Tony Stark's combat system had been developed using data gathered from hundreds of the world's most renowned martial artists. Every move, every reaction, every counter had been analyzed and integrated into his armor's neural combat algorithms. As a result, the Iron Man suit turned its wearer into a flawless fighting machine — one that could adapt to any style and anticipate any attack.
Even with Hawkeye's advanced hand-to-hand combat training guiding him, Marcus was still at a disadvantage.
"Tired already?" Tony taunted, rolling his mechanical shoulders with a smug grin. "I'm just getting started."
There was no denying it — in terms of technique, Tony had the upper hand. The only Avenger whose melee prowess could surpass Iron Man's combat AI was Captain America, whose skill set encompassed nearly every martial art known to man.
But Marcus didn't need to outmatch Tony in technique. He just needed to hit harder.
Tenfold Iron Fist!
At that moment, Marcus's metal transformation and Hawkeye's combat instinct finally synchronized perfectly. He stepped in and unleashed a devastating punch. Tony, not yet realizing the power behind the blow, met it head-on with his magnetized gauntlet.
CLANG!
The impact echoed like a thunderclap.
Tony's gauntlet crumpled instantly under the sheer force of Marcus's strike. Reinforced titanium plates folded like tin, screws and shards of metal sprayed out in all directions, and sparks burst from the torn servos.
Blood splattered against the inside of Tony's suit — the Iron Man's own arm crushed from the inside out.
[Your "Tenfold Iron Fist" dealt 5 damage to Tony Stark (5% total HP). Tony Stark has sustained a compound fracture in his left arm.]
For the first time, Marcus had broken through Iron Man's armor — and hurt the man beneath it.
If skill couldn't win the fight, then brute force would.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.!" Tony grunted, fighting through the pain. His calm demeanor was gone, replaced by frustration. "Activate motion analysis protocol!"
But Marcus wasn't about to give him that chance. He surged forward, pressing the attack. His foot came down like lightning — a precise kick aimed at Tony's knee joint.
Tenfold Kick!
The strike ripped a chunk of armor clean off the leg plating, exposing flesh beneath. If Tony hadn't instinctively pivoted away, the blow would have shattered bone along with metal.
"Motion analysis initializing…"
Inside Tony's helmet, Marcus's movements were being captured and dissected frame by frame. The armor's quantum processors calculated reaction timings, muscle trajectories, and predicted vectors.
"Hurry up, damn it, J.A.R.V.I.S.!" Tony barked, blocking another blow that sent tremors through his HUD. Marcus's punches blurred together, each one a small explosion of raw kinetic force. The pressure was unrelenting — Iron Man was being driven backward, forced onto the defensive. None of his combat subroutines could keep up with such wild, unrestrained power.
Meanwhile, Marcus had been doing more than fighting.
From the moment the brawl began, tiny metallic fragments had been forming between his fingers — each no larger than a grain of sand. Every time he struck or parried, he slipped a few into the armor's seams. By now, dozens had already infiltrated the suit's interior.
"Motion analysis complete," J.A.R.V.I.S. finally announced. "Predictive model active."
Tony smirked, regaining his confidence. "Good. Let's show him what a real fight looks like."
In an instant, his movements changed. His dodges became impossibly sharp, his counters perfectly timed. Marcus's attacks began to miss by mere centimeters, each one effortlessly sidestepped or deflected.
Now Tony was the one in control.
This was Iron Man's hidden ace — the Motion Analysis System, a combat algorithm that used real-time pattern recognition and predictive computation to simulate near-future awareness. In mere seconds, the suit could learn an opponent's fighting habits and counter every strike before it landed.
It was the same system Tony had used in Captain America: Civil War — the very algorithm that had allowed him to defeat one of the most skilled hand-to-hand fighters on Earth.
And now, Marcus's strength meant nothing. His every move was read before he made it.
"You did well," Tony said coldly, "but you picked the wrong opponent."
He drove a heavy kick into Marcus's abdomen. The impact caved in the man's torso, the force denting his metallic frame and rupturing his organs. Marcus's body was hurled backward, crashing into the far wall with bone-shaking force.
The advantage Marcus had built collapsed like a mirage.
[Remaining Bio-Energy: 10%]
Marcus could barely breathe. His energy reserves were nearly gone, his healing slowed to a crawl. Each movement sent agony coursing through him. But he refused to fall. Gritting his teeth, he pressed a bloodied hand to the ground and forced himself upright.
Tony, noticing his struggle, straightened up and folded his arms smugly. "Your regeneration trick doesn't seem that impressive anymore," he said. "You really want to keep going?"
Marcus's reply was a low growl. "Of course."
Tony sighed, almost pitying him. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you. I'm not the kind of guy who knows when to pull his punches."
He strode forward, closing the distance in seconds. One armored hand shot out, clamping around Marcus's throat and pinning him hard against the wall.
And then—
Shhhhhhhh...
A strange, gritty sound came from inside Tony's armor — like sand pouring through metal pipes.
"What the hell is that?" Tony frowned. "J.A.R.V.I.S.?"
"Unknown, sir," replied the AI. "Possibly foreign particles infiltrating the armor. Internal sensors cannot confirm."
Tony exhaled sharply. "Doesn't matter. Initiate the fire-suppression purge. That'll flush it out."
Marcus's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile.
And then — whoosh!
Flames erupted from every seam of Tony's armor. The fire-suppression system had been replaced — with fuel. Jets of burning flame burst outward, consuming the Iron Man suit from within. Circuits melted. Wiring burst. The armor's systems died one by one in a cascade of failure alerts.
Tony barely had time to gasp before Marcus drove his regenerated arm forward.
The blade formed in an instant, piercing straight through the weakened chest plate — and into the glowing Arc Reactor beneath.
[Your blade strike dealt 95 damage to Tony Stark (95% total HP). Tony Stark has entered cardiac failure.]
[Tony Stark: Deceased.]
The once-mighty Iron Man stumbled, engulfed in roaring fire. The armor crumpled to its knees, sparks and molten fragments spilling across the floor.
Tony Stark — the genius inventor, the self-proclaimed god of technology — toppled forward and lay still, his final creation burning around him.
The titan who had cornered Marcus time and again had finally fallen.
The bringer of destruction had claimed one of the world's greatest heroes — and humanity had just lost its brightest mind, its most powerful weapon, and its most arrogant protector.
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