A brilliant orange-yellow beam erupted from Tony's chest, blasting Obadiah and his Iron Monger II backward into the rubble.
The Mark IV armor was lighter than the Mark III while maintaining the same defensive strength, equipped with an independent energy system. Only when its power was depleted would it draw from the arc reactor in Tony's chest to sustain his life.
This upgrade was Tony's solution to the energy shortages he faced in his previous battle with Obadiah—a lesson hard-learned.
"Sebastian, what do you think? I'm not running low on power anymore."
"Don't get cocky. Something's off. Obadiah doesn't seem intent on killing us right now."
"Not intent? You think he's had a change of heart? No way."
Shaking his head, Sebastian replied, "It's not that he's softened. He still hates us and wants us dead, but it feels like he's not aiming to kill us in this attack. He's holding back, and that's what's strange."
"Doesn't matter. If we take him down or lock him up again, problem solved, right?"
"Fair point. Let's do this."
"I'm leading the charge—you back me up!"
Tony surged toward Obadiah, who was clawing his way out of the collapsed wall's debris.
The moment he donned the armor, Tony's confidence soared.
Sebastian shook his head, casting a levitation spell on himself. "Wingardium Leviosa!" He floated upward, trailing Tony and Obadiah from a distance. Unfortunately, both Tony's and Obadiah's suits had thermal imaging as standard, so casting an illusion or invisibility spell wouldn't help him stay hidden.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Obadiah swatted Tony out of the air. Tony twisted mid-flight, his suit's thrusters flaring to stabilize him.
In the Mark V, Tony could barely defend himself, leaving no time to study Obadiah's Iron Monger II. Now, in the Mark IV, he noticed its armor was far tougher and thicker than expected. His current weapons might struggle to pierce it.
With such heavy armor, Obadiah's energy consumption should be high, but the arc reactor's robust power supply supported his relentless fighting style, making him a formidable opponent.
As Tony strategized, he used his suit's agility and speed to circle Obadiah, peppering him with arc pulse cannon blasts from his palms to keep him off balance.
Obadiah raised an arm to shield his face, sneering. "Tony, your armor's tech is impressive, but no matter how advanced, it's useless if it can't translate to combat power. Armor's for fighting, not fashion. You're squandering your creativity and talent!"
With that, Obadiah's leg and back thrusters roared to life, propelling him forward. His massive frame slammed into Tony, who couldn't fully dodge. The two armored figures clashed mid-air, leaving a trail of destruction through the mansion.
Sebastian waved his wand, redirecting a chunk of concrete hurtling toward him. "Depulso!" The debris veered aside. He then used the levitation spell's power to swiftly exit the crumbling mansion, emerging outside. Surveying the battered villa, he raised his wand, casting a spell that sent glowing patterns spreading across the structure.
"Reducto!"
The house shuddered, cracks spiderwebbing through its frame.
Creak… Crunch… Boom!
The entire villa trembled violently.
The villa, once sturdy, crumbled entirely under Sebastian's magic, collapsing into ruins and burying Tony and Obadiah, who were locked in combat inside.
Sebastian raised his left hand, the ring glinting, and swept his wand gently before him. A portal sparked to life, its countless embers framing a view of Tony dodging debris within the collapsing structure.
With a precise flick of his wand, Sebastian made a pulling motion. "Accio!" Tony was yanked through the portal, landing safely on the ground, spared from being crushed by the falling wreckage.
Obadiah spotted the portal and charged toward it, aiming to escape. But Sebastian swiftly closed the gateway, severing one of the Iron Monger II's arms. The metal limb thudded to the ground, sparking, though Obadiah's own arm, safely within the suit, was unharmed.
Bang…
The house fully collapsed, entombing Obadiah beneath the rubble.
Tony joined Sebastian, his armor scuffed but intact. "A house collapse won't do much to Obadiah. We can't let our guard down."
Boom!
As if on cue, a figure burst from the ruins, hovering in the air. It was Obadiah in his Iron Monger II, its right arm's palm cleanly severed, electric sparks crackling at the break.
Tony braced to charge, but four shapes sped toward them across the nearby sea. Soon, four bulky, cumbersome robotic warriors landed before Tony and Sebastian, rushing at them with mechanical precision.
Obadiah laughed, his voice booming. "Tony, and the mysterious power user, this time you two are lucky. Wait until next time—I'll wipe you out completely!"
With that, Obadiah turned and fled, vanishing swiftly into the distance.
Tony locked onto Obadiah's retreating form, unleashing high-powered energy. Two orange-yellow blasts shot from his palms, obliterating one robotic warrior. He prepared to pursue Obadiah.
But then, Pepper, hidden nearby, cried out as a robotic warrior discovered her. Without hesitation, Tony spun around, racing to her hiding spot to protect her.
Seeing Tony's shift in focus, Sebastian sighed, knowing Obadiah would likely escape. He waved his wand, casting a spell.
"Depulso!"
The two robotic warriors chasing him slammed into each other, staggering. Red tendrils of light streamed from his wand, striking each robot in turn.
"Reducto!"
Explosions roared, shattering the mechanical foes into fragments.
Creak… Crunch…
Tony ripped apart the robotic warrior lunging at Pepper, tearing it in half. He quickly pulled her to safety, lifting his armor's faceplate to check on her with evident concern.
Sebastian, uninterested in their private moment, turned to Tony. "Tony, things seem under control now. I'm heading back. What's your plan?"
Tony shot Sebastian a mock-glare. "I'll start by cleaning up the mess you made of my house. There's a lot of valuable stuff here. I might need some time to rebuild."
Shrugging, Sebastian replied, "You know it was all to stop Obadiah. Besides, your house was already half-destroyed in the fight. Even without my spell, you'd have to rebuild. I just gave you a head start."
"Then I really want to thank you."
"No thanks, Tony."
With a grin, Sebastian raised his hand, the ring on his finger glinting, and opened a sparkling portal back to Kamar-Taj. As he stepped through, Tony and Pepper exchanged a few words, then began arranging for someone to handle the wrecked villa.
When Sebastian returned to Kamar-Taj, he spotted Mordo training a group of sorcerers in the courtyard. Instead of stopping to greet him, Sebastian headed straight to the laboratory.
Upon entering, he was greeted by a beaming Casillas, whose expression told Sebastian that his experiment had succeeded.
"Casillas, did you get results?"
"Yes, there are results, and the replacement has been successfully formulated!"
"Success? Is it our first sample?"
"The third one, made with six different ingredients. It effectively substitutes for the unavailable materials. Now, we just need a few more tests to find the perfect dosage to brew the actual potion."
"We won't need to run those tests ourselves. I'll find someone to help. Using a supercomputer to calculate the proportions will be faster and easier than manual experiments."
"Supercomputer? That sounds promising!"
Casillas, once a psychiatrist in the outside world, wasn't a sorcerer raised solely in Kamar-Taj. He was familiar with modern technology and open to its possibilities.
"Leave one copy of the potion recipes and data for the Ancient One, and I'll take the other. Once I figure out the exact proportions and dosage, I'll let you know right away."
"Okay, then I'll thank you, Sebastian, for your generosity on behalf of Kamar-Taj's sorcerers."
Sebastian chuckled. "This isn't generosity. It's part of a fair trade—these are just my responsibilities."
After speaking, Sebastian and Casillas organized the materials and samples on the table, dividing them into two sets. Sebastian took one and left the laboratory. Before departing Kamar-Taj, he also picked up a palm-sized bag woven from the silk of a rare magical plant.
This enchanted bag concealed the magical aura of items stored within and was remarkably durable, resisting cuts and flames. It served as a magical storage tool, perfect for carrying various equipment. Since Kamar-Taj had plenty of these bags, Sebastian acquired one for free.
Returning to the New York Sanctum from Kamar-Taj, Sebastian exchanged a quick greeting with Daniel before heading home.
As Sebastian boarded the subway, his phone buzzed with a notification.
He opened a video message from Sean on Facebook, slipped on his earphones, and tapped play. The screen showed a massive green giant clashing with military forces, tearing through their ranks and leaving devastation in his wake.
After watching, Sebastian realized this was the year Bruce Banner returned to New York to confront the Hulk within him. According to the events he recalled, there was a location in the city holding samples of Banner's blood—samples Sebastian had long wanted to study.
Banner's blood was linked to powerful transformations, like those of Abomination, and held immense potential for research. Normally, obtaining such blood would be nearly impossible, but this situation in New York offered a rare opportunity.
The Hulk's blood could enhance certain potions or even inspire new magical techniques. Whatever the possibilities, Sebastian was determined to seize this chance.
Grateful to Sean for the video, Sebastian leaned against the subway car and typed a message. He thanked Sean for sharing the intriguing clip, which had jogged his memory about Banner, and promised to invite him over for dinner when they both had time.