"No fighting! No fighting! Bullying an honest man isn't fair!"
Steven shouted as his feet never stopped moving. He frantically dodged Balder's relentless attacks. His weapons had already been knocked away, and the two batons were now whistling through the air in Balder's hands.
"May Khonshu strike you down!"
As he ran for his life, Steven desperately called out to Mark inside his mind.
"Wake up! Wake up! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"
Realistically, he probably wouldn't. Moon Knight's healing ability rivaled Wolverine's. Even if several swords pierced his body, he could recover astonishingly fast.
Whoosh!
Balder let out an enraged roar.
The crimson corruption had completely consumed his reason.
He suddenly raised both hands to cover his eyes.
Even gods could be deceived by illusions. Thor himself had once fallen victim to Wanda's mind tricks, proving that divine will was hardly immune to psychic attacks.
With a furious growl, Balder hurled one of the batons at Steven's back.
Empowered by divine strength, it tore through the air like a missile, piercing Steven's body in the blink of an eye.
A second baton followed immediately, striking his leg and sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Mark! Mark! If you don't wake up, we're both dead!"
Steven screamed in panic.
"Damn it! I'm the alternate personality! Why am I the one fighting this lunatic? You're the one who signed the contract with Khonshu!"
"...Mom, watch over me."
Balder grabbed Steven by both ankles as effortlessly as picking up a chicken.
The God of Light's shoulders bulged with muscle as fury blazed in his bloodshot eyes.
Unable to vent his humiliation against Wanda, he poured every ounce of his rage onto the heroes before him.
Moon Knight—by far the hardest one to put down—became his chosen target.
Again and again, the baton crashed into Steven's head.
The moonlight symbol glowing on his forehead gradually dimmed.
The light in his eyes flickered like a failing bulb.
Perhaps...
Once that moonlight disappeared completely...
Steven would sleep forever.
...
Compared to the chaos outside, things inside the Illuminati headquarters were no better.
"Wanda?!"
Chaos Magic slammed Renzo into the ceiling.
An overwhelming force pinned him there, pressing relentlessly upward while chunks of concrete and dust rained around him.
Charles had been crushed beneath his yellow hoverchair.
Blood slowly trickled down the back of his head.
His aging body could no longer withstand serious injuries. At his age, even an ordinary fall could prove fatal.
No amount of psychic power could compensate for a frail body.
Reed stared at the terrifying witch in disbelief, desperately trying to reason with her.
"Wanda... please don't do this."
His voice trembled.
"You've already destroyed an entire city. Hundreds of thousands—maybe millions—have lost their homes. How is this any different from someone trying to destroy the world?"
"I am trying to destroy the world."
Wanda smiled like a madwoman.
Her body flickered.
This wasn't her true form—only a projection created through Balder using the Space Stone.
She had simply followed him back to the refuge of the remaining survivors.
"I want to remake this world."
"I want it to become beautiful."
Her scarlet eyes burned with obsession.
"There are too many people suffering. Discrimination. Mockery. Despair."
"It's harder to find a genuinely decent person than a treasure buried in garbage."
"How many families have been destroyed because of your so-called heroic battles?"
"How many people have lost everything?"
"That's why I chose this path."
"If you'd spent more time looking at those people instead of calling yourselves heroes..."
"...the world wouldn't have become this."
In Wanda's eyes, every injustice could be traced back to the heroes before her.
Their noble ideals.
Their endless battles.
Their insistence on protecting the world.
To the corrupted Scarlet Witch, it all looked like another form of control.
The X-Men lay defeated around the room.
Cyclops' eyelids had been sewn shut.
Bishop had been bound into a human cocoon with his own hair.
Blink had been torn apart by one of her own portals.
Only Reed remained standing.
But even he couldn't suppress the fear in his heart.
Unlike the version of himself in another universe, Reed had fully grasped how terrifying Wanda truly was.
She stood before him like a blazing sun capable of swallowing every other light.
Reed was confident.
Never foolish.
"I think..." he said carefully, raising both hands, "...we should talk."
He spoke slowly, choosing every word with care.
"No matter how many mice there are, they can't defeat a cat."
"To them..."
"The cat is a monster."
Wanda tilted her head.
Reed slowly pointed upward.
"You should be looking above you."
"Hm?"
She instinctively looked up.
Scarlet Chaos Magic surged from both hands like a raging river.
Too late.
Renzo was already above her.
His fist slammed into her face.
A spatial vortex instantly opened beneath their feet.
The next moment...
Both of them disappeared from Baxter Base.
Silence returned to the ruined laboratory.
"...Charles!"
Reed hurried over and lifted Professor X back into his damaged hoverchair.
"Stay here."
"I'm getting help."
Stretching one arm across the room, he unlocked a reinforced security door with his fingerprint.
The moment it opened—
"Whoa!"
White Tiger crashed directly into Reed's chest.
His elastic body compressed like rubber before instantly rebounding, sending White Tiger bouncing away.
"My God..."
Reed rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"What am I looking at?"
A gigantic pig surrounded by crackling lightning was charging through the battlefield.
Every swing of its enormous forelegs shattered walls and left spiderweb cracks racing through reinforced concrete.
"Stop him!"
Moon Knight charged fearlessly.
He drove a crescent dart straight into the thunder pig's skull.
Blood mixed with lightning.
The sight resembled a brilliant flower blooming in despair.
Volstagg let out a miserable squeal.
Both eyes had been pierced clean through by the crescent blade.
His brain was reduced to pulp.
The mighty Asgardian warrior died instantly.
Dark, thick blood poured from the pig's body, staining Moon Knight's white wrappings crimson.
"You're next."
His deep voice echoed through the battlefield.
In another reality, Moon Knight had become one of the most powerful Avengers under Khonshu's influence.
He had even wielded the Phoenix Force, gathering countless powers into a single body and nearly conquering the world.
"Mark, calm down! They're not the enemy!"
Reed had barely finished speaking when Blade came flying toward him.
"I don't think that's very convincing."
Eric Brooks clutched his chest.
His trademark sunglasses had vanished somewhere during the fight.
After catching his breath, he immediately threw himself back into combat.
"Damn it!"
Reed cursed.
Both arms shot forward, wrapping around Balder.
The God of Light punched him repeatedly.
Each blow felt like striking a giant rubber cushion.
Completely ineffective.
"You should've brought your swords."
Reed grinned confidently as his elastic limbs continued winding around Balder.
No matter how fiercely the Asgardian struggled, he couldn't break free.
Raw strength meant very little against Reed's elastic body.
Stretching was exactly what Reed excelled at.
Balder was powerful.
But not powerful enough.
"Everyone, stay calm!"
Reed shouted.
"Peter! Wake Charles up! We need an animal expert!"
Spider-Man nodded obediently and sprinted toward Professor X.
"Mark!"
Reed turned to Moon Knight.
"Come with me to the prison."
He feared Wanda might have used the chaos as a distraction to release the infected prisoners.
Fortunately...
She hadn't.
Creating even a single magical projection had already taxed her.
She had neither the time nor the energy to free her followers.
Expanding the red mist remained her priority.
By now, it had already engulfed New York and several neighboring states.
Sam had contacted the military to begin mass evacuations.
Without those efforts...
The surface would have become an even greater hell.
...
Renzo pinned Wanda to the ground.
One hand gripped her face tightly while the other forced both arms behind her back.
Using the Space Stone, he severed her hands.
Without them, casting ordinary spells became nearly impossible.
Curiously, most spellcasters relied heavily on hand movements.
Even Doctor Strange became severely limited if his hands were restrained.
Wanda required fewer gestures than most.
But even Chaos Magic became harder to control without her fingers.
"I'm sorry..."
Renzo's voice was quiet.
"I didn't want to do this."
Her severed wrists were perfectly smooth.
No blood flowed.
Only crimson mist drifted upward.
This body was made entirely of magic.
Yet it felt almost indistinguishable from the real Wanda.
He looked into her eyes.
Once, those beautiful eyes had made his heart race.
Now...
They contained only madness.
Black-red veins spread around her sockets, making her gaze feel like countless needles piercing his heart.
Every part of her reminded him of the woman he loved.
The cabin they had shared.
The mornings together.
Wanda wearing an apron.
Leaning against the kitchen counter with a smile.
Holding fresh cream between delicate fingers before playfully smearing it onto him.
Sunlight streaming through the windows.
The warmth of quiet mornings.
Her soft laughter.
Those memories...
"...Hypocrite."
The witch sneered.
"So how did that Wanda ever fall in love with someone like you?"
Her mocking voice shattered the memories.
Like invisible hands, she tore them apart one by one.
His happiness became a fragile paper boat swallowed by a violent sea before sinking into endless darkness.
Renzo's expression slowly grew lonely.
She wasn't his Wanda.
"Anything else you want to say?"
His hand formed a blade across her throat.
Purple energy wrapped around his arm.
One swing would be enough to sever her head.
"No one will ever love you."
The witch laughed viciously.
"Your life is nothing but a tragedy."
"Wanda will never love you."
"Never."
Though merely a projection, she possessed the memories of Earth-838 Wanda—as well as the memories sent from the Wanda Renzo knew.
To her, those warm moments were meaningless.
Pathetic.
She was a queen.
A goddess of dark magic.
The mistress of chaos.
Someone like her could never truly love an emotionless machine.
"I've never seen love in your eyes."
Renzo looked at her quietly.
"Only possession."
"Only greed."
"Do you even know what love is?"
"You don't love her."
"You only want to possess her."
"You want to turn her into another trophy to satisfy yourself."
The witch paused.
Then she burst into laughter.
"You don't even have a soul."
"Pathetic clown."
Within Chthon's influence lived endless malice, cruelty, and despair.
She had witnessed countless tragedies across existence.
She no longer believed genuine love could exist.
In her eyes, the universe had become hopelessly corrupt.
Human greed had broken its order.
Only by resetting everything could children have families again.
Only then could selfish rulers become honest.
The world was broken.
So she intended to rewrite it.
"...You're not her."
Renzo's voice was calm.
"And you'll never become her."
Everything she said was built on lies.
His Wanda had never looked at him with hatred.
She smiled with her eyes.
She pouted whenever she was annoyed.
She curled up beside him while reading Harry Potter aloud.
Or complained until he agreed to read Disney fairy tales with her instead.
They loved each other.
Perhaps he had first been drawn to her beauty.
But love had come later.
Life together had changed everything.
He couldn't imagine a future without her.
Without Wanda...
He feared the darkness within himself would consume what remained of his humanity.
"I'm warning you."
"And I'm warning every witch in New York."
"You are not her."
"You never will be."
"Your lies won't shake me."
"I'll stop you."
"And I'll find my Wanda."
His arm came down.
The witch's body dissolved into scarlet mist.
Within moments, she vanished into the night.
Renzo collapsed to his knees.
"Wanda..."
He whispered her name over and over.
He would find her.
Even if he had to tear open every crimson cocoon.
Even if his body was broken beyond repair.
Even if he had to crawl through hell itself.
He would bring back the girl who used to fall asleep beside him.
She was his reason to remain in this world.
His anchor.
His strength.
His home.
And he would never let her go.
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