Chapter 220: Heroism

As dusk arrived, a heavy haze fell softly upon the skyline, casting a mysterious hue over the otherwise resplendent sunset. When the light shone through the mist into the ward, Stark stood against the glow, a hazy halo blooming behind him.

Schiller stood on the other side of the bed. Connors walked over holding a syringe, and the two discussed the data in low voices. Schiller turned his head to look at Obadiah lying on the hospital bed, then looked at Stark sitting opposite.

He kept his head lowered, his brown eyes submerged in the shadows of his lashes, like a sun trapped within a cage.

Stark rested his elbows on his knees and covered his mouth with his hands. His body language indicated he did not want to speak, yet his voice still flowed out from between his fingers, carrying a blade-like hoarseness.

"... I saw many things—the past, the future. I saw many versions of myself, and the different life trajectories they took."

The tone of his first few words rose slightly: "Perhaps you won't believe it, but I understood all these truths, grasped all the secrets."

The breath he exhaled through his nose landed on the back of his hand. As Stark lowered his eyes, he could clearly see the changes in this breath.

"Perhaps that was only for a fleeting moment, but for me, that moment of time was endless. I saw everything I wanted to see."

As a full participant in the Knull event, Loki of course knew Stark's deeds. As a mage, he knew much more about occult knowledge than humans. He knew very well that the deposit energy Stark obtained from the demons was not enough to allow any single-universe creature to ascend. So the only problem might lie in Stark's superior wisdom.

Clouds swept across the skyline, causing the light to dim abruptly. The tremor at the edge of Stark's voice carried a strange magic.

Amidst the hazy mist where the sunset and smog intertwined, Stark walked into a bustling expo scene. He saw the man, whose image had become somewhat blurred in his memory, standing beside a hover-car, introducing his great invention.

Stark followed the crowd as they left. After exiting through the back door of the expo, he stepped into a dimly lit laboratory, where that man was holding a shield, chatting happily with Steve.

After the laboratory lights went out, a violent shaking, the screech of brakes, a fierce explosion...

Fragments stalled, sparks congealed, and all time flowed backward. In the laboratory, Stark used his hand to pick up a photo frame; inside was a picture of Howard and Obadiah together. At that time, they were both still very young.

When the lights in the laboratory came on, a young Obadiah walked in, and Howard hugged him enthusiastically. The two of them talked all night about those great inventions.

The genius concepts within reached Stark's ears, leaving him intoxicated. This was not because those concepts were how powerful they were, but because he had never obtained a friendship like the one these two shared; there had never been such a soulmate who could talk with him all night long.

After the screech of brakes and the sound of the explosion, Obadiah's figure began to grow thin, and more and more white hair appeared on his head. Stark saw that after he hung up a phone call, he began to tremble all over, as if triumphant, as if guilty, as if he had gone mad.

Stark stood in this laboratory. Howard walked past him, waving at Obadiah. Steve was adjusting the handle of his shield. After a while, Pepper walked in while talking on the phone, and Schiller sat in front of the workbench, twisting a lightbulb.

Peter walked in carrying steaming breakfast. The laboratory floor trembled violently, and a giant lizard monster jumped in, instantly transforming into the refined Dr. Connors. Connors reached out, and a syringe was handed to Stark.

Stark looked up. Connors and Schiller were both watching him. Connors' hand reached over Obadiah's hospital bed and placed the syringe in front of him.

"Barring any accidents, he will wake up after finishing the final course of treatment," Schiller continued. "Besides that, his lifespan may be extended, and both his mind and physique will become younger."

Schiller looked at Stark's expression and said, "You should be deeply suspicious by now, because when you learned this news, you discovered that you weren't happy."

"You are thinking about why. You suddenly discovered that you aren't as magnanimous as you appeared. Perhaps you are also doubting whether there is truly any family affection between you and Obadiah, or if all of this is because of someone you even less want to mention..."

"Don't use mind-reading on me." Stark looked up at Schiller. For the first time ever, Schiller did not refute him, because he understood that the current Stark was no longer simply the Iron Man of this universe.

The moment he ascended to become the "One," many things became different.

Perhaps the energy consumption of the magic reactor meant this moment did not last very long, but fundamentally, the Stark before him had already understood all the truth.

Stark looked at Obadiah in silence. Neither Connors nor Schiller spoke.

When this genius, cursed by knowledge, saw through all the truths of the universe, he would no longer be trapped by those trivial emotions, nor would he be knocked down by the surging tide of sentimentality.

Consequently, he would be able to clearly make every judgment that affected his life and be prepared to take responsibility for them, without needing anyone else to remind him.

When the clouds on the horizon drifted past, the light shone in again. Stark stood up. He leaned over to pull the blanket on Obadiah, then said to Connors, "Proceed with the final stage of treatment."

Schiller said nothing. He pressed a button, and the doctor and nurse walked in. Stark left the ward against the flow of the crowd, and Schiller also walked out. The two stood by the door.

Stark asked him, "You are also the 'One,' right? You knew all of this long ago. You knew how they happened and how they would develop in the future. This is something every 'One' can do..."

Schiller tilted his head to look at Stark and said, "In that moment, you could have chosen to become the 'One.' That way, the energy of the magic reactor would no longer have any shackles on you."

"The 'One' is the 'One.' They will no longer rely on any energy to maintain their status, but why didn't you do that?"

Stark suddenly smiled and said to Schiller, "You hoped I would do that, right? You gave me a battery that allowed me to break through these barriers and stand at a higher level..."

"Perhaps you felt that no one could withstand this temptation: ascending to the highest level in an instant, seeing through all truths, and feeling that everything is under control. As long as one gives an affirmative answer, one can become an eternal god."

"You influenced Strange, influenced the Sorcerer Supreme, influenced Asgard and Odin, influenced the cosmic demons—all so that I could make the 'logical' choice at that moment and transform into the 'One' above the universe."

"So you should be very disappointed now that I wasted this opportunity and turned back into a mortal..."

"My psychology studies aren't too bad, are they?"

Stark turned his head to look at Schiller. Behind the two of them was the doorway filled with sunset light. It looked like a picture frame, turning their figures into silhouettes. The orange-red background was more vivid than any color a painter could mix on a palette, almost overflowing from the canvas and spreading onto the walls and floor.

"You indeed exceeded my expectations." Schiller lowered his head, but his tone was calm. He said, "But long before you, someone taught me a principle."

"Arrogance is a fatal poison. Whether it is a god or a human, when one believes they have the ability to change the entire situation, influence everyone's fate, and manipulate everyone like chess pieces, they are not far from death."

"This kind of arrogance will devour all humanity, causing one to lose the most precious wisdom and emotion, becoming an externalization of rules and order. Whether you believe it or not, I never thought about doing that."

"I am an ordinary person, and I always have been."

"Actually, I don't know what I was thinking either." Stark looked up. Some light passed through his hair, making his eyes shine brilliantly. Those shadows, like chains, seemed to have left him completely.

"Perhaps you won't believe it either, but when I learned that I could become the 'One' among countless universes, merge with all other versions of myself, and let all Starks become my incarnations and projections—when I knew all of this..."

Stark looked down. It was as if he were still standing on a towering mountain peak, the cold wind biting, the sky full of stars behind him. This was a space that could not be described or spoken of. He saw that all universes were being trampled beneath his feet.

Several shadows rushed toward him. They were about to merge into one, becoming a unique existence in the universe, no longer having so many fates, memories, and histories.

But the next second, Stark opened his arms and then jumped down without hesitation. Those shadows chased after him, but were blocked outside by the barriers of the single universe.

"... I refused this ascension."

"Is it difficult?" Stark asked and answered himself: "No, not difficult at all. There was nothing worth hesitating about."

"No matter how many difficulties those emotions and wisdom bring me, they are not reasons for me to abandon them. No matter how ugly human nature is, it is still a part of me, not dregs that need to be eliminated."

"A perfect yet lonely god will never be more noble than a vulgar yet lively human."

"You are indeed a hero." Schiller's voice sounded: "Because there is only one kind of heroism in this world, and that is to still love life after recognizing its truth."

When his final note fell, the clouds suddenly dispersed. At this moment, the brilliant orange-red background in the picture frame dimmed, like cooling steel, and the figures of the two slowly sank into the darkness.

"Beep—beep—"

The harsh sound of machines rang out from the ward. After a burst of noise, someone shouted: "He's awake! He's awake!"

——————Author's Note——————

Interlude 2260-005, Cut. ===== CHAPTER 221 =====