"Already mad, huh?"
Kai looked unfazed as Killian opened fire.
Bullets tore through the air—only to pass harmlessly through Kai's elemental body.
Killian's fury boiled over. Seeing that calm, mocking look on Kai's face pushed him over the edge.
He threw his gun aside and roared, "All of you! Kill him!"
Dozens of Extremis-enhanced soldiers charged forward, their bodies glowing red-hot.
Kai sighed, crumpled up his empty chip bag, and tossed it aside.
"How scary."
He took a step forward—
BOOM!
His kick exploded with a blinding flash, sending the first attacker flying.
"Speed is weight. Ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Another soldier lunged.
BANG!
Kai smirked. "Careful, youngsters—I'm about to hit back."
"Crack!"
"Oh my, these Extremis freaks are just like zombies—scary as hell!"
Bang! Bang!
Each flash from Kai's fingertips cut through enemies like lightning, bodies dropping one after another.
Meanwhile, Tony launched himself at Killian.
The Iron Man armor's fist slammed into Killian's jaw—
—but instead of flying backward, Killian barely flinched. The glowing veins under his skin pulsed, repairing the damage instantly.
Killian grinned. "That's the best you've got, Tony? Weak."
He grabbed both of Tony's armored arms. The Extremis energy burned bright in his palms, melting the reinforced titanium like wax.
"Oh, it's hot in here, isn't it, Tony Stark?" Killian sneered. "Feels like a turtle cooking inside its shell!"
Jarvis's voice blared in Tony's ears:
"Sir, temperature critical. Armor integrity compromised!"
"Noted!" Tony growled, deploying the wrist blades and slicing off both of Killian's forearms in one brutal motion.
Killian screamed as molten orange blood sprayed out.
Before he could regenerate, Tony charged his chest reactor.
"Repulsor overload—fire!"
BOOM!
A blinding white beam erupted, blasting Killian backward through debris.
Tony didn't hesitate—shoulder launchers snapped open, micro-missiles firing in rapid bursts.
Bang!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground erupted in flames, explosions lighting up the sky.
Tony hovered above the inferno, glaring down.
"That's my return gift to you!"
Satisfied, he turned toward Kai. "Hey, Kai, you need me to—"
Before he could finish, Killian burst from the smoke—his body wreathed in molten light.
He roared, grabbed Tony midair, and hurled him straight into the manor wall.
CRASH!
The wall exploded into rubble.
Tony barely got his bearings before Killian was on him again, shirtless now, the dragon tattoos on his shoulders glowing like they were alive. His arms had fully regrown.
"Round two!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each flaming punch dented the armor deeper.
"Sir," Jarvis warned, "damage at 30% and rising rapidly!"
Tony gritted his teeth, slammed his helmet forward, and headbutted Killian—
CRACK!
For a second, Killian's skull split—then immediately healed, bones knitting back together.
Killian grinned through the glow, grabbed the armor's left arm, and sliced through it with a blazing hand knife.
Tony barely retracted his real arm in time before the limb was severed.
Killian used the detached arm like a club, smashing Tony backward, then grabbed his helmet with one burning hand.
The metal sizzled and warped under the heat.
Killian leaned in, eyes wild. "What can you do now, Tony?"
Before he could finish—
BOOM!
Kai kicked one of the Extremis soldiers straight into Killian. The man's body went critical on impact.
Both of them were thrown back in a fiery blast.
Tony wrenched free and blasted upward, smoke trailing from his half-melted armor.
"Thanks, Kai! I owe you one!"
Kai dusted his hands. "A raise would be better."
He flicked a light bullet through another soldier's head, vaporizing him.
"Sure you don't want help? For a million bucks, I'll make Killian disappear."
Tony's voice came over the comm: "No deal. Killian's mine."
A grin crept into his voice. "Besides, I've got one last trick."
Killian stumbled out of the flames below, still regenerating, his body a mass of molten scars.
Tony landed beside Kai, the damaged armor sparking.
"Kai, you like fireworks?"
Kai smirked. "Depends. Are they free?"
Tony opened the armor's chest plate. "Then let's enjoy the show."
He raised his hand. "Jarvis—detonate Mark 42."
The remaining armor pieces flew toward Killian, wrapping around him like a metal cocoon.
WHOOOOSH!
The armor lifted off—then exploded midair.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sky lit up with fiery blossoms, glowing brighter than daylight—Tony Stark's fireworks show.
When the smoke cleared, Tony landed among the scattered armor fragments. He picked up the cracked helmet, still bearing the marks of Killian's grip.
He glanced at one of Killian's burned limbs nearby and crushed it underfoot. It crumbled to ash, carried away by the wind.
Tony stared at the remains.
"Let's see you come back from that, you bastard."
Kai looked around at the demolished manor, once a luxurious estate now reduced to ruins.
He sighed. "What a waste."