Superman in Marvel: Multiverse Ascendant

Tony was fully engrossed in his design process, but he still kept an eye on Leon.

He noticed that Leon was focusing on the most basic mechanical structures, which made him smirk in confidence.

Clearly, his little brother was out of his depth.

Competition really does work as motivation.

In just half an hour, Tony had perfected the propulsion system that had troubled him for the past two days. Inspiration struck like lightning.

Meanwhile, Leon had already finished studying the exoskeleton and had moved on to circuit structures.

Tony barely spared him a glance before smirking again.

He must have given up on the exoskeleton because it was too difficult, Tony thought. Now he's switching to something simpler.

"Finding it too hard to learn armor mechanics? No shame in that," Tony teased, his tone as light as popping champagne.

"Don't push yourself too much. If everyone could learn complex knowledge so easily, what would be the point of geniuses?"

Waving a dismissive hand, he went back to modifying his propulsion boots.

"Don't worry, when I finish my masterpiece, I might let you take it for a spin."

Tony had completely forgotten that Leon could already fly.

He was too caught up in the joy of proving his superiority.

With Daidai assisting him, he even started humming Jingle Bells while working.

Leon ignored him.

Sitting quietly to the side, he focused on studying the materials Jarvis had compiled.

If Tony had walked behind him and glanced at his screen—

—he would have immediately slapped himself for being so smug.

The texts and charts on Leon's screen were flashing by so fast they blurred.

Yet Leon's eyes remained locked on the first line of each new page.

The display wasn't changing fast enough to match his reading speed.

He finished a college-level textbook in thirty seconds.

In just half an hour, he became a theoretical expert in a specialized field.

If there were a system that measured knowledge acquisition,

Leon's skill levels would be visibly upgrading before Tony's eyes.

Level 1… Level 2… Level 3… Level 4…

Tony would have realized by now that his brother was a full-fledged cheat code.

But reality doesn't offer such warnings.

Three Hours Later

Leon stood up, finally satisfied with his knowledge.

Tony was mid-way through his thirteenth propulsion test.

He was hovering steadily, carefully adjusting his balance.

Noticing Leon, Tony smirked.

"Look who's here. Did our little Leon finally realize how hard this is? Ready to admit defeat and beg for mercy?"

Leon smiled mysteriously and adjusted imaginary glasses.

"No, I've learned everything I need. Now I'm ready to join your research."

Tony blinked, then laughed.

"Perfect! You won't be much help, but at least you can carry the heavy stuff."

Slowly descending, he staggered a bit before finding his footing.

"Come on. The propulsion system is mostly done. Now we can start building the rest of the armor."

Tony was so convinced of his victory that he stopped paying attention to Leon's progress.

He focused entirely on construction, assigning tasks like a seasoned commander.

"Leon, get the titanium alloy and gold. Daidai, hold the magnifying glass steady."

The two of them got to work.

Tony took the lead, issuing instructions throughout the process.

Leon occasionally asked questions.

Tony, completely absorbed in his work, didn't think much of it.

He answered each question in detail, explaining concepts thoroughly.

Deep down, even if he thought Leon was an idiot, he still wanted his brother to learn.

"That's wrong—you have to reroute it from here, or you'll cause a short circuit."

"Aha! You must be joking. There's no way you can install a transformation device with that much load."

"Good, install the flight stabilizer here."

"Leon, your strength is ridiculously useful for assembling parts. I swear, even a hydraulic press isn't as effective as you!"

"I should've had you help me days ago."

An Entire Day and Night Passed

The two of them worked tirelessly, assembling and refining the armor.

With Leon's help, construction was both precise and efficient.

Previously, if Tony needed high-precision components, he had to wait for a factory to manufacture them.

Tonight, all Leon had to do was clench his fist—

—and a better-than-factory-grade part was ready.

"Perfect!"

Tony's dark circles had deepened into full eye bags, but his eyes burned with excitement.

A suit that normally required months of work was now 80% complete in a single night.

He was one step away from putting it on and taking flight.

Habitually, he issued another command.

"Leon, go build another current loop. Then we'll connect to Jarvis and start assembly testing."

But this time, Leon didn't move.

"No, Tony. I'm leaving."

Tony frowned.

"What are you talking about? Leaving? Why?"

Leon shrugged.

"Did you forget? I said I'd build a suit better than the Mark armor in three days."

"And now, I've learned all your skills. There's no reason for me to stay here anymore."

"You'll manage just fine on your own."

He waved casually.

"See you in three days, Tony."

"I'll be in your lab. Come find me if you need anything."

Tony's brain stalled.

"You… you actually want to build your own armor?" He stared. "Are you serious? You're just—"

Then he paused.

His mind replayed last night.

Leon's questions had started simple—then became deeper, more insightful.

At some point, he wasn't just learning.

He was challenging Tony's ideas.

His hands-on work had started clumsy—then turned precise, almost instinctive.

Tony had been so focused on his own work that he hadn't noticed.

But now, in hindsight, the truth hit him like a truck.

Leon had gone from a complete novice to an expert in one night.

Not just an expert—possibly Tony's equal.

His face went pale.

"Your learning speed… Is this a super brain?"

Tony slumped into his chair, utterly stunned.

This wasn't just genius.

This was cheating.

...

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