65 Superhero's Arrival
Above Monaco, a girl in a tight suit plummeted rapidly.
"37 seconds to landing."
The voice of Cortana came through the communications headset integrated into her goggles.
"What's the situation on the ground?"
As she descended, Kagura Hitomi remained concerned about the chaos unfolding at the Monaco Grand Prix track below.
Cortana switched the live broadcast feed to the corner of Hitomi's goggles, showing the chaotic scene at the racecourse.
"Seems bigger than I expected," Kagura murmured, watching the "Whip" on screen.
It was clear that Ivan Vanko had received some unexpected assistance.
The Monaco Grand Prix track was in disarray.
Wrecked cars were scattered all around, some still burning fiercely.
Thick black smoke mixed with a sharp, acrid smell and spread in all directions.
The spectators in the stands, escorted by police and security personnel, had begun to evacuate in an orderly fashion.
Fortunately, the man with the electric whips seemed to be targeting something other than the civilians.
At that moment, Tony Stark, whose car had been destroyed, was facing off with Ivan Vanko, aka "Whiplash."
What shocked Tony more than Ivan's mechanical exoskeleton or the arc of electric whips in his hands was the Ark Reactor glowing in Ivan's chest.
Unarmed, Tony was being relentlessly pursued by Ivan's electrified whips, narrowly dodging his attacks.
With victory in his grasp, Ivan advanced, cornering Tony with nowhere to run.
Luckily, Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts arrived just in time, delivering the portable Mark 5 Iron Man suit to Tony.
As the suitcase containing the Mark 5 landed at his feet, the situation began to shift.
Tony opened the case, and the suit activated, unfolding into place.
He grabbed the activation handle, pulling the suit's armor up to his chest, then spread his arms wide.
The segmented armor plates unfolded like fish scales, covering his body, and the red-and-silver Iron Man suit gradually took shape, giving Tony the power to stand up to Ivan's assault.
The spectators in the stands, who had been evacuating, now rushed to the railings, cheering wildly for Iron Man.
"Iron Man... Tony Stark," Ivan grinned.
"Today is your judgment day."
"Is it?" Tony scoffed, pushing aside the car carrying Pepper and Happy. He raised his hand and deployed his palm-mounted repulsor.
"I think you've picked the wrong opponent."
"Vroom!"
Before Tony could charge the repulsor, Ivan's electric whip whipped across, tearing off the left arm of the Mark 5, along with the palm cannon.
"You're weak, Tony Stark," Ivan taunted.
"The Ark Reactor is powerful, but you treat it like a toy."
With a snap of his fingers, Ivan lashed out again with the electric whips.
Tony ducked and dodged the attack, quickly retaliating with a charged repulsor blast from his right hand.
"Boom!"
The blast emitted a pulse of electricity, but Ivan deflected it with a whip strike.
The Mark 5 suit, designed for emergencies, had thin armor and minimal defenses.
Its only weapons were the palm repulsor and the chest-mounted reactor cannon.
It was really more of an escape suit than a combat-ready armor.
In this world, however, Ivan had received help in creating a much stronger "Whiplash" suit, giving him a decisive advantage against Tony's Mark 5.
After several more exchanges, more cracks appeared in Iron Man's armor.
"Chest reactor cannon, charging," Tony announced, focusing energy into his chest, aiming for a stronger attack.
But Ivan, seeing through Tony's plan, stayed one step ahead, using his enhanced exoskeleton to match Tony's agility and reflexes.
A whip lashed out, and Tony caught it with his right hand.
As the arc electricity tore apart the right arm's armor, Ivan's other whip struck precisely at Tony's chest.
"Boom!"
The whip tore through the Iron Man armor, leaving a deep gash, and the Mark 5's core system, along with the Ark Reactor, was damaged.
The suit powered down and collapsed.
"You've lost, Stark," Ivan said as he moved closer, ready to deal the final blow.
"I told you, today is your judgment day."
The Mark 5's interface flashed with red alerts, and the system was down, suggesting an immediate ejection.
But Ivan wasn't done. He swung his electric whips again, preparing for a deadly strike.
[Activating High-Energy Electromagnetic Pulse]
At the last moment, a flash of lightning descended from the sky.
"Boom!"
A brilliant electromagnetic pulse, mixed with chaotic arcs of electricity, exploded between Tony Stark and Ivan Vanko, scorching a path through the air.
"Whoosh!"
Then, a slender figure descended from above.
As she neared the ground, a one-time flight pack deployed from her back, releasing two snowflake-shaped metallic buffers that briefly emitted reverse thrust pulses, slowing her fall before detaching from her back.
"Thud!"
After cushioning her landing, the girl, holding a silver katana, struck a classic superhero landing right in front of Tony Stark.
She wore a black-and-white skin-tight suit, perfectly contoured to her body, accentuating her curves.
Tiny capacitor modules spread across her outfit glowed with a soft blue light, giving her an almost futuristic look.
Her silver-gray goggles were connected to a pair of cat-ear-like hair accessories on top of her head, and a white mask extended from her faceplate, obscuring her features completely.
Her long black twin tails were created through holographic projection, hiding her true hair color.
The appearance of the girl silenced the entire arena in an instant.
Shocked by the electromagnetic pulse, Ivan snapped back to reality, clenching his fists and preparing to strike again.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark was left stunned, unsure of what had just happened.
"Are you alright, Mr. Stark?" the girl asked in a calm, electronically-modified voice, masking her true identity.
"Who... who are you?"
...........
[TL Note]
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