Golden light enveloped Leo's body, stopping five centimeters away and no longer advancing.
It seemed to have become tangible, yet when he reached out to touch it, his hand still passed through with ease.
At the same time, Leo felt as if he had suddenly leaped from being trapped in a swamp into a vacuum.
An unprecedented lightness and exhilaration filled him, bringing him a sense of freedom he had never experienced before.
Far away, Tony was still plummeting wildly. "J.A.R.V.I.S., deploy the auxiliary wings! J.A.R.V.I.S.!"
The Mark II was falling in an uncontrolled spin.
"Hurry! We need to get rid of the ice!"
Tony was so tense that he tried to remind himself what he needed to do by shouting at the top of his lungs.
He couldn't panic. Every second was now precious beyond measure.
He tried several times to trigger the auxiliary-wing switch on his thigh, but the excessive speed made the controls unresponsive. It was only on the fourth attempt that he finally managed to wrench it open.
The small auxiliary wings used to stabilize flight unfolded when the mechanical mechanism was activated, breaking a gap in the layer of ice on the suit. The remaining ice was swept away by the wind.
J.A.R.V.I.S. was able to restart as well, and the Mark II's eyes lit up again.
Wrapped in the Golden Net, Leo even felt that he no longer needed metal to assist him.
It was as if he himself had become metal, allowing him to control his body freely.
The two pieces of metal on his hands returned to his lower legs as he watched the figure that was still falling.
Leaning forward slightly, he transformed into a streak of Golden Light that traced a Golden Thread across the pitch-black night sky.