The unexpected turn of events left Finney somewhat frustrated and irritable. Seeing Tony being found by Obadiah and forced back into hand-to-hand combat, Finney didn't hesitate and began preparing the portal.
Concentrating intently on channeling energy, a wide portal quickly appeared not far from where the two were fighting.
It must be said, Finney's talent wasn't that great; once the portal was fully open, not only Obadiah saw it, but even the reporters noticed.
Fortunately, Tony finally put in some effort, managing to move the battlefield closer to the portal.
Looking at the pristine white snow on the other side of the portal, Obadiah certainly didn't think that the strange circle was just for him to see. He realized he had underestimated the help Tony had brought in.
Initially, he was focused on preventing Tony's escape, but now, Obadiah was thinking about how to escape himself, even if it meant abandoning Stark Industries.
As long as he mastered the small arc reactor technology and the armor, he could make a comeback and become even stronger.
Although Tony was technically smarter, he believed he was more ruthless and vicious in combat, and would eventually defeat Tony, provided he survived first.
Unfortunately, while the Iron Monger was stronger than Tony and escaping from the Mark II wouldn't be easy, its bulk made it difficult for Tony to bring it into the portal.
Watching Tony struggle for so long, Finney sighed helplessly; relying on himself was always better than relying on anyone else.
After calming his mind, Finney focused on the Iron Monger's location, concentrating on his plan, and used the 'Golden Grand Evolution Technique'.
"Mobile Portal!" The
sparking portal moved at a visible speed, quickly appearing in front of the Iron Monger. Upon seeing this, Tony immediately increased his strength, locking the Iron Monger in place and causing it to fall into the portal with him.
Worried that Obadiah might fly out, Finney quickly reached the portal, leaped in, and then closed it.
The dilapidated site was left with only excited and bewildered reporters.
...
"Where is this?"
Suddenly, the surroundings turned into a snowy wonderland. It would be a lie to say Obadiah wasn't panicked, but before Finney could answer, he had already seen the answer according to the computer system in his armor.
"Mount Everest!?"
Obadiah, inside his armor, was completely bewildered. One second he was in New York, the next he was on Mount Everest. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't experienced it firsthand.
"The second match begins!"
Tony announced somewhat jokingly, charging towards Obadiah. Finney, not one to stand idle this time, joined the battle as well.
Their armors' firearms had been nearly exhausted in the previous battles, so now it was mostly hand-to-hand combat. Finney wasn't going to back down in that regard.
Conjuring the Rings of Gorgador in his hands as weapons, Finney used his aerial agility to engage the Iron Monger in hit-and-run tactics, darting here and there, making Obadiah feel increasingly tormented.
"Who are you? What did Tony give you? I can give you double!"
Obadiah, realizing his predicament, panicked and tried to win Finney over.
Finney ignored him. So much had happened today that he was exhausted; he just wanted to quickly gain experience and get some rest.
While the Ring of Gargador was a basic spell of Kamar-Taj, its power was considerable; it could easily pierce steel armor, especially given the lack of anticipation and handling of the low-temperature environment.
Under their combined assault, the Iron Monger was quickly reduced to tatters and riddled with wounds.
"Tony! You can't do this to me! I'm your father's best friend, I watched you grow up, it's me, it's the company I helped you manage!"
Obadiah's panicked voice came from inside the Iron Monger; he knew that defeat was inevitable.
Tony remained silent, only slightly restraining his actions. He had almost considered Obadiah family, and never imagined that the kidnapping was orchestrated by him. After
developing the miniature arc reactor, he had only told three people about it: his best friend Rhodes, his most trusted assistant Pepper, and his closest family member, Obadiah Stan.
"Hey, whatever you want to do with him, get him out of here first."
Noticing Tony seemed a bit distracted, Finney couldn't help but remind him, speechless. If this were in a movie, he'd definitely get killed.
Tony also realized that this wasn't the time to daydream.
It was nighttime in New York, but morning on Mount Everest, the coldest time of day.
A fierce, biting blizzard raged, freezing the armor of both men, turning it into a white expanse, especially Iron Monger, whose movements seemed increasingly stiff.
Finney's 'Demon Possession,' having evolved ice resistance, remained perfectly normal.
Obadiah panicked, finally deciding to flee. His flight system activated, flames erupting from his feet, melting much of the ice.
His heavy body required immense energy to fly, and after fighting for a considerable time, even the powerful miniature arc reactor couldn't sustain him indefinitely.
Obadiah's energy began to wane after only a short time.
"Don't push me!"
Seeing Tony and Finney's relentless pursuit, Obadiah screamed hysterically. He had just achieved everything, his dreams barely begun, and now they were about to be shattered.
"Obadai, come back with me and confess!"
Finally, Tony, considering their years of friendship, said to Obadiah.
Confessing was practically a death sentence for him, and Obadiah was naturally unwilling. He felt he could still be saved. He glanced at the snow-capped mountains in the distance and used his last bit of energy to fly in that direction.
He was going to create an avalanche to stop the two behind him, even though he might also be in danger. This was his last chance.
Watching Obadiah suddenly accelerate away, Finney was puzzled. Although he wanted to stop him, frankly, Obadiah was faster than his own flying technique. Shaking him off was unlikely, but catching up was even more unrealistic.
As for Tony, Obadiah was already running out of energy; how much could the older version of Tony have left? A full-speed chase might result in mutual destruction. With Finney by his side, he didn't need to risk his life.
"What is he trying to do?"
Seeing Obadiah's determination to reach the snow-capped mountains, Finney asked Tony with some confusion.
"I don't know."
Tony was equally bewildered, unable to understand Obadiah's thoughts. Finney had opened the portal, and he didn't even know about it; Obadiah couldn't possibly have set up an ambush on the mountain.
However, upon reaching the foot of the mountain, the two quickly understood the meaning behind Obadiah's actions, as he launched several missiles onto the mountain.
"He's trying to create an avalanche!"
Finney and Tony exclaimed in unison, their expressions changing drastically.
The massive explosion predictably caused the mountain to tremble, and a large amount of snow slid down like ocean waves, but Obadiah charged towards the avalanche without looking back.
"Damn it!"
Finney cursed under his breath in frustration. If Obadiah really rushed in, even if they followed, they would probably be buried in the snow. As for waiting in the air for the avalanche to pass, that might give Obadiah the opportunity to escape.
However, Obadiah's actions were definitely not without risk; if things went wrong, he might be buried and unable to get out.
And what Finney needed to do now was eliminate that possibility.
Flying swiftly to Tony's side, seeing Obadiah rapidly approaching the avalanche, Tony immediately said, "Find a way to get within five meters of him."
Tony acted decisively, grabbing Finney and squeezing out his last bit of energy to accelerate and sprint, almost overtaking Obadiah and reaching him.
However, after that, Tony's energy was almost depleted, his flight became intermittent, and with the avalanche imminent, his situation became dangerous.
Finney, having reached Obadiah, didn't have time to worry about Tony. Through the small but penetrating wound he had left on Iron Monger, he began to use his ability—a
skill he had once considered utterly useless, allowing him to summon anything within five meters of his line of sight!
'Violet Chicken Nuggets Roll' x3!
'Violet Chicken Nuggets Roll' x3!
'Violet Chicken Nuggets Roll' x3!
Releasing three per second, in just a few dozen seconds, Iron Monger's body was filled with 'Violet Chicken Nuggets Roll'. And that wasn't all. Immediately afterward, Finney said,
"Your system will crash at low temperatures and cannot start!"
Having done this, the avalanche was almost upon them. Without looking back, Finney flew to Tony's side, grabbed him, and quickly ascended into the air, watching as Obadiah's Iron Monger was engulfed by the avalanche.
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(End of Chapter)