civilwarnovels Chapter 4686 The Demise of the X Royal Family (7)
Chapter 4686 The Demise of the X Royal Family (7)
Chapter 4686 The X Royal Family: Demise (Part 7)
The wind in Krakia always carries the scent of damp earth. The golden sun had barely peeked over the horizon when the colorful rays of dawn dripped down from the dewdrops on the verdant leaves. As Schiller entered the washroom, the soft morning light streaming through the stained-glass windows cast ripples on the wood grain of the floor, making it appear as if it were shimmering on water.
As he fixed his hair in front of the mirror, he sensed an unusual presence in the distance. The howling wind carried a hint of anger. He walked to the window and, through the gaps in the tall trees, saw a figure, gleaming like a diamond, sweeping across the sky above Clarkia Island. The mutants, awakened by the powerful energy fluctuations, were peeking out of their windows.
“The White Queen…” Stark’s voice came from the living room. Schiller came out of the bathroom and strode into the living room. Stark stood by the window and turned to look at him: “You’ve completely pissed her off.”
“I can’t let Magneto face the White Queen’s wrath alone,” Schiller said. “Even more so, I can’t let her clash with those people from the main universe. Tony, you go and hold off the Avengers from the main universe. I’ll be able to explain things to Emma soon.”
After Schiller turned and left, Stark leaned against the window frame, looking outside. Then, a golden-red figure streaked across the sky. Stark's expression turned serious. The volatile White Queen clashing with the scheming Avengers of the main universe would be like a thunderbolt striking the earth; he had to stop them.
A glint flashed in Stark's eyes. Instantly, a blue and white nanotech suit enveloped his entire body. In the shimmering morning light of Clarkia, he caught up with the gold and red figure like a shooting star, circling him at several times his speed, disrupting the airflow around him and forcing him to stop.
"You bastard!" The main universe's Iron Man lost his balance and had to stop completely, hovering in mid-air, staring intently at Stark, and said, "Didn't you say you were here for tourism?!"
“Whatever my purpose in coming here, at least you're not here to invade,” Stark emphasized. “Are you just planning to storm the Mutant Kingdom like this?”
"That woman is furious; her anger will ruin all our plans."
"Is it all the plans or just yours?"
"Are you really going to stop me?!" The main universe's Iron Man was somewhat exasperated. "What good will it do you to interfere with me?"
“I’m saving you.” Stark had to be tough. “Do you think the White Queen is so easy to deal with? She’s a powerful mutant with psychic abilities comparable to Professor X. Do you think you’ll end up well if you rush in when she’s angry?”
At this moment, even the Iron Man of the main universe calmed down. Without needing psychic abilities or being a mutant, one could sense the furious mental storm that had just swept through Clarkia. The White Queen's power far exceeded their expectations, especially considering she was a psychic, which was enough to make them wary.
At this moment, the rest of the Avengers arrived. Iron Man from the main universe slowly descended, with Stark following behind. He glanced around briefly; this time, everyone was indeed present.
Captain America, Spider-Man, Black Widow, Hulk, Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, Thor—all the named superheroes have arrived. It seems they really value this multiverse rescue mission.
As Stark sized them up, they were also subtly observing him. It was clear that Doctor Strange and Iron Man were on his side and didn't like him. Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye were relatively neutral, their attitudes towards him neither good nor bad. Only Spider-Man and Bruce Banner (before he became the Hulk) were relatively friendly.
Stark certainly knew why.
As the mech receded from his body like a receding tide, everyone except Spider-Man and Dr. Banner looked on in shock. What shocked them even more was that Stark stepped forward and shook hands with Captain America.
Captain America was somewhat incredulous when Stark extended his hand. But out of politeness, he did so. Black Widow, however, was quite wary. The female agent seemed to suspect a trap and subtly positioned herself beside Captain America, ready to retaliate at any moment.
“It seems there are still some clear-headed people among you,” Stark said. “No matter why the White Queen has come, you will inevitably have to fight her now that you have stormed into the mutant court.”
“We’re not afraid of her,” Iron Man said again.
“I read too much anger in her mind,” Doctor Strange said, frowning. “I’m worried that her irrationality might lead her to persuade Magneto to do the same irrational thing. We’re here to stop her.”
This is classic interventionism, Stark thought. These people don't care; the White Queen and Magneto are mutants, and whatever decisions they make are their internal affairs. If they feel the mutants' decisions are wrong, they'll find a way to interfere.
Sometimes this does work. Because mutants don't make many good decisions. To prevent them from suddenly acting impulsively, third-party intervention isn't entirely a bad thing. So the biggest problem now isn't whether they want to interfere or not.
Or rather, the key to this whole thing lies in whether they have the ability to intervene.
A White Queen in a rage would unleash a terrifying mental attack. Professor X, unable to intervene, might not be able to stop her in time. Without a way to instantly subdue her, a major battle between the two sides on Clarkia Island would mean the destruction of the mutant utopia, even without any tricks from the human governments.
But these people didn't think they lacked the ability to interfere. The fact that they came in such large numbers clearly indicated their intention to use force to suppress the enemy. Indeed, Doctor Strange and Thor alone wouldn't fear most opponents.
Before this, Stark would have thought it wouldn't be a big deal to let them clash with mutants. If either side suffered a loss, they would learn to be more cautious, which would be a good thing.
But Clarkia's scenery is truly breathtaking. It's a true promised land. Earth is the universe's greenhouse, and Clarkia is like an ancient garden left behind by Earth. If things could truly stabilize, superheroes from the multiverse would certainly not hesitate to vacation here. Just developing tourism would make the mutants of this universe a fortune. Stark was even thinking of bringing Pepper and Morgan Jr. here; he couldn't let these people ruin this beautiful place.
Suddenly, Stark reached out towards the main universe's Iron Man. The gold and red mech seemed to be drawn by some inexplicable force, and flew straight towards him.
A gust of air ruffled Stark's hair, and the gold and red mech gradually magnified in his pupils. Until the two Iron Men looked at each other across the mechs, the main universe Iron Man was stunned by Stark's eyes, which shimmered with data, and was momentarily speechless.
Everyone instantly assumed a fighting stance.
“Don’t move,” Stark said in a deep voice. “Clarkia is not only a new home for mutants, but also a precious asset to humanity in this universe. Don’t even think about destroying it with war. Back off, or don’t blame me for being impolite.”
Seeing Captain America trying to close the distance, Stark raised his hand, and his gold and red mech shot straight into the sky, silencing even the screams of Iron Man from the main universe. The Avengers looked up in shock, and Doctor Strange's hands immediately flashed with magical light as he stared intently at Stark.
Spider-Man quickly reached out to stop him and whispered in his ear, "Don't be impulsive, Mr. Strange. We're probably no match for him."
"What did you do to Tony?" Captain America asked anxiously.
“I just put him in low Earth orbit to let him calm down,” Stark said. “If I really wanted to hurt him, his Jaeger would have crushed him into a pulp.”
Captain America turned to look at his teammates, and Dr. Banner slowly shook his head at him. He clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and then Black Widow stepped forward and said, "We don't want to attack the mutants, but we have the right to know what's happening in the mutant court. Because we're standing with the mutants now, if the plans change, we should be the first to know."
“You can send a representative,” Stark compromised. “Choose someone who isn’t too impulsive and can persuade the White Queen to come with me. Iron Man and Doctor Strange won’t do.”
Captain America glanced back. He knew Doctor Strange was unhappy, but he didn't want to confront Stark directly here, so he simply turned and said, "You guys go and rescue Tony first, I'll go with him."
No one else could understand; this Iron Man from another universe who had suddenly appeared was simply too bizarre. He seemed to possess a level of technology far exceeding that of the main universe, and his personality appeared much more peaceful than the Tony they knew, yet he was also somewhat unfathomable, which in turn sent chills down their spines.
On the way to the council chamber with Stark, Captain America couldn't help but ask, "Are you Iron Man from the central universe?"
Stark nodded. He didn't say much, actually focusing on admiring the scenery along the way. The path leading to the Mutant Royal Court, the council chamber where they had visited the day before, passed right through the valley. A clear stream flowed through the valley, and countless tall trees provided ample shade. On the rock walls on both sides were small houses built by mutants, each with colorful crystal windows, layered upon each other, beautiful yet not jarring.
"What did you do to Tony's mech?"
“I made his mech misjudge its owner’s identity,” Tony said as he walked forward. “That’s the downside of not having Jarvis’s assistance.”
Captain America didn't understand these technical issues. He said, "He was a bit impulsive, but he didn't want to do anything bad."
"Are you trying to tell me to be polite to him?"
“No, your attitude has been quite polite,” Captain America said, still managing to be reasonable. “But directly attacking his mech might…”
"An anxiety attack?"
"I would be terrified if someone suddenly took control of my body or organs," Captain America said.
“If the mech is that important to him, then he should make it more advanced,” Stark shook his head and said. “I can imagine that since the multiverse war, you’ve spent far too much time on multiverse diplomacy. Little do you know, the only rule of diplomacy is might makes right. It’s not too late to realize that now, is it?”
Captain America pursed his lips. He was unwilling to admit that their universe wasn't powerful enough. The Avengers of the main universe had also defeated many powerful adversaries. They were united, all wanting to secure a higher status for their universes in the multiverse. They wouldn't have acted this way if they weren't united in purpose.
However, the scene where the main universe's Iron Man seemed utterly powerless against this Iron Man sent chills down their spines. This wasn't because they had underestimated the average strength of the multiverse; rather, this central universe was ridiculously powerful.