Carol Danvers was genuinely surprised by the technological edge of the Kryptonian Empire.
It was impressive.
More than impressive, really.
Leaving aside the armor that refused to break no matter how hard she hit it, even the weapons alone had absurd destructive power. If she had not been able to absorb energy, she would almost certainly have been injured.
The Gray Knights had surrounded her with high-frequency blades, but they quickly discovered that none of their attacks could actually do much to her.
And Danvers, surrounded in turn, was running into the same problem from the other side.
No matter how much force she used, even after fully entering Binary mode, she still could not shake the Gray Knight armor. In the end, she had no choice but to withdraw.
"Mark the target. Prioritize them as enemies from now on."
On the Kryptonian Empire's side, the Black Queen watched the battle through the machine spirits bound to the Gray Knight and Black Knight armors, then quietly issued the order.
Drex Valen had already given her Carol Danvers's file.
He simply had not expected Danvers to be this strong.
"Energy absorption is too broken," the Black Queen muttered.
Then she packaged the footage and sent it to Drex.
After watching it, Drex did not think much of it.
It was just Captain Marvel.
So what if she could absorb energy? He could do that too. He also had Doomsday on his side.
More importantly, energy absorption was not even invincible. High-priority forces like the Phoenix Force could override it outright.
In other words, if Drex decided not to play around, he could kill this Captain Marvel in one shot.
"She's prettier than the comic version," he mused. "Didn't expect the comic-book Captain Marvel to look like that."
Still, the combination of vibranium and adamantium really was useful.
Carol had already gone into Binary mode. Her destructive power was firmly at planet-busting level, and she still could not make the armor budge.
If it had been only vibranium or only adamantium, the armor probably would have been smashed apart the way Thanos once shattered Captain America's shield.
So this route was clearly the right one.
Metal was, at its core, an atomic structure.
For Drex Valen, whose control over matter had reached the subatomic level, that idea was more concrete than ever.
Vibranium was already terrifying because of its near-static molecular structure.
So what if he created a metal whose atoms themselves were locked into a static state?
Drex had once created a metal with density comparable to a neutron star, but that material was far too heavy. It could only be worn if biological force fields restrained it.
And now Drex's own defenses were stronger than that neutron-star armor anyway, so there was no point in using it.
"Creation at the subatomic microscopic level..." he murmured, turning the fresh metal in his hand. "But why is it that so many powerhouses in Marvel can reach this level, yet almost none of them bother creating matter themselves?"
The material in his palm was something he had just created.
Its atomic structure was special.
It could absorb heat and kinetic force, which in theory meant it could absorb almost any form of energy. But unlike ordinary absorptive materials, the energy it swallowed passed through a peculiar atomic arrangement and was amplified before being reflected back out.
In other words, this metal could fight back.
It absorbed attacks and immediately retaliated.
Energy attacks were reflected as amplified energy.
Kinetic attacks were rebounded with force.
Drex was not sure how it compared to the galactic coatings worn by Silver Surfer, but it was undeniably the strongest metal he could create at the moment.
Anything stronger than this would probably require drifting into the territory of pure "because I said so" physics.
And Drex did not have that kind of power.
He named the new metal Shock Steel.
It would make an excellent shield material.
"Come to think of it, Stark's symbiote research seems close to finished. The liquid-metal symbiote armor should be coming out soon too. And naturally, the liquid metal is using my lower-grade Kryptonian alloy."
Drex muttered to himself.
In materials science, Tony Stark seemed to have made almost no progress. Or rather, he still had not found a way to replicate lower-grade Kryptonian metal.
Much less develop anything on the level of Drex's alloys.
There was also the Monaco F1 race Tony had invited him to.
Truthfully, Drex had some driving talent of his own.
Back when he had first learned to drive, the instructor had taken one look at him making wide turns and said, "You want to learn drifting? Add eight thousand dollars and I'll teach you."
So yes, Drex was good behind the wheel.
That said, there was still a huge difference between ordinary cars and an F1 racer. He would need to familiarize himself with it in advance.
Enough to be dangerous. Not enough to embarrass himself.
"All right," Tony said with confidence. "Just make sure you do not lose too badly. I sponsored an extra team for you, so do not waste it."
Drex understood exactly why Tony was acting like that.
Palladium poisoning.
Tony Stark was dying.
Of course, this was all part of the act. Back when Drex first set the plan in motion, he had sent those beastified mercenaries in Africa after Tony, and the attack had left a real fragment lodged in his body. Tony had needed the mini-arc reactor to keep the shrapnel under control, and he had built one himself.
But then time passed.
And passed.
And because Obadiah Stane never showed up to hit him again, Tony had been living a pretty glamorous life for a while.
That luxury was over now.
"So you've finally decided?" Drex said, sounding interested. "You're going to mount the reactor in an F1 car and drive it like a maniac?"
Tony sounded like he had already thought the whole thing through.
"Honestly, I've got the basic modifications planned out. I'll reinforce the chassis with my lower-grade Kryptonian alloy, and the body will use the same metal I used for the Mark series..."
"Tony, that's stupid."
Tony: "..."
He nearly dropped every punctuation mark in the English language.
At that moment, Drex was aboard Tony's private jet on the way to Monaco for the fastest race on Earth.
On the surface, it was supposed to be a fun trip.
In reality, Tony just wanted to beat Drex.
Choosing a competition you're naturally good at while your opponent isn't sounds a little cheap, sure.
But that is part of the game.
If you do not like it, do not play.
The flight attendants on Tony's private jet were throwing themselves into their work with almost suspicious enthusiasm.
Mostly because of the special guest on board.
Drex Valen.
Drex Valen, the famous Drex Valen.
World's richest man.
The most handsome man on the planet.
And, most importantly, apparently a super genius who had never once been caught in scandal.
If one of them could land him, she would never have to struggle again for the rest of her life.
"Still, why are you the one accompanying me?" Tony asked, idly swirling a glass of red wine.
He was looking at Virginia's personal assistant, Natalie Rushman, who was really Black Widow undercover inside Stark Industries.
"Where is Pepper?"
"Executive Vice President Potts already went to Monaco ahead of time to prepare things," Natasha said calmly.
She did not even blink.
"After the plane lands, you have three interviews about clean energy initiatives. At noon, there will be a banquet. A number of corporate executives are expected to request meetings with you. At eight in the evening, you have a press conference scheduled locally. Everything has already been arranged by the executive office..."