrusters spewed hot blue exhaust, and he hovered in mid-air, his voice from beneath the mask carrying a hint of teasing, yet incredibly firm:
"Don't worry, Captain, this time... we have 'Golden Lion' and 'Uncle in Red' as teammates."
Dante, carrying Rebellion, lazily added: "And the rich guy's money power."
Everyone exchanged smiles, battle intent igniting.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)