American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

Chapter 159 Marvel's Stubbornness - Stark

When Iron Man followed the address given by Rune, he saw a strange black line. Tony leaned closer, touched it out of curiosity, and was then teleported into Rune's workshop.

"Your way of getting in is quite unique. Could you install one in my office? That way I can throw parties anytime, anywhere!" Tony's voice came from inside the armor, his mocking tone combined with the armor's piercing alarm, making Rune sigh.

"You know what, I have a friend—"

"How interesting, a weirdo like you can actually have friends?" Tony turned off the alarm, then sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs.

"Of course." Rune glanced at the annoying guy and sat down opposite Tony. "He's also a super-rich man, lost his parents at a young age, and even your final choices are quite similar—both became superheroes."

Stark raised an eyebrow: "Am I more handsome, or is he?"

Rune observed the man carefully and finally said, "They're about the same. He has a chin that looks like a butt, and he always speaks in a low voice, like he's swallowed sand. As for you—your beard doesn't make you look more mature, nor does it hide your inner vulnerability."

Stark scoffed, "I possess the greatest wealth in the world, my armor is one of the hardest things in the world, I've saved the world countless times, but according to you, the world seems to have always been saved by a coward?"

Rune looked at Iron Man, and Iron Man felt his gaze was unusually sharp, as if he could see right through him. After a short while, Rune smiled and said, "You're not a coward, Tony, but you need Iron Man."

Tony wanted to say something more, but Rune interrupted him: "Actually, you wouldn't have been poisoned by palladium, would you?"

Tony fell silent, because Rune was right, and what he said next left him speechless: "You should also know that the performance of that reactor at the time was more than enough for your normal life, and it wouldn't worsen your palladium poisoning. Only when wearing the armor, requiring a large power supply from the reactor, would the poisoning worsen. You could have chosen to abandon the armor and become that spoiled genius again, right?"

Stark remained silent.

"But you and I both know, Tony, you don't want to give up your superhero identity. You need to become Iron Man. Iron Man is not just the symbol of the Avengers, but the meaning of your existence. Iron Man saved Tony Stark's life, yet he is also eating away at Tony Stark's life."

"Enough, stop talking!" Iron Man shouted.

Tony lost his composure. His chest heaved violently, and his eyes were bloodshot from not having slept for days. Rune didn't continue speaking, and Tony took several deep breaths before regaining his composure.

"Even if you gave me a counseling session, I won't pay you, you sharp-tongued brat!" He glared at Rune, then abruptly changed the subject: "I heard you can recreate the character of that person from my memory?"

To be honest, he already regretted coming here. He didn't understand the boy in front of him at all, but the boy unexpectedly understood him. Was there any justice in this world? If Rune hadn't said that, Tony really wouldn't have known that he needed the Iron Man identity so much.

Pepper Potts did arrange appointments with a few therapists for Tony, but the incredibly proud Tony refused them all. Seriously? He's Iron Man, a superhero! How could he possibly have psychological problems?

Rune, however, wasn't angry about being questioned. He already had basic expectations of Tony and didn't have any particular expectations for the emotional intelligence of this guy in the tin can: "Stark, my advice to you is not to spout nonsense about areas you don't understand at all, because it's really laughable."

Tony narrowed his eyes: "What I want is not an illusion, nor some Frankenstein's monster that seems to be a product of artificial intelligence."

You know what I mean.

"Of course." Rune nodded, then placed his hand on Tony's forehead, a gesture that even Tony's armor couldn't react to—Friday didn't even close his visor.

A silvery-white, snake-like object was pulled out, startling Tony. Rune's move was truly terrifying. He could place his hand on Tony's forehead before the armor could react, increasing the force enough to kill him outright. For the first time, Stark questioned himself: if he encountered a villain of Rune's caliber, could his ordinary human body fight to the very end?

"I wish it were another Stark who came to see me," Rune said, the silver snake coiling in his hand, within which fragments of memories could be seen.

Tony scoffed, "Hey! I'm your sugar daddy, how dare you talk bad about me like that?"

“I’m not saying anything bad about you.” Rune shook his head. “I’m just telling the truth. You should know about the multiverse theory, and in some universes, Tony Stark is the Sorcerer Supreme. At least I can understand more than half of what you’re saying, I guess.”

A large chunk of clay floated through the air, along with some urukin. This metal, if infused with sufficient magic, could even rival or surpass the strength of adamantium. This property was something Rune had accidentally discovered while using the staff that suppressed his spellcasting abilities.

Seeing Tony frowning, Rune immediately knew what Tony was thinking: "This is already the highest level."

Tony, of course, isn't cheap either.

“Price has never been an issue,” Tony clicked his tongue. “But I doubt whether you actually used the best materials.”

"And besides, how did you know who I wanted to order the puppet for without me even saying?"

"Of course I know," Rune said sarcastically. "If it weren't for the reactor he left behind, you wouldn't even have had the chance to become Iron Man. Also, can you tell me how the levitation technology on your armor's legs is connected to the hovercar he originally developed?"

Stark gritted his teeth: "Damn mage, you can read my mind!"

"How novel! Otherwise, how do you think I could customize a puppet?" Rune rolled his eyes. "People's language expression abilities differ. Some people can write thousands of words in an essay, while others struggle to write even five hundred. But the difference in people's memory isn't that significant—it's exactly the person you imagine, the person you remember."

As Rune moved, the clay adhered to Urukin and quickly transformed into a human form—he had the same beard as Stark, and his features were very similar to Tony Stark's. No, considering his identity, it should be said that Tony Stark was very similar to him.