I'm in an American comic book, and all my teammates are main characters and bosses.

Chapter 49: The Wild Hunt Descends

The top floor of Stark Tower, New York.

"You! And your father, you're both equally self-righteous fools!"

Looking at Tony in front of him, Obadiah's eyes were filled with anger and resentment as he was encased in the Iron Monger armor.

Obadiah was already working at Stark Industries when Tony's father, Howard, first founded the company. In fact, Stark Industries' current success is not only due to Howard's brilliant ideas, but also to Obadiah's tireless lobbying of lawmakers and potential clients.

Howard died young, and Tony was raised by Obadiah. To be honest, Obadiah wasn't too bothered by Tony's arrogance. After all, in Obadiah's view, the current Tony was far less talented than his father. And since he was a close friend of his father, Obadiah believed he could tolerate such a prodigy.

Unfortunately, even under these circumstances, Tony's arrogance still touched a nerve with Obadiah.

"I just shut down the weapons department! Neither you nor I are short of money! It's just a number. I'd like to ask, Uncle, what are you doing this for!"

As he spoke, Tony, clad in the gold and red Mark III armor, first displayed two beam cannons in his palms. However, because the new reactor had been removed and transformed into the energy core of the large iron block before him, the reactor on Tony's body was an initial, inferior version. Although the energy was still stable, the output power clearly did not meet Tony's expectations.

There was no other way. Although he felt that this would be a waste of the Iron Man suit's performance, Tony decided to launch the most effective attack at this stage using Newtonian mechanics—a dive flight, then climbing onto the Iron Monger's body and taking advantage of the suit's smaller size and greater agility to unleash a flurry of punches.

"To be honest, it's hard to imagine that this is a high-tech way of fighting."

Tony was taken aback when he saw Ron suddenly appear at the edge of the battlefield, and Geralt and Ciri who had just stepped up in the elevator. In that moment of distraction, Obadiah seized the opportunity, and the Iron Monger grabbed Tony's leg and shoved him away violently.

The sturdy armor scraped against the ground, sparking and flashing as it overturned tables, chairs, refrigerators, and wine cabinets along the way. It was clear that Obadiah must go to the bowling alley often to relax, otherwise he wouldn't have cleared the area so cleanly and efficiently.

Getting up from the ground, Tony said decisively, "Perfect timing, you guys are here. Help me take this guy down! Of course, I mean just subdue him, no need to actually kill him. The reward is negotiable; money is the last thing I'm short of!"

"I think you've gone mad! Talking to thin air and trying to kill me?!"

Although both are full-body Iron Man suits, thanks to the Mark III's lightness and thinness, Tony can see directly outside through the helmet and receive data assistance from Jarvis through a special AR method.

But the Iron Monger was different; Obadiah relied more on multiple internal electronic displays and the helmet that resembled a head but was actually the 'main camera' for observation.

To be honest, this is safer. But similarly, Ron can almost completely block all indirect observation.

Therefore, in Obadiah's view, Tony was completely insane, because his saviors were on the other side.

Looking at Obadiah, or more precisely, at Iron Monger, Ron nodded seriously.

Compared to the Mark III, the Iron Monger armor is more rugged, giving the impression of a steel giant born for war.

Its massive size and rugged design, due to its hastily completed casting, reveal faint traces of welding torches in the details of its bulletproof armor. A six-barreled propeller cannon is attached to its right arm, its heavy ammunition belts exposed to the air, the massive bullets ready to unleash a storm and tear everything in their path.

The left arm also has a seven-tube missile launcher. Although the hydraulic rods, air pumps, gears, etc. are exposed in some places due to the rough workmanship, it is undeniable that this bold and unrestrained workmanship, combined with the cold luster of the steel, gives it a rugged, old-fashioned, hard-edged aesthetic.

"To be honest, I think this thing is way cooler than your sissy armor."

"Then there must be something wrong with your aesthetic sense."

Tony looked disgusted.

Seeing Tony still talking to thin air, Obadiah was also furious:

"I've had enough! I've had enough of you two, father and son!"

Obadiah gritted his teeth and said, "I've had enough of you geniuses! Just because you possess extraordinary talent and abilities, you disregard the thoughts of others and trample on their pride and dignity!!"

"Closing a weapons division is easy for you, isn't it? It's just a matter of less money, right?"

"But that's my life's work! My entire life's work!! You bastard!"

Obadiah raised his right arm without hesitation, and the six-barreled propeller began to slowly rotate amidst Tony's slightly flustered expression.

"I was doing the work when Stark Industries was still in the garage! I was negotiating deals when your father was living the high life! I was apologizing when your father's work had problems! I was begging those clients to come back and take another look! I thought you'd be better off. Now, I understand..."

"You're all the same! You geniuses! I've had enough of you!!!"

Upon hearing this, Tony seemed about to say something. But before he could speak, he looked at Ron and, having received permission, Ciri also took a deep breath. Then, ripples of arcane energy surged in her eyes, accompanied by a surge of magic, activating the power of her ancient blood. With a single step, her slender figure instantly pierced through the rift in time and space, arriving directly behind the Iron Monger.

The Uru metal longsword in his hand, enchanted by Queen Frigga with runes, left a white trail in the air before Iron Monger's arm, made of aerospace-grade alloy, was severed.

The process was so swift and fluid that it felt like a hot knife cutting through butter. By the time Tony came to his senses, he saw Iron Monger's arm fall to the ground with a thud, splattering frost everywhere.

"Um?!"

Obadiah's eyes widened in terror as his arm was suddenly severed. He looked behind him and swung his left arm without hesitation, but before he could even turn around, Ciri slashed at the hydraulic struts of Iron Monger's exposed leg.

The light from the runes flickered slightly, and the hard steel became as fragile as cardboard. Losing his balance, a series of crackling sounds rang out as the Iron Monger collapsed to the ground. Before he could even get up, Geralt, who had approached, raised his blade and slashed him down.

Watching the sword slice through military-grade alloy as easily as butter, Tony Stark was dumbfounded. Pointing at the Uru longsword in Geralt's hand, he exclaimed, "What on earth is this? Magic? Obadiah's armor may be a bit ugly, but I don't believe they cut corners!"

To this, Ron simply said indifferently, "Uru metal, an import from Asgard, with Queen Frigga's autograph on it."

Upon hearing this, Tony Stark was slightly taken aback, then hesitated before saying, "This is... Norse mythology?"

"Pretty much, but unlike the embellished mythology of Norse mythology, Asgard is one of the top interstellar empires in the universe."

As he spoke, Ron waved his hand and said, "It's too late to talk about this now. Anyway, you should leave. I'm going to requisition this land."

"Hey! This is my home! Shouldn't you have notified me before requisitioning it?!"

As he spoke, perhaps feeling the crisis was over, Tony promptly removed the visor from his helmet. But this action had an unexpected consequence: a blast of cold air immediately sent a shiver down Tony's spine, and he immediately closed the helmet again without hesitation.

"Why is it so cold in the summer?! Jarvis, what's the temperature now?!"

"Sir, due to unknown weather conditions, today's temperature has dropped from a peak of 28 degrees to minus 50 degrees."

Jarvis said quickly, "And the temperature is still dropping, the specific reason is unknown. According to weather satellite information, there are no celestial signs for this temperature drop. It may be due to a sudden temperature change caused by special circumstances such as geomagnetism."

Just as Tony was about to ask more questions, Geralt shouted, "Alright! Tony, stop standing there! If you're going to leave, then leave. If you don't want to leave, then prepare for battle! Ron, the Wild Hunt is here!"

"Yes, I saw it."

Squinting, Ron, Geralt, and the others simultaneously looked up at the dark sky. Unable to comprehend what had caused this, Tony also looked up. Then, he witnessed a terrifying scene.

Snowflakes swirled in the dark night sky, accompanied by muffled thunder. Lightning flashed and then vanished in an instant amidst the storm-swirling clouds. And in the midst of this churning lightning, Tony could clearly see one tall, jet-black figure after another riding warhorses across the cold sky.

No, they are not human! They are a group of ghosts!

Tony couldn't help but squint. Through Jarvis's magnified image, he could see a group of ghost knights riding skeletal horses, wearing rotten armor and tattered cloaks.

Beneath the deathly gray iron mask lay pale skin, eyes gleaming with hollow, ghostly fire; more like a resurrected corpse or some other abhorrent being than a living person. This procession, traversing countless worlds, brought with it an aura of endless evil. Screams and growls mingled in the wind, livestock thrashed about restlessly, and lightning flashed across the cold sky, trampling through endless, desperate cries!

Suddenly, a slew of iron cavalry tore through the clouds—a knight riding a tall, skeletal warhorse. He wore heavy armor covered in frost. A skull-shaped helmet sat atop his head, the dark sockets of his skull gleaming with chilling killing intent. Though imposing and wielding a greatsword, the knight exuded no hope, but rather an aura of boundless obsession and ferocious ecstasy.

Looking at Ciri, Eredin's voice resounded throughout the night sky, and even the raging snowstorm could not conceal the joy in his words:

"Child of the ancient bloodline! You belong to us! You are ours! Join us, join our hunt! We will gallop towards the apocalypse, towards eternity, towards the end of existence! Naive daughter of chaos, you are ours! Join us, revel in the ecstasy of the hunt! You are ours. You are one of us! We are your destiny!!!"

As he spoke, Eredin raised his greatsword. Along with his galloping skeletal warhorses, a bolt of lightning struck Eredin's broadsword, illuminating the entire night sky. Then, with a casual swing, a streak of lightning, like a whip, swept across the top of Stark Industries, pulverizing everything it touched into dust and ashes with a deafening roar!

"You're dreaming!"

With a cold snort, Ciri took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with a silver arcane light. Without a word, she traversed space-time and appeared behind Eredin. The sword in her hand flashed with a cold light, and the runes attached to it surged with dense streams of light, enveloping the entire blade. In the instant she swung it, the atmosphere was torn apart. In the space ripped apart by the ancient blood, the longsword seemed to turn into fragments, simultaneously slashing down from multiple different angles, as if Eredin would be torn to pieces and decapitated in the next moment!

Seeing this, Erudin was not alarmed; instead, she burst into hearty laughter.

"A good method! But Daughter of Time and Space! It's too late for you to have mastered this technology now!!"

As she spoke, Eredin simply extended his palm, and a gap suddenly appeared in space. He disappeared into it, and before Ciri could even react, he and his horse appeared behind her. His eyes gleamed coldly, and he raised the Wild Hunt greatsword high. With a single strike, surging white frost covered his entire body; in the extreme cold, not only was fighting impossible, but even breathing caused a sharp pain in his nasal passages!

"Long before you were born, I already controlled the Gate to All Realms! The Ancient Blood has been so pathetic in your use, but it doesn't matter now, I will correct all of this!"

As the sword fell, before Eredin could strike Ciri, having systematically mastered the mysterious power within her body after her studies in Asgard, and with focused concentration, Ciri forcefully broke through the surrounding spatial blockade and leaped to Eredin's side.

Seizing the opportunity, Geralt, sword in hand, leaped forward. Without a word, he unleashed the Igni sign, spewing forth a stream of blazing fire. Then, runes shimmered on the sword's blade, accompanied by an invisible force field formed from arcane energy, and with a swift, merciless strike, he slashed towards Geralt's chest!

(End of this chapter)