The patterns on Tony Stark's suit caught Ronan's attention.
But at the same time, the energy bursting from those patterns sent Steve Rogers flying.
Whether it was intentional or not, Steve's trajectory took him straight toward the window.
Crack!
Steve shattered the glass and went into free fall, plummeting from the building.
Given the height and the floor they were on, even if his name was Steve Rogers, he'd turn into a pancake upon landing.
Boom!
A loud crash echoed from below.
"Wow, congrats, Tony. You've successfully killed Captain America."
"Looks like you really don't need such an incompetent friend."
Ronan smiled at Tony Stark and delivered this line.
As soon as he finished speaking, Tony's face showed a hint of discomfort.
It seemed there was still some emotion left in him.
Ronan raised an eyebrow, but soon, that flicker of emotion was replaced by a purple glow.
Tony raised his hands, and the repulsor beams in his palms charged up, firing at Ronan with a loud boom.
Ronan narrowed his eyes because he could clearly sense that the repulsor beams were mixed with Dormammu's dark energy.
Since when had Dormammu influenced Tony Stark?
Even Tony's Iron Man suit had been completely infused with Dormammu's energy?
But Ronan didn't have time to think further, as the repulsor beams were already in front of him.
Because of the dark energy mixed in, Ronan was extra cautious.
He pushed his hands forward, and a massive shield appeared in front of him.
The Shield of the Seraphim!
Clatter!
When the energy beams hit the shield, there was no explosion. Instead, the shield shattered into countless fragments.
Ronan didn't hesitate. He drew two semicircles in the air with his hands, and the fragments gathered in his palms.
Boom!
The fragments turned into a storm of blades, rushing toward Tony Stark.
Caught off guard, Tony didn't have time to defend himself—or perhaps this suit didn't have any defensive mechanisms.
The fragments relentlessly struck Tony's suit, and visible cracks began to appear.
Tony could only use his arms to protect the most critical part: his chest.
If his chest were breached, the suit's power would be compromised.
At the same time, the sheer force of the attack pushed Tony backward.
What made it worse for Tony was that the fragments seemed alive. Some of them gathered at his feet, clogging the thrusters.
Without the thrusters, Tony fell from mid-air.
The next second, the force of the fragments sent Tony flying backward!
Behind him was the same window Steve Rogers had fallen through.
"Not good!"
Tony thought to himself.
If he fell like Steve, even with his suit's unique shock absorption, he might survive, but fighting afterward would be impossible.
To avoid falling into the "abyss," Tony immediately ordered the suit to increase its grip.
The suit's feet extended grappling hooks that dug into the concrete floor.
But even so, Tony was pushed back several meters.
Behind him was the terrifying "abyss."
He could even feel the cold winter wind.
Feeling the suit stabilize, Tony breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the constant alerts flashing before his eyes told him his situation wasn't great.
So, Tony had to find a way to escape.
Originally, Tony planned to endure this attack and then make a break for it.
But after more than ten seconds, the fragments continued to bombard his suit endlessly.
JARVIS kept reporting damage to various parts of the suit, and Tony grew increasingly anxious.
If this continued, his suit would turn into scrap metal.
So, Tony gritted his teeth and spread his arms wide.
Without his arms protecting his chest, the fragments struck it directly, causing cracks to appear.
But Tony couldn't worry about that now.
The suit's palms released a burst of energy, and the grappling hooks disengaged.
Using the recoil, Tony slammed into the wall behind him and was sent flying out of the building.
The howling wind rushed past his ears. While this move helped him avoid Ronan's continuous attack, it also created a new crisis.
The thrusters in his feet were still clogged, preventing him from flying.
Although his arms continued to release energy, slowing his descent, the suit was still falling at an alarming speed.
Standing by the broken wall, Ronan watched Tony plummet and couldn't help but frown.
Luckily, Ronan's goal wasn't to kill Tony.
Otherwise, even if Tony survived the fall, he'd be bedridden for at least six months.
So, Ronan focused his mind.
A golden portal opened beneath Tony, swallowing him mid-air.
——
A few kilometers away, on a beach.
Tony Stark's suit appeared out of thin air.
Boom!
The next second, the suit slammed into the sand, creating a human-shaped crater.
Even with the world's most advanced shock absorption in the suit, the impact was still brutal.
Tony lay there for a good ten seconds before getting up to assess his surroundings.
"Tony, you kept me waiting too long."
A familiar voice rang out. Before Tony could react, a massive force hit him from behind.
A shield slammed into Tony's back, sparks flying as the suit was sent tumbling.
Once again, Tony face-planted into the sand.
But Tony wasn't one to go down easily. As he fell, he raised his hands and fired two repulsor beams at the source of the attack.
The beams hit their mark, and an explosion engulfed Steve Rogers.
However, the classic "smoke but no damage" trope came into play.
It wasn't that Steve dodged the attack—Ronan had blocked the explosion for him.
Tony had timed his attack perfectly.
Steve's shield had just hit him, so Steve was defenseless when Tony fired.
Even with the vibranium shield's incredible defense, it was useless if it wasn't in Steve's hands.
Unfortunately for Tony, he was now fighting two people.
"Damn Kamar-Taj sorcerer!"
"What is the Ancient One to you?"
Tony's voice came from the suit, but it wasn't Tony speaking.
It was Dormammu!
Only Dormammu would know terms like "Kamar-Taj" and "the Ancient One."
"Dormammu."
"You, the mighty ruler of the Dark Dimension, resorting to such lowly tactics to invade Earth."
"If your peers found out, wouldn't they mock you?"
Ronan looked at the patterns on the suit and confirmed it was Dormammu.
"Heh."
"I should thank you."
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the chance to enter his body."
Tony's voice rang out again.
But this time, the suit opened, and Tony stepped out.
Now, Tony's face, neck, and arms—any exposed skin—were covered in familiar purple patterns.
Dark energy radiated from his body.
It was clear that Dormammu had completely taken over.
"Should I call you Tony Stark, Dormammu, or Dormammu-Stark?"
Ronan looked at the... Dormammu-Stark with a strange expression, his eye twitching slightly.
Did Tony get taller?
Before, Tony only stood next to Ronan when he was in the suit.
Otherwise, he avoided standing near Ronan because of the height difference.
But now, Dormammu-Stark seemed to be about the same height as Ronan.
"Kid, you've got some nerve."
"Facing the great ruler of the Dark Dimension, and all you care about is my name?"
Dormammu-Stark's face darkened, clearly annoyed by Ronan's focus.
However, before Ronan could respond, a crisp phone ringtone broke the tension.
"Sorry, gotta take this."
Ronan ignored Dormammu-Stark's increasingly dark expression and pulled out his phone.
Steve Rogers watched them with a weird look, feeling like Ronan was doing this on purpose.
"Hello, what's up?"
Ronan answered the call.
"Remember to come to Hong Kong tomorrow. We need to buy flowers."
"And don't forget to put up the Spring Couplets on New Year's Eve morning."
The voice on the other end was Wong's, speaking in Cantonese.
He was clearly in Hong Kong.
The message was simple: they needed to buy flowers tomorrow and put up Spring Couplets on New Year's Eve morning.
Ronan twitched his lips. He'd almost forgotten—tomorrow was the 29th day of the lunar month.
He'd nearly let Tony's situation make him forget such an important event!
"Got it. I'm busy right now, saying hi to Dormammu."
"I'll hang up now. We'll talk tomorrow."
Ronan replied in his half-baked Cantonese.
"Screw you!"
Wong cursed and hung up.
To him, Ronan's excuse of "saying hi to Dormammu" was just that—an excuse.
Since when did Dormammu celebrate the New Year?
Their conversation sounded like encrypted code to Steve Rogers and Dormammu-Stark.
They didn't even understand the word "Dormammu."
Putting his phone back in his pocket, Ronan sighed.
"Let's wrap this up quickly, Steve."
"I've got some small matters to attend to."
Ronan seemed to be asking for Steve's opinion.
Steve just shrugged, gesturing for Ronan to look at Dormammu-Stark.
Meanwhile, Dormammu-Stark was furious at Ronan's dismissive attitude.
Who was he?
The mighty ruler of the Dark Dimension!
The lord of the dark world, Dormammu!
And Ronan didn't even give him the slightest bit of respect...
Boom!
Before Dormammu-Stark could finish listing his titles, Ronan flew toward him and punched him across the beach.
Steve followed up quickly, throwing his shield at the same time.
As Dormammu-Stark flew through the air, the shield hit him square in the stomach.
Tony's eyes widened in pain.
Ronan winced slightly. Even with the Lizard Serum enhancing Tony's body—and possibly Dormammu preventing him from turning into a lizard—the vibranium shield was still too much for him.
As Ronan winced, Steve didn't hold back.
Seeing Dormammu-Stark crash into the sand, Steve pounced on him, pinning his arms with his legs.
Then, with fists the size of sandbags, Steve started punching Dormammu-Stark in the face.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Ronan watched as Steve straddled Dormammu-Stark, delivering punch after punch.
He couldn't help but suck in a breath.
This was brutal!
Was Steve trying to beat Tony's consciousness back to the surface, or did he just hate Tony's face that much?
Either way, the force behind those punches was way stronger than when Steve hit the punching bag.
At this point, it was hard to say.
Steve's intentions were now all about saving Tony from Dormammu's clutches.
Morally, there was no issue.
But this relentless beating clearly enraged Dormammu-Stark.
He, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, was being pummeled by these insignificant humans.
If word got out, he'd be a laughingstock!
So, Dormammu-Stark roared, and dark energy erupted from his body.
"You damn insects!"
"Join me in the darkness!!!"