"I think the Ancient One is no less impressive, don't you think?" Bi Xiao said casually. This time, he dealt Dormammu a significant blow. In the future, the Ancient One will toy with Dormammu once again. Truly, a pitiful dark lord without any prestige.
The Ancient One smiled and changed the subject, "Although Dormammu may not have been heavily injured this time, it will keep him quiet for a while. I believe the Dark Dimension won't miss this opportunity."
"Dormammu might focus on consolidating his rule during this period."
In recent years, the Ancient One had primarily focused most of her energy on Dormammu.
Other invaders from different dimensions were rarely very powerful, and most were driven away or killed by the sorcerers guarding the sanctuaries. Even if some were too strong, the Ancient One could easily handle them.
Dormammu was different, with a very high status, appearing as a celestial. Each confrontation and expulsion of Dormammu required a lot of time and effort from the Ancient One.
In essence, Dormammu was engaging in a war of attrition, occasionally harassing her to prevent the Ancient One from having much rest.
After all, being banished back didn't cause Dormammu much harm.
As a result, the Ancient One didn't actually have much rest time. Despite sometimes appearing leisurely in Kamar-Taj, she was always in a state of being drained. The war between celestials wasn't as easy as it appeared.
Otherwise, the Ancient One wouldn't have lived less than a thousand years before her body became severely worn out.
Given the Ancient One's celestial level, even if she was primarily focused on magic and physically weak compared to other celestials, she could still easily defeat someone like Captain America, who was at the peak of human enhancement, with just her physical skills.
This time, Bi Xiao's move against Dormammu gave the Ancient One a long-awaited rest period.
It alleviated her nearly overburdened body.
Coupled with Dormammu's impotent rage, the Ancient One felt very pleased and noticed that Bi Xiao had something to discuss with her, so she happily invited him for tea.
Bi Xiao gladly accepted.
Returning to Kamar-Taj, everything was as peaceful and serene as ever. The young sorcerers were training, reading, and learning, all contentedly.
Bi Xiao took this opportunity to discuss his ideas and theories with the Ancient One.
"Interesting thoughts," the Ancient One said, raising an eyebrow while brewing tea. She admired Bi Xiao, not just for his talent, but also for his boundless imagination. Those seemingly impossible ideas and theories, he could turn into reality.
Imagination, creativity, and the ability to execute these ideas were the three essential elements that propelled Bi Xiao towards a greater path.
While listening to Bi Xiao's idea of using the heart as the core of an energy source, the Ancient One shared her thoughts and insights.
Using the heart as the body's power source was not uncommon.
The multiverse was vast and diverse, with countless bizarre and peculiar species. The Ancient One had traveled through the multiverse and had insights Bi Xiao couldn't match, so she shared some observations of species with similar organs.
These examples were greatly beneficial to Bi Xiao.
He gained new ideas for his concept. They talked for a long time, even until after dark. Bi Xiao stayed for a meal at Kamar-Taj and then returned to the Mirror Dimension.
Gacy and the others were still in the same state they were left in, immobilized, their eyes vacant.
Upon seeing Bi Xiao return, their eyes changed, full of a pleading expression telling him not to come any closer.
Seeing their pitiful and pleading look amused Bi Xiao. These most vicious and ruthless scoundrels in the world also had such a day. It confirmed that human nature is the same.
"Let's see who the next lucky one will be," Bi Xiao said, scanning them one by one, like a butcher choosing the next pig to be slaughtered.
(TL: Sky Father will be changed to Celestial)
...…
In the evening at the manor, Pietro, wearing a vest and black shorts, was drenched in sweat as he dragged his heavy footsteps towards the residence.
"Sir, I have prepared the potion for you."
A pretty maid approached respectfully. Pietro was too tired to speak, only nodding slightly as he followed the maid to the bathroom. Passing through the living room, he saw Wanda enthusiastically watching the big TV on the spacious sofa, his eyes full of envy.
Comparing oneself to others can be infuriating. Warriors and Sorcerers are indeed not the same species.
He was exhausted every day, sometimes tormented to the point of wanting to cry out in pain. At such times, a bath followed by a massage from a professional masseur hired by Bi Xiao was the happiest moment.
But Wanda? She spent her days floating in the air with her eyes closed, learning magic, then lounging on the sofa eating fruit and watching TV shows when she was tired.
How carefree she was.
The bath and massage lasted an hour. Pietro had already fallen into a baby-like sleep during the massage.
When he woke up, the previously sore muscles and exhausted body felt much better after the professional massage and the magical warmth from his necklace, rejuvenating him considerably.
Feeling refreshed, Pietro changed into a new T-shirt and sweatpants, and walked downstairs in slippers.
He had transformed from his previous pale, weak, and lethargic state. His muscles were faintly visible under the T-shirt, and he had the distinctive and handsome features typical of Eastern Europeans.
His overall demeanor was especially sunny and lively, clearly a very healthy boy.
Pietro arrived at the dining room, where Wanda was already seated, scrolling through a tablet with a cheerful expression on her delicate face.
Pietro plopped down beside Wanda. After consulting with the two, the maids brought out the prepared delicacies from the food cart and placed them in front of them.
Nutritious, delicious, and abundant.
Pietro's appetite was immediately whetted. He quickly tore off a leg from a roast suckling pig, oil sizzling from it, and began devouring it, speaking indistinctly, "What are you watching?"
"I'm watching some fool's misfortune."
"Who?"
"Tony Stark."
Pietro paused, then continued eating, but his eyes were filled with coldness. "What did that guy do?"
"There's a media report showing a naked woman outside his Marbury villa."
Wanda casually set the tablet aside. Pietro glanced at it, seeing the scene and Tony Stark's surrender. The media were fervently criticizing Tony Stark, with a swarm of reporters questioning him at a business event, to which Tony did not respond, instead leaving surrounded by bodyguards.
There was also a large group of women's rights activists outside, angrily protesting and accusing Tony of disrespecting women.
"He deserves it, that bastard," Pietro muttered under his breath.
"This won't affect him. He's extremely self-centered and selfish. He'll continue as he pleases when he gets back."
Wanda said calmly, cutting her steak with a knife and fork.
Tony Stark, an arms dealer with shares in major industries across the U.S., not to mention his connections in military and political circles, would not be affected by this so-called public opinion attack.
Would someone as self-centered as him care about these attacks?
"He never recognizes his mistakes."
Wanda made her judgment on Tony.
A flame of hatred flashed in Pietro's eyes as he chewed his food, as if devouring Tony Stark's flesh, and he said coldly, "We will make him recognize it, but in suffering and pain."
The twins would never forget that peaceful family in 2000, destroyed by war, which also took their parents.
Hiding in the ruins, they watched as a missile, bearing Stark's name, landed in their home. The strong will to survive triggered Wanda's power, defusing the missile. They waited for two days to be rescued, afraid to move, fearing the missile might explode at any moment.
For those two days, the only thing they could see was the name on the missile.
That name was forever etched in their young hearts.
Losing their parents, wandering, being captured for experiments, it all started with Tony Stark, in their eyes, caused by his weapons company.
Hatred is like poison, unforgettable.
The twins trained hard, becoming stronger, all for revenge, with Tony Stark as their target.
Wanda said nothing but felt something was amiss.
After finishing dinner with mixed feelings, they sat on the sofa watching TV to digest, just as Bi Xiao returned from the mirror dimension. Seeing him, the twins immediately stood up.
Compared to before, they were no longer overly restrained in front of Bi Xiao, their savior.
Over time, they had felt Bi Xiao's kindness and attitude, finding him very amiable. Except for being stern and authoritative during training, he was like a gentle big brother during other times.
However, Bi Xiao was often busy and didn't always spend time with the twins. They were mostly left to their own devices.
"Marsha, a Margarita, please."
Bi Xiao waved his hand and walked over to the sofa, sitting beside the twins. He casually called out, and after receiving a response from the beautiful female bartender, he looked at the twins. With his expertise, he could easily assess their current progress.
It was gratifying.
Originally, Pietro was only suited for the assassin agility type, but after a round of enhancement and transformation, he was moving towards the all-round warrior type. Without fearing bodily harm, he diligently trained. In just a month or so, his life level had surpassed the limits of ordinary humans.
At present, without relying on his abilities, Pietro's physical fitness had already surpassed that of Captain America, Steve Rogers.
This included strength, speed, explosiveness, and endurance, among others.
If he relied on his super-speed, Captain America wouldn't even have a chance to fight back.
Although Captain America might seem unimpressive in this universe full of monsters, he is actually a benchmark for combat power. Without any assistance, he can bench press 1,200 pounds, has a single-arm strength of around five tons, and can explosively lift 25 tons with both hands.
The serum also enhanced his metabolic functions, allowing him to completely metabolize fatigue-causing substances like lactic acid in his muscles. This gave him endurance unimaginable to normal people, enabling him to run a mile in under a minute, which is 26.6 meters per second, with a top speed of 48 kilometers per hour.
Additionally, his fighting skills are outstanding, being one of the best combatants on Earth. His reflexes and sensory organs are extremely keen, allowing him to master various martial arts such as boxing, jiu-jitsu, aikido, and judo. His superhuman athletic ability enables him to seamlessly combine these techniques into a highly refined combat style, and he can dodge bullets with his agility.
Moreover, his strong willpower allows him to create miracles, unleashing strength far beyond his limits.
Such an enhanced individual is already quite formidable, and there aren't many on Earth who can match him.
However, even though Steve Rogers might be able to create miracles, reality is reality. In the face of Pietro's BUG-level super-speed, none of it matters.
Given Pietro's comparable physical fitness and far superior movement speed, Rogers' rapid reactions and strong combat sense are rendered useless. All of Rogers' actions appear slowed down by dozens of times in front of Pietro.
The outcome is akin to a father disciplining his son.
Of course, if Pietro couldn't achieve this under Bi Xiao's guidance, Bi Xiao would have considered him a waste and thrown him out.
After all, Pietro was being groomed as one of Bi Xiao's teammates for future missions.
The goal was to deal with various gods and demons, making Steve Rogers insignificant by comparison.
In Bi Xiao's mind, if Rogers' personality weren't so fixed, he would actually be an excellent candidate for training. His combat willpower and qualities are top-notch, and his intelligence is high, making him a mature warrior, ready for immediate deployment.
Upon wielding Mjolnir, he could instantly adapt to extraordinary-level combat, even suppressing a monster like Thanos for a time.
Unfortunately, Bi Xiao did not need a teammate with a fixed mindset. He didn't dislike Rogers, nor did he particularly like him.
He felt more assured training someone directly. As for Rogers, he could continue being a fair fight hero.
Pietro's progress was gratifying, and Wanda's was even more so. With her high talent, she was capricious. The vast foundational magical knowledge he transmitted had already been mostly comprehended by her. Especially with her increasing physical fitness and meditation techniques improved from Kamar-Taj, her mental power was skyrocketing.
Learning magic and understanding it is also an enhancement process, and mental power is directly linked to the strength of magic.
Communication of power and control over magic are all governed by mental power.
This is similar to the Ancient One compared to other sorcerers.
The same magic, the Ancient One can cast effortlessly without spells or gestures. This is due to her immense mental power, allowing her to master magic to the extreme.
However, mental power does not equate to willpower.
Without Bi Xiao's interference, Wanda's weak willpower in the future would lead to her powerful abilities easily collapsing into madness and corruption.
Therefore, while Wanda was learning magic, Bi Xiao also had to help her strengthen her willpower through training.
He already had a plan for this.
As Bi Xiao's thoughts flowed, Wanda, sitting beside him, gently spoke, "Shaw, I have a question to ask you."
"Mm?"
"Pietro and I had an unpleasant past." Wanda began to recount the events of their tenth year, particularly emphasizing the destruction of her family and the missile bearing Stark's name. She expressed a doubt that had arisen, "I once believed Tony Stark was always the one who destroyed our family, and we held a deep hatred for Tony."
"But..."
At this point, Wanda hesitated.
Bi Xiao immediately understood what Wanda wanted to say and continued for her, "Your doubt is that Tony is just an arms dealer who makes missiles, but the ones who actually used the missile to destroy your family were those ambitious organizations, right?"
"So you've begun to question your previous hatred for Tony Stark."
Pietro, listening, opened his mouth, glanced at Wanda and then at Bi Xiao, finally closed his mouth without saying a word, though his eyes flickered.
"Yes."
"Good, this means you have started to think." Bi Xiao nodded in satisfaction, reached out and patted the little witch's head. She shyly lowered her head but did not pull away.
"The main reason you hated Tony Stark was because those two days deeply impacted you. That deadly missile etched into your memory, causing you to overlook some fundamental facts."
"The people responsible for your tragic experience were always those who started the war. Tony Stark bears responsibility, but not the primary responsibility. You ignored this primary-secondary relationship."
~~~
Patreon.com/Bleam
— 105+ Advance Chapters!
Get 2 Sponsored Chapters "Every Month" for every person who joins the "Special Jonin•Bleam" Membership!
With a Jonin•Bleam Membership, you can't sponsor any more readings, as I have already translated the rest of the chapters up to the latest update!
However, if you insist on sponsoring this fanfic as a Jonin member, the lower-tier members will benefit the most, as they will get the 4 chapters sponsorship you requested!