Kapitel 43: Chapter 43
Liam had been watching the entire fight from a distance with Natasha. Although she didn't have a good view because her bindings prevented her from moving around properly, leaving her with only a few glimpses of the action. Natasha glanced at Liam.
"Why aren't you helping Tony?" she asked. "Obadiah's done countless illegal trades and caused thousands of deaths."
Liam looked at her, noticing the burns on her hands from her attempts to break free. He crouched down beside her and replied, "Interesting how you know about those trades. Let me ask—why has SHIELD let him operate for so long?" He paused, glancing back at the fight. "Besides, I trust Tony to handle him. I'm not needed for this."
Natasha continued trying to 'persuade' him, she was trying her best to guild trip him. Realizing her tactics, Liam ignored her voice completely. 'Unfortunately for her, I have enough energy to make that spell last for days if I want,' he thought, then focused on the fight as Obadiah fell from the sky. The fight was finally reaching its climax.
He watched with interest, especially considering how little was revealed about Obadiah's fall in the movies—especially when comparing it to the scene where Rhodey nearly died from a significantly lower fall.
Liam watched as Obadiah got closer and closer. But just in time, Obadiah managed to activate his thrusters near the end of his fall, getting rid of most of his speed before hitting the ground.
The fight continued, and as Obadiah fired his first rocket, Liam noticed something wasn't right. 'This isn't how it went in the movies. If this keeps up, Tony won't have enough time for Pepper to save him,' he thought. Realizing the urgency, Liam grabbed his spear, pulling his arm back with full force. He hurled it with all his might, sending the weapon flying straight through Obadiah's head and his armor.
In the next instant, a massive blue beam shot into the sky. As the energy exploded, Liam saw Tony launched upward. 'Let's go, I have to check on him.'
Liam leaped towards Tony, catching him mid-air and landing on the roof of Stark Industries just before the building exploded behind them. He took one more powerful jump and landed on the ground nearby, setting Tony down gently. 'The arc reactor seems to be powered again by the energy from the overload, just like in the movies. His life shouldn't be in danger,' he thought, looking at Tony's unconscious, bloodied form.
"Tony!" he heard Pepper scream in the distance.
'Time to go,' he thought, leaping away from the scene.
Liam realized as he retreated. 'This was too close. I can't let myself ignore a fight like this again. Tony might become too reliant on me. But even if that's the case, I'll need to find another way to support him and others. I can't let this happen again.'
The reality check hit hard. 'Deep down, I've been watching him like I did with the movies, making sure things played out the same way. Tony could have died because of that mentality.' He resolved that this wasn't who he wanted to be.
With that thought, Liam returned to Natasha's side. Landing beside her, he looked at her and sat down. "I'll free you now, don't worry," he said. Then, in one big leap, he was gone. He remained nearby, he observed what was happening from greater distance.
Coulson had gotten his team out of the Stark HQ before the explosion and was now standing around Tony with Pepper. Minutes later, firefighters, police, and ambulances arrived on the scene. Tony and Pepper, with Coulson's help, had already been brought away to safety. Satisfied that things had stabilized, Liam finally left.
He arrived in a nearby alley, unsummoned Incursio, and opened a portal back to his room at the Sanctum.
'Then again, to adapt to this world, I have to be ruthless. I have to keep growing stronger, and for that, I'll have to keep fighting. I can't afford mercy on my enemies, and I won't,' he reminded himself. But he noticed that he hadn't yet tapped into Incursio's full potential.
'I keep thinking about evolving Incursio,' Liam realized. 'But why don't I focus on adapting to basic challenges—extreme temperatures, electricity. Instead of dodging punches all the time, maybe I should learn to resist them. Like a smith forging a weapon, I should focus on strengthening Incursio into something better.'
The memory of Natasha's energy pads resurfaced in his mind. 'Incursio had a basic resistance to them…but what if I can make it stronger? Same with high temperatures—I need to improve that, especially considering the Hell Dimension.'
Liam continued analyzing his plan. 'Technically, the molten lava from that hellish fiend was probably around 700–800 degrees Celsius. I should be able to train using the outer levels of a volcano, as surface lava temperatures are also only about 700 degrees. I'll also work on building resistance to the toxic gases that come with it.'
At the same time, Liam knew the importance of getting better at magic. 'Maybe I can combine the two.' He started smiling as an idea struck him. 'What if I use my astral form to study new spells and languages while my physical body, in Incursio armor, bathes in lava?'
It seemed doable. However, he hadn't forgotten his upcoming meeting with Fury in three weeks. 'Although, it won't be pleasant after what I did to Natasha,' he mused. 'Still, the experience was good. Having lived two lives has its advantages when it comes to mind games.' He couldn't waste any more time thinking over small things. His training had to continue.
As he settled into meditation, he pulled out his Latin language book in his astral form, studying for a while before heading to bed.
The Next Morning
Early the next day, Liam opened his laptop and typed: "Most unknown volcano in the world." After a quick search, he found an answer: The most unknown volcano is Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania. He looked at a few pictures online, noticing that none were taken up close.
"Yeah, this could work," Liam thought.
He used his sling ring to open a portal, stepping out onto the peak of the volcano. The sudden change in altitude caused Liam to gasp for breath because his body struggled to adapt. 'Incursio,' he thought, and his armor immediately wrapped around him, giving him some much-needed oxygen. 'Forgot about that. That's annoying.'
Taking a deep breath, he continued down the mountainside, getting closer to the mouth of the volcano. Once he reached the outer rim, he removed Incursio for a little bit, giving his body a chance to adapt to the lower oxygen levels. He slowed his breathing, allowing himself to get used to it gradually.
He wasn't yet close enough to be affected by the volcano's toxic plumes, but he knew he'd need to be able to get in and out quickly. 'I can't keep Incursio active for more than 20 minutes, so my training time isn't unlimited and I'll need to time it well.'
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein