While Tony Stark was clad in his Mark L armor, Stan's mutation—strangely reminiscent of a failed Extremis experiment—also slowed, and his vitality and arcane energy, akin to what Doctor Strange might call mana, had been completely devoured by the experimental strain of the T-virus, modified with remnants of Oscorp's genetic manipulation tech.
Due to a lack of bio-energy, the viral transformation didn't fully complete, only triggering a partial metamorphosis akin to what Bruce Banner experienced during early Hulk serum trials.
Under the influence of both a rare mutant gene—possibly a latent X-Gene—and the corrupted virus, Stan's body contorted grotesquely. His right arm mutated into an abomination of flesh and bone, nearly the size of his entire torso, resembling Solomon Grundy's oversized limb—unnervingly grotesque and commanding attention.
Just the sight of that massive limb, pulsating with necrotic veins and energy, was enough to shatter the willpower of any SHIELD operative or street-level hero caught in its presence.
Beyond the grotesque limb, Stan's most jarring feature was his obsidian-black exoskeleton—gleaming faintly like Venom's symbiote in the moonlight.
"Ho ho..." The reanimated Stan gurgled, a sound as ominous as Bane's breath through his mask, while a viscous purple liquid churned inside his maw—clearly no benign substance, likely corrosive.
After a few seconds frozen in unnatural silence, Stan stood upright, his undead gaze locking onto the Stark Estate like Doomsday sensing Kryptonian blood.
That final spark of consciousness before death sealed Tony as Stan's prime target—an instinctive vendetta akin to a Red Lantern's rage fixation.
Boom! Each thunderous step by Stan's massive legs trembled the earth. The stone courtyard, designed with Wakandan granite, crumbled like sand beneath his tread. Without effort, the wall disintegrated, each stone blasted away under his weight.
Clearly, the new Stan was a beast in every metric—strength and resilience elevated to Juggernaut levels.
Inside, Tony—having finished equipping the suit—registered the tremors through his HUD and launched skyward instantly.
From midair, his repulsor gauntlets split open—each arm revealing six micro-barrel ports, twelve in total, designed after the War Machine upgrade protocols.
Bang bang bang~ The synchronized burst of heavy fire echoed, the sky raining smart bullets like those developed from HammerTech's adaptive targeting systems.
Stan, raising his colossal arm, shielded himself as if wielding Captain America's vibranium shield. The rounds ricocheted off harmlessly.
Despite sustained fire, the weapons overheated. Stan remained unscathed. The T-virus-altered shell functioned like Black Panther's kinetic suit—absorbing and dispersing ballistic force.
"Damn it," Tony growled. Stan was barely competent alive—how did he become this tank after death?
Roar!!! Stan's guttural scream shook the air, launching purple bile at Tony like one of Venom's acidic projections.
Tony dodged nimbly, the bile searing through the rooftop and melting the frame—a corrosive power akin to Madrox's mutant acid secretion in full rage mode.
Alarmed by the bile's damage potential, Tony calculated that even the vibranium-weaved plating in his boots wouldn't withstand prolonged exposure.
While Tony refocused, Stan stomped the ground, cratered it, then launched skyward—a freakish leap reminiscent of Abomination's lunging arcs.
Midair, the mutant resembled a grotesque, flightless version of Killer Croc, muscles flexing unnaturally.
But in Marvel's world, Tony wasn't alone—J.A.R.V.I.S., now operating at 98% synchronization, preempted the trajectory and fired the suit forward.
Stan's massive claw missed Tony by inches, swiping only air as the Iron Man armor rerouted flight vectors.
Gravity seized the mutant, and he crashed into the mansion's second story, reducing it to rubble.
Swish—Tony retaliated with a missile barrage.
As for the destroyed home? Not a concern. Tony Stark Industries' portfolio could build another ten by breakfast.
The battle's scale distorted reality—New York felt less like Manhattan and more like Khandaq mid-invasion.
Despite his bulky frame, Stan blocked the missiles like a seasoned brute. Explosions rocked the sky, but his arms absorbed the damage.
Smoke scattered. Stan emerged, unscathed—missiles had only wrecked more of the estate.
Tony switched tactics. Palms together, he activated the dual-laser system—derived from the S.H.I.E.L.D.-classified "Project Pegasus" research.
A searing red beam shot forward, scorching Stan's raised arm.
The laser—usually capable of cutting through Ultron-grade alloy—barely reddened Stan's armored flesh. The armor glowed, but did not yield.
Before Tony could calculate heat exchange rates, Stan acted.
He jumped again, this time powering through the laser stream—climbing the beam's length like Doomsday defying a Kryptonian blast.
Tony, agile as ever, twisted midair. Reflex was his advantage.
But this time, Stan adapted—at the leap's apex, pustules ruptured across his back, launching necrotic projectiles like Morbius' parasitic venom sacs.
The airborne sacs stretched midflight, ready to burst.
Tony surged power—an emergency overclock of Stark tech. Mechanical power surged into the suit's exo-boosters.
Blasting upward, he narrowly avoided the corrupted spores. Only his lower leg caught the residue, scarring the armor black.
Thankfully, the emergency reinforcement prevented breach—just surface scorching.
Moments later, Tony hovered safely at a distance, glaring down.
"Alert," J.A.R.V.I.S. stated, "multiple armor nodes compromised. Flight system circuitry failing. Energy consumption spiking."
Hovering midair, Tony frowned. He was in a bind.
Below, Stan locked on—every movement mirrored Tony's, tracking him like a Sentinel zeroing on a mutant.
Tony couldn't max out speed—innocents were still nearby. If the hate-lock broke, who knows who Stan would attack.
For now, Tony had to stall—relying on adrenaline and armor stability.
Unfortunately, power reserves were dangerously low.
Elsewhere, SHIELD wasn't blind. Upon Alexander Pierce's command, Nick Fury mobilized half of New York HQ's agents.
Fury, although suspicious of Pierce, played along—agreeing on neutralization over containment.
But whether Fury cooperated or not was moot—nine out of ten agents were likely Hydra, embedded since Project Insight.
Meanwhile, General Ross grew ecstatic. Obsessed with replicating Hulk-level subjects, this mutant-zombie hybrid was an irresistible asset.
Even if Ross couldn't claim sole rights, he wanted a large chunk of the research.
Tony didn't care who showed up—as long as they came fast.
Evading consumed power too—Stan wasn't dumb. Knowing Tony couldn't retreat or land, he timed each volley of corrupted bile to keep Tony constantly moving.
Every move cost energy—and time was something Tony Stark was rapidly running out of.
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