Marvel : Super Soldier at the Start

Killian's arms were severed cleanly above the elbows, forcing him to release his grip on Tony before he could react further. 

On Tony's suit, a burst of flame erupted from the palm thrusters of one hand. The entire suit spun horizontally, and with the momentum, his other metal arm swung out and struck Killian, sending him flying far away. 

Tony didn't press the attack immediately. Instead, he raised an arm, revealing a miniature missile launcher that extended from his suit. The weapon locked onto Killian, who had been thrown near Blake and the others. 

"Last chance, Killian!" 

"Hahaha!" 

Lying on the ground, magma surged violently from Killian's severed arms, forming new ones. He laughed maniacally. 

His laughter, combined with his face—dented from Tony's earlier blow and slowly regenerating—made him look particularly grotesque. 

"Spare me your ridiculous mercy, Stark! Even if I die, I'll make sure you experience a fate worse than death!" 

The words had barely left his mouth when the nearly regenerated Killian leapt from the ground, lunging straight for Pepper. 

Whether out of concern that her own heat could harm others, or for some other reason, Pepper stood some distance away from both Blake and Thor, even though neither were ordinary people. 

Natasha, not wanting Pepper to feel isolated, had chosen to stand with her. 

Killian's sudden attack was so unexpected that both Blake and Thor were caught off guard, unable to react in time. 

But it seemed Killian had forgotten something—Natasha was far from an ordinary person. 

Faced with Killian's abrupt assault, Natasha didn't even flinch. 

With a body enhanced by the Extremis virus, she moved faster than ever, intercepting Killian with incredible speed. 

Just as the two were about to collide, Natasha sidestepped to Killian's left in a swift maneuver. 

Seizing the moment, she grabbed Killian's wrist with her left hand, spun her body, gripped his hair with her right hand, and yanked backward, driving her knee into his back with force. 

Her moves were sharp and precise, but there was just one flaw—she seemed slightly unaccustomed to her newfound strength. 

What should have been a disabling knee strike sent Killian hurtling over three meters into the air. 

Pepper was quick to act, running over in just a few steps to position herself beneath Killian. 

Her right arm, glowing red like molten iron, swung upward. She leapt into the air, driving her fist through Killian's chest as he fell. 

After landing, she flung Killian off her arm like discarded trash. 

"That's for all the 'care' you've shown us these past few days, you bastard!" 

After delivering her line, Pepper aimed a kick at Killian, sending him flying back toward Tony. 

"Jarvis, remember that Christmas firework idea I mentioned? Let's do it now—take him along for the ride!" 

Tony pointed at Killian, and Jarvis commanded one of the suits to fly over. The suit disassembled midair into over a dozen pieces, attaching themselves to Killian and forming a complete armor around him. 

The suit's four thrusters roared to life, shooting Killian skyward at incredible speed. 

Simultaneously, the surrounding suits, under Jarvis's control, circled the group on the deck before ascending into the sky, creating a dazzling spectacle. 

One suit after another soared into the sky with a whizzing sound, the last one barely passing by the group. 

Before long, the suits began to self-destruct in midair. 

First one, then the second, the third... 

One by one, the Iron Man suits exploded in the sky above the cruise ship, creating a spectacular scene that looked just like fireworks. 

"Blowing up so many suits—looks like your anxiety is finally cured!" Blake joked with Tony. 

"Not entirely, but it's much better. I've had a few talks with Cap over the past few days, and that helped a lot. But tonight—this moment—it really made me understand. This one suit on me is all I need!" Tony replied with a newfound confidence in his smile. 

"What about your Iron Legion project? Tony, I remember you once said you wanted to create an Iron Legion to defend Earth in case of another alien invasion." 

Blake thought Tony wouldn't easily abandon that idea. 

"That's different. They're two separate things. These suits were built for me to handle different situations. The Iron Legion is something else entirely—it's separate, Blake!" 

Blake pointed at the suits still lining up in the sky to self-destruct. 

"They can be controlled by Jarvis, made from top-grade materials, and could always serve as your backup. Why not keep them and modify them instead?" 

"Forget it, it's too much hassle. Besides, the Iron Legion project hasn't even started yet—it'll need a complete redesign. Right now, all I want is to enjoy a fireworks show!" 

"Damn it, rich people really think differently from us regular folks," Blake muttered to himself as he watched Tony's casual demeanor, silently cursing him in his heart. 

With Killian and all the Extremis soldiers eliminated, the system rewarded Blake with another 1,000 points. 

Now, he had 2,500 points in total, just 500 short of what he needed to exchange for the Asgardian God Physique for Natasha. 

After checking his points balance, Blake withdrew his mind from the system's interface. 

Before leaving, the group inspected the ship and discovered over a dozen vials of the Extremis virus remaining onboard. 

"Since you've said the Extremis virus can't fully stabilize the human body, there's no reason to keep these around," Blake said as he raised his right hand, preparing to incinerate the virus with flames. 

To his surprise, Tony reached out and stopped him. 

"Maya Hansen's research is complete, but to fully cure both of them, it's better to keep a sample for further study," Tony explained as he examined the vials, which were divided into Phase 1 and Phase 2 Extremis samples. 

He also took a large quantity of stabilizers. 

As Blake unleashed his flames to destroy the remaining virus, Tony grabbed a Phase 1 sample and, without hesitation, injected it directly into his arm. 

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