mtl008 Chapter 4011 MU Superbody Major Event (91)
Chapter 4011 MU Superbody Major Event (91)
Chapter 4011 MU: The Superbody Incident (Ninety-One)
Strange and Schiller were walking towards the venue. As they walked, Schiller asked, "So, the five Doctor Stranges who died were all relatively young?"
"Yes, some of them have only been practicing magic for a short time. By the standards of our universe, they are still magic apprentices. Although they inherited a lot of magical equipment from the Ancient One, their understanding and mastery of magic are not proficient enough. After being hit by the Green Lantern energy, they were unable to quickly adjust the energy circuits in their bodies, resulting in a loss of magic. Therefore, they were unable to open the portal to escape when the enemy arrived."
Schiller sighed softly and said, "They don't have a good understanding of their own strength. But that makes sense; without personally participating in a multiverse war, one cannot imagine the intensity of such a war. Moreover, the Green Lantern commander on the other side was decisive enough to launch a saturation attack right from the start, and that tactic was indeed effective."
“Professor X told me that Doctor Strange in the main universe isn’t in a good mental state.” Strange pursed his lips, seemingly feeling a little embarrassed, and said, “He may have suffered some kind of shock, and I don’t know if he can attend this meeting.”
“Oh?” Schiller turned to look at Strange and said, “He’s been provoked. What happened?”
"A Doctor Strange died in front of him. You know, he got his neck snapped by that big gray guy, and it was a pretty gruesome death. But according to my follow-up messages to them, it wasn't actually that painful. Once it's determined that there's no chance of survival, you'll be reborn in the Battle Realm immediately. The criteria are very strict, so you don't suffer too much pain."
“I don’t think he would have such a strong sense of guilt over his companion’s death, so I’m more inclined to think that it made him empathize with the death and recall some unpleasant memories.”
"Not-so-good memories?"
When was the last time he came closest to death?
Strange thought for a moment and said, "Probably the car accident that took away his title of Hand of God."
“As far as I know, there was more than one car accident in the main universe,” Schiller said after thinking for a moment. “He must have been in another car accident before, in which his younger brother died in front of him.”
You mean Victor?
Schiller nodded and said, "One car accident allowed him to witness the death of his closest loved ones in front of him, while another car accident took away what he was most proud of. This was enough to leave him with very deep psychological trauma."
"But this doesn't seem to have anything to do with witnessing Hale kill his counterpart."
"Yes, but that's just common sense. The psychological connection is much more complex. In the eyes of a mental patient, two seemingly dissimilar scenarios can become the culprit that triggers their distress. If you can connect these two scenarios, then you should see a psychiatrist."
Strange sighed and continued, "To be honest, his reactions were more like an escapist reaction to his pride being crushed, an inability to accept reality. In any case, Doctor Strange's performance was really terrible."
"Are you going to share the burden with him?" Schiller asked. "If you step forward and say a few words, perhaps the commanders won't make things too difficult for him."
“We’ll see,” Strange said, not outright refusing. “If he’s really in a bad mental state, I’ll find an excuse to cover it up for him. After all, he was just too careless, not really trying to kill anyone.”
The two walked into the venue together. By this time, almost everyone involved in the battle was already seated. Schiller appeared as a psychiatrist and sat at the same table as Professor X and his group, both in the "technical support" section. Stark was also seated in the same section, as he had not participated in the battle but had provided equipment.
Upon seeing Schiller, Stark sat down beside him and nudged him with his elbow, saying, "Did you go to the front lines? What happened to Doctor Strange? How come so many people are dying?"
Schiller slowly shook his head and said in a low voice, "I heard that some Doctor Stranges who had only recently started learning magic went to the battlefield and were hit by Green Lantern's energy blast. They were unable to use magic and could not escape through the portal, which led to this tragedy."
"The key question is, why didn't they withdraw with the main force?!" Stark raised his voice, but quickly lowered it again. "We informed them of the plan long ago. That outpost was just a makeshift prefab building; what was there to defend? Why did they stubbornly refuse to leave?"
“You’ll have to ask the person who makes the decision,” Schiller said, looking towards the entrance to the conference room. At that moment, Doctor Strange from the main universe walked in.
Immediately, all eyes were on him. Clearly, most people were discussing the casualties.
In fact, if it weren't for the loss of the mages, they could have easily called it a great victory, because apart from the deaths of the two Thors, the other Asgardians who sacrificed themselves were not even elite Asgardian warriors, nor were they warriors from Odin's personal guard, so they would not have had any impact on Asgard's core combat strength.
In other words, they traded the lives of two Thors for over a dozen enemy soldiers, all of whom were named superheroes. The Green Lanterns also suffered heavy casualties and energy losses, making it a resounding victory in their first battle.
But if you add the loss of the sorcerers, it's a completely different story. That's five Doctor Stranges in total. Although Doctor Strange sent a relatively large number of people, the sorcerers were incredibly useful. Even if they weren't particularly strong in combat, they were still very effective at opening portals for logistical support. Five of them died at once; even Admiral MacArthur would feel a pang of regret.
Moreover, more significant than the loss of these five Doctor Strange individuals is the question of why they were killed in the first place. This is the core issue to be discussed at this meeting, as it may conceal a grave threat. If the problem is not identified and addressed immediately, even more lives will be lost.
Schiller glanced at the ordinary commanders and noticed that most of them weren't in good spirits; they looked like they hadn't slept for several days. If it weren't for the enhanced physical abilities of these humans, several would probably have collapsed from exhaustion by now.
The most outrageous thing is that some of them are old men who have lived since World War II, and they look like they're about to pass away as well. Schiller is really afraid that these superheroes will cause some more trouble and kill a few of these living fossils, then he'll have to go back to the underworld to rescue them again.
"Ahem." Captain America cleared his throat and said, "The war isn't over yet; this is just a debriefing meeting. I'll keep it brief. My staff at central command and I have drafted some of the biggest problems that arose during this battle. Let's discuss those first. If there are any other issues, feel free to speak up. Now, I'll address the first one..."
Schiller knew that in these situations, the most serious issues were usually left for last. However, probation wasn't necessarily better than immediate execution; in fact, the delay might cause even greater psychological stress. Schiller couldn't help but glance frequently in Doctor Strange's direction.
Doctor Strange in the main universe looked pale, but considering he had spent some time in a vacuum and his physical body was damaged, his pale complexion was normal. His expression didn't reveal any mental problems.
Schiller turned to look at Charles. Charles gave him a look, and the next second his voice appeared in Schiller's mind: "Don't worry, Doctor Strange is much stronger than we think. He has fallen into despair many times, but he has climbed back up on his own. He will not give up as long as there is even the slightest hope."
"Moreover, for him, hardship and setbacks were actually stepping stones to his advancement. Adversity brought out his greatest potential. Just think about how he became the Sorcerer Supreme."
Schiller then realized that his concern about Doctor Strange in the main universe was actually due to the Strange figure he knew.
The biggest setback Strange in the central universe probably experienced was when he himself pressed a pen against his forehead. He wasn't even in a car accident before he was arrested for fraud. So if this happened to him today, it would indeed be a tremendous setback for him.
However, Doctor Strange in other universes lost everything after suffering comminuted fractures of both hands, and only became the Sorcerer Supreme after being recognized by the Ancient One at the lowest point in his life.
Those who haven't experienced something like this might find it hard to understand that someone like Strange is extremely proud, even arrogant. It's precisely because he firmly believes he's good enough that he was able to stand out from countless people with better qualifications and reach the top of the industry.
The pain experienced by such a person when they are utterly defeated and lose everything they once had is unimaginable, because their previously held beliefs—that they are exceptionally talented and lucky, that they are God's favorites—completely crumble. The convictions that once sustained their struggles turn to ashes in an instant. Throughout history, countless people have chosen to end their lives when experiencing the agony of falling from a great height.
But looking at Doctor Strange's entire life, after his hands were injured, he tried everything, but he never thought about dying.
Even after such a setback, he still managed to gain the Ancient One's approval. It's important to understand that the Ancient One in the main universe is incredibly powerful; in the comics, only she deserves the title of "Sorcerer Supreme." And the Ancient One, who has lived for so many years and understands almost all the truths of the universe, chose to pass on her mantle to her youngest disciple, Stephen Strange—there's definitely a reason for that.
There are people in this world who, when things are going smoothly for them, don't seem particularly outstanding, at least not by much compared to other successful people. But once they fall to the bottom, it becomes easy to see the difference between them and those who have reached the top.
The phrase "making a comeback" sounds easy, but it's incredibly difficult to actually do. It involves not only personal mental pressure but also unimaginable social pressure. Even Xiang Yu refused to cross the Yangtze River, but Strange did it, and more than once.
In the comics, after becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, Strange was forced to relinquish his title due to his misuse of Dark Magic. However, he later overcame the influence of Dark Magic through his own power and defeated powerful enemies once again. This proves that his resurgence was not accidental, but rather a testament to his true resilience. Most of Strange's stories are like this.
Thinking this, Schiller smiled inwardly. It seemed that for Doctor Strange, this heavy casualty was not the end, but rather just the beginning. Batman would probably soon realize that killing the sorcerer first was a mistake; it wouldn't break Doctor Strange and his companions, but rather make them stronger.