Breakthrough

Tony Stark's return made Feeney feel even more pressed for time. It meant the arrival of the Mark III and Iron Monger couldn't be far off. Still, even they couldn't build them in a day or two, so there was actually still enough time.

At the same time, he had some good news: he'd come up with an idea for dealing with Iron Monger.

The more detailed the image he imagined when opening a portal, the clearer it was, and the faster the portal appeared. It also became easier to control.

For Feeney, the two places he could open portals to most easily were his home in New York and Kamar-Taj.

Next came places like his school and the Himalayas. The key to defeating Iron Monger lay in the Himalayas.

The highest mountain range in the world, it had an average elevation of over seven thousand meters. It was also home to the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, where temperatures could drop as low as sixty degrees below zero.

When Tony first made the Iron Man Armor, he hadn't considered ice forming on its surface. This had caused the system to malfunction, but luckily, he'd caught the problem early and switched to materials used in space.

Obadiah hadn't given it much thought, of course. It was also possible that, without Tony's Miniature Arc Reactor, he couldn't run the necessary tests, leading to this oversight.

Regardless, low temperatures were one of Iron Monger's weaknesses. Feeney's idea was simple: open a portal and drag Iron Monger straight to Mount Everest to fight.

That would weaken his opponent while letting Feeney escape in time if he couldn't win, then wear the other man down. It would also keep New York from being damaged and protect countless ordinary people—a neat three birds with one stone.

The only thing worth worrying about was whether his opponent would focus on escaping.

Without the Mirror Dimension, and with his opponent able to fly, Feeney really wouldn't be able to catch up. So he thought he might bring Tony along.

He could keep his opponent in check and, along the way, grind some experience as Iron Man!

There were actually plenty of ways to defeat Iron Monger. Obadiah was just an ordinary person, and with knowledge of the future, it would be all too easy to deal with him.

But Feeney wanted the experience he'd gain from fighting, not simply to defeat Obadiah. That was why he was going to all this trouble.

Mount Everest's conditions were harsh. While they would restrict Iron Monger, Feeney himself would also be affected to some extent. Still, it was manageable by comparison.

Compared with the Iron Man Armor Tony had built, Possessed by Evil Spirit might have been inferior in many ways, but it also surpassed it in plenty of others.

Looking purely at adaptability and portability, given how quickly Tony upgraded his armor, Possessed by Evil Spirit could still stay ahead of him for years.

Once he'd settled on a plan, Feeney asked his school for a week off. He didn't have many classes, and his grades were pretty good, so his advisor agreed without giving it much thought.

With the Eye of Agamotto in hand, Feeney opened a portal.

Freezing cold, snowflakes swirling.

Mount Everest truly lived up to its reputation as the world's highest peak. Even wearing Possessed by Evil Spirit, Feeney could still feel waves of cold at a spot that wasn't even near the summit. He would spend the next week training hard in these conditions, pushing himself beyond his limits.

The training methods at Kamar-Taj were mainly for practicing magic, so they weren't very effective for building physical endurance. This time, he'd chosen a different approach.

Rock climbing!

He would climb this highest peak in the world with his bare hands, all the way to the summit. Even if he fell, Possessed by Evil Spirit might not necessarily keep him from dying...

Apart from the difficulty of the climb, the most important thing was keeping track of his limits. If he forcibly released Possessed by Evil Spirit once he'd reached his physical limit, then couldn't open a portal in his ordinary state, the temperature would really kill him.

One day, two days, three days...

Before long, six days had passed.

During those six days, Feeney's climbing speed and distance improved every day, but he still hadn't managed to break through.

Feeney knew why.

He was afraid—afraid he'd really go too far and accidentally die here. Every time he thought he'd reached his limit, he unconsciously held back a little strength. That reservation was exactly what kept him from breaking through.

"This isn't working!"

Today was the last day of his leave, and Feeney had to make a decision. This time, he didn't keep climbing. Instead, he sat quietly on a wide, open patch of ground—the battlefield he'd chosen for the fight ahead.

The wind howled and snowflakes flew. Sitting in the snow, Feeney endured the cold as Possessed by Evil Spirit slowly drained his strength.

The sky gradually darkened, and the temperature kept dropping.

"I can't hold on much longer..."

Feeling his body grow weak, Feeney felt as if Possessed by Evil Spirit had truly wrapped itself around him like an evil spirit, tormenting him along with the snow and wind.

"No. If I go back now, it'll be just like the last few days."

Feeney gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep going. But as he looked at the darkness around him, thoughts of giving up kept spreading through his mind.

As the saying went, nothing was impossible if you were willing to give up.

Feeney couldn't stop wondering why he had to push himself so hard. Wasn't it fine to train steadily, step by step? There was no need to take this kind of risk, and so on.

At that moment, Feeney didn't notice that the bright silver armor on his body was growing darker and darker, as if it were about to blend into the darkness. It seemed to be vanishing, yet also turning invisible.

"It may not be necessary, but I want to do it!"

Feeney suddenly muttered under his breath, as if answering the thoughts in his mind. "I'm just an ordinary person. Apart from being handsome, if I don't even have hard work left, what else have I got?"

"Am I supposed to bet my life on a fifty-fifty chance and rely on someone else just to survive?!"

"I might not become a hero, but I'll never be a coward!"

Feeney clenched his fists and stood up. In the darkness, his figure grew fainter, but the Scarlet Eyes in his Face Mask shone brighter and brighter. A force slowly coursed through the armor.

Waves of weakness washed over Feeney. He felt as if Possessed by Evil Spirit could deactivate on its own at any moment, leaving him to collapse and pass out.

A cold snowflake landed on his face, and a bone-deep chill swept over his entire body. A long sword floated in front of him.

Possessed by Evil Spirit deactivated on its own!

"Am I going to die here?"

Looking at the sword in front of him, Feeney stood there unsteadily, trembling as he wondered to himself. But he wasn't willing to give up. Amid the howling wind, he struggled to reach out.

"Possessed by Evil Spirit!"

Feeney shouted hoarsely, using the last bit of strength in his body.

A roar sounded beside his ears, as if answering his cry. A happy smile curved Feeney's lips. He'd done it. He'd finally broken through his own limits.

Without needing to rely on the command from Golden Great Deduction Technique, Feeney had opened a portal while wearing Possessed by Evil Spirit.

After stumbling through the portal, Feeney had no strength left. Possessed by Evil Spirit slowly faded away again, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Luckily, in his final moment of awareness, he saw Skye's frightened little face.

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