Magneto was going to be extremely difficult to deal with, and for the moment, none of them had a good solution.
Were they supposed to simply sit around and wait for disaster to strike?
Karl remained silent, still calculating everything in his mind.
Dealing with Magneto would definitely require considerable power.
Magneto could manipulate even trace amounts of iron atoms.
And because human blood contained a certain amount of iron, that meant he could potentially manipulate humans across Earth.
He could even control the flow of blood through their bodies and, through that, interfere with their brain activity and thoughts.
That kind of power was absolutely not something they could underestimate.
Magneto didn't even need conventional armor.
Using his magnetic field alone, he could create a virtually flawless battle suit around himself.
Ordinary attacks wouldn't be able to harm him at all.
Even if Iron Man, Eric O'Grady, and every superhero present attacked together, they might not be able to injure him in the slightest.
That was what truly shocked them.
Even the X-Men understood just how severe the consequences could be once Magneto was unleashed.
It wasn't as though they had never fought him before.
At the subatomic level, Magneto could manipulate the atoms contained within metals, combine them with atoms from other substances, and use that connection to manipulate those materials as well.
From enormous combat machines all the way down to something as small as an ant, anything could potentially fall under his control!
The level at which he could manipulate matter was far beyond what they had previously imagined.
"If Tothwanwell actually dared to release Magneto this time, then that means he must have upgraded him."
"And probably through more than just one iteration!"
"No matter how difficult he is to deal with, we need to find another way."
Iron Man had already anticipated that the situation would be far more troublesome than before.
They needed a much stronger countermeasure.
They couldn't simply wait helplessly.
If they continued doing nothing, the consequences would only become worse.
By the time they finally tried to stop it, it might already be too late.
"Look at the situation we're in now."
"This is only the beginning."
"Who knows what other methods they still have waiting for us, or how long they'll be able to keep putting us under pressure?"
"I'm worried that the longer this drags on, the more dangerous it'll become for us."
Eric O'Grady suddenly considered another possibility.
What if they placed Magneto inside a complete vacuum?
They could isolate him from all external matter.
"Useless."
"He can even fly freely through a vacuum. Something like that wouldn't be difficult for him at all…"
"Fighting him is going to be extremely difficult."
"One mistake, and he could take you down instantly."
"Magneto is far more troublesome than we imagined…"
Their expressions grew increasingly grave.
Iron Man understood that simply explaining another plan wouldn't solve their problem.
If the Skrulls had dared to release Magneto, then Tony needed to build an entirely new set of equipment specifically for dealing with him.
"We shouldn't stay gathered together like this."
"If he finds us, he could wipe us all out at once."
"Instead, we should split up."
"There are several hidden locations scattered around Earth that we can use."
Iron Man brought up a screen.
More than a dozen locations appeared, each marked with a red circle.
These were safe houses Tony had carefully established in advance.
Almost no one knew about them.
At the very least, it would be extremely difficult for the enemy to locate them in a short period of time.
"You'll spread out across the world and protect the areas around you."
"I'll keep in contact with all of you through a dedicated network."
"Magneto possesses an incredibly powerful magnetic field, but I'll do everything I can to develop an anti-Magneto suit."
"Once that armor is finished, I'll be the first one to challenge him."
"But until then, I need all of you to lie low and stay hidden."
"Do not expose yourselves unless absolutely necessary."
For now, Tony's plan was the only viable option they had.
They simply couldn't think of anything better.
"Looks like that's all we can do for now…"
It was frustrating, but everyone understood Tony's reasoning.
By dispersing across different locations, at least they wouldn't risk having their entire force wiped out in a single attack.
Karl, meanwhile, found Tony's mention of an anti-Magneto suit rather interesting.
"That suit you just mentioned…"
"Are you actually serious about building it, or were you only saying that to reassure everyone?"
"I don't know."
Tony frowned as he thought.
"I have an idea, but I can't guarantee anything yet."
"I just have this feeling that something isn't right."
Iron Man continued thinking while Eric stood nearby, helplessly shaking his head.
They had originally believed that rescuing most of the captives would finally give them a chance to relax.
Instead, apart from Tony's proposed countermeasure, they still hadn't found any real solution.
"Magneto was released without warning."
"We need to stay alert."
"These people came prepared."
"I'm worried that the longer we let this drag on, the less it'll help us…"
Karl knew perfectly well what Iron Man was capable of.
But according to what they knew, Magneto's magnetic field could draw power from matter and energy throughout the universe.
Finding a reliable way to counter something like that would be extraordinarily difficult.
Karl didn't want Tony exhausting himself over it.
For now, everyone simply needed to focus on what they could actually accomplish.
Elsewhere, Tothwanwell watched Magneto emerge from the enormous silver enclosure.
Magneto radiated an overwhelming presence.
Tothwanwell stared at him as though he were admiring a priceless work of art.
His excitement was obvious.
"I refuse to believe that with a weapon like this, we still need to fear Karl!"
"If he knew what we had prepared, he'd probably be terrified."
"He'd want nothing more than to find somewhere to hide."
"But it's already too late!"
"He reduced everything the Skrulls built to this state."
"Now he and the others will face our judgment!"
"Everything will be under our control!"
"Even if he wants to surrender now, it's already too late."
The intensity in Tothwanwell's eyes was enough to make anyone shudder.
Karl knew that everything was about to become increasingly violent and dangerous.
The situation had already gone far beyond what he had initially expected.
From this point onward, things would only become more treacherous.
They needed to make proper use of every bit of power available to them.
They couldn't afford another disaster.
Magneto finally revealed himself completely.
Tothwanwell stepped forward and extended a hand toward him.
Ultron might have been difficult to control, but Tothwanwell had worked with him for a long time.
Because of that experience, he had convinced himself that he could keep Magneto under control as well.
But the moment he moved closer, the magnetic field around him suddenly changed.
Something immediately felt wrong inside his body.
His blood didn't feel right.
Tothwanwell's pupils abruptly widened.
Fear flashed across his face.
"Stop!"
"Are you trying to kill me?!"
There was no visible injury on the outside.
But Tothwanwell could clearly feel his blood beginning to flow backward through his body.
This was Magneto's greeting.
The moment they met, he had already chosen to assert his dominance.
Tothwanwell immediately understood one thing.
This man was going to be anything but easy to control.
(End of Chapter)
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