The red steel battle armor's chest automatically split open, forming a man-sized gap, as if opening a door to welcome its master home.
Tony, still wearing the Mark III, stepped directly inside. Once he was in, the chest of the giant red battle armor closed up, leaving no visible seams.
This was Tony's first time using this new type of battle armor in actual combat. Although he didn't know its full power, he could feel the immense strength it possessed with every movement.
This armor was inspired by Li Yue and was still a semi-finished product, as Li Yue had proposed a complete combat system concept. Li Yue suggested that the armor could be deployed in space and quickly called upon when needed. The functional modules of this system also included: independent satellite communication, independent operation, battle damage support (allowing for replacement of damaged parts), and prison-style isolation chambers.
"What did Li Yue call this system again?... Oh right, Veronica. I wonder if this Veronica is Li Yue's ex-girlfriend. It's a pity this system is still theoretical; who knows how long it will take to complete. But at least this armor has been made first."
Tony looked at the Iron Monger, who was already dumbfounded, and still had the leisure to think about these irrelevant things.
"Obadiah, it's my turn now. You're going to enjoy this."
Tony, now inside the giant armor, looked down at the Iron Monger, who was much shorter than him, and spoke to him.
Obadiah was already terrified. He didn't know when Tony had built such an armor. Seeing that it was even larger than his own, he was already thinking of retreating. He had been able to overpower Tony before because his armor was larger and stronger, and Tony's arc reactor was low on energy, while his own was full and equipped with many thermal weapons. That's why he had such an overwhelming advantage over Tony.
But looking at the armor Tony was wearing now, not only was it larger than his own, but the craftsmanship was clearly much more refined.
What made the Iron Monger truly collapse was seeing the arc reactors on Tony's armor. If he wasn't mistaken, there seemed to be a total of five: one on the chest, and one on each hand and leg.
"I'm having such a hard time!"
This was the Iron Monger's truest thought at that moment.
"Dear Tony, can we stop and talk? I don't think fighting solves problems, do you? I'll transfer all my shares in Stark Industries to you, so you can have absolute control over the company. Think about it, Tony." The Iron Monger softened, he had no choice but to do so.
"Talk? Why didn't you say stop and talk earlier? The biggest mistake you made was almost killing Pepper. Now you want to reconcile? Too late!"
After speaking, Tony clenched his right fist, energy burst from his feet, and he delivered a powerful punch towards the Iron Monger.
Seeing that Tony was unwilling to stop and was directly attacking him, the Iron Monger could only fire his Gatling gun on his right arm at Tony, hoping to stop his advance. At the same time, he quickly retreated, trying to create distance from Tony. He no longer dared to confront Tony head-on.
Bang!
With just one punch, the Iron Monger was sent flying, rolling several times after landing before coming to a stop. That wasn't all; the Iron Monger realized that with just one punch, Tony had damaged his armor by as much as 30%, and there was even a deep indentation on the armor's surface.
Seeing Tony charging towards him again at an extremely fast speed, the Iron Monger scrambled to his feet, sweeping his Gatling gun on his right arm at Tony and firing his last remaining missile at him.
Boom!
...A violent explosion kicked up countless plumes of smoke. The Iron Monger stopped his attack, staring intently at the explosion site, hoping that when the smoke cleared, Tony would be blown to smithereens.
Unfortunately, his hopes were destined to be dashed. Before the smoke could even clear, Tony walked out of the explosion site, step by step. The heavy steel armor made little noise as he walked, but each step felt like a heavy hammer striking the Iron Monger's chest.
The Iron Monger was already dumbfounded. After enduring such a violent explosion head-on, Tony's armor showed not a single scratch.
"You've used up your tricks. Now it's my turn," Tony said with immense dominance.
After speaking, he raised his right arm, energy gathered in the center of his palm, and a dazzling beam of energy shot out.
The Iron Monger barely had time to react, only slightly shifting his body to the left, but this action saved his life, allowing him to avoid the fatal chest area. However, his armor's right arm was still hit.
The Iron Monger's armor's right arm fell to the ground, the broken end glowing red hot, even showing signs of liquefaction, with a few drops of molten iron dripping to the ground, making a "hiss, hiss, hiss" sound.
The Iron Monger was stunned, having just brushed with death. He couldn't imagine what would have happened if that hit had landed on his chest; he would surely be dead beyond dead.
Tony was also shocked by the result of his attack. He hadn't expected such immense power; the Iron Monger's armor seemed as fragile as paper in front of him.
At this point, the Iron Monger no longer fantasized about defeating Tony. Now, being able to escape felt like a stroke of luck in misfortune. He looked around, pondering an escape plan, when suddenly his eyes lit up, and a thought flashed through his mind... The surrounding crowd was also stunned, never having imagined that the small red robot could enter the large robot, and the subsequent burst of power left the black robot, which had initially held the upper hand, utterly helpless.
Then, it was hit head-on by a missile without any damage, and with a flick of its hand, an energy beam severed the black robot's right arm. One had to remember that the black robot was made of steel, not paper.
Just as the crowd cheered for the red robot's overwhelming victory, they saw the black robot suddenly turn and run, no longer confronting the red robot, not even bothering to pick up its severed right arm.
One bystander looked closely and saw that the black robot was running directly towards them, and screamed in terror, "Run! He's coming for us!" Then he took off running.
The onlookers also heard his shout and, realizing the black robot's target was indeed their location, quickly scattered, creating utter chaos. Shouts, curses, and cries filled the air.
However, at this moment, two people remained motionless. One was Li Yue, confident that the Iron Monger couldn't possibly catch him, and the other was the female reporter. She was passionately broadcasting, her back to the cameraman, completely unaware of the Iron Monger rushing towards them.
The cameraman, seeing the Iron Monger approaching, dropped his camera and ran for his life.
"How heartless, he didn't even bother to warn the beautiful reporter," Li Yue cursed inwardly, watching the cameraman's actions.
By then, the Iron Monger was less than a few meters in front of them. The female reporter finally reacted, frantically preparing to flee, but it was too late.
The Iron Monger reached her in less than a second, grabbing at her with his remaining left hand. The young woman could only watch, helpless, as the giant steel arm reached for her.
At this critical moment, the beautiful reporter noticed a figure had appeared in front of her, facing away from her. The not-so-broad back, at this moment, brought her an unparalleled sense of security.