Idealism Erupts! A New Form of the Void?

three days later.

Tony sprayed the green liquid from his mouth into the sink, his face, which had once captivated countless young girls, contorted into a grimace.

"Jarvis, I'd be more inclined to believe you if you told me it was moss juice dredged up from the sewers."

Tony grabbed a towel and vigorously wiped his mouth, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

"Even drinking a gallon of motor oil would taste smoother than this stuff."

"Sir, this is currently the most effective solution to alleviate the toxicity of palladium in your blood."

Jarvis's voice remained calm. "Also, your heart rate experienced an irregular beat just now. I suggest you..."

"The suggestion is ineffective."

Tony abruptly interrupted him, clutching the half-empty glass tightly in his hand.

Blood palladium concentration: 24%

[Estimated life expectancy: Less than 90 days]

Tony stared at the ever-rising red line on the holographic screen, a self-deprecating sneer on his face.

"It seems that the shelf life of New York's richest man is shorter than that of milk on the supermarket discount shelf."

For the past three days, he has locked himself in this damn basement and tried every possible combination of elements on the periodic table.

result?

zero.

All simulations ultimately point to the same result: explosion or decay.

Drop drop!

The access control system suddenly sounded an alarm.

"Tony! I know you're in there!"

Colonel Rhodes' voice came through the heavy blast door, filled with anxiety and anger.

"You've had enough fun! Pepper's going crazy, you should at least show your face!"

Tony's hand trembled slightly.

He looked at his old friend on the monitor, whose face was full of worry, and a barely perceptible pain flashed in his eyes.

But he couldn't say.

What should I tell them? Tell them I'm about to poison myself?

Tell them that Stark Industries' future is destined to become a corpse?

No.

That's the behavior of the weak, but Stark never shows weakness.

Jarvis, lock the door.

Tony turned around, his back to the door, his voice cold.

"Tell Colonel Rhodes that I'm busy discussing fluid dynamics with a Victoria's Secret model right now and don't have time to listen to his nagging."

"Sir, Colonel Rhodes seems genuinely worried..."

"Do as I say!"

Tony growled and smashed the expensive glass to the ground.

Snapped!

Debris flew everywhere.

Rod outside the door seemed to hear the commotion inside. After a long silence, he finally kicked the door hard and turned to leave.

Watching Rhodes' departing figure, Tony felt all his strength drain away and slumped into his chair.

The excruciating pain struck again.

This time it was more intense than ever before, as if a red-hot iron hand was violently churning inside his chest.

"Ugh..."

Tony clutched his chest, cold sweat instantly soaking through his expensive silk shirt.

He staggered as he tried to grab the chlorophyll on the table, but his hand trembled and he knocked the bottle to the ground.

The green sap flowed all over the ground, as if mocking his incompetence.

"Damn it...damn it!"

Tony closed his eyes in despair; technology couldn't save him.

Just then, a scene suddenly flashed through his mind.

That damn gashapon merchant, who smiles like a swindler.

And that weed he considered trash and casually tossed in the corner of the lab bench.

[Detoxifying Herb: Though bitter, it can neutralize all poisons.]

"metaphysics……"

Tony opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the inconspicuous green plant in the corner.

It looked withered and yellow, like a wild grass picked casually by the roadside.

"What am I thinking? Eating something whose ingredients I don't even know?"

Tony's rationality was frantically calling the alarm.

But the excruciating pain in his chest left him no room to think.

"Let's try anything, it can't get any worse."

Tony gritted his teeth, grabbed the antidote herb, and stuffed it into his mouth without even brushing off the dirt.

chew.

An indescribable bitterness spread through my mouth.

The taste was a hundred times more inhuman than chlorophyll; it was like chewing a rag soaked in bile.

"vomit!"

Tony almost vomited, but he forced himself to swallow by choking on his own neck.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

A cool current of air rose from my stomach without warning, spreading down my esophagus to my limbs and bones.

The burning sensation that had been raging in my chest quickly subsided under this coolness!

Tony pulled open his collar, and the originally menacing, outward-expanding black veins were visibly faded.

Although it hasn't disappeared, the suffocating sense of oppression has indeed lessened!

"Jarvis! Scan my blood!"

Tony's voice trembled with a hint of ecstatic joy.

"Scanning... Sir, this is incredible."

Jarvis's voice carried a noticeable emotional fluctuation. "Your blood palladium concentration has dropped by 5% in the past thirty seconds."

"Although the source of the toxins is still releasing toxins, this plant is purifying your blood!"

5%.

It may sound like a small amount, but for Tony, who was just waiting to die, it was nothing short of a miracle!

"That charlatan... that Li Ang, he didn't lie to me."

Tony looked at the remaining half of a blade of grass in his hand, his expression becoming extremely complicated.

A single blade of grass bought for ten thousand US dollars had an effect that far surpassed his laboratory equipment worth billions of US dollars.

This cognitive collapse both excited and annoyed him.

"But this is only a temporary solution, not a permanent one."

Tony calmed down and carefully put the remaining grass roots into a sealed bag. "Once this grass is eaten, it's gone. I need a more thorough solution."

His gaze fell on the white sphere in the center of the basement.

Gravity chamber.

And, at this very moment, the Kuuga belt was fastened around his waist, now hidden beneath his skin.

"Li Ang once said that the power of the Void originates from the physical body and from idealism."

Tony murmured to himself, recalling his words from that night, "When technology reaches its end, look back at your body..."

"Since I can't get rid of this damn toxin..."

A mad glint flashed in Tony's eyes—the kind of desperate gamble that comes with genius.

"Then I'll expel it using my empty space!"

He strode toward the gravity chamber.

"Jarvis, set the gravity parameter to 5 times."

"That's the limit I can currently withstand after transforming into Kuuga, and it's also the limit of my physical body."

"Sir, your health condition..."

"implement!"

The hatch closed, and a red warning light illuminated.

hum!

A terrifying gravity descends.

Tony felt as if he had been crushed by a steamroller, every bone groaning under the strain, his blood feeling like mercury, too heavy to flow.

"Henshin (Transformation)!!"

Tony roared, his hands struggling to reach his waist.

A burst of red light.

Covered in bio-armor, Kuuga's Omni-Form makes its debut.

But under five times the gravity, even Tony, who possesses superhuman strength, was forced to kneel on one knee.

"You dead leg...get moving!"

Tony gritted his teeth, gambling that the mysterious stone wouldn't watch its host be poisoned to death.

As his will erupted, the Amadam Spirit Stone in his abdomen awoke.

It was like a pumping heart, emitting a rapid buzzing sound.

Under intense gravitational pressure, the spirit stone began to operate wildly, and it detected the deadly impurities in this body called "palladium element".

Rejection!

An indescribable heat swept over my entire body.

"Ughhhhh!!"

Beneath the mask, Tony let out a painful roar.

At this moment, he felt every pore of his body being forcibly opened, and black, foul-smelling sweat mixed with poisonous blood was forcibly expelled from his body by this domineering force!

Tick.

Tick.

Black liquid dripped from the red armor onto the floor, causing the ground to sizzle as it corroded.

"Huff... huff..."

As the toxins were forcibly expelled, Tony felt his body, which had been as heavy as lead, becoming lighter than ever before.

Is this the power of idealism?

As long as I want to live, and as long as I am strong enough, my body will respond to me!

hum!

The compound eyes, which were originally scarlet, were now dazzlingly bright.

At the edge of the dark red breastplate, a blinding golden arc of electricity suddenly appeared!

That wasn't a normal energy overflow.

That's proof of increased compatibility!

In that instant, Tony felt as if he had touched an invisible ceiling.

In that instant when the golden arc of electricity pulsed, a more powerful and perfect form flashed through his mind.

"call……"

Tony, trembling, slowly and deliberately stood up, feeling five times the force of gravity.

Golden arcs of electricity danced wildly on his right leg armor, ionizing the surrounding air and causing it to crackle.

"So the omnipotent form isn't your limit after all."

Tony felt the terrifying power within him, but instead of fear, he revealed an arrogant smile.

What utter nonsense about palladium poisoning.

As long as this stone exists, as long as he keeps getting stronger, he will not fall!

Just as Tony was immersed in this power that was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

A violent banging sound came from the thick outer wall of the gravity chamber.

"Tony! I know you're in there! Open the door! Damn it, Jarvis won't let me in!"

It's Pepper.

The usually elegant and intellectual woman's voice was now filled with fear and panic.

Tony frowned, and with a thought, he deactivated the transformation.

The red light faded, and gravity disappeared.

He was soaked to the bone, but his eyes were frighteningly bright, all traces of his previous dejection and lifelessness gone.

Click!

The door opened, and Pepper rushed in, clutching a USB drive tightly in her hand, her face as pale as paper.

When she saw Tony covered in sweat, she almost burst into tears.

"Tony... what the hell are you doing? Do you even know what's happening outside?"

Pepper rushed up, grabbed Tony's arm, and dug her nails into his flesh.

"Hey, calm down, Pepper."

Tony tried to put on his signature playboy smile. "I'm just doing a... rather radical sauna detox."

"Detox? You're joking at a time like this?!"

Pepper shoved the USB drive into Tony's hand, her voice trembling with fear:

"I went to Obadiah's office today... I just wanted to copy some data, but..."

She took a deep breath, her eyes filled with disbelief and despair:

"I discovered the secret documents of District 16."

"Those terrorists, those who kidnapped you and took you to the cave... they were hired by Obadiah!"

"He's selling the weapons you made to those people, and then they kill you!"