Welcome to My Earth

Steve Rogers felt endless tremors and ripples surging through the bottom of his heart, astonished by the other's terrifying strength while panicking at their current desperate plight.

Yet the backbone of Captain America absolutely forbade him from showing cowardice or retreating.

He forcibly suppressed the turbulent waves churning inside his chest, maintaining his usual steady, open, and neither servile nor overbearing posture as he took the lead to respond.

"Russell, we are here to find Tony Stark, and merely mentioned your name by chance along the way. From start to finish, our purpose has nothing to do with you."

This was his most sensible judgment at the moment.

The other's strength was unfathomable, and the two had just experienced a grueling battle with depleted states; going head-on was purely seeking their own destruction.

The only way out was to detach from the conflict, clear up any connection, and fight for a chance to escape unscathed.

[Shock Emotion +1]

[Anxiety Emotion +1]

Hearing this, the corners of Russell's mouth curved into a faint, casual smile, his demeanor relaxed and at ease as if he were just casually chatting with an old friend.

"Looking for Iron Man truly has nothing to do with me."

His pace was even and his tone candid, seemingly accepting Steve's rhetoric and easing the tense atmosphere slightly.

Yet the very next second, his tone sharply pivoted. Beneath the mild words came a few parts of unquestionable, tyrannical control, every single syllable ringing with force:

"But there is one premise: you shouldn't have appeared in New York."

"From the moment you stepped into this city, every single thing you've done here, every plan, and every breath you've taken are inextricably linked to me."

He paused, a trace of apology on his face:

"Pardon me, but New York at