Dawn broke over Cairo.
Tony stood alone in the ruins. The Mark Infinity Supreme armor gleamed in the early morning light. Pink and orange painted the sky behind the Akkaba Citadel.
The massive fortress loomed ahead. Dark. Imposing. A monument to tyranny built from Celestial technology and ancient stone.
Tony's sensors showed activity inside. Energy readings spiking. Apocalypse was preparing.
'This is it. Everything comes down to the next hour.'
The citadel's main entrance opened. Massive doors that weighed hundreds of tons swung apart like they were made of paper.
A figure emerged.
Apocalypse walked out slowly. His footsteps shook the ground. Each step deliberate. Powerful. Fifteen feet of ancient rage and god-tier power.
His Celestial armor gleamed silver and black in the dawn light. Energy crackled around his body. His eyes burned with power that made the air shimmer.
He stopped two hundred feet from Tony. The distance between them felt both vast and insignificant.
"Tony Stark." Apocalypse's voice boomed across the ruins. "You came."
"I said I would." Tony's voice was calm through his helmet's speakers.
Apocalypse smiled. It was a terrible expression. "I expected you to bring your army. Hide behind lesser beings while pretending to be brave."
"I don't need an army to beat you."
"Arrogance." Apocalypse gestured and reality bent around his hand. Space warped. "Or perhaps ignorance. Do you truly believe twenty-five years of life gives you the wisdom to face five millennia?"
Tony didn't answer. He just activated his armor's combat systems.
Weapons armed. Energy matrices charged. Quantum processors running at maximum. The ten rings integrated into his suit hummed with power.
Magic circuits activated. Spells prepared. Combat forms loaded into his muscle memory through the AI-enhanced training system he'd developed.
'I've trained for this. Studied countless martial arts. Used quantum AI to refine and perfect techniques that human masters spent lifetimes developing. Combined it with Homo Supreme physical abilities and magic that rivals the Ancient One herself.'
Tony's hands moved into a combat stance.
'I'm ready.'
Apocalypse saw the stance and laughed. "You think martial arts will help? Against me?"
"Let's find out."
Tony moved.
*Whoosh!*
He closed the distance in a fraction of a second. Homo Supreme speed combined with quantum-enhanced reflexes. The ground cracked under his acceleration.
His fist shot forward. The punch carried enough force to level a building.
Apocalypse caught it casually in one massive hand.
"Weak."
He squeezed. Tony's armor groaned under the pressure. Alarms blared.
Tony twisted. A technique from Aikido combined with quantum phasing. His arm became intangible for a split second. He slipped free from Apocalypse's grip.
Spinning. Leg sweeping around. The kick aimed for Apocalypse's knee.
*Crack!*
The impact created a shockwave. Apocalypse didn't move. His body was too dense. Too powerful.
But Tony had expected that. The kick wasn't meant to hurt. It was positioning.
Tony's hands moved in complex patterns. Orange light flickered. Mystic symbols formed in the air.
"Chains of Cyttorak!"
Magical chains materialized around Apocalypse. They wrapped his arms and legs. Binding. Restricting.
Apocalypse's eyes widened slightly. "Magic? You dare use the mystic arts against me?"
He flexed. The chains shattered like glass.
*Crash!*
"I have faced sorcerers supreme across millennia. Your tricks are nothing new."
Tony was already moving again. He activated the first ring's power. Matter manipulation.
The ground beneath Apocalypse liquefied. Concrete turned to quicksand in an instant.
Apocalypse sank ankle-deep. Then he simply floated. Rising above the trap effortlessly.
"You'll have to do better than that."
Tony fired repulsor beams from both palms. The energy struck Apocalypse dead center. Blue light exploded on impact.
Apocalypse tanked it. The beams didn't even scorch his armor.
"My turn."
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