This wasn't the time for talking.
Tony fired his repulsors and shot into the air, chasing after Obadiah's flying form. I cast a Levitation Charm on myself and rose in three quick bounds—not as fast as Tony's armor, but fast enough to keep up.
We reached the deserted industrial area within seconds.
Obadiah landed hard, the Iron Monger's massive frame cracking pavement. Tony touched down nearby, repulsors charging.
I released my Levitation Charm and hit the ground running, wand already raised.
"Reducto!"
White light shot from my wand and slammed into the center of Iron Monger's chest. The armor rang like a bell, and Obadiah stumbled back a step. A visible dent appeared in the chest plate.
But no serious damage.
Shit.
The magic from my previous life—most offensive spells, anyway—was designed to target people. Living flesh. They needed direct hits on unprotected targets to be truly effective.
There were more powerful options, of course. Indiscriminate attack spells like Confringo or Bombarda Maxima. Advanced dark magic with unparalleled destructive force, like Fiendfyre.
But my strength hadn't recovered enough to use high-level magic yet. And most of the spells I could cast needed to hit human bodies directly. Spells that could be avoided by cover were also weakened by armor.
Need to work around that.
"Protego!"
An invisible barrier materialized just as the Gatling gun on Iron Monger's arm spun up and roared.
Bullets hammered against my shield in a continuous stream, each impact sending ripples across the magical barrier. My wand glowed faintly white, channeling power to maintain the defense.
Gatling has way more punch than pistols. This won't hold forever.
Tony rushed in from the side and slammed his armored fist into Iron Monger's arm, knocking the Gatling off-target.
I took the opportunity immediately—dropped the shield, shifted position, sprinted laterally while raising my wand toward Iron Monger's leg joints.
"Diffindo!"
White light shot out and struck the relatively slender joint mechanism.
BOOM.
The Severing Charm worked—barely. The stronger the material, the worse the spell's effectiveness. Iron Monger's armor was tough enough that a single hit wasn't sufficient to destroy the joint completely.
But it disrupted functionality.
The massive leg stuttered, servos whining, and Iron Monger's body tilted before crashing to one knee.
"What?! What did you do to my armor?!" Obadiah's voice roared through the suit's speakers.
Creak...
The Iron Monger forced itself back to standing, Obadiah compensating for the damaged leg. But the movement was slower now, less coordinated.
"Stane, you'd better surrender," Tony called out, hovering a few feet off the ground. "Otherwise don't blame us for being rude."
"The winner isn't decided yet, Tony!"
Obadiah swung a massive fist. Tony barely dodged—the blow grazed his shoulder and sent him spinning through the air before he caught himself.
Then Obadiah raised his left arm toward me.
A rocket launcher deployed.
Oh, come on.
The rocket screamed toward me.
I swung my wand at the ground in front of me, pulling upward in a sharp motion. "Petra Aegis!"
A thick wall of concrete erupted from the pavement, rising just in time to intercept the rocket before it exploded.
BOOM.
The wall shattered under the blast, chunks of concrete raining down, but it had done its job. I was untouched behind the debris.
Transfiguration in battle is useful. But it requires serious magical power.
This is all I can manage right now.
I raised my wand again, targeting the same damaged leg. "Diffindo!"
BOOM.
White light struck the joint again. Two consecutive hits finally destroyed it completely—the entire leg lost power and went limp. Iron Monger crashed to its knees, and this time, no amount of struggling could force it back up.
"Asshole! What did you do to my armor?!"
Another rocket launched.
I flicked my wand sharply. An invisible barrier appeared at an angle in front of me, deflecting the rocket's trajectory. It sailed past my shoulder and exploded harmlessly in the air.
"Tony!" I shouted. "Destroy his targeting system!"
During the earlier fight, I'd heard Tony and Obadiah calling each other by name. No need to worry about Tony wondering how I knew his identity.
Tony processed my suggestion instantly. His faceplate snapped down, HUD analyzing Iron Monger's systems.
"Good idea," he muttered. "The weapons are all he's got—Gatling and rockets. Take away his ability to aim, and we've got him."
"Cover me!" Tony yelled, launching into the air.
He danced around Iron Monger, bobbing and weaving, looking for an opening.
Thanks to my intervention, Tony's armor still had plenty of energy left—enough to support slightly extravagant maneuvering.
Good. Let's keep him distracted.
"Incendio!"
I lifted my wand and unleashed a stream of fire. Flames shaped like serpents bombarded Iron Monger's body, obscuring Obadiah's vision.
Tony seized the opportunity.
He dropped behind Iron Monger's back, grabbed onto the armor's shoulders, and tore into the head assembly. Sparks flew. Wiring ripped free. The targeting system came out in Tony's hands, a mangled mess of circuits and optics.
Visual transmission: destroyed. Aiming system: abolished.
"Damn it!"
Iron Monger flailed blindly, grabbed Tony's arm, and slammed him into its chest with brutal force.
Tony flew backward, bounced across the ground several times, and finally skidded to a stop beside me.
"Cough... cough..." Tony's voice crackled through his speakers. "I broke the targeting system. What's the plan now?"
I waved my wand slightly. Black smoke rose around me, swirling and coiling, obscuring my figure and features completely.
Can't rush this. Building a relationship takes time.
Helping Tony deal with Obadiah was step one—establishing goodwill, proving competence. But showing too much too soon would make him suspicious. Better to stay mysterious. Half-hidden, half-revealed.
Let him be curious. Let him want to know more.
"Next part is mine," I said, voice calm through the smoke. "You destroyed his visual transmission and targeting. Stane has two options: surrender and play blind man, or open the armor and aim with the naked eye."
I raised my wand. "If he does that, there's nothing protecting him. He won't be my enemy anymore."
As if on cue, Iron Monger's chest plate hissed and slowly opened.
Obadiah Stane sat inside, face twisted with rage and desperation, eyes wild.
He was aiming a gun directly at us.
There it is.
I smiled behind my veil of smoke.
Wrong choice, Obadiah.
Very wrong choice.