~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
read 20 advanced chapter visit my patreon:
patreon.com/fatimasoomro123
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 34: A Joyful Fury
"Want my technology? Then come and take it!"
Watching Tony Stark's wild and unrestrained figure on television, Rimuru found himself looking at him with newfound admiration.
Iron Man was still Iron Man. No matter how many setbacks he suffered, he remained as confident, arrogant, and fearless as ever.
To be honest, if their positions were reversed, Rimuru didn't think she could have handled the situation any better than Tony.
The reason Tony had repeatedly lost to Rimuru wasn't because he lacked intelligence.
It was simply because a paying player had been defeated by a cheater.
That was all there was to it.
To Rimuru, nearly all of Tony's cards were visible.
But Tony had never known how many trump cards Rimuru still possessed.
Not only that, almost every card in Rimuru's hand was an explosive ace.
How was Tony supposed to fight against that?
Even the Black Tortoise couldn't save him, and Kryptonian technology couldn't alter his fate. Did people really think those were just ancient legends?
The Stark Expo would no longer be held.
In its place would be the World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament, with Stark Industries' latest armored suit as the grand prize.
The sheer audacity of the idea was astonishing.
Tony Stark really dared to think big.
To be honest, Rimuru felt an itch of excitement.
She had absolutely no desire for Mark V's technology itself.
But defeating Tony and taking everything from him would carry a completely different meaning.
Putting Mark V in her "closet" was far more elegant than simply defeating Mark armor and forcing it to write a giant "Submission" on the ground.
Tony had made his declaration in front of the entire media.
In reality, he was openly challenging Rimuru.
After all, the world currently recognized two ultimate armors as the strongest:
Fengshen and Mark.
Public opinion overwhelmingly favored Fengshen over Mark.
This tournament was clearly Tony's way of proving that his Mark armor was the superior creation.
Naturally, Rimuru had no intention of letting that happen.
After all, fighting Tony sounded incredibly fun.
Mark V.
What new technologies had Tony incorporated into it?
Rimuru was extremely curious.
In the original timeline, Mark V was merely a suitcase armor.
To achieve portability, most of its performance had been sacrificed.
But in this altered timeline, after countless changes and deviations, what kind of monster would Mark V become?
As the saying goes, the person who understands you best is often your enemy.
Although Rimuru and Tony weren't enemies, they were genuine rivals in the field of armor technology.
If anyone had the highest chance of accurately predicting Mark V's specifications, it would be Rimuru.
Based on Tony's previous upgrade philosophy, every new generation of armor was created by learning from actual combat experience.
For example:
When Mark II suffered icing problems, Mark III adopted a gold-titanium alloy design. After combat, Mark III often became warped and difficult to remove, so Mark IV improved the connection systems and bolt structures.
Looking back at Tony's battles in this world:
The race against Rimuru's Ze Gundam The battle against the Iron Overlord The recent fight against Abomination
After competing against Fengshen I, Tony realized that Mark II lacked mobility.
As a result, Mark III gained significantly enhanced maneuverability and introduced back-mounted thrusters and dual side thrusters much earlier than in the original timeline.
Originally, those features belonged to Mark VII—the armor Tony later used to carry a nuclear missile into space.
Then came the battle against Iron Overlord.
Mark III's performance was disappointing.
Although much of the problem stemmed from the incompatible power core, the battle also exposed serious shortcomings:
Insufficient firepower Weak armor-piercing capability
Thus, in this timeline, Mark IV possessed dramatically enhanced offensive power.
With the emergence of a new element reactor, Tony could finally field high-output energy weapons.
Improvements included:
Stronger palm repulsors and chest beam emitters Longer firing durations Greater destructive power Laser cutting beams capable of slicing steel armor Miniature anti-armor missiles Retractable-arm ablation missiles
These weapons were specifically designed to penetrate heavy armor.
The retractable ablation missiles, in particular, combined armor-piercing penetration with explosive thermal damage, making them devastating at close range.
If Mark IV fought Iron Overlord again, the giant suit would likely be reduced to scrap metal within minutes.
But the most important battle was Tony's fight against Abomination.
Abomination was enormous.
His strength was monstrous.
His durability was absurd.
In front of such overwhelming power, Mark IV looked pitifully weak.
After learning that lesson, Mark V would certainly evolve to compensate.
Rimuru reasoned that Tony would likely:
Increase the output of the mechanical exoskeleton arms Improve striking power Enhance close-combat performance
But that alone wouldn't be enough.
To challenge a monster like Abomination head-on, Tony would need powerful auxiliary propulsion systems to amplify his attacks.
Abomination's terrifying jumping ability had also demonstrated the importance of restraint systems and emergency containment measures.
And beyond that...
There was Fengshen.
This tournament wasn't merely a challenge to the world.
It was a direct declaration of war against Rimuru.
The new armor would need:
The durability to withstand giant monsters Countermeasures against Fengshen Extremely high mobility
Would Tony simply solve everything by covering the armor with thicker plating?
Wait a minute...
Wasn't that exactly the design philosophy behind the Hulkbuster Armor?
Impossible.
How could Tony have developed Hulkbuster technology so quickly?
There were still numerous technical hurdles.
For example:
The automatic assembly technology of Mark 42 represented a major breakthrough.
Every component possessed its own independent power source and control system.
Those innovations were later inherited perfectly by the Hulkbuster Armor, Mark 44.
Technological revolutions weren't accomplished overnight.
Tony shouldn't have been able to overcome all those barriers so quickly.
Right?
But this was Tony Stark.
One of Marvel's greatest geniuses.
The same man who casually solved the problem of a quantum time-travel tunnel after tinkering with it for only a short while.
If anyone could overcome impossible technical barriers in record time, it was him.
There was another possibility as well.
A much crazier one.
Stacking resources.
Tony wasn't merely a genius.
He was also absurdly rich.
What if he started building armor using materials like:
Vibranium Adamantium
Good heavens.
When viewed from that angle, it suddenly didn't seem impossible at all.
Rimuru already possessed Adamantium.
Forging the ultimate spear would not be difficult.
Would this upcoming tournament become a clash between:
The strongest spear (Adamantium)
and
The strongest shield (Vibranium)?
Which would prove superior?
Just imagining the possibility made every cell in Rimuru's body seem to dance with excitement.
It appeared that the time had finally come for a complete technological overhaul of Fengshen.
While Rimuru eagerly anticipated Tony's World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament, media outlets around the world were equally excited.
One should never overestimate the fairness of the press.
Although Tony never explicitly mentioned Fengshen, headlines quickly began spreading everywhere:
The Ultimate Armor ShowdownFengshen vs. MarkWhich Is Truly Stronger?
The military remained far more cautious.
Large numbers of scientists, strategists, and military analysts were immediately assembled to discuss potential responses.
Meanwhile, in a cold, modest house somewhere in Moscow, a newly completed arc reactor emitted a brilliant blue glow.
At the same time, within S.H.I.E.L.D., several high-ranking Hydra operatives secretly gathered.
After a confidential meeting, they unlocked an ultra-classified container.
Inside the box rested a mysterious crimson gemstone.
A ruby unlike anything the world had ever seen.