Tony's targeting systems locked onto Selene through a half-dozen overlapping sensors. Thermal, motion tracking, radar. The jungle was a mess of signals, but her unnaturally fast movement stood out like a beacon. She was moving, but not fast enough to escape his attention.
"Impressive speed," Tony noted inside his helmet. "This tournament's already interesting."
Tony dove, his repulsors flaring with a short, powerful blast. He landed directly in Selene's path with a heavy thud of metal on earth, a classic superhero flair that kicked up a swirl of leaves and dirt.
Selene skidded to a halt, her boots digging into the soft ground. She frowned at the armored figure. Her hands moved instinctively, dropping to the twin pistols holstered at her waist. Then she paused, her fingers brushing the grips. She reconsidered, and let her hands drop. Even from London, she'd followed Iron Man's exploits. Small arms fire wouldn't scratch that armor. If she wanted to win, she'd have to remove the suit somehow.
"Beautiful lady, I don't want violence."
Tony's faceplate retracted with a hiss. His charming smile was illuminated by the soft blue light of his arc reactor. "Just hand over the gold coin representing your ticket."
Selene putting away her weapons encouraged Tony. A sensible woman. If circumstances were different, he'd love to get to know her properly.
What he got instead of surrender was Selene moving at superhuman speed.
She became a blur. Before Tony's system could even register the threat, she slammed into him like a freight train. The kinetic energy behind her enhanced speed hit his chest plate with a deafening BOOM that launched him backward through the air.
Tony crashed clean through a thick tree trunk, the sound of splintering wood echoing, and hit the ground hard.
"Is it reasonable for a vampire to move that fast?" he grunted, his internal HUD flickering from the impact.
He pushed himself up, servos groaning as wood splinters fell from his armor. "JARVIS, analyze her weaknesses."
Tony stood, brushing debris off his chest plate. "Girl, you just made me angry."
Both palms came up. The high-pitched whine of the repulsor nodes charged. Two concentrated, white-hot beams lanced toward Selene.
But she'd already moved. The moment Tony's hands rose, she shifted position, a black streak in the gloom. Her new speed ability wasn't fully developed yet, but it made dodging attacks significantly easier.
The repulsor blasts demolished the trees behind where she'd been standing, exploding them into steam and splinters.
"Sir, according to internet legends, vampires are supposedly afraid of sunlight and crosses. Also holy water from the Vatican."
Tony's repulsors engaged, lifting him straight into the air. He circled thirty feet above Selene, maintaining a clear altitude advantage.
"You think I can simulate sunlight right now?"
He banked left, keeping her in his sights. "Or should I configure myself into a cross shape to scare her?"
Panels opened on his shoulder assemblies with a series of clicks. Micro-missile tubes deployed, packed densely with ammunition. Tony had clearly upgraded his payload capacity for this tournament.
"Will she turn into a bat and fly at me?"
"Sir, even in bat form, I can track her location."
The missiles launched in a coordinated, whistling barrage.
Explosions erupted across the forest floor, churning earth and leaves as they tracked Selene's movements. She dodged with supernatural agility, a blur moving between impacts, but Tony's ammunition reserves were extensive. Missiles continued hammering her position relentlessly.
Smoke and the smell of cordite filled the clearing. A shockwave from a near-miss caught Selene mid-dodge and hurled her tumbling through the air. She crashed hard into the underbrush and disappeared from view.
In the viewing stands, every vampire watched the screens intently, their pale faces illuminated by the flashes of the explosions. Pepper and Happy leaned forward, equally engrossed.
Marcus turned to Soren, his voice a low growl. "That Iron Man is carrying an arsenal. Missiles, energy weapons, everything. Is that allowed?"
Soren shook his head, his eyes glued to the feed. "Elder, the rules didn't prohibit any weapons."
"Elder Selene also carries firearms and bladed weapons."
Marcus nodded slowly. "Then Selene needs to use her speed to exhaust his ammunition."
"I just hope she developed flight during her last evolution," he added, his tone grim. "Otherwise, she's at a severe disadvantage."
The screens made the problem obvious. After Selene's initial, stunning charge, Tony had stayed airborne, raining firepower from above. Air superiority was decisive.
Compared to the vampires' concern, Pepper looked relatively calm. Though she couldn't help asking Happy, "With Tony's firepower, could he actually kill her?"
Happy answered uncertainly. "She's a vampire. Her abilities are incredible. If they hadn't shown that collision in slow motion, we wouldn't have even seen how she launched Tony."
"If there's real danger, the organizers will intervene," he added, trying to reassure himself. "The rules mentioned ensuring participant safety."
Pepper nodded and returned her attention to the battle.
The Golden Daggers members reacted differently. They looked furious and worried.
Red-Haired Sean slapped his forehead. "We were careless."
"Boss only has close-range weapons. Against either of these two, she wouldn't stand a chance."
The Golden Daggers realized their boss was in trouble. Iron Man and the vampire individually outclassed her. And they were confused by Selene's strength. If she'd shown these abilities in London, the Golden Daggers would never have escaped.
Smith, seeing the battle was lopsided but not yet lethal, handed hosting duties to Fox and flew over the island. He monitored Tony and Selene's battle from a safe altitude, ready to intervene immediately if either faced mortal danger.
Tony hovered above the smoke and debris, his sensors scanning for movement.
"Selene, that was just the appetizer." His voice projected through external speakers, booming across the clearing. "If you can't fly, you should hand over a gold coin and end this fight."
The recent engagement had confirmed his advantage. This vampire couldn't fly. Which meant Tony controlled the battlefield completely. He was invincible as long as he maintained altitude.
Selene emerged from the smoke, pushing aside a broken branch. She wiped black ash from her face, her expression one of cold fury. "I don't believe your ammunition capacity is endless."
"You'll run out eventually."
Metal panels along Tony's back, shoulders, and thighs whirred and clacked open, revealing rows upon rows of specialized, high-explosive ordnance. Enough firepower to level a city block.
"My ammunition exceeds your imagination."
Tony's targeting systems painted her position. "I prepared this loadout for another big guy. Trust me, I have plenty."
The missiles were meant for the Hulk, actually. But they'd work fine on a vampire.