Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics Chapter 5728 - 4751: X Royal Family: Fierce Battle (18)
Previously on Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics...
"What?!" Main Universe Iron Man’s astonishment was palpable. He gazed at Strange, incredulous, and questioned, "Didn’t you witness my current state of injury?"
"Do you genuinely believe that your feigned victimhood can erase all your past transgressions? Must I, yet again, display magnanimity and forgive you, only to trail behind you like a subservient hound, perpetually susceptible to being supplanted by whomever you deem fit at any given moment?"
The lips of Main Universe Iron Man twitched. He articulated in a subdued tone, "That was certainly not my intention. Steven, how could you possibly harbor such a perception of me?"
Still grappling with disbelief, Main Universe Iron Man conveyed with a voice steeped in shock, "I had assumed you would comprehend that my utterances stemmed merely from excessive anxiety, spoken without due consideration. My sole motivation for seeking you out was the conviction that I had overstepped in pressuring you. I simply wished to rectify the situation."
"How many times have I offered you such forgiveness? And what of the others?" Strange posed the question directly, cutting to the heart of the matter.
Main Universe Iron Man appeared utterly bereft of words. His lips grew even paler, a pallor not attributed to blood loss. He nearly sank back onto the couch, remaining there in a state of stunned silence, his posture signifying utter dejection.
"Hey." Captain America, however, chose to step forward. "Steven, I implore you, refrain from speaking to him in such a manner. His concern for you was genuine; we all share that sentiment."
Strange’s gaze, sharp as a hawk’s, fixed upon Captain America. "To what extent, might I inquire, has this lamentable predicament been exacerbated by your indulgence of his unbridled actions? The answer, I suspect, is readily apparent to you."
Captain America’s grip tightened on the doorframe. He responded, a hint of indignation coloring his voice, "The unfolding of these events cannot be solely attributed to the actions of one individual."
"It is fortunate, at the very least, that you acknowledge your collective ineptitude."
A wave of stunned silence washed over the assembly, including Spider-Man, who was suspended from a beam; the shock rendered him speechless. Hawkeye voiced his incredulity, "Do you not, perchance, include yourself amongst this group you so readily condemn?"
"There exists a spectrum of foolishness, from the transient to the truly ingrained." Strange’s demeanor was one of absolute fearlessness. "From the inception of the Multiverse War, we have found ourselves irretrievably entangled in a desperate scramble for Multiverse supremacy, engaging in actions so imprudent as attempting to fell a jet fighter with nothing more than a plastic fork."
Main Universe Iron Man’s glare intensified; Strange met it with an equally piercing look, then retorted, "Ah, but how could I possibly overlook – you are, after all, the most robust implement upon that plastic utensil. We depend on you for the essential task of twirling our noodles!"
"Strange!!!" Dr. Banner exclaimed, his displeasure evident. "What exactly is your objective here? Must you really ignite an internal conflict at such a critical juncture? Have you perhaps forgotten the very creed of the Avengers?!"
"Should Earth find itself teetering on the precipice of annihilation, then indeed, we shall defend it. Now, enlighten me: what is the precipitating cause for Earth’s current precarious state?"
Before any other could formulate a response, Strange posed and answered his own query: "The blame rests squarely upon your shoulders. It is due to your ignorance and your hubris that the Mutants were compelled to perish alongside the Red Orchid Factory, thereby presenting our adversaries with an unimpeded opportunity. You now seek to avenge those whom you yourself have slain, so tell me, why have I not witnessed you administer a few salutary slaps to your own faces?"
"Steven, upon our arrival here, you unequivocally assented to this course of action," Captain America pointed out. "Indeed, you were among the most enthusiastic proponents; you and Tony were instrumental in formulating the entire strategy. I am not shirking my accountability, I am merely reminding you that you are hardly in a position to cast such accusations our way."
"I possess an absolute prerogative to condemn any individual who betrays the Human race." Strange’s gaze turned utterly glacial. The countenances of the others also contorted into grim expressions. Spider-Man stepped forward, attempting to de-escalate the situation.
"Please, Dr. Strange, let us not proceed in this manner. We have reached this critical juncture – what we ought to be doing now is uniting our efforts to devise a solution, rather than engaging in mutual recrimination and the deflection of blame. We are all experiencing pain, are we not? Let us perhaps take a moment to rest, shall we?"
"Observe. This precisely illustrates the primary catalyst for our current predicament," Strange declared, devoid of any leniency. He directed his gaze toward Spider-Man and continued, "Whenever the discussion turns towards interests, gains, and losses, you individuals invariably insist on invoking sentiments, employing so-called team camaraderie as a veneer to obscure blunders, thereby transforming The Avengers into some sort of PG-8 rated family melodrama, a collection of wounded canines licking each other’s sores instead of purging the corrupt elements. This, my friends, stands as the fundamental reason for the precipitous decline of superheroes."
"Enough!" Main Universe Iron Man’s voice boomed as he rose to his feet. He seemed utterly unconcerned with his injuries; perhaps the confluence of pain and sorrow had induced tears to well in his eyes. With eyes visibly reddened, he fixed his gaze upon Strange and stated, "I am aware of the individual you are alluding to, Steven. I never conceived that you would perceive me as a coward incapable of shouldering responsibility. What precisely have I done to warrant such a judgment in your eyes?!"
"Tony!" Hawkeye’s voice boomed as he stepped forward, positioning himself between the main universe's Iron Man and the group. He continued, his tone firm, "Regardless of what happened, you shouldn't be pushing him this hard. Steven, I understand you're upset with us. You claim we always act on emotion, but isn't your current outburst also emotionally driven?" "Emotionally driven?" Strange’s laughter was icy. "It seems you've never witnessed an emotional Sorcerer Supreme." Instantly, a storm of mystic energy erupted, engulfing the entirety of Clarkia Island. The island's unique ability to suppress supernatural powers proved ineffective against the onslaught. Every individual present could distinctly feel the raw, untamed threat radiating from the immense energy. "Stop this!" Professor X materialized almost instantaneously, donning his fourth-generation Cerebro amplifier once more. His demeanor was far from cordial; any semblance of basic courtesy was abandoned, replaced by palpable, sky-high fury. "Stephen Strange, this is not the place for your reckless behavior!" "Heh." As Strange's eyes, now devoid of their usual color and glowing with pale magic power, met Professor X's gaze, the latter was seized by a sudden, unidentifiable dread. He hesitated to delve into Strange's mind; such an action would be tantamount to a declaration of war. "Ah, I almost forgot about your lot," Strange sneered, his eyes fixed on Professor X. "'Never give up on a Mutant'? Doesn't that slogan reek of a guilty conscience?" Professor X's expression shifted dramatically, and he prepared to unleash his own powers. However, just as his mental waves began to expand, his hand clenched involuntarily. Professor X took a few steps back, his gaze locked coldly onto the figure before him. Despite the swirling vigilance and dread in his eyes, he ultimately remained silent, offering only a stark warning: "You had best not lose yourself here." "This is an Avengers' family matter," Strange declared, his voice cutting. "Mutants have no standing to interfere. Leave this place!" "This is the nation of Mutants!" Professor X retorted through clenched teeth. "You have no right to order my expulsion!" "This is Earth," Strange's tone grew progressively colder. "I am Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. If you are not of this planet, then words alone will not suffice to make you depart." Professor X opened his mouth, seemingly intending to speak further, but Strange’s gaze swept across the room before he addressed them all. "You all are acutely aware of the peril Earth currently faces. Is there anyone among you who can honestly claim no responsibility for this situation?" "And can you?!" Captain America’s voice was nearly a roar. Professor X's lips moved, as if to respond, but Strange offered no opening. He turned his unwavering gaze directly to Captain America and stated with absolute conviction, "Not only can I not claim such innocence, but I must admit I bear the greatest responsibility. While each of you operates within your own defined roles, I have always stood as Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. The fate of humankind rests upon my shoulders, a burden I have never shirked. Now, with an alien armada poised to besiege Earth, I am the one most derelict in my duties." "The reason I can stand here and chastise you is my willingness to step forward and accept this burden, and then depart immediately—what about you?" With his declaration complete, Strange wasted no further time. He gestured, conjuring a Sling Ring Portal, flicked his cloak, and vanished from the assembly. An palpable sense of exhaustion washed over everyone present, rendering some unable to remain standing. Throughout Strange's tirade, the mystic energy within the chamber had become incredibly dense, reaching a near-overflowing point. Even those completely unaffiliated with magic could sense the oppressive aura. For individuals present with heightened senses, it felt akin to being submerged in an overwhelming ocean of magic, on the verge of drowning. "What in the blazes was that?" Black Widow muttered, steadying herself against a doorframe. "What's gotten into Stephen? How did he suddenly become so…" A collective silence fell upon the group, as no single word seemed adequate to encapsulate Doctor Strange's drastic transformation. Was he 'hardline'? 'Extreme'? 'Malicious'? While these terms might touch upon aspects of his behavior, they failed to capture the entirety of it. Each person in the room recognized that, despite his bluntness, Doctor Strange's words held undeniable truth. From the moment their current cosmic journey began, the entire ordeal had unfolded like a catastrophic event. They had never been in control, and the runaway chaos that had plunged them all into this quagmire was something they should have foreseen much earlier.An ambition too deeply steeped in the power struggles of the Multiverse, an arrogance that lacked a proper understanding of their own Strength, the disastrous consequences of their habitual interventionism—they had practically tasted all of it. Getting to this point could completely be described as thankless toil.
In that battle just now, everyone had been wounded, yet they still hadn’t been able to slow the army’s advance. To have things end up like this, even if they won, it would still be far too miserable, and it would do nothing good for their reputation. In other words, they had lost people and lost time, and what they might end up with in the end was only infamy—this was losing both the wife and the soldiers.
After a long silence, Main Universe Iron Man suddenly stood up. Hawkeye hurriedly reached out to grab him and said: "Stephen should have already left, left Earth. You probably won’t find him. In your condition right now you’re not fit to head back to the front either. Don’t be impulsive, Tony."
Spider Man quickly chimed in. He jumped down, blocking Iron Man in front of him, and said: "This isn’t the time to play the hero, sir. Let’s resupply first, and then we’ll..."
"Resupply? Fix the Shield, top off the bullets, and we think that’ll be enough to beat the Xia Empire’s army?" Main Universe Iron Man turned to look at them and asked.
Everyone fell silent, because they knew the answer was no. Those Alien invaders were very strange. Previously they’d been caught off guard when they first engaged and weren’t a match, but now everyone was wounded; even if they were fully resupplied, it would still be a drop in the bucket.
It wasn’t that they were unwilling to say it out loud, they were just afraid of agitating Main Universe Iron Man further. After all, he had just nearly had a complete falling-out with Doctor Strange, and they all knew how close the two of them were. Now, faced with such enormous pressure, everyone was worried Stark wouldn’t be able to hold up.
"There’ll always be a way." Banner said. "I’ll try to unleash all of The Hulk’s Strength. As long as I can get into the Sun Core, I can destroy the Teleportation Portal in a single strike."
Everyone’s expression changed; this didn’t sound like a good plan, because getting in didn’t mean he could get out. Dr. Banner seemed to have already prepared himself for sacrifice, and this wasn’t Battleworld—if you died, there was no Revival.
"I’ll prove to Stephen that I’m not the kind of irresponsible coward he thinks I am." Main Universe Iron Man suddenly said.
He pressed his lips together, paused for a moment, then continued: "Right now, there’s only one way to save Earth."
"What way?"
"Ask the Central Universe for aid."