Killian felt the presence his fist had struck, yet it remained utterly unchanged. This realization brought him face-to-face with something truly terrifying. "No... it can't be."
Within the increasingly thin white mist before him, a pair of pitch-black, narrow eyes gradually materialized. They stared at him silently, devoid of any emotion.
Only then did Killian finally understand what he had been fighting all this time: a demon.
A truly despair-inducing demon.
The scene fell into deathly silence, as if even the sinking giant ship had ceased to make a sound. Killian averted his gaze, unable to meet the black eyes before him. He even felt his own breathing had become superfluous.
"Is that all?" The owner of the black eyes, Chen Chen, asked softly.
Killian's retreating steps froze mid-stride at Chen Chen's voice. He stood rigid, as if frozen in place.
Chen Chen took a step forward, closing the distance between them. He raised his hand and gently stroked the spot on Killian's chest where the punch had landed. "That punch was decent, but unfortunately, it lacked power." After calmly analyzing the attack, Chen Chen continued, "Was that your final strike?"
A cold sweat trickled down Killian's forehead.
He had never experienced a battle that filled him with such overwhelming pressure and despair.
First, he had taken the full force of his opponent's attack. Then, as if he were a film critic, he had analyzed the strike and asked if it was the final blow. What kind of monster was this?
Despite these thoughts, Killian's head involuntarily nodded in instinctive fear.
"In that case..." Chen Chen extended a finger and fixed it on Killian's forehead, his gaze calm and indifferent.
"Turn to dust!"
Like a dragonfly skimming water, Chen Chen's slender, pale finger lightly touched Killian's forehead.
*Beep.*
Before Killian could react, his consciousness had already vanished completely.
A blue-green rune now marked Killian's forehead. Energy flowed from it, spreading through his body—arms, thighs... gradually disintegrating into particles that drifted into the air. Soon, Killian's entire body had disappeared, as if he had never existed in the first place.
"A formidable warrior, and a formidable ambitionist," Chen Chen murmured to himself, gazing at the silver moon in the night sky. "But alas, he chose the wrong opponent."
Killian's death quickly ignited a massive public outcry. Media outlets, through various channels, uncovered the truth: Aldrich Killian was the real Mandarin, and the one who had appeared on television was merely a fraud, a stage actor named Trevor Slattery.
As public debate raged, the President and several high-ranking officials were revealed to have engaged in secret dealings with Killian, leading to their immediate arrest and trial. It was a case of one crisis after another.
Meanwhile, Chen Chen and Tony, the primary heroes of the incident, were publicly hailed by President Charles Oders in a televised interview, instantly making them the biggest celebrities of the moment. After all, they had already appeared on camera during Killian's live broadcast.
With the Mandarin incident resolved by the duo and officially announced by the government, their fan base exploded overnight, even spawning dedicated fan clubs. Reporters swarmed Tony's mansion and office building daily, desperate for an interview with Chen Chen and Tony.
Unfortunately, the two were completely unaware of the media frenzy, as they were engrossed in "training."
In the heart of Manhattan, within the architecturally daring and technologically advanced Stark Tower, a massive, multi-purpose training facility was in full swing.
Two figures clashed relentlessly in mid-air.
One was as dark as ink, the other as fiery as red-gold. They streaked across the sky, their fists and feet colliding in sudden, explosive exchanges.
The thunderous impact of their blows echoed like thunder splitting the air.
*Sizzle!* Moments later, the red-gold figure seemed overwhelmed by the opponent's immense force. It was violently shoved backward, its body skidding across the floor and leaving a long, black scorch mark.
Even under the immense pressure, the red figure refused to remain passive. As it retreated, flames erupted beneath its feet, far more intense than before. With a powerful stomp on the floor made of special materials, it created a basketball-sized crater and transformed into a blur, charging toward its opponent like a crimson gale.
*Boom!*
The collision of their fists sent a devastating shockwave radiating outward from the point of impact, creating an invisible zone of annihilation. Cracks split the surrounding walls, floor, and ceiling.
*Boom!* The red-gold figure shifted backward, then its feet blazed with even more dazzling light, propelling it forward to pressure its opponent.
But this time, with a *whoosh*, the red-gold figure was sent flying backward the moment it made contact with the black fist. Its retreat was even faster than its charge, slamming it into the rear wall. The alloy wall buckled like tofu, collapsing inward under the impact.
"Tony, you still haven't quite mastered your offensive rhythm," Chen Chen said, his dark figure floating in the air as he drifted toward Tony, who was still embedded in the wall.
"You should really ask Captain Steve for advice. He might be better suited to teaching you than I am," Chen Chen added, stroking his forehead with a troubled expression, making Tony feel like a hopeless case.
At that moment, Tony struggled free from the wall, staggering a few steps before saying helplessly, "It seems the original purpose of this 'training' wasn't to improve my combat skills. You just said you wanted to get more proficient with the Shadow Armor. Now it feels like I'm the one begging you to teach me."
To be honest, if it weren't for Chen Chen solving the Killian and Mandarin bombing incident for him, Tony wouldn't have wanted to help him with this proficiency training. After all, he knew Chen Chen's combat prowess. If he accidentally used too much force, he might end up meeting God.
Fortunately, during the training, Chen Chen had already become quite proficient with the Shadow Armor.
-----------------------
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