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"Relax."
"It's me. Wanda."
Alex stepped out of the fading light, rubbing his fingertips together as if brushing off stardust.
The moment Wanda saw him, she froze. Then her face lit up with raw excitement. "So it's true. You really came!!"
He was alone.
But in the group chat, everyone called him a god. If that was even half true, then his power had to be terrifying.
"No need to get so worked up," Alex said lightly. "Looks like things aren't going too well."
He walked past her toward the massive floor-to-ceiling window, gazing into the distance.
So this was the timeline he'd arrived in.
Not surprising.
To him, both the present Wanda and the future Wanda were tools—pieces on a board. If he wanted to bring her back, he would have to go to the past timeline anyway. And only there could he obtain what he truly wanted.
In less than a minute, he had already mapped out a rough plan in his head.
If Kamisato Ayaka also issued a mission, then this world and the world of Teyvat could proceed in sync.
"Mr. Alex, what are you planning to do next?" Wanda asked impatiently. "Are you going to wipe them all out right away?"
She could barely contain herself. She wanted to see him erase Thanos's alien army with her own eyes.
Alex blinked, then chuckled. "Of course not."
What a joke.
Even Captain Marvel couldn't guarantee a clean win against Thanos without the Stones. And although Alex had ascended to godhood, he wasn't arrogant enough to assume he could effortlessly crush a Thanos wielding the Infinity Stones.
That wasn't realistic.
"I have my own plan," he continued. "Don't worry. I'll handle this for you."
He turned toward Vision, who lay on the medical platform surrounded by Wakandan technology. "For now, let's deal with the immediate problem."
"You're saying… you have a way to remove the Stone?" Shuri asked, skepticism clear in her eyes.
As Wakanda's top scientific mind, she had already mobilized their most advanced instruments—and failed.
And this strange boy who had appeared out of nowhere was saying he could do it?
It wasn't just Shuri. Even Wanda hesitated.
This was her first time meeting Alex in person. No matter how highly the others in the chat praised him, that was still just hearsay.
But the situation was too urgent for doubt.
Alex caught the uncertainty on their faces and smiled faintly. "If you don't mind, let me try."
"There isn't exactly time to waste, is there?"
Wanda and Shuri exchanged a glance. After a moment of silence, they stepped aside.
They gave him space.
The next instant, Alex strode forward and raised his hand.
Unlimited Blade Works unfolded.
A bounded space bloomed into existence, enclosing him and Vision within it.
This was the Mind Stone. He needed to analyze it first before using other abilities to extract it.
With my current power…
If I fuse with the Mind Stone as well…
No need to say more.
He might even stand shoulder to shoulder with the supreme beings of the Little Garden world.
And once he gathered all the Infinity Stones—
Surpassing them entirely wouldn't be impossible.
I wonder if my Authority will evolve again.
Golden crystalline light shimmered throughout the bounded space. Vast magical energy surged like a storm.
Alex placed his hand gently against the Mind Stone embedded in Vision's forehead and narrowed his eyes, processing the information fed back by Unlimited Blade Works.
"As expected of the Mind Stone," he murmured. "Such terrifying power… even Unlimited Blade Works can't fully analyze it."
Still, that didn't stop him from removing it.
Time to act.
Authority One: Invincible Monstrous Strength — activated.
There were no flashy techniques. No delicate procedures.
He simply reached out—
—and ripped the Mind Stone straight out of Vision's forehead.
If Vision died, it didn't matter.
With resurrection magic, Alex could just bring him back.
The reason he activated Unlimited Blade Works wasn't just to prevent Wanda and Shuri from interfering.
More importantly—
He wanted to replicate a Mind Stone.
Crack.
A faint shattering sound echoed.
A golden gem now rested between Alex's fingers.
He slowly closed his palm—
—and forced the Mind Stone into his own body.
"Ha!"
A torrent of magical energy flooded his veins, so intense it drew a sharp exhale from his lips.
But he was a Demon God.
Within moments, he fully digested the power.
"I can use it… but it's too troublesome," he muttered. "If I gather all the Stones and forge a new Authority from them, that would be far more convenient."
At that point, a single thought would be enough to unleash the combined might of all the Infinity Stones as one.
"Accepting this mission really does benefit me."
He glanced down at Vision's lifeless body.
Resurrection magic—Dia·Orpheus—activated.
Brilliant green light poured from his palm, spreading across Vision's form.
In mere seconds, the wound on Vision's forehead sealed shut. His eyes slowly opened.
"I can feel it," Vision said quietly. "The Stone is gone."
He turned his head toward Alex. "Was that your doing?"
Unlimited Blade Works dissolved, and the world snapped back to normal.
Alex faced Wanda and Shuri. "The crisis is over. As for the Mind Stone, I've placed it somewhere much safer."
Wanda didn't care where the Mind Stone had gone.
She broke into a run, rushing straight to Vision's side.
"..."
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