Chapter 358: Silas vs. Wanda
"Stark's request was simple: watch over you and make sure you don't leave this villa," Silas said, his eyes fixed on Wanda.
"But I have to go," Wanda replied, her resolve unshakable.
Seeing her determination, Clint Barton finally relaxed a fraction. "Destiny, you're not an Avenger. You shouldn't be sticking your nose into this."
Silas chuckled softly. "You're right, I'm not. But Stark asked for a favor, and I've already given him my word."
"Then I guess there's nothing left to discuss," Clint said. He reflexively pulled a baton from his back and swung it toward Silas's head.
Silas didn't even turn his head. He simply reached out with his left hand and caught Clint's wrist mid-air. Clint strained with all his might to break free, but Destiny's grip was like an iron vice, pinning him in place.
In a desperate move, Clint tried to strike Silas's face with his free hand to force a release. Instead, Silas caught that hand too, hoisted Clint effortlessly over his head, and slammed him onto a nearby wooden table.
CRASH!
The table splintered into pieces. Clint lay on the floor, curled in pain and clutching his midsection.
"Alright, Wanda, the circus is over. We can pretend none of this happened," Pietro said with a confident smile, walking toward his sister. He was certain she would listen to him. They were siblings, after all—surely she wouldn't strike her own brother?
Wanda glanced at the fallen Clint, and her hands suddenly erupted with crimson Chaos Magic. Before Pietro could even process what was happening, a massive wave of kinetic force blasted him backward. He hit the ground hard, but as he tried to stand, Wanda telekinetically slammed a sofa on top of him, pinning him down.
Pietro stared at the ceiling, eyes wide with shock. Wanda had actually attacked him. "This has to be a dream..." he muttered, dazed.
Now, only Silas and Wanda remained.
"Wanda, I really don't want to fight you," Silas said.
"Neither do I," Wanda replied, though the Chaos Magic dancing between her fingers told a different story.
Silas's brow furrowed. Are you sure about that?
BOOM!
A staggering amount of pressure suddenly materialized above Silas, as if a mountain were crushing down on his shoulders.
"Ngh!" Wanda gritted her teeth, her hands trembling from the strain of outputting so much power.
Crack... crack...
Silas's bones groaned under the weight. He hadn't expected her attack to be so sudden and overwhelming. He tried to use his telekinesis to counter the pressure, but the floor beneath him gave way first.
CRUNCH!
The ground collapsed. Stripped of his ability to hover by the chaotic interference of her magic, Silas plunged into the darkness below. As Wanda's power peaked, the crater grew deeper and deeper, sending Silas into a seemingly bottomless pit.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Wanda whispered toward the hole, her voice trembling.
"Save the apologies for after the fight. We need to go, now," Clint gasped, wincing as he picked himself up. Wanda nodded, and the two sped away from the villa.
A few moments later...
BANG!
Pietro finally shoved the sofa off himself and rushed to the edge of the pit. "Hey! Are you okay?!" He scratched his head in frustration. Wanda really didn't hold back...
Just as Pietro was panic-stricken, Silas shot out of the dark hole like a bolt of lightning. He was now wearing a pair of high-tech flight thrusters on his boots.
"Man, that girl is brutal," Silas grumbled. Wanda had unleashed her full power, boring a hundred-meter-deep hole into the earth just to trap him.
This encounter served as a wake-up call for Silas: his Talismans weren't invincible. There were levels of power, like Wanda's Chaos Magic, that couldn't simply be overpowered by the Rooster and Ox Talismans combined. It was a matter of the fundamental tier of energy. Fortunately, his Talismans could be upgraded, or he would have hit a permanent ceiling.
"My sister plays for keeps, apparently," Pietro teased.
"Tell me about it," Silas muttered. He knew it wasn't just the power gap; he had lost because he was overconfident. He had the tools to win, but he had let his guard down and paid the price.
"Where to now?" Pietro asked.
"What do you think? We lost the person we were supposed to guard," Silas said irritably. If he didn't show up to help now, Stark was going to get shredded by Cap's team.
Pietro looked sheepish. He, too, had been overconfident, thinking his sister would never lay a hand on him. It turned out her hands—and that sofa—hurt quite a bit.
"Let's go." Silas opened a Shadow Portal, leading Pietro straight to the airport.
Leipzig-Halle Airport
"What are you two doing here?" Tony was discussing tactics with the others when Silas and Pietro suddenly appeared. Before they could speak, Tony narrowed his eyes. "Please don't tell me Wanda is out of that villa."
"Congratulations, you're a genius," Pietro said with an awkward, forced smile.
Tony rubbed his temples. "Tell me you at least didn't go easy on her."
"We didn't! We just... underestimated the situation," Pietro explained, waving his hands defensively.
"Fine. Since you're here, get in line," Tony sighed. He would have to adjust the plan.
"Hey~ did you let her go because she's pretty?" Peter whispered, sliding over to Silas to tease him.
"I was overconfident," Silas replied flatly. It felt like a stain on his record. He should have used his power to pin her down immediately instead of talking.
Peter didn't look convinced. He knew Silas was powerful; even if he couldn't beat the Scarlet Witch, he shouldn't have let her slip away so easily. Plus, they had Quicksilver's speed on their side.
"Is that a new suit?" Silas asked, noticing Peter's gear had changed.
"Yeah! Mr. Stark gave it to me as a 'retainer' for this mission. Plus a $100,000 grant!" Peter was vibrating with excitement. Silas looked at the suit—it was the classic Stark-tech suit from the movies. He had assumed Tony wouldn't bother since Peter already had high-tech gear, but Tony clearly wanted Peter to look the part of a Stark protege.
"I'm actually going to fight Captain America. I can't believe it," Peter geeked out.
As the brothers talked, Tony cleared his throat loudly. "Can we focus, please?"
"Oh! Sorry!" Peter immediately went quiet.
"First, I'm having the airport evacuated to avoid 'collateral issues.' Then, we engage," Tony said simply.
"That's the whole plan?" Natasha asked, surprised.
"Mmhmm. Do we need more?" Tony replied.
"It just seems... dangerously simple," she muttered.
"By the way, you all should meet someone," Tony said, gesturing to a man in a sleek black vibranium suit: T'Challa, the Black Panther.
"Hello," T'Challa said, offering a hand in a gesture of friendship.
"Hi!" Pietro was in front of him in a blur, shaking his hand.
"Very impressive speed," T'Challa noted. He had read the files, but seeing it in person was different.
Silas didn't shake hands; he just gave a respectful nod. "I'm Destiny."
"I know of you. Your strength is formidable," T'Challa acknowledged before taking his position.
On the other side of the tarmac
"I'm glad you made it," Steve said, smiling at Clint and Wanda.
"You have no idea," Clint joked. "I thought I was a goner back there."
"I understand," Steve said. He knew the pressure they were under, facing both Quicksilver and Destiny. If Wanda hadn't stood her ground, Clint never would have made it out.
Beep... beep... beep...
"Emergency notice: All passengers must evacuate the airport immediately," the PA system announced.
"They're clearing the field," Bucky Barnes said, leaning against a truck and biting his lip.
"Who?" Scott Lang asked, confused.
"Stark," Steve replied, turning to his team. "Get ready to move!"
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