When Garus arrived at Tony's house, it seemed that Tony and Pepper had just had an argument.
As soon as she saw Garus, Pepper complained, "Garus, can you talk some sense into him? He's spending all his time buried in his Iron Man suits—he even has them standing guard while he sleeps! If this keeps up, he might as well just move in with his armor."
Garus glanced at Tony, who was completely absorbed in his latest project, seemingly unaware of their conversation. "Pepper, Tony has been under a lot of pressure. Ever since the incident with the wormhole over New York, his mental state hasn't been the same. I'll do my best to help him."
Pepper sighed. She knew all this already—otherwise, she would have left long ago.
"Hey, Tony!" Garus knocked on the table to get his attention. His eyes fell on the pool of liquid metal on the workbench, curiosity piqued. "What are you working on?"
Tony turned around, his eyes lighting up as he pointed at the shimmering substance. "Garus, you're just in time! This is my new armor. Initially, I was developing the Extremis Suit, but after days of research, I've come up with something even better—the Bloodedge Armor."
"Bloodedge Armor?" The name alone exuded an air of menace.
"It integrates nanomaterials directly into my bones, allowing me to summon the armor instantly through my bloodstream. But I'll need you to bring me the Extremis virus. Without it, my body won't be able to handle the modifications."
"Tony," Pepper interjected, her patience at its limit. "First, you insisted on wearing your armor even while sleeping. Now you want to put it inside your body? Fine! Why don't you just go live with your suit!"
With that, she stormed out of the room.
Garus turned to Tony. "Aren't you going to go after her?"
Tony waved dismissively. "She'll be back."
"And the Extremis virus?" Tony's anticipation was evident.
Garus produced a syringe filled with an orange liquid. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"
"Of course! With you here, nothing can go wrong, right?" Tony grinned confidently.
Garus sighed. "Alright. But you do realize that this world isn't just about technology. There's a whole realm of magic as well. You could consider creating armor that fuses both, like the Asgardian Destroyer we encountered before."
Tony's mind immediately conjured the image of the near-indestructible Asgardian automaton—something far beyond the power of his Iron Man suits.
"I don't know the first thing about magic. Let me finish my Bloodedge Armor first."
Garus smirked. "Well, if you ever run into Odin, you could ask him to bless your armor. That would boost its power tremendously."
"I'll think about it later." Tony lay down on a surgical table, where mechanical restraints automatically locked him in place.
"Jarvis, begin the injection."
The Extremis virus and the nanometal entered Tony's bloodstream simultaneously.
Despite his outward bravado, he was nervous. The nightmares had been relentless, pushing his psyche to the brink. This was his only way to feel safe again—by relying on his armor.
As the virus spread through his body, heat surged through his veins, setting his skin ablaze, while the nanometal sent waves of cold through him. The contrast was agonizing.
Garus winced at the sight. Watching Tony endure this self-inflicted torment, he had to admire his sheer determination.
Thankfully, nothing went catastrophically wrong. After over an hour, Tony stepped down from the table, drenched in sweat.
He immediately started analyzing the new data on his computer, lines of code and diagnostics scrolling past in rapid succession.
"Garus, hit me."
"You sure about that?" Garus raised an eyebrow. "I might actually kill you."
"I'll be fine! Come on, full force."
"Alright then…" Garus held back significantly—his strength alone was formidable, even without enhancements like the Power Stone or Death Energy.
With a powerful whoosh, his fist connected with Tony's stomach.
A metallic sheen rippled across Tony's skin as the liquid metal surged from his bloodstream, instantly forming his armor.
Tony barely stumbled back two steps, completely unharmed.
With a thought, the armor melted back into his body like flowing mercury.
"Liquid metal?" Garus mused, reminded of a certain shape-shifting android from old movies.
"It's nanomaterial. Your punch wasn't strong enough. Try again!" Tony's enthusiasm was almost childlike.
Garus smirked. "Alright, if you insist."
This time, he infused his fist with frost energy.
Before Tony could react, Garus disappeared from sight and reappeared with a devastating punch.
A deafening crack echoed as Tony's body blasted through the reinforced concrete walls of the villa, disappearing into the distance with a resounding "whoosh!"
Garus scratched his head. "Oops. Might've overdone it."
Peering into the distance, he spotted a figure emerging from the water and soaring back at incredible speed.
Before Tony even landed, Garus saw his arm morphing, forming a particle cannon shaped like a blooming flower. A blinding white energy beam shot toward him.
Garus hastily conjured a shield, barely absorbing the impact. This weapon was far more powerful than Tony's standard repulsors.
Tony touched down, retracting the cannon, and in an instant, a glowing energy blade formed on his forearm. With breathtaking speed, he lunged at Garus.
"Damn it, Tony! Have you lost your mind? Do you want me to beat you into submission?" Garus growled. The new armor was leagues beyond Tony's previous models in speed, reaction time, and firepower.
Growing impatient, Garus unleashed a wave of necrotic energy. A gray mist coiled around Tony, immobilizing him.
With a swift motion, Garus grabbed Tony by the leg and hurled him sideways, sending him crashing through two more walls.
Moments later, Tony emerged, unharmed, the armor retreating into his body once more.
"Well, Garus? What do you think? Pretty damn impressive, huh?"
"Not bad," Garus admitted. "Still, having metal fused into your body seems… unsettling."
Tony shrugged. "It's fine. Thanks to the Extremis virus, it won't harm me. And it's removable."
"Jarvis, did you get all the data? Let's see what needs improvement."
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TL/N:
Bloodedge Armor is Bleeding Edge Armor. I opted for the former as it sounds cooler to me, lol.
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