Everyone tensed up at the sight of the stranger—everyone except Clint and Natasha. The latter, far from sensing danger, looked genuinely concerned and asked immediately:
"Wanda, what are you doing here? It's dangerous."
Wanda met her eyes with a confident smile.
"Don't worry, Natasha. Watch this."
Instantly, several nearby objects rose into the air, wrapped in a red energy emanating from her hand. Then, with a spark of excitement in her voice, she added:
"And that's not all. The most important part is that I can—"
"Sorry to interrupt, but… are you going to introduce her, Natasha?"
Natasha realized no one else knew her and quickly responded.
"Right. This is Wanda. I'm looking after her at the moment. She's sort of like my younger sister… also an acquaintance of Laplace."
"And what's she doing here?" asked Tony, raising an eyebrow.
"If you'd stop interrupting, Stark, I was just about to explain," Wanda snapped sharply.
Tony frowned, clearly defensive.
"Hey, did I do something to you?"
"You..."
Wanda was about to answer, but Natasha cut in firmly.
"Wanda, this is more important. Now's not the time for fighting."
Of course, Natasha was well aware of the grudge Wanda and Pietro held against Tony, but she also understood that if Wanda hadn't attacked him yet, Laplace must have intervened somehow.
Wanda cleared her throat, recomposing herself, and returned to the main point.
"Right now, I possess chaos magic. It's hard to explain, but I'm basically an expert in everything mind-related. Laplace sent me, and he gave me very clear instructions."
Gwen was the first to react.
"Leo sent you? Is he doing that mystical future-seeing thing again?"
Natasha, however, caught something more important in her words.
"'Right now' you said?"
Wanda nodded with a smile.
"As expected of you, Natasha. Yes, I only have these powers for thirty minutes. So we need to hurry."
"What exactly did he tell you to do?" Steve asked.
"Well, he told me I had to receive the scepter."
Everyone immediately remembered the earlier explanation: only someone in complete mental harmony could handle the Mind Stone without difficulty. They all instantly understood what that meant.
Thor stepped forward and handed her the scepter.
"My father asked me to trust the seer. So I will trust your words, miss… it's in your hands now."
"Thank you" Wanda replied, receiving it, then raised the scepter toward the shield.
"You're going to break it? I thought that didn't work" Tony asked skeptically.
Wanda just gave him a mocking smile.
"That's impossible, Stark. The stones share the same power—none can overpower another. What I'm trying to do is mentally interfere with someone inside."
"But you just said no stone is stronger. So how can the Mind Stone cut through the energy of the Space one?"
"To put it simply, mental bonds are like threads that connect people. With the scepter, I can cut them easily, freeing them from mental control. Unfortunately, most inside are being controlled by Loki, and their threads are completely inside the shield. There are some that reach out, but they're useless… we don't need anyone outside."
"Then what's the point?" asked Thor.
"The point is that there's one thread much bigger than the rest, stretching from here into space. And that's the one I need to cut."
Natasha understood instantly.
"Your plan is to free Loki so he can shut down the shield from the inside?"
"It's not my plan, but yes, at least that's the first step."
She paused. Then smiled.
"Done. Loki's free. He'll deactivate the shield in five minutes."
"And why five minutes, not now?" Tony questioned.
"Because two powerful aliens are guarding him. We need to draw at least Cull Obsidian out."
Thor approached respectfully.
"Thank you for freeing my brother, miss. Your help will not be forgotten."
Wanda blushed at the sudden formality and quickly changed the subject, approaching Banner.
"Here"
She said, handing him the scepter. He took it, puzzled.
"What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Go and attack the shield. They'll come for the scepter even knowing it's a trap. It's that important. Only Hulk could justify Cull Obsidian stepping out to face us."
Banner sighed in resignation.
"Fine. Hulk's also eager for round two."
He jumped from the building, transforming into Hulk before hitting the ground, where his landing left a crater. Immediately, he charged toward the shield and began pounding it with fury.
Just as Wanda had predicted, Cull Obsidian emerged to confront him. The two titans battled fiercely for five intense minutes, until the shield finally collapsed.
"How…?" Cull muttered, stunned.
He turned, ready to find out what had happened—but Hulk intercepted him with brutal force.
"Beast… I don't have time for annoyances," he growled, then lunged at him.
Before impact, another hammer struck Cull, sending him flying. He turned to face the new challenger and scoffed:
"Aren't Asgardians supposed to respect and fight with honor?"
"Yes… but I'm angry. Are you going to tell me who dared to control the prince of Asgard?"
Cull looked at him like he was a fool.
"You want to know who my master is? I'm afraid if you knew… you'd run in terror."
Thor didn't take him seriously. He threw his hammer, which Cull tried to dodge—unsuccessfully. The weapon hit him squarely, hurling him back.
Enraged, Cull lunged again at Thor, forgetting Hulk entirely—who intercepted him once more.
Seizing the moment, Thor charged his hammer with lightning.
"Hulk!" he shouted.
Hulk released Cull just in time. A blinding bolt struck him, knocking him down momentarily. Even so, Cull forced himself up, enduring by sheer will.
He raised his mace defiantly—but Hulk hit him so hard he dropped it. Hulk picked it up and threw it straight at Thor.
Thor caught it and landed another powerful blow, sending Cull back down. He tried to stand, struggling against the lightning still falling on him—but managed to rise, barely holding himself up.
When the storm finally ceased, he looked up… and his hope vanished.
Hulk had leaped hundreds of feet into the air, mace raised high. Storm clouds gathered above him, denser and more electrified by the second.
Hulk came down at full speed, and Cull still believed he could stop him—until the lightning didn't strike him, but the mace, charging it just before the blow.
When the weapon struck Cull, the ground shook. The mace exploded from the overload, amplifying the blast.
When the smoke cleared, Cull Obsidian lay at the center of a deep crater, completely scorched. Beside him, Hulk stood silently.
He looked at what was left of the mace—just a charred handle—and tossed it aside like garbage.
Thor approached and nodded with satisfaction.
"Good. He won't get back up."
Then he looked at Hulk and smiled.
"We should face each other sometime. That would be an epic battle."
Hulk returned the smile, as if accepting the challenge.
Thor then looked toward the top of the building.
"Fifteen minutes have passed. They should be done as well."
But his expression changed instantly when he saw a massive blue beam shoot into the sky from above, opening a portal.
______________________________________
+20 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)