Chapter 390: Chapter 390: The Dust Settles, Father and Daughter Reunited
In a hidden cave in the Himalayas, the Avenger Wanda and the Mutant Wanda stood facing each other. Their alluring figures cast shadows on the cave walls, flickering in the light of torches like two Arabian dancers.
Mutant Wanda gently lifted her hands, and Avenger Wanda placed hers on top. As their eyes met, a smile of relief appeared on both their faces.
Just moments ago, Avenger Wanda had successfully convinced Clark to spare Mutant Wanda's father—the man with the surname Maximoff who Clark had almost killed.
But now was not the time for them to rest; rather, what came next was of utmost importance for both of them. Without needing words, the two young women synchronized their conditions optimally. As chaos magic surged, they spoke in unison: "Let all mutants involved in the Battle of the Himalayas understand the truth!"
As they completed their spell, a wave of weakness hit them—this was the backlash from using chaos magic. Fortunately, this spell wasn't as demanding as one that might erase all mutants from the world, so the backlash was milder. Shared between them, it left them only feeling drained and weary.
...
As the chaos magic cast by the two Wandas affected every mutant on the battlefield, those who had just recovered from the shock of Magneto's defeat finally realized the truth.
It turned out that all the chaos had been orchestrated by the villain Dormammu, and these so-called Avengers from another realm were actually the good guys. They had been wrong about them all along!
Professor Xavier and Magneto, as the leaders among the mutants, used their abilities to command everyone to cease fighting. Then, looking towards Clark with apology, Professor Xavier said, "Mr. Clark, we sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding. We..."
Clark waved his hand, turning his attention to the Dark Phoenix.
Seeing Clark's somewhat mocking gaze, Dark Phoenix hesitated for only a moment before releasing her control over Jean Grey's body, returning it to its rightful owner.
Without the support of the Phoenix Force, Jean Grey's body weakened, and she began to fall from mid-air. Clark casually waved his hand, cushioning her fall with his divine power, allowing her to land smoothly.
Feeling the cold ground beneath her feet, Jean instinctively hugged herself for warmth and looked around in confusion, "My God! What exactly happened? Is Mr. Clark really the villain intent on destroying our world? I don't believe it!"
"He is not, my child," Professor Xavier approached to explain. "We misunderstood Mr. Clark and his team. In fact, their actions were correct; they were trying to save our world, while we were misled and obstructed them. Our true enemy is Dormammu, who was trying to consume our world."
After speaking, he turned to Clark and asked, "Mr. Clark, would you and your team consider staying at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters for a few days so we can discuss a cooperative approach to combatting threats like Dormammu?"
Clark shook his head gently, and just as Professor Xavier's face fell in disappointment, Clark spoke, "There's no need for cooperation anymore, as Dormammu has already been thoroughly killed by me. However, your world's rules are flawed; even without Dormammu, another similar threat could arise. To prevent such occurrences, I need to establish a Heavenly Sword Array here to defend against external demonic invasions. During my battle with Dormammu, four of the six swords that form the core of the array were heavily damaged. I need a quiet place to reforge them."
Hearing this, Professor Xavier's face broke into a genuine smile, "Xavier's School welcomes you."
Charles was quite adept at hospitality when he was not confused.
Despite this, Clark was straightforward in his response, "I must speak frankly: I am absolutely obligated to ensure the safety of those I bring. We can stay at your school temporarily, but if any of my people are attacked during this period, I won't care whether the aggressor is a mutant or a human... Do you understand?"
Professor Xavier clearly understood Clark's concerns. Today's battle had left many mutants dead and many Avengers injured. Given the hostilities, it wouldn't be surprising if some harbored resentment and tried to strike from the shadows.
Of course, besides these mutants, there were potential enemies among the humans as well, such as the anti-mutant militants led by Colonel William Stryker.
Clark's statement was clear: he had to guarantee the absolute safety of his team. Anyone daring to attack the Avengers, whether mutant or human, would be dealt with harshly, without regard for consequences or mercy.
Professor Xavier, with a bitter smile, finally nodded, "Since I've invited you, I naturally will take responsibility for your safety. To be honest, I envy you; as super-powered beings, you don't have to worry about persecution or oppression from
ordinary humans."
"It's quite simple to achieve that," Clark offered freely, "You just need to preemptively suppress and push out those who attempt to oppress us from the top echelons of society, and then establish the principle of treating ordinary people and super-powered beings equally as a political correctness. That way, you won't face so much opposition."
With this, Clark and Professor Xavier reached an understanding, signaling the end of the conflict. Everyone began to disperse from the battlefield.
In mid-air, the Ghost Rider, who had come to help, saw that the battle was over and turned to leave in his fiery motorcycle. However, Mandy suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
The Ghost Rider's eyes, burning with hellish flames, fell on the young girl blocking his path. After a moment of silence, his raspy voice said, "Step aside."
"I won't!" Mandy said determinedly, her eyes unwavering as she stared at the flaming skull, "I feel something very familiar about you, you must be someone I know well."
"Tell me, who are you really?"
The Ghost Rider remained silent.
Seeing this, Mandy boldly stepped forward and reached out to touch the fiery skull. Strangely, as her hand approached, the hellfire around the skull began to dissipate, revealing a face no different from human skin. It was the face that had often appeared in Hit-Girl's dreams for the past ten years.
"Big Daddy!"
It turned out the Ghost Rider was none other than Hit-Girl's father, Damon Macready!
He hadn't died in that warehouse fire as previously thought but had made a pact with Mephisto and transformed into the Ghost Rider.
That's why he had first sought vengeance at Frank D'Amico's building when Clark and others arrived, finding only the aftermath of all-consuming flames and the transformed Batmobile.
Mandy buried her head in her father's chest, sobbing for several minutes, a sight that brought tears to any onlooker...
After a long while, she finally looked up and turned to Clark, "Clark, did you know about this all along?"
Clark shook his head lightly, "I really didn't know. However, I had some suspicions when he appeared to save you, but it was just a guess until today..."
Clark couldn't be blamed for his delayed realization. In the original story, Ghost Rider was someone named Johnny Blaze, and who would have thought there would be such a sudden change in character?
He certainly didn't think anything he had done could have influenced the fate of the Ghost Rider.
As for the Ghost Rider, he touched Mandy's hair and softly said, "Now that you know the answer you sought, I must leave."
"Why must you leave?" Mandy turned back, looking unwillingly at her father, "Can't you stay with me?"
"I can't!" The Ghost Rider was very firm, with an undeniable resolve, "I am now a harbinger of disaster. Anyone associated with me will meet a bad end; I can't let that happen to you, Mandy. You know, Daddy loves you."
"But I can only protect you from the shadows, I absolutely cannot stay close to you, otherwise..."
Seeing the father and daughter's heart-wrenching farewell, Clark finally intervened, "Are you worried about Mephisto?"
The Ghost Rider turned to look at Clark seriously, "Thank you for looking after Mandy all these years. Today is our first meeting, but I must admit, you are very knowledgeable. Mephisto is a devil, and you must stay away from him."
"It seems you don't know me well." Clark's eyes shone with supreme confidence, facing the Ghost Rider's worried gaze, "Actually, it's Mephisto who should stay away from me. He is just a devil from hell. Killing him would not be difficult for me if I wished it!"
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