An accident.
A power surge.
A sudden ascent to greatness.
That was practically the standard formula of superhero universes.
Reasonable—
My ass.
And another thing—
If System-issued loyalty was protected from external mind control, then what the hell was this so-called "psychic corruption"?
[System Prompt: Do you wish to perform today's Daily Check-In?]
'What?'
'There's more?'
'Has another day passed already?'
[Ding. Daily Check-In complete. Congratulations. Reward obtained: Psychic Corruption Immunity.]
[Psychic Corruption Immunity: You now possess absolute rationality under self-regulation.]
[Flavor Text: "When I gaze upon the eldritch gods, they should tremble in return."]
"Ohhh…"
"So that's what you meant by 'psychic corruption.'"
Wait a second.
Were there even Lovecraftian entities in the Marvel universe?
Leon pondered that.
Still—
The moment he acquired Psychic Corruption Immunity, everything clicked.
He finally understood why, despite possessing Mental Control Immunity, he had still been affected by the Lasso of Truth's forced "truth-or-dare" effect.
The power of the mind was truly fascinating.
Leon felt, once again, that intoxicating sensation of being omnipotent.
Even though, technically, this new ability didn't increase his combat power at all.
Or did it?
"Absolute rationality under self-regulation"…
Judging by the System's description, this was no cheap, throwaway perk.
"Wonderful…"
"That feeling of invincibility…"
The last time he felt this way was when he simultaneously obtained the Soldier Boy Template and Super Self-Regeneration—that leap in power and control over his body.
Now—
Complete dominion over his own mind produced the same sensation.
There was something he was missing.
Something important.
Leon was still deep in thought when—
"Ma…ster… Here…you…go."
2B's combat support unit, the POD—nicknamed PP·Bond by Leon—returned the Mind Stone Scepter, having retrieved it from the sea.
Its voice was mechanically flat, every syllable evenly spaced in classic monotone.
Leon had once tried modifying it into a cute anime-girl voice.
He failed.
Spectacularly.
But the result had its own charm.
Too human would've ruined the vibe anyway.
"Thanks, PP·Bond."
"No…need…to…thank…me… It…is…my…duty."
Leon accepted the Scepter and switched to holding unconscious Bast with one arm, carefully monitoring her condition. He didn't want to stash her in the System Storage Space and miss any sudden changes.
At that moment—
"=="
Aionsega, apparently fed up with Leon's idiocy, detached itself from his wrist. It expanded proportionally until it was large enough to serve as a floating platform.
It hovered beside him.
Clearly signaling:
Put her here.
Bang—
"Look at you, acting smart."
Leon kicked the shield away.
"(o｀Д′)o"
Aionsega shot back instantly and began pecking at Leon's head like an angry sparrow.
"Alright, alright!"
"Stop it, you little brat. Isn't this childish?"
"Fine, fine!"
He surrendered.
He gently laid Bast flat across the shield's surface.
"=ω="
Satisfied.
Leon had no idea what strange "cat paws on top" principle governed Aionsega's behavior, but apparently this was sacred.
Turning his attention back to the Scepter, Leon examined it more closely.
From the outside, it didn't look severely damaged.
Then—
BOOM.
As if responding to his thoughts, the Scepter abruptly shattered into fine powder. The blue crystalline casing around the Mind Stone disintegrated as well.
The yellow gem itself was now fully exposed, emitting a subdued but deeply hypnotic glow.
Yet Leon was entirely immune to its influence.
"Whew. As long as the Stone itself is fine…"
Crack.
A jagged fracture split across the Mind Stone's surface.
The yellow light flickered—
And died.
Like a corpse.
It fell inert in Leon's palm.
"Hello?"
"Excuse me?"
"Are you okay?"
He shook it.
No response.
It felt like an ordinary stone.
"…."
Silence.
At that moment, Arcee—still in motorcycle mode—flew over with unconscious 2B secured inside.
"Leon. 2B's condition is abnormal."
Leon sighed.
"When it rains, it pours."
He manually disengaged 2B's external heat-dissipation components, checking for physical damage. Simultaneously, he activated Observation Haki to scan her internal systems.
The external inspection concluded quickly.
Her body frame was flawless.
No structural damage whatsoever.
But internally—
Observation Haki detected something unusual.
Something that absolutely should not have been there.
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