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Chapter 184: Humanoid Mount

"Sir, he's charging towards you," Jarvis's voice alerted Tony through the armor's systems.

"I'm aware," Tony replied coolly, eyeing Carnage before swiftly retreating without hesitation.

The self-destructing armors had been a calculated move, not his own, ensuring he could swiftly end this battle from a safe distance.

Tony found himself somewhat grateful for his decisive action, launching a full-scale assault that severed Carnage's pursuit, allowing the armors to detonate just in time to save his own life.

Beneath Carnage's chaotic exterior lurked a mind surprisingly calm and calculating, deceiving everyone with its veneer of madness. Tony realized the true terror lay not in the madness itself, but in its controlled intellect—a combination that had devastated another Earth.

Despite Tony's efforts, Carnage continued to present challenges, persistently pursuing him with a self-destructive armor in tow. Tony had no choice but to maintain his evasive maneuvers, creating an absurd spectacle—a swarm of armors chasing Carnage, and Tony himself, the orchestrator, avoiding the fray.

Gwen and the others, trailing on the ground with webs, couldn't help but feel perplexed by the bizarre chase unfolding above.

The chase, however, wasn't endless. Carnage's speed had limitations, and eventually, the overheated armors began closing the gap. Carnage spread his wings, maneuvering to evade the explosion as the armors self-destructed one after another.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The successive detonations overwhelmed Carnage, punctuating the sky with a string of spectacular fireworks.

Tony finally exhaled a sigh of relief, pausing to admire the lingering glow and aftershocks of his armors' sacrifice.

Despite the strategic necessity, Tony couldn't help but feel a pang of grief. Each armor had been his creation, now sacrificed like pawns on a chessboard.

But the sacrifice had paid off—at least Carnage wasn't dead!

Not only did Carnage survive, but he used the explosion's cover to close the distance, rushing directly towards Tony.

Instinctively, Tony moved to command the armor to retreat, but it was too late. Carnage closed the gap in an instant, engaging Tony's Destroyer Armor in combat.

Tony seized the moment to study Carnage up close. The sight was grim—wings tattered, limbs broken, with few feathers remaining. Clearly, Carnage had sustained severe injuries from the explosion.

Despite Carnage's recovery abilities, Tony predicted the wings would be disabled soon, rendering flight impossible.

Yet, far from relaxing, Tony's heart tightened with solemnity.

Such decisiveness.

Carnage had willingly sacrificed his wings without hesitation—a calculated move to survive, even more resolute and composed than Tony.

"Is this the best you've got?" Carnage taunted.

Tony couldn't suppress his retort, "I've dealt with enough of you. You're at the end of your rope."

Their banter was mere distraction; their hands were already in motion. Carnage's symbiote allowed him to manifest additional appendages, transforming severed limbs into makeshift tentacles for attack.

Tony soon realized he was outmatched in this close-quarters combat. Jarvis's database, comprehensive as it was, catered to human-like adversaries, not symbiote-enhanced foes with unpredictable abilities.

Struggling to break free, Tony found himself ensnared by Carnage's relentless assault. The symbiote exerted pressure, targeting vulnerable points in the armor's power connections, causing sizzling short-circuits.

Unlike Gwen, Peter showed no mercy. Carnage tightened his grip, disrupting the armor's flight trajectory, compelling Tony to crash-land.

"Fool!" Tony raged inwardly, attempting to redirect energy to the chest reactor.

The Destroyer Armor's ray emitter, once positioned there, could inflict serious damage at close range.

But Carnage wasn't about to let Tony have his way. Tentacles sprouted from his body, puncturing the armor's chest and halting the energy build-up.

For a brief moment, the Destroyer Armor became Carnage's humanoid mount, forcefully grounded, skidding along the road. The once-pristine red and gold paint scraped against asphalt, leaving a trail of damage.

The physical damage to the armor was secondary. For Tony, the insult cut deeper than any injury.

"Asshole! What do you take Tony Stark for? A skateboard?" Tony seethed with a fury he hadn't felt in a long time—or had he?

Despite Peter using Tony as a means of descent, the conflict was far from over.

As Carnage landed in a bustling city block, surrounded by evacuated civilians and looming skyscrapers, superhero reinforcements began to converge. They leapt from rooftops or swung in on webs, encircling Carnage at the intersection's center.

Tony, meanwhile, picked himself up, the once-majestic Destroyer Armor now marred and battle-worn.

Yet, in this moment, he felt the victor, speaking down to Carnage with a hint of condescension, "I told you, Carnage, you can't escape."

Surveying the assembled heroes—Shi with her shield, Tiff bristling with barbs, Felicia poised for action, Jessica, and Gwen—he realized they mirrored a team of players united against a final boss.

Peter spread his arms wide, a smirk playing on his lips. "Behold, the second act begins."

...