The scarlet magic danced around Wanda like fiery sprites.
The pulsating light illuminated the surrounding devastation, casting a blood-red glow over her oversized hoodie.
Under the brilliant glare, her blonde hair was dyed a vivid crimson, making her exquisitely beautiful features look entirely ethereal.
“She’s beautiful…” Gwen breathed, the lenses of her mask widening in pure awe.
Right now, the Scarlet Witch looked like the mythological goddess Freyja herself.
‘The Scarlet Witch really is much more alluring,’ Holden thought, completely mesmerized as he watched her float in the sky.
He had to admit, Wanda was at her absolute most captivating in this state.
He finally understood why so many people found the “darkened” Scarlet Witch so utterly intoxicating.
Wanda spread her hands wide, and the crimson light washed over the burning building like a tidal wave.
Under the sheer, oppressive weight of her magic, the roaring flames were gradually forced back.
Even the thick, suffocating black smoke was violently compressed into a tight sphere by her Chaos Magic.
As the scarlet energy squeezed the inferno inward, Wanda’s expression grew incredibly tense.
This was a massive, large-scale manipulation of reality, requiring terrifyingly precise micromanagement.
“Haa…” Fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead as her trembling hands shifted and adjusted the magical pressure.
Back in Lagos, she had tried to contain a deadly explosion, and it had resulted in absolute catastrophe.
The trauma was fresh, and her telepathic empathy was forcing her to acutely feel the raw, unfiltered emotions of the crowd below—the agony, the despair, the paralyzing fear…
The barrage of negative emotions caused her grip on the Chaos Magic to waver.
The once-suppressed flames immediately surged outward, desperately fighting against her control.
Holden frowned slightly, watching the pained struggle etched across her face.
He knew full well that snuffing out this fire was child’s play for the Scarlet Witch’s true power.
The real battle was Wanda overcoming her own mental blockade.
It wasn’t something he could just do for her; she had to break through this wall on her own.
Wasting no time, he willed his body to levitate, floating up right beside her.
“Forget the past.
Right now, you are the only one who can save them.
Remember what I told you.” Holden’s deep, steady voice murmured right by her ear.
“This is nothing for you.
Trust me.
You are absolutely not going to fail!” Wanda didn’t turn her head, but she knew Holden was standing right beside her.
Even over the blistering heat of the inferno, she could clearly catch the familiar, comforting scent of his cologne.
“I…” Wanda took a shaky breath, the hesitation in her eyes melting into absolute resolve.
‘That’s right!
I’m the only one who can save the people inside.
I’m the only one with the power to do this!’ Whether she was ready or not, this was the only choice she had.
It was far too late to back down now; all she could do was give it everything she had.
Her mind flashed back to last night, Holden’s exact words echoing in her head.
“Chaos Magic isn’t purely destructive.
It can create, and it can alter reality itself!” ‘So I can definitely do this!
I can change this!’ With every mental barrier she shattered, the scarlet magic flared even brighter.
She pushed her hands inward, compressing the energy.
The crimson light began to flow through her fingers flawlessly, as naturally as breathing.
Bolstered by the blinding light, Wanda’s heart turned to steel.
The expanding inferno was instantly crushed back inward at a terrifying speed.
Hummmmm!
With a deep, resonant hum, an otherworldly tide of scarlet energy abruptly detonated from her body.
The pulsing red wave swept across the entire city block.
Like a massive tsunami, it completely swallowed the streets in a thick crimson glow.
Even the sky above was dyed a bloody scarlet.
Looking up from below, it felt as though they were submerged in an ocean of red.
“What is this?!
Is this the Scarlet Witch’s power?!” “It’s breathtaking…
Can she actually rewrite the world itself?!” “I had no idea the Avengers were this powerful!” “Wait, is she going to blow up the whole block like she did last time?!” A single panicked shout snapped the awestruck crowd back into reality, and sheer terror instantly took over.
Thanks to the relentless media smear campaign, the Scarlet Witch was practically synonymous with mass destruction.
Seeing this apocalyptic display of reality-warping magic, fear spread through the masses like a viral plague.
The terrifying, unknown power pushed them to the absolute brink of panic.
They wanted to run, but their legs shook so violently they couldn’t even take a single step.
But right at that moment, someone noticed the raging inferno on the ground floor was being extinguished at a visible rate.
Trapped inside the scarlet sphere, the blistering heat was rapidly replaced by creeping frost.
Thick ice crystals spread across the concrete floor and climbed the blackened walls.
As the temperature plummeted well below freezing, the roaring flames were completely erased from existence.
“She put out the fire!” “Unbelievable…
She’s actually here to save us!” “Oh, thank God!
My daughter is going to live!” “Who the hell said she was trying to kill us?!” The civilians stared in wide-eyed disbelief.
They had fully expected the Scarlet Witch to bring absolute ruin upon them, yet she had miraculously snuffed out the deadly inferno.
At this rate, the entire building would be completely saved in seconds.
“Even the green mutagenic gas turned into ice and dissipated!” Gwen landed gracefully on the pavement, her eyes wide as she marveled at the impossible scene unfolding before her.
She honestly never imagined Wanda’s powers could be this overwhelming.
They were talking about a massive, multi-story skyscraper!
And Wanda had suppressed every single flame completely by herself.
The roaring inferno was now nothing but a dying ember.
“Looks like she finally broke through her mental block,” Holden murmured, landing back on the pavement.
He pulled out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, and lit it, a satisfied smirk on his face as he exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
As long as she shattered that psychological barrier, it wouldn’t take long for her to fully step out from the shadows of her past.
Furthermore, after successfully pulling this off, her control over her Chaos Magic was guaranteed to improve significantly.
He watched the little witch working hard, a proud look in his eyes.
A few moments later, the raging fire was completely extinguished.
Having finished the impossible task, Wanda finally let out a long, shuddering breath.
The moment her boots touched the ground, deafening cheers erupted from the crowd.
“Long live the Scarlet Witch!” “She did it!
She saved us!” “The Scarlet Witch really is here to help!” “I’ll never doubt her again!” Everyone cheered, their voices echoing through the streets.
In a single moment, the Scarlet Witch had completely overturned the monstrous stereotype painted by the media.
The crowd surged forward, surrounding her with absolute gratitude.
Looking at the tearful, cheering faces around her, Wanda couldn’t help but wipe the moisture from her own eyes with the back of her hand.
She couldn’t even remember the last time someone had cheered for her.
And now, all these people were thanking her.
She knew deep down that the only reason she had managed to do this was because Holden had stood firmly by her side.