197

Chapter 197: The Escaped Infinity Stone

The Ancient One shook his head slowly.

"Your power may be out of control, but that's not the issue right now. I'm referring to another force that is about to spiral out of control!"

"Wanda!" Thor exclaimed.

The Ancient One nodded. "Is that her name? It should be. Her power is purer and more unstable than yours. If it fully erupts, it could potentially annihilate our entire world."

Although Thor understood that the Ancient One's concerns were serious, he couldn't help but feel skeptical. "Wanda shouldn't be completely lost to darkness, right? Despite her current turmoil, her nature has always been kind. She shouldn't have turned completely villainous."

Thor had shown mercy during their previous confrontation, and Wanda had also held back, indicating that she still had a semblance of her former self.

The Ancient One shook his head. "Her potential is far greater than I initially imagined, even surpassing Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension. Unfortunately, her fragile body and soul might not withstand the strain, leading to a loss of control."

With a wave of his hand, the Ancient One conjured a projection in front of Thor.

The image depicted events at HYDRA's base in Sokovia. Thor saw Quicksilver's body undergoing strange transformations, switching between two states before finally stabilizing.

"Um, has Quicksilver changed to silver?" Thor asked, noting the alteration.

The Ancient One rolled his eyes. "Keep watching; that's not the main point."

Thor observed as Quicksilver disappeared, turning into ashes that scattered in the wind. Only Wanda remained in the cell, her face etched with despair.

Surrounding her, numerous HYDRA soldiers pointed their weapons, approaching cautiously.

Wanda stared blankly at the ashes in her hands, her sea-green eyes slowly turning blood red...

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

"Boom..."

The world turned red in an instant. Before the fully armed HYDRA soldiers could react, they were frozen and turned to dust.

The red energy spread rapidly, engulfing the entire fortress in seconds. Many were obliterated before they even had a chance to scream.

Those further away fared no better. They watched in horror as their limbs and heads were torn apart, piece by piece...

"No, no, no!"

Baron Strucker, in a panic, turned his gaze to the scepter.

At that moment, the scepter emitted an unprecedentedly bright light.

"Click."

The blue casing of the gem shattered, revealing the golden, stone inside, which gleamed intensely.

Wanda's eyes were increasingly red, and the entire world was bathed in blood red.

The only exception was the Mind Gem. Its golden light pierced through the red haze, revealing a slender figure in a magical robe.

"…"

A piercing cry snapped Wanda out of her trance, her eyes clearing as she regained her senses.

What had happened?

The energy she had released had already breached HYDRA's base and was rapidly spreading towards nearby villages.

A peasant woman on the outskirts, holding a child, watched in despair as the red energy advanced. There was nothing she could do.

Even though the child didn't understand the danger, it instinctively cried out in fear...

"No... return soon!"

Wanda's eyes reflected a struggle. With a desperate scream, she closed her eyes and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Simultaneously, the terrifying Chaos force vanished instantly.

Underneath the table where the scepter had been, a figure emerged, laughing maniacally. "Hahaha... dead, hahaha... all dead, HYDRA..."

Thor looked at the now-empty scepter with a grave expression. The powerful Mind Gem had disappeared.

In that moment, it had released an enormous burst of energy, detaching from the scepter and rapidly flying away from Wanda.

Among the six Infinity Gems, only the soul Gem had a complete consciousness. The others, while not fully sentient, possessed instincts to seek survival, much like the Reality Stone had once sought refuge in Jane Foster.

Now, the Mind Gem was fleeing in terror.