The next morning at the manor, Wanda, Bella, and Pietro woke up early.
Of course, "early" is relative compared to others, or more specifically, compared to Dr. Bruce Banner.
The three of them had been elevated to a near-god level of existence.
Sleep was something they needed for only an hour or two to be fully refreshed, and if necessary, they could go without sleep for a month. Their primary need for sleep was due to intense training, which left their bodies and minds exhausted, requiring deep sleep for recovery.
After breakfast, Pietro drove out in his sports car early in the morning, without saying where he was going.
Wanda and Bella took a few advanced magic books and walked along the garden's fountain path, reading and occasionally discussing the content with each other.
Most of the time, Bella was seeking advice from Wanda.
After Bella's life level was elevated, her talent was undeniable, surpassing even Strange. However, compared to Wanda, a natural prodigy destined to become the God of Magic, Bella was still somewhat lacking.
Moreover, Wanda had started learning magic much earlier than Bella, so Wanda's proficiency in magic was far superior.
And this was even though Wanda had recently been dividing her attention to hone her physical techniques. Otherwise, her magic skills would be even higher.
The two women read their books and admired the garden's flowers and plants. After Bi Xiao set up the magical barrier, Wanda and Bella, having improved their skills, enthusiastically modified much of the manor's environment since it was their home and naturally needed to be well-maintained.
Although the exterior and layout of the manor looked similar to before, the ecological environment of the manor was entirely different.
If the previous environment was a 1, the modified environment by Wanda and Bella was at least a 6, possibly even a 7 or 8.
The soil and light absorption were significantly enhanced, and the flowers, trees, and plants were superior to any found on Earth. In magical terms, ordinary flowers and trees absorbed the magic elements in the manor over time, gradually acquiring some extraordinary abilities.
For instance, the grass, when eaten by the manor's animals, would elevate their life levels.
Externally, the air became fresher, more natural, and aesthetically pleasing.
Ordinary people living there would experience improved metabolism, better health, and significantly extended lifespans.
It was a dream sanctuary for wealthy, aging individuals.
The lush flower beds and fountain paths, combined with the altered environment and the meticulous pruning by the maids and gardeners, made it seem like a paradise on earth.
Walking along such a path would naturally lift one's spirits.
No one would want to be in a muddy, foul-smelling environment. As Wanda and Bella immersed themselves in their magical studies, they suddenly heard a soft call.
"Meow."
A cat's meow?
Wanda and Bella paused, pulled out of their sea of knowledge, and looked back to see a beautiful orange cat with a collar, staring at them with its large, round eyes.
"What a beautiful cat," Bella exclaimed softly, but she and Wanda immediately realized something was amiss.
Although there were some cats and dogs in the manor, they could remember all the characteristics of their pets. This cat was clearly not one of them.
How did an outsider cat enter the manor?
Not to mention that this area belonged to New York's top-tier wealthy district, where security companies and service unions regularly cleared all stray cats and dogs. Even pets from nearby mansions couldn't break through the barrier to enter the manor.
The most crucial point was that the two women could see that this orange cat was not an ordinary cat.
The key point was that they couldn't see through the cat.
Ordinary life forms could be completely analyzed by the two women with just a glance, revealing their skeletal structure, muscles, and internal organs.
This fact alone proved that the orange cat was not an ordinary cat.
"Meow."
Seeing the women's puzzled expressions, the orange cat gracefully walked up to them, lifted its fluffy head, and meowed again.
"Your name is Goose? And you're here specifically to find us?" The meow contained sound waves that ordinary people couldn't detect, which Wanda and Bella easily picked up.
Wanda was surprised.
"Meow."
"You sensed my chaos magic? So you found me? How interesting, it seems you're quite different." Wanda didn't sense any malice or danger, so she exchanged a glance with Bella, squatted down, and began communicating with the cat.
"Meow."
"Your owner Carol wants to see Shaw?"
"Meow."
"She's just outside?" Wanda and Bella looked at each other, then nodded, reaching out to pick up the orange cat. The cat remained docile and comfortable in Wanda's arms.
Two women flashed through the light and shadow and arrived outside the manor in an instant.
Sure enough, outside the manor, beyond the magical barrier, on the street, stood a blonde woman wearing a baseball cap, a brown leather jacket, and a white T-shirt with jeans, curiously observing her surroundings.
From an ordinary person's perspective, this was just the exterior of a luxurious manor, but the magical power of the barrier affected the mind, causing people to subconsciously ignore what they saw. This magical barrier affected more than just ordinary people.
Even top telepaths like Professor X and the White Queen could fall victim to it.
This was because the person who set up the magical barrier was Bi Xiao. Unless one's magical abilities could match Bi Xiao's, no one could break through it.
Apparently, Carol was also affected. However, due to the special energy and unique structure of her body, she had some resistance and immunity, but not much. It was because her orange cat, Goose, had disappeared nearby, and she was searching for its traces, looking around unable to find it.
Even though Wanda and Bella were not far from Carol, she couldn't see or sense them.
"Is she your owner?" Wanda lowered her head, rubbing the orange cat's head.
"Meow."
The orange cat, Goose, closed its eyes lazily, enjoying the rub. Wanda nodded, looking at Carol with a glimmer of red in her eyes.
Suddenly, Carol, who had seen nothing, sensed something and her gaze sharpened, scanning her surroundings.
Her demeanor turned extremely formidable.
This action surprised Wanda and Bella greatly. Wanda tilted her head, staring at Carol, "Such keen senses. Not many can detect my gaze with just a look."
Wanda wasn't boasting. With her skills and the magical barrier, being able to sense her gaze was not something an ordinary person could do.
"She has an immense amount of energy within her, so vast it's almost unbelievable," Bella remarked.
That energy was indeed frightening.
It was like a sun: scorching, violent, and vast.
"Let's meet her and see what she wants," said Wanda. The two women walked out, revealing themselves by lifting the concealment of the magical barrier. Of course, if the other party harbored malicious intent, the magical barrier would automatically trigger a defense.
This was why Wanda and Bella were not overly cautious of the orange cat and Carol.
Their confidence lay in this.
"Ah." Wanda and Bella, suddenly appearing while holding the orange cat, caught Carol's attention instantly, who couldn't help but exclaim.
The sudden appearance at such close proximity was indeed remarkable for a seasoned warrior like Carol.
If it were an enemy of equal strength, Carol might have suffered a setback.
"Hey, ladies, hello. I'm Carol Danvers," Carol greeted the two women and her pet orange cat, Goose, warmly.
Her suddenly cheerful demeanor reminded Wanda and Bella of Thor.
"My name is Wanda."
"Bella."
The two women introduced themselves politely. Wanda got straight to the point, "So, you are here to find Bi Xiao?"
"Yeah, I received a distress signal from Fury, so I came to Earth from a faraway place. On the way, I sensed someone watching me. I guessed it must be him, so I came to visit, mainly to spar with him," Carol said candidly, with a hint of eagerness.
This further gave Wanda and Bella the impression of a female version of Thor.
However, such a personality was indeed likable, as long as boundaries were maintained. Carol had no issues in that regard.
As for Carol's words, Wanda and Bella didn't respond immediately.
Suddenly, Bi Xiao's voice sounded in their ears. After receiving Bi Xiao's answer, Wanda and Bella nodded.
With a snap of their fingers, they granted Carol some access to the manor and led her inside.
Upon entering the manor, Carol couldn't help but admire the beautiful environment. Despite having seen many beautiful planets and cultural landscapes during her travels across the galaxy, she found the scenery here quite pleasing.
The three, not being ordinary people, walked faster than usual. Wanda and Bella, not in a hurry, led Carol to the residence.
The residence looked like a castle.
Carol was not particularly impressed, having seen more luxurious palaces. The manor's residence was relatively modest.
In the living room, they saw a young man sitting on the sofa, the same person Carol had seen in the video.
Carol's eyes lit up, and she walked over. Bi Xiao, who already knew, glanced casually and then extended his hand, inviting Carol to sit down.
Without hesitation, Carol sat on the sofa opposite, and the maids brought in beer.
The woman's eyes brightened as she picked up a large glass of beer and took a big gulp, then finished it in one go, revealing a pleased smile afterward.
"It still tastes the same."
Carol, who drank often with her friends in the military, had no shortage of such experiences.
After she finished, the glass automatically refilled.
Carol was both surprised and delighted.
"Hello, Shaw. My name is Carol. I want to have a match with you."
After drinking the beer, Carol, filled with boldness and energy, spoke to Shaw.
Shaw raised an eyebrow.
Then, ten minutes later, in the Mirror Dimension, vast ocean islands had been destroyed and nearly submerged underwater. On a still intact beach, Carol lay gasping for breath, her face full of disbelief, and some sand stuck to her face.
Lying on the beach, Carol looked up at the sky, at the silhouette against the sun whose face she couldn't see clearly. Her eyes were filled with numbness.
Yes, numbness—she could no longer describe her feelings with words.
Ten minutes earlier, she had spoken boldly; ten minutes later, she was lying flat on the ground.
There was no helping it. Although Carol had anticipated that the opponent would be much stronger, she didn't expect such a disparity. The fact that she lasted ten minutes was entirely because the opponent held back, allowing her to attack fiercely. When she realized that her normal state had no effect on Bi Xiao, she decisively activated her binary form, even though this form had only recently been developed.
In this state, Carol was aware of her immense power.
Binary is a capability she accidentally discovered, enabling her to draw energy from a white hole—a spatial region and the end point of a singularity collapsing inward from one universe to another.
This cross-dimensional breach acts as a weak point, allowing a small portion of cosmic energy to be transferred, causing disruptions in the spacetime continuum around her.
These disruptions can be molded into various lenses, focusing or diffusing this significant energy, creating effects akin to numerous stars.
Her body and soul are connected to the white hole, tapping into its nearly infinite power, capable of producing heat, light, gravity, and countless forms of energy.
When she unleashes all this energy, she can easily destroy a planet.
However, even in this form, she couldn't shake Bi Xiao at all. He let her attack him the entire time, relying only on an energy barrier emitted from his body's surface to protect himself. Their powerful energy clashes shattered all buildings and even planets in this Mirror Dimension.
The opponent, while effortlessly countering her, also created and reinforced this world to prevent the collision energy from causing destruction.
In the end, Carol couldn't withstand such collisions and was forcibly knocked out of her binary form.
She lay on the beach, her body and mind both numb, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction.
Such a full-force battle and the feeling of release afterward were truly wonderful.
Then, Bi Xiao took the immobile Carol out of the Mirror Dimension and casually threw her onto a sofa. Wanda and Bella, who were browsing knowledge and experience on another sofa in the manor, glanced over without any surprise.
They believed Carol was strong, but the result was predictable.
The big orange cat, Goose, originally lying in Bella's arms, jumped out upon seeing its owner in such a state, leapt onto Carol's face, and nuzzled her with its furry head, meowing as if to comfort her.
Carol weakly stretched out her hand, tremblingly placed it on the cat, and gently petted it.
"How was it?"
Wanda asked, glancing at Bi Xiao, who was holding a cocktail and sitting on the sofa beside her.
"Not bad, very strong, almost at the Celestial level. Her body can activate a mode that significantly increases her power, though it's not yet stable and has many flaws. If she overcomes these, her potential is limitless."
Bi Xiao calmly took a sip and gave a positive evaluation.
At his level, after ten minutes of combat, he had thoroughly analyzed Carol from inside out, probably more so than Carol herself understood her abilities.
In binary mode, Carol could be considered mid to upper-level among Celestial, but that's about it.
Whether it's Odin, the Ancient One, or the Hell lords in Hell, they would all be very difficult to fight. Bi Xiao can kill those Hell lords easily because of his own extraordinary capabilities and the immense cosmic energy he wields.
Having developed various unique abilities and an EX mode that dramatically boosts his power among Celestial, he is far beyond what binary Carol can achieve.
Carol is a miraculous creation by chance, ranking in the top tier among superheroes, but that's it. Without any surprises, reaching the Celestial level is her limit, making it almost impossible to achieve a single-universe level. Her potential is firmly capped.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Completed (Chapter 277: Finale)