I'm Aquaman in Marvel

Chapter 19: Arthur's Fury and the Iron Overlord



Obadiah already knew that Tony Stark had created the steel armor. He had acquired the blueprints for Tony's Mark I suit through the terrorists in Afghanistan, and then, without Tony's knowledge, he'd instructed the company's weapons department to construct an enhanced version: the monstrous Iron Monger! The only problem was that the scientists at Stark Industries, despite their brilliance, couldn't replicate the core energy source for the armor – the Arc Reactor. Obadiah, however, had his eyes on the one powering Tony's chest, but Tony's ever-present bodyguard, Arthur, stayed with Tony day and night, making it impossible for Obadiah to find an opportune moment to steal it.

Today, however, an unexpected opportunity arose. Obadiah had suddenly encountered Arthur in Tony's top-floor office at the company headquarters. Regardless of Arthur's purpose for being there, Obadiah knew in that instant that his chance had finally arrived.

Obadiah drove with reckless speed to Tony's villa, slipped inside undetected, and quietly approached Tony, who was engrossed in his work. With a swift movement, he subdued Tony using a pulse device, rendering him unconscious, and then, with cold precision, he forcibly removed the miniaturized Arc Reactor from Tony's chest.

"Haha, I finally got it!" Obadiah gloated to himself, a maniacal laugh echoing in his mind as he drove towards the Stark Industries factory. "That idiot Tony is dead without this Arc-Reactor. Once I get to the weapons factory and slip into my own armor, I'll get rid of Tony's bodyguard and that female assistant for good!" Obadiah thought, consumed by his malicious plans as he sped down the highway.

What Obadiah hadn't anticipated was that Tony still possessed a replaced, older model of the Arc Reactor. When Arthur and Pepper arrived at the villa shortly after Obadiah's departure, they found Tony lying on the ground, struggling for breath.

Arthur and Pepper immediately rushed to help Tony up. "Tony, Tony, are you okay?!" Pepper cried out, her voice laced with panic and fear as she frantically called his name.

Tony slowly regained consciousness, his eyes fluttering open. He saw Arthur and Pepper, and a sigh of relief escaped his lips. He weakly stretched out his hand to help Pepper wipe away her tears, a faint, reassuring smile on his face.

"I'm glad you're okay," Pepper said, her voice still trembling with worry as she looked at Tony's pale, drawn face.

Tony, still recovering, told Arthur that Obadiah had taken his Arc Reactor. In turn, Pepper urgently informed Tony that Obadiah had been secretly constructing his own version of the armor.

Upon hearing this, Tony's face hardened. "If I had known this earlier," he growled, "I would have killed him, just as Arthur suggested! He must have activated the armor by now. I have to stop him!"

Tony immediately rushed to the second floor to don his battle suit – the one powered by the older Arc Reactor. Arthur, ever practical, asked, "Can the old reactor even power your armor effectively? And your current physical condition, Tony, you're not in the best physical condition for a mech fight right now. You shouldn't go. Let me handle him. Leave this to me."

"Leave it to you?" Tony retorted, already moving. "Do you even comprehend the sheer power of that armor? Just stay here and protect Pepper!"

"No, Tony, you can't take this risk!" Pepper interjected, her voice anxious and pleading. "Please, don't go!"

"Don't worry, Pepper, I'll come back after I deal with him," Arthur assured her, attempting to calm her fears. "I'll protect myself, and I'll bring Tony back intact. You just stay here and don't go anywhere, understand?"

"Tony, you or I..." Before Arthur could even finish speaking, Tony, impatient and determined, flew away in a desperate hurry, leaving Arthur speechless.

"... Arthur," Arthur muttered to himself, shaking his head as he watched Tony disappear into the sky. "Tony, you know nothing about true power."

"You stay right here," Arthur said to Pepper, his voice firm and reassuring. "I'm going to help Tony. Don't worry, I will bring Tony back safely, I promise you."

"Please, Arthur," Pepper pleaded, her eyes wide and full of tears, "come back safely with Tony! Both of you!"

Arthur, in a moment of utter vexation, took a taxi and drove towards the Stark Industrial Park. He was truly aggrieved this time. He hadn't brought his trident, which meant he couldn't fly, and he still couldn't drive a car, so he was stuck relying on a mundane taxi.

"Faster," he urged the driver, "please, drive faster! I'll give you double the fare!"

"Okay, okay, fasten your seat belt then!" the driver happily replied, stepping on the accelerator.

Arthur inwardly vowed that once this entire ordeal was over, he would definitely go and get his driver's license, and an aircraft pilot's license too. Doesn't S.H.I.E.L.D. offer training to fly fighter jets? he mused. When the time comes, I'll make S.H.I.E.L.D. provide me with a fighter jet. (Nick Fury: You're dreaming, pal!)

Before even reaching the main entrance of the Stark Industrial Park, Arthur saw that the road ahead was completely blocked by emergency vehicles and debris. In the distance, a colossal gray humanoid machine was locked in a fierce, brutal battle with the familiar red Iron Man suit, explosions lighting up the sky.

"Oh my God! What is that thing?!" the taxi driver exclaimed, staring wide-mouthed at the terrifying scene unfolding before them.

Arthur quickly paid for the ride, hopped out, and sprinted towards the chaotic battlefield, his powerful strides carrying him rapidly towards the escalating conflict.

Tony and Obadiah were locked in an inseparable, violent struggle. "This company, it depended on me to develop into what it is today, and no one can get in my way of taking what is mine, especially not you, Tony!" Obadiah roared through his amplified suit, a voice filled with rage.

Obadiah, clad in his enormous mech, attacked Tony with a relentless, frantic fury. Tony's energy levels were critically low due to the older Arc Reactor design, and the full offensive weaponry of his armor hadn't been urgently designed or implemented yet. He could only primarily rely on launching repulsor blasts from his palms. The Iron Monger, Obadiah's massive suit, was overwhelmingly powerful, beating Tony back repeatedly.

Obadiah grabbed Tony's lighter Iron Man suit and flung him hard, sending him crashing into a nearby bus with a sickening crunch. Then, the shoulder of the huge mech opened up, and a devastating missile fired, flying directly towards the destroyed bus, aiming to finish Tony off.

It was too late to shout a warning! Just as the missile was seconds from impacting the bus, a blur of motion appeared. A figure rushed forward with incredible speed and blocked the missile with his own body.

Boom!

There was a tremendous explosion, a deafening roar was heard as massive flames shot into the sky. People in the far distance could clearly see the fiery inferno caused by the blast!

However, from the very heart of the inferno, a defiant figure emerged through the dissipating smoke and licking flames.

"Need a hand, Tony?" It was Arthur, standing amidst the wreckage, seemingly unharmed.

Tony slowly climbed out of the mangled bus, his armor sparking. He looked at Arthur's tall, uninjured body, utterly dumbfounded. "Arthur? Why on earth are you here?" he asked, disbelief coloring his voice.

"I couldn't just stand by and watch you get beaten so badly, could I?" Arthur replied, still in the mood to joke, despite the danger. "It's a pity, though. I just bought this new suit." He took off his now burning coat and casually tossed it aside, then took a deep breath and blew, extinguishing a small flame that had caught on his pants.

"John Arthur, you came just in time," Obadiah boomed through his suit's speakers, his voice filled with malevolent surprise, yet an underlying confidence. "I'll finish you two together right here!" He was astonished that Arthur could block his missile, but he didn't care too much, confident in his own overwhelming power.

"I've wanted to get rid of you for a long time, Obadiah!" Arthur looked at Obadiah with cold, piercing eyes, his composure unwavering.

Suddenly, Arthur kicked the ground hard, launching himself towards Obadiah at an almost supernatural speed. He delivered a powerful, direct punch to the chest of Obadiah's immense armor. Only a deafening bang was heard, and the huge mechanical armor, weighing tons, was sent flying backward for tens of meters, crashing heavily to the ground with an earth-shaking thud.

Tony stared at the scene in front of him, absolutely dumbfounded. Is this guy human? he wondered, his mind struggling to process what he had just witnessed.

Obadiah scrambled to get up, his armor groaning under the impact. "Who are you?!" he demanded, his voice now laced with genuine shock and a hint of fear.

"I'm someone you definitely shouldn't have crossed!" Arthur retorted, rushing forward again. He attacked Obadiah with a rapid flurry of powerful punches, beating him back steadily, not giving the massive suit a moment to recover.

Obadiah desperately raised his own colossal fist to fight back, but Arthur, relying on his incredible dexterity and speed, effortlessly dodged the slow, lumbering blow.

Arthur saw his opening and delivered a precise, devastating punch to the Iron Monger's massive arm. The huge metal arm, an impressive piece of engineering, and Arthur's comparatively tiny human arm smashed together, but to Obadiah's horror, the gigantic Iron Monger armor was once again sent flying out, falling heavily to the ground.

Tony watched Arthur show off his astonishing strength and speed, feeling completely outmatched and reduced to a mere background figure. Unwilling to remain sidelined, he ran towards the Iron Monger, eager to join the battle, despite his limited power.

Obadiah was momentarily stunned by Arthur's raw power, but he immediately thought of a new tactic. Flames suddenly spewed out from the engine thrusters located under the huge armor, and the enormous body of the Iron Monger actually lifted off the ground, ascending into the sky.

"Do you think I can't hit you in the sky, you oversized tin can?" Arthur roared, crouching down. He launched himself into an incredibly powerful jump, rocketing towards the airborne Iron Monger. He delivered a thunderous punch to the Iron Monger's abdomen, blasting the behemoth even further into the sky, before Arthur himself fell back gracefully to the ground.

Obadiah finally stabilized his battle armor after being sent flying a considerable distance, and he continued to ascend high into the sky. He knew there was a limit to how high Arthur could jump, and he was determined to fly to a height where Arthur couldn't possibly reach him.

Arthur took off again, leaping towards Obadiah, but the Iron Monger had already exceeded a height of 50 meters. Arthur could no longer reach Obadiah, and he had no choice but to fall back to the ground, frustrated.

Obadiah laughed wildly from his high altitude advantage. He raised his right hand, and a concealed muzzle extended, spraying out continuous streams of fiery bullets that shot towards Arthur on the ground. The bullets incessantly impacted Arthur. Although they couldn't inflict much serious harm, they still made Arthur incredibly irritated and annoyed.

Obadiah then raised his left hand, and a significantly larger gun barrel extended. He fired a massive missile directly towards Arthur's position. With a deafening bang, the missile struck Arthur's location and produced a truly enormous explosion.

After the flames of the explosion disappeared, Arthur's figure stood unyielding on the spot. He didn't seem to have been hurt in any significant way, but the clothes on his body were now utterly tattered and smoking.

Arthur looked around, realizing there were no high-rise buildings nearby that he could use as leverage to jump higher. He lamented not bringing his trident, If I had known, I would have used all my strength to kill him just now, he thought, regretting his earlier restraint and the absence of his powerful weapon.

Obadiah continued to laugh wildly from high above. Tony finally reached Arthur, his own armor showing signs of strain. "Are you alright, Arthur?" he asked with genuine concern, his voice a bit strained.

"I'm fine," Arthur replied, brushing off the remaining ash. "Do you still have any energy left? Take me up there, and I'll beat him down."

"Alright!" Tony agreed without hesitation.


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