Chapter 20: Chapter 20: The Referee
In the seaside villa's laboratory, Tony Stark saw through the camera as Alex easily shattered the special bulletproof glass and then jumped down. He couldn't help but mutter, "What a monster. That glass is designed to withstand RPG rockets, and he broke it effortlessly with just five fingers without using any other powers! But where is he going now? JARVIS, scan the direction he went and see if there's anything noteworthy."
JARVIS immediately hacked into numerous surveillance cameras, and after a moment, projected some footage in front of Tony Stark.
Seeing the footage, Tony Stark instinctively cursed, "What is that creature? Is Alex going after that? JARVIS, assemble the Mark IV. I can't miss out on this!"
"But sir, the Mark IV hasn't gone through final adjustments..." JARVIS started to say but was cut off by Tony Stark, "No need for adjustments. My design won't fail!"
...
New York, Upper Manhattan, Harlem.
A terrifying monster appeared in Harlem, rampaging and killing every living thing in its sight.
This bustling district had turned into a wasteland, filled with the sounds of gunfire and screams, making it a hell on earth, echoing with wails and despair.
Heavily armed elite troops were scattered throughout Harlem, firing frantically at the terrifying monster, but neither bullets nor missiles could harm it. The elite troops, like the civilians, were powerless against the creature.
On a nearby high-rise, Alex sat on the edge with his legs dangling, with his hands behind his head leisurely, watching the tragic scene below with a smile.
He was patiently waiting for the main character to appear.
Whoosh!
The sound of something cutting through the air approached rapidly. Alex didn't turn around; his six eyes had already detected Tony Stark's presence.
Tony Stark, seeing the hellish scene before him, wore a grim expression under his helmet, "What is this?"
Alex replied nonchalantly, "Hmm, a drama of a weak mortal suddenly gaining the power they always dreamed of, then losing themselves and going on a mad rampage?"
"And what are you doing here?" Tony Stark understood that the young man before him had the power to stop all this but remained unmoved, observing the chaos like a detached spectator.
Tony Stark's tone had a hint of anger, but Alex remained indifferent, shifting into a more comfortable position.
"Waiting for the main character to appear. What about you? Shouldn't you be preparing for tomorrow's press conference?"
Tony Stark didn't answer but asked in a serious tone, "Are you really just going to sit here and watch that monster wreak havoc and kill people everywhere?"
"What else? Even if I don't stop it, it's not my responsibility, is it?"
Tony Stark fell silent. Alex was right; he had no obligation to save others.
Without another word, Tony piloted the Mark IV towards the Abomination, firing his palm repulsors wildly, but to no avail.
"Look here, you big brute, I've got a gift for you! JARVIS, full power!"
The chest of his armor glowed with a brilliant white light, and a thick energy beam struck the Abomination.
Tony Stark sighed in relief, hoping this would take him down.
Suddenly, a massive chunk of a building was hurled at Tony, sending him flying and severely denting his armor's chest plate.
The Abomination, unscathed by the energy beam, spat towards the direction where Tony was flung and shouted, "Hulk, come out and face me!"
From the rooftop, Alex used his power to pull the airborne Tony back to safety, avoiding further harm. He teased, "Tony, why are you flying back here?"
Tony Stark didn't respond. He struggled to remove his helmet, gasping for air. He had almost seen death just now. He realized why Alex hadn't intervened. Such terrifying power and defense were beyond even the White-Haired Demon's capability.
At that moment, a heavy thud sounded in the distance. Tony Stark saw Alex stand up, stretch, and say, "The protagonist has arrived, so this villain needs to make an entrance."
With that, Alex leaped off the building, vanishing from Tony's sight.
Tony wondered why Alex called himself the villain. Wasn't that monster the real villain?
...
Banner had jumped from a plane, creating a deep crater upon landing. A massive green hand emerged, followed by the green monster, the Hulk.
Hulk was here!
Hulk ripped a car in half, using the pieces as weapons as he charged at the Abomination.
*BOOM!*
*BANG!*
*CLASH!*
The two titans clashed fiercely, nearly leveling Harlem in their battle.
However, due to the inhibitor injection Banner had taken earlier, the Hulk couldn't exert his full strength and began to falter.
Just as the Abomination pinned the Hulk down and started pummeling him, a voice filled with sarcasm suddenly rang out,
"Come on, Abomination, you should have aimed that punch directly at Hulk's eye! And Hulk, you need to hit Abomination's weak spots, understand?"
The two combatants instinctively paused and turned to see a young white-haired man perched on the last intact streetlight, munching on a bag of chips he'd seemingly acquired from nowhere and critiquing their fight.
Seeing the pair stop, Alex, annoyed, urged, "What are you staring at? Keep fighting, my chips aren't finished yet! Go, go, go!"
Recognizing the white-haired man as the White-Haired Mutant, an Omega level mutant who had recently made headlines, Abomination wasn't impressed. He had just gained immense power and didn't consider the so-called White-Haired Mutant a threat.
Could he be stronger than Abomination? Probably just another piece of metal like that Iron Man he'd easily defeated.
Picking up a massive stone, Abomination hurled it at the white-haired man on the streetlight with tremendous force, creating a sonic boom as the projectile sped towards him.
He turned away, not bothering to see the outcome of his attack, and prepared to resume his assault on the Hulk.
Suddenly, a sigh came from behind him, followed by a voice saying,
"Hey, bad boy, why would you hit the referee? That's illegal, don't you know?"
Abomination felt a terrifying force hit his back, with black and red lightning filling the surrounding space. He was flung uncontrollably, smashing through several solid walls before finally crashing into the concrete ground.
As he stopped, he felt warm liquid running down his back. When he reached back, he realized his skin, tougher than titanium, had shattered, and yellow pus-like blood was pouring from a fist-shaped wound.
Since gaining his powers, this was the first time he'd been hurt!
Through the path he'd created by crashing through walls, he saw a pair of azure glowing eyes looking at him from afar, gazing down as if he were an ant.
At the same time, Alex heard a notification in his mind:
[Energy Point +1]
[Template Fusion: 40%]
[New Skill Unlocked: Cursed Technique Reversal: Red]
Perfect timing. Alex's lips curled into a familiar smile.
°°°
A/N: All Ash Killing Stones, Stone Fall. Gimme..
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