Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics Chapter 5763 - 4786: X Royal Family: Newborn (26)

Even though the cave was sweltering, Shiller's words sent a shiver down everyone's spine. Polaris, shivering, asked, "Don't spook me. What's that howling?"

"It's not a person, but a particular kind of spirit body," Shiller stated, taking a deep breath. "I'm not a mutant, nor do I belong here, so I can't quite discern the exact nature of it. You need to calm yourselves and feel the connection this island shares with you..."

Polaris inwardly grumbled that calming down was impossible under such circumstances. Yet, knowing complaints were futile, she turned to Iceman. "Cool me down, I'll try to sense it."

Iceman exhaled an icy breath towards her, and fearing it insufficient, conjured a frost shield around her. Polaris inhaled deeply. Her powers felt restricted, her ability to transform into a magnetic field form nullified. She held her breath, focusing her mind intently.

In that moment, she suddenly felt a connection to some immense consciousness. It bore a resemblance to stepping into Professor X's psychic battlefield, yet it was distinctly different. Professor X operated with a primary human consciousness, which this lacked entirely. It was akin to suddenly plummeting into a vast, empty void.

Within this void, she perceived faint howls. More accurately, it was an overwhelming emotion of pure pain. Such powerful feelings surged into Polaris's mind relentlessly, upsetting her as well. Nevertheless, she compelled her mind to stabilize and attempted to commune with this raw emotion.

After a period, she emerged, stating, "It's the Clarkian Totem. More precisely, it's the island itself. It desperately doesn't want the volcano to erupt, but it lacks the control to prevent it..."

"Who in the blazes!" Iceman exclaimed, cursing. "It's not merely trying to harm us, it intends to destroy Clarkia!"

"Clarkia is in tremendous agony right now," Polaris declared with evident anxiety. "We must discover a method to pacify it; doing so might lessen the tremors."

"Leave that to me," Shiller said with a sigh, glancing at Strange. "Grant everyone a psychic barrier."

Strange intuitively grasped the necessity, immediately casting a protective shield that enveloped everyone. This isolated their minds from external influences, ensuring they remained uncorrupted.

Shiller then transformed into a state of gray mist. As the Nameless Fog descended upon Clarkia Island, all lifeforms were momentarily stilled within their psychic realms by an indescribable dread, including the very soul of Clarkia. For a fleeting instant, the tectonic activity subsided.

Those beneath the surface were the first to notice this reprieve. On the surface, however, the inhabitants could barely escape the deterrence of the Outer God, teetering on the brink of falling into the volcanic crater. Thankfully, the gray mist rapidly retracted its influence. Had it persisted, whatever the volcanic eruption failed to claim, it would have surely taken.

Shiller did not return underground but proceeded directly to the crater's edge. At this juncture, the crater was billowing thick smoke, signifying the volcano's eruption, though the magma had not yet breached the surface. The smoke alone was an unbearable hazard for ordinary individuals.

"Can you consume the smoke?" Shiller inquired.

"I can. Shall I store it or break it down?" the gray mist responded.

"Store it; it might prove useful later," Shiller instructed. Once more assuming a misty form, he enveloped the entire crater, ingesting all the dense smoke. The sky above Clarkia Island, previously choked with fumes, miraculously cleared.

As the seismic activity waned, the two Iron Men finally succeeded in dismantling the engine's casing. The Power Core appeared entirely undamaged. However, one of the local Iron Men soon identified the issue. "Someone injected an excessive amount of energy into it, causing an overload. This thing has essentially become a massive capacitor. It's no wonder it triggered such rhythmic tremors. We need to find a way to safely discharge the energy stored within."

The local Iron Man pondered for a moment before stating, "My mecha can only withstand so much force. Your assistance is required. However, under these conditions, our mechas might detonate instantly. Even enduring the immense heat for a brief moment could be fatal..."

He left the sentence unfinished, but everyone could readily imagine the dire consequences. Tony Stark, possessing the constitution of an ordinary human, had virtually no chance of surviving such extreme temperatures, even for a second. Even with the protection of mutants and mages, their physical forms remained incredibly fragile. A single misstep could lead to their demise right there.

"There is an alternative method," the local Iron Man proposed. "Absorb the power until the battle suit is completely overloaded. This way, only one individual is needed. This is entirely my responsibility; I will undertake it."

Upon uttering these words, he moved to activate the energy conduit on his gauntlet, intending to draw energy from the engine. But before his hand could even touch the engine, Stark shoved him aside. He was about to protest further, but Stark gave him an impatient look and decisively extracted the Energy Core from the Ark Reactor embedded in his chest.

He detached a wire from beneath the Energy Core and connected it to the engine. Almost immediately, the engine ceased its pulsing, gradually stabilizing. The alarming impulse waves and tremors also subsided.

All the engine's power was absorbed into the Energy Core. The Energy Core remained unaffected, not even glowing, as Stark reinserted it into his chest.

However, after completing these actions, he could no longer remain standing and collapsed backward. Strange swiftly caught him. Stark glared menacingly at the local Iron Man, uttering, "You had better not be the one behind this."

At this juncture, Shiller reappeared, levitating Stark with the gray mist. Stark's current physical state was too fragile for him to traverse the teleportation gateway. Strange conjured the teleportation portal, ushering the other mutants back to the surface.

Upon observing that the volcanic eruption had ceased, the mutants gathered on the ground also descended from the crater. Seeing their group emerge, Apocalypse immediately flew over to inquire, "How did things proceed? Was the issue resolved?"

"We can discuss it upon our return," Strange replied, his mood not conducive to explanations. He continued to fixate on the local Iron Man, seemingly contemplating the possibility of sabotage. Regardless of the outcome, he couldn't detach himself from suspicion.

The local Iron Man was acutely aware of this, his complexion practically ashen with dread. He recognized he might have been deliberately misled. The true perpetrator had engineered a flawless scheme to frame him, leaving him utterly speechless.

The water diversion system's design and installation were carried out exclusively by them, involving no other parties. Therefore, any malfunction must originate from their end.

What was even more unnerving was that this entire plan had been deliberated internally among The Avengers. This raised the pressing question: who exactly leaked the sensitive information?

The adversary must have acquired the intelligence with remarkable speed and precision to formulate and execute such a sophisticated operation. This strongly suggested significant internal vulnerabilities within both the mutant ranks and the local Avengers team.

Returning to the Central Royal Court, the local Iron Man felt a noticeable tremor in his hands. Clinging to the armrest of a chair, he meticulously sought the origin of the potential breach. Concurrently, the returning mutants cast unfriendly glances his way. Had Charles not intervened to placate them earlier, the local Iron Man might have faced a physical confrontation.

The repercussions of this incident were undeniably profound, carrying severe consequences. Although the ultimate outcome was not catastrophic, nearly every ambassador, excluding representatives from SWORD and Wakanda, tendered their resignations. The spa banquet had only just commenced, and the core agenda had yet to be addressed.

Meanwhile, Clarkia was already subjected to sanctions, with international sentiment leaning heavily against it. This latest event would only exacerbate the situation. Mutants would inevitably face condemnation, and the positive rapport established with the Clarkia Flower was likely to be nullified.

Internal discord among the mutants would also escalate, fostering mutual suspicion regarding information leaks between factions. The already fractured mutant populace would experience even greater division.

Furthermore, a complete rupture in relations between the mutants and the local Avengers was a distinct possibility. In the most favorable scenario, their interactions would cease entirely. In the worst-case scenario, outright conflict could erupt. The most optimistic outlook suggested that mutants would cease their defense of Earth, leaving terrestrial governments and S.H.I.E.L.D. to handle the remaining alien forces within the Solar System.

The more they pondered the situation, the more they recognized the insidious brilliance of the plan, effectively achieving multiple objectives with a single stroke. The architect of this scheme was truly a being of unparalleled wickedness and cruelty.

"This responsibility indeed rests with me," the local Iron Man confessed with evident sorrow. "Above all else, I never anticipated issues arising from the engine. Even if it was unintentional, the fault lies squarely on my shoulders."

The Avengers remained in contemplative silence, offering no defense as there was none to be found. Even without malicious intent, a lapse in oversight was deemed inexcusable. Their initial gesture of goodwill had spectacularly backfired, not only causing harm to themselves but also implicating the mutants in the process.

"This is not the opportune moment for such discussions," Charles interjected as he entered the room. He had been absent previously, apparently occupied in the anti-gravity laboratory. As he proceeded, he stated, "I am inclined to believe your intentions were not malicious. However, you must acknowledge the presence of a fundamental flaw within The Avengers. An investigation into the source of this vulnerability is imperative."

"We, too, must engage in self-reflection. Such a meticulously planned operation could not have been executed without internal complicity. After all, the individuals carrying out the plan were undoubtedly local operatives; external involvement seems improbable."

The mutants expressed their astonishment at his declaration. Wolverine rose to his feet and posed the question, "Could it be that Iron Man himself tampered with it during the installation process?"

"If there was truly intent behind his actions, he wouldn't have rushed in to perform a rescue. The risks involved were far too substantial, even if it was merely for appearances. Ultimately, the rescue was successful, averting any potential catastrophe."

While a segment of the mutants remained unconvinced, a majority found themselves accepting this reasoning. After all, the subsequent actions of the local Iron Man in the aftermath of the disaster were undeniable. To be frank, for an individual encased in an iron suit, venturing into such a perilous location was akin to a deliberate gamble with life itself.

Let alone the extreme temperatures within the cave, the geological formations presented a constant element of unpredictability. With an earthquake of that magnitude, the cave's integrity was perpetually at risk of imminent collapse. Furthermore, this cavern lay buried over a hundred meters beneath the surface; a cave-in at such depths would render any escape impossible, crushing all beneath tons of rubble.

Moreover, volcanic eruptions rarely confine their fury solely to the main vent. Nearly every subterranean structure would inevitably be ravaged by the relentless advance of molten rock. Should a fissure open nearby and molten lava surge in your direction, the protective iron suit would undoubtedly prove insufficient.

If the local Iron Man genuinely possessed the capacity for such elaborate deception, the mutants might have found themselves willing to believe. However, when viewed through the lens of common sense, such a scenario seemed exceedingly improbable. Based on their collective understanding of the Main Universe's Iron Man, he was not known for intricate psychological schemes; his modus operandi involved a brash, open confidence that often irked others, making such a calculated maneuver highly uncharacteristic.

Upon hearing Charles's words, The Avengers collectively exhaled a sigh of relief. The mutants had shouldered a significant portion of the blame, easing the immediate tension and preventing an outright confrontation.

Yet, the more Charles elaborated, the heavier the local Iron Man's guilt became. He struggled to contain his emotions, finally managing to utter, "I will absolutely uncover who is responsible for this. I give you my word."

However, Charles responded by shaking his head. "The investigation must be postponed for now. Our immediate priority is to resolve the current crisis. The circumstances facing Clarkia Island are poised to become even more dire, and we must devise a strategy to reverse this trend."

"Rest assured," the local Iron Man declared, his gaze fixed and resolute as he addressed Charles, "The Stark Group stands ready to assist, and The Avengers will lend their full support. Whatever plans Washington may have, we will thwart them."