Chapter 20: The Absolute Time Point

Wanda watched Ancient One warily, her expression full of caution. It was her first time encountering a mage skilled in teleportation magic.

Hearing the Ancient One's "kind advice," Wanda's face darkened, and a surge of anger rose within her. Gritting her teeth, she snapped:
“You’re so good at meddling in other people’s business. Where were you when my parents died horribly? And now you suddenly show up, telling me to spare Tony? Did he spare my parents?”

The more Wanda spoke, the more agitated she became. Scarlet energy flickered erratically in her palms, as if a fight could break out at any moment.

The Ancient One frowned at the emotional Wanda. If Tony’s death wasn’t a threat to the stability of an absolute time point, she wouldn’t have bothered with these petty earthly matters.

The Ancient One wasn’t some saintly do-gooder. In medieval Europe, when the persecution of sorcerers was rampant, she had been forced to slaughter countless oppressors.

Besides, with seven billion humans in the world, people died every day.

If Wanda were just some insignificant, ordinary person, the Ancient One wouldn’t have given her a second glance.

Just as a clash seemed inevitable, Carl, who had been doing his best to minimize his presence, had no choice but to speak up.

“Wanda, you need to calm down. Let it out if you must, but Tony doesn’t deserve to die. The tragedy of the past wasn’t entirely his fault.”

As Carl spoke, he walked over to Wanda, gently placing an arm around her shoulders. He softly comforted the poor woman, whose mind was consumed by hatred.

Meanwhile, Tony stood to the side, utterly confused. He couldn’t make sense of what Wanda and Carl were saying.

“Why don’t I deserve to die? What exactly did I do wrong?”

Tony felt these mages and superpowered individuals were all speaking in riddles.

Straightforward as ever, he asked, “Hold on. What are you guys talking about? Can someone explain this? What did I do wrong?”

None of the three paid him any attention, making Tony feel like a clown.

“Hey! Am I invisible or something? What’s going on here?”

With Carl’s comforting presence, Wanda gradually calmed down. But when thoughts of her parents’ deaths resurfaced, tears welled in her deep blue eyes. Unable to hold back, she turned her face into Carl’s shoulder and sobbed quietly.

Seeing Wanda calm down, the Ancient One surmised that she was unlikely to continue targeting Tony’s life.

With a deep, knowing glance at Carl, the Ancient One said nothing more and stepped back into her golden portal.

The shimmering edges of the portal crackled with sparks as it slowly shrank and disappeared.

Once Carl confirmed that the Ancient One wasn’t planning to kill him on the spot, his tense expression relaxed.

His upcoming plans could be considered those of a classic villain. Naturally, he was worried the Ancient One might intervene for the sake of Earth’s safety.

But for reasons unknown, the Ancient One merely gave him a long look before leaving, showing no intention of interfering with Carl.

It seemed the Ancient One only cared about maintaining the absolute time point. As long as Carl didn’t disturb that, nothing else mattered to her.

After this anticlimactic confrontation, Carl felt more confident in his plans.

Previously, he had been concerned that the Masters of the Mystic Arts might intervene when his plans were set in motion.

Now that the Ancient One’s stance was clear, he could proceed without too much hesitation.

Carl held Wanda tightly, continuing to soothe her as her tears gradually dried. Her sorrowful heart slowly steadied.

However, when Wanda caught sight of Tony still standing nearby, her expression soured. “Why are you still here? Are you looking to die? I’ve already let you go. Now get lost, Stark!”

Hearing Wanda’s harsh dismissal, Tony, who had nearly been killed by this “crazy woman,” didn’t dare utter a word of defiance.

“Alright, I’m leaving!”

Unable to best this woman, Tony decided that a strategic retreat was nothing to be ashamed of.

With a stomach full of unanswered questions, Tony helped his injured friend, Rhodey, off the ground. The two limped away from the battlefield, leaving behind nothing but their retreating silhouettes.

As for Carl, watching Tony admit defeat and leave brought him no sense of triumph. He knew that the real trouble was only beginning.

The revelation that Umbrella Corporation possessed nuclear weapons was bound to spread.

It was easy to predict that the world’s nuclear powers wouldn’t tolerate an uncontrollable, nuclear-armed military corporation suddenly emerging.

SHIELD was sure to seize this opportunity to relentlessly target Umbrella, not to mention Tony Stark, who had suffered a humiliating defeat.

As the renowned Iron Man, there was no way Tony would accept his failure so easily. It was only a matter of time before he began developing an anti-Scarlet Witch suit.

While SHIELD might not openly suppress Umbrella through media narratives, they would undoubtedly conspire with the five major powers of the UN Security Council to covertly pressure this nuclear-armed wild card.

Had it not been for Tony’s defeat proving Umbrella wasn’t an easy target, SHIELD might have even considered sending in ground forces to attack Umbrella directly.

Though a direct assault was unlikely, infiltration by agents and other covert tactics was inevitable.

For Carl, there was only one strategy moving forward: wait.

He had to wait for Umbrella’s advanced manufacturing plants to produce enough Iron Man-style suits to handle the incoming challenges.

Once the time was right, Carl could execute his T-Virus plan and take his place as the shadowy mastermind behind the chaos.

The next day.

News of the battle in Sokovia spread across the globe.

Mainstream media outlets ran wild with reports of Sokovia’s nuclear arsenal. No one knew what crazy moves Sokovia might make next.

Many world leaders were deeply concerned that a Sokovia controlled by Umbrella might become the next Soviet Union—a red menace.

Meanwhile, the more sensitive news that Iron Man had been defeated at Umbrella’s headquarters was suppressed by SHIELD.

At this stage, Iron Man was America’s symbol of power. If news of his defeat were made public, it would shake the foundations of America’s status as a global superpower.

With the Middle East conflict still raging, America was determined to prevent any negative press that might weaken its position.

Although SHIELD officially operated under the UN Security Council, America wielded considerable influence over the organization.

In essence, SHIELD and America were on the same team, meaning SHIELD would go to great lengths to suppress any damaging information.

As a result, Iron Man’s defeat was classified as top secret, known only to the five Security Council nations and SHIELD.

The general public remained blissfully unaware that their hero, Iron Man, had suffered a crushing defeat in Sokovia.