Arctic base.
The Avengers formed a circle, layer after layer, surrounding Renzo.
Renzo's expression was solemn. Two days ago, he and Charles had felt an extremely powerful surge of energy erupt from New York, breaking through the sky and spreading across a vast area. Even from as far away as the North Pole, the two of them could clearly feel it.
It was as if there were a blazing furnace beside them.
But what they felt was not warmth, but an unforgettable chill. Even he, a cyborg, felt as though he were deep in an abyss, buried beneath layers of freezing ice, alone and isolated from the world.
They understood that Wanda was issuing a challenge to them, and this soaring momentum was a precursor to war, like a clarion call before battle, shaking the hearts of all who heard it.
He had gathered all the heroes here for the next great war.
Many people would die!
Everyone raised their heads solemnly, and all kinds of eyes were uniformly focused on the man in the middle. This had never happened before. A man who could command all these heroes, even Captain Carter, would inevitably face some questioning and mockery.
But at this moment, no one had any doubts about Renzo's leadership, even though he was a hero from another universe. His outstanding leadership skills and powerful strength had completely won them over. He was the only hero who could fight against the Scarlet Witch. If Strange were still alive, he might have been comparable to the two of them, but in terms of actual performance... Strange's strength was still somewhat lacking.
After all, he had needed to use the Darkhold to kill Thanos, while Wanda could easily control all the heroes on Earth.
The two were simply not on the same level.
Renzo looked at the heroes waiting around him. It reminded him of the final battle in Avengers 4, with its overwhelming spaceships and Leviathans, countless soldiers and alien monsters. And that force had only been a part of Thanos's forces.
Thanos also had numerous legions stationed on other planets, not to mention the forces that depended on the Black Order to survive. Those could also be considered considerable assets under Thanos's command.
If Thanos had truly gone all out and brought every soldier under his command, the Avengers at that time might not have been able to resist. They might even have been defeated much faster.
It was a pity that Thanos in 838 had chosen such a foolish one-on-one confrontation. As a result, he fought six opponents alone. No wonder he lost.
Renzo mentally calculated the strength of his side, including the few Inhumans capable of fighting, the scattered X-Men, the small number of Kamar-Taj sorcerers, the Fantastic Four... Oh, the Human Torch was dead, and then there were these lone heroes.
The man calculated silently and found, as expected... the difference in strength between the two sides was enormous!
In terms of high-end combat power, the two sides were actually not that different. The real gap lay among the soldiers below, those ordinary humans who had been infected. With the blessing of chaos magic, even ordinary people were gradually developing into super soldiers.
Not all of the heroes on his side were powerful, either. There were also ordinary people who had experienced hundreds of battles and possessed stronger physiques, but they would still die if shot. A dagger could easily be driven into their stomachs and take their lives. Their lives could disappear just as easily.
"You had a happy and fulfilling life, wandering through the streets, reading about your deeds in the newspapers, fighting criminals, having a happy life and a spouse you loved. Everything was beautiful. Everything was like the rising sun, full of hope and enthusiasm."
"But that day, everything changed. We lost so much. Your relatives, friends, neighbors, and strangers you had never even met were all caught in this disaster."
"One second, we were chatting happily, holding Starbucks and hot dogs in our hands. The next, disaster struck. The companions who had been smiling at us only moments before turned into vicious monsters and attacked the people around them in the blink of an eye."
"It's almost like Resident Evil, but the consequences... are far more serious than Resident Evil."
Renzo calmly recounted the scene of the disaster, while the heroes below could not help clenching their fists. Although most of their relatives had passed away before they became heroes, this disaster had still taken their lovers and friends. Could they imagine killing a crazed lover or best friend with their own hands? Their blood had flowed over their bodies, and their bodies had fallen to the ground, quiet—eerily quiet.
At this moment, their hearts seemed to be connected, as if they were linked to those who had passed away, whispering in their ears, cheering them on and blessing them.
"Maybe we'll die, but we'll go to hell with the corpses of our enemies!"
Frank immediately spat the words out with fiery intensity. Hell was empty, and the devil was here on Earth.
His fierce eyes suddenly became cold and hateful, like those of a demon. The scene of Luke Cage's death remained vivid in his mind. It appeared in his dreams every night, repeating again and again, the explosion consuming Frank's thoughts over and over.
A strong man had died just like that, without even leaving behind a complete body—only a pool of blood after the explosion, as if telling everyone who saw it that a life had ended there.
Frank's hatred for Wanda could not be described in words. His comrades, all his comrades, had been turned into monsters by that damn red mist, and they had all died there, in the city that had once been full of dreams—New York.
Most people didn't want to return to that sorrowful place. Too many things had happened there that never should have happened. Like a camel that kept moving without complaint, every incident was another straw, accumulating one by one on its back until its body was gradually crushed, as if it might collapse beneath the weight at any moment.
No one was willing to kill their own relatives. Peter's mind constantly echoed with Aunt May's loving eyes before she died, and her quiet words: "With great power comes great responsibility"...
Most of the people present had their own tragedies, and they hesitated when faced with their fears and regrets.
It was easy to say, but... incredibly difficult to do.
Not everyone could overcome their fear. If you were afraid of heights, for example, it could be fatal. It wasn't simply a matter of riding a Ferris wheel a few times or going bungee jumping twice.
Some fears were deeply imprinted on the heart and could not simply be shaken away. Unless the heart itself was torn out and offered to the gods, perhaps even then, only the most drastic sacrifice could free someone from it and return them to an ordinary life.
"Then... who is willing to follow me and fight back, take back our home, and save the people controlled by the evil witch?"
Renzo was asking for everyone's opinion. After all, this was a war, and people died in wars. It was impossible for everyone who went into battle to return. He could not order others to die. Everyone had the right to choose their own fate.
"I'll go!"
The voice came from the crowd, surprising Renzo. He had thought the first person to respond would be the fiery female warrior Sif or Frank.
The black man hidden in the crowd raised his arms high. Sam Wilson was the first to express his determination to fight for the world.
"If Captain Carter were here, she would definitely be the first to agree!" Sam firmly believed that he could rescue that stalwart woman. Captain Carter's story had always inspired him to move forward and had led him to become a soldier, and later, an Avenger.
The power of an example was immense.
With Sam taking the lead, everyone responded to Renzo's call. Their shouts almost shook the entire floor, like the roar that came before a snow mountain collapsed. They were facing danger head-on and launching a fierce charge against the enemy below.
"Let those guys have a taste of our fury!"
"Rush!"
Renzo raised his arms and shouted, then opened a transmission channel large enough to accommodate fifty people and stepped through without hesitation.
...
New York.
Scarlet City.
The sleeping beauty suddenly opened her eyes, her blood-red pupils lighting up as a crazed smile flashed across her face.
"They're here. They actually dare to come... How amusing..."
Wanda sneered. In her opinion, those insect-like people dared to resist her rule. It was truly ungrateful.
She was the queen who would lead the entire world, and even the entire universe, toward a new existence. Her achievements would surpass those of the creator gods, and she would become the new master of the universe and the only god in the new universe!
Her black-and-red high heels stepped onto the hard floor tiles. Every time they struck the ground, foul blood spurted from the cracks between the tiles. When the blood touched the witch's skirt, it suddenly stopped in midair, like a frozen film. After the witch walked away, it dropped onto the stone bricks with a splatter, creating spray-like patterns.
The undead and evil spirits that had been sleeping for a long time gradually awakened amid the cries of Her Majesty the Queen.
Captain Carter stood numbly beneath the throne. She knelt on the ground and crawled forward to welcome the Queen's arrival, allowing Wanda to step firmly onto her back without saying a word.
Hill was the same. Like a puppet on strings, she stood coldly on the steps made of blood and corpses, straightening the Scarlet Queen's crown while speaking words of praise without the slightest emotion.
The three women simply looked up at the sky, as if they had truly seen something—not clouds, not rain.
A few seconds later, a huge portal opened, and the figure who stepped through was Renzo, who had left the North Pole only a moment before. The power of the Space Stone was not limited to movement across a single planet. If Renzo was willing, he could instantly travel to the most remote planet in the universe.
Along with him came a large number of superheroes. This time, each of them bore the name of Avenger, determined to seek justice from the woman upon the throne.
There was a moment of silence.
Renzo looked into the girl's eyes from a distance, but he could no longer see the purity that had once been there. She was no longer herself. She had become a demon who knew only how to kill. Perhaps she was more suited to be the lord of Hell than Mephisto. After all, she had sent countless people to Hell with her own hands.
"Ah!"
The witch hummed disdainfully, and the surrounding space seemed to shatter, cracks spreading like the roots of a tree and rushing straight toward the Avengers.
"Stop."
The blue gem lit up slightly. The space destroyed by Wanda returned to its original state in the blink of an eye, as if nothing had happened and it had all been an illusion.
But everyone knew it was real. This was no simple illusion. They had almost felt as though their heads were about to be torn from their bodies. The approaching cracks had moved faster than thunder. If Renzo had not blocked them, it would have taken only a few seconds for everyone to suffer a devastating blow.
"Wanda... don't do this again." Renzo took a step forward and spoke.
"Don't do what? What is wrong?" Wanda shouted as if she had lost her mind, her chaos magic spiraling out of control and lashing toward everything around her. Wherever it passed, there was no trace of life left, and even the sky seemed to darken.
Everyone looked toward the sky, an indescribable feeling of suffocation filling their hearts, as though they had been soaked in blood. The stench was mixed with hatred, making it the most bitter and unbearable drink in the world. Bottle after bottle seemed to be poured over their heads.
With a single move, the difference between the two sides was laid bare!
The Avengers had to admit that this woman... had grown even stronger!
Balder clenched his fists and stared fiercely at the foolish woman who called herself queen. His brother Volstagg had died in the Baxter Building because of Wanda, like a helpless animal without dignity. He had died there, treated like a toy and locked inside a black box, left to live in darkness.
He regretted being so arrogant and leading his brother to his death. Why hadn't he waited? Even a few days might have changed the final outcome.
He regretted that he hadn't been stronger. If he had possessed the strength of his father, Odin, he could have killed that monster even at the cost of his own life!
It was a pity that his life had never been enough to wield such power.
"Then the talks have collapsed," Renzo said calmly.
Seeing this, Reed and Susan immediately distributed the badges they had previously studied to each Avenger and instructed them to wear them. This way, they would not have to fear the red mist confusing their minds, at least for the time being. It would be troublesome if they were suddenly incited to turn against one another.
Wanda raised an eyebrow. Although she didn't know the purpose of those small medals, she could tell from Reed's nervous, serious expression that they were probably weapons designed to deal with her.
The Queen didn't care. In her opinion, ants could only remain ants for the rest of their lives. They weren't Digimon; they couldn't evolve into another form, transforming from a bird into a phoenix.
In the face of absolute strength, no matter how meticulous the strategy or how perfectly coordinated the cooperation, it was nothing more than a final struggle, a candle flickering before death.
People always admired the courage of moths flying into flames, but in reality, they wished all the moths would die.
Wanda had never paid attention to these so-called saviors, Avengers, and superheroes from beginning to end. They were not worthy. Not worthy at all.
Only the man leading them, when his resolute gaze fell upon her, could perhaps arouse her interest. At the same time, it awakened the memory of the self and the not-self hidden deep within her mind, causing her to respond intensely to his gaze. If memory had a mouth, it would have roared long ago.
"I miss you so much."
Wanda seemed to be embracing a nonexistent lover. Her eyes were intimate yet sorrowful as she softly called his name, as if paying homage to someone who had died.
"Me too..." Renzo replied. He didn't know who had spoken those words—this Wanda, or the Wanda in his memories—but it was still a response.
"Ah."
The two suddenly laughed, then flew high into the sky, away from the city. Even the people below and the Black Tower, which had been built only a few days ago, fell silent.
To fall in love?
It would count if the sky were split open.
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