Lord of Cinder in American Comics

Stark felt a bit scared after searching for Kingpin's information. After all, he was alone now. Although he had some small gadgets for self-defense, Tony thought it would be safer to bring Happy along next time, considering Kingpin's massive size.

Stark, who was looking around, spotted Ashe approaching with a bottle of wine. He reached out and beckoned to Ashe, "Hey, I bought that bottle of wine. Come on over here and let me and the chef have a good drink."

“I’m not a bartender, Stark. You need to be humble on my turf.”

Ash placed the wine on the table and pushed it towards Onion Knight.

"Uh...who are you? Oh, never mind, it's not important. I'll buy your bottle of Macallan, check or bank transfer?"

Stark, true to form, refused to back down, stubbornly clinging to his pride. Watching Stark's arrogant demeanor, Onion's grip on the wine bottle cracked.

Everyone present wanted to beat up the guy in front of them. Just as Ash was deciding whether to use the lightning spear or the storm lightning, a woman stepped in between them.

"I'm sorry, Tony didn't mean it. This is a gift for our host. Thank you for inviting us to the party."

Virginia Pepper Potts, known to Tony as Pepper, is now Stark's personal secretary and a trustworthy person in Stark's life. She is beautiful, shrewd, and very capable, and she manages everything in Tony's life.

The astute Pepper intervened at the most tense moment, breaking the silence and bringing the topic to her.

"Thank you for your gift. Welcome, beautiful lady."

Ash welcomed Pepper's arrival, expressing his admiration for the man who had arranged and managed everything for Stark. It could be said that Stark's survival was due in part to his wealthy status, and in part to Pepper's timely intervention.

"Uh...you're the owner here? Tell me, how much?"

Stark then began his inappropriate remarks once again.

“Tony, this is someone else’s party,” Pepper advised from the side. She was playing the role of both wife and mother.

Ash shook his head with amusement, took a few glasses from the bar next to him, and Onion opened a bottle of liquor and poured a glass for everyone.

"Long May the Sun Shine!" Onion said this toast before drinking it all in one gulp.

“Praising the sun? Are you a fan of Nietzsche?” Stark casually made the connection to the most optimistic philosopher in real life.

Onion put down his glass and said seriously, "No, I am Jack Baldo of Catarina, a Sun Warrior."

“Oh, thank you, Sun Warrior,” Stark said somewhat nonchalantly.

"No need to thank me. The Sun Warrior is a radiant assistant, tasked with guiding the summoner to success," Onion Knight solemnly responded to Tony's nonchalant thanks.

Seeing Onion's serious expression, Stark, who was always quick to tease, stopped making sarcastic remarks and pushed his glass toward Onion, indicating that he wanted some more.

A bottle of wine is gone in just a few rounds; those who haven't had enough are ready to grab some more from the bar.

At this moment, the Onion Knight generously pulled out his Onion Wine to treat everyone.

Each person had an extra bucket of onion wine, held in a small wooden barrel with a leather handle.

"What century is this wine from? And they're even using a wooden barrel as a vessel!" Stark habitually mocked everything.

Kingpin, who understood the value of Onion Wine, couldn't stand it any longer and said to Stark, "Tony Stark, you can return it if you don't need it."

“Tony Stark doesn’t need anything, and he won’t give it back.” Stark, in a fit of pique, uncorked the barrel and took a sip.

"This wine...this wine..."

Stark was at a loss for words. As a wealthy man, he had tasted almost every rare wine in the world, but none of them gave him the feeling of onion wine.

The feeling was like wandering in a land of fine wine and songs, where everyone was straightforward and honest, and the sun shone on the earth, making people feel warm from the inside out.

Once he realized what was happening, Stark said to Pepper beside him, "Pepper, drink it quickly."

Pepper watched Tony down his drink and then urged her to drink as well. Not quite understanding, Pepper drank the onion wine under Tony's semi-forced pressure.

After drinking it, everyone felt the Onion Knight's temperament.

“Jack, can you tell me about the Sun Warrior? He must be a great man to have such good wine,” Pepper asked the Onion Knight from the side.

“I brewed this wine myself. I am just someone who follows the Sun Knight. If you want to know the story of the Sun Knight, Ash knows more about it. He even still has the Sun Knight's armor.”

Everyone's attention shifted to Ash as Onion spoke, wanting to learn more about the story from her.

"The Sun Warriors followed the eldest son of the God-King who founded the Sun God Cult, but the most famous among them was the Sun Knight, named Solar. He was a warm-hearted, passionate, and resolute fellow..."

On the Helket Bridge, that was the first time I met Solal. He stood there gazing at the sun, and he believed that the sun burned selflessly, so he wanted to be like that person.

Solar crafted a suit of armor for himself, took a round shield adorned with his own holy emblem, and embarked on the journey of linking the fire. Along the way, he continuously wrote his mark, responding to everyone's call and helping them complete one challenge after another.

Despite his optimism, he collapsed before the demon ruins, telling me of his inner pain and loss, and his disappointment in the face of the linking of the fire.

But in the end, he rallied and took up arms in the initial battle against Gwyn, the Lord of Cinder, at the Hearth, helping me defeat Gwyn.

Ash recounts Solar's life from a first-person perspective. Finally, Solar stands up straight, extends his hands palms down, facing the sun, and says, "Long May The Sun Shine."

Everyone present was completely absorbed in Ash's story, except for Stark.

"Ash, your story is so well told, it's like you experienced it yourself. I just found out that your name also contains Solar?"

"That's right, the name Solar is in honor of this former hero."

Ash openly admitted the origin of Solar in her name, but only Ash herself knows the real reason behind it.

“I’ve suddenly become interested in your religious stories. Tell me about them sometime,” Stark said casually.

Pepper kept reminding Tony not to behave inappropriately at other people's parties, but Tony continued to do as he pleased.

Suddenly, Ash and Onion Knight stood up. Ash gritted her teeth and said, "Fuck! The Ancient One isn't even out of the house, and you, you Spiral Ascension Lollipop, dare to cause trouble on my turf!"

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## Chapter 42: Spiral Ascension Lollipop

Suddenly, the two people in front of them did something unexpected: Ash and Onion Knight suddenly stood up, and Ash suddenly started swearing.

This startled everyone who was still savoring the story, and they all wondered if something had gone wrong. Pepper, who was unaware of the reason, even subconsciously picked up her phone to call the police.

However, in everyone's eyes, Ash and Onion Knight simultaneously extended their right hands, and then a lightning spear flashing with yellow lightning appeared in their hands. The two bent their elbows and knees and threw the lightning spears in their hands at the same time.

In the blink of an eye, the two lightning spears flew to the other end of the sacrificial site, disappearing directly into the bushes.

"What...what were those things you were holding just now?" Stark asked in surprise.

Of everyone present, only Tony and Pepper had not experienced the fantastical events, so their reactions to Ash and Onion Knight's supernatural abilities were divided.

One side was represented by Cassell and Kingpin, who, while curious about the new tactics Ash and Onion displayed, remained restrained, knowing they shouldn't attract the attention of the others at the party.

On the other side were Stark and Pepper. Stark almost grabbed Ash's hand and started flipping through the pages. Having never encountered anything like this before, Stark was extremely curious.

"That's a holographic projection with motion capture, right? The special effects are pretty good. I bet that spiraling lollipop is the voice command to activate it?"

Stark attempted to analyze Ashe's lightning spear using scientific methods, put forward his own conjecture, and began to imitate Ashe and Onion Knight's movements.

"Spiral Ascension Lollipop, Spiral Ascension Lollipop..." Stark kept trying to summon the Thunder Spear in conjunction with the actions and so-called commands, but ultimately to no avail.

"Perhaps you've added some special verification, such as voiceprint or facial recognition, so that this system can only serve you and designated people."

Unable to summon the lightning spear according to the original actions and commands, Stark continued to analyze the lightning spear in Ashe's hand using scientific methods, without considering any supernatural aspects.

As Stark kept trying, the others at the party were drawn to Tony's comical antics, pointing and whispering. Fortunately, no one took a picture of Tony's funny actions.

“That is the miracle of the Sun Knight, which any warrior who believes in the sun can use.” Ash stopped Stark’s futile attempt and explained the origin of the Thunder Spear to Tony.

[Thunder Spear: A miracle used by warriors of the Sun Oath. It can be hurled with lightning. The spear possesses lightning-attribute attack power, making it highly effective against opponents skilled in magic and fire defenses, and particularly powerful against metal armor or dragons.]

"As long as the oath of the Sun Warrior is fulfilled, any warrior with firm faith can learn how to use the Thunder Spear, and after that, there is a greater chance of learning a series of miracles such as the Giant Thunder Spear."

Ash's explanation of the origins and history of the Thunder Spear to Stark still couldn't stop Stark from coming up with a thousand different interpretations and experimental plans for the Thunder Spear in his hands.

Hachi, who was on the other side of the party, noticed that everyone was the center of attention and, sensing something was amiss, walked over to warn the others.

"Everyone, if you don't want to be on tomorrow's front page, you'd better avoid this. Especially you, the tycoon, you almost became the subject of a viral short video."

When outsiders arrived, Stark finally stopped his somewhat comical attempt, but he began searching around for the sensors that Ash had hidden.

“Hatchi is holding the others back; we’re going to take care of something.”

Ash downed the onion wine in one gulp, threw down the barrel, and gave Hatch instructions with a somewhat grim expression.

Ash walked toward the direction from which the lightning spear had shot out, with Onion following behind. Kingpin, now wearing gauntlets, also followed behind Onion.

The three men stormed off, and Cassel finished his drink in one gulp, wiped the spilled liquor from his mouth, jumped up from his stool, and rushed over. He didn't want to miss such an interesting story.

Stark, having lifted the tablecloth and turned over the soil without finding anything, finally couldn't contain his curiosity and said to Pepper, "Pepper, should we go take a look too?"

"Tony, let's forget it. It's just you and me now. Happy isn't here, so I can't guarantee your safety."

Pepper always puts Stark's safety and identity first, planning everything that should be done and avoiding potential crises for Stark.

However, for Stark, recklessness and doing whatever he wants are his mottos, and he will not be swayed by Pepper's advice to curb his already overflowing curiosity.

"No means yes. I'm going to go check it out. You stay here and wait for me."

Stark couldn't contain his curiosity and followed the group in the direction they had left.

Pepper couldn't stop Stark, and could only sigh as she watched Stark's excited back.

Pepper took out her phone and sent a text message to Happy, who was nowhere to be found, urging Happy, Stark's bodyguard, to come and protect Stark immediately. Then she switched her phone to emergency mode, pressed the quick-call button, held the phone in her bag with one hand and her handbag with the other, and followed him.

The sacrificial site is situated on the edge of a protruding cliff, with steep cliffs on both sides, making it as dangerous as Stark's Malibu Beach villa. Therefore, during the renovation, the workers planted thorny vines around the cliff to prevent any little cuties from trying to break through and falling off.

Furthermore, a guardrail has been installed on the inside of the thorny vines as an additional safety measure. If any darling insists on climbing over the guardrail and traversing the tall thorny thicket towards the cliff, even Jesus couldn't save them.

Below the railing is a drainage ditch built to keep the sacrificial site clean and tidy. Calling it a drainage ditch isn't quite accurate, though, as the spacious area inside could easily fit an adult man.

The entire drainage system is divided into two layers from top to bottom. The first layer has a large space with a never-ending water pump and water circulation system, while the second layer is a water storage tank built to collect rainwater and sewage.

The reservoir is connected to sewage pipes leading to the sewage treatment system at the bottom of the cliff. These complex pipes are arranged in a lower, semi-submersible trough.

Ash led the way, guiding the others to open a wooden door disguised as a dead tree, with a "No Entry" sign hanging on it.

Inside the wooden door was a straight staircase leading directly down, illuminated only by a yellow light from an incandescent bulb at the top.

Ash continued down the road until he reached the lowest point of the drainage ditch.

## Chapter 43: Pennywise

Upon reaching the bottom floor, turn right and pass through numerous drainage devices. Ash then encounters the man struck by the lightning spear.

Beneath a head of messy, frizzy red hair was a hideous face painted with thick layers of greasepaint, its yellow pupils staring at the arriving crowd.

Dressed in a white clown costume, its enormous, deformed claws, with only four fingers, held a red balloon tied with a string.