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Chapter 3
🕑 Added 2025-10-28 13:10:19 +0000 UTCAfter seeing the video in which he created a new element and completely solved the problem of palladium poisoning, Tony Stark was beyond excited. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to rush out of the theater and do something big.
Oh my God, the death threat that had been hanging over him could finally be solved.
Even if the new element smelled like rust and coconut—or even worse—he would replace it without hesitation!
[System Prompt: The video has not finished playing. Do you wish to leave the theater?]
Hearing the system prompt, Tony Stark forced himself to suppress his excitement.
“Don’t leave yet!”
[Please control your emotions.]
Once Tony made his choice, the system continued playing the video.
On the screen, Tony Stark—now in his Iron Man armor—was battling Ivan Vanko (Whiplash) alongside Colonel Rhodes.
After a fierce armored duel, it was clear that Tony and Rhodes were at a disadvantage. Their armors were heavily damaged, and both were entangled by Vanko’s electrified whips.
Seeing several systems malfunctioning, Rhodes cursed anxiously, “Tony, you got any bright ideas? Damn it, that laser attack you used earlier—you should’ve hit him with that!”
Controlling his armor while trying to pull the chains off his neck, Tony smirked. “You’re too late, but I still have one last trump card I haven’t used yet.”
“Then what the hell are you waiting for?” Rhodes shouted.
Ignoring his partner’s panic, Tony opened his faceplate and yelled into the darkness nearby, “Hey, Judge! If you don’t do something now, we’re both going to die here!”
“Who the hell are you talking to? Judge? Tony, are you—”
Before Rhodes could finish, a flash of purple magical energy slashed through the air. In the blink of an eye, the chain binding their armors was cut clean in two.
“Whoa—what kind of power is that?”
Rhodes stared at the severed chain in shock. “If that thing had hit our armor instead…”
Before he could finish, a black-robed figure appeared at the center of the battlefield. The figure wore a silver mask, his aura cold and deathly like a grim reaper.
The one-sided battle came to an abrupt stop. The mysterious man raised his hand, and a black card shot toward Ivan Vanko, sticking to his armor.
Vanko looked down warily at the card, reading the glowing words written on it:
[Ivan Vanko]
[Crimes: 187]
[Verdict: Execution by Beheading]
“The Judge?”
Seeing the mysterious man appear on the screen, Tony Stark—watching from the theater—was stunned.
He didn’t remember ever meeting anyone called “Judge.”
But judging by the video, he seemed to know him well in the future—and even regarded him as his greatest trump card.
Tony crossed his arms, thinking for a moment.
That’s right. The video was showing the future. So it made sense that he didn’t know him yet.
Meanwhile, in another screening room…
“Judge…”
Nick Fury narrowed his one eye as he watched the cold and solemn Linen on the screen. He was certain he’d never heard of this man before.
But not everyone liked to flaunt their existence the way Tony Stark did.
Still, Nick Fury silently memorized the name. Judge.
He would definitely investigate him after this session was over.
Back in the video—
“187 counts of murder?”
Ivan Vanko smirked as he glanced at the black card. “Oh, I remember now. Counting those idiots from Hammer Industries, that’s exactly 187 people killed by me!”
“But you—some ghostly freak—think you can judge me?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a micro-missile launched from his shoulder and flew straight at Linen.
Tony, realizing what was about to happen, tried to rush forward to block it with his armor.
But before he could, Linen raised a hand. A magic shield instantly materialized in front of him.
“BOOM!”
The missile exploded on impact, shaking the ground and sending flames roaring across the battlefield. Trees were uprooted, smoke billowed—but when the fire cleared, Linen’s magic shield didn’t even have a scratch.
Ivan Vanko’s face darkened. He immediately tried to take off using his armor’s thrusters.
“Trying to escape now? Too late.”
Linen’s cold voice echoed across the battlefield. Two ghostly chains suddenly shot out from the air, wrapping tightly around Vanko’s armor and slamming him to the ground.
Before Vanko could react, two golden portals opened—one beneath his feet, and another above his head.
His body dropped through the lower portal, and as his neck entered it, the upper portal snapped shut.
CRACK!
A sharp sound cut through the night. Ivan Vanko’s severed head rolled across the ground, while his headless body fell from the portal above.
Rhodes’ eyes widened in shock.
“Gulp…”
Swallowing hard, he turned to Tony and muttered, “Tony, what kind of friends have you been making lately?”
“Damn, he just—just chopped the guy’s head clean off! That circle thing sucked him in and dropped… what the hell even was that?”
“And seriously, if you’ve got such a powerful buddy, why didn’t you call him in earlier? You some kind of masochist? You had to wait until we were about to die?”
As Rhodes continued to rant, Tony quickly raised a hand to stop him.
Turning toward the Judge, Tony said sincerely, “Thanks, Judge.”
“You’re welcome,” Linen replied coldly. “It was my mission.”
With that, he waved his hand, conjuring a portal, and disappeared.
Watching him vanish, Rhodes smacked his lips. “Tony… are all your friends this weird?”
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