The structure of the arc reactor itself had not been modified, because altering the fundamental rules of reality would bring about a cascade of issues. The consequences of those issues would be too vast, which was not something Mephisto was pleased to see. Therefore, he had merely caused Stark to "miscalculate" a few parameters.
This alone was enough to cause all kinds of accidents across all the arc reactors, even resulting in major safety disasters. Predictably, once the safety of the arc reactors was proven unreliable, Stark Industries' stock price was destined to suffer a massive nosedive, one even more severe than when Tony initially announced that Stark Industries would exit the military weapons industry.
Yet, this was not even the greatest crisis at hand, for the simple reason that the Avengers Mansion was about to collapse!
"According to calculations, the collapse of the Avengers Mansion will cause..."
"I can calculate that myself!"
"Based on the current situation, this system reserves its opinion regarding that claim."
The explosion that erupted within the middle levels of the Avengers Mansion had practically melted through the entire building. If left unattended, the entire upper half of the Avengers Mansion would come crashing down.
However, if he went to resolve the issue in the middle levels, letting aside whether it could even be fixed, the even larger arc reactor at the base of the Avengers Mansion might very well detonate. If that thing blew up, forget the Avengers Mansion—there might not even be a Manhattan left.
Thus, Tony didn't opt for any "have his cake and eat it too" approach; he charged straight into the basement of the Avengers Mansion.
Right at that moment, Strange materialized inside via teleportation at the exact same time, sizing up the massive arc reactor before them, which was clearly glowing with an abnormal intensity.
"No, no, no, Magician. Let's get one thing straight first: this is not your area of expertise—it's mine."
"I know, Stark. I only came here to clear away any distractions for you."
Strange spoke as he cast a spell, using magic to prop up the entirety of the Avengers Mansion. "Mephisto entered our world through some method I have yet to discern and altered reality. He caused your products to become unstable, triggering a series of accidents like this."
For some reason, upon hearing all this, Tony suddenly felt a wave of immense relief.
"Ha! I knew it. How could my calculations possibly go wrong? Mephisto? That demon? I'm going to plant my boot firmly up his ass!"
Tony muttered as he looked over the data provided by Jarvis, quickly making a decision. With just a little bit of effort, the explosion could be completely averted.
There was still enough time, but considering the entire building above was on the verge of exploding, Tony felt it best not to waste any time. Consequently, he spent the absolute minimum amount of time completing the cooling process of the entire reactor and shut it down directly.
Only then did Tony begin addressing the issues with the Avengers Mansion itself—he activated the Super-Adaptoids located beneath the building to start stabilizing the entire structure. After a disaster like this, the Avengers Mansion could basically be declared a total write-off. However, they couldn't just leave it like that; they had to stabilize it first before finding a permanent solution.
Once he was mostly finished with the urgent tasks, Tony walked up to Strange's side. "That Mephisto guy... why is he giving me a hard time?"
Strange's expression was grave. He didn't know why Mephisto had set his sights on Tony Stark either. Logically speaking, Tony didn't possess anything that Mephisto would want; aside from Stark's extraordinary intellect, did he have anything else worth mentioning?
"...It seems you don't need to ask me that question anymore, because the person in question has arrived."
Mephisto had arrived. Dressed in a sharp suit, he wore a warm, genial smile, looking far more like a corporate elite white-collar worker than a demon.
Tony snapped his faceplate shut instantly, bringing his All-New, All-Different armor into a combat-ready state, while Strange immediately manifested defensive wards and opened the Eye of Agamotto.
"Tony Stark and Stephen Strange, the leaders of present-day humanity in two distinct realms. Two individuals so remarkably alike. It is a true pleasure to meet you."
"If you truly thought us getting acquainted was a good idea, then your execution leaves a lot to be desired."
Tony countered as he unleashed an arc pulse from his chest, yet his full-power strike failed to inflict any substantive damage on the figure before them.
As for Strange, he already held the Book of Vishanti in his left hand and the Time Stone in his right.
"In truth, I come here bearing no ill intent, gentlemen. I am here merely due to the requirements of a contract. The individual who signed the contract with me requested that I deal with Mr. Stark, nothing more."
The moment those words were spoken, Strange instantly pieced together the cause and effect. "So you needed those souls to enter Hell because you required souls from this reality to invite you into our world. Only then could you seamlessly blend into it unscathed... correct?"
Tony couldn't quite follow the nuances of this exchange, but he understood that the entity before them was not something technology could contend with.
However, Mephisto hadn't come to wage a battle either.
"Your world is currently facing an invasion—an unprecedented invasion. I have foreseen this. It comes not only from Malekith and his armies, but from other adversaries as well. Looking at it this way, don't you feel your world is a bit too dangerous?"
Tony was about to deliver a sarcastic retort, but Strange cut him off by throwing his cloak over him, interrupting his speech. Mephisto then let out a laugh. "Therefore, I am willing to provide the most direct security guarantee for your world."
"A security guard offering his services unprompted. Are you two interested?"
Strange bypassed the offer entirely.
"We require time to discuss this. Please take your leave for now."
"Then I shall look forward to your response, gentlemen."
Mephisto departed with a smile, prompting Tony to open his faceplate once more. "What was that about just now?"
"Mephisto is not merely a demon; he is a dimensional Hell-Lord. Any contract or assistance would strengthen his influence within our world."
Hearing this, Tony grew even more perplexed. "What does that have to do with me? I don't plan on signing any contracts."
"Because Mephisto's contracts do not require a signature, nor do they even require a formal verbal agreement. If you make a sarcastic comment, for instance, saying 'Fine, why don't you help us protect Earth,' as long as he says 'Very well,' the contract is still established."
Tony was genuinely shocked upon hearing this. He had no idea demons could operate in such a manner, so he immediately questioned the expert, "Then what should we do?"
"I will assemble my team immediately to attempt to resolve this issue from a magical standpoint. As for you, Stark, I'm afraid you have a much bigger problem on your hands."
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