Fate Severed

Sokovia's night sky was dyed blood-red by artillery fire. Django Maximoff ran wildly through the streets with six-year-old Pietro in his arms, his wife Maria close behind, clutching the equally young Wanda tightly against her chest. Pietro's little face was pale, and Wanda's hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat.

"We're almost home." Django's voice broke apart between ragged breaths. A shell exploded nearby, and the shockwave sent Maria stumbling.

"Mom!" Wanda suddenly screamed, her little hands unconsciously glowing red. But in the next second, her mother pressed them back against her chest.

"Don't look, sweetheart, don't look..." Maria's voice trembled violently with fear as she staggered after her husband.

They burst through the sagging front door. Django immediately turned and braced the door with his full weight. "Pietro, take your sister and hide under the table!" The boy grabbed his sister's wrist, and the two small figures crawled beneath the cramped space under the oak dining table.

Maria frantically shoved the sofa against the door while Django dragged over the heavy bookcase. Outside came the roar of armored vehicle treads crushing the road, mixed with soldiers' shouts and the wails of the wounded.

"It's the anti-government forces," Django said, his fingernails digging into the door. "They're clearing out the civilian district..."

Suddenly, Wanda crawled out from under the table, her little hand pointing straight out the window. "Dad, that flying iron barrel..."

Django followed his daughter's finger, and his face instantly turned ashen—against the night sky, a missile bearing the words STARK INDUSTRIES screamed toward them, trailing flames behind it.

"No!!!"

At that critical instant, Django's cry was torn apart by a roar like a heavy motorcycle engine ripping through the night sky.

A figure flashed into the air, blocking the missile's path. Black clothing fluttered violently in the night wind. Facing the missile speeding toward him, Chen Tian still had the leisure to glance back at the terrified Maximoff family inside the window.

"Don't be afraid." He spoke softly to Wanda behind the glass, his right hand already gripping the massive sword blazing with crimson flames on his back—Red Queen.

The fires burning throughout Sokovia illuminated the sword's intricate mechanical patterns.

"EX—Charge complete!"

With a fierce shout, Red Queen's blade swept through the air in a perfect fan-shaped arc of fire. The sword's built-in combustion device erupted with scorching flames, turning the entire greatsword into a crimson meteor.

"Boom—!"

The missile was split cleanly in two, and the blaze of the explosion cast Chen Tian's sword-wielding figure like a war god descending upon the world.

"Master! There's another one!" 2B's warning came through the communicator.

Not far away, Dante leaped onto an armored vehicle with a rocket launcher on his shoulder and blasted the anti-government infantry fighting vehicle over. "Nephew, the left side's yours!" he laughed, resting Rebellion on his shoulder.

At some point, Deadpool had climbed onto the Maximoffs' windowsill and was hanging upside down with the back of his mask facing forward. "Whoa! That's cooler than a Switch Axe from Monster Hunter!" He noticed the red glow on Wanda's hand. "Wait... this little girl can use magic?"

"Get lost!" Django grabbed a pair of fireplace tongs and swung them at the freak. Deadpool flipped away nimbly, but crashed into the bookcase Maria had just used to block the door.

Outside, the second missile had already broken through the clouds. Madara's Sharingan snapped open. "Master, do you need me?"

Chen Tian sheathed Red Queen on his back and drew Blue Rose with his left hand. The barrel of the customized revolver spun at high speed, producing a mechanical buzzing sound.

"No need. I'm not who I used to be." He pulled the trigger repeatedly, and Blue Rose's six magic bullets screamed through the air.

The bullets struck the missile's warhead with perfect precision, detonating it in the sky like a blazing firework.

At that critical moment, 2B's Virtuous Contract suddenly crossed in front of Chen Tian. "Master, abnormal energy reaction detected!"

Wanda had somehow risen from beneath the dining table. Scarlet Chaos Magic coiled around her small body like a living thing. The little girl's eyes had completely turned blood-red as she stared fixedly at the missile.

"I don't want... Dad and Mom to die..." With her childish cry, an armored vehicle in the distance twisted and warped strangely before crashing to the ground with a clang, reduced to scrap metal.

Deadpool clapped exaggeratedly. "Bravo! Those effects have more money behind them than the Marvel crew!" He suddenly turned toward the invisible fourth wall. "Right, audience? This should go in the post-credits scene for Doctor Strange 2!"

No one noticed that Chen Tian's magic power had also begun to glow faintly blue—Nero's power and Wanda's Chaos Magic had formed a strange resonance.

"Master!" Madara suddenly turned alertly. "More armored units are approaching!"

The roar of armored units tore through Sokovia's night sky. Treads crushed the paving stones in the streets, and gun barrels gleamed with the cold light of death.

The soldiers' shouts intertwined with the engines' roars, like the death knell of hell itself.

Chen Tian lowered his gaze to Wanda. Tear tracks still marked the little girl's cheeks, and distant flames reflected in her red eyes. He slowly crouched down, smiled faintly, and gently brushed away her tears with his fingertips.

"Your father and mother won't die."

His voice was soft, yet it brought Wanda an extraordinary warmth.

"Because I'm here."

The night wind suddenly rose, and Chen Tian's clothes billowed amid the smoke. He straightened up, and Red Queen thundered from its sheath behind him, its blade spewing blazing blue-violet demonic fire.

2B silently stepped to his side. Virtuous Contract's blade cut a chilling arc through the air. Her silver hair danced in the heat waves, her eyes locked onto every enemy, her killing intent as cold as ice.

The next second—

The air was torn apart by a force beyond reason.

Vergil appeared. Yamato had not yet left its sheath, but the sharp killing intent around him was already enough to lift rubble within ten meters into the air. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes beneath silver hair cold as blades.

Chen Tian stepped forward, and at the instant he passed Vergil—

Clang—!

The moment Yamato left its sheath, its slash poured forth like moonlight, splitting the nearest armored vehicle cleanly in half. The cut was smooth as a mirror, and it had not even had time to explode. Vergil sheathed his sword, his steps as elegant as Death attending a feast, and silently followed Chen Tian.

Behind Chen Tian, the metallic scrape of Rebellion pierced the night sky. Dante had somehow already fallen in behind Chen Tian, the greatsword resting lazily on his shoulder, chin raised slightly.

Feeling the presence of the three behind him, Chen Tian's lips curled into an amused smile. "Ready, players?"

Data flickered through 2B's eyes as she held Virtuous Contract in reverse. Vergil's hand rested on Yamato's hilt, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes beneath silver hair. Dante lazily rolled his neck, Rebellion eager to move atop his shoulder.

"Game start," Chen Tian said softly, his voice carrying a teasing anticipation.

The armored unit commander finally realized—they were not facing humans at all.

"Fire!!!"

The gun barrels turned, dozens of machine guns spewing flames at once as bullets poured down like a storm—

The next second, the world was torn apart by three utterly different powers.

Vergil vanished.

In his place came a blue afterimage that pierced through the battlefield. Wherever it passed, armored vehicle cannons, treads, and armor plates were sliced apart by invisible blades, breaking apart in neat fragments.

2B moved.

Her figure became silver lightning, and Virtuous Contract wove a web of death through the air. Soldiers' heads flew up, gun turrets were precisely dismantled, and fragments of flesh and steel bloomed in the sky.

Dante laughed and slammed Rebellion into the ground.

Boom—!!!

A terrifying shockwave flipped an entire row of tanks, their treads snapping apart inch by inch. He flipped into the air, swept his blade sideways, and sent dozens of soldiers flying like bowling pins into distant ruins.

And Chen Tian—

He stood where he was, facing the rain of bullets whistling toward him, and slowly raised Red Queen.

His hand twisted violently around the hilt. Red Queen let out a thunderous roar, and the mechanical patterns along its blade lit up segment by segment. The gathered energy warped the air around it.

"EX—"

His voice was like thunder.

"—Burst!!!"

The instant the blade fell, flames swept across the entire battlefield like an enraged dragon. Blue-violet demonic fire devoured all artillery, steel, and flesh. Explosions erupted into the sky, setting Sokovia's night completely ablaze.

Wanda stood at the doorway, her little hand tightly clutching the hem of her mother's clothes. In her red eyes reflected the back of the man standing in the sea of fire with a sword in hand—

Like a god, like a demon, like one who could rewrite fate, his image was slowly etched into her tiny heart.

Pietro poked his head out from behind her, his eyes wide.

"Mom..." he asked quietly, his voice trembling with shock, "Are they gods?"

Maria did not answer. She only held her two children tightly as tears silently slid down her face.

At the center of the battlefield, Chen Tian hung Red Queen back on his back. The demonic flames gradually died out, the smoke dispersed, and his figure stood especially clear in the first light of dawn.

He turned back toward the Maximoff family, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

"No, Pietro."

The morning wind carried away his voice, yet carved every word into their bones.

"We only came to tell this world—"

"Fate can be severed."

The smoke had not yet cleared when Deadpool suddenly poked his head out from behind a burning tank wreck. The white eye patches on his mask widened exaggeratedly. "Cut! Cut! Director, this needs to be reshot with IMAX cameras!"

He scrambled over to Chen Tian on all fours, then suddenly dropped to one knee in the pose of an obsessed fan. "God, that sword-sheathing shot is enough for me to stare at for ten years! If we added some slow motion..."

As he spoke, he suddenly turned to a nonexistent camera and gestured through imaginary storyboards. "Listen up, audience. We need a 360-degree rotating shot here, with The Avengers BGM, then freeze-frame with some cherry blossoms falling..." Before he could finish, 2B smacked him into a wall with her scabbard.

"Master, 2B can no longer stand this guy whose mouth never stops moving." 2B's eyes flickered as her fingers tightened around the scabbard.

Vergil coldly watched Deadpool embedded in the wall, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm going to make him shut up forever."

Dante was using Rebellion as a selfie stick. Hearing that, he whistled. "Hey, bro, at least wait until he fixes my IG filter..." Then he looked around as if he had just noticed something. "Wait, where's that stoic Uchiha guy?"

As if answering him, the roar of Planetary Devastation came from the distance. Madara stood atop a clock tower a hundred meters away, his half-body Susanoo's chakra sword lifting the last tank into the sky. Catching sight of Dante with his Sharingan, he snorted coldly. "Childish."

Deadpool pulled himself out of the wall, his mask suddenly turning into a shocked meme face. "Holy shit! So Madara's been secretly farming KDA!"

He somehow pulled out a scoreboard. "Currently, MVP is Vergil with nine kills and zero deaths. Dante loses points for showing off, and Boss Chen Tian may be acting cool, but he's the sugar daddy..."

Veins bulged on Chen Tian's forehead as Red Queen's engine suddenly roared. Deadpool instantly hid behind Wanda. "Kid, use magic now! You're the future super witch!" Then he noticed that the little girl was staring blankly at his mask.

"This red... is pretty." Wanda spoke unconsciously, a faint glimmer of Chaos Magic glowing at her fingertips. Deadpool's mask suddenly changed into a tearful, moved expression. "OMG! I've been officially approved!" He spun toward the invisible fourth wall and shook hands wildly. "Kevin Feige, did you see that? This is multiverse crossover!"

Madara instantly appeared before everyone, his Sharingan narrowing dangerously. "Keep making noise, and I'll seal you too."

Deadpool immediately mimed zipping his mouth shut, but secretly mouthed to Wanda, "Remember, kid, if you meet a creepy uncle with a gem on his forehead in the future, run—"

Chen Tian finally snapped his fingers in exasperation. 2B's Virtuous Contract, Vergil's Yamato, and Dante's Rebellion simultaneously pressed against Deadpool's neck.

"Now," Red Queen's hydraulic pipes hissed under pressure as Chen Tian revealed a benevolent smile, "would you rather be sliced apart by Dimension Slash, blasted into scraps by an EX charge, or..." Blue Rose's cylinder clicked as it turned. "Try having your mind blown by six magic bullets?"

Deadpool's mask turned into the classic "uh..." expression as he suddenly pointed at the sky. "Look! Nick Fury's space battleship!"

While everyone was distracted, Deadpool violently twisted the time-travel dial on his wrist. The hands on the watch spun wildly as his body began to flicker and distort.

Only a lone red glove remained in the air, with "See you in the next movie~❤" written on it in marker. Pietro curiously picked it up, only for Wanda to snatch it away and throw it into the fire. The glove slowly burned.

The flames consumed the glove Deadpool had left behind, and ashes scattered in the morning wind. Pietro looked up at Wanda burning the glove and muttered softly, "I wanted to keep that as a souvenir..."

Just then—

Rumble—!!!

A deafening engine roar came from the sky. Several Red Room aircraft tore through the clouds, the red stars on their wings gleaming brilliantly beneath the rising sun.

The cabin doors opened, and a burly figure leaned halfway out. Red Guardian Alexei waved boldly and shouted:

"Comrades! We're here!"

His voice echoed like thunder over Sokovia's ruins. Behind him stood fully armed Red Room agents, their guns and equipment gleaming with a cold light in the morning sun.

Chen Tian slightly raised his head, narrowing his eyes at the aircraft as the corners of his lips lifted.

Just then—

A tiny, soft hand quietly slipped into his palm.

Chen Tian froze and looked down.

Wanda stood beside him, brown hair drifting gently in the wind. Her eyes still carried a faint red glow, but at that moment, a brilliant smile bloomed on her lips, like the warmest ray of dawn.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Chen Tian was silent for a second. Then he slowly tightened his grip around that little hand, the smile on his lips deepening.

"You're welcome, little one."

Pietro's eyes widened at the side. He looked at Wanda, then at Chen Tian, and finally could not help blurting out:

"Hey! What about me? I want a handshake too!"

Chen Tian glanced at him and chuckled, reaching out to ruffle his silver hair.

"Fine, you count too."

Maria and Django stood some distance away, watching the scene as their taut nerves finally relaxed slightly. Maria's eyes reddened as she whispered:

"They... really changed our fate."

Django held his wife's shoulder tightly, gazing at Chen Tian's group with a complicated expression.

"Maybe... this world still has hope."

The Red Room aircraft slowly descended. The cabin doors fully opened, and Alexei strode out with a squad of elite Red Room agents behind him. He looked around at the devastated battlefield, then at Chen Tian's group standing amid the ruins, and grinned.

"Looks like we missed a good show?"

Dante rested Rebellion on his shoulder and lazily whistled.

"Don't worry, brother. Next time, we'll let you lead the charge."

After glancing at the Red Room agents, Vergil leaned against a wall.

2B stood beside Chen Tian, smiling as she watched him holding the hands of the two little ones.

Madara stood atop a distant building, his Sharingan slowly turning as he muttered under his breath:

"Hmph... late reinforcements."

But he did not leave. He only quietly watched everything.

Chen Tian released Wanda's hand and stepped forward. His gaze swept over the Red Room personnel before finally settling on Alexei.

"Since you're here, don't stand around," he said calmly, pointing toward the distant ruins of the city.

"Sokovia's war isn't over. There are still many civilians who need to be evacuated."

Alexei grinned and slammed his fist into his palm.

"Then let's get to work, comrades!"

Morning light pierced through the smoke, gilding the ruins with a blood-red edge.

At this moment, fate was completely rewritten.

Dante sat cross-legged atop an exposed steel beam. A lollipop he had found somewhere in the ruins rolled between his teeth, while Rebellion was casually planted beside him.

Vergil leaned against a broken wall. Yamato stood upright before him, both hands overlapped lightly atop its hilt. His silver hair fell over his closed eyes, while every piece of rubble within three meters floated in defiance of gravity, telling everyone that he was not asleep.

Madara stood high atop half a water tower behind the others, arms crossed as his Gunbai floated slowly behind him. When droplets of fresh blood fell from its ribs, they ignited into sparks in midair.

2B stood with her hands folded in front of her, quietly watching Chen Tian. The smile on her lips overflowed, and there was nothing in her eyes but her Master.

Chen Tian stood sideways toward the slowly rising sun, one hand shading his brow as he narrowed his eyes slightly against the light.

He stood at the boundary between light and shadow, while Wanda and Pietro were held tightly in their parents' arms as they watched it all.