Hawkeye Barton walked toward Alex Ray with red eyes and dropped to his knees.
Even though he couldn't see Natasha, and wasn't sure if she could see him, he knelt down anyway.
He hadn't forgotten what the floating red figure—Red Skull—once said: the soul sacrificed for the Soul Stone would be erased, as if forgotten by the world, disappearing forever.
But now, Alex Ray, a man from another universe, had actually found Natasha's soul inside the Soul Stone.
Could it be that Red Skull had lied?
Regardless of the truth, Barton felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
The guilt and remorse that had been tormenting his heart finally began to lift. For the first time, he felt a glimmer of hope—something he hadn't dared to believe in before.
"Is there any way we can see her soul?" Steve Rogers asked anxiously, his voice filled with anticipation and tension.
Alex Ray didn't appear to have the strength to respond, so everyone turned to Doctor Strange—the only other sorcerer among them.
Strange could indeed see Natasha's soul. At that moment, her spirit hovered in the air, appearing as if she were peacefully asleep.
And notably, Natasha's soul was unclothed. But Strange, being a renowned surgeon who'd seen countless human bodies, wasn't fazed.
Still, with so many people around, it didn't seem appropriate for them to view Natasha in such a vulnerable state.
Strange shook his head. "I can't let you see her. I can only tell you that Natasha's soul is currently asleep."
At that moment, Tony Stark raised a critical question: "Finding her soul doesn't mean she can be resurrected, right?" His voice was low and serious, and it once again cast a heavy shadow over the group.
Tony's question landed like a hammer on everyone's heart.
Strange thought for a moment before responding. "Logically speaking, there is a way to bring her back." His words brought a wave of relief to the Avengers—but his follow-up dashed their hope just as quickly.
"However, my current power isn't enough to resurrect Natasha."
Whether through Kamar-Taj's magic or the arcane knowledge he'd learned from Alex Ray, Strange was aware that resurrection was theoretically possible—but it required more power than he currently possessed.
There were only two individuals in existence who might be capable of such a feat.
"Maybe Alex Ray can do it," Strange added, reigniting a spark of hope among the group.
Barton immediately bowed deeper to Alex Ray. "Mr. Ray, if you can bring Natasha back, I'll give you my life in return!"
"Please," Steve said solemnly. "We misjudged you."
And Tony, never one to mince words, cut straight to the offer: "One billion. If you can resurrect Natasha, I'll pay one billion—cash."
Bruce Banner didn't speak, but the hope in his eyes was unmistakable. He, too, wanted Natasha back.
Alex had just finished analyzing the Soul Stone when he saw Barton kneeling before him.
"Alright, alright," Alex sighed. "I never said I wouldn't save her."
He had been focused on analyzing the Soul Stone—and fortunately, he'd uncovered some crucial details.
In truth, one didn't necessarily need the soul of a loved one to obtain the Soul Stone. Any soul could suffice.
Red Skull had simply twisted the rules for his own amusement.
He wanted to witness the pain of others, the collapse of love, the betrayal. Perhaps he feared being sacrificed himself, so he pushed others toward tragedy.
But now that Alex knew the truth, there was no issue. Next time, they could just toss Red Skull off the cliff and take the Soul Stone.
Right now, though, the goal was to awaken Natasha.
With that in mind, Alex turned to the group. "Where is her... body?"
The Avengers were stunned.
"Right... where's her body? Where is Natasha's body?"
Hawkeye looked completely thrown. "Her... body? What do you need Natasha's body for?"
Alex rolled his eyes. Was Barton really this clueless?
These Avengers seriously lacked common sense. Perhaps this was the price of their extraordinary abilities—God had blessed them with unmatched power, but left them lacking in brainpower.
He missed the crew back in Hell's Kitchen. At least there, someone knew how to think.
Thankfully, one of the smarter Avengers spoke up.
"You mean—we need a physical vessel for Natasha's soul, right?" Tony said, quickly catching on.
"Exactly. It had to be you, Tony. Without you, the Avengers are like a body without a brain. Unless, of course, you want to give me a male corpse. If you don't mind Natasha coming back as a man, that works too," Alex joked.
The thought alone made everyone recoil in horror.
"No way."
"Absolutely not."
"You're kidding, right?"
They all turned frantically to Barton.
"Where's the body, Barton?!"
"You said she was dead. Didn't you bring back her body?!"
"Don't tell me you cremated her!"
"If Natasha wakes up and finds out she's a man, I swear she'll kill herself again!"
Barton's face turned pale. "I... I couldn't help it!"
They'd returned via the Quantum Realm. How could they possibly bring a corpse through?
Clearly, Barton hadn't managed it alone.
The others quickly realized the truth and couldn't bring themselves to blame him. Any of them would've been equally helpless in the same situation.
"Is there another way?" Steve asked urgently.
"We could try cloning Natasha's body," Tony suggested, frowning in thought. "But we'd need a DNA sample. And now that her body's gone…"
There was a chance SHIELD had retained some of Natasha's cellular material—but even with that, creating a clone would take time. And they had no idea how long her soul would remain stable.
Strange cut in.
"Actually, for us magicians, cloning a body is relatively simple."
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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