The Leviathan's monstrous shadow loomed overhead, its every step shaking the ground beneath them. Doom's magic crackled around the chamber, thick and suffocating, but Tony's focus was on Pepper — the woman caught between darkness and light.
As sparks flew from their clashing gauntlets, Tony's mind raced back to simpler times — late nights in the lab, whispered promises, shared laughter. A time before the armor, before battles that tore them apart.
"Remember the Malibu sunset?" Tony's voice softened amid the chaos. "When we swore to protect each other, no matter what?"
For a flicker of a second, Pepper's eyes softened — a tear threatening to fall, but Doom's hold tightened again, twisting her expression into something fierce and cold.
Tony knew he had to act fast.
"Natasha, Steve — cover me," he shouted, before launching into a calculated assault, aiming to distract the Leviathan.
Steve's shield clanged against the creature's leg, buying precious seconds.
Natasha darted between shadows, taking out Doom's magical traps with precise strikes.
Meanwhile, Tony activated a hidden protocol in his armor — a memory override designed for emergencies.
He reached out through the interference, pouring every fragment of their shared past into a pulse of pure energy — a beacon for the real Pepper buried beneath the darkness.
Pepper staggered, her gauntlets dimming for a moment.
But before she could break free, Doom's laughter echoed like thunder.
"You cannot escape me, Stark! This world will bow — and you will kneel!"
Suddenly, the Leviathan's roar turned into a deafening shriek as the chamber trembled violently.
A massive crack split the floor between them.
The cavern began to collapse.
Tony grabbed Pepper's arm, pulling her toward safety.
But as the ceiling started to cave in, a shadow moved swiftly behind them — a figure cloaked in darkness, eyes glowing with malice.
"Not so fast, Stark."