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"Natasha, stop!"
Tony hurriedly called out to Natasha through the communicator: "Oh my God, stop right there, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Natasha's voice came through the comm, calm and even: "Obviously, I'm going to wake him up."
"That's not waking him up, that's suicide!!!" Veins bulged on Tony's forehead; not just his, everyone's.
Banner spoke up: "Let me go and bring her back."
"No," Natasha said. "It'll take time for you to reach me. I can see you coming. I can enter the energy field now…"
"You… what exactly are you trying to do?" Tony said. "Breaking into that energy field is absolutely the most foolish thing you could do. Up to now, we still can't even analyze what kind of power this energy is. If you go in, you'll die…"
"…I don't know if I'll die," Natasha replied. "But don't you see? He needs me…"
"He needs us." Tony shot back: "You can't make a decision like this! You can't so lightly throw away your own life! Even if, by some miracle, you succeed and wake him up, but you die… then what? How do you expect us to face that damned old man afterwards? Think straight. You have to trust him!"
"I do trust him," Natasha said quietly. "From the very beginning, until now!"
"Then you…"
"But what do you expect me to do right now?" Natasha's voice rose with emotion.
"I'm standing here, watching him. Watching him grow thinner and thinner. Watching that damned energy field shrink and collapse. Watching him step by step toward destruction, and yet I can't do anything, nothing at all! Do you know what that kind of fear feels like? The person you love most, right in front of you, slipping away bit by bit, inch by inch, even toward death! And the only thing you can do is stand there and watch… to watch helplessly. That fear, that damned, soul-crushing agony that makes you wish you were dead, do you understand?"
Even Tony, for a moment, was struck speechless by her words.
At last he gritted his teeth and said: "But that still isn't a reason for you to step into that energy field. If you die, and he survives, and he learns that the energy field he released is what killed the woman who loved him so deeply, he'll go insane. He might destroy the world!"
"He won't…"
Tears streaked the corners of Natasha's eyes, just a little. Her tone was gentle, as though telling a child a story from long ago:
"Listen, he's a true hero. He charged into enemy lines under a hail of bullets. Time and again, he traded his life for victory, saved countless lives, and tipped the scales of triumph to our side.
He shouldn't have been belittled by this country. He should be remembered by everyone. But if that's not allowed, then at least… at least if only a few people can remember him, that's enough.
So remember this hero, he burned his life to ignite the spirit of the army and shattered the enemy's conspiracy beneath the blue sky and white clouds.
So remember this hero, he stained the sky red with his blood and played for us the triumphant hymn of victory!"
Her words were like the deepest whisper of her heart, or perhaps the most cursed incantation within it.
"Though… he was a bit of a rogue, and so rude when we first met…"
Natasha gazed from afar.
"But in the end, I truly believed, he is a hero. For… world peace!"
At this point she turned back: "So even if, one day, he truly tries to destroy this world… then it must be the world that's wrong!"
If one day he truly tried to destroy the world, Then it must be the world that's wrong!
What kind of mental state is this?
What kind of profound love?
No, this was already obsession.
A mad, total surrender, leaving herself not the slightest chance of redemption!
The woman before them, perhaps it was the first time she had spoken the innermost words of her heart in front of everyone. No one spoke. Perhaps no one even knew what they should say. And so, they could only watch as she steadily moved herself into the energy field.
Disintegration!
Disintegration!
Disintegration!
Her mask disintegrated. Her outer garments disintegrated. Everything, everything, seemed to be disintegrating, even her very body! She hurled herself into the deepest hell, yet it was as if she had obtained a pass to heaven.
A faint smile remained on her face throughout. To her, the power so mad it could devour everything was a lover's comfort. She never expected anything in return, especially after learning of the girl's existence!
Yet she never gave up.
Even if she could not be the woman by his side, she wished at least to be the woman behind him.
In this world, there are many paths, and everyone has their own choices.
Once you choose, you do not regret it. She never regretted.
Because being able to see him, feel his presence, speak a few words to him, help him realize his ideals, even if, after those ideals were fulfilled, he would walk hand in hand with another woman into a brand-new life, she would not mind.
Because…
"You are the first superhero in my heart! It's infuriating. I grew up hearing your story since childhood. And now, I see you, I know you, I understand you, I love you… If this energy belongs to you, then to die in your hands would be my sweetest delight!"
…
…
"Ah… is it raining?"
Arthur, who could freely wield cosmic energy to shape anything he wanted, suddenly noticed droplets falling to the ground.
He looked up. Where was the rain? Above him, not even an ecosystem could be seen. How could there be rain?
Looking down again, another droplet fell. Confused, he reached out and realized:
"I'm crying."
Why was he crying?
Why were the tears so uncontrollable?
No matter how much he wiped his face, his eyes, tried to stop them, nothing worked.
It was as if two faucets had been turned on inside his eye sockets, impossible to control.
"What's wrong with me?"
Anxiety. Panic. Bewilderment. Above all, fear.
He was inexplicably afraid.
A persistent feeling gnawed at him: if he could not immediately remember certain things, if he could not quickly figure something out… if he could not understand why he was crying, he would… regret it for the rest of his life!
(End of Chapter)
PS- Hey Guys I have picked up 2 new fanfictions
New Fanfiction— 1. One Piece—Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki!
2. One Piece—Master Of Devil Fruits