The frenzied aura of battle spread throughout the entire street, and the piercing sound of police sirens began to approach from the distance.
The atmosphere was thick with killing intent.
To some extent, Ronan knew he was no match for the Scarlet Witch at this moment.
Because he could feel that this version of the Scarlet Witch had developed her Chaos Magic to a higher level.
Perhaps this wasn't even the full extent of Chaos Magic.
If Chaos Magic were fully awakened, Ronan would have no choice but to surrender.
For now, even though Ronan wasn't her match, he still had some means to fight back.
Buzz!
Finally, when the killing intent reached its peak, the Scarlet Witch made her move!
It was still the same simple energy attack.
But this time, Ronan gripped the Sword of Vishanti with both hands and swung it fiercely at the incoming crimson energy.
Crack...
Crack crack...
Although there was no metallic clashing sound, the Sword of Vishanti emitted a series of grating noises that made one's teeth ache.
The sword Ronan wielded wasn't the true Sword of Vishanti, but the Scarlet Witch's Chaos Magic wasn't fully awakened either.
So, with a burst of strength, Ronan forcefully deflected the energy attack.
Whoosh!
The Scarlet Witch quickly flicked out a red energy wave, deflecting the attack Ronan had sent back. The sky lit up once again with the glow of an explosion.
Buzz.
At that moment, two streaks of firelight streaked across the sky. Tony Stark, in his Iron Man suit, had arrived at the center of the battlefield.
"Are aliens invading Earth again?"
Tony flew to Ronan's side and opened his faceplate.
Ronan shook his head.
Although the Scarlet Witch wasn't an alien, she might as well have been.
As soon as Tony finished speaking, Thor landed beside Ronan.
"Ronan."
Thor greeted Ronan, but his gaze was immediately drawn to the Scarlet Witch.
As an Asgardian warrior, though he appeared to be a close-combat fighter, his title as the God of Thunder spoke to his sensitivity to energy.
At this moment, the Scarlet Witch was like the midday sun, impossible to ignore.
"Be careful, Stark. Don't let her hit you."
"Otherwise, I won't need to beat you up myself."
Although Thor still had some issues with Tony, he understood the situation.
The person before them was clearly not to be trifled with. When facing an external enemy, they needed to unite and fight together.
Though Thor didn't know the ancient sayings of the East, he understood that "internal strife must be resolved before external threats" was a flawed approach.
Ronan, who did know the Eastern sayings, didn't feel that "the advantage was on his side," even with Thor and Tony standing beside him.
"Tony... Thor..."
"It's been a while."
When the Scarlet Witch saw the two familiar faces, her expression became complicated.
There was a time when they had fought side by side against Thanos.
But now they stood on opposite sides.
Even though she knew that these people weren't the "comrades" she remembered.
"You know us?"
"But as far as I know, we've never met, have we?"
Tony tilted his head, searching his memory but finding no recollection of the Scarlet Witch.
Beside him, Thor was also deep in thought.
From the Scarlet Witch's tone, it seemed they were quite familiar.
"Sorry, I forgot you're not the Tony Stark I know."
"And you're not the Thor I know."
The Scarlet Witch had already wiped away the faint trace of nostalgia she had felt.
For her now, the only thing that mattered was her two children.
"You mean..."
Tony narrowed his eyes and suddenly turned to look at Ronan.
Ronan nodded expressionlessly.
There was no doubt Tony had guessed correctly.
"But how..."
Before Tony could finish his sentence, the Scarlet Witch's attack was already upon him.
Tony's eyes widened, and the thrusters on his feet and hands flared to life.
But he was too slow.
At his current speed, before he could even take off, both he and his Iron Man suit would be torn apart.
Whoosh.
A familiar golden light flashed.
A portal opened rapidly, swallowing the red energy attack.
The next second.
Boom!
The Scarlet Witch, who had been flying in the air, was struck down. The portal behind her became visible.
"Thanks."
Tony swallowed hard, only managing to utter that single word.
If it weren't for Ronan, he would have been dead.
However, the Scarlet Witch didn't give them any time to catch their breath. The blazing crimson energy once again lifted her into the air.
This time, the energy she unleashed was several times more terrifying than before.
It seemed she was ready to get serious!
Boom!
The crimson energy poured out like a curtain, instantly enveloping Ronan and the others.
Tony quickly closed his faceplate and raised his arms, firing all the missiles equipped on his suit at once.
Thor was also quick. He hurled Mjolnir directly at the Scarlet Witch.
In his mind, it was simple: if they couldn't block the attack, they would take out the attacker.
Ronan, however, took a deep breath. He turned to look at Wong and made a hand gesture.
Wong hesitated, wanting to say something, but Ronan shook his head to stop him.
The meaning of the gesture was simple.
Wong needed to escape!
That's right. Ronan had seen the situation clearly.
If he couldn't defeat the Scarlet Witch, or if he couldn't make her leave this universe, the outcome was simple: he would die.
Whether Wong stayed to help him or not wouldn't change the outcome.
If Wong left, there might still be a slim chance of survival once the Ancient One returned.
Wong took a deep breath and looked at Ronan one last time.
When he saw the determination in Ronan's eyes, he pursed his lips and quickly drew a portal in the air.
Only after Wong stepped through the portal and it closed did Ronan look away.
America Chavez stood there,不知所措, unsure of what to do.
Fortunately, Strange quickly returned to her side.
When Ronan looked back, as expected, neither Thor nor Tony's attacks had worked.
Tony was blasted to the ground, while Thor was ensnared by the Scarlet Witch's Chaos Magic, unable to resist.
It seemed both of them were about to die at the hands of the Scarlet Witch.
When the Scarlet Witch turned her gaze to Ronan, he sighed softly.
"Although I know you're more ruthless than Strange."
"But would you be so ruthless as to abandon your friends?"
The Scarlet Witch tilted her head slightly as she spoke.
At the same time, the red energy wrapped around Thor's neck tightened slightly.
Ronan sighed.
"You should know Thor's identity. His father is still alive."
"I believe he's probably already gathering Asgard's troops."
Ronan glanced at the sky, as if waiting for Asgard's reinforcements.
"Then let him watch as his only son dies here."
But the Scarlet Witch didn't care.
Her only goal was her two children.
As for the rest, she truly didn't care.
"Sigh..."
"I knew it."
Ronan shook his head and slowly raised his right hand.
On the ground, a red energy whip suddenly appeared behind America, wrapping around her tightly.
In the next moment, the energy whip lifted America into the air!
"No, Ronan!"
"You can't do this!"
Strange immediately understood Ronan's intentions.
He quickly formed hand seals, and the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak shot toward America.
However, to Strange's surprise, a familiar figure blocked the path of the Crimson Bands.
It was Ronan!
Ronan raised the Shield of the Seraphim and pushed it forward.
The Shield of the Seraphim collided with the Crimson Bands. Both were high-level spells, but the Shield easily shattered the Bands and continued to crush toward Strange.
Strange, in turn, used the Shield of the Seraphim to block.
An explosion erupted, and Strange was sent flying out of the smoke, looking disheveled.
But when he looked at America, she was already in Ronan's hands.
And in front of him, another Ronan blocked his path.
"Ronan, you can't hand America over to Wanda."
"You don't know what she's capable of."
"If America falls into Wanda's hands, every parallel universe will fall to her..."
But before he could finish, Ronan interrupted him again.
"Enough, Strange."
"You still don't understand the responsibility of Kamar-Taj and the Sorcerer Supreme."
"Tell me, when you inherited the title of Sorcerer Supreme, what did the Ancient One say was the duty of the Sorcerer Supreme?"
Ronan's back was turned to Strange, but his voice reached his ears.
Strange stared blankly at him, muttering the words.
"To protect Earth from forces of non-reality. What happens on Earth is none of our concern."
"We do not interfere in Earth's affairs."
After Strange finished reciting, he fell silent.
"If, because of America's appearance, you dealt with the monsters chasing her, that would be fine."
"But what have you been doing since then?"
Ronan's voice came again.
The Scarlet Witch didn't make any further moves, as if she was curious about their conversation.
Even though America was right in front of her, she didn't act.
Perhaps in her eyes, Ronan was indeed talking to Strange, but his gaze was fixed on her.
"If Wanda takes America, the other parallel universes will face certain doom!"
Strange looked up at Ronan.
It seemed he believed he was in the right.
"Then why don't you leave this matter to the Sorcerer Supremes of those parallel universes?"
"Or, what does the life and death of parallel universes have to do with you?"
Ronan's voice was cold, at least to Strange's ears.
How could he... say such things?
"Do you think running around parallel universes with her has caused less harm?"
"Once dreamwalking occurs, two universes begin to attract each other, and the result is a collision."
"Perhaps that wasn't your intention, but your actions have led to this outcome."
"The more parallel universes you travel to, the more universes will suffer from the effects of dreamwalking."
"If you hand America over to Wanda, perhaps she'll use America's power to open a door to another universe."
"And then, she'll go to that universe."
"This way, there's no harm from dreamwalking, and no parallel universes will collide."
"Tell me, which outcome is better?"
Ronan's cold voice stabbed at Strange's heart once more.
This was a classic trolley problem.
Sacrifice America alone, or let countless parallel universes suffer disaster.
The answer...
Was self-evident to Ronan.
But to Strange, it wasn't so clear.
"So, have you decided to hand her over to me?"
At this moment, the Scarlet Witch spoke.
She understood the meaning behind Ronan's words.
If that were the case, then winning without a fight would be the best outcome.
However, to her surprise, Ronan, who had just delivered a long speech, shook his head at her.
"No, I never planned to hand her over to you."
As he spoke, the red energy whip extended further.
This time, it wrapped around America's neck, and under the Scarlet Witch's gaze, the whip tightened.
"No!"
"If you dare do this, I'll kill everyone on this planet!"
"Including all your family, friends, and every sorcerer in Kamar-Taj!"
This time, the Scarlet Witch was truly desperate.
She released Thor, and a torrent of energy surged toward Ronan.
Ronan glanced at her indifferently. In his left hand, the dark red Reality Stone flickered with a faint light.
Buzz!
A sharp, piercing sound rang out.
Thud.
Ronan spat out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly pale as paper.
The chaotic magic rushing toward him vanished in an instant.
Blood flowed from Ronan's mouth and nose, and his pupils were completely red.
"You've invaded my universe. If I let you go so easily, wouldn't that be like letting you tear my face apart, trample it underfoot, and shred it to pieces?"
"So..."
"How could I possibly inherit the title of Sorcerer Supreme with such disgrace!?"