Behind a wall.
Tony Stark leaned against it, panting. "Jarvis, use an Elixir of the Goddess of Life."
The so-called Elixir of the Goddess of Life was a super recovery potion provided by Rimuru, and Tony had pre-installed three of them in his Mark IV.
This was also one of the Mark IV's strongest life-support trump cards!
"Yes."
After using the potion, Tony Stark's injuries recovered instantly as though they had never existed.
Even though this wasn't his first time using one, Tony was still impressed. Instantly recovering from all injuries was nothing short of miraculous.
But now wasn't the time to marvel at it. "Jarvis, report armor damage!"
The helmet display turned into a sea of red—almost every part was severely damaged.
Tony sighed helplessly. "Okay, okay, I get it."
Honestly, the Mark IV's performance had already reached its highest testing standard, and Tony had performed well too, at least not below expectations.
But unfortunately, he still couldn't win.
This made Tony feel a bit frustrated—the gap between him and Rimuru was simply too large!
Without energy shield technology, the Mark IV armor was far from enough to handle a monster like Abomination.
With his armor seriously damaged and shock absorption greatly reduced, Tony Stark had been injured multiple times already. He had used two of his three recovery potions.
The brutality of this battle was far beyond anything Tony had imagined!
Jarvis spoke: "Sir, energy is only at 30%. You are currently in an extremely dangerous state. I recommend that you retreat immediately."
Tony ignored the advice, pretending to be relaxed. "Jarvis, my father taught me many things, but he never taught me how to run from a battle. What you need to do now is help me figure out a plan to win."
"Understood, Sir."
Boom!
Unable to find Iron Man, Abomination grew even more agitated.
He leaped more than ten meters high, bounding between buildings, occasionally smashing walls or kicking cars in his rage.
The street was quickly reduced to chaos and ruins.
"Tin can! Is this all the strength you have?"
"Come out! Come out now!"
Abomination's roars echoed through the street, and Tony's mind worked furiously.
How could he possibly defeat Abomination?
His energy was low, and he had almost no weapons left. It seemed he could only rely on the environment!
Even if he couldn't defeat Abomination, he at least had to trap him and stop him from causing more damage.
"Jarvis, pull up a holographic projection of the entire street!"
"Yes, Sir."
After thinking it over, Tony finally chose a building.
"Jarvis, scan that building for life signals."
"As you wish."
Moments later, Jarvis responded.
"Sir, scan complete. No life signals detected."
"Good. Now plan the best strategy. I want to lure this big guy over and hit him hard!"
"Yes, Sir."
Da da da da da~
A hail of bullets rained down on Abomination, instantly maxing out his aggression.
"Tin can! You finally have the guts to show yourself?"
Seeing Iron Man appear, Abomination was delighted and immediately charged.
Tony, of course, wasn't going to face him head-on. He moved swiftly and kited, and the simple-minded brute quickly fell into Tony's rhythm.
A few minutes later, Tony successfully lured Abomination to the planned ambush location.
Just as he was about to use his final explosive to collapse the building and bury Abomination, Tony suddenly noticed a life signal on the rooftop.
After zooming in, Tony saw a reporter with a camera, standing on the roof, recording the fight.
He hadn't been there earlier. When did he get up there?
Risking his life for a scoop? Tony Stark wanted to curse.
If Tony's mood could be described right now, it would be: an epic disaster film… directed by elementary school students on summer break.
Even worse, as Abomination attempted to attack Tony, he casually hurled a car—and the car happened to be flying directly toward the reporter.
"Ah!"
Seeing the car rush toward him, the reporter panicked and instinctively closed his eyes.
Boom!
The thrusters under Tony's feet blasted out a surge of power, and he instantly appeared in front of the reporter, catching the car with his bare hands.
The expected crash never came.
The reporter slowly opened his eyes—only to witness an unforgettable sight.
Iron Man, his armor battered and smoking, knelt on one knee before him, catching the car with both hands.
Iron Man had saved him.
He watched as Tony slowly and strenuously lowered the car. But at that moment, the reporter's eyes widened, and he subconsciously shouted, "Look out!"
The warning came too late—Tony had no time to dodge.
What happened next shocked the reporter even more. Just as Abomination's huge, ugly foot came crashing down, Iron Man suddenly grabbed him tightly.
Boom!
Crack! Crack!
Both Tony and the reporter were launched like cannonballs. The intense pain made the reporter vomit blood as consciousness slipped away.
His last blurry memory was of sparks bursting endlessly from Iron Man's armor.
Just like the reporter, Tony's vision darkened, and the overwhelming pain nearly knocked him out.
If Abomination's attention hadn't been redirected by the newly arrived Hulk, preventing him from finishing Tony off, Iron Man—the future pillar of the Marvel Universe—would likely have died here.
Perhaps this too was the protagonist's halo at work.
"Sir… Sir…"
With his vision fading and ears ringing, Tony only gradually heard Jarvis's voice after some time.
"Sir, your life is in critical danger. Beginning self-assessment—administering Elixir of the Goddess of Life."
This was Tony's preset automatic program, designed for extreme emergencies.
"Stop."
Just as Jarvis prepared to inject it, Tony stopped him.
"Sir, your injuries are extremely serious," Jarvis warned. "If not treated immediately, you will go into shock within ten minutes. Organ failure will occur within twenty. After thirty minutes, you will certainly die."
Tony looked toward the distant battlefield, where Hulk and Abomination were clashing with world-shaking force, and drew a deep breath.
"My battle is over. Give the recovery potion to the reporter first."
Jarvis said, "Sir, to sacrifice yourself for another… You are truly noble and pure."
Tony gave a weak, self-mocking smile. "Noble? No. I'm just a failure. Begin treating the reporter."
"Yes, Sir."
The final recovery potion was used on the reporter, and his injuries healed rapidly—while the battered Iron Man soared into the sky.
Across the world, countless viewers watching Iron Man ascend had complex expressions—some sympathetic, others critical.
Draft headlines were already forming in their minds:
"Iron Man Defeated by Abomination—Retreats from Battle.""Superhero or Cowardly Deserter?""Unable to Protect Civilians—Is Iron Man Still Fit to Monopolize Humanoid Mechs?"
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120 power stones for another bonus chapter