[Killian emerged from the bottom of the stairs. His arm, which had been severed by Tony, had fully regenerated. He approached and gazed in the direction where Pepper had fallen.]
[Tony returned to the bridge, looked up and saw Killian standing in the distance. His eyes hardened with cold fury.]
[Killian taunted Tony: "What a shame. I would have caught her!"]
[Hearing this, Tony charged toward him in rage, and Killian likewise rushed forward. He leaped up to deliver a punch, but Tony unexpectedly slid beneath him with a tactical maneuver.]
[Tony knew that even with his combat skills, he was no match for Killian's enhanced strength, so he prioritized getting into a suit. A suit of armor descended in front of Tony, and he immediately stepped inside as it assembled around him. This was the Mark 16, Nightclub!]
[As soon as Tony turned around, Killian was upon him, swinging a powerful elbow strike. Tony absorbed the hit and countered with a punch of his own.]
[Killian barely flinched. He swung his arm back and tore away a shoulder plate from the Nightclub armor. He followed with an uppercut, but Tony managed to dodge it.]
[Tony fired a repulsor blast, but Killian deflected it with a swipe of his hand, causing it to miss entirely. The two engaged in close combat, with Killian landing another powerful blow on the armor while Tony connected with Killian's face.]
[Taking advantage of a momentary opening, Tony grabbed Killian's neck and attempted to pin him down, but Killian ducked his head and broke free while Tony was distracted. In the process, part of the armor's outer shell was stripped away, exposing internal components.]
[Tony suddenly swung his right fist, and they exchanged powerful blows. Tony was forced back two steps, but Killian's arm was momentarily shattered, though it quickly began to regenerate.]
[The pain caused Killian to grit his teeth and let out a hiss.]
[He quickly overcame the discomfort and charged at Tony, who was still finding his footing. The impact sent Tony crashing through the floor to the level below.]
[Killian seized the advantage, leaping down and landing with his knee on Tony's chest. Even through the armor's protection, Tony felt the crushing pressure.]
[As Killian wound up for a killing blow, Tony shouted, "Eject!"]
[In the next second, he was propelled out of the Nightclub armor, sliding between Killian's legs. Killian's fist punched straight through the arc reactor in the armor's chest. If Tony hadn't reacted in time, he would have been killed instantly.]
[Killian finally realized what had happened and immediately pulled his hand out of the empty armor. Tony was falling through the air, but fortunately, the Mark 40 Shotgun arrived just in time to catch him.]
[Tony used the suit's thrusters to stabilize himself before hitting the ground, then rocketed upward, directly ramming into Killian who was watching from the edge of the platform.]
[Killian broke free from Tony's grip in mid-air, and they both landed on another platform. Killian executed a perfect backflip and landed firmly on his feet, while Tony also attempted a flip but landed awkwardly on his back and head.]
[Killian stood tall, his clothes having been completely burned away by his extreme body temperature, revealing his glowing chest.]
[Despite his less-than-graceful landing, Tony recovered quickly. He stood up and immediately fired a repulsor blast at Killian.]
[Killian nimbly evaded the energy attack, closed the distance rapidly, and struck Tony's midsection with two fiery fists.]
[Tony grabbed his attacker and threw him aside, then fired a repulsor blast at Killian's head, but Killian dodged at the critical moment.]
[As Tony attempted another repulsor attack, Killian unexpectedly grabbed his armored hand and redirected it toward Tony himself. Unable to deactivate the repulsor in time, Tony was hit by his own blast and sent flying backward.]
[He quickly increased power to his back thrusters and regained his footing. The battle continued as Tony blocked Killian's next attack with his right hand, then countered with a knee strike to the abdomen, followed by a thruster-boosted headbutt.]
[The impact momentarily stunned Killian. Tony seized the opportunity to unleash his fury, activating the thruster in his left gauntlet to deliver a powerful backhand strike across Killian's face.]
[The camera panned upward as Tony continued his assault while Killian struggled to defend himself. Tony delivered another kick to Killian's back, but Killian, now recovered, caught his leg mid-strike.]
[Jarvis calculated Killian's next move and immediately detached the leg armor, causing the armored boot to fall away. A split-second later, Killian's hand—transformed into a blade-like weapon—slashed through the air where Tony's leg had been, slicing the detached Shotgun armor piece in half.]
[His attack having failed, Killian grabbed the severed armor leg and swung it at Tony's head. Tony caught Killian and attempted to execute a throw, but Killian countered by jumping up and redirecting the momentum, slamming Tony hard into the ground.]
[Killian slowly approached Tony, who was half-kneeling on the ground. Tony suddenly raised his head and aimed a repulsor blast, but Killian reacted faster, grabbing Tony's arm and forcing it upward, causing the blast to miss entirely.]
[The intense heat from Killian's grip caused Tony visible pain. Killian looked at him with a triumphant smile: "We finally meet on the battlefield!"]
[He raised his other hand, increasing its temperature until it glowed white-hot, and prepared to deliver a fatal blow to Tony's head.]
[Tony immediately ejected from the armor, falling backward onto the ground as Killian loomed over him.]
[At that moment, Tony suddenly turned his head and looked into the distance. Killian followed his gaze. Jarvis' voice announced with perfect timing: "The Mark 42 has arrived, sir!"]
["Well! Hey! The prodigal son returns!" The Mark 42 could be seen flying toward Tony's position, though its flight path was erratic, indicating damage to its propulsion systems. It staggered mid-flight, struggling to maintain altitude, but continued its approach.]
[Tony stood up, assuming a ready stance as he prepared to summon the Mark 42 to him. Killian also watched the approaching armor, but as dramatic music swelled, the suit clipped a railing and promptly fell apart, its components scattering across the platform.]
[Killian stared at the scene with a bewildered expression.]
[Looking at the Mark 42 scattered in pieces across the floor, Tony rolled his eyes in exasperation, lowered his hand and said, "Whatever!"]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~