The energy spike continued to spread.
"Cassius?" Rhodey was stunned. This was the first time he had seen Tony look so nervous.
"He's a very good friend of mine. He might be in danger right now!" Although he had only known Cassius for less than half a year, Cassius had already become Tony's best friend. He would not only seek him out to vent his frustrations, but Cassius would also give him excellent advice on future decisions.
Based on the monitor's readings, the glowing area was exactly where Cassius's house was.
"Friday, prepare the jet!" Tony yelled. If Cassius was in danger, he had to get there immediately.
"Tony, don't rush into this. We don't even know the situation yet." Steve frowned. Going in without any preparation would most likely lead to a complete wipeout. This energy fluctuation was the strongest they had ever seen, and even if they all went, they might not be able to defeat the source.
"How can I not rush? That's my best friend!" Tony's forehead was veined, and his body was trembling slightly.
"Even if you get there now, it might be too late. Let's just look at the current situation first!" Natasha also tried to reason with him. With this kind of energy fluctuation, even Tony going alone wouldn't do anything. And there was something she wanted to say but didn't, which was that Tony's good friend might already be dead.
This energy covered a massive area, and from the fluctuations, it was spreading rapidly to other locations.
"I think so too." Barton, who was standing with his arms crossed, also nodded slightly.
"Have you considered the team? You can't put everyone's lives at risk as a joke." Sam quickly walked over to Tony and put a hand on his shoulder. He could understand Tony's feelings, but this was not the time to be reckless. What they should be more concerned about was the direction of this energy fluctuation. They also needed to find out what was going on and whether they needed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s assistance.
"Wait, look, the detection data for the area is starting to change!" Rhodey's urgent voice drew everyone's attention to the data on the top right of the screen.
"Friday, immediately check the data fluctuation, and analyze all the information!" Tony gritted his teeth, his voice filled with endless anger. If his friend was harmed, he would never let the culprit get away with it.
[Boss, the previous detection data was incorrect!] A moment later, Friday's voice sounded, and the screen on the device began to flash. In the image, the energy fluctuation was now appearing in the opposite direction, to the east.
"Phew... Steve, you take the team to investigate the situation over there." After seeing that the energy fluctuation was no longer at Cassius's house, Tony felt as if all the energy had been drained from him. He simply threw the task to Steve. After all, Captain America loved going on missions more than anyone.
"Alright, I'll go now!" Steve immediately nodded and agreed.
Just then, Tony paused and added, "Be careful. This might be a Hydra plot!"
"Understood." Steve said casually, and prepared to walk out quickly. But at that moment, he seemed to remember something and said, "Where's Wanda?"
Everyone else had been there, but Wanda was nowhere to be found. And lately, Wanda had been acting strangely, leaving quietly even when she went out. It was as if she had some kind of secret.
"I don't know." Natasha's expression was a little strange, and she said with a half-smile, "I haven't seen her since yesterday afternoon, and she didn't come back to the compound last night either!"
"Could something have happened to her?" Rhodey frowned. Wanda used to hate going out the most. But lately, no one had seen her.
"She didn't come back last night?!" Steve's voice was filled with surprise. He knew that Wanda was a relatively conservative and introverted person. So she would avoid going out if she could, and even when she did, she would return quickly. She spent most of her time at the compound.
But lately, no one had seen her. That wasn't like the Wanda they knew.
"You guys shouldn't worry about it. Everyone has their own private life." Natasha spread her hands and looked at everyone with a nonchalant expression. She was probably the only one who had an idea of what was going on.
After all, when Wanda came back sometimes, she would sit on the sofa and giggle to herself. There was only one possible reason for that: she had found someone she liked. And her previously fair cheeks were now a little rosy. If she wasn't getting some "nourishment," she wouldn't believe it. Which young woman doesn't get a little lovesick?
"Yeah, I also think we shouldn't pry too much. Everyone deserves their privacy." Even Tony walked over to Steve and patted his shoulder, shaking his head. After all, Cassius had told him to trust his teammates. He also believed that one day, Wanda would tell them everything. So all they had to do now was wait patiently for that day to come.
"Tony." Steve looked at Tony with a strange expression. "You weren't like this before." He had seen how angry Tony was about Wanda's secrecy before. He would even slam the door when he left. But now, he didn't seem to care at all. It was unbelievable.
"I'm not like some people, who are just an inflexible old-timer." Tony spread his hands and raised an eyebrow, looking at Steve with a mocking expression.
"Alright, Steve, just go do your thing!" Natasha interjected. "Wanda will definitely find a good time to tell us what's going on."
She didn't want to see these grown men gossiping about Wanda's private life. Wanda had finally started to move on from her past. She didn't want these guys to mess it up for her.
....
Rumble!
The sky was filled with thunder and lightning, and dark clouds. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a wasteland.
The Phoenix Force began to dissolve and annihilate everything it touched at a terrifying speed. The trees and grass at the edges disappeared in an instant, leaving behind only empty land. The once-beautiful backyard was now completely unrecognizable.
If you looked from above, this sunken ground was so out of place. It was a stark contrast to the scenery of the other areas. It was a contrast between vibrant life and death. If anyone saw this, their jaw would drop.
This was a power that did not belong to humans; only a god could do something so terrifying.
More and more black particles were being disintegrated. The gale, carrying the black particles, spun in the air, forming a black tornado. And Cassius was floating in mid-air, like a god who controlled all life in the world.
Although he was floating in mid-air, he was completely motionless in the face of the terrifying storm. Even though the endless dust blocked his vision, Cassius's figure was still so conspicuous in the air. His body was glowing with a red light, like a blood-red star in the dead of night. His entire body was exuding an extremely terrifying aura.
A voice sounded in his ear, "Master, the Avengers have detected your presence. I have already altered their detection data!"
"Cassius, stop!" Wanda, looking at the Phoenix Force spreading toward her, could only take to the air and shout at Cassius with a panicked expression.
She didn't know what was going on with Cassius; everything he was doing was beyond her imagination. But she could only clutch her thin nightgown. The strong wind blew up the hem of her skirt, revealing her long, fair legs.
She had left in such a hurry that she was only wearing simple loungewear. What worried her even more was that if Cassius continued, the house behind her would probably be completely gone.
"Don't worry." Cassius calmly glanced at the estate in the distance, then turned to look at the destroyed environment.
Whoosh!
He clasped his hands together, and the continuously spreading Phoenix Force stopped expanding. The next second, everything around them seemed to be rewinding. The black particles in the sky seemed to be falling, flying back to their original positions.
It was as if a black drizzle was falling from the sky. The moment the drizzle touched the ground, everything around them began to rapidly restore itself. Every time the Phoenix Force retracted a bit, the previously devoured areas would return to their original state.
It was as if a pair of invisible hands were constantly repairing the destroyed objects. The destroyed flowers, trees, houses, land, and tall walls were all restored one by one.
"My goodness..." Wanda's mouth was slightly agape. She had also seen Cassius use his power to affect everything around him, but this was on a completely different level.
This was restoring everything that had been destroyed.
How much power would that take to do all of this?
She had never imagined that Cassius would have such immense power. This power had completely shattered her previous beliefs. In her mind, no matter how powerful magic was, it could only affect a few thousand feet around her.
But Cassius had just taught her a lesson in a completely different way. As long as you can control the power, you can change anything, no matter how big the area is. She could also feel that the reason Cassius didn't continue to release his energy wasn't because he didn't have enough. To be precise, Cassius gave her the feeling that he had already gotten bored.
"You and I are the same." After restoring everything, Cassius slowly floated over to Wanda and wrapped an arm around her slender waist. "Our abilities can both create and destroy!"
The Phoenix Force could turn everything to dust, and even to nothingness. So it could also turn dust into water and water into life. All he had done was fix everything!
Of course, the prerequisite was having supreme control over the Phoenix Force. After receiving the second Phoenix Force fragment, Cassius's control over it had already become second nature. And his power had already reached the Skyfather level. All of this was no problem for him at all.
But even he was a little surprised, as this was the first time he had used the Phoenix Force on such a large scale.
"Unbelievable. This is no different from a miracle." Even Wanda's voice was a little dazed when she spoke. It felt like a dream. She had watched everything get destroyed, but then it returned to its original state. This power was just too terrifying. She now had a feeling that all the Avengers combined might not be a match for Cassius.
"Isn't this cool?" Cassius wrapped his arms around Wanda and pulled her closer, a mischievous smile on his lips.
"Mmm." Wanda gave him a light kiss on the lips. "That's to encourage you."
Seeing that Cassius had such immense power, Wanda couldn't help but feel excited. After all, this was the person she loved the most, and the more powerful he was, the safer she would be.
"That's all the encouragement I get? That won't do anything." Cassius slowly descended to the ground with Wanda in his arms, his tongue licking his lips.
"No! You promised me tonight! You can't go back on your word!" With just that one action, Wanda knew that unhealthy thoughts had entered his mind again. After their last time together, it seemed that Cassius had developed an interest in different places.
"Why does it have to be tonight?" Cassius looked at Wanda, puzzled. Wanda had said she wanted to go out and walk around tonight many times. He really couldn't understand why girls loved to go out so much.
"Wait until we go out, and you'll find out." A mysterious smile was on Wanda's face, and she didn't tell Cassius her plan.
"Wait!"
"Ah!" Cassius's eyes instantly widened. "You're not planning to go outside, are you? Do you like that kind of thing? You actually like..."
His mind was blown. Could it be that she had awakened something incredible during their last dinner together?
"Ow!" But before he could finish his sentence, Wanda gave him a hard pinch on his waist. "Would you die if you didn't think about such things?!"
"And if you keep talking nonsense, don't blame me for biting your..." Wanda shook her head helplessly. She couldn't understand why Cassius could think about those things all the time. In some ways, it was pretty disgusting. And it's not like he didn't have enough to eat. How could someone who was full still want to eat more?
"Did you finish the book?" Cassius saw that Wanda was about to get angry and quickly changed the subject.
"It's right here." Wanda waved the leather scroll in her hand and shook her head helplessly. "You were making so much noise, who would be in the mood to read?" She had thought that Cassius had lost control, or he wouldn't have made such a huge ruckus.
"Since you haven't finished, don't read it for now." Cassius's mouth curled into a slight smile, feeling the soft and smooth touch of her skin. "We need to work and rest. We should take a nap first."
After all, you can't study this kind of thing all the time. You have to relax once in a while. It just so happened that he wanted to "play" right now. He could do it one more time before they went out.
"A nap?! We just woke up not long ago!" Wanda instantly understood what Cassius meant. What kind of nap was this? He clearly wanted to take her to "study the principles and structure of a tunneling machine."
Before Wanda could react, Cassius had already opened an Inter-Dimensional Portal on the side. He wrapped his arms around Wanda and took a step into the bedroom.
"..."
Meanwhile, in Hell's Kitchen, New York.
In an inconspicuous apartment building. The walls of the room were covered in various bizarre patterns. Just looking at them would make your scalp tingle. A faint white smoke filled the air, and there was a hint of a bloody smell.
"Hmm?" Agatha, who was meditating in the center of the living room, suddenly opened her eyes. "That's the aura of the Phoenix Force."
Was that person releasing the Phoenix Force? No, that couldn't be right. It would be very difficult for a person who hadn't studied magic to control the Phoenix Force within them. Unless that person had an innate talent. But that was obviously impossible. There were very few talented mages on Earth. Even Kamar-Taj would have a hard time finding a genius once every hundred years.
"Annihilation..." Agatha felt the power, her eyes filled with greed. This was the power she would give up everything to get! She slowly stood up, holding the black rabbit on the floor. "Mr. Stracci, it's time to return the Chaos Magic and the Phoenix Force to their rightful owner."
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