Chapter 74: Unwavering Restoration

That bolt of lightning left Ivan Vanko completely stunned.

Ivan Vanko looked up in confusion, but there was no one above him.

Yet in the very next second, another bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere, right above his head, and struck him without delay.

Ivan’s eyes rolled back in their sockets, and his whole body jolted violently.

There was none of that exaggerated cartoonish blackening of the face after being struck by lightning. The lightning unleashed by Vengeance of Light wasn’t particularly powerful; a normal person could withstand a single strike without suffering too much.

However, multiple strikes in succession were another matter entirely—no ordinary person could endure that. Even in the Marvel universe, not everyone was immune to electricity.

Inside the cockpit of the Warlord, the display screens before Luke flickered and trembled, clearly affected by Whiplash’s powerful current.

The lightning from Vengeance of Light was also transmitted through the electric whips, continuously surging into the Warlord.

There was no such thing as being immune to your own skills here—this was the real world.

But Luke had anticipated this. When he built the G-0 Warlord, he had specifically designed multiple layers of insulation, knowing he would likely face Whiplash in combat.

So, while the middle layers of the armor might sustain some damage, Luke himself was absolutely safe inside.

“Assistant, is it done?” he asked.

“All done, Master. I’ve locked down the enemy’s arc reactor. It’ll keep powering the whips continuously,” Christina replied, her tone cheerful.

“Well done.” Luke continued, “How long can the unit withstand this?”

“Conservatively, over twenty minutes.”

“That’s more than enough!” At her words, Luke’s lips curled into a slight smile. The real show was about to begin.

After another bolt of lightning crashed down, Ivan Vanko shook his dizzy head, forcing himself to stay conscious. The repeated strikes were already making his mind blur.

He realized this had to be Luke’s doing.

Ivan Vanko was highly intelligent; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to replicate the arc reactor from mere schematics.

Recognizing the problem, Ivan immediately tried to retract the electric whips.

But how could Luke let him have his way?

“Trying to pull back? No way! That’s far too irresponsible of you!”

Luke grinned wickedly and controlled the Warlord to grab the whip with a swift backhand.

Then, he wound the whip twice around his armored forearm.

Through the whip, Luke firmly linked himself to Ivan Vanko.

Shouting, Luke encouraged, “Don’t stop! Keep going! Whatever you do, don’t stop—let’s enjoy this together. Yes, harder!”

Ivan tried to cut the power, but to his shock, his suit’s operating system was unresponsive.

His eyes widened—no matter how he pulled, the whip wouldn’t budge.

Unlike Monaco, where he’d held the whips in his hands, this time the whips were integrated into the suit itself.

Now, with the system malfunctioning, he couldn’t even get out of his armor.

The whips continued their barrage on Luke.

Lightning and thunder crashed repeatedly above Ivan Vanko’s head.

Vengeance of Light was triggered again and again.

A thicker, more powerful bolt struck Ivan once more.

With nowhere to run, he braced himself and took the hit, his body convulsing uncontrollably.

Then another bolt.

And another.

And another.

One after another, relentless bolts of lightning wracked Ivan Vanko’s body, making him shake like a leaf, his consciousness growing ever dimmer.

Electric currents raced over the suit, turning Ivan into a rat trapped in a tin can, forced to endure strike after strike.

In Dungeon Fighter, Vengeance of Light has a trait: after activation, there’s a small chance of triggering lightning when attacking, but being attacked almost always triggers lightning.

Hence, the “vengeance” in its name.

This led to a famous move in the arena: “Unmoving Vengeance.”

The most skilled Asuras developed this technique—a true awakening move.

Those who could use it were the elite Asuras, Asuras awakened to their masochistic tendencies, noble Asuras, pure Asuras, Asuras above base amusements, Asuras who served the people…

Two minutes later, Ivan Vanko’s eyes had rolled back, and foam frothed from his mouth.

Tony and Rhodey, watching from the side, were completely dumbfounded.

What was happening?

Where was all this lightning coming from?!

“JARVIS, are you seeing this?” Tony asked, eyes wide.

“Sir, this is not a natural phenomenon,” JARVIS replied.

Tony was speechless—naturally he knew that much. Lightning never strikes the same place twice, let alone continuously assailing one person. This defied all natural law! For Tony, a man of science, it was utterly bizarre…

(Said a certain god of hammers: I can do this all day!)

Tony had a hunch—this had to be another of the Apostle’s tricks, like the orange defensive field he still hadn’t figured out. Some new technology, no doubt.

Luke thought, a moment like this really needed some background music.

Such a spectacular scene couldn’t go without it.

So, he snapped his fingers. “Assistant, let’s have some epic music for this moment!”

“Alright, Master,” Christina replied with a giggle.

The Warlord’s speakers blared a dramatic, escalating rhythm…

But it was clearly not the music Luke had in mind.

“Ee-ya… mmm… ya-mai-dai… ya-mai!!”

The strange, undulating sounds… Was this—? Luke was instantly petrified.

“Assistant, what is this?!”

“It’s the accompaniment you asked for, Master,” Christina replied, still cheerful.

“I mean music! Not… this!”

“Which kind?” Christina asked, still grinning.

“Music, actual music!”

“But Master said he wanted a ‘climax’,” Christina replied, still giggling.

“No problem at all,” Lotus chimed in with a nod.

Luke was convinced Christina was doing this on purpose. Absolutely intentional!

The entire scene was deathly silent.

Only the crackling of lightning and the bizarre sounds from the Warlord’s speakers filled the air.

Tony’s expression was indescribably odd.

Every move the Apostle made left Tony at a loss—he couldn’t even find the words anymore.

In the Hammer Industries tower, Black Widow was both amused and exasperated.

Hearing the rising cries through her earpiece, she couldn’t help but laugh and mutter, “You mischievous brat, always up to pranks!”

Strange lightning…

Stranger music…

And the strangest atmosphere of all…

Amid this odd ambiance, Ivan Vanko finally, and most unwillingly, met his end.