Marvel’s Ultimate Connector

Chapter 53: Tony is Shocked! You're Not From Around Here!

The glowing Ark reactor spun between Ethan Lee's fingers before he pressed it back into Tony's chest.

Bang.

With a light punch, the reactor clicked into place and connected successfully.

"Cough! Cough! ...Cough!!"

Tony doubled over, coughing violently before catching his breath. He patted his chest and looked at Ethan with a mix of irritation and disbelief.

"Bro, could you maybe be a little gentler next time?"

"Stop whining," Ethan replied curtly. "Where's the combat suit? Don't tell me you haven't finished it yet."

"It's done. I was just about to call you," Tony said, still a bit breathless as he operated the panel beside him.

A platform rose from the floor, revealing several high-tech battle suits—not the bulky Iron Man type, but sleek, close-fitting models.

"Thanks again, by the way," Tony added with genuine appreciation, though his words came out in typical sarcastic fashion. "There's only one Tony Stark! If I were a woman, I'd fall for you."

Ethan rolled his eyes as he collected several sets of the suits. "Say something like that again, and I'll snap your neck."

Tony's gaze shifted toward Obadiah, lying nearby with his neck twisted unnaturally. His expression turned complicated.

"He's…"

"Still alive. You can deal with him yourself."

After securing the combat suits, Ethan casually tossed a small black stick at Tony.

"Can you replicate this?"

"What is it?" Tony asked, examining it. He noticed a switch and pressed it instinctively.

Zzzzap—!

A blue light flared from the stick, slicing off the corner of a nearby table.

"Holy—!"

Tony yelped, jerking it upright. "You could've told me it was a lightsaber! I almost chopped my own leg off!"

"So... can you make it or not?" Ethan asked, unconcerned. Whether or not Tony got hurt wasn't exactly on his radar—he had the Horse Talisman's healing powers and a knack for pulling people back from the brink.

"Hold on," Tony muttered, bringing the device over to one of his scanning instruments. He shut it off and placed it inside. "JARVIS, analyze the internal structure."

Moments later, a series of holographic projections and diagrams appeared in the air.

"Sir, I recommend testing maximum energy output," Jarvis suggested.

"One thing at a time," Tony said, distractedly. "Also, delete Obadiah's access and give full clearance to Black Spider."

As he spoke, Tony pulled up a schematic highlighting the internal crystal within the lightsaber.

"Is this the power source?"

Jarvis chimed in, "I'm sorry, sir. I can't do that. Mr. Black Spider's data is encrypted with an unknown parameter. Authorization is not possible."

"What the hell?" Tony blinked, turning to Ethan. "Are you... an alien?"

"Just do your part," Ethan replied coolly. "I don't need clearance—I can come and go as I please."

Tony fell silent.

Well… okay then. That's terrifying.

"The crystal is the most unique part of the lightsaber," Tony noted, pointing to the projection. "Jarvis checked our entire database—there's no such material on Earth. And you still say you're not an alien?"

Ethan was quiet for a moment. A Kyber crystal…? he thought to himself. So the system really gave me a genuine lightsaber… and I don't even need the Force to use it?

The structure was just like the ones from Star Wars. That made things interesting.

"Can you replicate it using a substitute material?" Ethan finally asked.

"I'll need to test the capabilities first," Tony said, leading Ethan to a lower lab. He picked up a bar of alloy and prepared to test the lightsaber. "This is a gold-titanium alloy—same stuff I used for my armor. Let's see how it holds up."

Zzzzz—!

Before Tony could even finish the sentence, the saber sliced through the alloy like butter.

Tony stared at the clean cut, speechless.

So much for his prized armor. If someone wielded that thing in close quarters, they could chop him in half like nothing.

He looked at Ethan wordlessly. The comparison was… humbling, to say the least.

Don't be jealous. Just focus.

Trying to maintain composure, Tony resumed analyzing the saber. "Okay, using the Ark Reactor to replace the crystal might work as an energy source. But we'll need to adjust the structure—it won't be as powerful."

"Why not? Not enough energy?" Ethan asked.

"No, the energy is fine. The Ark Reactor is more than enough," Tony explained. "The issue is control. Without precise regulation, the blade could go unstable. To make it safe, we'd have to limit its output."

Still, Tony was intrigued. Equipping his suits with such a weapon would give him a huge advantage in close combat.

"If it's alright with you," Tony said, "once I figure out a stable version, I'd like to integrate it into my Iron Man suits. Don't worry—I won't mass-produce anything without your approval. The weapons division is shut down anyway."

"You're welcome to," Ethan said with a nod, "but on one condition."

"What's that?"

"When the time comes, I want you to add them to Ghost Spider's and the others' suits too."