Chapter 177

It wasn't just his body that had been disrupted but also his mind and consciousness.

As if realizing he would definitely lose if he continued in this state, a surge of terrifying, domineering power erupted from him, instantly altering the world around him. The once-vivid colors drained away, leaving behind a gray, desolate landscape filled with the ominous roar of blood and the crackle of black thunder raging across the sky.

But alas, no matter how fierce the effort, it was ultimately futile.

His consciousness descended into complete darkness.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but when Pietro finally woke, he bolted upright from the ground, his eyes darting around warily. To his surprise, he found himself on a sunny beach. The blue sky stretched endlessly overhead, and not far away, he could hear laughter and cheerful voices. The tantalizing aroma of barbecue wafted through the air.

Before Pietro could fully grasp the situation, a dinner plate filled with barbecued meat appeared in front of him. Turning his head, he noticed a massive figure looming over him, blocking out the sun.

Looking up, he saw Hulk grinning down at him with a simple, honest smile.

"Hey, big guy, is this for me?" Pietro asked, blinking in disbelief.

"Hulk," came the friendly growl.

"Thanks." Grateful for the gesture, Pietro accepted the plate. Standing up, he grabbed a couple of skewers and handed them back to Hulk as a gesture of goodwill. With his own skewer in hand, he began eating while walking toward the lively group nearby.

Ahead, he spotted familiar faces—Leon, Natasha, Wanda, and the others were all gathered around, enjoying a feast. They laughed and chatted, the table laden with roasted meats, fried steak, steamed crabs, and other delicious foods. The boys lounged in shorts, their torsos bare under the sun, while the girls wore light shirts and shorts, looking equally relaxed.

When Pietro and Hulk approached, Sergei noticed them first and let out a loud, teasing laugh.

"Look who it is! Isn't that our very own Mr. Maximoff? Why do you look so beat up all of a sudden?"

As if recalling something, Sergei smirked and added mockingly, "Oh, wait! I remember now. You got thrashed by your own sister, didn't you? And you couldn't even fight back!"

The entire group erupted into laughter.

Pietro grimaced at the teasing but managed to retort with mock indignation, "Why are you all picking on me? Trust me, if it were you or Wanda in my place, you'd have it far worse!"

His defiance only made everyone laugh harder, leaving Pietro shaking his head in reluctant defeat as he joined the group.

"That's right! That's why I had the good sense not to challenge Wanda and instead watched you get beat up," Sergei declared confidently.

His decisive answer left Pietro choking on his words, unable to reply, which only triggered more laughter from the group. Helpless, Pietro found an empty seat and slumped into it, sulking as he tried to contain his frustration.

Reflecting on the day, Pietro couldn't believe how his impulsiveness—egged on by guys like Sergei—had led him to challenge Wanda.

Originally, aside from Leon, Pietro and Wanda were ranked first and second in stable combat power within the group. The difference in their strength had always been minimal, and at one point, Pietro was arguably the stronger of the two. His super-speed gave him a significant edge in combat, especially before Wanda had mastered chaos magic.

But then, everything changed. Wanda joined the Kamar-Taj mage organization and began learning various forms of white magic. From that point on, her power surged at an incomprehensible rate.

At first, Pietro didn't pay much attention, convinced that their strength gap couldn't possibly grow that wide. But as time went on, it became impossible to ignore. Even so, when his friends manipulated him into challenging Wanda, a small part of him was genuinely curious to see how far her strength had progressed.

The answer was humiliatingly clear: Wanda annihilated him.

There was no contest—he had been utterly powerless.

"This is unbelievable. It's completely against common sense," Pietro muttered dejectedly as he snapped the legs off a hairy crab, eating while stewing in his defeat.

Across the table, Wanda ignored her sulking brother entirely, chatting with Natasha and playing with the three younger kids. Meanwhile, Hulk sat off to the side, happily devouring food while watching everyone with his usual endearing cluelessness.

As Pietro continued to grumble, Leon decided to provide some insight. Swallowing a bite of steak, he spoke with a knowing smile.

"Wanda is on track to become the next Sorcerer Supreme," Leon explained. "She wields chaos magic, one of the most powerful forms of energy. Magic nourishes her abilities in ways that are fundamentally different from ours."

He paused to let that sink in before adding, "Your super-speed is impressive, Pietro, and it'll continue to develop as you grow stronger. But magic—especially Wanda's magic—isn't bound by the same rules. It's spiritual and limitless."

Leon leaned forward slightly, emphasizing his next point. "If she wanted, Wanda could erase your existence. Completely. Not just from the present but from the timeline itself. You'd vanish from the history of the world."

He sighed lightly and admitted, "If this continues, even I might not be able to stand against Wanda one day."

"Damn, that's just ridiculous," Pietro complained, his voice tinged with reluctant awe. Hearing Leon describe Wanda's abilities in such detail left him shaken. He'd known she was strong, but this level of power was beyond anything he could comprehend.

His complaints didn't go unnoticed. Wanda shot him a sharp look, her displeasure evident. Pietro, catching her glare, immediately straightened up, pretending to obediently focus on his food. He wasn't about to provoke her any further.

Leon chuckled at the scene but continued seriously, "Wanda's future battles won't be easy. She'll face dimensional demons capable of breaking through realities and destroying entire worlds. If you don't step up, Pietro, you'll be left far behind."

Wanda, pleased with Leon's praise, cut a piece of barbecue and placed it on his plate. Leon responded by affectionately patting her head, enjoying the food with a smile as Wanda beamed beside him.

"This is a path I never could have imagined," Yelena said, cutting her food with a knife and fork. She stuck out her tongue as she continued, "I used to think it would be enough just to break free from Dreykov's control. But now, I find myself abhorring the situation while also being stuck in a form like the Hulk. And then, as if that wasn't enough, some demon god capable of destroying the world shows up. It's truly a terrifying world."

"But you have to admit, it's also exciting, isn't it?" Melina, sitting next to Yelena, replied with a slight smile as she elegantly ate the barbecue on her plate.

Yelena's words struck a chord with Melina. As an ordinary person, she had once been consumed by fear of Dreykov's rule, constantly longing to escape but lacking the strength or courage to act. For the longest time, Dreykov had seemed like the most terrifying existence in her world.

That changed the day Natasha, Yelena, and Alexei arrived at her house. Natasha had opened her eyes to things she never thought possible.

She had seen a world beyond her imagination: Leon, who carried himself like a god; Wanda and others, whose powers rivaled that of Superman. And when Dreykov—once her greatest fear—was wiped out as effortlessly as crushing an ant, Melina realized how small her perspective had been.

...

1000 powerstones = 1 Bonus chapter!

patreon.com/GreekGreenGlass