"Are you kidding me..." Strange stared at the scene before him in disbelief and cursed under his breath.
The crack was growing wider and wider. Half of Renzo's face had already emerged from it, his gaze fixed on Strange with a gloomy, deathly intensity. The Mind Stone on his forehead had been stained black. It resisted Renzo's control, but its energy was being forcibly extracted.
A beam of light mixed with cosmic power and the aura of death shot toward Strange. In the blink of an eye, the Sorcerer Supreme's body was pierced through, leaving a bloody hole the size of a fist in his chest.
The Eye of Agamotto!
Strange used all his strength to reverse time. Green light shone out, illuminating his body. The bloody hole in his chest healed rapidly, visible to the naked eye, until it returned to its original state.
"It's not enough!" Strange roared, accelerating the flow of the Time Stone. All the mana in his body gathered there. His hair turned pale at a speed visible to the naked eye, and several new wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.
This was the price of using power. Whatever was gained, something had to be lost. Equivalent exchange was the only truth in the world.
Renzo's body was forced back into the Mirror Dimension, and then time flowed backward to before he had been sealed inside it. The vortex created by the Space Stone appeared out of thin air. Renzo was pushed back into the vortex, and then the zombie Death Blade appeared as well, also being dragged back through time.
Finally, the vortex closed. It seemed as if nothing had happened at all, as if everything had merely been a film reel wound backward, though the viewer's fingerprints still remained on it.
The progress bar could be dragged back, but the feeling of having watched it remained.
"Strange!" Wong shouted anxiously, supporting the collapsing Sorcerer Supreme. "You saved Kamar-Taj."
"No, not yet!" Strange's hair had almost turned completely gray. He coughed violently, stretched out his hand to open a portal, and called to Wong, "Let's go! We have to stop him before he's eroded by the darkness!"
After saying that, he stepped into the portal, and Wong followed close behind.
The two entered Wanda's room. The next moment, Renzo opened the door and walked in. He stared at the two sorcerers in shock, but his girlfriend Wanda had disappeared.
"What have you done with Wanda?" Renzo shouted sharply. There were two sorcerers in the room, and a portal hung behind them. Wanda also had chaos magic. It looked as if Strange had taken Wanda away, probably under some excuse about protecting Earth.
Renzo was almost blinded by anger. The Mind Stone lit up, and a beam grazed past Strange's head before blasting a large hole in the wall.
"Chthon! It's Chthon, the Elder God! While I was fighting against the demon gods of other dimensions, it broke into Earth by sacrificing a clone and took Wanda away from this universe..."
Strange did not want to confront Renzo. Even all the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj together would not be Renzo's opponent. He anxiously explained the reason for his visit. "We want to rescue her from Chthon."
Strange knew how terrifying Wanda was. When her ability first awakened, the Ancient One had instantly noticed the immature young girl. A weak yet terrifying aura had burst from her small body, and the crimson demonic power had been painfully clear in the Ancient One's eyes.
It was like thunderous dark clouds covering the sky, casting a haze over the Earth. Even without using one's eyes, the rumble of thunder still lingered around people.
Some things could not be avoided simply by blocking the senses. When a person was trapped in darkness, with no sound, no sight, no touch, no smell... they still lived in great terror. It was the horror of being abandoned by the entire world, like being stranded alone on a deserted island, an island of death with no animals, not even insects. It was not widely known, but it had definitely been preserved on Earth.
Strange had also read the records about Wanda. After coming into contact with Chthon, the Elder God, he understood very clearly what kind of damage and impact this girl could cause once she truly lost control.
Her childhood trauma was too severe. Her parents and home had been destroyed. She had been rejected by the government and driven away by the police... She had experienced too much rejection and misfortune until she joined the Avengers and found a strange but happy love. That had relieved Strange somewhat. Perhaps she could find happiness... and emotional stability through love.
A stable current could prevent overvoltage and overloaded appliances from exploding.
But... Strange realized he had been a little naive, because this current seemed even more unstable.
What Renzo had just done had truly frightened him. Of course, it might also have been revenge for Strange standing by and watching.
"Chthon?!" Renzo's mood eased a little, but his eyes remained sharp as he stared at Strange. "That's your responsibility. You let it in!"
"Yes, yes, it's my responsibility. I accidentally let it exploit a loophole." Strange raised both hands in surrender under Renzo's sharp glare.
"Wanda is the Scarlet Witch. It was recorded in books thousands of years ago that Chthon, the Elder God, granted her power. It is an invincible dimensional demon god, more troublesome and terrifying than Dormammu." Wong reached out and opened a portal connected to Kamar-Taj's library. An ancient book wrapped in chains appeared in his hand.
Three entire pages of the book recorded stories about the Scarlet Witch and Chthon, the Elder God. "It is one of the earliest ancient gods born on Earth. It is said that the Demiurge was its father, and its other brothers and sisters were also among the most powerful demon gods of their age: Gaea, Set, Belathauzer..."
Wong showed Renzo the records in the ancient book. "Its power is unprecedentedly strong. Compared with Dormammu and Mephisto, its energy is more arcane and far harsher. Almost no one can contain its power. Even top demon gods such as Mephisto and Dormammu have borrowed from it."
"For Chthon, a vessel that can perfectly accommodate its power is more important than invading countless worlds." Strange added from the side, "Wanda is such a vessel. She must be brought back. Otherwise, with another Chthon appearing, there may be another demon god in this world."
"Take me."
"Huh?" Strange tilted his head and asked Wong, "He didn't listen at all, did he?"
"Take me there. I will rescue Wanda myself. No one can withstand the power of three Infinity Stones."
"The Infinity Stones are powerful, but you don't understand Chthon's strength. What one being can do with a snap of its fingers, Chthon can do with a word." Strange warned Renzo, "If you insist on saving her, you may die. Or one of you may never return to this world."
"Then we'll die together," Renzo said expressionlessly.
"Hmm... wow. Touching love." Strange opened a portal, and the three returned to Kamar-Taj. Wong walked aside and drew strange patterns on the ground, which looked like some kind of mystical runes and spells.
"Protection spells. They can help you resist invasion by some creatures and attacks from black magic." Renzo believed Wong. In the world of Jackie Chan Adventures, those protection spells had helped him defend against several attacks, but the opponent was too powerful. His strength was even greater than two or even three Infinity Stones, and he was no different from a dimensional demon.
"We have to be prepared. We may be attacked by black magic the moment we enter, then eaten alive by a large number of magical creatures..."
"That's you. They can't bite me." Renzo said confidently, showing off the three Infinity Stones on his body. He had figured out a new use for this body. Like nanoparticles, he changed the structure of his chest so that the Space Stone and Power Stone could also be embedded there. He looked like a majestic general equipped with his own sword, mounted on a warhorse, ready to cut off the enemy's head and hang it from the horse's tail to declare victory.
Strange did not want to talk to this guy. Renzo always distorted his point and dragged the conversation into strange places.
"It's done!" Wong also finished the protective spell and muttered. The runes on the ground instantly turned into dazzling golden light, like moving words, embedding themselves into Strange and Renzo's bodies before disappearing.
"You only have one hour. After one hour, if you don't return to Earth, you will never come back." Wong solemnly told the two of them, "The Space Stone is not invincible. In Chthon's territory, space and time are almost the same as nothingness."
"It has the power to distort reality with only its words, so you must come back in time before Chthon traps you. Otherwise, you will be trapped there forever. Forever, forever."
"I know, I know..." Strange could not stand Wong's nagging and formed a very complicated seal with his hands. "I need the power of the Space Stone..."
The gem on Renzo's chest flew toward Strange. The vortex representing space merged with Strange's portal. Strange muttered incantations, and red-gold spells continued to spill from his mouth, turning into flying sprites that entered the combined vortex and teleportation gate. The two fused into one, opening a new passage. A mysterious black-and-red aura overflowed from the crack in the doorway.
"Black magic..." Renzo had felt such an evil aura more than once. Eddie and Apocalypse were the two enemies who had pushed him forward.
"Let's go..." Strange entered the "door" first, followed closely by Renzo. The two of them were like sailboats lost in fog, wearing thick protective suits as they drifted through an unknown icy sea. Countless monsters were hidden beneath the dark seabed. Their eyes were fixed on the sailboat carrying the only light above them. Their sharp, fine teeth were ready to overturn the boat at any time, then ruthlessly tear apart the lives aboard it.
...
"Mm..." Wanda woke from sleep. It must have been a dream. She only remembered that she and Renzo had been sulking, and then she had hidden alone in the room.
She was not actually angry with Renzo, but with herself. In this family, she felt like dead weight, waiting for Renzo to cook, do housework, and complete missions every day... She seemed to be an outsider. She wanted to complain to her brother, to ask Renzo to be less busy, and to make herself feel involved, but Pietro was also busy falling in love and had no time to pay attention to his sister.
Wanda had been very angry, and then she poured that anger onto Renzo. Today's breakfast had been the final spark that detonated the explosives. She had clearly worked very hard, and it was not her fault that the omelet had burned. Her skills were just a little rusty, and she had overcooked it. It would be fine once more time passed.
Wanda thought that Renzo taking over the cooking duties meant he looked down on her. The inferiority and guilt accumulated in her heart suddenly exploded, turning into anger that poured over Renzo's head and into her own heart.
After closing the door, Wanda immediately regretted it. He was so kind to her, yet she still made things difficult for him.
A home was maintained by two people, by tolerating each other and humbling themselves for each other, not by one side endlessly accommodating the other. That was not a home. That was a nanny.
Wanda opened her eyes drowsily.
Red.
Bright red.
A bright red like blood...
Mixed with pure black evil.
Wanda woke up instantly. She seemed to be in a void, as if she were traveling through the universe, with no foothold, no gravity, and no trace of humanity...
Like an isolated island floating in the ocean, with no roots and nowhere to settle, drifting slowly with the sea wind.
Wanda looked in surprise at the crimson energy around her. It was so similar to her own power. She raised her hand slightly, and the scarlet ribbon broke. The familiar aura made Wanda feel as if she were in her mother's arms, warm and clear...
"This energy..." Wanda sensed her own aura from the streamers. Not just this one. All the streamers were entangled with that aura... No, it should be said that these streamers had been condensed from scarlet energy.
Wanda was shocked. If this space was built from crimson power, then had this place formed naturally... or had someone deliberately created it?
Did someone live here? No, that did not seem right... It was more like a barrier had been constructed to imprison this power.
Wanda cautiously roamed through the scarlet. The energy was like rootless water, thin and faint, like mosquitoes and flies, rushing into Wanda's body through her pores, mouth, nose, and eye sockets... Countless crimson threads pierced the girl's body. Her pupils were gradually replaced by crimson, and thick scarlet mist emerged from her body. Every breath she took was accompanied by powerful energy...
"Wanda..."
Wanda regained consciousness. An illusory voice seemed to come from the endless void... The lingering sound echoed in her ears...
"Wanda... Wanda..."
The mysterious, bewitching voice seemed to be right beside her. Wanda was startled, but she found that she could no longer move. The crimson power she had absorbed turned into chains, binding her tightly.
Wanda wanted to cry out, but found that even her mouth was sealed shut. The crimson power turned into a thick cocoon, tightly wrapping Wanda before she could transform into a butterfly. Countless strands of scarlet demonic energy coiled around it, providing nutrients to the cocoon.
When the last glimmer of light vanished completely before her eyes, Wanda's consciousness also sank into deep sleep. The crimson sea was no longer turbulent. It quietly accompanied the girl and fell into slumber...
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