Vini never expected that almost all of her actions had been seen through by Ronan and countered one by one.
The trump cards she prided herself on appeared laughable in front of Ronan.
"To be honest, finding the location of those four boxes was a bit of a coincidence."
"After Strange was injured, he became worried about Peter Parker's safety, so he turned to Tony Stark for help."
"As the developer of the Spider suit, Tony Stark naturally could track Peter Parker's location."
"When we noticed that Peter Parker's movements were oddly purposeful, we didn't immediately confront him. Instead, we observed to see what exactly he was doing."
"And then…"
Ronan didn't finish his sentence, but Vini understood the implication perfectly.
From the very beginning, all her so-called schemes had been laid bare before Ronan, exposed for him to see.
What stung even more was recalling all the arrogant words she had spoken, while Ronan, pretending to know nothing, played along with her act.
This entire scenario left Vini with one thought—utter embarrassment.
She might not know the exact term for it, but she felt it all the same.
"Honestly, you did pretty well—after all, you beat up Strange quite badly."
"And ever since he woke up, he's been taking things seriously, preparing for everything you might do."
As Ronan spoke, he clapped his hands, and golden portals of magic illuminated around them.
One after another, notable superheroes emerged from the portals.
The new Captain America, Sam Wilson, entered first, alongside Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier.
Looking at them, Steve Rogers might have recalled memories of his glory days.
On the other side, Black Widow and Hawkeye led a small team.
Oh, right—Clint Barton was the former Hawkeye. The new one, Kate Bishop, followed closely behind him.
From the third portal stepped out Tony Stark, long retired.
He exchanged a nod with Ronan before turning his gaze to Peter Parker, who was sobbing over Aunt May's lifeless body.
His eyes were filled with complex emotions.
Aunt May was gone.
Indeed, after Vini extracted the dark energy from Aunt May's body, she reverted to a corpse.
She hadn't even been able to say a proper goodbye to Peter Parker.
Reality could be that cruel.
From the last portal hobbled Strange, leaning heavily on his cane.
Yes, determined eyes!
Even though he had contributed zero damage to this battle, as the Avengers' poster boy, many fans agreed that just having his face around was good enough.
Whether he fought or not didn't matter.
After all, he was the new leader of the Avengers!
"Quite the grand lineup. The last one to receive this treatment was Thanos."
"And he was wielding several Infinity Stones."
Ronan gestured toward the group behind him—essentially a team of "carry-watchers."
Not one of them was eager to assist Ronan, let alone provide any real backup.
"You should feel honored."
"So many people, all gathered to see you off. At least you won't be lonely on your way out."
Hearing this, Vini slowly lifted her head.
At that moment, the heavy blood loss had already left her pale.
It wouldn't take long—given her current state, she could bleed out and die even without Ronan lifting a finger.
If she were an ordinary person, she'd already be in shock.
"I only wanted to save the people of our universe's Earth, to pull them out of that endless darkness."
"What did I do wrong!!"
Vini's eyes locked onto Ronan, her voice seething with fury.
But Ronan shook his head.
"You're wrong—completely wrong."
"If everything were as simple as you imagined, it wouldn't have come to this."
"Has anyone told you that those corrupted by the Dark Dimension—no matter how much humanity they retain—become creatures of darkness?"
"If you succeed in summoning your Earth's people to this universe, then the only thing that will follow is Dormammu's Dark Dimension taking over."
Ronan watched as Vini's stubborn defiance faded, sighing softly.
The most terrifying aspect of the Dark Dimension was exactly this.
If someone merely dabbled in the Dark Dimension's power but was treated immediately, they could recover.
The key was "immediately."
Even the slightest trace of dark energy left unchecked could consume the entire person.
And if that applied to a small fragment of dark energy, what of an entire Earth swallowed by Dormammu?
"Maybe you suspected Dormammu would renege on his deal, but you never realized this."
"Even if Dormammu kept his word and freed your Earth, what would remain?"
"A planet filled with dark creatures."
Ronan's words crushed the last bit of spirit Vini had left.
Perhaps even she realized that all her plans had been nothing but part of Dormammu's design from the beginning.
Imagine—so many darkened Earthlings entering another universe's Earth.
Wouldn't that simply open the door for Dormammu?
Dormammu couldn't invade directly due to the contract with Strange, but Vini summoning them?
That wasn't his fault, right?
Dormammu had likely foreseen this long ago.
"So… I was wrong from the start?"
Vini collapsed to her knees, her eyes empty and devoid of hope.
It made sense.
Her grand plans were, in the end, nothing but a joke.
"Look, I'm not stopping you because of all this cosmic nonsense."
"It's because you tried to kill me."
"Why would I let someone who wants me dead go free?"
"Had you chosen your backup plan, I wouldn't have intervened."
"At that point, few people in this universe could have stopped you."
Ronan shrugged.
That was the truth.
Why did Vini have to come after Ronan of all people?
It wasn't even his home turf—he didn't come to this universe by choice.
But here they were.
"Cough, cough…"
Strange cleared his throat, shooting Ronan a glare.
"What do you mean you wouldn't have helped? We're a team—TEAM!"
"Got it?"
Ronan rolled his eyes.
"Sure, sure… whatever you say."
As Strange grumbled, Vini raised her hand—golden sparks forming a portal beneath her feet.
Without hesitation, she jumped through.
She was running!
Previously, Vini had kept her right hand behind her back, preparing to cast a portal for escape.
Now, she finally seized the opportunity.
While no one made a move to stop her, she exploited the moment of distraction, opening the portal and fleeing immediately!
"Fk!"**
"She ran?!"
Strange's eyes widened in disbelief at the sight before him.
Weren't villains supposed to fight to the death?
Why was she acting like Thanos, retreating mid-fight to regroup somewhere else for a snap?
While everyone else stood dumbfounded, Ronan remained rooted in place, making no attempt to pursue her.
"Why aren't you chasing her?"
"Are you just going to let her escape?"
Tony Stark glanced at Ronan, puzzled.
After hearing from Strange about Vini's plans, Tony couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Especially after Ronan explained so much.
If she abandoned Ronan as her target and resorted to her backup plan...
Earth would be in serious danger.
If that happened, there wouldn't be anywhere left for Tony to retire peacefully.
"Relax."
"She's not going anywhere."
"Honestly, if she does escape, there's a long line of people far scarier than you who'll chew me out until I'm dead."
Ronan sighed. This wasn't some low-budget TV show where the villain escapes mid-monologue, only to drag the plot further.
He wasn't that kind of protagonist.
With that, Ronan calmly raised his right hand, opening another portal.
Whoosh!
A figure tumbled out.
It was none other than Vini, the very person who had just fled.
As soon as Vini locked eyes with Ronan again, her face twisted in shock.
What the hell just happened!?
"Since I already have the Reality Stone, I modified the destination of your portal."
"I don't see a problem with that, do you?"
Ronan waved his left hand, deliberately flashing the back of it for everyone to see.
Tony Stark and the others glared at him, fists clenched.
They knew that gauntlet all too well.
A nightmare revisited.
"You—"
Vini opened her mouth to speak, but a hand quickly muffled her.
One of Ronan's duplicates had silently approached her from behind, locking her firmly in place.
The dirty work? Left to the clone.
The cool moments? Reserved for the original.
Their teamwork was impeccable, and Ronan mentally gave his clone a thumbs-up.
More work for the clone when they got home.
"You talk too much. Let's keep it quiet before you die."
With a flick of his wrist, Ronan signaled.
Crack.
Without hesitation, the clone twisted her neck.
[EXP +5454]
Watching the experience points float across his vision, Ronan nodded with satisfaction.
His clone tossed Vini's corpse aside, disgusted by the possibility of getting blood on its clothes.
There was only one scenario where Ronan didn't mind blood on his clothes—
When he was wearing a raincoat.
"That's it? She's dead?"
Tony Stark approached, peering down at Vini's lifeless body.
"You can check for yourself."
"But I should warn you—there might be some alien virus on her. Touch her, and you might die."
Ronan winked at Stark before turning away.
Hearing this, Stark's curiosity evaporated instantly.
Death? No thanks.
Ten years ago, maybe. But now? Not a chance.
He still needed to see Morgan Stark grow up—and give her future spouse a hard time before the wedding.
Dying early was off the table.
So, Stark firmly suppressed his curiosity.
"Is it over?"
Leaning on his cane, Strange limped forward, glancing at Vini's corpse.
Ronan nodded, scanning the faces behind him, greeting those he recognized.
Even if they hadn't contributed much, traveling all this way to stand in solidarity counted for something.
Even if it was their planet.
"I suggest you seal her body somehow."
"I can't be sure whether traces of dark energy still linger inside her."
"If something goes wrong, don't say I didn't warn you."
Ronan patted Strange's shoulder, wearing an expression of grave concern.
Strange winced, glaring daggers at Ronan.
Do you have to pat me every time?
Don't you know I have broken ribs?
"I know. Wong will take care of it, don't worry."
Strange nodded, acknowledging the severity of the situation.
"But to be honest, I didn't expect you to call in so many people."
"Fine, they came. But why couldn't they make an entrance to intimidate her?"
"Even cheering me on from the sidelines would've been helpful."
Ronan glanced at the crowd behind him, clicking his tongue.
They were acting like low-damage players in a raid, not even willing to stand on the frontlines.
Besides showing up at the end for a morale boost, what had they done?
"Didn't you tell me to call them?"
"You said something about 'a signal arrow,' and then… something else?"
Strange frowned, forgetting the rest.
Ronan rolled his eyes, his middle finger itching to break free.
Where were you when I signaled for backup?
"Forget it. I shouldn't have trusted you."
"Handle the cleanup—Vini's corpse and the boxes."
"Don't call me if something goes sideways."
Ronan extended his hand for another shoulder pat, but this time, Strange ducked away.
"Relax. Even if something happens, I won't come looking for you."
Strange declared confidently.
Ronan eyed him skeptically.
You're definitely going to screw something up later.
Seeing Ronan's doubt, Strange quickly changed the subject.
"About Parker…"
Strange's gaze drifted to Peter Parker, still kneeling beside Aunt May.
Hearing this, Ronan instinctively stepped back, distancing himself from Strange.
His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"You're not seriously thinking of using the Reality Stone to undo Aunt May's death, are you?"
"You can't be serious… No one would misuse the Infinity Stones like that, right?"
Ronan instantly caught on to Strange's intentions.
After all, Aunt May's death weighed on Strange's conscience.
"Uhh…"
Strange hesitated.
"Forget it. That's not how the Reality Stone works."
"Erasing dark energy is one thing—it's just energy."
"But human life is different. The cost isn't the same."
"Besides, people have to learn to grow, right?"
Ronan glanced at Peter Parker.
Perhaps this experience would finally shape Peter into the hero he needed to be.
"But isn't that cost too high for someone like him?"
Strange seemed uneasy.
Ronan shook his head.
"Tony lost his parents young—that's why he became Iron Man."
"Steve lost countless friends in battle—that's why he became Captain America."
"You lost your career—that's why you learned magic and became Sorcerer Supreme."
"No one succeeds without hardship."
Ronan smiled.
The examples were plain to see.
At this moment, Strange turned his head and looked at Ronan.
"And what about you?"
"What price did you pay to become the person you are today?"
Strange asked with a smile.
Ronan shook his head and didn't answer Strange's question.
What price did he pay?
Does a life count?
No one matures without going through hardships, no matter who they are or how prematurely wise they seem.
So, Ronan could only hope that this time, Peter Parker would truly grow.
That he would finally be worthy of the title of Spider-Man.
Perhaps the people of New York had already grown accustomed to the recurring crises that appeared every so often.
Compared to alien invasions, rogue AI disasters, and half the Earth's population vanishing...
A minor earthquake wasn't even worthy of bar talk for New Yorkers.
Aside from a few news stations reporting last night's quake and the "small" natural anomaly, no one else brought it up.
After all, even the most seasoned New Yorker couldn't be told everything.
And so, the next morning, New York was back in full swing.
Except for the areas cracked and damaged by the quake.
At Wong's request, Ronan stayed another day to help seal Vini's corpse.
Sure, burning was the most effective way to destroy a body...
But no one could guarantee that burning it wouldn't release traces of dark energy.
If even a little dark energy leaked out, the consequences for Earth would be immeasurable.
Kamar-Taj.
Wong stood to the side, holding the device set to return Ronan to his original universe.
As soon as he pressed that button, Ronan would be gone.
Who would have thought—so many came together, yet in the end, only Ronan was left to leave.
"Once you leave, Morgan will definitely cry to me."
Tony Stark joked as he looked at Ronan.
Though it was a joke, there was truth in his words.
Morgan Stark's bond with Ronan was so strong that even Tony felt a little jealous!
"Well, you'd better take good care of Morgan."
"And remind her not to follow the example of that red-caped uncle who likes to stir up trouble."
"She should study properly at Kamar-Taj."
Ronan laughed, patting Tony on the shoulder.
Indeed, after some discussion, Morgan Stark had officially become a trainee sorcerer at Kamar-Taj.
But since she was still too young, she would only visit on weekends to learn basic knowledge—
Like a little vacation.
This arrangement came after Tony reflected on Ronan's advice.
One day, Tony wouldn't be there to protect her.
If Morgan was to stay safe, she needed to become strong herself.
A future sorcerer Iron Man?
Exciting to think about!
"Forget it. Even if she had the ability, I wouldn't allow it."
"I spoil her too much to let her take those risks."
Tony rolled his eyes, but the two exchanged knowing smiles.
They then shared a firm embrace.
Though they hadn't met often, they got along surprisingly well.
Sure, Ronan had a sharp tongue, was better-looking than Tony, and even stole Morgan's affection...
But Tony still considered Ronan a good friend.
"Alright, let's not jinx things."
"I'm afraid one day, you lot will end up cursing me into carrying sacks of rice up flights of stairs."
Ronan waved casually, turning around with a swagger and nodding toward Wong.
Wong understood the signal and pressed the button on the device.
As a brilliant light enveloped Ronan's body—
The others waved to bid him farewell.
Standing at the back of the crowd, Peter Parker bit his lip and took a deep breath.
"Thank you."
"Now I understand what it takes to be a true superhero."