Elemental Skill

An instant before the explosion, Qiqi pulled Rhodey out of the car.

"Uh..."

Still shaken and pale as a sheet, Rhodey panted as he stared at Qiqi's tiny figure before him.

"You're one strong kid... whew..."

He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The instant the explosion went off, he had thought he was going to be blown to pieces.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The clash of steel against steel sent terrifying echoes ringing through Rhodey's ears, along with the thunder of explosions.

He and Qiqi looked toward the noise and found that Tony's situation could only be described as disastrous.

Tony staggered up from the ground, his head spinning, only to meet a storm of attacks from Obadiah.

He was knocked to the ground before he could even dodge. Obadiah immediately launched another vicious assault, and Tony could only shield himself with his arms. With every impact, shrill warnings sounded as the armor sustained more damage.

"For thirty years, I've been propping you up."

Obadiah raised his foot and viciously ground down on the red armor beneath him.

"I built this company from nothing."

Bang!

A punch slammed into the armor over Tony's chest.

"Nothing is going to stand in my way!"

He grabbed Tony and hurled him backward, sending him straight through a bus.

The metal plating on his back opened, and a rocket launcher extended outward. Obadiah aimed at the hole Tony had smashed through.

He fired immediately.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Violent explosions roared.

Thick smoke and flames billowed into the sky, obscuring everything.

Flames filled Tony's vision, and the shock of the explosions left his head spinning.

A streak of light darted into the sea of fiery red.

Gradually, tiny droplets formed inside his helmet, smearing his face with water.

Tony opened his faceplate and saw brilliant frost crystals swirling through the air.

Coming back to his senses, he reached out to catch one. The patterned snowflake touched his armored palm and instantly dissolved into white mist.

The little girl held a sword in one hand, ice crystals forming beneath her feet. The flames writhing around her seemed almost alive, shrinking away in fear like mice before a cat.

She walked toward Tony, her sword giving off a dim glow.

Tony recognized the little girl, surprise spreading across his face.

"Qiqi?"

Qiqi tilted her head up and smoothed the windblown paper talisman on her forehead, revealing eyes as bright as a river of stars.

She saw the man's face, the face she had engraved in her heart.

"Mr. Tony, don't be scared. Don't be scared."

The girl spoke softly.

"Qiqi will protect you."

Tony paused, then smiled.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Obadiah laughed wildly, full of arrogance. Amid the firelight, he could almost see Tony's corpse already.

He strode forward through the flames and smoke, wanting to witness his success with his own eyes.

Pushing through the smoke, Obadiah suddenly felt puzzled. As he drew closer, tiny beads of condensation formed on the surface of his armor's display.

"What?"

Then a tremendous tremor erupted from the center of the explosion ahead, followed by a powerful blast of air.

Mixed with flames and steam, the blast was impossibly hot, scorching and terrifying.

"How is this possible?"

Inside his armor, he felt searing pain against his skin.

The heat was so terrifying that Obadiah felt as though he were being steamed alive.

The sight before him made his eyes widen.

Thud, thud, thud.

Obadiah stared in disbelief as Tony walked out of the fire and smoke, his eyes wide.

No one could emerge unscathed from an attack like that.

Not even Stark could do it.

Yet this man had done exactly that.

Obadiah fixed his gaze on the little girl sitting on the red armor's shoulder. A small orb glowing with icy blue light circled continuously beside her.

Each circuit of the orb left frost fluttering in its wake, drifting down like snowflakes.

He really should have rooted out the problem once and for all back then!

Obadiah roared, flames of fury filling his eyes like a raging dragon spewing fire.

"You goddamn bastard!"

He leaped up and lunged at the man and girl.

Qiqi jumped down from Tony's shoulder and darted aside, dodging the attack.

Tony gathered energy again and fired a beam from his chest.

Obadiah took the blast head-on. The little girl moved too quickly for him to lock onto her slender figure, so the larger target, Tony, became the outlet for his rage.

He raised his foot and kicked Tony away.

The red armor flew like a cannonball and crashed into another building.

Seeing this, Qiqi pressed her lips into a thin line.

Sword in hand, she charged straight at him.

"Go!"

She swung her longsword down at Obadiah's head.

Several yellow arcs of sword energy shot skyward and hurtled straight toward him.

Wherever the sword energy passed, it sliced through the air.

Qiqi's Yunlai Ancient Swordsmanship inflicted continuous damage on Obadiah's armor.

"Hear my summons. Heed this decree."

The Spirit of the Cold-Blooded circling her struck him, each attack forming a layer of ice on Obadiah's armor.

Obadiah's armor creaked. His legs froze in place, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

Ice began spreading inward from the edges of his internal display, and the image flickered as its connections failed.

"No! No!"

Obadiah's expression darkened as he realized Qiqi had an ability that could counter his armor.

"My true name: Doom-Exorcising Adeptus."

Qiqi released the adeptal power sealed within her, marking Obadiah with the Doom-Exorcising Talisman and continuously dealing Cryo damage.

Of course, Obadiah fought back against the girl's attacks, but his armor was far too bulky and cumbersome. Qiqi moved so quickly that by the time he swung a fist at her, she had already darted elsewhere.

"Damn it!!!"

Obadiah roared.

Qiqi's sword struck his armor again and again, leaving deep gouges that made Obadiah's heart bleed.

This suit of armor was his pride and joy.

His armor was among the sturdiest equipment there was, yet beneath Qiqi's sword, it became scrap metal.

"No!!!"

Sizzling sounds came from inside Obadiah's armor. Frost had already spread over his entire body, and his movements grew slower and slower. Even swinging his arm became increasingly difficult.

"Fortune-Preserving Talisman, Adeptal Art: Herald of Frost."

Qiqi held two fingers together before her chest, and a mysterious rune appeared in front of her. She closed her eyes as frost and snow lifted her entire body, swirling snowflakes enveloping her.

The rune gradually disappeared.

An invisible pressure radiated outward, like an inexplicable summons. A mysterious power gathered within her body, condensing into dazzling white light.

The white light enveloped Qiqi, lending her figure an air of sacred purity.

"No!!!"

"No!!!!"

Cold frost covered Obadiah completely, and the thick layer of ice rendered his armor immobile.

Snap!

The flashing red lights and electronic warning tones inside the armor vanished, plunging his world into darkness.

"Ah! Aaaah!!"

Trapped inside his armor, Obadiah raged helplessly. He pounded at the interior and screamed like a madman, but it accomplished nothing.

Tony came over to Qiqi, picked her up, and lifted her high in the air, playing the game doting fathers loved best.

"Qiqi, you're incredible! How did you do that? You're amazing!!!"