Marvel: Master Of Role-Playing

Thud!

A dull sound echoed through the air as Rhodes' punch had landed squarely on the Norman's chest.

Yet, the expected scene of flesh being burned away by the laser never happened.

Instead, Rhodes noticed a thick layer of laser energy coating the surface of his opponent's body—far more concentrated than the energy surrounding his own fist.

As the two forces clashed, they canceled each other out. His punch dealt only physical damage, while the laser was completely neutralized. Worse, because his energy output was weaker than Norman's, a scorching heat spread across his own fist.

The sharp stench of burning flesh filled the air.

"Ah!"

Rhodes gritted his teeth in pain and yanked his hand back.

By then, Norman was already prepared. From a sheath strapped to his thigh, he drew a sleek, specially designed dagger. Laser energy surged through the blade, instantly transforming it into a deadly high-frequency weapon.

Without hesitation, Norman slashed.

Rhodes attempted to evade, but the high-energy laser still cut across his abdomen, leaving a deep gash. Blood streamed uncontrollably from the wound.

"Ah!"

Rhodes let out another cry of pain as his body weakened from the agony, causing him to collapse onto the ground.

Meanwhile, Norman got back on his feet. Instead of finishing Rhodes off, he turned his attention to Reid, who was steadily getting farther away. Locking onto his target through his mask, he immediately gave chase.

"Don't run, you bastard!"

Rhodes gritted his teeth and forced himself up, pushing through the pain to chase after them.

But due to the pain and blood loss from his injury, Rhodes' speed was nowhere near enough to keep up with the two ahead.

By the time he stumbled into an alley, both of them had already disappeared from sight.

"Damn it..."

The bleeding wouldn't stop, and combined with the strain from pushing himself too hard, Rhodes quickly began to suffer from severe blood loss.

His vision blurred. The next moment, his consciousness faded, and he collapsed to the ground, falling into unconsciousness.

...

On the other side, Norman chased after Reid, forcing him deeper into the alley.

"What's wrong, Luthor?! Why won't you face me?!"

He was injured as well, the excessive blood loss taking its toll. Struggling to breathe, he tore off his metal mask, revealing a face twisted with madness.

Bulging veins covered his skin, pulsing with traces of unstable laser energy.

To ensure he could fight at full strength, Norman had injected himself with dozens of serum vials in one go before the battle.

Even eating too much food could make a person nauseous—let alone injecting a substance that granted superhuman abilities.

The serum had no immediate side effects, but only if taken in small doses—one or two vials at a time, as Luthor had advised.

But Norman had taken ten times that amount.

His body was falling apart, and even his mind had started slipping. But he didn't care. As long as he could kill Luthor, it was worth it.

Ahead of him, Reid glanced back and shook his head slightly.

Norman was at his breaking point.

Even in the movies, where Norman succumbed to military pressure and the impending collapse of Oscorp, leading to the emergence of the Green Goblin persona, he had never appeared this desperate.

However, Reid felt no pity.

He kept running.

Deeper and deeper into the abandoned alleyways.

Until he reached a dead end.

At this moment, due to excessive blood loss, Norman's skin—once reddened by the serum—returned to a deathly pale shade.

But as he saw Reid finally trapped with nowhere to run, a faint flush once again appeared on Norman's face.

"Run! Keep running! Why did you stop?!"

Holding his laser-infused dagger, Norman stood still, sneering at Reid, who he believed had no way out.

"When you chose to stand against me, Luthor, you should have known that one day you'd pay with your life!"

The more he spoke, the angrier Norman became. He noticed that even in this situation, Luthor still wore that arrogant expression. But this time, it wasn't mockery—it was pity.

He was being pitied. This bastard actually dared to look at him with pity, as if he were beneath him.

"Luthor! Stop looking at me like that! Look at the situation—you're the real loser here!"

"Norman..."

Hearing his real name startled Norman for a moment, his manic rage briefly quieting.

But then, he saw that face again—the one he loathed, wearing that same mocking expression.

"Norman, do you know what you are? A complete and utter failure."

"AHHHHHH!!!"

Mockery. Once again, he was being mocked from above, like he was nothing. Norman couldn't take it anymore. Raising his dagger high, he charged straight at Reid.

"Die, Luthor!"

In his mind, he could already see it—that insufferable bastard pierced through the heart, his life ending in regret and despair.

But that was just a fantasy.

Reid didn't dodge. Instead, he simply raised a hand and caught the dagger with ease.

The supposedly unstoppable high-frequency laser blade had vanished, completely suppressed by a mysterious energy—an eerie green glow.

"H-How... how is this possible?!"

Norman stared in shock. No one should be able to withstand a high-frequency weapon. And even if someone could, why the hell was it Luthor?!

God had already given Luthor a genius mind and a flawless body. And now—superpowers too?!

The next moment, Norman got his answer.

A faint glow flickered around Reid's body. His regular suit faded away, replaced by a high-tech armor suit, primarily green and purple in design.

"Optical camouflage... then you..."

At this time, Norman understood. If he still couldn't figure out what was happening after knowing that Luthor had attended the press conference while secretly wearing armor, then his original reputation as a genius would be in vain.

"You're right, Norman," Reid said calmly. "From the moment we met, everything you've done has been under my control. If you hadn't attacked me, if you hadn't committed such an unforgivable crime, I might have actually struggled with deciding what to do with you."

Hearing this Norman burned with rage. Those words—so dismissive, so condescending—drove him mad. He clenched his fists, channeling every ounce of laser energy he had left, and swung at the man before him.

But Reid was faster.

Before Norman's fist could land, Reid's armored gauntlet struck first.

A sickening sound echoed through the alley as Reid's punch hit Norman's head. His body crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"It's over."

The optical camouflage activated once more.

The reason for luring Norman here and defeating him was to prevent anyone else from discovering that he possessed this kind of advanced technology.

In 2008, Tony was pressured by the government for unveiling his Iron Man suit. Now, in 1994, if he revealed this armor, the U.S. government would absolutely lose its mind.

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Hey everyone, I've started posting a new novel based on One Piece. The MC transmigrates as Akainu and, aside from his anime knowledge, he has no other advantages. If you're interested in something like that, go check it out!

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