— — — — — —
"If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't have believed it."
Doctor Strange shook his head with a wry smile.
"Of course, it's not like we haven't tried. I've been training, but not everyone's a freak of nature like you. Getting stronger isn't that easy—it takes time, effort, and a lot of resources."
He really did envy geniuses.
Sure, plenty of sorcerers in Kamar-Taj already considered him a prodigy, but comparison was cruel.
With Renzo right in front of him as the standard, Strange always felt like he was the useless one.
Tony, on the other hand, looked a little embarrassed.
It wasn't that he'd completely ignored Renzo's advice back then, but he hadn't exactly taken it to heart either.
To be fair, his path was different—technological progress was never instant. Without enough knowledge and accumulated tech, years could pass without any big breakthroughs.
"Alright, enough talk. Thanos still has a few more lackeys hunting down the rest of the Avengers. I'm heading out to back them up. This place is in your hands."
As he turned to leave, Renzo glanced over at Banner, who was still struggling to transform. "Don't strain yourself like you're constipated. Hulk is scared of Thanos—he's not coming out that easily."
At the end of the day, Hulk was just a kid.
The next moment, Renzo vanished.
"Hulk… not scared!"
No sooner had Renzo left than Banner actually managed to Hulk out, roaring—only to shrink right back down under Strange and Tony's gaze.
Strange: "…"
Tony: "…"
Banner scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Guess it's still not working."
Tony shrugged. "Didn't really expect it to. Keep trying."
And with that, they moved on.
Renzo's next stop was another city, where Wanda and Pietro were locked in a fight against Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive.
Things weren't going well for them—especially against Corvus. The guy was a nightmare, with no obvious weaknesses and a body that just wouldn't stay down.
Proxima's coordination gave him the opening he needed. He swung his glaive straight at Wanda.
Buuut Wanda didn't have time to defend.
CLING—
Renzo appeared at her side in an instant, one arm slipping around her waist, the other hand lifting lazily as he flicked a finger against the incoming blade.
The force blasted Corvus backward, sending him skidding away.
Only then did Renzo glance down at the red-faced witch in his arms. "You really are a mess, aren't you? Can't even handle Corvus Glaive? Have the past few years of my training gone to waste?"
He raised his voice toward the other side of the battlefield. "And you too, Pietro!"
Pietro winced. "Alright, alright—I'll finish her off."
In the next instant, he unleashed his full speed, accelerating so suddenly that Proxima couldn't react before his fist smashed into her face, launching her away.
He didn't let up, chasing her down with relentless punches that left her unable to counter at all.
"Umm.... I can move."
Wanda's face grew even redder—whether from embarrassment or shame, it was hard to tell. She'd underperformed badly, falling short of Renzo's expectations.
For the record, Renzo had found both Wanda and Pietro years ago, back when they'd come to New York seeking revenge on Tony. He'd taken them under his wing and trained them.
Compared to their counterparts in the original timeline, both were much stronger.
And yet here they were, looking like this. Clearly, they'd gotten a bit too comfortable lately.
...
Ding!…Crack…!
Corvus had just gotten back to his feet after Renzo had knocked him away, ready to strike again, when horror flashed across his face.
Cracks were spiderwebbing across the glaive in his hand, the sound of splintering metal filling the air.
"Noooooo!!"
His horrified cry was cut short as the dark blade finally gave way, shattering into hundreds of jagged fragments that clattered across the ground.
Corvus Glaive barely had time for one last wail before his body dissolved into smoke and vanished completely.
"…Wait, that's it?"
Wanda, still cradled in Renzo's arm, stared in confusion. "He just… died? Wasn't he supposed to revive endlessly? I thought he couldn't be killed!"
She sounded genuinely baffled.
Bonk!
Renzo flicked her lightly on the forehead. "That's why I told you to pay attention. If you had been watching closely, you wouldn't have been struggling against some low-level goon like this."
"Uh… hehe."
Wanda scratched her cheek, embarrassed, then replayed the fight in her head. Finally, she looked down at the shattered blade on the ground and murmured, "Wait… could it be that the weapon was the real target?"
She glanced up at him for confirmation.
"Exactly. I was surprised by it; it's an Ebony Blade."
Renzo nodded. "That sword was his true body. Destroy it, and he's done for. Otherwise, yeah—he can come back forever." He smirked. "Sounds simple now, doesn't it?"
"Actually… yeah," Wanda admitted, nodding quickly.
Once explained, it was embarrassingly obvious.
She groaned inwardly. If she'd known the guy was all flash and no substance, she could've ended the fight early and avoided Renzo's teasing.
"So that's how it works."
Pietro reappeared just then, leaving behind a battered and barely conscious Proxima Midnight. He nodded, now understanding why the fight had dragged on.
It hadn't just been carelessness—Ebony Blade's endless respawns had thrown them off.
Of course, laziness and overconfidence hadn't helped.
"You gonna finish the job, or just keep her there like a Christmas decoration?" Renzo called over, looking from the mangled alien to Pietro with a flat expression. "You ever heard of making sure your opponent stays down?"
"Heh, got it."
Pietro stuck his tongue out and blurred away, appearing in front of Proxima in an instant. One sharp twist of her neck, and it was over. Only when he was certain she was truly dead did he straighten up and stroll back.
"All done. By the way… who even are these two?"
"You seriously don't know?" Renzo rolled his eyes. "They're part of the Black Order, Thanos's top lieutenants. You just killed Proxima Midnight. The one I took out was Corvus Glaive, who had Ebony Blade."
"Wait, so… aliens?"
Pietro's eyes went wide.
"You needed me to confirm that?" Renzo shrugged.
"So why were they after me and my little sis?" Pietro asked.
"I'm your big sister!" Wanda shot back immediately, frowning.
"You're kidding. I came out two minutes earlier—how does that make you the big sister?"
"I don't care. I am the big sister! And if you've got a problem with that, we can settle it with our fists. Got it?"
Scarlet energy flared in her hands as she glared at him.
Renzo wanted to cut the fight short and say to Wanda, "You're my mommy," but out of self-respect, he stayed silent.
.
.
.