"Sir, the Mark 86 hasn't passed testing. It's not ready for battle," Friday reminded.
"No one's ever ready when they start," Tony replied, his tone unwavering. "Activate it."
Unlike the sleek, nanotech armors of recent years, the Mark 86 was something else entirely—a prototype still locked away in his lab.
Boom!
In the distance, several beams of light pierced the roof of the Stark Tower and streaked toward the battlefield.
Obsedian Cull, Thanos' towering enforcer, charged forward. Even with his limited intelligence, he recognized Tony Stark as the linchpin of the Avengers' resistance.
"Boom!"
The glowing streams converged on Tony, enveloping him. In an instant, the Mark 86 deployed around him, a sleek, imposing armor that pulsed with otherworldly energy.
Without hesitation, Tony launched a blast at Obsedian Cull.
The giant raised his enormous battle axe to block, but the attack tore through the weapon, shattering it.
Boom!
The explosion sent Obsedian Cull flying, his massive frame scorched and smoldering. Though his vitality kept him alive, he was incapacitated, groaning in pain.
"Whoa... that's insane!" someone gasped, their eyes fixed on the new armor.
Unlike Tony's traditional red-and-gold armors, the Mark 86 was predominantly black, accented with glowing dark-blue streaks. Its surface lacked the metallic sheen of Earth's materials, instead radiating a texture that seemed otherworldly.
"Is that... the body of a celestial?"
Thanos observed the scene from afar, his expression betraying rare curiosity. "Interesting. You truly are cursed by knowledge, Stark. This armor... it's far beyond the Iron Man I once faced. Your mind grows more intriguing with every encounter."
"You can try me," Tony shot back, his voice cold from within the armor.
He raised his wrist, and two beams of concentrated energy erupted toward Thanos.
Thanos smirked. "Come on, then."
Boom!
The blast struck Thanos squarely, sending him flying into the ground.
Tony seized the moment, leaping high into the air and delivering a powerful punch straight to Thanos' head. The impact sent shockwaves across the battlefield.
"This... this is insane," someone muttered, watching Tony dominate.
Bruce Banner, standing safely behind the front lines, nodded grimly as he began to explain.
"Five years ago, Tony brought me a massive corpse. He said he wanted to create the strongest armor—something that could truly protect Earth. But he needed my help. The materials on Earth weren't enough. Even vibranium wasn't indestructible against Thanos."
Bruce paused as the memory surfaced. "That's when he showed me the body of a Celestial. He'd recovered it from Kree territory, and it was unlike anything I'd ever seen."
Carol Danvers, hovering nearby, nodded in recognition. "The Kree stored the corpse of a Celestial for years. Ronan the Accuser even bathed in its blood, trying to harness its power. But to use the body of a god as material for armor? That's... beyond bold."
Bruce continued, "Tony called this armor the 'Anti-Thanos Armor.' It's technically Mark 86, but its strength far surpasses anything else he's ever built. Every movement carries enough force to destroy entire landscapes."
On the battlefield, Tony's dominance continued.
A punch to Thanos' face was met with a counter-grab, but Tony responded by unleashing a point-blank cannon blast. The explosion sent Thanos tumbling backward, only for Tony to grab him mid-air and slam him into a boulder.
Boom!
The ground shattered beneath the impact, and for a moment, it seemed like Tony had the upper hand.
"Can he win?" someone asked nervously.
Bruce sighed. "If this were the Thanos we fought five years ago, Tony might have stood a chance. But this Thanos... he's far stronger than anything we've ever faced. Even Hulk, at his strongest, couldn't last against him."
He glanced at the ongoing battle, his voice tinged with frustration. "The armor's advantage is its design—it was built specifically to counter Thanos. But that advantage won't last forever."
Meanwhile, in Asgard, the cycle of death and resurrection continued.
Thor and Surtur were locked in a seemingly endless battle.
Each time Thor destroyed Surtur, the fire giant reformed from the Eternal Fire. But with every resurrection, Surtur's strength diminished slightly, the energy of the Eternal Fire burning away.
Surtur roared, his deep voice echoing across the land. "Man of Asgard! Your actions are an affront to the cosmos!"
But even as he regenerated, Surtur knew the truth—he was losing. Each revival took longer, and Thor only grew stronger.