American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

Chapter 136 Tony Stark's Headache

Chapter 136 Tony Stark's Headache

Just as Rune was taking money from Kingpin's mansion, a holographic screen hovered in the air in Tony Stark's private office, scrolling densely with the revised clauses of the Sokovia Accords, next to the UN Security Council's 72-hour deadline. On another screen, the surveillance footage from Xavier's Academy of Geniuses remained still, the doors tightly shut—Charles Xavier hadn't replied to Tony's messages for three days.

Tony slumped in his chair, his tie loose, the coffee in his cup long since cold. His fingertips tapped his temples, as if trying to physically dispel the headache.

"Friday." His voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded.

"I'm here." The AI's tone was as calm as ever, even with a hint of gentle humility. "Should I contact X Academy again? Or should I prepare a fourth cup of coffee for you?"

Tony let out a sound that was somewhere between a sneer and a groan, and then said, "No, no need. Unless you invent a caffeine-rich time-travel drug that lets me go back a few months and blast the me who took on this mess with a single palm strike."

"Time travel violates the fundamental laws of physics, Boss," Friday responded.

"Yeah, what a pity, otherwise I'd be fighting with my younger self right now." He rubbed his face.

A finger swiped across the holographic screen, and the draft agreement was tossed roughly into the virtual trash can—it immediately bounced back.

Includes the UN Secretary-General's unread mark.

This time, the United Nations was exceptionally determined to revive the Sokovia Accords—also known as the Superhero Registration Act—even Tony Stark's offer to establish a related relief foundation with his own money was ineffective. Left with no other option, Tony took on the responsibility of promoting the Sokovia Accords among superheroes himself.

He didn't agree with the bill, and he knew very well that he would be facing off against Steve Rogers again. He just had to take on this responsibility, otherwise the intensity of the battle between the superheroes would escalate rapidly, and the conflict between the two sides would inevitably lead to widespread casualties.

But at this moment, he really wanted to go back in time and strangle the version of himself who signed the agreement.

"These bureaucrats have no idea what they're asking for. A 'Superhuman Registration Act'? Is the next step to put QR codes around mutants' necks?" Tony complained.

There was a moment of silence on Friday.

"You know that analogy isn't quite right, Boss," it said.

"I know, I know." Tony jumped up and started pacing around the office, the Mark 47 components gleaming coldly on the assembly table in the corner. "But I don't understand why Charles just vanished? The entire X-Men went silent? He wasn't like this when we were fighting Ultron together—"

He thought for a long time, trying to find a less offensive word, but in the end he sighed: "I didn't expect him to be so cowardly, so cowardly that they didn't dare—."

Tony suddenly stopped and stared at the Xavier Academy's surveillance footage. A huge crater had appeared on the lawn, as if Hulk and Colossus had fought there.

"On Friday, zoom in on that area," he commanded.

Then, the scene of Rune's previous battle with Phantom Cat, Li Qianhuan, and Little Rascal came into Iron Man's view.

"...No, they are not cowards." His voice suddenly became eerily calm. "They were forced into silence."

Friday's response was a beat late. "Should we contact Captain America?" it asked.

Tony forced a dead smile. "Oh, of course. After Rogers and I apologize to each other, shall we go hand in hand to have tea with Magneto?"

"No!" Tony said coldly. "We'll handle this ourselves. Get all the data on recent mutant activity—including the data that S.H.I.E.L.D. 'doesn't have access to,' and the surveillance footage from the previous battle."

He spread his arms slightly, and then the first piece of armor descended from the ceiling with the precision of a falcon returning to its nest. The gold-red leg components slid along his calves, the hydraulic system hissing and clicking softly, the nanoscale seams snapping into his skin, cool and intimate, like a second skin.

The reactor lit up, blue light pumping into every vein of the armor like a heartbeat. The shoulder armor snapped shut, the gauntlets rotated and locked, and the hand components emitted a pleasant metallic clang as his fingertips closed. The visor hovered in front of him, its internal projection already lit, and HUD data streamed down like a torrential downpour.

As the visor fell, Tony's perspective instantly switched to a tactical view. At that moment, the holographic screen flickered wildly, a torrent of information gushing out. Iron Man stood at the center of the data storm, his eyes reflecting countless red alerts.

"By the way, Friday?" he asked.

"Yes, Boss?" Friday replied.

"If I try to show off again next time, just give me an electric shock!" he complained.

A message then shifts to Tony's perspective, showing a confrontation between Rune and the three X-Men.

And where Rune went after that.

"Got you, little thing!" he chuckled in a low voice.

The thrusters ignited, and flames exploded on the ground, creating a shockwave. At that moment, Tony Stark disappeared, and Iron Man soared into the air.

Rune had no idea that the famous Iron Man was on his way to find him. He had just fallen asleep in Kingpin's bed and returned to the DC Universe.

"Getting up so early?" Nabu asked, since he didn't even have a physical body, let alone sleep.

Rune nodded, then found the levitating cloak, which was already looking limp, in the workshop.

"Don't worry, I'll get someone to fix you right away." Rune carefully folded the levitation cloak, then opened a portal. It hovered silently in the air, its edges flickering with unstable arcs of electricity. The interior was neither dark nor bright, but a color that did not belong to any spectrum, like flesh and blood exposed after reality had been torn apart.

"Wait!" Nabu shouted. If he still had a body, his eyes would have widened at this moment.

Rune looked at Nab with a puzzled expression, and Nab continued, "Where does this portal lead?"

"Of course, it leads to other dimensions." Rune shrugged, his matter-of-fact manner infuriating Nab.

"What do you mean by 'connecting to other dimensions'? I can also open portals to other dimensions, but they're not as dangerous as the one you opened!" Naboo shouted. "I feel like my own portals are like connecting to different floors of a building, but yours is more like directly connecting two completely different buildings—it's two different things!"

"Alright, alright, as expected of the Lord of Order, you truly can see through appearances to the essence." Rune said helplessly, "I admire you!"

"Admire my foot! If I still had a body, I would have killed you the moment I saw you!" he screamed. "You dare to open this kind of portal without even knowing what's on the other side? You're just an ASPD patient who wants to die and drag the whole world down with him!"