"Heh heh heh..."
Dr. Connors looked at the gaping hole in his chest, his eyes dimming.
"This...this is impossible."
He stumbled back a few steps, collapsing heavily to the ground. Green blood seeped out, flowing along the cracked pavement.
"You...you can do that?"
Wanda stared at Amon in disbelief. He was already shrouded in mystery, but now a thick fog of intrigue enveloped him. He was undeniably captivating. She had thought he was just powerful in terms of strength and magic, but she realized that was just a small part of him. She didn't know him at all. He was far more mysterious than she imagined.
A mountaineer, an entrepreneur, he knew Tony Stark, he had built his own fortune from scratch. He understood magic, he knew about Chaos Magic, and he possessed ancient energy within him. She thought that was the limit, but the laser beam she had just witnessed shattered her perception. She could sense the power contained within that beam.
"You're not really a superhero, are you?!"
Gwen was shocked, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at Amon, who remained calm. "That move was amazing! How did you do that beam?"
She gestured excitedly, still stunned by what she had seen.
"Talent."
Amon pulled his hand out of his pocket and ruffled Gwen's excited hair. "Want to learn? I can teach you."
"Ahem, Amon, we can leave this to others."
Wanda interrupted their conversation, her voice hesitant. She didn't know why, but she felt uncomfortable seeing them so close. Especially that familiar hair-ruffling gesture. She felt like it was her exclusive privilege. But she knew they hadn't done anything too inappropriate.
Boom!!!
Suddenly, a deafening explosion came from a nearby building. The ground trembled slightly.
"No!"
Gwen's face turned pale. "I forgot about the real problem!"
"What happened?"
Wanda looked at the situation in the distance, her brow furrowed.
"The Lizard is trying to spread the mutagen gas throughout New York, making everyone mutate!"
Gwen knew that if the gas canister exploded, no one in New York would be spared. That was Dr. Connors's goal: to turn everyone into reptilian creatures.
"Let's go! We have to go there!"
Amon acted swiftly, and he and Wanda flew towards the scene.
The first floor of the towering skyscraper was engulfed in flames, with explosions happening every few seconds. The flames roared, spreading outwards, billowing smoke, and the heat waves distorted the air. Black smoke poured out of the broken windows, turning the surrounding walls black. The deep blue sky was obscured by the smoke, and the raging flames, along with the heat waves, were mixed with a strange green mist.
"Help! Call the fire department! Hurry!"
"Someone, save my children! They're still inside!"
"Don't hold me back! I'm going to save my wife!"
"Where's the fire hydrant? Someone, help!"
...
People outside the building were running and screaming. Many had taken shelter in the building during the Lizard's rampage. They never expected an explosion. The crowd was dense, and many were trapped inside the building. People were wailing outside, some rushing into the building, only to be driven back by the scorching flames and suffocating black smoke.
"We need to put out the fire! Otherwise, those flames will carry the green mist throughout New York!"
Gwen stood on top of the building, her eyes scanning the surroundings, looking for a water tank. If they didn't act quickly, even if the people inside the building survived, they would be infected by the green mist and turn into reptilian monsters!
"Wanda?"
Amon noticed that Wanda was lost in thought, her face a mix of fear and hesitation.
"Amon, the fire is too big. I can't do it."
Wanda's voice trembled. The scene in front of her was merging with her memories. She wasn't sure if she could do it. If she failed...
During the incident in Germany, her mistake had caused the building to explode. The explosion had also started a fire, but she hadn't been able to put it out.
"You can do it."
Amon held her shoulder, his expression encouraging. "Chaos Magic can destroy everything, but it can also create everything."
"Right! I can do it!"
Wanda felt the warmth and trust, and her missing confidence returned. She took a deep breath and walked towards the fire. Her determined back was a stark contrast to the people around her who were frantically fleeing.
"What's she doing?"
Gwen was confused. If she remembered correctly, Wanda couldn't put out fires.
"Saving the day."
Amon hoped this would help Wanda overcome her demons. If she didn't face her fears head-on, she would always be consumed by them. This was the perfect opportunity!
"Who is that? Why is she walking towards the fire?"
"I remember! That's the Scarlet Witch!"
"What's she doing here? Is she trying to kill the people inside?"
"God, finally, a superhero! Save my children!"
"But what good is she? That woman only kills innocent people!"
"Shut up. No one is perfect. Now, we have to put our hope in her."
"Yeah, the Scarlet Witch has saved New York before!"
...
The whispers around her made Wanda hesitate.
What if I mess up again?
"Don't be afraid. Every famous person has haters."
"Look at Tony Stark. He's such a dick but he's still doing great."
Amon made an inappropriate joke, knowing Wanda's fragile heart. She was sensitive and insecure, a poor soul. She had lost her parents when she was young, she had been living with her brother, barely surviving through the war. She had finally escaped to America, ending her years of revenge, only to lose her brother. No one could handle that. And because of that, Chaos Magic amplified her inner vulnerability.
"Amon, you're right."
Wanda's gaze hardened. She looked at Amon deeply and muttered, only for herself to hear, "I have you."
Boom!
Another explosion rocked the fire. The people trapped inside the building screamed in despair.
Wanda's expression hardened. She took off her hoodie and tossed her baseball cap to the ground. She gathered her courage and revealed her face. Everyone's eyes were drawn to the Scarlet Witch.
Boom!
She spread her hands, her clothes billowing in the wind. Crimson light, like a stream of light, surrounded her. Wanda, enveloped in the crimson glow, rose into the air.
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Advance Chapters In My P@treon:
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