The cavern trembled with each clash, but in that moment, it felt as though the world had narrowed to just the two of them — Tony Stark and Pepper Potts.
Her eyes, once filled with warmth and love, now burned with cold fury. Sparks flew from her gauntlets, swirling with the same dark energy that pulsed through Doom's magic.
Tony's chest ached—not from the battle wounds but from the weight of betrayal.
"Pepper," he said softly, voice cracking, "this isn't you. Whatever they did to you — I can fix it. You're still in there."
She hesitated, a flicker of doubt crossing her face, but then she hardened again.
"You abandoned me, Tony. Chasing your suits, your battles. But now… you'll see what happens when the armor controls the man."
Tony's heart clenched. He raised his repulsor gauntlets, not to attack, but to shield.
"I never stopped fighting for you — or for us," he whispered.
The fight exploded again — energy clashing against energy, metal ringing against metal.
But beneath the battle, Tony reached for something stronger than tech or armor — he reached for the memories, the trust, the love they once shared.
"Remember our promise," he said, voice fierce but tender. "That no matter what happens, we face it together."
For a heartbeat, Pepper's gauntlets faltered.
A crack appeared in the mask of Doom's magic that held her — a crack Tony vowed to widen.
As the Leviathan roared closer, and Doom's laughter echoed in the distance, one thing was clear:
This war was far from over. But so long as Tony Stark had breath, the heart of Iron Man would never be broken.