Karl was slightly stunned after hearing Charles Xavier's words.
The Avengers were equally surprised.
None of them had expected that someone capable of ruling the world might be awakening.
Karl did not respond immediately.
According to the mutant timeline, the being Charles described could only be Apocalypse.
But Apocalypse should have already been dealt with long ago.
Why would he only be appearing now?
Then Karl suddenly remembered something.
In this timeline, Gwen was older than Peter.
Many timelines had already shifted.
Realizing this, Karl understood that the chronology of events had changed.
Before Karl could speak, Ganata suddenly chimed in.
Her purple eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"So what should we do, Karl?"
"Should I just go and eat him?"
The moment Tony heard this, he quietly moved behind Bruce Banner.
Most people in the room didn't know who Ganata was.
But Tony did.
If she decided to eat someone—
They were all doomed.
Karl rubbed his temples slightly before speaking.
"Alright."
"Tony and Speed—you two focus on finding the location of that unknown AI."
"As for Yan, she can't leave her project right now."
"She won't be able to help."
Karl then turned toward Charles.
"Don't worry."
"When that mutant awakens, I'll deal with him."
Then he continued calmly.
"As for Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes…"
"I'll handle them the next time they appear."
Karl glanced at Dark Phoenix.
"Phoenix, stay at the manor."
"I'm going to help Stephen Strange."
"We need to deal with the situation at Kamar-Taj first."
After finishing his instructions, Karl opened a portal and stepped through.
Stephen Strange had already left earlier to activate the New York Sanctum.
Meanwhile, Tony and the others began investigating the mysterious AI.
Tony, Banner, and Speed headed toward Speed's data facility.
They searched through massive information networks for the rogue artificial intelligence.
The situation was extremely troubling.
The unknown AI had somehow infiltrated Tony's home systems, nearly destroying JARVIS's mainframe and core servers.
It had even taken control of most of Tony's vibranium armor suits and escaped.
Because of the damage, JARVIS's capabilities had been significantly reduced.
He could no longer locate the AI on his own.
To make matters worse—
The Hulk had been controlled during the incident.
Tony had been forced to fight Hulk in the middle of a city.
Buildings were destroyed.
Civilians died.
At first, Tony had built a fairly positive public reputation.
But after that incident, and with certain people deliberately spreading rumors online, public opinion turned sharply against superheroes.
Protests began appearing all over the internet.
However—
There was one exception.
No one dared criticize the Gold Saint.
Karl had never acted as a public superhero.
He didn't fight crime.
And more importantly—
He was known for killing without hesitation.
Public opinion meant nothing to someone like him.
On top of that, many powerful corporations had received Karl's lifespan essence over the years.
Those corporations naturally controlled public discourse and ensured that criticism never targeted Karl.
People might criticize:
Tony Stark
The Avengers
Even the President
But criticizing Karl?
That was dangerous.
Even the government avoided provoking him.
They might try to control the Avengers—
But they would never risk antagonizing Karl.
Meanwhile, Charles Xavier and Magneto joined Tony and the others in Speed's data center.
They hoped to help locate the mysterious artificial intelligence.
Back at the manor, Peggy Carter studied Ganata curiously.
She had personally witnessed Ganata biting into one of Tony's arc reactors and eating it like candy.
Combined with Tony's earlier reaction, Peggy immediately sensed that this mysterious woman was far from ordinary.
Meanwhile, on the second floor of the manor—
May, Raven, Gwen, Helen Zhao, Wanda, and the others were relaxing in the living room.
It wasn't that Karl had forbidden them from interacting with the Avengers.
They simply had no interest.
In their minds, if the sky collapsed—
Karl would handle it.
There was nothing to worry about.
Besides, Karl had already given several of them Ten Rings artifacts.
Their personal combat abilities had improved dramatically.
They felt no need to concern themselves with outside matters.
Instead, May, Raven, Gwen, and Helen Zhao were busy with a very different competition.
They were competing over who Karl would marry first.
Over the years, Karl had placed engagement rings on each of them.
The second person to receive one had been Raven.
After all, Raven could transform into anyone.
Because of that advantage—
May, Gwen, and Helen Zhao had all technically lost that round.
Meanwhile—
Karl arrived at the New York Sanctum.
Stephen Strange had already activated the Sanctum's magical barrier.
At that moment, Strange was fighting against Mordo, who was now surrounded by dark energy.
Several corrupted mages stood beside Mordo.
Seeing the situation, Karl raised his hand casually.
BOOM!
A wave of power blasted forward.
Mordo and the corrupted mages were instantly sent flying.
Karl floated calmly in the air.
His eyes were indifferent.
He had never interacted much with Mordo.
Even when Karl studied magic at Kamar-Taj, the two had barely spoken.
Mordo slowly stood up from the ground.
Dark energy twisted around his body.
"I didn't expect you to come back so quickly."
"I was almost successful."
He glared at Karl.
Mordo knew exactly who he was.
A being whose power rivaled—even surpassed—the Ancient One.
Karl looked at him calmly.
"So you chose darkness."
"You embraced Dormammu."
"All for the title of Sorcerer Supreme?"
Mordo suddenly burst into manic laughter.
"You probably don't know this!"
"The Ancient One also used Dark Dimension energy to prolong her life!"
"If she could use it—why can't I?!"
His voice became hysterical.
"Your revered Sorcerer Supreme…"
"Using dark energy!"
"How ridiculous!"
"How pathetic!"
Stephen Strange froze.
He turned toward Karl uncertainly.
"S-Senior Brother…"
"That can't be true… right?"
Karl answered calmly.
"Yes."
"The Ancient One did draw power from the Dark Dimension."
Then his gaze turned cold as he looked at Mordo.
"But you think you're comparable to her?"
"You think she needed dark energy just to survive?"
Karl's voice was full of disdain.
"A Skyfather-level powerhouse can easily live for a thousand years."
"There are countless artifacts on Earth capable of extending lifespan."
"And she possessed the Time Stone."
Karl looked at Mordo like he was looking at a joke.
"And you?"
"Look at yourself."
"Half human. Half monster."
"Pathetic."
"You're not even worthy of comparing yourself to her."
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