I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 424 The Clash of Magic and Science

At the same time, Tony also activated a special module.

The interface inside the visor switched instantly, and the conventional tactical analysis data was replaced by a series of new readings—energy field distortion index, reality stability coefficient, dimensional resonance frequency—parameters that were both strange and familiar to Tony.

They are unfamiliar because they belong to completely different theoretical systems.

The reason it's familiar is that Riley deliberately used a "scientific" way of speaking that Peter could understand when designing the system.

"Magic...tsk...this kind of troublesome ability shouldn't exist in this world; it completely defies the laws of science!"

As he murmured the word, Tony felt an instinctive aversion to it.

It's not that Tony doesn't believe in the existence of magic.

After all, having reunited with Riley and witnessed firsthand the various amazing abilities he displayed, Tony had already accepted the fact that "there are indeed forces in the world that science cannot explain."

Therefore, Tony's aversion to magic stemmed more from his sense of powerlessness due to his lack of expertise in the field.

When faced with technology, he can analyze it, crack it, and quickly design countermeasures.

But magic?

That's like using a mathematical formula to solve a puzzle that doesn't follow any mathematical rules at all.

This made Tony feel like a clueless rookie when facing the current crisis, and he had a severe lack of security!

"This is beyond our capabilities."

Peter continued, his eyes still fixed on the Iron Monger.

The armored vehicle stood still, its body trembling slightly. The reactor on its chest flickered between blue-white and dark purple, as if two consciousnesses were fiercely vying for control.

"After we subdue him, we need to immediately seek help from the Sorcerer Supreme, or find a way to contact Thor and the others."

His Holiness the Venerable Master.

Tony had heard the name from Riley.

Out of consideration for the privacy of the Sorcerer Supreme, Riley's description of the "Sorcerer Supreme" is vague, only mentioning that he was a guardian who protected the Earth from invasion by magical dimensions and lived in a temple in New York.

As for Thor...

The Asgardian Thor has rarely appeared on Earth since the secret invasion crisis caused by the Skrulls was resolved.

It is said that he has been busy dealing with affairs in the Nine Realms lately and has no time to spare.

But Tony always felt...

It seems like Thor is hiding from someone and doesn't dare to come to Earth?

"The problem is that we have to 'subdue' him before we can ask for help."

After a moment's thought, Tony, suppressing his instinctive urge to gossip, picked up where Peter left off and added a reminder.

"Unfortunately, Riley and the captain went out on a mission and probably haven't returned yet... If he were still here, he could definitely handle this mess with ease."

"Indeed... Watch out! Iron Monger!"

Peter nodded in deep agreement, but before he could finish speaking, a strong spider-sense warning made him change the subject and shout loudly.

As soon as Peter finished speaking, the Iron Monger moved.

It wasn't an attack, but rather a... ritualistic action.

The armored figure slowly raised its arms, palms facing upwards, as if performing some ancient ritual.

The light from the reactor on his chest suddenly stabilized and turned into a pure dark purple.

The color reminded Tony of rotten fruit, and an ominous premonition immediately rose in his heart.

Then, the Iron Monarch began to speak.

But the sound didn't come from a speaker; it rang directly in their minds.

Deep, distorted, and echoing, it sounded as if countless people were saying the same thing simultaneously:

"The offerings...are ready...the passage...is about to open..."

At that moment, the special module activated by the two began to alarm wildly, and the readings in front of them soared into the danger zone—the reality distortion index broke through the threshold, and the dimensional resonance frequency and synchronization rate with a certain unknown coordinate reached as high as 73%!

"It's opening something," Tony gritted his teeth. "Jarvis, scan the spatial structure!"

"Scanning... High-intensity spatial distortion detected." Jarvis's voice carried an unusual hint of uncertainty. "Sir, the space within a 50-meter radius of the Iron Monger is becoming... unstable. The local gravitational constant has deviated by 0.3%, and the speed of light in this space has clearly decreased by 0.07%... These phenomena do not conform to any known laws of physics."

"Because this isn't a physical phenomenon," Peter's voice was tense. "It's magic. It's tearing reality apart, trying to open a portal."

A portal.

Where does it lead?

The Iron Monger provided the answer.

A beam of light suddenly shot out from the reactor on the armored chest.

It wasn't shot towards the sky or the ground, but rather towards the empty air ahead.

The beam of light "painted" a circular outline in the air, and a scene began to emerge inside the outline.

But it wasn't the familiar night view of the Hudson River they knew.

It was a distorted space.

The earth was dark purple, covered with writhing, vein-like patterns.

The sky was a sickly orange-red, with three black suns of different sizes arranged in a bizarre triangle hanging in the sky.

In the distance, mountain peaks appeared and disappeared, but those peaks seemed to breathe and pulsate slowly, like living giant beasts.

And in the deepest part of that scene, as if sensing the opening of the portal, something was rapidly approaching!

"What kind of place is that...?"

Tony murmured.

"I don't know, but it's definitely not Earth." Peter clenched his fist. "We have to close that portal before it's fully stable."

"How do I turn it off?"

"Interrupting the spellcaster—to use Riley's words, if you can't solve the problem, then solve the problem of who created it!"

Although Peter usually goes easy on criminals, even when they are on opposing sides, he tries his best to avoid harming them. Compared to Riley's decisive and ruthless nature, this seems rather "meticulous."

However, when faced with such a critical moment, Peter was still able to distinguish between what was more important and what was less important.

Therefore, as soon as Tony finished speaking, Peter offered a solution that sounded somewhat inhumane.

"Max is now the energy source and anchor point for that magic. If we can restore him to consciousness, even for a moment, the connection will be severed! If that doesn't work..."

Although Peter didn't finish his sentence, Tony knew perfectly well what the second half of the solution, which the boy found difficult to say, meant.

Unfortunately, while the theory is simple, putting it into practice is incredibly difficult.

Putting aside the fact that Max can completely transform himself into an energy body, rendering most of Tony and Peter's attacks completely ineffective against him...

Iron Monarch is now enveloped in a dark purple energy field, which will distort and deflect any physical attack that gets close.

For example, during their conversation, Tony had already tried to stop Iron Monger by shooting him with his Palm Cannon.