The black-purple halo rippled in every direction, and the thick layer of ice solidifying across the ground was easily shattered by the quake.
The X-Men felt as if an invisible hand had released a tremendous force, lifting them away with effortless ease, like insignificant mites tossed from a mattress when the sheets were shaken—small and helpless.
"Keep your distance and avoid the Power Stone's attack!" Scott shouted. Before they arrived, Professor X had warned them that the man's stones might be Infinity Stones. Whether that was true or not did not matter. What mattered was that they all returned safely...
Bobby respected the professor deeply. When he had been betrayed by his own brother at the lowest point in his life, it was the X-Men who had accepted him and allowed him, a freak, to live among a group of other freaks.
Only with the X-Men could he temporarily forget the fact that he was different.
So... he would not let anything happen to his partners here.
Bobby's entire body turned into ice crystals, like a beautiful ice sculpture. Cold air surged around him without restraint. He slowly took one step forward, and a line of ice spikes suddenly formed across the ground, attacking Renzo ferociously.
Bobby's ice was harder than ordinary ice, and combined with its extreme low temperature, almost no one could easily block his attack.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard the ice was, it was still ice.
Bang, bang, bang!
The sharp ice spikes pierced Renzo's body as if nothing had happened. Instead, the terrifying-looking spikes shattered abruptly on impact.
Bobby's expression did not change. He had already considered this possibility. He had never expected his ice to break through extremely hard vibranium. If it could, then Wakanda would be the biggest joke in the world.
Scott looked at the young man, who still seemed deep in thought, and frowned. Apart from him and Bobby, the other X-Men present might have special abilities, but their strength was only average. The two men's probing attacks had already surpassed the others' full power. Completing this mission successfully was almost impossible.
"Erik... why did you have to die so early?" Scott cursed. Naturally, an expert in controlling metal would be the best person to deal with a metal man.
Unfortunately, Magneto Erik from the 838 universe had died on a mission more than ten years ago. He had been hit by a drug that eliminated mutant abilities and had finally died under random military gunfire.
With Magneto's death, the members of his Brotherhood had either died or fled. Juggernaut, Porcupine, Chameleon... these notorious figures died one after another. Some were captured by the military and experimented on, while others were dealt with by the X-Men themselves.
The reason was that they had done too many terrible things. They had even wanted to avenge Erik by bombing a military base and shooting dozens of innocent people in Texas. In the end, Professor X had remotely controlled them and given them a decent way to die.
Of course, some had been hidden away by the professor. Although they had once stood on opposite sides, they were still mutants. Charles could not bear to watch those children fall into the devil's claws one by one, so he rescued them and imprisoned them in the lowest level of Xavier's School.
Scott felt the professor was too indecisive. Even if they were fellow mutants, anyone who committed a heinous crime deserved judgment, not daily meals and a comfortable prison where they could lie around wondering what they might eat tomorrow.
The man in front of him should also be punished. Although he was a warrior from another universe and even the guardian of the Infinity Stones, what did that have to do with Scott?
Anyone outside their circle could become a threat.
Scott had understood that truth when he was a teenager, so he would not let go of anyone who posed a danger to Xavier's School, even if those people were heroes, the government, or even former comrades-in-arms.
"Rogue! Copy my ability!" Scott yelled, and Rogue, standing to the side, responded at once.
She was actually quite embarrassed. She had come to participate in this mission with the determination to die. Even though she had heard that this man was strong, she had not expected him to be this strong. The attacks from several of them had not even left a scratch on his body, making her feel that it made no difference whether she came or not. Either way, they would all be defeated.
And this man did not seem to have any intention of killing them. Instead, he looked as if he were teasing kittens and puppies. There was no anger in him, but the unpredictable smile at the corner of his mouth made her especially uneasy.
Rogue lightly touched Scott and instantly copied his ability. Her sharp eyes suddenly became unbearably hot. Rogue had never expected that Scott had endured this kind of pain for decades.
Unable to bear it, Rogue roared, and high-temperature optic blasts instantly shot from her eyes. Since it was her first time using them and she was not very skilled, she almost accidentally injured Bishop and Mystique, who were watching from the side.
"Don't do that!" Bobby looked at Rogue's state and could not help shouting anxiously. His ice-formed body hurried to the girl's side to prevent Renzo from hurting her.
"Don't freeze up! Attack together!" Scott increased the power of his eyes. At this moment, he no longer cared whether he would be injured or what might happen. Two thicker and hotter beams fired toward Renzo.
This was not something as simple as destroying a tree. Renzo could feel the energy contained within it. It was much stronger than his psychic beam and Stark's palm cannon.
If he relied solely on vibranium to resist it, something might happen.
Renzo's mind moved quickly. The second before the optic blasts struck him, a crack tore open in the space in front of him, and four beams of light rushed straight into the rift, vanishing without a trace.
New York City.
Wanda took her time admiring the scarlet kingdom she had built. After seeing their queen, the infected people knelt one after another. Looking closely, some superheroes could be seen among them.
Wolverine, Daredevil, Dr. Lizard...
Those proud heroes who had refused to bow their heads were now kneeling on the ground in humiliation, begging humbly before the queen. Their former dignity had scattered into the wind along with their reason.
"You think a small light screen can stop me? You're looking down on me."
Wanda smiled wickedly. Her once youthful and resolute face was gone, replaced by endless greed and cunning. Sinister and vicious were not enough to describe the witch before them.
She looked upon life as nothing but sin, and upon sin as salvation.
Wanda had completely fallen into chaos and followed Chthon's will, becoming the Scarlet Witch.
However, Chthon was not having an easy time now. After initially paying the price of a clone, he had brought Wanda to his world across countless dimensions. But Renzo had visited him, struck him several times, and caused Wanda to be lost from his world.
Relying on his fated connection with Wanda, he found this universe and wanted to retrieve the vessel he was most satisfied with. However, he had accidentally provoked a powerful Phoenix, which left an indelible mark on his body. Although he also shattered that Phoenix into pieces, he had already swallowed the wound.
This time, he had wanted to find a replacement, coax her into entering the Scarlet Dimension, and make her his new vessel.
Unexpectedly, this Wanda was even darker. Not only did he fail to take her back, but the vessel sucked away his power and killed one of his clones.
Chthon returned to his own dimension to recuperate. Since he had appeared in this world, he had never suffered such frustration.
Wanda was very satisfied with the attitude of the people at her feet. She should be the queen of this world, and she deserved a better life.
Her current strength had already surpassed Renzo's, conservatively estimated at the level of four to five Infinity Stones.
The Infinity Stones mentioned here were not the superficial kind of use shown by Thanos and others, but the true power unleashed when all the energy inside the stones was fully released.
The crimson high heels clicked against the ground, and her enchanting face seemed to smile, as if she was very satisfied with the troops she had accumulated.
Wanda walked slowly, and suddenly, the surrounding scenery changed, as if she had fallen into another layer of a dream.
There was only one road here, paved with colorful cobblestones. The sky was different from the scarlet world outside. It was clear blue, with white clouds like marshmallows dotting the gentle sky.
A breeze blew past, and her withered yellow hair shifted into a different color. Pure black hair draped smoothly over her shoulders. The exaggerated smoky makeup on her face disappeared, returning her to her original fresh and clean appearance.
She twitched the corners of her mouth a few times, as if trying to find a good smile, making her expression look dark and strange.
At the end of the road stood a small cabin. Christmas dolls that had not yet been taken down hung beneath the eaves. Two small bicycles leaned outside the wooden house, with little helmets hanging from the handlebars. They looked like children's bicycles.
Wanda's eyes softened instantly when she saw the small bicycles. Her red battle suit turned into ordinary home clothes. Inexplicably, two large plastic bags appeared in her hands, filled with toys and snacks.
The woman opened the wooden door. The wind chimes at the entrance jingled, and a look of joy suddenly bloomed across her face.
"Tom... Billy? Mom is back..."
Wanda smiled softly. The sound of thumping footsteps came from upstairs, followed by the noisy shouts of two children.
There was a flash of silver light, and the slippery Tom slid in front of Wanda in the blink of an eye, while Billy could only come down the stairs slowly, one step at a time.
"Mom!" x2
The two children flew into their mother's arms like nestlings waiting for food.
"Okay, okay, I bought you good things!" Wanda gently stroked the two children's heads. Her warm smile was like the soft sunshine of early spring, making both children feel very comfortable.
"Look, what's this?" Wanda took the toy she had bought from the bag. Her eyes curved with joy, and she truly looked like a gentle mother.
"Wow! It's Captain Marvel!" Tom and Billy looked at the toy in their mother's hands and shouted excitedly.
What child did not admire heroes? Although both children had superpowers, that did not conflict with admiring other heroes, just like Falcon Sam, Ant-Man Scott, and Captain America's followers.
Captain Marvel, known as the most powerful hero, was naturally an object of admiration among children. Both boys and girls wanted to meet Captain Marvel. However, her toys were not the best-selling ones. Captain Carter's models were even more popular among children, and they were loved by everyone, especially certain obsessed collectors who bought tens of thousands of dollars' worth of high-quality figures with a wave of their hands.
Wanda was very happy to see her children's smiling faces, and the darkness in her heart seemed to disappear, turning entirely into tenderness toward her sons.
"But I want Captain Carter more!" Billy pouted and said coquettishly to his mother.
"Okay, okay, Mommy will buy it for you in a few days, all right?" Wanda stretched out a slender white finger and gently tapped little Billy's forehead, calming the child's temper.
Captain Marvel's doll was held in Tom's hand. He moved its joints back and forth while shouting, "Whoosh!" and "Here comes Captain Marvel!"
"Let me play with it for a while!" Billy pretended to rush up and grab it. Of course, Tom would not let him have it, so the two children began making a fuss around the living room.
A happy smile appeared on Wanda's face, and she turned to look at the other toys in the bag.
Human Torch, Thing, Ghost Rider, Venom...
The smile vanished. Scarlet magic surged in her eyes, and the same magic appeared over those "toys." Faintly, faces emerged from the toys, struggling in pain, their expressions pleading as if begging Wanda for mercy.
The woman smiled faintly, and scarlet light flashed in her pupils.
The toys instantly calmed down, but the expressions on their faces were still filled with terror, as if they were facing something utterly hopeless...
"Captain Carter..." A trace of evil flashed across Wanda's face, and her eyes filled with a frightening pure black, as if she was plotting something terrible.
...
"I told you, you are not my opponents." Renzo looked at the X-Men scattered across the ground, blood at the corners of their mouths. Cyclops Scott was pinned beneath a large tree, and only his slight trembling and faint breathing proved that he was still alive.
Bobby held Rogue in his arms and looked at the demon-like man in front of him with horror. The scene from just now was still vivid in his mind. His girlfriend in his arms was so frightened that she did not dare raise her head to look at the man.
The rest of the mutants were much the same. They did not even have the courage to stand up.
Renzo walked among the mutants, a hint of apology in his tone. "You were the ones who attacked first. I was only acting in self-defense."
After saying that, Renzo grabbed Mystique by the hair and held her up.
"Stop!" Bobby shouted. Then he realized something was wrong with the situation, and his tone suddenly softened. "Please let her go. She's only a child and hasn't been with the X-Men for long."
Renzo glanced at Bobby. He had to admit that this kid had courage and ability. Unfortunately, he was not destined to be the protagonist. Otherwise, he might have achieved great things.
Seeing that Renzo had no intention of letting go, Bobby hardened his heart and said, "I'll give you an arm. Please let her go."
"What do I need your arm for?" Renzo looked at Bobby as if he were a fool. He had admired this boy just now, but he had not expected him to still be so innocent.
After speaking, Renzo raised Mystique in front of his eyes, and the light of the Mind Stone shone over the teenage girl.
"Ah!"
Mystique suddenly screamed in pain. The piercing scream stirred Rogue's fear, and she also cried out in terror.
"Please!" Bobby was still begging Renzo to let her live. Seeing his comrade in such pain made his own heart suffer as well.
Renzo ignored them and stared at Mystique instead. A faint red mist gradually filled the girl's body, pouring out from her pores. Her pupils turned white, and a trace of drool flowed uncontrollably from the corner of her mouth as she cried out in pain.
After a while, the red mist stopped emerging from Mystique's body. Renzo finally released his hand, but his eyes became even more serious.
Wanda... was really placing people everywhere. Did she truly want to overturn the world?
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