"I think you should go to Natasha and apologize. Her intentions are good—she just wants to avoid more losses."
Wanda and Renzo walked side by side, heads lowered, hands clasped behind their backs, like children who weren't good with words.
"I know she doesn't mean it maliciously, but those baseless accusations really make me angry—especially the things people are saying about you online. I can't stand their lofty judgments, as if they're gods who think the world should turn however they want."
"Natasha is a good person and a reliable comrade-in-arms, but you shouldn't have unnecessary sympathy. If you want to protect the people behind you, being grateful once or twice is fine—but if it happens too often, they'll start to think it's only natural for us to sacrifice our lives for them."
"And when we make a mistake, they criticize us from some high moral ground. That's not acceptable."
Renzo spoke slowly, sharing his thoughts with Wanda. Sanctimonious people, self-righteous critics, moral absolutists, hypocrites… they existed in every world. He was a hero, yes—but he acted out of his own sense of morality. He had already done everything he could to save them, at any cost. And they still wanted to accuse him? Not a chance.
Renzo felt that those people needed to face real consequences—otherwise, one day, they would start believing even the sun belonged to them.
Right now, the top priority was dealing with the conflict between Tony and Bucky. Everything else had to be set aside. Renzo could not allow the Avengers to split apart.
Watching Renzo's retreating figure, Wanda stopped and murmured, "He's really changed a lot…"
"Captain!" Renzo called out as he approached Steve. "Have you found any trace of Bucky?"
"No. It's like he's vanished. I can't even track Tony's recent whereabouts. The surveillance footage has all been wiped." Steve looked exhausted, as if he'd lost years in just a few days. Two of his closest friends had disappeared—it was hard not to imagine the worst.
"Don't worry, Captain. No news also means they're both still safe. Otherwise, the headlines wouldn't be focused on this so-called 'most technologically advanced presidential election.'"
Steve let out a small laugh at the remark, his mood easing slightly.
"I heard the Vienna conference is about to begin, and Natasha will be signing on behalf of the Avengers. Is that Tony's decision?"
"I don't know… it's just…" Steve slowly took out the pocket watch he had carried for nearly eighty years. Inside, Peggy Carter's face remained as clear as ever.
Her funeral had been held a few days ago. Steve was still immersed in grief and felt drained dealing with everything else. He had never been good at handling the world outside of battle.
"Peggy Carter was a brave woman and a reliable comrade-in-arms," Renzo said softly. "When I traveled through the multiverse, I met another version of her."
"Really?" Steve's composure wavered slightly.
"Yes. She became the super soldier instead of you. We fought Ultron together—and we won."
"That… sounds like an incredible experience."
Steve's face softened, a faint smile forming at the corner of his lips. He seemed to imagine it—fighting side by side with Peggy. Two Captain Americas? The thought was almost absurd.
He chuckled and shook his head. "Vision—no, Renzo…? Can I call you that?"
"Whatever you like…" Renzo replied helplessly. It wasn't easy for others to pronounce his name correctly.
"I've decided to find Bucky and send him somewhere far away. Somewhere Tony won't be able to find him…"
"Wait—Captain, do you really think this can be solved just by sending Bucky abroad?" Renzo cut him off.
"Bucky killed Tony's parents. From Tony's perspective, it's understandable—even if he wants him dead."
"But—"
"Don't excuse it by saying he was controlled. You're missing the core issue. Whether this conflict ends or not doesn't depend on Bucky—it depends on Tony."
"Bucky is just a weapon Zemo used to tear the Avengers apart. His goal is to create division, and Tony knows that."
"He might not care about someone like Zemo, but he does care about Bucky—about whether he lives or dies. As long as Bucky dies, the conflict between you and Tony disappears. The Avengers could go back to normal."
"Bucky can't die," Steve said urgently. He had come to Renzo hoping to find a way to keep Bucky alive while also resolving Tony's hatred.
Renzo fell silent. Steve was admirable in many ways—but when it came to matters involving those close to him, he hesitated. He lacked the resolve to make a decisive break. If this dragged on, it would only deepen the damage—fracturing the Avengers further and introducing more unpredictable risks. This had to be resolved quickly.
"Steve, we're heading to Vienna next. Zemo will strike there. That will be our chance to turn things around."
Renzo spoke firmly. In this moment, he carried more authority than either Steve or Tony.
...
Renzo returned to his room, utterly exhausted from the conversation.
He sat down on the sofa and stared at the black ring in his hand. It had already begun to affect his mind.
In truth, he hadn't intended to say such harsh things to Natasha that morning. The dark power of the Black Lantern Ring had influenced his thoughts. When his emotions fluctuated, it amplified everything he felt—until those thoughts spilled out as cutting words.
Sighing, Renzo touched the gem embedded in his forehead. It felt like it had gone on strike. Aside from supplying the energy needed to sustain his body, it offered nothing more.
Cheapskate. Miser.
He took the Space Stone out of his clothes. Yes—he had been carrying it in his pocket these past few days. To avoid trouble, he had crushed the outer shell of the Tesseract, leaving only the gem itself.
Under the light, the blue stone emitted a faint, rippling glow, radiating a quiet, otherworldly beauty.
Renzo focused on the two coordinate-like imprints within it—one belonging to this universe, the other to a Spider-Man universe.
There was also a black, stain-like presence—Venom.
After acquiring the Space Stone, Renzo had imprisoned Venom within its internal space, preventing it from escaping into the universe. If it bonded with someone dangerous, the consequences would be disastrous.
As for what to do with it… Renzo needed to think carefully. His synthetic body couldn't be parasitized by Venom. Otherwise, he might have kept it for himself.
He stared at the Space Stone, his previously unfocused gaze gradually sharpening as a glint of realization formed in his eyes.
He had an idea.
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