Chapter 184: Endless Darkness
"..." Tony was utterly speechless. He really just stopped helping.
In the Sky
"I'd better leave while I can." The Mandarin glanced at the energy levels of his Dragon Throne; it had been largely depleted by Stark. If this attrition continued, he would eventually be forced to flee on foot.
"Here's a gift for you!" The Mandarin spread his arms, and a thick fog abruptly appeared before everyone.
"What is this?" Tony asked, puzzled.
Jarvis quickly replied, "Sir, according to analysis, the fog contains a high concentration of toxic gas."
"Careful, this stuff is poisonous." Tony made a point to warn Little Black. His suit had a filtration system, but he wasn't sure if the Black Shadow Ninja did.
What Tony didn't know was that Little Black didn't need to breathe at all. Even if he did, he wouldn't fear toxic gas, being a ninja born of dark chi. As for Kha'zix, he was also immune, as his respiratory system had long since been replaced by his armor.
"That's not important. It looks like the Mandarin is trying to escape!" Little Black looked up and saw the Mandarin flying into the distance.
"Don't worry, he won't escape our perimeter." Tony immediately flew out of the fog, giving chase in the direction the Mandarin had fled.
"Kha'zix, let's go!" Little Black said, leaping onto Kha'zix's shoulder.
"On it!" Kha'zix's thrusters ignited, dispersing the fog as they soared into the sky.
At full power, Kha'zix's speed was astonishing. Within a single minute, they had caught up with Stark.
"Hm?" Tony glanced at Kha'zix, then noticed the six pairs of mechanical wings on his back.
"Look ahead!" Little Black shouted.
Up ahead, the Mandarin's Dragon Throne suddenly split into two. Two Mandarins flew off in different directions.
"I'll take the left!" Tony shouted. He didn't want to waste time; one of them had to be the real one.
"Then we'll take the right, Kha'zix," Little Black said.
The two parties split up once again to pursue the Mandarin.
The Mandarin noticed his pursuers and smiled insidiously. No matter who chased his true self, it would end in disappointment. As it happened, the one chasing the Mandarin's real body was our genius, Tony Stark.
"Target has entered an abandoned building," Jarvis reported.
"Follow him." Tony gradually slowed down as two more figures flew in from the horizon. These were the Mark 35 and Mark 39, suits Tony had summoned as his final reserves. One was a rescue armor, the other was designed for deep space.
Tony landed on the ground, warily scanning his surroundings. He exited the Mark 33 and donned the Mark 39.
The Mark 39, primarily black and white, was built for sub-orbital flight. It integrated a removable booster pack and zero-gravity maneuvering thrusters. It was also equipped with powerful "ultra-vibration waves" typically used to clear space debris. Even though it was built for space, its defense and attack power were not to be underestimated—and more importantly, Tony's Mark 33 was almost out of power.
"Go." Tony ordered the Mark 33 and Mark 35 to fly ahead around the building to prevent a sudden ambush from the Mandarin.
"Scanning... no movement detected... activating thermal imaging system now," Jarvis said. "Thermal imaging active. One person detected inside... target confirmed. Initiate fire strike?"
Tony waved him off. He still needed to find out where Pepper was. If he killed the Mandarin now, where would he even begin to look for her?
Bang! Tony kicked open the wooden door and saw the Mandarin sitting on his Dragon Throne in the middle of the living room.
"Are you just waiting for the end now? Tell me, where is Pepper?" Tony's voice was thick with rage.
"I didn't expect it to be you who caught up to me, Stark," the Mandarin said, crossing his legs. "Don't be so angry. Have you ever seen endless darkness?"
"Endless darkness?" Tony scoffed. "Is this 'endless darkness' the hell you're about to go to?"
"Of course not. Look around you," the Mandarin said, stroking his braid.
"What?" Tony immediately looked around, only to find a massive amount of black matter surrounding them.
Tony reacted instantly, intending to fly out, but the world suddenly went black.
"Jarvis!" Tony yelled.
"Yes, Sir, I am here," Jarvis replied.
Jarvis's voice allowed Tony to breathe a small sigh of relief. Staring into the pitch-black surroundings, he asked, "What is this?"
"Sir, I am analyzing it, but so far there are no results. It seems the opponent has absorbed all light." Jarvis was also unable to determine the nature of the situation.
"Absorbed light?" Tony realized then that the glow from his chest's Arc Reactor had also vanished. In Tony's eyes, there was only void.
"This feels terrible." Tony felt a surge of panic.
"No choice. Jarvis, let's see if we can just fly out of here." Tony activated the boosters on his back and flew forward.
Thud! Tony's helmet hit something incredibly hard, sending him flying backward onto the floor.
"Ow! What was that?" Tony shook his head and reached out, feeling a wall—a cold, icy wall.
"Sir, I can contact the armors outside. I can try to control the Mark 35," Jarvis suggested.
Tony was silent for a moment before saying, "Do it." Having Jarvis "leave" him while he was trapped in total darkness made him feel incredibly helpless.
"Understood, Sir. I will return shortly." Jarvis detached from the Mark 39 and linked with the Mark 35.
Outside, the eyes of the Mark 35 suddenly flickered as Jarvis took control.
"What is this thing?" Jarvis saw the mass of blackness before him. The black matter enveloped the entire house, looking like someone had painted a black void in the middle of a colorful canvas.
"Sir, the situation looks bad. I cannot see inside, and the thermal imaging cannot scan you," Jarvis said, contacting Tony.
"Use the rescue cable. Just fire it in here and see if you can grab something." Tony hoped Jarvis could get lucky, snag him, and pull him out.
"Doing it now." A long cable shot out from the back of the Mark 35, firing into the house.
Clang! The metal claw at the tip of the cable hit the wall that had blocked Tony earlier.
In the Darkness
"Jarvis, how is it?" Tony opened his arm bracer, exposing his hand to touch the wall.
"Ice?" Although Tony had lost his sight, he could feel it was a wall of ice.
"It seems everything is resolved now." Tony reattached the bracer and a device rose from his arm. Then, the device emitted a red laser—though in this field of darkness, the beam remained black.
"Come on, come on..." Tony muttered repeatedly.
"Sir!" Jarvis shouted.
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