"I think this is a misunderstanding!"
Obadiah Stane's voice quivered, feigning calmness—but it was too late for pleas.
Kurogai didn't speak. He moved.
In a blink, he appeared in front of the Iron Monger. With a single, bone-rattling impact, he drove both feet directly into the mech's legs.
Crack!
The sound echoed like thunder across the rooftop. Metal warped and snapped, and both of the Iron Monger's colossal feet detached violently from its frame, crashing to the ground. Obadiah's pained scream followed immediately.
The Iron Monger wasn't real armor—it was a combat exosuit. And where its legs broke, so did the man's. The interface was too integrated; the damage was personal.
Kurogai didn't even flinch.
Without pausing, he reached out and lightly tapped the mech's faceplate. It popped free effortlessly, revealing the blood-drained, panic-stricken face of Obadiah Stane.
Stane was helpless.
All his arrogance, all his confidence in the suit's power—it had crumbled. He thought he'd built a weapon powerful enough to rival gods, only to find himself toyed with. From the moment the battle began, he hadn't landed a single blow. And now, his legs were useless.
There was no fight left in him.
"I have some questions," Kurogai said quietly.
His eyes shifted—turning a deep, menacing red. Three tomoe spiraled into view.
Genjutsu
Obadiah's pupils widened… and then dulled. He went still.
"The assassin who attacked Stark earlier," Kurogai asked softly, "was it Bullseye?"
"Yes…" Obadiah answered mechanically, his voice hollow. "His name is Bullseye. I hired him to eliminate Stark. But Stark had something strange protecting him—Bullseye got injured, so I had to take action myself…"
Kurogai nodded. His suspicion was right.
Bullseye.
Kingpin's favorite weapon.
And now… a potential piece on the board.
"His contact info. Where does he stay?" Kurogai continued, extracting every last detail. When he had what he needed, he gently released the genjutsu, allowing Obadiah's mind to return.
Just in time for Stark to descend from above, landing beside them.
"What were you talking about with him?" Stark asked, his voice cautious but curious.
"Just asking questions," Kurogai replied. "Your turn. What do you plan to do with him?"
Stark looked down at Obadiah, now reduced to a broken man inside a broken suit.
"I'll hand him over to the authorities," he said slowly. "He deserves justice."
Obadiah relaxed slightly at that.
Kurogai's brow twitched.
His eyes shifted again—this time glowing white, layered with a faint blue shimmer.
"Let me give you some advice, Stark," he said calmly. "When you're facing a real enemy, the worst thing you can do… is leave the job half done."
A quiet orb of light began to form in Kurogai's palm.
He didn't hesitate.
He tossed the glowing sphere toward the Iron Monger's exposed chest.
Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
The moment the orb touched metal, it ignited.
BOOM.
The explosion turned night into day for a split second. The Iron Monger was vaporized—scattered into molten dust, along with Obadiah Stane.
There was nothing left.
Stark took an unconscious step back. The sheer finality of the action—its decisiveness—shocked him.
He had changed. He had learned to be a hero. But what Kurogai did just now didn't feel like justice—it felt like execution.
"This…" Stark murmured, stunned.
Kurogai looked him in the eye,
"That," he said flatly, "was the most logical solution."
He didn't care to debate morality.
Obadiah had tried to kill him. The moment he made that choice, his life ended. There were no second chances. No leniency. Enemies didn't get released. They got erased.
Stark ran a hand over his faceplate, sighing. He didn't agree—but he also knew better than to argue with Kurogai. Their philosophies didn't align, and that was fine—for now.
"I'll send people to clean this up," Stark muttered. "Let's go back to the villa. I still owe you a suit."
Kurogai nodded, stepping through a spatial gate. They were gone in a blink.
Back at the villa, the tension had faded.
Stark slumped into a chair, rubbing his forehead. "Alright, let's talk design. What do you want in your Iron Man suit?"
"It must be able to fly," Kurogai said simply. "Every part should have its own secondary energy source—full system redundancy. And the helmet should open manually."
That was all.
Kurogai didn't need an Iron Man suit. His body, powers, and tools were leagues beyond what any tech could replicate. This suit was just… a curiosity. A spare.
Stark gave a small laugh. "That's it? Nothing insane like laser wings or plasma cannons?"
Kurogai shrugged. "Surprise me."
"Alright, I'll custom-build it," Stark said, standing. "But I'll need time. With cleanup from Stane's mess and a few government headaches, I need at least ten days."
"Fine," Kurogai replied. "I'll be back in ten."
He turned, opened another portal, and vanished.
Stark stood alone in the room for a moment, exhaling slowly.
"…Ten days," he repeated to himself. "I'll build something worthy."
___
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