Marvel: Ned the Master of Mystic Arts

"Bang!"

Pepper was just about to say something in response to Tony's words when a sound came from the warehouse that had been reduced to rubble in the distance.

A moment later, a circular disc shot out at high speed, flying toward Tony. The disc bore a faint blue-and-white color, resembling the Captain America shield model Tony always brought along wherever he moved.

"Clang!"

With the assistance of his suit and Friday, Tony punched the incoming shield away and gritted his teeth. "Now, I'm genuinely curious about this lunatic. Pepper, take Morgan and get out of here."

"Okay. Be careful," Pepper replied. She quickly carried Morgan away, heading to meet up with the other superheroes who were on their way.

"Alright then, tell me—whose twisted scientific experiment are you this time?"

With Pepper gone, Tony no longer had any concerns. Looking at the burly, naked man crawling out of the rubble, he spoke in a relaxed tone.

This guy had just tanked Tony's laser attack without so much as a scratch. Clearly, he was some kind of superhuman experiment—possibly even physically stronger than Steve Rogers. After all, Steve wouldn't dare take a direct hit from Tony's lasers with his body. Maybe he could handle the repulsor blasts, but not this.

"Honestly, I don't know why, but these mad scientists always seem to throw their creations at me. Maybe this is what it means to be an icon."

Tony's words and flippant tone made it clear he didn't take the burly man seriously, enraging him to the point where he wanted to stab Tony a hundred times with his claws.

"I don't know what you're talking about, and I mean no harm. I just escaped from a nearby military base and came here to find some clothes. Sorry about this. Now, let me leave," Logan said, suppressing his anger. Despite being attacked, he felt slightly guilty for trespassing and scaring the man's wife and child. Of course, that was assuming Tony wouldn't continue provoking him.

"Hah! Wildman, before you lie, maybe check who you're talking to. What military base could possibly hide right under my nose?"

Tony obviously didn't believe Logan's explanation. He raised his repulsor hand again and said, "This is your last warning. Put your hands on your head, crouch down, and spill the truth about who's behind you. Maybe I'll go easy on you. Otherwise, you can wait for General Ross to dissect you."

"What did you just say?"

Logan, who had just endured the horrific experiments of Stryker implanting adamantium into his body, was already sickened by the idea of human experimentation. Hearing Tony's words made him snap. "You're going to experiment on me, you bastard?"

As Logan shouted, the adamantium claws on both his hands extended.

"Alright, I see you've made your choice," Tony remarked.

With those words, Tony's repulsors fired two beams of energy at Logan.

"Argh!!!"

Logan roared, slashing through Tony's lasers with his claws. He charged at Tony at astonishing speed, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.

Just as Logan's claws were about to touch the Iron Man suit, Tony's thrusters activated. The suit shot upwards, soaring over ten meters into the air. Hovering there, Tony unleashed another laser attack on Logan.

Inwardly, Tony thought, This wild man is seriously underestimating me, the universe's greatest genius. He's trying to fight me in close combat with a pair of claws? Oh, please. I have enough firepower to obliterate an alien army. Why would I engage in hand-to-hand combat? What does he think he is—Steve Rogers?

With that thought, the back of Tony's suit transformed, releasing a barrage of miniature missiles aimed at Logan.

Though small, each missile was powerful enough to obliterate the Pentagon. Combined, they could even take down S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier—assuming no defensive measures were taken.

"Boom!!!!"

The ensuing explosion was deafening, causing the ground where Logan stood to collapse several meters downward.

"Boss, I've detected a life signal!"

Just as Tony thought he could wrap things up, Friday's voice chimed in.

"Bang!"

Tony watched as a figure leaped out of the smoke-filled crater in a few quick bounds and ran toward another house nearby. It seemed that Logan's previously scavenged clothes had been blown to bits again.

"What the—?"

Tony couldn't believe that a seemingly ordinary human had survived such overwhelming firepower. "Friday, scan him. Let's figure out what's going on."

Tony observed as Logan's movement kicked up a cloud of dust. He made no effort to stop the man—after all, he had no desire to face off against a naked guy again.

"Scanning…"

"Scan complete."

A holographic projection appeared before Tony, detailing the man's skeletal structure with clear annotations.

"Boss, the subject possesses an extraordinarily durable metallic skeleton," Friday reported.

"Moreover, this metal does not match any known substances. Preliminary analysis suggests that its hardness may rival that of Steve Rogers' shield."

"In addition, the claws on the subject's hands are not external weapons but grow directly from within his body."

"So, what—you're telling me he's a werewolf? Wolverine?" Tony quipped after hearing Friday's analysis.

"But even with an indestructible skeleton, surviving that explosion is still impossible, isn't it?"

Tony pondered for a moment. As the dust began to settle and Logan reappeared, now fully dressed, Tony instructed Friday, "Launch another full-force assault on him. Monitor his condition the whole time."

"Understood," Friday replied.

No sooner had Logan stepped out of the house, now dressed, than he was once again bombarded by missiles. The resulting explosions devastated the area, turning the house into rubble.

"Boss, the target seems to have a unique regenerative ability," Friday reported.

Tony watched as Logan's holographic image showed his body deteriorating, shrinking to just his skeleton, only to regrow flesh and fully heal within a few seconds.

"Alright, honestly, I'm getting used to freaks showing up," Tony said, turning off the assault. He instructed Friday, "Deploy the Iron Legion. Capture him and tie him up in the garage."

"While I'm not a fan of experimenting on people, if more Wolverines start popping up, we're going to have a serious problem."

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