Strange and Shiller were walking toward the venue. As they walked, Shiller asked, "So the five Doctor Stranges who died were relatively young?"
"Yes, some of them had only been exposed to magic for a short time. By our universe's standards, they were still magic apprentices. Although they inherited quite a bit of magic equipment from the Ancient One, their understanding and mastery of magic power were not proficient. After being hit by Green Lantern energy, they couldn't quickly adjust their own energy circuits, leading to a loss of magic phenomenon, so they couldn't open a teleportation portal to escape when the enemy arrived."
Shiller sighed slightly and said, "They didn't have a very good understanding of their own strength. But then again, without personally participating in a multidimensional war, it's impossible to imagine the intensity of such a war. Also, the opposing Green Lantern's commander was decisive, launching a saturation attack right away, which was indeed effective."
Professor X told me the main universe Doctor Strange's mental state is not very good." Strange pursed his lips, seeming a bit embarrassed, and said, "He might have been affected by some stimulus and I'm not sure if he can attend this meeting."
"Oh?" Shiller turned to look at Strange and then said, "He's been affected by a stimulus; what's going on?"
"A Doctor Strange died in front of him. You know, the one whose neck was twisted by that big gray guy, died quite horribly. But according to my follow-up inquiries with them, it wasn't very painful. Once judged to be beyond survival, they would immediately be reborn in the Battleworld. The criteria are strict, sparing them much suffering."
"I don't think he would have such a strong sense of guilt over the death of a companion, so I lean more toward that it caused him to empathize and recall some unpleasant memories."
"Unpleasant memories?"
"When was the last time he was closest to death?"
Strange thought for a moment and said, "Probably the car accident that took away his Hand of God title."
"As far as I know, there wasn't just one car accident in the main universe," Shiller said after thinking, "He should have experienced another car accident before, where his own brother died in front of him."
"You mean Victor?"
Shiller nodded and said, "One car accident made him witness the death of his closest person in front of him, and another took away his most proud possession. This is enough to leave a very deep psychological shadow on him."
"But this seems unrelated to witnessing Hai'er kill his counterpart."
"Yes, but that's just conventional judgment, and the connection in psychology is much more complex. In the eyes of someone mentally disturbed, two seemingly dissimilar scenes can become the reason they are triggered. If you can link those two scenes, then you also need to see a psychiatrist."
Strange sighed and continued, "If you ask me, his reactions seem more like someone was directly attacking his pride, resulting in an escapism inability to accept reality. In any case, Doctor Strange's performance was indeed quite poor."
"Are you going to share his burden?" Shiller asked, "If you speak up, maybe the commanders won't be too hard on him."
"We'll see." Strange didn't decline outright and said, "If his mental state is indeed very bad, I'll find an excuse to help him muddle through. After all, he was just too careless, not that he truly wanted anyone to die."
The two walked into the venue together. Almost everyone who participated in this battle had already taken their seats. Shiller appeared as a psychiatrist and sat with Professor X and others in the "technical support" section, along with Stark, since he didn't directly engage in combat but provided equipment.
Seeing Shiller, Stark walked over and nudged him with his elbow, saying, "Did you go to the front lines? What happened with Doctor Strange? Why did so many people die?"
Shiller shook his head slowly and said in a low voice, "I've heard that some Doctor Stranges who just learned magic recently went to the battlefield. After taking the impact of Green Lantern's energy, they couldn't cast spells and couldn't use teleportation portals to escape, which led to this tragedy."
"The key question is, why didn't they retreat with the main force?!" Stark raised his voice but quickly lowered it again, saying, "We had already informed them of the plan, right? That outpost was just a shoddily assembled hut; what's there to guard? Why insist on staying there?"
"You'll have to ask the person making the decisions," Shiller said, looking at the entrance to the conference hall. At this moment, the main universe Doctor Strange walked in.
Suddenly, everyone's eyes were on him. Obviously, most people were discussing the casualty issues this time.
In fact, if it weren't for the loss of the mages, they could completely claim it as a great victory, as apart from the deaths of two Thors, the other Asgardian sacrifices weren't even elites among Asgardian warriors, nor were they from Odin's Guard, so they wouldn't impact Asgard's core combat strength.
In other words, they exchanged the lives of two Thors for more than a dozen enemies, and all the dead were well-known superheroes. The Green Lantern also suffered heavy casualties, and the energy loss was considerable, making it a successful first battle.
But if you add in the loss of the mages, it's a whole different story. That's five full Doctor Stranges. Although the participation rate of Doctor Stranges was relatively high, the mages were incredibly useful. Even if they were weak in combat, just by opening teleportation portals for logistics in the rear, they could play a significant role. Losing five at once, even Five-Star General MacArthur would feel distressed.
Moreover, compared to the losses caused by the sacrifice of these five Doctor Stranges, the bigger issue is why these five people were sacrificed. This is the main topic of discussion for this meeting, as there may be a significant hidden risk behind it. If the problem is not identified and resolved immediately, more people will die.
Shiller looked over at the ordinary human commanders and found that most of them didn't seem in a good mental state, looking as though they hadn't slept for several days. If it weren't for the physical enhancement of the human bodies here, a few might have already collapsed from exhaustion.
The most ridiculous part was that a few old men from World War II looked like they could pass away at any moment. Shiller was really worried that if these superheroes caused any more trouble, they might anger a few living fossils to death, and then he would have to pull them back from Death again.
"Ahem." Captain America cleared his throat and said, "The war is not over, this is just a phase review meeting, so I'll keep it short. I've drafted with the central command's staff several of the biggest issues that emerged during this battle. Let's first discuss these issues. If there are any other problems, feel free to speak up. Now let me address the first issue..."
Shiller knew that usually, the most serious problem is discussed last in such situations. However, a delay in the penalty isn't necessarily easier to bear than immediate execution; instead, the delay might cause more mental stress. Shiller couldn't help but glance frequently in the direction of Doctor Strange.
The Main Universe Doctor Strange's face was very pale, but considering he had been in a vacuum environment for some time and his flesh was damaged, looking unwell was normal. From his expression, though, it didn't seem like he had any mental issues.
Shiller turned his head to look at Charles. Charles gave him a look, and the next second, his voice appeared in Shiller's mind: "Don't worry, Doctor Strange is much more resilient than we thought. He has fallen into despair several times but managed to claw his way out. As long as there's a sliver of hope, he won't give up."
"Furthermore, for him, suffering and setbacks are ladders to ascend. Adversity will unleash his greatest potential. Think about how he became the Supreme Sorcerer."
That's when Shiller realized that he was worrying about the Main Universe Doctor Strange by identifying with the Strange he knew.
The greatest setback the Central Universe Strange faced was probably when he had a ballpoint pen pressed against his forehead. He hadn't even had a car accident before being dragged into a scam. So if today's event happened to him, it would indeed be a major setback.
However, other universe's Doctor Stranges only became Supreme Sorcerers after crushing their hands, losing everything they once had, and being recognized by the Ancient One at the lowest point of their lives.
Those who haven't gone through such experiences might find it hard to understand. Strange-like individuals are very proud, even to the extent of being arrogant. It's his firm belief in his excellence that allows him to break through crowds of others who are better positioned than him and reach the pinnacle of his field.
For such individuals, being utterly shattered and losing everything they had results in unimaginable pain because their past confidence in their own excellence, luck, and being the favored of God will completely collapse. The beliefs that sustained their efforts crumble instantly into ash. Throughout history, numerous people, when faced with the agony of falling from grace, have chosen to end their lives.
Yet throughout Doctor Strange's entire life, after his hands were injured, he thought of every possible solution but never considered dying.
Even more, after facing such a setback, he could still earn the Ancient One's recognition. Remember, the Main Universe's Ancient One is very powerful; only he in the comic settings can live up to the title of 'Supreme Sorcerer.' Yet, after having lived for so many years and understanding virtually every cosmic truth, the Ancient One chose to pass on his mantle to his youngest apprentice, Stephen Strange, for good reason.
There are people in this world whom you don't find particularly outstanding when everything is going smoothly, at least not more outstanding than other fortunate individuals. But once they hit rock bottom, the difference between them and others who have reached the top becomes apparent.
"Rising from the ashes" is easy to say but as hard as ascending to the heavens in reality, as it involves facing not just one's mental stress but also an unfathomable social pressure. Even Xiang Yu was unwilling to cross Jiangdong, but Strange did, and more than once.
In the comics, even after becoming the Supreme Sorcerer, Strange had to abandon his title due to the misuse of black magic but later managed to break free of the black magic's influence and defeat strong foes once more. This proves that his initial comeback wasn't accidental but a testament to his true resilience. Most Stranges are like this.
Thinking about this, Shiller smiled to himself, realizing that for Doctor Strange, this significant casualty isn't the end but just the beginning. Batman will soon understand that prioritizing the mages' elimination was a mistake; it will not only fail to make the Doctor Stranges collapse but rather make them stronger.