203

Chapter 203: The Opera House of the Last Century

Stark, without his battle armor, was significantly slower in his reactions. He quickly called out, "J.A.R.V.I.S.!"

There was no response.

"What's happening?"

"Sir, your battle armor has been damaged!" came the urgent reply.

Stark:

He hurriedly turned and raced toward the elevator. Lacking Natalia's agility and Jackie Chan's acrobatics, his progress was limited.

But it was too late. The red energy surged like a tidal wave, engulfing everything in its path...

"Nat, what happened? Where's Stark?" Steve asked, rushing to assist Natalia, his concern evident.

Natalia was about to respond when Hawkeye suddenly exclaimed, "Look, what is that?"

Captain America turned and gasped in shock.

A bloody barrier had encased the entire base, expanding rapidly as it advanced towards them...

"Run! Don't let it touch you!" Steve shouted, picking up the unconscious Happy and urging everyone to flee in the opposite direction.

Yet, the red barrier pursued them quickly, already closing in behind Captain America.

Gritting his teeth, Captain America threw Happy forward, and in the next moment, his entire body was consumed by the barrier.

"Boom..."

A beam of seven-colored light descended from the sky, connecting with the world at a crucial moment, enveloping everyone and then vanishing instantly.

Thor stood amidst the clouds, wielding Stormbreaker, and directed the Bifrost in another direction.

In an instant, they arrived at a campus miles away.

The red barrier, resembling an inverted hemisphere, continued to expand around the Avengers Base, extending for several kilometers before finally halting.

Thor activated his communicator: "Stark? J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

"Sorry, the number you've dialed is out of service area. Please try again later..."

Thor: "...

The communication device he used was not an ordinary Earth phone but the most advanced communicator in the universe, obtained from the Collector. It could reach even the space where aether was located!

Isn't this barrier incredible?

A figure quickly approached him—Supergirl Karla—explaining her delay.

"Thor, Sister Nat asked me to guard the castle to prevent any external threats."

Thor nodded in understanding.

Looking at the enigmatic red barrier, Karla was eager to act.

"Return to the castle!" Thor instructed. "I'll handle this. Go to Peggy and inform all the family members to be prepared to evacuate at any moment, to prevent the barrier from expanding further."

Though he said this, his thoughts were quite different.

Karla had no magic resistance and relied on strong health and vitality for support against magical attacks.

Many of Wanda's spells were non-damaging, like mind control...

Encountering such magic might not be an issue for a top hero with protagonist status, but for a supergirl with fluctuating combat power, it could be problematic.

After sending Karla away, Thor turned on his communicator to get an update from Natalia and the others. He then gazed at the red hemisphere below, contemplating a strategy.

Breaking through forcefully was certainly an option. Using Stormbreaker to create a Bifrost or simply splitting the barrier with the axe were possibilities.

However, Wanda inside was in an extremely unstable state, and acting recklessly could aggravate her condition.

Thor wasn't sure of Wanda's current limits. If driven mad and rendered powerless, Thor might have to return home to farm purple potatoes...

It seemed that certain "what if" scenarios truly had a dark twist!

Observing the immense red hemisphere, Thor took a deep breath and plunged into it.

At the barrier's center, where the Avengers Base once stood, the area had transformed into a grand theater under the influence of the mysterious Chaos energy. Wanda, dressed in a retro outfit from the last century, sat in a corner of the auditorium, engrossed in the film.

"City Lights," a 1930s film depicting the love story of a homeless man and a flower girl, had achieved worldwide acclaim and was cherished by audiences globally.

Though it was a silent, black-and-white film, Wanda was completely absorbed.

As the film ended, a familiar figure emerged from behind the scenes and waved to the audience.

With his baggy trousers, tattered top hat, mustache, oversized shoes, and ever-present walking stick...