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Chapter 158: Iron Man? Mage Tony Stark! The Painting Style Collapses!
🕑 Added 2025-03-20 20:23:16 +0000 UTCIn a few days, the giant Ark reactor manufactured by Stark Industries was finally completed.
It was expected to be a significant event.
The media from all sectors swarmed in like sharks sensing blood.
However, when they arrived at the perimeter, they were stopped by the security company led by Happy.
As reporters rushed to ask when a press conference would be held to mark the occasion, the response was utterly surprising.
"Sorry, we’re not holding a press conference," Happy explained.
"Then what’s the purpose of your company making the Ark reactor?" one reporter asked.
"Isn't it, as we guessed, to provide energy and electricity for the whole city and reduce citizens' expenses?" another chimed in.
"Isn’t Stark Industries already focused on energy projects? Is this for something else?"
"Could it be a secret weapon to fight off an alien invasion?"
"Sorry, I can’t comment on that," Happy replied, blocking the curious media.
Deep down, Happy was just as confused.
What exactly was Tony Stark planning? What was the purpose of creating such a massive Ark reactor?
The truth was, he and the media were equally in the dark.
Perhaps all of this was just a personal hobby of Tony Stark?
Well, it wasn’t exactly the job of a good employee to guess what their boss was thinking.
While Happy blocked the media, he stole a glance at the Ark reactor.
Then, something even more shocking and mysterious occurred.
Under the protection of soldiers, military vehicles began to squeeze into the crowd, forming a separation zone.
High-ranking military officials from both ordinary and rare backgrounds exited the vehicles.
Some of their soldiers worked with Stark's security guards to maintain order.
Shortly after, people from the mysterious Bureau of Magic arrived.
The individuals present were all members of the Bureau of Magic who had already been publicly announced.
There were eight members in total.
Two were from the Avengers team, one was from the X-Men, and the remaining five were the elite selected by the five major factions.
They represented the most powerful conventional military group on Earth.
As for the Bureau of Magic’s mysterious director, it was Tony Stark, the playboy who had triggered all this commotion.
At that moment, the media went wild again.
The President of the United States, accompanied by many high-ranking politicians, arrived.
They entered the isolation zone set up by the military and turned their attention toward the Ark reactor.
Even the most oblivious onlookers realized this was big news.
What Tony Stark was making was no simple project.
It likely had a deeper, unknown purpose.
However, no one knew exactly what that purpose was.
Before the facts were revealed, this group of 583 journalists, who prided themselves on being at the forefront of intelligence, were just a bunch of confused lambs.
Soon, all eyes were on the Ark reactor.
Finally, the moment arrived.
With Tony Stark pressing a button, the behemoth came to life.
The reactor powered up immediately.
A brilliant blue light lit up the entire area.
Tony’s suit of armor flew to the energy release window prepared in advance and began absorbing energy from the magic net.
As soon as he felt the magic net transfer the energy, a smile spread across his face.
It worked!
"J.A.R.V.I.S., continue to increase the energy release rate. Don’t stop until I tell you to," Tony ordered.
"Understood, sir. However, I must warn you that the energy release value you've set is too high. It could cause an overload, and there's a risk of an unexpected explosion. The entire city of New York could be affected."
"J.A.R.V.I.S., sometimes the only way to succeed is by taking a small risk," Tony replied confidently.
"But this isn’t a small risk. If Miss Pepper finds out, she’ll definitely stop you from carrying out this crazy plan."
"Well, if that's the case, she doesn’t know about it, does she?"
"You're right, but I’ll have to stop everything and inform Miss Pepper when the time comes."
"Fine, whatever you want. Until then, you just follow my lead," Tony replied cheerfully.
He could feel that as the energy was absorbed, magic power began to return.
This was an unprecedented experience.
At that moment, Tony felt as if he were stepping into the world of magic, entering an extraordinary realm.
He was beginning to understand the magic he had prepared earlier, and now he could start learning it.
However, he still needed more magic.
He wanted to verify that everything was progressing as planned.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., keep increasing it!" Tony urged.
"Everything is functioning as expected, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied. "The absorption efficiency is even greater than I anticipated."
"Great. Keep going," Tony said eagerly.
The light from the Ark reactor continued to intensify.
It was as if the Iron Man soundtrack was playing in the air as he flew effortlessly through it.
All those watching below could only hear the faint hissing sound of electric current.
If not for the obvious change in the reactor’s light, they might have suspected that Tony hadn’t done anything at all.
"He succeeded!" one person muttered.
"The magic net really can convert other forms of energy into magic power!" someone else exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Nick Fury and a few others were watching the live broadcast from a helicopter.
"Can you detect the energy output from the reactor?" Nick asked.
"No, the distance is too far. The energy levels are rising rapidly, and there seems to be something absorbing the energy. We can’t make any accurate predictions," the technician replied.
Nick Fury wasn’t surprised.
After all, how could ordinary people predict the magic net’s mysteries?
That was divine technology!
"What’s going on, Carol?" Nick Fury asked, looking at Captain Marvel, who appeared puzzled.
Since waking up, Carol’s mental state had been off.
Even though Nick had already informed her about Aaron's many accomplishments and the mysterious magic net, Carol couldn’t stop herself from feeling frustrated.
"I can’t see the magic net; it’s hidden too deeply!" Carol said, frowning.
"Can you see it?" she asked again.
"Those who haven’t signed a contract with the magic net won’t be able to see it. It’s not surprising that you can’t see it unless you’re connected," Nick explained.
"Really? So the magic net is really that mysterious," Carol mused.
She was still brooding over her last defeat.
In her mind, the other side was invincible!
They didn’t rely on brute strength to defeat her but used the magic net to siphon power from countless mages.
That’s why she lost!
Had both sides fought without any external factors, she wouldn't have feared anyone—not even the God of Magic.
Nick Fury noticed the displeasure flashing in Carol’s eyes and quickly spoke up.
"Carol, let’s not provoke the God of Magic for now. He seems to be preoccupied with something else and hasn't made any other moves."
"In the meantime, I’d rather you monitor the Bureau of Magic’s people," Nick added, pointing to the military and politicians nearby.
"Extraordinary power is always tempting. I’m afraid some might try to steal from the magic net and jeopardize the safety of the world."
"Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that. I won’t let them cause any trouble," Carol said, her pride restored.
Though she had lost to Gwen, Carol didn’t believe she would lose to a group of rookies who hadn’t even connected to the magic net—or had just done so.
"Then please," Nick said, pleased.
At that moment, the light from the Ark reactor continued to intensify.
J.A.R.V.I.S. had nearly reached the maximum energy output.
But Tony wasn’t ready to stop just yet.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., everything alright?" Tony asked.
He glanced at the readouts, noticing that the magic net was still absorbing energy at an alarming rate.
"Don’t take your time—turn it up to the maximum!" Tony shouted.
"Understood, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
The super-giant Ark reactor began to overload.
The energy was transmitted as quickly as possible.
But the magic net didn’t refuse anyone.
At LV8, absorbing this amount of energy was a trivial task.
At this moment, Tony realized his early concerns were unfounded.
When he first designed the reactor, he should have focused not on how fast the magic net could absorb the energy, but how to make the reactor run at full overload for as long as possible!
He should have aimed to absorb all its energy in the shortest time possible!
"Damn it! Tony Stark has done it!" Loki muttered under his breath, watching from a distance.
"A Midgardian man has completed the most important step before me."
"At this rate, it won’t be long before powerful mages start emerging in Midgard."
"Just like Kamar-Taj..." Loki grumbled.
From a building far off, Loki watched Tony Stark’s actions with a scowl.
His own experiments with the Mind Gem had failed.
Despite his advanced technology, Loki had struggled to control the energy of the gem.
Only by sheer luck had he absorbed the energy a few times, transforming it into magic power.
But that was all.
Several times, things had exploded, destroying his castles.
It had become increasingly embarrassing for him.
"Boss, can I go see Wanda? I haven’t checked on her recently. Is there anyone to play with her?" Pete asked expectantly.
"Concerned about her? Do you know what kind of treatment she’s getting as a disciple of the God of Magic?" Loki replied with a smirk.
"Her life is way better than yours."
Her rapid strength improvement was far beyond anything Pete could ever hope for.
As Loki thought back to Gwen, he felt a pang of envy.
"That’s it," Loki said to himself. "Aaron’s companions are all women."
He frowned.
Maybe he should try shapeshifting?
But no, he was already the master of chaos.
Playing these games in front of him? Was he courting death?
"Let’s go, there’s nothing to see here."
Loki cast one last glance at Tony before disappearing in a flash, his expression one of disappointment.
On the street, a group of serious-looking people arrived, coming from several vans, and entered the crowd one by one.
Some people glared at them, but as their eyes met, a strange red color appeared in the other party’s pupils.
Those who made eye contact quickly lowered their heads, turned, and left.
After dealing with the brief encounter, the group continued to push forward.
Soon, they reached the defensive line formed by the military and Stark security personnel.
They exchanged glances, as if to confirm their numbers.
Then, without warning, they attacked all at once!
The guards, initially hesitant about firing in fear of harming civilians, opted to block them at close range.
But the attackers were far more powerful than expected. With a simple slap, they sent the guards flying several meters away.
The wounded, the maimed, the dead.
Some had their necks broken with ease.
Even when one of the guards stabbed an opponent with a dagger, they found that the blade melted almost instantly, as if the body in front of them was made of burning lava!
The attacker simply shot the guard dead.
Seeing this, others drew their weapons and opened fire.
But the bullets had no effect.
The enemy ignored the bullets completely.
The wounds they sustained healed rapidly.
Some of the attackers headed straight for high-ranking government officials, even the President.
Others crossed the cordon and made their way toward Tony Stark.
On the outskirts, a young blond man stood smoking a cigar, watching his soldiers carry out their plan.
"Tony Stark, the day has finally come!" he said, smirking. "You never thought that I, who was once looked down upon by you, could achieve such success!"
"Aren’t you proud?" he sneered. "Today, I’ll defeat you in front of the whole world!"
"Let them know that Iron Man is nothing more than my soldiers of Extremis!" he laughed.
This man was Killian, a scientist.
In the past, when he was struggling, he approached Tony Stark to collaborate on developing a soldier-enhancing serum. But Tony dismissed him out of hand, even tossing him onto the roof. That rejection fueled his deep hatred for Tony, and he dreamed of tearing him apart.
Since then, his Extremis research had been a great success.
Although a bit unstable, the soldiers created by the Extremis virus displayed tremendous combat effectiveness.
Killian had been plotting his revenge for a long time, but Tony’s disappearance delayed his plans. He thought he could wait until Tony returned, but when he did, it was to focus solely on Ark reactor research. Tony seemed to have forgotten about developing armor or addressing any real threats.
Seeing his chance, Killian launched a terrorist attack, intending to take down the President, create a massive explosion, and destroy Tony’s confidence by ruining his public image.
Killian was confident in his Extremis soldiers. With their enhanced strength, resilience, and ability to release high heat, they were nearly invincible. If needed, they would explode violently due to the instability of the virus, annihilating everything within range.
This was Killian’s moment to strike.
He would win this battle.
But what happened next took him by surprise.
Before any superheroes could react, Tony Stark, still absorbing energy from the reactor, noticed a strange figure entering his territory to engage in battle.
Tony had originally planned to experiment with magic in private, but now he found himself intrigued by the opportunity to hunt.
Without hesitation, he unleashed an energy blast at the Extremis soldiers below.
In an instant, dozens of explosions echoed through the area.
The Extremis soldiers, with their incredible resilience, should have been tough to defeat. However, their serum was an incomplete version. When seriously injured or exposed to violent energy fluctuations, they would explode uncontrollably.
As a result, all the Extremis soldiers in the vicinity were caught in the blasts, exploding one after another.
Tony was baffled. It was just the most basic energy explosion magic, but it had this much power?
"These are the guys that bullets couldn’t kill!" Tony thought.
After a moment's pause, Tony decided to keep using low-level magic—fireballs and ice arrows. Now fully attuned to magic, he could release these spells with ease.
The Extremis soldiers on the ground trembled with rage.
After narrowly dodging the attacks, some tried to regroup from nearby buildings.
But Tony, using his magic, created several duplicates to further confuse them.
These low-level duplicates didn’t possess much power, but they were enough to bewilder the Extremis soldiers, who didn’t have much skill themselves.
Meanwhile, outside the scene, Killian, who had been monitoring the attack, was stunned.
Wasn’t he supposed to be dealing with Iron Man?
Why did Tony suddenly transform into a Mage?!
The entire situation had collapsed in an instant.
