Wanda gritted her teeth.
She could feel the emotion called fear trying to erode her will.
But the essence of Chaos Magic is to distort reality—including distorting one's own emotions.
She forcibly suppressed the fear.
"You are Cul?"
There was a hint of provocation in Wanda's voice.
Cul looked her over with interest, the corners of his mouth curling into an imperceptible arc:
"What an ignorant and fearless little girl."
He raised his hand.
This movement caused the highly tense Wanda to instantly react; she pushed her hands forward, and a torrent of scarlet energy immediately blasted toward Cul.
That energy was enough to raze a mountain to the ground.
But Cul did not dodge.
He simply tapped the scepter in his hand.
A layer of dark green light screen appeared in front of him, and Wanda's Chaos Magic slammed into it like a stream hitting a dam.
The scarlet and dark green intertwined and held each other in a stalemate for about three seconds.
"Clang!"
The scarlet energy abruptly shattered. Affected by this backlash, Wanda subconsciously took a step back, and blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
But compared to the physical pain, what she found even harder to accept was the previous result.
Her Chaos Magic... was defeated head-on?
Not dissolved like with Peter, but crushed by sheer power!
Before she could adjust her emotions and the surging magic within her, Cul had already appeared in front of her.
The speed was so fast that even Pietro couldn't see it clearly.
A large hand covered in dark green runes grabbed Wanda's neck directly.
"Ugh~!"
Wanda grabbed Cul's wrist with both hands, scarlet energy surging wildly in an attempt to corrode his arm.
It was useless.
Once that energy touched the runes on Cul's skin, it vanished instantly, like snowflakes falling onto a branding iron.
"Let her go!"
Pietro turned into a silver afterimage and rushed over, slamming a fist into the back of Cul's head.
Cul didn't even turn his head.
His other hand swiped backward casually, and a stream of dark green energy swatted Pietro away.
Pietro's body tumbled a dozen times in the air before crashing heavily into the ruins three hundred meters away, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Pietro!" Wanda's eyes instantly turned blood-red.
The Chaos Magic within her went berserk at this moment!
The force of this moment was so strong that even Cul, who had been somewhat careless and relaxed, was shaken into forcibly letting go.
"Hmm?!"
Cul let out a surprised sound, and then appreciation was visibly added to his eyes.
"Such talent... remarkable!"
Seeing that Wanda still wanted to fight, he raised his scepter. The gem at the top of the scepter lit up, and four giant snakes made of dark green energy immediately flew out, tightly binding Wanda's limbs so she couldn't move again.
"Your talent is unique across the entire Nine Realms." Cul paced slowly around Wanda, as if examining a precious collection.
"With your potential... if you were to obtain that, you might truly become an existence that could threaten me."
Speaking of this, he stopped and looked at Wanda, saying:
"However, come to think of it, the reason I was able to awaken so early is thanks to you... From this perspective, you could even be considered my benefactor."
"Therefore, I will give you a choice."
"Submit to me and become my eighth The Worthy—no, something nobler than The Worthy."
Cul reached out his hand, and a ball of dark green light condensed in his palm, within which the phantom of a crown was vaguely visible.
"I am willing to groom you as the future ruler of the Nine Realms."
"After I complete my revenge and reign over the Nine Realms once more, I will pass the throne to you."
"At that time, you will become the new ruler of the Nine Realms."
"Superior to all gods."
These words were transmitted simultaneously to everyone in the World through the global projection system Cul had previously established.
Everyone was holding their breath, and Sin was so jealous that her eyes turned blood-red.
Ruler of the Nine Realms.
This bargaining chip... was just too tempting.
The hearts of the members of the Avengers were in their throats.
They didn't understand Wanda.
They didn't know what choice this woman would make.
If she agreed—
Then everything would truly be over.
Wanda lowered her head, her long hair covering her expression.
The silence lasted for five seconds.
Then she raised her head.
In those scarlet eyes, there was no hesitation, no struggle, and not even anger.
Only three cold words were spat out from her lips:
"In your dreams."
Crisp.
Decisive.
Leaving no room for anything else.
Cul's expression froze.
A trace of disbelief flashed in his pupils, immediately replaced by intense killing intent.
"Ungrateful."
His voice suddenly turned cold.
"Since that's the case... then go to hell."
Cul raised his right hand, and a pitch-black energy ball condensed in his palm.
Dark green lightning constantly crackled on the surface of the energy ball; anyone could see the extraordinariness of this attack.
Without a doubt, if this energy ball hit Wanda, she would undoubtedly die!
"Stop!"
Captain America threw his shield at Cul with all his might.
The Vibranium shield cut through the air, accurately hitting Cul's wrist.
"Cling."
The shield bounced off.
Cul's wrist didn't move an inch.
He didn't even look at Captain America.
The energy cannon from Tony, firing at full power, blasted onto Cul's back, exploding into a dazzling ball of fire.
The fire dissipated.
Cul's clothes didn't even wrinkle.
Gwen's spider web wrapped around Cul's arm, and she pulled backward with all her might.
The web stretched taut for a second, then snapped.
Everyone was fighting for their lives.
But all their efforts combined couldn't make Cul's movements deviate by even a millimeter.
This is the gap between gods and mortals.
An insurmountable chasm.
The black energy ball in Cul's palm grew larger and brighter.
Global viewers were holding their breath at this moment; many even knelt on the ground, praying to God, gods, or The Arbiter to bring a miracle.
Looking at that power capable of completely obliterating her, Wanda slowly closed her eyes.
She still didn't feel a shred of fear.
Strange.
Facing death at this moment, she actually didn't feel any fear, but rather, was incomparably calm.
What emerged in her mind was a face that was overly young, with a somewhat punchable smile.
Peter Parker.
The man who brought her and Pietro to America, left the cold jade bed for her, and let her have a good sleep for a long time.
Is this the end?
Although it feels a bit sloppy.
However... if I die like this, I won't owe you anything anymore, right?
Cul pushed his palm forward.
The black energy ball left his hand and blasted toward Wanda's face.
Everyone's heart stopped beating at this moment.
And then...
"Boom!!!"
A golden pillar of energy descended from the sky, accurately intercepting that black energy ball!
The two forces collided in mid-air, exploding into a shockwave capable of razing all buildings within a hundred-meter radius to the ground.
Cul's pupils shrank suddenly.
He looked up abruptly, releasing his aura without reservation like an enraged lion.
In the sky, a rift was expanding.
That was no ordinary rift; the other end of the rift connected to a brilliant golden sea of stars.
That was... the light of the Bifrost Bridge!
***************************
Thoughts on where the plot is heading? Let me know in the comments! If you're enjoying the ride, please leave a quick review and toss a few Power Stones my way. Every bit of support means the world! 🙌