Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics Chapter 5703 - 4727: X Royal Family: Annihilation (9)

"It's not the time to concede defeat yet, Emma," Professor X's voice remained as soothing as ever, yet in the White Queen's perception, he already resembled a man marked for death.

The White Queen was enveloped by her own dread, rendered speechless for a moment. Professor X pressed on, "We are in the midst of executing a clandestine operation, one we never had the chance to finalize previously—the Totem Revival Plan."

Finding the White Queen still unresponsive, Professor X felt compelled to elaborate, "We enlisted Mister Sinister to preserve the genetic blueprints of every Mutant who joined our cause. The Clarkia totem possesses the ability to incubate entirely novel bodies using these genes. My role is simply to implant the backup consciousnesses of these Mutants, stored within my own mind, into these new forms, enabling their Revival."

These revelations finally pierced the White Queen's daze. She swallowed convulsively, suppressing her turbulent thoughts with all her might, before managing to ask, "Revival?"

"Precisely. Mutants can now achieve an infinite capacity for Revival," Professor X affirmed. "Thus, even when confronting the unfathomably potent Mother Module, we are not entirely without a fighting chance."

"How is it that I was unaware of this plan?" the White Queen inquired, her tone sharp.

Professor X let out a sigh. "My apologies, Emma. That responsibility falls on me. I diverted my attention to engage in the Multiverse war earlier, which unfortunately caused delays in many of our undertakings. We only concluded the totem trials two days ago. Prior to that, its success was uncertain, so naturally, we kept it from you."

Shiller recognized the pivotal role this plan played within the narrative of the comics. In those tales, the strike team had also faced annihilation, only to be brought back through Revival thanks to the Clarkia totem and Professor X's psychic backups. This act of Revival had also significantly bolstered the morale of the Mutants, eradicating their fear of battle and paving the way for Clarkia's triumphant future.

However, the ripple effect of unforeseen circumstances proved too potent. Professor X's partial focus on the Multiverse had relegated this plan—one that should have been completed long ago—to the backburner until the present moment. Had Shiller not brought it to his attention, Professor X had no intention of initiating it.

This hesitation wasn't due to a lack of desire to revive the squad members. In the comics, despite the fatalities, the raid had been successful. Reviving the fallen would have resulted in zero losses. But now, with both deceased comrades and a failed raid, their immediate concern was the formidable enemy forces mass-produced by the Red Orchid Factory. Consequently, they lacked the surplus resources necessary to dedicate to Revival research.

In truth, the matter remained unresolved. Professor X was not entirely forthright with the White Queen; they still lacked a method to perfectly incubate new bodies.

"Then... have they been incubated?" the White Queen hesitantly asked.

"The totem itself is functioning correctly. The issue lies within my mind," Professor X stated with a sense of helplessness. "My psyche suffered substantial damage, and the psychic backups of the Mutants stored within my consciousness became fragmented. If I cannot recover, then even with newly incubated bodies, they will remain inert."

The White Queen ran a hand over her face, steeling herself. She gathered her composure and queried, "What precisely occurred to your mind? How can it be mended? Will the Clarkia Flower offer any assistance?"

Professor X shook his head. "The Clarkia Flower is not a universal cure-all. Emma, I require your assistance. You must help me navigate the chaotic Psychic Battlefield and locate the Mutants' psychic backups. Only then can we save our people."

"I am certainly willing to do so," the White Queen declared, taking a step forward. "However, the United Nations General Assembly is scheduled for tomorrow; I..."

"You cannot go," Shiller interjected abruptly.

The White Queen immediately turned her gaze toward him, having not registered Shiller's presence earlier. She had initially assumed he was one of Professor X's students, a plausible scenario given his vast number of pupils—it seemed every Mutant had, at some point, studied under him. Thus, an unfamiliar face appearing felt entirely within the realm of normalcy.

However, the disciples Professor X nurtured would never adopt such a tone. While occasionally displaying impoliteness, they invariably exhibited hesitation and a lack of decisiveness. The White Queen held no particular affinity for such personalities, leading to her general reluctance to engage with the X-Men. In stark contrast, Shiller's firm and direct manner immediately captured her attention.

"Who are you?" the White Queen demanded, her eyes narrowing.

"I am an associate of Professor Xavier, and also a psychiatrist. I am here to offer my assistance."

"You are Human?"

"Not precisely," Shiller replied. "We can discuss my identity later. Our immediate priority is you. What do you anticipate will transpire at tomorrow's United Nations General Assembly?"

The White Queen’s demeanor turned grim. She sensed Shiller was intentionally targeting her sensitive points, yet she refused to concede any vulnerability. Maintaining a stoic expression, she remained silent.

"No good will arise from this," Shiller stated. "The failure of the strike team to achieve its objective, and their subsequent annihilation, serves as a significant boost to the Human race. Their persistent refusal to recognize Clarkia’s sovereignty will undoubtedly embolden its opponents following this victory. At the United Nations General Assembly, they will exploit the Mutant failure to heap scorn and exert pressure upon you, aiming to dissuade you from pursuing nationhood."

"We shall not yield!" the White Queen declared with conviction. "Never!"

"Indeed, I have absolute faith in that resolve. You could ascend to the United Nations General Assembly and articulate your position with impeccable logic, debating them into submission, madam. However, as a seasoned diplomat, you understand the futility of such an endeavor, do you not?"

The White Queen’s lips thinned, her gaze fixed on Shiller, burning with lethal intent. Shiller continued, "Magneto and Professor X, unable to bear your potential humiliation, have therefore enlisted the Black Emperor's participation."

A flicker of surprise crossed the White Queen's face. It was then that Magneto grasped Shiller and Professor X's underlying strategy, and he quickly interjected, "Precisely, Emma. The United Nations General Assembly is poised to become a crucible of humiliation for Mutants. Every conceivable derogatory term will be employed against us. Your counterarguments will not secure victory. The defeat in conflict inevitably precipitates failure in diplomacy. Since the responsibility for losing the war rests with us, the repercussions of diplomatic failure should not be placed upon your shoulders. That would be profoundly unfair to you."

"Yet, I must at least make an effort," the White Queen asserted. "I cannot simply permit them to degrade us. At the very least, I must make them face consequences!"

"That, madam, is precisely the crux of the issue," Shiller responded. "If you were to lose your composure at the United Nations General Assembly, it would signify a complete diplomatic rout. Your allies and sympathizers would then hesitate to associate with you. We are dissuading you from attending in the hope that your absence will preserve your remaining political capital for future endeavors."

A frown creased the White Queen's brow as she fell into contemplation. Gradually, she extricated herself from her emotional turmoil and began to consider the situation with seriousness. She had to acknowledge the logic in Shiller's assessment.

This particular United Nations General Assembly was undoubtedly being orchestrated as a diplomatic trap for Mutants; it was highly probable that all nations would coalesce to oppose the establishment of a Mutant state. To achieve this objective, they would undoubtedly unleash a barrage of verbal assaults, meticulously detailing Mutant transgressions and vilifying them with unparalleled ferocity.

The White Queen was acutely aware of her own temperament. Should anyone dare to humiliate her in such a manner, she would never forgive them. Yet, she also recognized that the United Nations General Assembly was hardly a venue where she could simply assert her dominance. Eliminating or controlling the minds of all the ambassadors would not resolve the underlying issue.

The White Queen even harbored the suspicion that, to preempt any forceful actions on her part, Sentinel Robots might be pre-positioned. The instant she exhibited any inclination towards aggression, those parties could justify her elimination, absolving themselves of any accountability.

Every action she undertook at the United Nations General Assembly would be subject to scrutiny. If any incident were to occur, the support that had been garnered – particularly for her and the Hellfire Group – would evaporate instantaneously.

Therefore, the most prudent course of action at present was non-intervention. By not appearing, her supporters would retain the latitude to await further developments, rather than being tainted by association with a figure implicated in a massacre at the United Nations. She could not afford to provide the Human race with an opportunity to defame and condemn her.

"However, why Sebastian?"

Upon hearing the White Queen's question, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the assembly. It signaled her reluctant acceptance, though her displeasure regarding Sebastian's attendance lingered.

"We are not dispatching the Black Emperor merely to endure humiliation," Professor X clarified. "I have already instructed Sebastian to highlight the existing animosity between you two. This is hardly a clandestine matter within the Hellfire Group, and it is highly probable that the various ambassadors are already aware of it."

"To what end does this serve?" The White Queen inquired, her brow furrowed.

"It makes the Human race think Mutants are still fighting among themselves," Shiller stated. "It used to be Magneto and Professor X. But ordinary people already know the two of them have joined forces. If they pretend to Split again now, it would hardly be believable. You and the Black Emperor are different. You’ve always been mortal enemies; you even actually kicked him out of the Hellfire Group. That’s hard proof of the rift between you two."

The White Queen still didn’t fully comprehend, so Shiller continued to explain: "In the past, when Magneto and Professor X were at odds, the Human race felt Mutants were not strong enough, because whatever one side tried to do, the other would sabotage it. That’s the so‑called ’using Mutants against Mutants,’ and they’ve been implementing this strategy all along."

"But at the early stage of the Clarkia nation‑building plan, you showed your unity too soon. That made the Human race believe their plan to stir up Mutant infighting had failed, so they created the Red Orchid Factory and the Mother Module to deal with a united Mutant population."

The White Queen furrowed her brows deeply. She realized that this really seemed to be the case. Mutants hadn’t appeared just yesterday, and this wasn’t even their first attempt at founding a nation; they had tried twice before, yet the Human race hadn’t produced any factory or Mother Module then.

This time, what was different from before was that the longtime rivals Magneto and Professor X were working closely together. Even the previously relatively independent Hellfire Group had united with them. The entire Mutant population looked like an ironclad whole. The Human race had been forced into a corner; after all, how strong would a force have to be to defeat fully united Mutants? Without creating a sufficiently powerful Super Weapon, the Human race might be wiped out. Faced with the threat of extinction, the Human race has always been capable of explosive potential.

The White Queen finally understood and said, "So it was us being too high‑profile earlier. We shouldn’t have announced the nation‑building plan so soon, and we definitely shouldn’t have let them know we’d already united."

"Exactly. But it’s too late to say that now. The remedy is to create the appearance of a Split Mutant population again," Shiller said. "We have to make them believe Mutants still aren’t of one mind, that their Strength has been significantly weakened, and that they’re currently busy with infighting and have no time to exterminate the Human race. Only then will they let down their guard."

"I see." The White Queen lifted her chin slightly. "You want to turn me and the Black Emperor into the new Magneto and Professor X to confuse the Human race."

"Further than that," Shiller smiled. "After all, no matter how much Professor X and Magneto fought, they never damaged each other’s fundamental interests. But you completely kicked the Black Emperor out of the center of power. That proves the hatred between you two is far deeper than theirs. No shrewd politician would pass up the chance to exploit that."