Chapter 41: The Old Avengers Just Disbanded, and They're Forming a New One?
"Wanda! Let me go!" Strange shouted desperately.
Wanda slowly floated from the ground to Strange's side, her voice cold and harsh: "Give him to me."
"Wanda, do you realize what you're doing? He's the Destroyer. He'll tear this world apart!" Strange was drenched in sweat.
The dimensional rift hung in the air just yards away. If he could just hurl Ryan through and seal it shut, everything would return to normal.
But Scarlet Witch stood in his way, her eyes blazing crimson. Strange's heart hammered against his ribs, threatening to burst from his chest.
"I said give him to me."
Scarlet Witch's chaos magic and Strange's eldritch whips fought for control over Ryan's restrained form.
Ryan, wearing a twisted smile, continued his psychological assault: "Wanda, you probably don't know this yet, but Vision's body has been dismantled piece by piece. Someone is using his remains as experimental material."
"Shut up!" Strange roared, but it was too late.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Scarlet Witch screamed, clutching her head as crimson energy erupted from her being. Her magic instantly shattered the mystical bonds holding Ryan.
Strange lunged for the escaped prisoner, but found himself pinned in place by Wanda's overwhelming power.
A true Sorcerer Supreme at full strength would rank as S-class in power, easily capable of defeating an A+ level Scarlet Witch.
But now, without the Time Stone and diminished by recent battles, Strange was merely a skilled sorcerer. The two magic users were practically evenly matched, their clash erupting in a spectacular display of mystical energy that lit up the Manhattan skyline.
Ryan dropped to the ground with a thunderous impact, his landing creating a massive crater in the asphalt.
Having nearly been banished to the Dark Dimension moments before, Ryan looked up at Steve and chuckled darkly: "Steve, it's just you and me now. Time to settle our old business."
Captain America's expression remained stoic, though uncertainty flickered in his eyes. He had only wanted to minimize the threat, but instead had backed himself into facing this overwhelming enemy alone.
Steve's jaw clenched. After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke: "Ryan, look around you. Look at the destruction you've caused."
"Destruction? You hunted me down, tried to imprison me for eternity, attempted to execute me. What gives you the right to judge me? Who do you think you are?"
Ryan began walking slowly toward Steve.
He continued with a dark laugh: "Steve, do you really believe that just because you brought back the vanished and defeated Thanos, you Avengers are the noble superheroes who saved Earth and the universe?"
"We did what needed to be done." Steve stood by the Avengers' legacy. While the achievement belonged to the entire team, he remained proud of their sacrifice.
"Ha, that's pathetically naive." Ryan patted Steve's shoulder mockingly. "Have you ever considered that Thanos might actually have been right?"
"Justice is never about genocide. Thanos could never be just," Steve said firmly, his conviction unwavering.
Ryan's smile widened. "Steve, let me tell you the truth. Every planet harboring intelligent life contains the seed of a Celestial. When that god awakens, the planet will be completely destroyed."
Steve stared at Ryan as he approached, refusing to believe him.
Though Ryan possessed overwhelming power, Steve wouldn't retreat. Captain America never runs away.
As Ryan drew closer, he continued: "The condition for a Celestial's emergence is that planetary life reaches a specific population threshold. Thanos was descended from the Eternals, servants of the Celestials. He believed what the Celestials were doing was wrong, so he planned to randomly eliminate half of all life to prevent them from destroying worlds with intelligent civilizations throughout the universe."
Steve shook his head firmly. "Impossible. You're lying."
"Why would I need to lie to you?" Ryan said calmly. "Thanos was fighting against the Celestials to save more lives and planets across the universe. He was the cosmic balance, and the Avengers destroyed that balance. This is the righteous cause you're so proud of."
"Not every planet has superheroes like Earth. Those without protectors will ultimately face complete annihilation when their Celestials emerge."
Ryan's words shattered Steve's resolve, because justice meant more to him than life itself—it was his fundamental purpose.
Now someone was telling Steve that his righteous cause had been wrong all along.
What did that make him? What did that make his sense of justice?
The Celestials operate on cosmic energy cycles spanning eons. Life in the universe is merely parasitic to their existence; who lives and who dies is truly irrelevant to them.
Even Thanos's solution—eliminating half of all universal life—was only temporary, not permanent. To beings with eternal lifespans like the Celestials, time means nothing.
As long as life continues to flourish, the Celestials they've spawned will eventually awaken.
"Steve, take your justice straight to hell!"
The Battle of Manhattan, like so many conflicts before it, had finally ended.
Steve Rogers, the symbol of American ideals, was dead. Military personnel arrived to collect Captain America's body.
Was Steve truly gone? Perhaps, but even witnessing it firsthand, many refused to accept the reality.
Strange and Scarlet Witch had vanished into an alternate dimension during their magical battle over Manhattan. The rift sealed shut, and neither ever emerged.
Sam Wilson, the Falcon, was dead. War Machine Rhodes, while technically alive, could only move from the neck up and had limited use of one arm—effectively making him another casualty.
Dr. Banner, having reverted to human form, departed in defeat, his whereabouts unknown.
The entire city, and indeed the whole nation, was consumed by grief. The government held state funerals for both Captain America and Falcon.
Wong sealed off the New York Sanctum Sanctorum, using his knowledge of Kamar-Taj to search for any trace of Strange across dimensions.
After attending the funeral, Bucky Barnes traveled to Wakanda.
The Avengers were now reduced to just 1.5 members: the absent Clint Barton and Peter Parker.
The reason it's half a member is because Peter Parker isn't ready to be a true Avenger yet.
After this devastating battle, Ryan had effectively dismantled the existing Avengers.
Despite losing their superheroes, civilian life continued, with the most noticeable change in New York City being the skyrocketing crime rate.
Local police were ill-equipped to handle superhuman incidents and completely helpless against advanced technology weapons.
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man spent every day either fighting crime or rushing to the next emergency.
One evening, after apprehending a group of armed robbers, Spider-Man returned home to find an unexpected visitor waiting in his apartment.
A one-eyed man in a black leather coat, completely bald.
Peter Parker recognized him from Tony Stark's funeral.
"Sir, can I ask what you're doing here?"
Nick Fury sat calmly in the chair. "I already know what happened. I came to see you because I want to invite you to join S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm forming a new Avengers team."
"But sir, I..."
Nick Fury stood and placed his hand on Spider-Man's shoulder. "Kid, I believe you can do this. We need to work together to stop that man named Ryan."
"But everyone's gone. I was there too, and I couldn't stop him. I failed them."
End of Chapter 41
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