Everything that followed was mostly handled by Tony Stark and Steve Rogers.
Tony took Ronan to a private hospital for treatment.
Steve, who arrived late, had a conversation with the authorities after learning the full story.
It had to be said, Steve still carried some weight with the officials.
Although the specifics of their discussion weren't known, they reached a consensus on the official narrative.
Terrorists had carried out a suicide bombing near Baker Street, using a large amount of explosives.
The initial explosion was caused by a bomb, while the subsequent explosions were the result of natural gas and other flammable materials igniting in a chain reaction.
As for the red mist-like phenomenon in the sky, it was a reaction caused by the bomb explosions.
The official spokesperson also stated that they would investigate the terrorists' identities and motives, and provide an explanation to all New York residents.
For the people of New York, this kind of formulaic response from the authorities was something they were already somewhat accustomed to.
Of course, protests were inevitable.
Criticizing this senator, cursing the current president—there was no shortage of such talk on TV.
By the time Ronan woke up, several days had already passed.
The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Wong sitting nearby, eating chips and watching a TV show.
"Hey, are you here to take care of a patient or to enjoy life?"
When Ronan spoke, his own voice startled him.
Why did it sound so hoarse?
Wait, no—it sounded more... magnetic.
Had the Chaos Magic somehow altered his voice?
"It's the same thing. It's not like the patient was..."
Before Wong could finish the word "awake," he suddenly realized something.
Because in this hospital room, aside from him, Ronan was the only other living person.
"Ronan, you're awake."
Wong tossed the chips aside and reached out to grab Ronan's hand.
"Don't touch me! Your hands are greasy!"
Ronan quickly pushed Wong away with his still-functional left hand, his expression full of disgust.
Wong shrugged, grabbed a couple of wet wipes, and cleaned his hands.
Then he walked over to the other side and poured Ronan a glass of water.
After finishing the entire glass, Ronan finally had the chance to assess his current condition.
At this point, he wasn't much different from a mummy.
His head, chest, ribs, right arm, and parts of his legs were wrapped in bandages or splints. Even the breathing mask on his face had only just been removed when he drank the water.
Beyond the external injuries, Ronan could clearly feel pain radiating throughout his entire body.
And the pain in each area was at a different level.
The only good news was that after several days of rest, Ronan's mental energy had recovered significantly.
At the very least, he no longer felt that needle-like headache.
"When they brought you in, the doctors said it was a miracle you were still alive."
"And after the examination, they found that while you had multiple fractures, your internal organs weren't severely damaged. A miracle within a miracle."
"However, in your current state, you'll need to stay in bed for at least two to three months."
Wong clicked his tongue, unsure whether he was feeling sorry for Ronan or envying him.
After all, lying in bed for three months without being able to go out was undoubtedly miserable.
But on the other hand, not having to go to school for three months was also a silver lining.
"Two to three months it is, then. Honestly, I'm just glad to be alive."
Ronan sighed. This was his genuine feeling.
This "soul-transferred" Scarlet Witch was on a completely different level from the one Ronan had encountered before.
If the previous one was a D, this one was a solid A.
Here, we're talking about power levels.
There are differences even among Scarlet Witches.
If it had been a direct confrontation, Ronan probably wouldn't have lasted more than a few rounds before being easily dealt with.
Fortunately, the deranged Scarlet Witch didn't have much intelligence left.
And because of that, Ronan managed to outmaneuver her.
The Scarlet Witch might have seemed like the winner, but she had no choice but to let America and Strange leave without harming anyone else.
Ronan might not have lost, but he was left with severe injuries and would have to spend the next two to three months lying in bed like a mummy.
He won, but he also lost.
For Ronan, this was the best possible outcome.
Even though during the battle he had been so confident about making the Scarlet Witch regret her actions.
In reality, he could have done it, but he also couldn't.
Killing America would have been easy. If Ronan had wanted to, he could have done it even if she wasn't nearby.
But what would have happened after that?
Facing a Scarlet Witch whose hope had been crushed, what power did Ronan and the others have to resist?
Unless the Ancient One returned in time, but even then, the casualties would have been devastating.
So, Ronan was actually quite satisfied with this outcome.
"You're right."
"That woman, Wanda, is terrifying."
Wong, who had also experienced that night, clearly had his own assessment of the Scarlet Witch's power.
In fact, that night, he could have chosen not to return, staying at Kamar-Taj to wait for the Ancient One.
But in the end, he decided to go support Ronan.
And he brought almost all of Kamar-Taj's sorcerers with him.
To be honest, the chances of dying that night were much higher than the chances of survival.
"But we still managed to drive her away together, didn't we?"
Ronan smiled and raised his left hand.
Seeing Ronan's raised hand, Wong also smiled.
He reached out, fist-bumped Ronan, and then shook his hand.
But just as the two of them were shaking hands, the door to the hospital room opened.
Tony Stark and Steve Rogers walked in, just in time to see the handshake.
"Wow, did we come at a bad time?"
"Are we interrupting something?"
Tony took off his sunglasses, his expression exaggerated.
Ronan rolled his eyes, let go of Wong's hand, and gave Tony the internationally recognized gesture of goodwill with his left hand.
"Ronan, congratulations on waking up."
Steve walked over and placed the things he had brought on the bedside table.
Seeing Ronan awake, a smile appeared on his face.
Though the smile seemed a bit forced.
"What, are you guys dealing with trouble too?"
Ronan knew what was going on, but he asked anyway.
"I made a small mistake, but it'll be resolved soon."
"You just focus on recovering here. We'll handle the rest."
"Although..."
At this point, Tony hesitated.
It seemed like he had something to ask Ronan, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up.
"Although what?"
Ronan raised an eyebrow.
"It's about the twins. Do you have any more detailed information on them?"
"Like things that haven't been officially recorded."
Steve spoke up for Tony, voicing the question.
It was clear they were running out of time.
"Twins?"
"Wanda Maximoff and Pietro Maximoff?"
The only twins Ronan could think of were those two.
"That's right, them."
"The one from that night, it was Wanda Maximoff, wasn't it?"
Tony also brought up the battle from that night.
Recalling the event, he felt a deep sense of unease.
Because the Ultron they were dealing with had teamed up with Wanda Maximoff.
And they had already fought once.
"Don't tell me you've already fought her?"
"Can I ask how she performed?"
Ronan was curious about this.
After all, being "soul-transferred" by another Scarlet Witch would surely enhance her Chaos Magic... right?
"That's what's so strange."
"During our fight, it seemed like she had completely forgotten what happened that night."
"And the abilities she displayed were only telekinesis and that mind-control power."
"Nothing as powerful as before."
"You know, when I saw her face, I really thought I was done for."
Now, Tony finally admitted the truth.
After all, having just gone through a life-and-death battle with her the night before, only to encounter her again the next day.
And without Ronan's formidable combat abilities.
It was practically a death sentence.
But Tony noticed that she wasn't as powerful as he had imagined.
This left him puzzled.
"I see..."
"Actually, the Wanda you met wasn't the same Wanda from that night."
"While the body is the same, the soul is completely different."
Ronan thought for a moment and decided to give Tony some reassurance.
Based on Tony's account, the Scarlet Witch had indeed left this world.
"You mean... soul transference?"
Tony's lips twitched. Wasn't that something out of science fiction?
Could it really happen in real life?
"If you want to put it that way, sure."
"She used some kind of dark magic to transfer her soul into versions of herself across parallel universes."
"Of course, the prerequisite is that the other parallel universes must have a version of you."
Ronan sighed. Thinking about this reminded him of another very troublesome issue.
After dreamwalking, the two parallel universes would inevitably collide in a life-and-death struggle.
Although Ronan hadn't seen the follow-up stories in his previous life, it was likely that the narrative would revolve around the collision of parallel universes, with each universe fighting to protect itself.
If that were the case, then from that moment on, Earth-616 would be their enemy.
"So, the Wanda now isn't the same Wanda from that night."
Tony seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Ronan nodded. He wasn't sure if this would have any major consequences.
But what was done was done. They could only wait and see how things unfolded.
"That's good. It seems things haven't reached the worst-case scenario."
"If it were as Tony described, we really would have been in trouble."
Steve also breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he hadn't been there that night, he had heard Tony's account of what happened.
And seeing Ronan's injuries only reinforced the severity of the situation.
Ronan, who could easily take on him, Black Widow, and Hawkeye at the same time, had been reduced to this state. How powerful must the opponent have been?
So, the current situation was actually quite favorable.
"Alright, then you rest up."
"You can stay here without worry. Aside from the doctors, no one will disturb you."
"As for the doctors..."
At this point, both Tony and Wong's expressions turned strange.
Ronan raised an eyebrow. What did that mean?
Knock knock knock.
Just then, there was another knock on the door.
"Come in."
Wong was the first to speak.
The door opened, and a tall, thin man in a white coat walked in.
When Ronan saw his face, he immediately understood why Tony and Wong had looked so odd.
"Let me introduce you. This is Dr. Stephen Strange, one of the most renowned surgeons in the U.S."
"He's the one who performed your surgery."
Tony, ever the instigator, took the initiative to introduce Stephen Strange.
After all, that night, he had seen another version of Strange.
"I know. I've seen reports about you in the news."
"Thank you so much, Dr. Strange."
Ronan smiled and extended his left hand.
Seeing Ronan's gesture, Strange was momentarily stunned but then extended his own left hand.
As they shook hands, Ronan noticed something: on Strange's left ring finger was a ring.
"Dr. Strange, are you married?"
Ronan asked, surprised.
Strange was also taken aback by Ronan's keen observation.
"Not yet, but I'm engaged."
Strange smiled, his expression filled with happiness.
Looking at this version of Strange, Ronan also smiled.
In this universe, Strange's life had taken a completely different path from the one in Earth-616.
Here, he was still a world-renowned surgeon, about to marry the woman he loved and start a family.
In the other universe, he had lost everything but became the Sorcerer Supreme of that Earth.
Well, the former Sorcerer Supreme.
Some might prefer the former's ordinary life, while others might admire the latter's legendary status.
But for Strange, if given the choice, would he still go to Kamar-Taj to learn magic?
"That's wonderful."
"I hope I'll have the chance to attend your wedding."
"After all, we might become friends in the future."