The strength of these crimson magic chains far exceeded anyone's expectations.
High-decibel alarms shrieked inside Tony's suit, JARVIS's synthetic voice repeating frantically in his ear:
"Sir, primary armor power source completely severed. Weapon systems offline. Kinetic propulsion systems offline."
"Are you kidding me?!" Tony's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
"Didn't Peter say his Celestial energy grants us a thirty-six-fold boost?! Under these conditions, we're still completely powerless to resist? What kind of monster is this girl?!"
At this moment, Tony was far from the only one shell-shocked.
Every single superhero present had been snared by Wanda's magic chains. Even the strongest trio among them—Sif, Daisy, and Natasha—were completely immobilized, unable to offer a shred of resistance!
In sharp contrast to the others struggling frantically, Mantis remained exceptionally quiet.
Through the magical links, she could feel the emotional tempest inside Wanda.
Fear, madness, hatred... the overwhelming negative emotions caused tears to silently stream down the sensitive empath's face...
Realizing struggle was futile, everyone turned their eyes toward the architect of this chaos—Wanda!
Currently, Wanda hovered high in mid-air, a vast vortex of crimson Chaos Magic swirling wildly around her frame.
The dark-red crown above her brow emitted a far denser, more suffocating radiance than before. Her crimson pupils looked down cold and detached at everyone bound below.
"The debt with those aliens has been settled," Wanda's voice resonated from the sky, amplified multiple times over by Chaos Magic, echoing across the ruins of Chernobyl.
As she spoke, her gaze shifted toward the sole individual who had escaped her net—Peter Parker.
It wasn't that Wanda hadn't tried to bind him.
Rather, the instant her chains attempted to wrap around Peter's body, the Horse Talisman's cleansing effect automatically triggered, burning the magic chains into ash.
"Now... it's time to settle the debt between us."
Watching this sudden plot twist, the live global broadcast chat went through a momentary dead silence before completely exploding:
"WAIT WAIT WAIT! What's going on?! Isn't Ms. Scarlet Witch on our side?!"
"No way, she's way too strong, right?! She just single-handedly hard-controlled all the superheroes who were slicing through aliens like vegetables earlier?!"
"Gasp~ Why do I feel like the Arbiter just invited a whole new level of trouble for Earth?!"
"I get the premise, but what debt does Ms. Scarlet Witch have to settle with the Arbiter? Don't tell me... the Arbiter abandoned her?!"
"What kind of storyline is this now?! The Toxic Maiden's Revenge? Or the Dominant Witch's Forced Love?!"
"??? Guys, is this right?! Hearing you talk like that, I'm not scared at all anymore—my brain is completely filled with gossiping desires!"
Peter raised his head, looking up at the hovering Wanda.
His expression remained placid, though a glint of clear realization flickered in the depths of his eyes.
No wonder his Observation Haki had flared wild warnings when he made his choice earlier—it had already anticipated this scene!
Just as he felt a mix of amusement and annoyance toward Wanda's sudden breakdown, her gaze crossed past Peter, locking onto the bound Tony Stark.
Those scarlet eyes carried an unimaginable weight of historical trauma:
"Stark."
She uttered the surname softly, yet the density of Chaos Magic in the atmosphere surged by several tiers in response, instilling a suffocating tightness in everyone's chest.
"Ten years ago in Sokovia... do you still remember the flames of war?"
Hearing that question, Tony's body visibly shuddered.
"That was my home," Wanda's voice began to tremble.
"When a missile made by Stark Industries landed in our living room, the four of us were sitting together watching television."
"It was YOU who took my parents from me and Pietro!"
"It was YOU who trapped us under the rubble, staring at that unexploded warhead for two full days and two full nights!"
As she spoke, her right hand clawed at empty air.
A massive screen forged from Chaos Magic manifested in the sky, projecting vivid historical footage of Sokovia back then. Amidst the ruined debris, two terrified children curled up in the rubble, staring at their dead parents and a live missile that could detonate at any split second, waiting in utter despair for death to strike!
As this scene broadcasted into millions of homes worldwide, the expressions of countess viewers shifted from shock to heavy silence.
"I had no idea the Scarlet Witch was Sokovian..."
"Stark Industries' arms trade back in the day really destroyed countless lives..."
"Not just Sokovia, my hometown was hit by Stark missiles too!"
"But that wasn't Iron Man's fault! He didn't start those wars!"
"Lady, wake up! Tony stopped selling weapons ages ago!"
"Exactly, Stark transitioned to clean energy years ago! What's the point of bringing this up now?!"
Wanda heard none of it. Nor did she care to.
Trapped in the web debris nearby, Quicksilver looked at his sister, his mouth opening as if to say something, but he swallowed his words. As her brother, the only stance he would ever take was standing beside her through thick and thin.
"Today, I'm going to settle this debt with my own hands," Wanda raised both hands, ten fingers wrapped in crimson energy that illuminated half the sky.
"Tony Stark must die. Whoever stands in my way dies with him—even you, Arbiter!"
Hearing this, Peter didn't fly into a rage, nor did he drop into a defensive stance. He simply cocked his head, speaking in a light, teasing tone:
"I say, Ms. Wanda... your raw potential was unlocked with my help. You're turning your back on me that quickly?"
"Shut up!" Wanda's voice carried a sharp edge of embarrassed fury:
"I could have achieved this even without you!"
"Even if you recall the energy left inside my body, it won't change a thing! Your power was merely the key! You cannot bind me!"
"Oh?" A glint of genuine intrigue flickered in Peter's eyes.
He stepped forward, preparing to show this girl just how vast the sky really was, when Tony's voice suddenly cut in:
"Wait, Arbiter! I have something to say to her!"
Gazing at Wanda, looking at the pure, unadulterated hatred burning in her eyes as she stared at him, Tony was suddenly reminded of someone.
Bucky Barnes.
True empathy did not exist in this world until one walked the exact same path. Tony used to believe he could never forgive Bucky.
Until today. Until destiny shoved him into the exact same position Bucky had been in back then.
Watching Wanda glare at him with the exact same burning hatred he had once directed at Bucky, Tony suddenly understood everything.
The faceplate of his armor retracted.
Looking calmly at Wanda with his bare face, Tony spoke three simple words:
"You're right."
Just three words.
Yet coming from the mouth of Tony Stark, they carried far more weight than any elaborate, scripted apology ever could.
The sheer gravity of his admission even forced Wanda to take half a step back in mid-air.