Chapter 23: Breakthrough

The return of Tony Stark only heightened Finney's sense of urgency. It meant that the days leading up to the creation of the Mark III and the appearance of the Iron Monger were fast approaching. However, no matter how powerful they would become, they couldn't be built overnight, so there was still some time.

On the bright side, Finney had come up with an idea to deal with the Iron Monger.

When opening a portal, the more vivid and detailed the mental image of the location, the faster and more accurate the portal would form. Finney found that two locations were the easiest for him to open portals to: his home in New York and Kamar-Taj.

Next on the list were places like his school and the Himalayas. And it was the Himalayas that held the key to defeating the Iron Monger.

As the world's highest mountain range, with an average altitude above 7,000 meters and peaks like Mount Everest, where temperatures could drop to minus 60 degrees Celsius, the Himalayas were a perfect battleground. Tony, when designing his Iron Man suit, initially overlooked the issue of ice buildup on the surface, which caused the system to malfunction. Luckily, he identified the problem early and replaced the outer material with space-grade alloys.

The Iron Monger, however, wouldn't be as fortunate. Without Tony's miniature Arc Reactor, Obadiah Stane wouldn't be able to conduct such tests, and this oversight would become a fatal flaw.

Finney's plan was simple—he would open a portal and drag the Iron Monger to the summit of Mount Everest to fight. Not only would the cold severely weaken his opponent, but Finney could also escape if things went south. This strategy would minimize the destruction to New York and protect countless innocent lives. It was a win-win, or perhaps, a win-win-win situation.

The only concern was if Stane tried to flee.

Without a mirror dimension to trap him and given that the Iron Monger could fly, it would be tough to pursue him. Finney figured it might be wise to team up with Tony. While keeping Stane in check, he could also rack up some experience points by sparring with Iron Man.

Of course, there were many ways to defeat the Iron Monger. Obadiah Stane was just an ordinary man, and with Finney's knowledge of future events, it wouldn't be hard to neutralize him. But Finney wasn't just after victory; he wanted the combat experience. That's why he was willing to complicate things.

The environment on Mount Everest was harsh. While it would hinder the Iron Monger, it would also affect Finney to some degree. However, he could handle it better than Stane could.

Though Iron Man's suits were superior in many aspects, Evil Ghost Armor had its own strengths. In terms of adaptability and portability, Tony would need to upgrade his armor several times before catching up.

With his plan set, Finney applied for a week off from school. Since he didn't have many classes and his grades were solid, his professors approved the leave without much fuss.

Equipped with the Sling Ring, Finney opened a portal.

Bitter cold. Snow swirling in the wind.

Even though Finney was wearing the Evil Ghost Armor, he could still feel the biting chill of Everest. And this wasn't even the summit yet. Over the next week, he would push himself to his limits, striving to break through.

The training methods at Kamar-Taj primarily focused on magic, so they weren't very effective for physical breakthroughs. This time, Finney opted for a different approach.

Rock climbing.

Free-climbing the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest. Although, with Evil Ghost Armor protecting him, even if he fell, it probably wouldn't kill him...

Aside from the physical challenge of climbing, the biggest danger was pushing himself to the brink. If he reached his limit and the armor deactivated, leaving him unable to open a portal in normal conditions, the cold would certainly kill him.

Day one, day two, day three...

Six days passed.

During those six days, Finney's climbing speed and distance steadily improved, but he still hadn't made a breakthrough.

He knew why.

Fear.

He was afraid of pushing too far and accidentally killing himself. So even though he told himself to push harder, there was always a part of him holding back, preserving just enough energy to avoid catastrophe. It was this hesitation that was preventing his breakthrough.

"This won't work!"

On the last day of his leave, Finney knew he had to make a decision. Instead of continuing to climb, he sat down on a wide, flat area that he had chosen as his battleground for the upcoming fight.

The wind howled, and snowflakes danced in the air. Sitting there in the snow, Finney fought against the cold, while Evil Ghost Armor slowly drained his energy.

As the sky darkened, the temperature plummeted further.

"I'm reaching my limit..."

Finney could feel the weakness creeping through his body. At that moment, Evil Ghost Armor felt less like a protective shield and more like a malevolent spirit sapping his strength, torturing him alongside the biting wind and snow.

"I can't give up now. If I go back again, it'll be just like the past few days."

Clenching his teeth, Finney forced himself to endure. But as the world around him grew darker, thoughts of quitting began to surface.

There's nothing that can't be abandoned if you just let go.

Doubt crept into Finney's mind. Why was he pushing himself so hard? Wouldn't it be easier to follow the regular training routine? Was there really a need to take such risks?

Finney didn't notice that as he struggled to keep going, the bright silver of his armor gradually darkened, blending into the shadows around him. It seemed as if the armor was fading away—or perhaps turning invisible.

"Maybe it's unnecessary, but damn it, I want this!"

Suddenly, Finney muttered to himself, as if answering the questions swirling in his mind. "I'm just a regular guy. Aside from being a little handsome, what else do I have if I don't work hard?"

"What? Should I rely on luck and hope someone else saves me every time?"

"I may never be a hero, but I refuse to be a coward!"

Finney clenched his fists and stood up. In the darkness, his figure grew faint, but the crimson glow in his visor burned brighter than ever. A new power seemed to flow through his armor.

Waves of exhaustion crashed over Finney. He felt as though Evil Ghost Armor might deactivate at any moment, leaving him to collapse unconscious in the snow.

The icy flakes fell on his face, the chill cutting through him like a blade. A long sword hovered in front of him.

Evil Ghost Armor deactivated!

"Am I going to die here?"

Staring at the sword before him, Finney's trembling body barely managed to stay upright. He felt a deep unwillingness in his heart. In the howling wind, he struggled to lift his hand.

"Evil Ghost Armor!"

With a roar, Finney shouted, summoning the last remnants of his strength.

The familiar roar echoed in response. A small, satisfied smile crept onto Finney's lips. He had done it. He had finally broken through.

Without relying on the Golden Amplification Technique, he had managed to open a portal while equipped with Evil Ghost Armor.

Staggering through the portal, Finney collapsed to the ground, completely drained. As the armor dissolved, his body fell limp.

But just before his consciousness faded, the last thing he saw was Skye's frightened face.

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