"Thane… lost?"
Ebony Maw narrowed his eyes, genuinely surprised.
Thane's potential was immense—what he lacked was real combat experience. Bringing him to Earth had been meant as a routine expedition, grinding XP in a low-level zone.
He hadn't expected to run into a monster like Tony Stark.
The Stark of the "original story" would've been manageable. But this Stark had a super-soldier physique, a Vibranium battle suit, and—thanks to JARVIS trading notes with the "Weekend Sale" system—he'd picked up a handful of brutal One-Punch-World brawling techniques.
Tony Stark, as he stood now, was far beyond anyone's projections.
"You mean the big oaf?" Tony bared his teeth in a grin. "If I'm remembering right, I killed him a minute ago."
Ebony Maw's face darkened to pitch. He had… plans for Thanos's "son." Plans that had just gone up in smoke.
"In that case," he said coldly, "you can die with him."
With a crack of air, rubble and rebar surged in a tidal wave, all of it yanked toward Stark like iron filings to a magnet.
Six energy rails unfolded behind Tony's back. With JARVIS calculating in overdrive, the Mark suit spit precise beams, detonating incoming debris before it reached him. Tony had one job: close the distance.
For any "mage," a warrior up close is a nightmare—
—and Tony Stark was a super-heavy plate-wearing berserker.
Ebony Maw slid back, hands clasped behind him as streetlamps wrenched free, brickwork twisted, and whole walls folded to block Stark's path.
Unlucky for him, this wasn't Stephen Strange—glass-cannon damage with tissue-paper defense. With the Vibranium Mark, Tony just lowered his shoulder and plowed straight through.
Rrrrraaaaa—
Buildings buckled and burst along his line of charge. The gap shrank fast. Ebony Maw's composure finally cracked.
Wham—
He threw both hands up. The pavement heaved. A colossus of earth rose like a fortress wall between them.
"I'll give you a hand!"
Across the ruin, Strange—bruised, breathing hard—swept his hands in circles.
A sparking ring opened in front of Ebony Maw. Not thinking, the lieutenant stepped through—
—and popped out on the other side of his own earth-wall.
The side Stark was already on.
They blinked at each other. The "fortress" became Ebony Maw's prison.
That damned Sorcerer Supreme!
"Hey, look at that—fancy meeting you again."
Tony's smile flashed. Twin lances hammered into Ebony Maw's chest, pinning him to the wall with a howl.
Tony surged forward, drew back a gauntleted fist—and an invisible vise clamped his arm mid-swing.
"Ant," Ebony Maw rasped, face contorting as he fought the suit's servos, "did you think you could defeat me?"
Slowly—inch by inch—Tony's own fist began to twist back toward his helmet.
"JARVIS," Tony said evenly, "decouple combat shell. Switch to autonomous mode."
"On it, sir."
"Auto… what?" Ebony Maw faltered.
The Mark armor unlocked, plates irising open—
—and Tony vaulted out of the chest cavity, driving his very human, very enhanced fist into Ebony Maw's jaw.
Crunch.
The lieutenant reeled. Hairline fractures zigzagged across his skull; the earth-wall behind him blew out in a crater. The Mark, free of hostile control, snapped its faceplate down and raked Ebony Maw with precise cutting beams.
Rrrrrm—BOOM—
One of the Black Order's dread four, getting rag-dolled on Earth.
Out of the suit, Tony didn't slow. He moved like a thunderclap—springing, vaulting, ricocheting along shattered masonry like a hunting cat. Overhead, the Vibranium Mark—piloted by JARVIS—kept a surgical rain of fire on target.
Melee plus ranged—perfect pincer.
"That all you've got? You're even softer than I expected."
Tony kicked off a slab, crossed the gap in a heartbeat, and hammered another punch into Ebony Maw's head. Blood sprayed. JARVIS's beams stitched smoking holes across the lieutenant's robe and flesh with scary precision.
"I… am being pressed by… Earth's ants?!"
Ebony Maw's composure frayed into fury—but against a super-soldier Stark plus a perfect AI gunner, he had no answer. He was being dismantled.
"I told you to roll back home," Tony said, voice cool. "Earth doesn't want you here."
The Mark dove, clamped around Tony, and sealed. Energy bled as pale light from the suit's seams—the telltale overflow of power.
Vibranium had feasted on Ebony Maw's barrage. Now it would pay the tab—with interest—on top of Tony's own terrifying punch.
"Here's your ticket out. One-way."
He drew back. The fist thrummed.
"Mr. Stark, I'm here! Need a hand?"
A bright, eager voice cut in. Spider-Man.
The kid had bolted the second he spotted aliens, web-swinging at breakneck speed through the canyons of Manhattan. Now he arced into view, landing light on a broken cornice.
Tony's face fell. "No—!"
Desperate, Ebony Maw's eyes flared. His clawed hand flicked. A crushing grip of will snagged Peter Parker and yanked him into the line of fire.
Finish the punch—and he'd pulp the kid first.
Tony snarled and wrenched his arm sideways.
BOOM—
The shockwave ripped past Peter with inches to spare. The passing gale alone made Ebony Maw vomit blood; the building behind him collapsed, a hundred-meter trench carved through concrete and steel.
The power was on par with one of Saitama's "normal" punches.
Peter landed, white as a sheet. "Uh—"
"Hahahaha—ants are still ants."
Ebony Maw laughed, ragged and wet. The violent course-correction left Tony's right arm numb, blood seeping from the seams of the gauntlet.
"Mr. Stark… are you okay? I—about just now, I—"
"I'm fine," Tony lied, jaw tight. "You picked the perfect time. I need you to pin that creep down."
"Got it! Leave it to me!"
He sprang—
—and a sapphire column slammed down from the clouds, enveloping Spider-Man, Ebony Maw, and the battered Strange all at once.
A tractor beam.
"Damn it."
Tony's eyes hardened. "JARVIS, ping Saitama. Tell him I've got a situation."
Thrusters screamed. Tony rocketed straight for the looming starship.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!] [[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]