Even though Wanda was injured, she was still able to easily overpower his magic. Not only did she knock Doctor Strange to the ground, but she also destroyed the Book of Vishanti!
At this point, the audience finally understood why the answer to the previous question had excluded the Book of Vishanti.
Outside the screen, Peter frowned and asked, "Mr. Strange, don't you have the ability to open portals? Why didn't you just escape with them after getting the Book of Vishanti?"
Stephen shook his head. "Opening a portal requires the Sling Ring. Clearly, in the footage, I wasn't wearing it. Besides, even if I had it, there's no guarantee I could open a portal in such a special place."
As he spoke, Stephen realized he had made some mistakes earlier when answering the questions—he hadn't thought things through carefully or cautiously enough.
Judging from the video, the Book of Vishanti had a high probability of helping them defeat Wanda. The problem was, the book couldn't be used right away—it required study and understanding first.
But Wanda came at them with unstoppable momentum. It was only a matter of time before she caught up to them in that fractured realm. With the three of them trapped there, the Book of Vishanti simply wasn't a reliable solution.
Unless, from the beginning, the Illuminati had trusted him and held Wanda off long enough for Stephen to study the book and come up with a way to stop her.
Unfortunately, there's no such thing as "what if" in the real world.
Back in the video, the coveted Book of Vishanti had been destroyed, and Stephen had lost all confidence in resisting Wanda. With a wave of her hand, she used magic to bind both him and Christine.
Still, Wanda wasn't as ruthless with her former ally as she had been with the members of the Illuminati. Holding America in one hand and casting a binding spell on Stephen and Christine with the other, she forced America to open a portal to the multiverse by pressuring her.
Whenever America felt threatened or afraid, her powers would activate involuntarily. Wanda had figured that out by now. Even without extracting America's powers, she could still use her as a tool.
Once the portal to the multiverse opened, Wanda hurled Stephen and Christine into it, effectively exiling her former comrade. Though it was a grim fate, at least it left them with a sliver of hope—perhaps this was Wanda's final act of mercy.
At this point, Pietro couldn't help but scoff. "You know, Wanda's been pretty decent to you. Even after you kept getting in her way, she still gave you your dream."
He was, of course, referring to Wanda exiling Stephen and Christine together, allowing the pair to be together in another universe.
Stephen snorted. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Pietro. I think you'll see soon enough how Wanda ends up losing."
Pietro didn't respond with the same level of emotion as before. Honestly, he had always sided with Wanda, but watching the video and seeing how crazed and unfamiliar his sister had become… he couldn't help but wonder—if he tried to stop her, would she turn on him too?
There was no answer to that question. Or rather, the moment he thought of it, he already knew the answer—yes, she would. Because this wasn't the sister he knew anymore.
Pietro didn't like Stephen. The guy wasn't particularly likable, sometimes even more annoying than Tony Stark. But he had to admit, Stephen had a point. The Wanda in the footage wasn't his sister—she was someone else entirely.
With that realization, Pietro began to think more rationally. If this version of Wanda was defeated, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. He didn't want his sister to turn into this kind of lunatic.
So he looked directly at Stephen and said softly, "I hope the future you can bring Wanda back."
Stephen was momentarily stunned, then offered a genuine smile and nodded. "I hope so too."
As they spoke, the video showed Wanda strengthening her control over America. Incredibly, she actually managed to stabilize the portal and lock onto Universe 616.
This was a testament to Wanda's raw talent. America had spent years failing to understand how her powers worked, yet in Wanda's hands, it only took moments.
The scene shifted. Banished from their original universe, Stephen and Christine tumbled through the multiverse again and landed in a familiar yet foreign New York City.
As they stepped onto the streets, they were stunned to find themselves in a world on the brink of destruction. The streets were deserted, a crumbling skyscraper loomed overhead, and in the distance, cracks in space shimmered like broken glass—where reality and illusion collided.
This was the aftermath of a multiversal collision.
As expected, this universe had fallen victim to a multiverse incursion and was now collapsing...
Despite the apocalyptic scene, Stephen stayed relatively calm. Even in such a desperate situation, he didn't panic. He figured he might be able to find this world's version of himself and get help, so he led Christine toward the Sanctum Sanctorum.
It had to be said—Stephen was arrogant to the bone. Even as the world fell apart around him, he remained convinced that if anyone had survived, it would be the version of himself in this universe.
Sure enough, they soon arrived at the Sanctum Sanctorum, which was just as damaged as the rest of the city, exuding an air of decay and ruin.
Standing outside the iron gate, Stephen immediately sensed someone watching him from within. He also caught a glimpse of a familiar silhouette passing by a window.
He stepped toward the Sanctum, this time leaving Christine behind. He wasn't sure what awaited inside—after all, he had been betrayed once before in the Sanctum of Universe 838. This time, he had learned his lesson.
Inside, the Sanctum was in shambles. Stephen proceeded cautiously but was quickly stopped by the voice of its master. As expected, the Sanctum's master was none other than another version of himself—this universe's Stephen.
Though he looked exactly the same as the Stephen from Universe 616, his demeanor was different—worn and shadowed.
It was understandable. After all, his world had ended. How could he be anything but grim?
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T/N:
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