"Rise of the Invincible Bodyguard"

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"Tony, I made it just in time, huh?! Hahaha!!!"

Happy turned to look at Tony, laughing loudly in excitement.

The enemy that even Tony couldn't beat just got sent flying with a single punch from him. Didn't that mean… he was stronger than Tony now?!

Finally, Happy Hogan could call himself Tony Stark's bodyguard for real!

No more hearing people whisper, "Who's protecting who? The bodyguard or Iron Man?"

He'd heard that kind of talk way too many times.

And every time, deep down, it stung. If it weren't for his strong friendship with Tony, he might have quit a long time ago.

But now… HA! Let's see who dares to say he's not fit to be Tony's bodyguard!

Tony was frozen. "!!!"

What the actual hell?! That was Happy?!

This guy was three meters tall, two meters wide, with arms thicker than Tony's thighs and hands bigger than his face!

No way.

This had to be some kind of joke.

J.A.R.V.I.S. chimed in: "Sir, based on my analysis, 35% of this individual is Happy Hogan, 15% is a wild boar, 25% is a black bear, and 75% is a grizzly."

Tony's eye twitched.

Did… did Happy turn into a freaking grizzly bear?!

"Happy, is that really you?! Weren't you… badly injured?"

"Injured?" Happy shook his head frantically.

"Nah, Tony, you got it wrong! The one who was injured wasn't me—it was my twin brother! The real me is right here! And I never get hurt!"

Yeah, right! From now on, Happy Hogan was invincible!

He was pumped!

His teleportation power—was it triggered by excitement?

Damn! Protecting Iron Man felt so damn good!

Happy waved his massive hand and gently pushed Tony back.

"Tony, step aside! I'm about to—ARGH! FUCKING HELL!!!"

Before he could finish his sentence, a blazing-hot figure slammed into his chest at full force.

The sheer impact, combined with the burst of energy, sent Happy flying.

Just as he was about to crash into the mansion, he suddenly disappeared—only to reappear above the ocean.

He skimmed across the water, kicking up a massive ten-meter-high wave before finally crashing in and sinking beneath the surface.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

The only thing Happy managed to leave behind was a furious yell.

"...!!!"

Tony had no idea how far Happy had been blasted. All he knew was—he was out of sight.

But for that brief moment, Tony had seen just how insanely tough Happy's body was.

Say what you want, but damn, the guy could take a hit!

Even Killian's attack hadn't pierced through his chest.

Wait… Killian?!

Tony snapped back to reality and quickly stepped back.

How the hell had he zoned out in such a critical moment?!

If Killian recovered before he did, Tony was screwed. Happy wasn't here to take the next hit for him.

But as he backed away, he noticed something odd—Killian was also frozen in shock.

He was staring at the direction Happy had been launched, his face filled with disbelief.

That monster of a Happy… was beyond anything he could've imagined.

"What the hell… How did Happy become like this? A grizzly bear…?"

"Wait a minute… John Wick?! Super Soldier Serum?! RONN?!!"

A voice rang out behind him.

"Bingo. But no prize for guessing right."

Tony's eyes widened. That voice…

He turned his head sharply. "Ron…"

There was a complicated look in his eyes—concern, but also relief.

Ron smiled faintly. "Relax. From here on out, I'll handle the fight. None of them are leaving alive."

Before Tony could react, Ron grabbed his arm and teleported him a safe distance away from the mansion.

Ignoring Tony's shocked expression, Ron turned back toward the battlefield.

His eyes were cold, merciless.

"They all have to die."

Not just Killian and his men.

Everyone behind the scenes, too.

Back when he watched the movie in his past life, he had always wondered.

Tony Stark's villa… attacked?

That should've been impossible. No warning, no alert—nothing.

Not to mention, Tony was Howard Stark's son. Malibu was a high-security, ultra-rich neighborhood.

And let's not forget J.A.R.V.I.S.—an AI so overpowered in this world it was practically a cheat code.

Turns out, there was a reason behind all of this.

It was only after Ron talked to J.A.R.V.I.S. that he realized someone had jammed its surveillance.

Ron glanced at the approaching Quinjet in the distance and smirked.

Even S.H.I.E.L.D. got held up? And backup is only arriving now?

Oh well… whatever.

"Ron Stark?" Killian looked him up and down.

After being enhanced by Extremis, his senses were heightened to an extreme degree.

Even from dozens of meters away, he could hear everything perfectly.

"I know you're extraordinary. Hmm… a superhuman with enhanced physical abilities. Do you really think you can take me on? That you can kill me?"

Ron grinned. "You'll find out soon enough."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he clapped his hands together.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

In an instant, a massive earth wall—several meters thick and hundreds of meters long—shot up from the ground.

In the blink of an eye, it reached over a hundred meters high.

(And no, there wasn't a dog face carved into it.)

Ron used the earth wall to separate the battlefield from the villa, making sure no damage reached it.

After all, he liked living in his Malibu villa. The scenery was beautiful.

This insane display left everyone stunned—especially Tony, who was standing on top of the wall.

On instinct, he stomped on it. Solid. Very solid. Even tougher than steel.

"How the hell did Ron do this? Is he actually a mutant?"

But if he was a mutant, since when could mutants have multiple abilities like this?

Last he checked, Ron had enhanced strength, control over lightning, and now… earth manipulation too?

Tony suddenly realized he knew way too little about Ron.

Meanwhile, Ron's grin widened.

He quickly teleported, grabbing John Wick and Pepper, and got them out of the battlefield.

Then, he turned back to Killian and his men.

"You guys seem pretty heated… let me cool you down."

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"

Being so close to the ocean, Ron—who had Kage-level strength and all of Tobirama Senju's abilities—didn't just summon water.

He summoned a tsunami.

A massive tidal wave surged forward, towering dozens of meters high, unstoppable in its sheer force.

In an instant, it crashed toward Killian and his men, swallowing them whole.

At that moment, everyone watching felt an overwhelming sense of insignificance.

Against the ocean's fury, humans weren't even as significant as a drifting leaf.

Seconds later, Killian and his men were gone—buried under the waves.

The sandy beach? Now an ocean.

And for Extremis soldiers? There was no better way to deal with them than drowning them.

Perfect for cooling them off.

(Well, actually, freezing them in ice would be even better… but Ron didn't know Ice Release—yet.)

Catching his breath, Ron looked at his handiwork, satisfied.

Thanks to his Sage Body and an energy quality far superior to chakra, he could still use at least five more of these high-level water jutsu.

And that's only because he had already teleported, used Earth Release, and raised the massive wall.

If he hadn't, he could've easily doubled that number.

Back on the earth wall, Tony and the others were speechless.

Tony had to admit… he had seriously underestimated Ron.

"This isn't just earth manipulation… this is full-on control over nature itself!"

Since when could an earth user create a hundred-meter-high, steel-hard fortress?

Even granite wasn't this tough. Tony wouldn't be surprised if even missiles couldn't break through it.

And then there was the water ability.

This wasn't just controlling water.

This was some Poseidon-level, god-tier water manipulation.

Ron was just missing a trident, a crown, and standing shirtless at the crest of a tidal wave.

Staring at the seawater relentlessly crashing against the earth wall, Tony and the others could only stand there, their eyes twitching.

For the first time, they truly understood who Ron was.

In the distance, on the ocean's surface, a dark figure slowly emerged…

It was none other than Happy, who had been blasted away earlier.

At this moment, his tiny bear-like eyes were wide open, now looking more like red beans.

Staring at the vast ocean filled with all kinds of fish, he muttered to himself:

"Holy crap... Good thing I'm heavy and sank fast. Otherwise, I'd have ended up washed up on shore with those fish."

"Ron said my serum was fused with the genes of the mutant Nightcrawler."

"If it had been fused with Ron's genes instead, I might not have become the God of the Sea, but at the very least, I could've been the King of Atlantis!"

Of course, he was just joking around. In reality, Happy was beyond satisfied with his newfound abilities.

Super strength, teleportation, rapid healing—what more could he possibly ask for?

He rubbed his chest where Killian had struck him earlier. Other than the lack of hair, the injury looked no different from a bruised butt cheek.

With a single thought, he disappeared with a bamf, reappearing right next to Tony.

Meanwhile, Ron had arrived atop a wall of earth.

Killian and his men had merely been smacked down to the ocean floor. With the Extremis virus reinforcing them, they wouldn't die so easily.

But they were definitely miserable.

Anyone who has been in the water knows how unpredictable ocean currents can be.

Even when the surface is calm, the undercurrents never stop.

No matter how strong you are, unless you can physically control the water, you'll be at its mercy.

Since Killian and his men couldn't fly and had no foothold in the water, escaping anytime soon was out of the question.

Ron had no intention of letting them out, either. He figured they could soak for a while.

Standing atop the earth wall, he gazed at the distant Quinjet.

By now, the aircraft had come to a halt, its hatch opening to reveal a massive figure leaping out.

A towering, nearly three-meter-tall beast closed the distance of nearly a kilometer in just a few leaps, landing right atop the earth wall.

BOOM!

The entire structure trembled from the impact.

"Abomination?" Tony frowned at the monstrous, green, snot-colored creature.

This guy was bad news.

The moment he had transformed into Abomination, he had nearly leveled an entire city block. It had taken the Hulk to bring him down.

If it weren't for the Quinjet and the knowledge that S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent reinforcements, Tony would have attacked on sight.

"So this S.H.I.E.L.D. or whatever sent me here to help. Where's the enemy?!"

"Or… are you guys the enemy?"

Abomination grinned, his jagged teeth on full display. He stomped down hard on the earth wall.

Cracks spread rapidly across the surface, like fractures in a porcelain vase.

In an instant, the dozens of meters of earthen fortification seemed on the verge of collapse.

Fortunately, Ron had reinforced it with his energy. Otherwise, that single stomp would have brought half the wall crumbling down.

Seriously?!

This was supposed to be their barricade against the ocean!

And now this big brute was messing it up the moment he arrived.

Was he really here to help, or was he siding with the enemy?

Screw it!

Ron narrowed his eyes. In a flash, he activated Lightning Release Mode, channeling his immense strength. Blue lightning crackled around him as he vanished from sight.

The next moment, he reappeared right in front of Abomination, delivering a devastating punch straight to his jaw.

CRACK!

The sound of bone shattering filled the air.

Abomination's massive body was sent flying, rocketing into the sky like a missile.

A visible shockwave rippled outward, accompanied by a thunderous sonic boom. In the blink of an eye, he had already been launched over a hundred meters away.

But his insane healing factor kicked in almost instantly. Even as he soared through the air, Ron could clearly see his shattered jaw reconstructing itself, good as new.

Too bad for him—without anything to grab onto in mid-air, he had no way to stop his involuntary flight.

But those eyes of his—

A pair of fierce, menacing eyes locked onto Ron.

It was as if the moment he steadied himself, Abomination would tear him to shreds.

Looking into those hateful eyes, Ron smirked—then vanished in an instant.

He reappeared right in the path of Abomination's trajectory, swung his leg with full force, and sent the hulking beast flying again, breaking the sound barrier with a deafening boom.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The entire sky was filled with Ron's afterimages.

Teleporting continuously, he kicked Abomination around like a soccer ball.

Abomination swung his massive arms desperately, trying to grab Ron mid-teleport.

But with his Sharingan activated, Ron's ability to perceive movement and react was far beyond what Abomination could handle.

Every counterattack was effortlessly dodged, and each time, with nowhere to regain his footing, Abomination was sent flying again, another sonic boom echoing through the air.

By now, the battle had already started making waves. News was spreading fast, so there was no point in hiding from satellites anymore.

Because of this, organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. had already locked onto the scene, watching through their satellite feeds.

At that moment, Tony Stark and everyone else witnessing the fight were in absolute shock.

Wait… they weren't seeing things, were they?

That terrifying beast—the one that could only be contained in a vibranium cage—was actually being kicked around like a ball?!

This was freaking Abomination! Not some soccer ball!

Everyone knew how powerful Abomination was, which made it even more insane that Ron was playing with him like this.

There were probably only a handful of people in the world capable of overpowering Ron at this point.

Meaning… Ron was in the top ten? Almost untouchable?!

Tony and the others stood there, stunned. Nick Fury's eye gleamed with excitement and ambition, while Pierce's expression grew increasingly grim. HYDRA had just gained another massive threat.

Meanwhile, Ron himself wasn't as relaxed as he seemed.

It looked like he was toying with Abomination, but in reality, he hadn't actually dealt any real damage.

Only now did he realize he had underestimated the powerhouses of the Marvel Universe.

Before, he thought, This is just after the Battle of New York. There aren't many big shots around yet. How strong could they be? Hulk's probably the peak.

But now…

Now, he understood.

Hulk was Hulk. Hulk alone was enough.

Even Abomination, a second-rate version of Hulk, was only being held down because of Ron's teleportation.

Held down—but not injured.

No matter how hard he hit, it was like drumming on a thick hide.

The skin dented… and then immediately bounced back.

Only fragile spots like the jaw would break under Ron's full-power attacks, and even then, only temporarily.

As for the arm bones, leg bones, spine, and even ribs?

Forget shattering them. The moment his foot made contact, he was the one getting bounced away.

Ron's face turned serious.

He miscalculated.

At her peak, Tsunade couldn't compare to Abomination.

Even if Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya teamed up, Abomination would still come out on top.

To defeat him, Hashirama Senju himself would have to step in.

And this was just Abomination.

If it were Hulk, even Hashirama might not be enough.

Hashirama definitely wouldn't stand a chance against Surtur, the Fire Giant.

Hulk landed two punches on Surtur and had him screaming in pain.

If True Several Thousand Hands tried to take on Hulk, those arms would be torn apart instantly.

"Damn it! You're forcing me to go all out?!"

What's the point of half-assing this? Either go big or don't go at all!

What—was he supposed to let Abomination stand up after the fight and say, 'Nice massage, bro'? That'd be humiliating.

Ron stopped his attack and landed on the ocean surface.

Then—a surge of green energy exploded from his body, piercing the sky!

Super Saiya—wait, no.

Eight Gates Released Formation—Seventh Gate: Shock Gate, OPEN!

"….."