The yellow gem floated above his palm without directly touching his skin. Even so, the whispers from within the gem and the vast flood of thoughts surged forth like a tide, trying to breach Salomon's mental defenses.
Tyrant, murderer, conspirator, hypocrite, liar...
Countless accusations that struck straight at the soul came without end. Yet in the face of this mental assault, Salomon calmly admitted every soul-piercing charge. He accepted them all without wavering, because he fully understood the consequences of everything he had done. Expressionless, he took out the blast-proof combination case from his briefcase, lined with black velvet, black composite foam, and a black inner layer glowing with the deep green light of a circuit board. He placed the gem inside and locked it away, completely severing the endless mental whispers from the physical universe. The immense power that could reshape an ordinary person's mind was as feeble as white spray breaking against towering obsidian mountains.
He had taught Wanda about Vision's true nature long ago, hoping to ease her psychological burden, because he knew she would face this trial sooner or later. However, it seemed that the gem had still found a gap in Wanda's mind. Although the Mind Stone itself possessed neither good nor evil, not everyone could wield such powerful Mental Power without losing themselves. If his premonition had not brought him to this apartment in advance, Wanda Maximoff might soon have become the Mind Stone's agent, using her own power and the gem's power to cause a tragedy she never wanted.
It was not that he was dissatisfied with Wanda Maximoff's performance.
Not everyone possessed a soul of steel. Personally killing a sentient being would inevitably leave psychological scars. Even Salomon, who had received Kamar-Taj's education all his life, would be shaken by compassion and