Inside the Cayenne, beneath the custom starry-sky headliner, Holden unrolled an ancient parchment scroll covered in strange, grotesque runes.
‘So this is Chthon’s Scroll?’ he murmured, furrowing his brow as he carefully studied the archaic text.
Chthon’s Scroll was authored by the Elder God, Chthon.
It was, in essence, the precursor to the Darkhold.
The pages detailed some of the most terrifying and destructive dark magic in existence.
Its corruptive influence was absolute—anyone who read it would have their mind twisted, losing their soul and eventually becoming a vessel for Chthon himself.
It was the very origin of the Necronomicon and the Book of Curses.
If the Sorcerer Supreme’s Book of Vishanti represented the ultimate light and absolute defense, then Chthon’s Scroll was its dark mirror.
The two grimoires contained completely opposing, mutually exclusive magics.
Because of this, studying Chthon’s magic would normally corrupt the user’s mind, twisting them into something evil.
But Holden didn’t have to worry about that at all.
Thanks to his God-Tier Magic Talent, he didn’t need to draw power from Chthon to use the spells.
Thus, the Elder God had absolutely no way to influence him.
‘If I remember correctly, there are spells in here that can help Wanda stabilize and master her powers…’ Holden thought as he skimmed through the scroll.
In the original timeline, Wanda had used the Darkhold—derived from these very scrolls—to cultivate her Chaos Magic.
As long as she only studied a small fraction of it, she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the corruption.
‘Looks like I’ll have to use this to help her out.’ Holden stored the scroll back into his system inventory, his mind racing.
Mastering her abilities was absolutely crucial for Wanda right now.
The tragedy in Lagos had happened partly because her control was still too raw.
With the Scarlet Witch’s true potential, containing an explosion of that size shouldn’t have been a problem at all!
‘Maybe…
I should go pick her up right now?’ A wicked smirk tugged at the corner of Holden’s mouth as he pictured Wanda’s face.
Her expression when she saw him again was going to be absolutely priceless.
He had to admit, he could be quite a sadist sometimes.
Casually pulling out his phone, he dialed her number without a second thought.
Meanwhile, at the Avengers Compound.
Inside her bedroom, Wanda was curled up under the blankets, flashes of last night relentlessly replaying in her mind.
No matter how hard she tried to banish the explicit memories, the lingering soreness in her body served as a constant, embarrassing reminder.
‘That stupid, infuriating Holden!
He didn’t even properly introduce himself!’ If the maid hadn’t called out his name, she wouldn’t even know who the hell she had slept with.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, an indescribable flutter of emotion stubbornly lingered in her chest.
Bzzzt, bzzzt~ Her silenced phone began vibrating aggressively against the mattress.
“Hello?
Who is this?” Wanda answered, her voice laced with exhaustion.
“My lovely little witch, have you forgotten about me already?” The moment Holden’s velvet voice drifted through the speaker, Wanda nearly jumped out of her skin.
She never expected him to call her this soon.
“W-Why are you calling me?!” she stammered, completely flustered.
“Why do you think?” Holden teased playfully.
Wanda froze.
A second later, her face burned crimson.
“Did you…
did you seriously just call to harass me?!” “I was just thinking about my little witch,” came his deep, magnetic reply.
“Who’s…
who’s your witch?!
Don’t talk nonsense!” Even as she scolded him, her heart skipped a rebellious beat.
Try as she might to deny it, Holden had carved out a very prominent space in her mind.
No girl could just easily forget an experience like that.
“Oh?” Holden reclined his car seat, a smirk playing on his lips.
“So you’re saying you still aren’t going to take responsibility?
Fine, I guess I’ll just have to call Mr.
Tony Stark!” Listening to her hiss like an angry kitten over the phone, he could vividly picture her flustered expression.
“What exactly do you want?” Wanda asked, her tone instantly turning guarded at his quiet chuckle.
“I was just planning on coming over so we could have a nice, long talk about our…
intimate feelings,” Holden drawled deliberately.
“You just want to…
you dirty, perverted animal!” Wanda could perfectly imagine the shameless, roguish smirk on his face.
She gripped her blankets furiously.
“So, where are you right now?” Holden pressed.
“Fine!” Wanda gritted her teeth.
“Go to the back entrance of the Compound!
I’ll meet you there!” Two pristine white buildings connected by an elevated skybridge sat atop the sprawling green landscape, flanked by a pair of massive helipads.
From above, the complex looked like a giant interconnected ‘V’.
This was the Avengers Compound, fully funded and constructed by Stark Industries.
“Me marcho sin saber si me besaste antes de irte!” “Te di mi corazón y tú lo regalaste!” “Te di todo el amor que pude darte y me robaste!” Holden cruised down the highway toward the Avengers Compound in his Cayenne, nodding his head slightly to the upbeat Latin rhythm.
But just as he neared the facility, he spotted a massive crowd of people waving protest signs, completely blocking the road ahead.
“Superheroes, get out of New York!” “We don’t need you violent hypocrites!” “Wanda, get out of our city!
She’s an absolute demon!” “They’re just using ‘justice’ as an excuse to hurt everyone!” A massive crowd of people held up protest signs, chanting furiously as they marched toward the Avengers Compound.
Holden stared at the scene through his windshield, momentarily speechless.
He had to admit, the local ‘hospitality’ was truly something else.
Forget Wanda—even he would get a massive headache dealing with this mob every day.
These poor people were completely blinded by the media.
At the end of the day, both sides were just victims; the only ones actually profiting from this mess were the politicians at the top.
That was just the ugly truth of the world.
Creating conflict was the only way those in power could protect their own interests.
‘Sigh…
poor Wanda…’ Holden turned the music down, his previously cheerful mood taking a slight dip.
She was just a young woman forced to swallow an unfair amount of grievance.
Power?
Even with her immense abilities, her heart was just as fragile as any ordinary person’s.
Buzz~ His phone vibrated in the cup holder.
[Wanda]: ‘I’m at the back gate.’ Seeing the text, Holden turned the steering wheel, guiding the Cayenne down a narrow, secluded side road.
But he hadn’t driven far when a figure suddenly dashed out of the woods.
Screech!
Holden slammed the brake pedal to the floor, stopping in the absolute nick of time.
“What the hell?” He frowned, peering through the windshield.
‘Seriously?
Is this car just a natural magnet for forest ambushes?’ Before he could process what was happening, several more people charged out of the trees.
It was a mix of men and women, their faces smeared with crude white paint.
Without a single word, they swarmed his SUV, frantically slamming their hands against the windows and hood, baring their teeth and snarling like rabid animals.
‘The fuck?
Are they trying to pull a zombie apocalypse on me?!’ Holden was completely dumbfounded.
He couldn’t even begin to comprehend what these lunatics were trying to do.
Even a real zombie outbreak wouldn’t look this deranged!
“Get the hell out of the car, you Avenger-loving scum!” “I saw you!
You’re trying to sneak into the Avengers Compound through the back!” “Tell that damn bitch Wanda to get out here, or you’re dead meat!” “Don’t think you murderous demons can escape punishment!” Looking at the unhinged mob, Holden ground his teeth, veins slowly bulging against his forehead.
‘You really have a death wish, don’t you?’ he thought coldly.
To him, these people were clearly hired thugs, paid to stir up as much trouble as possible.
This was obviously the government’s doing, intentionally fanning the flames to force the Avengers into a corner.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and aggressively rolled up his sleeves.
Just then, his phone vibrated again.
[Wanda]: ‘Ignore them.
Just back up.’ Holden glanced at the screen, knowing full well she was watching him from a distance.
His fingers flew across the keyboard.
[Holden]: ‘They need to learn a lesson!’ The Avengers couldn’t fight back because they were chained down by ‘justice’ and their public image.
But he was different.
He wasn’t an Avenger.
Justice?
Moral blackmail?
As long as you didn’t have any morals, no one could blackmail you!
Holden shoved his door open and stepped out.
His towering, muscular frame immediately brought a crushing sense of oppression to the mob.
“Alright, I’m out.
Come at me, all of you!” Holden glared at the so-called protesters, his voice dripping with ice.
Faced with his terrifying aura, the protesters instinctively stumbled back a few steps.
They honestly hadn’t expected him to actually get out of the car.
“Fuck it!
It’s just one guy!
What are we afraid of?!” “Let’s teach this arrogant prick a lesson!” “He’s not a superhero!
Get him!
Attack together!” A few of the braver thugs gritted their teeth, raised their heavy wooden signs, and swung them violently toward Holden’s head.
Whoosh!
But as the heavy wooden planks sliced through the air, a dark, strange glint suddenly flashed across the attackers’ eyes.
Their movements abruptly halted.
Pivoting on their heels, they ruthlessly smashed their signs directly into the faces of their own companions!
“Fuck!
Are you blind?!” “Ah!
Stop hitting me!
Are you high?!” “Who the hell brought this idiot along?!” In an instant, the protesters devolved into a chaotic, bloody brawl, tearing and beating at each other like mindless, primal beasts.
“Tch.” Holden’s pupils flared with a beguiling, fiery red light.
He shook his head disdainfully, climbed back into the Cayenne, and drove away without a second glance.