Enraged by Tony's taunts, Wald began frantically firing magma energy bolts at him.
With the assistance of his suit's tactical system, Tony locked onto the incoming attacks. Using his palm-mounted repulsor blasts, he intercepted each magma bolt one by one. As the repulsor beams shattered the magma projectiles, the energy dissipated into numerous flaming globes that scattered across the pavement.
Tony's expression turned grim as he watched the scattered energy hit the ground; the impact immediately heated the concrete into a glowing, semi-solid state of molten sludge.
"That's a bit too hot for my taste. Unfortunately, I'm only interested in 'heat' when it comes from a beautiful woman."
Tony's voice, broadcast through the suit, carried an unmistakable tone of disdain. "I'm sorry, but not only are you a man, you've turned yourself into this bizarre freak. I have zero interest in chatting; I'd really prefer it if you stayed as far away from me as possible."
"You bastard!" Wald roared. His fury manifested as a geyser of flame erupting from his body, splashing magma-like liquid onto the ground, melting everything it touched.
"You're getting a little too worked up. I think you need to cool down." Observing the data showing Wald's rapidly skyrocketing internal temperature, Tony backed away slightly to create distance.
"Jarvis, use the liquid nitrogen freeze rounds. Let's help this overheated gentleman chill out."
The cryogenic missiles loaded in the suit's gauntlets launched toward the flaming Wald. After learning that the previous building collapse was caused by foundations being completely liquified, Tony had swapped his standard explosives for low-temperature liquid nitrogen rounds specifically to counter enemies capable of generating extreme heat.
The freeze rounds struck Wald dead-on, instantly releasing a dense cloud of white mist that enveloped him. When the mist cleared moments later, a thick layer of ice had crystallized over Wald's entire body.
"Looks like our hot-headed Magma Man has finally calmed down."
Tony exhaled in relief. "I actually want to see what's going on with this guy. How did he get this power? Is it really that 'Gaia Memory' thing Nick Fury mentioned?"
Curiosity and a spark of research interest flickered in Tony's eyes as he slowly approached the frozen Wald.
"Sir, I am detecting a high-energy signature within the ice," Jarvis warned immediately.
Startled, Tony saw a bright orange glow begin to radiate from Wald beneath the frost. He tried to retreat instantly, but it was too late.
Wald shattered the ice in a sudden explosion of heat and lunged forward, grabbing the Iron Man armor by the arm. "Got you, Tony Stark!"
Tony immediately tried to fire a repulsor blast to knock Wald back, only to find the weapon wouldn't trigger.
"Sir, the armor on the left arm has reached critical temperatures. Several subsystems have ceased operation," Jarvis reported after a rapid diagnostic.
"I can feel it," Tony said through gritted teeth. His left arm was already beginning to feel the searing warmth radiating through the plating. For now, the suit was still protecting him, but it was already uncomfortably hot. If this continued, the armor would fail to insulate the heat entirely, and then...
Tony knew he couldn't afford to waste time. He aimed his right repulsor directly at Wald and fired, while simultaneously pushing his leg thrusters to maximum output in an attempt to wrench his left arm free.
Wald, however, held on tight. With his free hand, he condensed a ball of magma and slammed it directly against Tony's repulsor blast. The point-blank collision between the particle beam and the magma orb released a blinding flash of thermal energy.
The resulting explosion sent both the armored Tony and the transformed Wald flying in opposite directions.
When the light faded, a glowing, red-hot crater hissed in the middle of the street, the air above it shimmering with heat. Wald and Tony lay on the ground, each over a dozen meters away from the impact site.
"Sir, the armor has sustained multiple points of high-temperature energy damage. Total integrity is below 60%," Jarvis reported, projecting a damage schematic in front of Tony's eyes. "Most critically, the leg thrusters were at full power during the thermal shock; they are currently offline."
"So, I've lost flight capability?"
Tony watched as Wald climbed back to his feet, seemingly unaffected by the blast that had crippled his suit. "What the hell is this guy made of?!"
Wald looked smugly at the charred and partially melted Iron Man suit. He conjured another magma bolt in his hand. "Tony Stark, I bet you never imagined a day like this, did you?"
While Tony could still use his right-hand repulsor to parry attacks, the loss of flight and the systemic glitches caused by the thermal shock meant his mobility was severely compromised. He quickly fell into a defensive struggle, barely managing to block the onslaught.
"Nick! Where is that support you promised?!" Tony roared into the comms channel.
Tony had indeed contacted S.H.I.E.L.D. beforehand. Despite his immense self-confidence—bordering on arrogance—he maintained a healthy level of caution regarding unknown attackers. Walking into a fight against a completely mystery opponent without backup was a recipe for disaster. From Fury, he had learned that the destruction was likely caused by a Gaia Memory user, though even S.H.I.E.L.D. lacked detailed intelligence on them.
Fury had promised support would arrive if necessary. At the time, Tony had snobbishly remarked, "If S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't even understand these memories, what tools could you possibly have that are more effective than my suit?"
Hearing the urgency in Tony's voice, Fury's lips curled into a slight smirk. "Tony, didn't you say earlier that you could handle this entirely on your own?"
Tony's face darkened behind the mask. "Nick Fury!"
"He's arrived," Fury said with a hint of satisfaction.
As Wald fired another round of magma bolts, he closed the distance, intending to melt the Iron Man suit into a puddle once he got within reach. Just as Wald reached out to grab Tony again, a brilliant crimson blade of light suddenly slashed across his chest, sent him spiraling backward.
"Just as I thought. A Dopant transformed by a Gaia Memory."
Frank Castle, now transformed into Kamen Rider Accel, stood holding the Engine Blade. He looked at Wald with a cold, piercing gaze.