Armor off!

Tongues of flame blazed wildly, licking at Iron Monger. Soon, the silver-gray Iron Man Armor glowed red-hot, and even its outer layer began to melt.

The scorching air washed over everyone in endless waves of heat, making even breathing difficult.

If they felt that much, Obadiah had it far worse. Frantic screams rang out from inside the Iron Man Armor.

"Stop burning me! Spare me, please spare me! Aaaaaaah!!!"

The look in Coulson's eyes changed again and again as he watched Hermione.

He had assumed the young witch was poor at combat and that her magic served mostly a supporting role. Only now did he realize how wildly wrong he had been.

Even setting aside that inexplicable stumble, the initial explosion, the ice that followed, and the final flames had all been devastatingly powerful. An ordinary person stood no chance against any of them.

So this was a wizard... Coulson murmured inwardly.

Hermione's expression remained indifferent. Illuminated by the raging flames, she looked like a witch of fire.

Everyone watched in silence. No one dared speak.

A moment later, Hermione released the Freezing Charm and the Fire-Making Spell.

Darkness returned to the night sky.

"Expelliarmus."

As the word fell, Iron Monger's armor burst apart with a bang, its individual pieces flying in every direction.

Only Obadiah remained standing there, stark naked, his face blackened with soot.

Feeling the cool breeze from every direction, the dying Obadiah forced himself to rally, his eyes widening in a final burst of life.

Where was Iron Monger?

Where had my enormous Iron Monger gone?

Obadiah wasn't the only one. Hermione's eyes widened too, and she inwardly exclaimed, Holy shit.

So the Disarming Charm had a special advantage against Iron Man Armor!

If I'd known, I'd have just used the Disarming Charm! Why go to all this trouble?

Against an ordinary person, the Disarming Charm merely took away a knife, a gun, a wand, or something similar. But against Iron Man Armor, whose entire body counted as a weapon, it was practically a heaven-sent nemesis!

One "Expelliarmus," and the armor fell straight apart!

Not a scrap left!

She could already picture using it on Tony in the future, leaving him standing there naked with a completely dumbfounded expression.

Armor off! Armor off! Armor off!

Strip again! Strip again! Strip again!

Tony's eyes had widened just as much.

What kind of magic was that?! he roared inwardly.

Compared with the earlier fire and ice, this spell, which had silently accomplished the astonishing feat of stripping off the armor, made his hair stand on end.

It was fucking faster than JARVIS at taking the Iron Man Armor off!

Didn't that mean this girl could bully me to death from now on?!

No, anything but that!

"Hmm... why was it so weak...?" Hermione seemed somewhat dissatisfied. "If Dumbledore hadn't forbidden me from using dark magic, this pile of scrap metal would have been a heap of ashes ages ago."

Scrap metal... Tony was speechless.

I suspect that was a dig at me.

You call that 'weak'?! That was already terrifying, okay?!

Coulson also managed a strained smile. A second later, he seemed to catch another implication, and his pupils abruptly contracted.

Dark magic?

That didn't sound good. Surely she didn't mean the kind of 'dark magic' I was imagining...

Coulson took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Miss Witch, since you're all safe, I'll head back to the agency to report and leave you to it. We'll handle the cleanup, so please don't worry."

With that, he signaled for everyone to leave.

They had learned far too much tonight. The agency's intelligence on Miss Witch needed a major update.

He had thought tonight would belong to Tony Stark and his Iron Man Armor. Instead, it had turned out to be Hermione's show.

After Coulson and the others left, Tony walked over to Obadiah with Pepper supporting him.

The man was already dead, intense resentment still lingering in his wide-open eyes.

He looked less like he had burned to death and more like he had died of rage.

Hermione received a notification.

[Dark magic]

[Dark Harvest (Talent)]

[Current soul energy: 50]

To Hermione's surprise, Obadiah, an ordinary man, had yielded fifty points of soul energy-as much as five trolls!

Although that was nowhere near a unicorn's yield, it was far more than the pitiful single point an ordinary human provided.

But Obadiah himself wasn't particularly powerful. Surely Iron Monger's strength couldn't count as part of his soul.

Perhaps it wasn't just personal attributes. Importance to the world might also be a factor... Hermione speculated inwardly.

Several minutes later, Pepper watched Tony from a distance, worry in her eyes.

He had already taken off his Iron Man Armor and was standing nearby, lost in thought.

Everything that had happened tonight would take time to process.

Obadiah, Pepper, Yinsen, Stark Industries, the Iron Man Armor, and... himself.

Hermione gently patted Pepper's hand and gave her a reassuring look, then walked over to stand beside Tony.

"I should have died a long time ago."

Seemingly knowing that it wasn't Pepper who had approached, Tony spoke first.

"If I hadn't been kidnapped, I'd still be that playboy who had no idea how awful he was. When Yinsen died in front of me, I promised him I wouldn't waste my second chance at life. That's why I've been working like crazy on the armor, trying desperately to save people, without stopping for a moment."

"Without that reason, I couldn't have kept living."

"I'm not crazy. I just finally understood my purpose, and deep down, I know this is the right thing to do."

His voice sounded desolate.

Hermione shrugged. "Then all the more reason to stay alive and fulfill it properly."

"Anyone who plays games knows the saying: you can't deal damage if you're dead."

Tony nodded. "You're right. About what happened earlier today... thanks."

"And thank you for saving me again."

"What the hell are you thanking me for?" Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "If Pepper didn't care about you, I wouldn't bother with a narcissist like you. Go thank her."

"I will." Tony seemed to have finally worked something out, and he turned to Hermione.

"Let's introduce ourselves again. Tony Stark." He paused. "Genius, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist."

Looking at Tony's outstretched hand, Hermione reached out and slapped his palm.

"Hermione Jean Granger, from Hogwarts... just an ordinary witch."

After a moment of silence, Hermione suddenly remembered something. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at Tony.

"Oh, right. I remember someone saying he'd apologize to me ten times a day from now on... let's start right now. I like hearing it."

"Come on, apologize! Or I'll strip your armor off every day!"

As she spoke, she raised her wand and waved it around threateningly.

Tony's cheek twitched.

You little brat!

Still the same Hermione. She could infuriate someone half to death in fewer than three sentences!

We really couldn't get along!

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, four in the morning.

The satellite footage was frozen on the frame of Iron Monger's armor flying apart.

Fury rewound the footage and watched it again.

"What rating did you give her abilities in your previous analysis?"

Coulson was silent for a moment. "Support type. Class C threat."

"Change it." Fury switched off the screen. "Also, notify Romanoff. Tell her to come back as soon as her mission is over."

The next day.

"Iron Man. I like that name."

Tony read the newspaper while Pepper helped him with his makeup.

"Strictly speaking, though, the Iron Man Armor is made of titanium alloy, not iron."

Just then, Coulson pushed the door open and handed Tony a card.

"Just read what's written here. We've already handled the loose ends. Say that what appeared yesterday was your robot bodyguard."

Last night's events had been far too sensational. The public needed an explanation, and fortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. had already prepared a cover story.