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Chapter 276: The Biased Vishanti
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Although Tony had never ceased his research into the mysteries of the soul, his mastery in precisely controlling a soul—especially to the extent of blasting Stephen's soul out of his body and retrieving it completely unharmed—still seemed somewhat lacking.
Tony stared at Stephen's head, hesitating on whether he should go up and punch him.
"Uh, is something wrong?" Stephen felt his hair stand on end, as if he were being watched by a terrifying monster. The pressure was immense.
"No, Mr. Strange, it's just a small matter," Tony said, retracting his gaze and revealing a faint smile. "There's tea over there. If you want some, you can pour it yourself."
In truth, he had been waiting for Stephen's arrival and had secretly tasked A.R.G.U.S. with monitoring him.
Tony couldn't possibly be the Sorcerer Supreme for his entire life. If the Ancient One returned, he would hand the position back to her—though she might not necessarily accept it.
Therefore, grooming Stephen had become particularly important.
The Sorcerer Supreme was, after all, the Sorcerer Supreme of this Universe, of this Earth. Tony's future was to transcend the Multiverse, cross the Omni-Sphere World, and ultimately journey to the Sphere of the Gods.
Tony had his own goals; he wouldn't let a certain duty bind him to Earth forever.
Moreover, his research into the souls of Cybertronian life had achieved a breakthrough. With his demigod essence, his study of the soul had advanced by leaps and bounds, and with just a slight opportunity, Tony was confident he could create true souls, not merely the simple intelligence found in Grimlock and Predaking.
Once true Transformers emerged, he would travel to the Cosmos to build Cybertron, then conquer the Universe, finding ways to enhance his strength and become a Unique Being.
"Strange, why have you come? For those hands of yours that have undergone seven surgeries?" Tony, dressed in a loose black robe, gazed at the future Doctor Strange.
"...Yes. You once healed a paralyzed patient named Pangborn. I want to be like him, to regain my health." Stephen glanced reservedly at the silent Mordo, growing more alarmed. This Sorcerer Supreme... seemed to know a lot about him?
"Pangborn. I remember him. Half a year ago, he came to me to seek knowledge, but his intellect was only capable of learning very superficial things. When he reached his limit, I personally ordered him to leave." Tony sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and let out a comfortable sigh.
As for Stephen? He couldn't be bothered. He wasn't as approachable as the Ancient One, who would pour tea for any guest.
If he wanted a drink, he could pour it himself. It was that simple.
"What method did you use? Pangborn told me it was the power of magic," Stephen asked impatiently, taking a step forward.
"What else? This is Kamar-Taj, a Sacred Land of Magic renowned throughout the Universe. Did you expect me to discuss science with you here?"
"But how is that possible... something like magic..." Stephen mumbled, looking down in a daze.
"Strange, do you know what the biggest difference is between you and Pangborn?" Tony asked, interrupting Stephen's muttering.
"That we're both desperate patients with nowhere else to turn?"
"Wrong. The difference is that Pangborn abandoned all his conventional understanding, while you stubbornly cling to your own beliefs. Holding firm to your convictions is a good thing, but sometimes it just makes simple matters more complicated." Tony maintained his smile and spoke slowly, "I know what you're thinking. Rather than believe the doctors here are Sorcerers, you'd prefer to believe this is a secret Research Institution."
Stephen sank helplessly into his seat, clutching his hair. "I'm more inclined to believe you have advanced research on neural regeneration. There are no pesky medical boards to supervise you here, so you can experiment freely..."
"This is the biggest gap between us," Tony said with a shrug. "I talk to you about magic, and you insist on talking to me about science, even vowing to explain magic with it."
Just as Stephen was about to say something, Tony cut him off. He stood up and slammed a fist into Stephen's chest; his physical body remained, but his soul had already flown out in an instant.
In Tony's eyes, Stephen's body had become an empty shell that had lost its core, while his faintly glowing soul was looking around, lost and confused.
Time seemed to slow down. A soul, freed from the shackles of its physical body, would possess heightened cognition for a short period, but it clearly couldn't last long—especially since Stephen was still just an ordinary human.
This single, simple punch had blasted open a far more mysterious and vast world for Stephen.
Mordo hesitated before speaking, "That should be enough, right? No matter how great his talent for magic is, his soul is still fragile."
It was obvious that Tony valued Stephen, so Mordo didn't doubt Stephen's magical talent in the slightest. Nor would he ever doubt the Sorcerer Supreme, even if the current one was Tony.
"No, Mordo, you've misjudged this time. This kid's talent is truly a gift from the heavens. The Vishanti seem to be very fond of him," Tony said, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Stephen's soul in astonishment.
Through the sight of his demigod soul, he could see countless fine magical particles beginning to gather, bit by bit replenishing the power Stephen's soul had lost. At this moment, it was as if the free-floating Mystic Energy in Kamar-Taj had suddenly gained consciousness and was showing great affinity for Stephen.
Tony felt like swearing.
This was the fucking treatment reserved for a favorite son. Could Stephen be the illegitimate child of one of the Vishanti?
Then he thought back to when he was learning magic... it was like he was the unwanted stepchild.
So biased.
"What is this? What did you do to me?" Stephen looked in horror at his own glowing, translucent body, then at his other self, which was clearly taking a punch from Tony.
For someone who deeply believed in science, such a worldview-shattering scene was utterly shocking.
The next second, Tony beckoned with his hand and pulled Stephen's soul back.
Body and soul recombined. A sense of security washed over him, and Stephen cried out, looking around, still shaken.
Nothing had changed, yet everything had changed.
The world itself seemed different.
Stephen suddenly believed in the existence of magic.
In fact, ever since the footage of Tony and Kaecilius fighting on a busy street was captured by interested parties, coupled with the incident of the siege on Dormammu's Projection, magic had rapidly become an old yet entirely new concept.
More and more people were coming to believe in things from the Mystical Side.
Aren't some mutants just those with magical X-Genes?
Even someone as stubborn as Stephen, bombarded with all this prior information, plus the living example of Pangborn and the insane scene from just a moment ago, was truly starting to believe in the existence of magic.
"Teach me. I want to learn this to heal my hands," Stephen said, rushing forward impatiently.
"Who said I was going to teach you?" Tony said flatly. "Mordo, throw this guy out."
(end of chapter)
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Although Tony had never ceased his research into the mysteries of the soul, his mastery in precisely controlling a soul—especially to the extent of blasting Stephen's soul out of his body and retrieving it completely unharmed—still seemed somewhat lacking.
Tony stared at Stephen's head, hesitating on whether he should go up and punch him.
"Uh, is something wrong?" Stephen felt his hair stand on end, as if he were being watched by a terrifying monster. The pressure was immense.
"No, Mr. Strange, it's just a small matter," Tony said, retracting his gaze and revealing a faint smile. "There's tea over there. If you want some, you can pour it yourself."
In truth, he had been waiting for Stephen's arrival and had secretly tasked A.R.G.U.S. with monitoring him.
Tony couldn't possibly be the Sorcerer Supreme for his entire life. If the Ancient One returned, he would hand the position back to her—though she might not necessarily accept it.
Therefore, grooming Stephen had become particularly important.
The Sorcerer Supreme was, after all, the Sorcerer Supreme of this Universe, of this Earth. Tony's future was to transcend the Multiverse, cross the Omni-Sphere World, and ultimately journey to the Sphere of the Gods.
Tony had his own goals; he wouldn't let a certain duty bind him to Earth forever.
Moreover, his research into the souls of Cybertronian life had achieved a breakthrough. With his demigod essence, his study of the soul had advanced by leaps and bounds, and with just a slight opportunity, Tony was confident he could create true souls, not merely the simple intelligence found in Grimlock and Predaking.
Once true Transformers emerged, he would travel to the Cosmos to build Cybertron, then conquer the Universe, finding ways to enhance his strength and become a Unique Being.
"Strange, why have you come? For those hands of yours that have undergone seven surgeries?" Tony, dressed in a loose black robe, gazed at the future Doctor Strange.
"...Yes. You once healed a paralyzed patient named Pangborn. I want to be like him, to regain my health." Stephen glanced reservedly at the silent Mordo, growing more alarmed. This Sorcerer Supreme... seemed to know a lot about him?
"Pangborn. I remember him. Half a year ago, he came to me to seek knowledge, but his intellect was only capable of learning very superficial things. When he reached his limit, I personally ordered him to leave." Tony sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and let out a comfortable sigh.
As for Stephen? He couldn't be bothered. He wasn't as approachable as the Ancient One, who would pour tea for any guest.
If he wanted a drink, he could pour it himself. It was that simple.
"What method did you use? Pangborn told me it was the power of magic," Stephen asked impatiently, taking a step forward.
"What else? This is Kamar-Taj, a Sacred Land of Magic renowned throughout the Universe. Did you expect me to discuss science with you here?"
"But how is that possible... something like magic..." Stephen mumbled, looking down in a daze.
"Strange, do you know what the biggest difference is between you and Pangborn?" Tony asked, interrupting Stephen's muttering.
"That we're both desperate patients with nowhere else to turn?"
"Wrong. The difference is that Pangborn abandoned all his conventional understanding, while you stubbornly cling to your own beliefs. Holding firm to your convictions is a good thing, but sometimes it just makes simple matters more complicated." Tony maintained his smile and spoke slowly, "I know what you're thinking. Rather than believe the doctors here are Sorcerers, you'd prefer to believe this is a secret Research Institution."
Stephen sank helplessly into his seat, clutching his hair. "I'm more inclined to believe you have advanced research on neural regeneration. There are no pesky medical boards to supervise you here, so you can experiment freely..."
"This is the biggest gap between us," Tony said with a shrug. "I talk to you about magic, and you insist on talking to me about science, even vowing to explain magic with it."
Just as Stephen was about to say something, Tony cut him off. He stood up and slammed a fist into Stephen's chest; his physical body remained, but his soul had already flown out in an instant.
In Tony's eyes, Stephen's body had become an empty shell that had lost its core, while his faintly glowing soul was looking around, lost and confused.
Time seemed to slow down. A soul, freed from the shackles of its physical body, would possess heightened cognition for a short period, but it clearly couldn't last long—especially since Stephen was still just an ordinary human.
This single, simple punch had blasted open a far more mysterious and vast world for Stephen.
Mordo hesitated before speaking, "That should be enough, right? No matter how great his talent for magic is, his soul is still fragile."
It was obvious that Tony valued Stephen, so Mordo didn't doubt Stephen's magical talent in the slightest. Nor would he ever doubt the Sorcerer Supreme, even if the current one was Tony.
"No, Mordo, you've misjudged this time. This kid's talent is truly a gift from the heavens. The Vishanti seem to be very fond of him," Tony said, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Stephen's soul in astonishment.
Through the sight of his demigod soul, he could see countless fine magical particles beginning to gather, bit by bit replenishing the power Stephen's soul had lost. At this moment, it was as if the free-floating Mystic Energy in Kamar-Taj had suddenly gained consciousness and was showing great affinity for Stephen.
Tony felt like swearing.
This was the fucking treatment reserved for a favorite son. Could Stephen be the illegitimate child of one of the Vishanti?
Then he thought back to when he was learning magic... it was like he was the unwanted stepchild.
So biased.
"What is this? What did you do to me?" Stephen looked in horror at his own glowing, translucent body, then at his other self, which was clearly taking a punch from Tony.
For someone who deeply believed in science, such a worldview-shattering scene was utterly shocking.
The next second, Tony beckoned with his hand and pulled Stephen's soul back.
Body and soul recombined. A sense of security washed over him, and Stephen cried out, looking around, still shaken.
Nothing had changed, yet everything had changed.
The world itself seemed different.
Stephen suddenly believed in the existence of magic.
In fact, ever since the footage of Tony and Kaecilius fighting on a busy street was captured by interested parties, coupled with the incident of the siege on Dormammu's Projection, magic had rapidly become an old yet entirely new concept.
More and more people were coming to believe in things from the Mystical Side.
Aren't some mutants just those with magical X-Genes?
Even someone as stubborn as Stephen, bombarded with all this prior information, plus the living example of Pangborn and the insane scene from just a moment ago, was truly starting to believe in the existence of magic.
"Teach me. I want to learn this to heal my hands," Stephen said, rushing forward impatiently.
"Who said I was going to teach you?" Tony said flatly. "Mordo, throw this guy out."
(end of chapter)
