Marvel - The Blood God

"You actually came up with a steel battlesuit?"

Natasha looked incredulous, and Trish and Jessica also stared at Maverick in shock. Although they all knew their master was capable, they didn't expect him to be this capable.

In fact, everyone witnessing the scene was stunned. No one could have imagined that the struggling Osborn Group actually produced a battlesuit—a heavy slap in the face to many doubters.

Maverick laughed and said, "That's right, the Osborn Group successfully developed the steel suit. It only took three months, not ten years like someone predicted."

As he said this, Maverick kept glancing at Tony, his eyes full of mockery.

Tony exclaimed, "That's impossible. The arc reactors on their chests must be fake. Maverick, are you fooling people with LED lights? I get it—you want to inflate the stock price with this stunt."

Maverick looked at him contemptuously. "Do you think I'm like you—a fake?"

Tony retorted angrily, "When have I ever lied?"

"Your suit has lifts in the boots, right? And padding in the back?"

Maverick said with disgust, "You ask me what's fake? Your whole suit is fake."

At this, the four women present all looked at Tony with contempt. It's one thing to add height, but padding the back? Who does that?

Tony's face flushed with anger, but he couldn't refute it because he really had cheated.

While Maverick was mocking Tony, the battle below had already begun. Abomination was never one for words. Seeing the three men approaching aggressively, he immediately charged toward them, leaving deep footprints with every step.

"I like your style."

Ivan laughed loudly, activated the boosters on his armor, and collided fiercely with Abomination. With a bang, the ground where they stood caved in, and a powerful shockwave roared out, causing nearby buildings to collapse.

This time, Ivan was the one who lost ground. His armor wasn't as powerful as Abomination. The impact sent him sliding back, plowing two deep trenches in the ground.

Abomination laughed and was about to attack again when Frank, positioned at a distance, set up a large sniper rifle and fired. Sensing danger, Abomination raised his hand to block, but his arm was pierced, and the bullet continued into his chest, stopped only by his ribs.

This was the worst injury Abomination had suffered so far. He roared and charged toward Frank. Ivan rushed up and swung a massive axe at him.

Abomination punched the air, but the axe sliced into his fist. If he hadn't realized something was wrong and kicked Ivan in the chest, he might have lost his hand.

Before Abomination could grasp what was happening, sharp pain shot through his back. Mercury had slipped behind him and stabbed two daggers into him.

Roaring with rage, Abomination tried to grab Mercury, but she retreated immediately after her attack, perfectly demonstrating the art of an assassin.

The three of them joined forces, and in just one round, they severely wounded Abomination. Although he could heal himself, it took time. Before he could recover, Ivan and the others attacked again.

Abomination, who had been so dominant before, suddenly found himself in trouble. When the Hulk and Electro joined the battle, his defeat was only a matter of time.

One-on-one, Abomination wasn't afraid of anyone. But now it was one against five. How could he not fall? These people were so unfair.

"Vibranium bullets, vibranium axe, vibranium daggers—how much vibranium do you have?" Tony said sourly. If he also had vibranium weapons, he wouldn't have struggled earlier.

"If you're unhappy, buy some yourself." Maverick retorted. "Abomination's defense is still too strong. Otherwise, the bullet would have gone right through him, and the axe would have chopped off his fist."

"It's already impressive; my missiles couldn't hurt him much."

Tony thought of something and shouted, "Wait, Maverick, the ownership of the arc reactor is mine. I can sue you for imitating it."

Maverick glanced at Tony and said, "The arc reactor was created by your father Howard and Anton Vanko. Their signatures are on the design drawings. If you disagree, I can sue you."

Tony shook his head. "Anton Vanko? Never heard of him."

Maverick took out his phone, sent a photo to Tony's device, and said, "I'll explain later. The one with the axe is Ivan Vanko. If your father hadn't driven Anton out of the U.S., he might have been another you."

"Impossible. There's only one Tony Stark in this world."

Tony was dismissive. He looked at the photo projected by Jarvis and frowned. "Even if this Anton Vanko helped design the arc reactor, the ownership still belongs to Stark Industries."

Maverick sighed. "Tony, do you think you can take on me and the entire military?"

Tony was stunned. "The military? Are you going to sell the suits to the military?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I sell what I've developed? Do you think I'd treat it like a personal toy?"

Maverick sneered. "I've had to set my business phone to airplane mode, or it would be blowing up with calls."

Tony felt extremely dissatisfied and betrayed. He shouted, "Maverick, are you trying to rob me of what's mine with the military's help?"

"I told you, it was created by the two of them together."

Maverick said sharply, "Forget it, you petty fellow. I'll offer you some compensation."

"You think I need money?"

"Maybe not money, but what about your life?"

Maverick said, "There's no element on Earth that can replace palladium. However, Ivan has figured out a way to isolate the toxins. I'll have him give you the method later."

"My situation is different. And I don't need help from others."

Tony snapped. Maverick was too lazy to argue further. He reached out toward Tony, and suddenly, the wound on Tony's forehead opened, and a stream of blood spurted out.

Tony shouted in alarm and anger, "Maverick, what are you doing?"

Maverick said calmly, "Look at the ground."

Tony was stunned. He lowered his helmet and scanned the ground. He was shocked to see tiny metal fragments in the blood.

"You removed all the shrapnel from my body? Was it that easy?"

Tony was dumbfounded. If he had known it was so simple, why had he been risking his life? Why hadn't he asked for help?

Just days ago, after realizing no element could replace palladium, he had prepared for the worst. It turned out the solution was so simple. What was all the fuss about?

Tony felt a bit frustrated. He realized he might not be as capable as he thought.

Maverick said, "It was simple all along. I wanted to help you remove it when I visited last time, but you were so arrogant. I thought it would be better for you to learn a lesson."

"So, should I thank you now?"

"Perhaps not money, but your life?"

Maverick shrugged, typed on his phone, and a line of text appeared on Tony's screen:

"Your father Howard left some items with S.H.I.E.L.D. There are clues to new elements in them. Don't ask me how I know; I won't admit it."

Tony gave Maverick a stunned look. He thought for a moment and said, "Bring that Vanko guy to Stark Industries tomorrow. Let's discuss the ownership of the arc reactor."

"Fine."

Maverick nodded. In fact, whether Tony agreed or not, Maverick could use the arc reactor technology because the military and Washington would back him. The difference was only that Maverick might have to pay more—that's all.

While Maverick and Tony were talking, the battle below had concluded.

Amid the rubble, Abomination was kneeling on the ground, covered in blood. In addition to various wounds, there were two holes from vibranium bullets, none of which had healed. His stamina was reaching its limit.

Abomination had super endurance, but self-healing required a lot of energy.

"You are the strongest enemy I've ever encountered. You are worthy of admiration," Ivan gasped. The battle had severely damaged his armor. He had to admit, Abomination was incredibly strong.

Compared to Ivan, Frank and Mercury were in much better shape. Electro was uninjured—his speed was too great. As for the Hulk, though he had suffered many wounds, he had recovered.

"I will not die here. I will continue to fight. I will become the strongest," Abomination gritted his teeth, stood up, and staggered away. Hulk wanted to chase him, but Ivan and the others blocked his path. Hulk was confused and angry, roaring to express his emotions. Weren't they allies before?

At that moment, a crimson light descended from the sky and landed in front of the fleeing Abomination—it was Maverick, holding a vibranium spear.

Maverick pointed the spear at Abomination and shouted, "Two choices: surrender or die."

"Vampire, he's the property of the military. You're not allowed to touch him." General Ross shouted from a helicopter. He didn't know that Trish was recording the scene on her phone. She sneered silently, "Just as Master expected, this is going to make big news."

"I will never surrender."

Abomination didn't hesitate and charged at Maverick. Maverick snorted, his body glowing with dazzling red light, rushing forward like crimson lightning.

Suddenly, flashes of red appeared everywhere—air, ground, left, right—with Maverick's figure appearing simultaneously.

At that moment, Maverick's real body appeared behind Abomination. The spear, glowing red, was thrust forcefully, piercing through Abomination's heart and pinning him to the street.

Abomination roared in pain, struggling to break free. His heart was full of unwillingness. If not for his severe injuries, he wouldn't have been defeated so easily.

His will was admirable, but his efforts were futile. Blood poured along the spear, destroying his heart like an awl. Abomination coughed up blood, his massive body collapsing to his knees.

The unyielding Emil Blonsky was officially dead.

However, Abomination wasn't truly gone. A drop of Maverick's blood merged into his body, turning him into a vampire.

If Abomination had been at full strength, a single drop wouldn't have transformed him. But now, on the brink of death, his body instinctively seized this last chance to survive.

As for how to use a vampire Abomination—that would be discussed later.

Seeing Maverick eliminate Abomination so swiftly, everyone was stunned. After all, they knew how strong Abomination was.

"Master is indeed the strongest." Trish cheered. Even Jessica had to admit that this infuriating master was impressive—though still a heartless jerk.

Electro and the others applauded. They knew Maverick was strong, but they hadn't expected this level of power.

As for Director George, General Ross, and others, they were dumbfounded. How could someone be so rich and so powerful?

"Don't you have any decent weapons? I'm going to buy some vibranium too." Tony muttered sourly. He didn't realize that vibranium was no longer available on the black market.

"Emil Blonsky, I will build a tomb for you. You were a true warrior," Maverick said, pulling the vibranium spear from Abomination's back. Carrying the green blood-stained spear, he turned and walked toward the Hulk.

Maverick shouted, "Hulk, Abomination is dead. You should rest now."

Seeing Maverick approaching, Hulk was a bit scared—not only because Maverick had defeated Abomination but also because he instinctively sensed that Maverick could kill him.

Hulk wanted to escape, but Ivan and the others surrounded him. He roared in rage, like a cornered beast.

"Hulk, don't run. If you do, you'll never see Betty again. Go and rest." Maverick said firmly, gripping the vibranium spear.

Hulk hesitated, then roared at Maverick. His massive body began to shrink, and soon the Hulk was gone, replaced by a thin, gentle man wearing oversized pants.

Due to exhaustion, Banner fell unconscious immediately after reverting. If they hadn't seen it themselves, no one would believe this man was the hulking monster from before.

Maverick shook his head, then smiled at Ivan, who was glancing at Tony. "Go ahead, but put away the axe first."

"Alright."

Ivan secured the axe on his back and eagerly activated his armor to fly up to the rooftop.

Opening his helmet, Ivan sneered at Tony. "Surprised that someone else can build a suit, Stark?"

Tony looked puzzled. "Who are you? Do I know you?"

Ivan's anger flared, and Maverick shook his head. Tony's mouth could really infuriate people.

Maverick called out, "Ivan, remember what you promised me."

"Don't worry, I won't hit him."

Ivan snorted. "He's a fragile fool. If I hit him, he might not survive."

These words not only angered Tony but also the four women on the rooftop—Lilith, Natasha, Trish, and Jessica.

"You want to beat me up because of your pile of scrap metal?" Tony retorted disdainfully. "Your reactor is as slow as a turtle, your armor is bulky, your maneuverability is clumsy, and your AI system is faulty. If I were you, I wouldn't have been beaten by that monster."

Hearing Tony belittle his armor, Ivan's veins bulged. "If you're so great, why can't you solve your palladium poisoning? I could easily take you down, you sissy."

"When I repair my armor, we'll see who takes down whom." Tony shouted back. "Also, I doubt you've really solved the palladium poisoning. I think you're just boasting."

I can't solve the problem, and you can? Tony was utterly skeptical.

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