Whoosh!
Sebastian vanished in a twisting vortex of Apparition, reappearing behind Zack. Before Zack or Obadiah could react, he aid his dragon heartstring wand.
Burning Curse!
A molten beam of fire and lightning erupted, striking Zack's back. The attack obliterated most of his armor, leaving it on the brink of collapse. A direct hit would've reduced Zack to ashes.
This Burning Curse, Sebastian's creation, fused his past-life Hogwarts magic with Kamar-Taj's Bossat's Thunder (Doctor Strange). His first true spell, it powered Tony's Mark Ω attacks. Potent but energy-intensive, its mid-range limit and Sebastian's earlier testing of his new wand had delayed its use. Combat had proven the wand's strength, giving him a reliable spell against non-living targets.
Obadiah rushed to Zack, confirming he was unconscious but alive. Relief turned to fury, his chest heaving with rage.
"I have to admit, you've really pissed off!" Obadiah roared, glaring at Sebastian and Tony. His legs parted, armor hooks anchoring into the ground. The Iron Monger transford, joints locking, turning him into a living cannon.
Vanko shouted for Obadiah to stop, but Obadiah ignored him. The super cluster cannon on his right shoulder extended, powered by multiple arc reactors glowing bright blue. With a hum, it unleashed a massive orange energy beam.
The beam tore through the air toward Sebastian, Tony, and Rhodes. They scattered, but Obadiah locked onto Sebastian, adjusting the cannon to track him.
Sebastian exploded into black smoke, skimming the ground with Apparition and speeding toward Vanko. Vanko, cursing Sebastian's tactic to redirect the beam, launched skyward.
A Kamar-Taj portal snapped open before Vanko. Too sudden to dodge at high speed, he plunged through, reappearing near Sebastian. Obadiah's beam struck Vanko head-on, its searing energy lting his armor at a terrifying rate.
Obadiah halted the cannon upon realizing his error, but Vanko's suit was devastated. He plumted, crashing to the ground.
"Damn it!" Obadiah growled. His plan to kill Tony and Sebastian had failed. He turned to flee with Zack, banking on a future coback.
But Tony stood behind him, Mark Ω gleaming. "Not this ti."
Red light flared from Tony's chest, runes spinning around the core. After a brief charge, a fiercer Burning Curse beam—molten and electric—blasted from the core, striking Obadiah's chest.
Boom!
The explosion sent Obadiah flying, shredding most of his external weapons and lting his armor. He crashed through a ruined wall, struggling to rise.
The Iron Monger's defense, sacrificing speed, was remarkable. Despite Tony's attack, it retained core functions, though heavily damaged.
Obadiah scrambled to escape with Zack, but his Iron Monger's systems locked up, its chest arc reactor flashing erratically.
"Obadiah, you've got seconds to ditch the suit!" Vanko's voice crackled through the comms. "It's going to blow. If I can't kill Stark myself, I'll take him with !"
Obadiah's face paled. He triggered the suit's release, but then rembered Zack, unconscious nearby. Without hesitation, he abandoned escape, rushing to Zack and tearing at his ruined armor.
Sebastian and Tony exchanged a glance, sensing Vanko's trap. As they moved to flee, Rhodes' War Machine core began flashing rapidly. Vanko's hack had gone beyond re control, rigging the suits to detonate.
"Rhodes, get out now!" Tony shouted.
Rhodes, a seasoned Air Force colonel, snapped into action despite the shock. He activated the War Machine's release, ejecting from the suit.
Tony, in the Mark Ω, shielded Rhodes, rocketing upward. A Kamar-Taj portal sparked open, and they dove through, vanishing to safety.
Sebastian glanced at Obadiah, frantically tearing at Zack's ruined armor, then dissolved into black smoke via Apparition, soaring into the sky.
Obadiah finally freed Zack from the shattered suit. The arc reactor in his own chest glowed dangerously, its energy peaking. Surrounded by the wreckage of steel soldiers, Obadiah knew ti had run out to save his son. He'd sacrificed his own escape for this chance, yet felt no regret.
Cradling the unconscious Zack, Obadiah sighed. His life's battles—scheming, fighting, clawing to the top—had been ruthless, good and evil blurred. All for nothing. He'd even pulled his son into this dood path. Gazing at the night sky, he whispered, "Zack, I'm sorry… so sorry…"
A split second later, the arc reactors in the Iron Monger, War Machine, and steel soldiers froze, then erupted in a cataclysmic explosion. The Stark Expo grounds vanished in a fiery maelstrom, spared greater tragedy only by the prior evacuation of civilians.
Even so, such a large-scale attack in New York infuriated the governnt and military. Obadiah and his allies were presud dead, while Tony and Rhodes erged as heroes. Rhodes, a military colonel, provided a convenient shield for the governnt, deflecting bla from them.
After intense deliberation, responsibility fell on Justin Hamr and Hamr Industries. Hamr wasn't entirely innocent—his involvent warranted much of the bla.
The governnt and military swiftly cast Tony, Rhodes, and Sebastian—the mysterious wizard who concealed his identity—as saviors. News and social dia amplified their fa across the U.S. and beyond.
But that was later. For now, the trio sat in Stark Tower, drinks in hand. Tony and Rhodes sipped wine; Sebastian held a soda.
Tony pressed an ice pack to a swollen bump on his head. Jarvis' scan confird no serious injury, sparing him a hospital visit.
"Tony, it's over, right?" Sebastian asked.
"Done," Tony said. "No one survives an arc reactor explosion."
"Then rebuild my War Machine," Rhodes said.
Tony sighed. "Fine. I'll use cutting-edge tech and proper weapons this ti, so no one hacks it with shoddy mods. If it hadn't been compromised, we'd have stopped Obadiah sooner."
"Not my fault," Rhodes muttered, downing his wine. "I'm off to report to command."
He turned to Sebastian, hesitating. "I'll say Tony hired an unknown wizard. The military's nosy—keeping you out saves you grief."
Sebastian, who'd considered an Obliviate to erase his identity, appreciated Rhodes' discretion. Raising his soda, he smiled. "Thanks, Rhodes. You've saved a headache."
"No big deal," Rhodes said. "But this toast doesn't count. When you're twenty, we'll do it with real drinks."
Nodding to Tony and Sebastian, Rhodes took the elevator to Tony's private parking lot. In the elevator, he mused, "So, a wizard like in fairy tales? The shadowy type… better not ss with him."
Sebastian sneezed, rubbing his nose. "Tony, about acquiring Hamr Industries to fund a potions company?"
"Exactly," Tony said. "The military will snatch Hamr's weapons tech, but the remaining frawork—distribution channels, infrastructure—is a head start. Beats building from scratch."
"I don't know business," Sebastian said. "You handle operations. I'll focus on potion research."
Tony nodded. "Consider potions for diseases or combat boosts for the military. Military contracts are a hassle but open doors. Look at Stark Industries—my Iron Man status and S.H.I.E.L.D. ties keep the governnt off my back, but it's still pressure."
"You're right," Sebastian said. "I'll develop the potions, you run the company. It's a Stark subsidiary. I just need funds and research freedom—fa's not my thing."
"Keeping a low profile?" Tony asked.
"Explaining to Alisha is tricky," Sebastian said. "I'll wait."
Tony shrugged. "Your call. But you'll have to tell Alisha eventually."
"It's on the list," Sebastian said.
Author's Note:
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