— — — — — —
"You win! You are the big sister!"
Pietro didn't even bother arguing anymore.
He kept his eyes on Renzo. "So… what's their goal here, bro-in-law?"
"To clean the Avengers' ass. And to protect you two."
Renzo spread his hands, explaining, "You've all been at light lately. Thanos and his people know that if they take you out first, invading Earth will be a walk in the park."
"Especially you, Wanda. After all, Thanos isn't stupid."
Pietro suddenly regretted ever signing up for the Avengers. "So that's what this is about."
Wanda nodded too, looking like the pieces had clicked into place.
The brother and sister were tired of being superheroes.
Over the years, it had only dragged them into one mess after another—Hydra, Ultron… you name it.
"Alright, let's move. I'm sending you two back to Avengers HQ to meet up with Tony and the others. I've got more people to rescue."
With a wave of his hand, Renzo vanished with the twins and dropped them off at HQ. Then he headed out again.
...
Once the Black Order was dealt with, the Avengers regrouped. Even the Hulk showed up.
"Do we know exactly when Thanos is coming?"
Tony glanced over at Dr. Banner. Sitting around in anxious silence wasn't exactly helping anyone's nerves.
"No idea," Banner sighed. "All I know's Asgard is gone. Their fleet is gone. Thanos already has the Power Stone, the Space Stone, and the Reality Stone. And Hulk…" He grimaced. "Hulk is so scared he doesn't even want to come out."
That, more than anything, made Banner feel humbled.
The raging, unstoppable Hulk—afraid? How did that even happen?
"Hulk is NOT!"
Just as Banner said it, his neck and face started turning green. He let out a roar… then shrank back to normal.
Tony: "…"
Banner: "…"
"Yeah, he's definitely traumatized." Tony shrugged.
"Hulk... NO."
Banner flickered green again for barely a second, roared at Tony, then stopped.
"Alright, drop the Hulk talk," Captain America cut in. "He's still just a big kid. Let's focus on how to deal with Thanos. This guy's no joke—we've never faced anything like him."
"How are we supposed to analyze anything when we barely know the guy?" Wanda said, arms folded, clearly not worried.
Instead, she turned to Renzo. "With my hubby here, Thanos isn't a problem. Isn't that right, honey?"
Yeah—Wanda and Renzo had been a thing for a while now. And they had their love story from when Renzo saved her and her brother to when he saw her naked by mistake.
Well, maybe it wasn't a mistake, but Renzo was like any Marvel fan—he loved this witch. Okay, maybe that love was for the actor, Elizabeth Olsen, but this Wanda was even more beautiful than Olsen could ever be, especially her side b—
"For real? Renzo, give us a straight answer," Tony cut in, interrupting the man's thoughts.
The others looked at him too. If Renzo could really handle Thanos, that would solve a lot of problems.
It wasn't that they wanted to dump the responsibility on him—it was just that, well, they were up against the ruler of the cosmos. They were just "superheroes" from some backwater planet.
"Relax. I've got a backup plan. You all just focus on fighting him. I'll be right behind you to cover and clean up afterward." Renzo smiled.
He had no intention of taking Thanos out right away. First, the Avengers—and Earth—needed to see for themselves what kind of threat Thanos really was. Only then would they keep their egos in check and focus on building real power.
It would also save him a ton of headaches later.
"Backup plan?" Tony raised an eyebrow.
"So… you're saying we're good?" Cap's eyes lit up. His shoulders eased just hearing Renzo's tone.
If Renzo said it was fine, then it was fine. Trying their hand against Thanos didn't scare him—what mattered was having someone powerful enough to make sure Earth wouldn't be completely doomed if they failed.
"What kind of backup plan can handle Thanos?" Banner asked, frowning. "From what I've gathered, if he gets all six Infinity Stones, he'll basically be at the top of the universe's power scale—completely unbeatable."
Banner frowned, a half-formed idea nagging at him, just out of reach.
"The Infinity Stones… wait—did you tamper with them?" Tony suddenly blurted out, eyes wide as the thought hit him.
"You can even tamper with those things?" Natasha arched an eyebrow. Clearly, they still didn't have a full grasp of Renzo's abilities.
Not for lack of trying. S.H.I.E.L.D. had spent years probing him, collecting data, running tests.
The more they found, the more they realized—this guy was bottomless. Always pulling out some new trick.
"You're sharper than I thought," Renzo said with a grin, giving Tony a mock thumbs-up. "But as for the details, I'll keep that to myself for now. If Thanos somehow reads your minds, it would ruin the fun."
"In any case, the battlefield is ready."
Dr. Strange froze, his brow twitching. He tilted his head toward the ceiling, as if looking straight through it and into space. "They're here already? That was fast. Everyone, get ready. The fight will be in Wakanda, just like we agreed with their king."
"I'll handle the travel."
Before anyone could react, Renzo waved a hand. Space twisted—and suddenly Tony and the rest found themselves standing inside Wakanda's massive energy dome.
"....." xN
"You made it. Perfect timing," T'Challa greeted them with a nod. "The enemy isn't wasting any time."
High above, dark shapes streaked through the clouds—Thanos's fleet, closing in fast.
"If it weren't for your warning, Lord Renzo, Earth would've been caught completely off guard," T'Challa said with genuine respect.
"You give me too much credit," Renzo replied with a small wave. "The real courage was yours—agreeing to hold the fight here in Wakanda. My intel's nothing in comparison."
In truth, he admired the decision. Wakanda might be secretive, even selfish at times, but this choice alone erased a lot of its past stains.
"They're here!"
A deafening roar split the air as the lead warship breached the atmosphere. Dropships broke away, slamming into the ground with brutal force.
From them poured hordes of snarling, bioengineered beasts—charging straight at Wakanda's shield.
"Activate the defenses," T'Challa ordered. Energy cannons lit up, striking the creatures in bursts of light and thunder.
"We should engage. Let a few through—it's not realistic to keep them all outside," Tony said as his nanotech armor snapped into place.
The other Avengers were already gearing up, itching for a fight. The enemy seemed endless, a black tide flooding the horizon… but with Renzo as their safety net, what was there to fear?
"Alright. Be careful," T'Challa said, not opposing the plan. Keeping the shield up forever would drain too much energy. And Thanos hadn't even shown his face yet—there was no guarantee the shield could stop him.
Better to go on the offensive and seize some initiative.
Tony's faceplate sealed with a click and he blasted into the air. War Machine, Cap, Natasha, Hawkeye—they all followed, charging into the fray.
Even Renzo sent out a clone to help cut down the smaller enemies, while his real body sat cross-legged high above, calmly surveying the entire battlefield.
He was also paying special attention to Wanda— after all, at any moment, he might sense a new life growing inside her.
Yup, the woman wanted to be a mommy, and she was fighting hard for it (in bed).
.
.
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