The Terrifying Iron Monger

"Open fire! Attack it!"

The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. opened fire on Iron Monger, but their bullets couldn't penetrate the steel giant's hard outer shell. Before one agent could even react, he was swatted away like a fly.

Iron Monger punched a fuel tank in front of him. The tremendous explosion sent two more agents flying in the surging heat wave.

These battle-hardened agents were no match for Iron Monger. Coulson immediately ordered everyone to retreat, but he saw William standing still, without moving an inch.

"Hey, do you have a death wish?" Coulson patted William on the shoulder. "Don't just stand there like an idiot. Run!"

"Don't panic." William smiled faintly. "Have you forgotten why S.H.I.E.L.D. asked me to be a consultant in the first place?"

Just then, Iron Monger came charging toward them. Unlike the panicked Coulson, William remained calm. He took off his sunglasses and tossed them gently forward.

"Athena, Soldier: 76, transform!"

In a dazzling flash of light, William transformed into Soldier: 76. His gray-white hair, full combat uniform, imposing Tactical Visor glowing faintly red, and Heavy Pulse Rifle—with its futuristic, high-tech design—made him look formidable.

"Soldier: 76 transformation time remaining: 5:00."

Coulson had already seen Soldier: 76 transform, so he wasn't too surprised. Obadiah was another matter. He had watched the blond agent change from his black suit into this new form, and his face was full of astonishment.

He'd been shocked when he first learned Tony was building an Iron Man Armor, but what the hell was this guy?

"We meet again, old fox," William said with a smile.

In the blink of an eye, Iron Monger swung a fist at William. Obadiah was confident the punch would turn him into a pancake.

But to his surprise, William dodged the blow with a quick sidestep.

Iron Monger swung at him again. William immediately retreated, and Iron Monger raised his arm. The Gatling gun mounted on it began to spin, and a dense storm of bullets roared toward William!

Bullets whistled through the air, shattering everything in their path. The many devices inside Section 16 were blown apart by the gunfire.

Obadiah had expected to finish off this enemy quickly, but soon realized he was wrong. William dodged his bullets and kept closing in.

Soldier: 76 dodged the incoming fire with Sprint, darting through the storm of bullets like a ghost. At the same time, William squeezed the trigger, and the Heavy Pulse Rifle spat blue muzzle flashes as he fought back against Iron Monger.

"Rat-a-tat-tat..." The Heavy Pulse Rifle roared, unleashing a rain of blue light.

Unlike the weapons carried by the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Soldier: 76's bullets were futuristic pulse ammunition. Accelerated by pulses, they inflicted astonishing damage. An ordinary person hit by one of these bullets wouldn't stand a chance of surviving.

But today, William wasn't facing an ordinary person. He was up against the terrifying Iron Monger!

"I'll admit, your weapon is impressive," Obadiah said in a low voice. "But you can't break through my defenses!"

Iron Monger was a heavy suit of armor modeled after the Mark I. Its massive frame looked like a bear from a distance.

That size made it far slower and less agile than a humanoid suit of armor. In exchange, however, it had tremendous strength and exceptionally strong defenses.

Obadiah's engineers weren't as smart as Tony, but they were excellent at imitation. Given enough time, they might have built an even more impressive suit.

Unfortunately, they hadn't been given much time. With Obadiah breathing down their necks, all they could produce was the shoddily built Iron Monger.

Of course, Iron Monger's most obvious advantage was its ability to take a beating!

Why? Because even under Soldier: 76's Pulse Storm, Iron Monger had suffered no substantial damage. The Pulse Bullets could only leave faint marks on its armor, and the agents' attacks were even less effective.

Since the fight began, it had been virtually unscathed.

Iron Monger swung his massive fists at Soldier: 76 again and again. William dodged from side to side as the ground beneath him trembled. Terrifying fist-shaped craters appeared across the floor, each one left by Iron Monger's blows.

If not for Soldier: 76's enhanced physical strength, William would have been sent flying long ago.

Soldier: 76 raised his Pulse Rifle and kept firing. Though the Pulse Bullets couldn't pierce Iron Monger's armor, their fierce barrage could suppress his attacks.

Iron Monger raised an arm to shield himself from Soldier: 76's fire. At that moment, William launched three speeding Helix Rockets!

In an instant, the Helix Rockets exploded against Iron Monger's chest. Their tremendous force only dented a small section of the armor.

Only then did William realize Iron Monger's defenses were even stronger than he'd imagined. This was going to be difficult. At this rate, he'd probably need to activate the Tactical Visor to have any chance of piercing the armor.

"You're such a nuisance!" While William was thinking, Iron Monger picked up a huge metal tank, two or three meters tall. He hoisted it over his head with both hands and hurled it at William!

"Die!"

William hurriedly opened fire, trying to blow up the tank. Pulse Bullets battered it, pitting its surface, but the huge tank showed no sign of slowing as it plummeted through the air. In the blink of an eye, it was right above him.

"Oh, shit!"

William swore under his breath. Soldier: 76 quickly rolled aside to dodge. The enormous tank crashed to the ground—but it wasn't an ordinary tank. It was full of fuel.

With a deafening boom, the fuel tank exploded on impact. Soldier: 76 couldn't get out of the way in time and was swept off his feet by the blast's heat wave!

Iron Monger glanced at William lying on the ground. He didn't think the man could still be alive. The steel giant strode toward the exit, smashing the doorframe aside as he charged out.

Thinking of the agents he hadn't killed and Pepper Potts, who had escaped earlier, his expression turned vicious. They all had to die. Only by eliminating them could he carry out his plan and become the true master of Stark Industries!

"William! William, are you still alive?" William felt as though his head had been rung like a bell, and stars danced before his eyes. When he finally came to, he saw Coulson beside him.

Thankfully, Soldier: 76's physical abilities were astonishing. He'd only nearly passed out; otherwise, it wouldn't have ended with just that. He tried to get up, but his whole body ached. He hurriedly tossed a Biotic Field onto the ground.

Seeing the yellow column of light rise, Coulson's eyes widened. This guy really could surprise him at any moment. The high-tech weapons and equipment were one thing, but what was this yellow field?

And why did he suddenly feel warm all over?

"Where did that old fox go?" William couldn't be bothered to explain and asked instead.

"He's already escaped." As soon as Coulson answered, he realized something was wrong. "No good! Miss Potts is in danger!"