No matter how much Tony Stark wanted to complain, he had to admit—everything he once postured about, every illusion of grandeur he'd wrapped himself in during the first half of his life—was effortlessly surpassed today by Su Xiuyu.
For the first time, Tony truly understood the chasm between mortals and gods. In his eyes, Su Xiuyu might still be a man… but to the crowd watching with feverish awe, there was no doubt. In this moment, Su Xiuyu was a god.
Especially when he controlled a falling meteorite—casually slowing it, guiding it with impossible grace. A living god indeed.
"Jarvis," Tony muttered, voice hoarse with disbelief, "how the hell is he doing this? How is he controlling a meteorite?"
"Sir," Jarvis responded, calm as ever, "data indicates that Mr. Su is manipulating gravity."
Tony blinked. "You're kidding."
"I assure you I am not, sir."
"Jarvis, do you even understand what you're saying? Gravity like this—like this—can only be generated by celestial bodies. Are you telling me Su Xiuyu's body contains gravitational force comparable to a planet?"
"Sir, I recall you once said: 'No matter how absurd a fact is, if all the impossible answers are eliminated, whatever remains—no matter how outrageous—must be the truth.'"
Tony paused, stunned. "…Did I really program that into you?"
"Yes, sir. Also, your heartbeat is irregular. I suggest breathing."
As Tony stared at the floating behemoth in the sky, he couldn't help but feel… small. Even after upgrading his armor, thinking he could shoulder the world's burdens, he now realized—he was just another clown in the circus.
"Should I even trust him?" Tony asked quietly.
"Sir," Jarvis replied, "trust your friends, as you trust yourself. You taught me that."
As the first meteorite descended slowly into the Atlantic, its upper surface rose above sea level—an entire island emerging from the depths.
Su Xiuyu studied the size and casually muttered, "Huh. Bit too small. Let's go again."
Two more meteorites plunged from the heavens.
Over at NASA's main command center, the sirens that had barely quieted began howling again.
"Director! We've detected two more celestial bodies. Same trajectory. Incoming toward New York!"
"Just destroy them already!"
At this point, the scientists were numb. After surviving one doomsday scenario, hearing about two more was just… Tuesday. The consensus? America was cursed. This was divine judgment. Mortals were no match for a god.
Meanwhile, Su Xiuyu—utterly unaware of the panic he'd sparked—continued his work without a care in the world.
"Turns out dropping meteorites from the sky isn't a one-time thing," Tony commented dryly. "Apparently, it's a hobby now."
"Sir, your sarcasm is... sharp," Jarvis offered, almost nervously.
Along both sides of the Hudson River, citizens shifted from stunned to semi-numb. After all, once someone's flaunting Rinnegan-level power and throwing around meteorites like pebbles, how shocked can you stay?
As the third meteorite joined the others, the new landmass was well underway.
"Earth Control Technique!"
With a surge of chakra, the meteorites began to crack and dissolve. Rock fused with the seabed below, sculpting a massive foundation. Gradually, an expansive artificial island emerged. And then, for aesthetics—a mountain hundreds of meters tall rose at its center.
Mouths hung open across the coastlines.
Then came waterfalls—majestic, flowing from the mountaintop.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A torrent of fresh water burst forth, tumbling down the cliffside. What was once dry rock became a roaring cascade.
Roads spiraled outward from the mountain's base in elegant, ringed patterns—forming the outline of a satellite city.
"Wood Release: Advent of the World of Trees!"
From the ground, trees burst forth—massive, ancient-looking, and eerily beautiful. They grew along designated greenbelts, carefully avoiding planned residential and commercial zones. Within ten minutes, what had been a barren mass of stone became a living, breathing island. Trees of uneven height added a touch of wildness, as if nature itself had risen to meet Su Xiuyu's command.
"Brother Shisui," whispered Uchiha Itachi, eyes wide, "is this… is this what it means to be the God of Ninja? Changing the world with a wave of the hand?"
Even Uchiha Shisui, known for his calm, looked awestruck.
"To be honest," he said slowly, "this is the first time I've ever truly understood that title. I used to think 'God of Ninja' was just hyperbole. But now… it feels like an understatement."
No one questioned why Su Xiuyu could use Wood Release. When you've already accepted Rinnegan, gravity manipulation, and meteorite-summoning, Wood Release barely registers as a surprise.
"All right, Tony," Su Xiuyu said, turning to him. "Contact Stark Industries. Have them start building a large-scale Arc Reactor this afternoon. I've already left you space at the top of the mountain. Of course, if there are any issues, I can still tweak the layout."
"Can you not be so calm about this?" Tony burst out. "You just created an island! That's a miracle! At least act a little excited!"
Su Xiuyu smirked and, with a flicker of genjutsu, transmitted his reply directly into Tony's mind.
"When I'm showing off, I have to look cool. Otherwise, how can I maintain my image as a master?"
Tony nearly facepalmed. "So you are showing off."
"Of course. If I wasn't showing off, I'd do this at night. Quietly."
He winked.
The onlookers, seeing only Su Xiuyu's stoic expression, had no idea. To them, he was a calm, indifferent god. But inside, Su Xiuyu was buzzing with glee. Nothing beat the thrill of coolly being overpowered.
NASA and the U.S. military, however, were on the verge of cardiac arrest. From global extinction to sudden salvation, Su Xiuyu's meteorite ballet pushed everyone to the brink. The entire morning felt like a cruel game: will the country be destroyed… or not? Several high-ranking officials were rushed to the ICU.
Meanwhile, far from Earth—eighteen galaxies away—Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, had just received Nick Fury's distress call.
"Out of the way! I have to leave—Earth's in danger!"
A hulking Chitauri blocked her path. "You come and go as you please. Do you take us for fools?"
"No, I take you for what you are—annoying." Carol casually blasted his head off.
But just as she turned, another Chitauri activated the ship's space shuttle.
"Go rot in the shadow realm!"
A burst of spatial energy surged. Off-guard, Carol was hurled into a shadow zone of the universe.
Back on Earth, inside S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ—
"Well, crap," muttered Nick Fury, staring at his communicator. "The danger's over already."
The meteorite crisis was resolved… a little too quickly.
Nick sighed. "Guess that was a waste of a distress call."
But he wasn't worried. After all, Su Xiuyu was Carol's acquaintance. Let them handle it.
He tossed the communicator aside.
"Let them sort it out themselves."
--------------------------
Su Xiuyu's unconventional land reclamation soon drew the attention of the U.S. military. After all, constructing an artificial island—right off America's most prosperous coast—using meteorites from space? That wasn't exactly low-key.
"General, are you sure about this? Attacking someone who can pull down meteorites like it's nothing? Do you think your guns are going to scare him?"
"Rod, remember your place," General Ross growled. "You're a soldier. You swore to defend this country. That's exactly what I'm doing."
To Ross, anyone with powers beyond his control was a threat—whether it was the Hulk back then or Su Xiuyu now.
"Our army, our fleets, our fighter planes—they exist to defend America. I've already ordered troops to the Hudson River. Don't think that suit Tony Stark gave you makes you untouchable."
But beneath Ross's stubborn exterior was a deeper strategy. If the Hulk could've been taken down with tech, he'd already be locked up. Su Xiuyu, no matter how powerful, had to have a weakness—and modern weapons would find it.
"General, the President is on the line," a soldier interrupted.
Ross picked up the military's secure phone—only to be met with a furious voice.
"Ross, have you lost your mind? Who gave you permission to mobilize troops?!"
"Mr. President, I'm defending the nation."
The President, fuming in the Oval Office, nearly broke his desk in half. "Defending?! The guy just summoned a meteorite like it was Tuesday! We don't even know how it got here, and you want to start a fight?!"
"If that man decides to drop one on North America, we're finished. Utterly wiped out! And you want to provoke him?!"
"If you've got a shred of intelligence left, you'll call off your soldiers right now!"
Sometimes, the bigger the event, the less attention it gets. Su Xiuyu's land reclamation had been going on for days—but the world barely reacted.
For one, the island was cloaked in a barrier. Ordinary citizens couldn't even see it. That's why public panic never flared.
More importantly, Nick Fury had been busy behind the scenes. He briefed the Security Council extensively on Su Xiuyu's overwhelming power. Just his ability to call down meteorites made him a planetary threat.
And Nick hinted at more—unseen powers, still hidden.
After the incident, every major nation quietly moved Su Xiuyu's file into their top-secret black archives.
---
Meanwhile, over at Hammer Industries, Justin Hammer was practically glowing with excitement. With Ivan Vanko by his side, his dream of building Iron Man armor was finally becoming reality.
His factories churned out one suit after another, each more refined than the last.
"Is this... it? The armor I've always dreamed of?" he muttered, admiring the latest prototype.
It wasn't Jarvis-level, of course. But with Ivan's assistance systems, it was miles ahead of the junk Hammer used to make. These mechs could be armed and deployed with ease—no longer fragile showpieces, but genuine war machines.
"Ivan, you're brilliant! Once this project succeeds, money and shares—everything—is yours."
He leaned in, trying to sound sincere. "I heard your father died broke. Don't worry, that won't be your fate. You'll be rich beyond imagination."
What Justin didn't see was the contempt flickering in Ivan's eyes. That remark about his father? Ivan wasn't sure if Hammer was praising or mocking him.
"When will the micro-reactor be ready for installation?" Justin asked, already envisioning global headlines.
"Soon," Ivan replied coolly. "We'll launch at the upcoming Expo. Let the world see: the era of Hammer Industries begins now."
"Good, good! Oh, and at the Expo—can we showcase them properly? Any issues?"
"No issues," Ivan shrugged. "But I suggest making all the suits unmanned. More effective for demonstration. Less... risk."
"Sounds smart. Let's go with that." Justin nodded, deferring to Ivan's expertise. After all, he wasn't a genius like Stark. He knew his limits.
What he didn't know was that Ivan had quietly been upgrading his own weapon—the Whiplash system. More current. More power.
---
A week later, the Hammer Industries Expo opened in a blaze of lights and fanfare.
The star attraction? Not the dancers. Not the pyrotechnics. But the Iron Armors—lined up in perfect formation, gleaming with menace.
The crowd roared as War Machine stepped on stage, piloted by Rhodes, clad in a suit modified by Hammer Industries.
Then—Tony called.
"Rod, something's off. I'm picking up weird signals from Hammer Industries. You might wanna ditch that place. Where are you?"
"I'm... at the Expo."
Tony sighed. "Figures. Hang tight—I'm on my way."
Moments later, the roar of engines echoed above. A red-and-gold blur streaked across the sky and landed with flair—Tony Stark, in his newest armor.
"Rhodey! This baby's fresh off the line. Now come on—we need to leave."
"Tony... turn around."
Tony blinked.
Behind him, twenty Iron Armors had locked onto him in perfect synchronization. Their arms rose in unison, weapons aimed.
Even Rhodes' War Machine armor froze—his system hijacked.
The Gatling gun on his shoulder whirred ominously, now aimed directly at Tony Stark.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Check my Pâtreon for (40) advanced chapters
Pâtreon .com/Fanficlord03
Change (â) to (a)
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9