章節 115: Ch.115 Digging a Trap is My Expertise
Once upon a time, Tony Stark was a staunch materialist.
He believed that science could explain everything in this world.
But a few years ago, when a self-proclaimed god from Asgard fell to Earth, Tony Stark realized that gods really did exist in this world.
Of course, these so-called gods were just like them, except that they lived on another planet.
They could be considered aliens.
An alien who was stronger and had more advanced technology—that wasn't too outrageous.
However, when he found out there was a group of people on Earth called "sorcerers," he felt like his entire worldview had been shattered.
Sorcerers...
Those were people who only existed in books.
But upon thinking about it further, if aliens could exist, was it really that strange for sorcerers to appear?
However, today...
"It's you again."
"It seems you're still unwilling to give up and continue to seek the secrets of magic."
The person in front of him was naturally Ronan—this was all part of his plan from the beginning.
The so-called "calling the honored name" was actually a small spell from Kamar-Taj. If the distance wasn't too far, one could hear someone calling using specific incantations.
Ronan's apartment wasn't far from here, so he could hear it easily.
As for the lightning and thunder...
It was just some minor weather control magic—nothing worth mentioning.
"I just have a question to ask you. I have doubts in my heart, and I need you to resolve them for me."
Tony Stark stood up.
Since the man had appeared, he obviously couldn't stay kneeling.
Otherwise, that would be too humiliating.
However, Ronan showed no intention of responding.
He merely glanced at Tony Stark before beginning to mutter to himself.
"Who could it be... that leaked the secrets of magic?"
"Let me see who dares to divulge the secrets of magic!"
With Ronan's deliberately altered voice echoing in Tony's ears, Tony's face immediately changed.
No way!
These sorcerers had such abilities?
That had to be a joke!
Before Tony could fully comprehend what was happening, Ronan spoke again.
"So it's this boy..."
"Hmph, daring to reveal the secrets of magic... you have chosen a path to death as well."
With that, a golden portal appeared before Tony Stark.
Ronan reached out towards the portal, and the same Ronan that Tony had seen earlier during the day was pulled out, his neck being grabbed.
Fuck!
When Tony saw this, he couldn't help but curse.
What the hell was going on?
At that moment, Ronan—or rather, Ronan's clone—looked unconscious, being held by the neck.
Ronan just needed to use a bit more strength, and the clone would meet its end.
But Ronan wasn't here to kill his own clone.
He had other plans.
"Do you see clearly now?"
"Isn't it him who leaked the secrets of magic to you?"
"For a mere hundred thousand dollars, he dared to divulge the method of summoning me to others."
"He will pay the price for his mistakes!"
Ronan stared coldly at Tony Stark, as if he was about to kill the clone any second.
"Wait!"
At that moment, Tony Stark raised his right hand, stopping Ronan.
"Put the kid down."
"I'm the one who asked him to tell me all of this. If there's fault in that, then you should take it out on me."
"Why punish an innocent child?"
Tony looked at the scene before him, and he couldn't help but roar in anger.
Even if Tony didn't see himself as a good guy, deep down, he leaned towards being kind.
No matter what, Ronan being choked now was because of him, and he had ended up in such danger.
How could Tony Stark, the Iron Man, possibly stand by and let this happen?
Iron Man wouldn't allow it, and neither would Tony Stark.
"Innocent?"
"I believe he must have told you that these things are not meant to be shared."
"He broke the oath passed down from his ancestors and revealed forbidden secrets to outsiders."
"How is that innocent?"
Ronan's villain-like voice echoed.
He had already set up an identity for himself in front of Tony Stark.
A child whose ancestors had ties with sorcerers.
Hmm, that identity fit perfectly.
"What do you want in order to let him go?"
Tony signaled Ronan to stay calm, while his feet took small steps, slowly approaching Ronan.
These small movements naturally couldn't escape Ronan's eyes.
But Ronan pretended not to notice.
"Let him go?"
"Why should I let him go?"
"He deserves punishment, and you will not escape punishment either."
"It seems the warning I gave you last time wasn't enough—so this time, I will use the boy's life to make sure you remember!"
With that, a smirk formed on Ronan's lips, and he raised his clone above the edge of the rooftop.
Though Ronan was sure his clone was already cursing him internally, Ronan remained calm.
Because he was certain Tony Stark would intervene!
"If you can save him, I'll spare his life."
"Moreover, I will answer one of your questions."
Finished speaking, Ronan let go of his hand.
Whoosh!
Ronan's clone began to fall rapidly.
Seeing Ronan act so casually, Tony Stark was in complete shock!
He never imagined this sorcerer would act so decisively and catch him completely off guard.
"Jarvis!"
"Catch that kid!"
Tony Stark shouted.
Crash!
Shatter.
A crackling sound came from the glass below as a long, box-like object was ejected from the building.
It was just like the scene when Tony had fallen in freefall before, with his Iron Man armor chasing after him.
"Mr. Stark, there's something off about the speed of the boy's fall."
"The Iron Man suit can't catch up to him!"
Jarvis's voice echoed in Tony's ear.
Tony frowned slightly, quickly looking up at the mysterious figure before him.
"If it were that simple, why would I make this request?"
Ronan smiled faintly, knowing that Tony Stark would definitely come up with a solution.
Tony then ran to the edge of the rooftop, halting at the brink.
"Jarvis, initiate plans two and three."
"Activate the ground rescue vehicle—make sure to catch that kid!"
After giving the command, Tony jumped down himself.
Soon, two robots flew out from other levels of the building.
Their backs opened instantly in mid-air, securing Ronan's clone from both sides and wrapping him up.
A parachute opened as well.
The previously flat ground of the plaza opened, revealing a vehicle equipped with airbags.
The airbag adjusted its position just in time to catch the falling clone.
Nice.
Watching from the rooftop, Ronan couldn't help but give a thumbs up.
It seemed like after Tony's own freefall incident, he had come up with new ideas.
If it hadn't been for Jarvis saving him that day, there wouldn't be an Iron Man anymore—just a puddle of mush.
So these things must have been devised during his anxious days, some form of last resort.
Ronan's clone got to be the first to experience them.
A dozen seconds later, Tony returned, now clad in the Iron Man armor.
He held the unconscious Ronan clone in his arms.
Seeing the clone sleeping so soundly, even snoring, Tony couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Do you even know you almost died?
My heart almost jumped out of my chest, and here you are, sleeping so peacefully.
Do you really feel nothing?
"Not bad, not bad."
"I didn't think you had such a well-prepared plan."
"If you're someone so afraid of death, why are you trying to pry into the secrets of magic?"
"Has no one told you that prying into magic's secrets is far scarier than anything the boy just went through?"
Ronan crossed his arms, seemingly puzzled by Tony's thinking.
Of course, how could he not understand? It was all part of Ronan's deception.
"What's going on with him?"
Tony didn't answer Ronan's question; instead, he looked at the clone in his arms.
"Wait!"
Before Ronan could answer, Tony spoke first.
"This question isn't the one I want to ask."
"If you don't want to answer it, I can ask a different one."
Tony was cautious, fearing Ronan might use it to avoid his promise.
Ronan just smiled—he still had other goals in mind tonight.
Since Tony Stark wanted some information, Ronan decided to give him something to ponder.
"No worries, this question doesn't count."
"There's nothing wrong with him—I just put him to sleep using an illusion spell."
Ronan answered.
"Illusion?"
Tony asked.
Seeing Tony's disbelief, Ronan didn't say much more; he covered them both in a Mirror Dimension.
And Tony witnessed the following scene:
His girlfriend, Pepper Potts, was conversing warmly with another man.
Not only that, but the man had his hands all over her—holding her waist, getting closer and closer.
Until they were face to face, nearly...
"Enough!!!"
Seeing his girlfriend "cheating right before his eyes," Tony couldn't take it.
Fortunately, Ronan didn't intend to provoke him any further—otherwise, he'd have shown Tony an even more shocking scene.
After all, an illusion spell wasn't that different from an AI deepfake.
"Do you now understand the terror of magic?"
"If you want, I can have you watch this scene 23 hours a day."
Ronan smiled at him.
"And the remaining hour?"
Even now, Tony didn't forget to ask back.
Clearly, he hadn't reached his breaking point yet.
"For the remaining hour, I'll let you think about it on your own. I'm quite considerate."
"Watching constantly isn't good for your mental health."
"So, a bit of time is left for you to recover."
Ronan spoke as if it were all perfectly reasonable.
Tony's face darkened.
"Considerate," my ass. This was a vicious plan!
"Let's change the subject."
"I want to know, do people from the future really travel back in time?"
"No, rather—was the person I saw that day really myself?"
Tony stared at Ronan, voicing the question that had been troubling him for so long.
It didn't matter if it was aliens or sorcerers—Tony believed that, sooner or later, he could handle them.
It was only a matter of time.
However, what really haunted him—the very reason he'd recited that incantation—was what he saw after the battle: "himself from the future."
The same face, same attire, even the same aura.
Tony couldn't help but wonder whether he'd really met his future self.
Afterwards, when talking with Steve Rogers, Cap told Tony he hadn't encountered anyone.
But Tony remembered clearly—he had not only seen himself, but also heard Steve asking for help over the comms, reporting someone wearing his suit trying to take the scepter.
None of it matched his memory.
Later, Tony probed others casually, but got the same answers.
No one remembered anyone else trying to take the scepter.
Even the security footage from the entire Stark Tower didn't capture the scene from Tony's memory.
This made him doubt himself.
Was it a memory lapse, or had something else gone wrong?
Standing to the side, Ronan couldn't help narrowing his eyes.
Had the memory not been erased?
Was it because the two Tonys met, or something went wrong when Steve returned the Mind Stone?
Normally, after Steve returned the stone, the battle between himself and Ronan shouldn't have existed.
Everyone else's memory was intact.
But Tony's was entirely different.
That indicated that the reason behind it had nothing to do with the Mind Stone.
Then...
"Logically speaking, a technology question like this isn't something you should ask me."
"After all, time travel stories have been portrayed countless times in movies and novels."
"Given current technological advances, maybe time travel will be possible in the future."
Ronan hoped to pass off the answer this way.
However, Tony wasn't that easily fooled.
This was the heart of his personal demons—he'd stop at nothing to find the answer.
"I want to know—was that person me?"
Tony stared at Ronan with determination.
Ronan paused briefly before nodding under Tony's hopeful gaze.
"Yes, that person was you."
Hearing those words, Tony looked as though a weight had been lifted—his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
Someone as smart as Tony could easily guess why his future self had come back.
It had to be because of a threat—otherwise, he would never have done that.
"Can I know why?"
Tony seemed to be mumbling to himself.
But this time, Ronan shook his head.
"That's not something you're meant to know."
"You should understand, if someone knows their future, that future is bound to change."
"To maintain the stability of the timeline, you shouldn't know."
Ronan casually let a crucial detail slip.
"The stability of the timeline?"
As expected, Tony caught Ronan's "small slip-up."
He widened his eyes, staring at Ronan, hoping to discern something.
But with Ronan's hood covering his face, Tony could see nothing.
"Alright, I've answered your question."
"And since you asked a question that wasn't too difficult, I'll give you a small tip."
Ronan gestured at his clone, and to Tony's shock, the clone floated towards Ronan, enveloped by a golden portal.
"What tip?"
Tony returned to the point.
"Besides you, there was another organization investigating me."
"You know that, right?"
Ronan finally revealed his motive.
"I know—SHIELD."
Tony nodded, still recalling Nick Fury's grim expression.
"SHIELD?"
"No, no. It seems you really know nothing."
"You didn't know that the so-called SHIELD has another name?"
Ronan smirked.
"Another name?"
Tony blinked.
Could it be something like National... Security or something similar?
"Exactly—it has a nickname, Hydra."
"Ninety percent of its members are actually Hydra agents."
Ronan stopped there.
That was enough.
If ninety percent were Hydra agents, what about their Director?
And those who fought alongside Tony—Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow—what were their identities?
Thinking about it, Tony felt a chill down his spine.
Of course, Ronan's specialty was digging traps—how they dealt with it later was their own problem.
"I've kept my promise."
"But you still haven't completed your punishment."
Ronan extended his hand—his illusion spell was ready.
He had to give Tony a "sweet experience."
"How do I find you in the future?"
Tony caught onto Ronan's intent to leave and asked urgently.
But Ronan shook his head.
"When I need you, I will come to you."
After saying that, he cast the illusion directly on Tony, engulfing his senses.
Seeing Tony fall unconscious, Ronan smiled and, with a wave of his hand, disappeared from the rooftop.
______
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