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Ch. 264 The Battle of Men's Determination
🕑 Added 2024-01-15 16:00:11 +0000 UTCWanda and Pietro didn't notice Russell's subtle actions. After exchanging glances, Wanda slowly approached Russell.
Five meters may not seem like a long distance, but it's enough to make a difference. By the time Wanda reached Russell, he had already added three layers of protection to his brain and mind.
Normally, one layer of protection would suffice, especially since Wanda hadn't mastered chaos magic yet. However, for safety's sake, Russell decided to add a few extra layers. Better safe than sorry, as they say.
Wanda gazed at Russell's face cautiously as she stood before him, her attractive features scrutinizing him. When she raised her right hand, a strange crimson light began to shimmer around her hand.
Seeing the crimson energy enveloping Wanda's right hand, Russell subconsciously used his magical perception to sense the energy around her hand.
It wasn't magic!
As an apprentice mage who hadn't graduated officially but was already on par with Kamar-Taj's official mages, Russell immediately recognized that the energy surrounding Wanda's right hand wasn't magic.
This was a positive sign!
Not being magic meant that Wanda hadn't mastered chaos magic yet and also meant she couldn't detect the magical protections he had placed on his brain and mind.
"Are you sure you want me to read your thoughts?" Wanda asked as she raised her right hand.
"Of course, it's the best way to prove that I have no ill intentions and to show my sincerity," Russell replied with a smile.
Having confirmed that the crimson energy surrounding Wanda's right hand wasn't magic, Russell put his last bit of worry to rest.
"Then I'll begin," Wanda said, her eyes scanning Russell's face. "Here we go."
As she raised her right hand, the eerie crimson energy began to flow around her hand like smoke and then entered Russell's mind. When the crimson energy entered his brain, Russell felt a sensation similar to establishing a mental connection with another symbiote, with one significant difference: this time, Wanda was in control.
Although Russell had repeatedly expressed his willingness to have his thoughts examined, Wanda still had some reservations. She knew that the world could be a treacherous place, having been involved in various protests alongside her brother Pietro from a young age. She was well aware of how deceitful and dangerous people could be, even those who appeared friendly.
As she delved into Russell's thoughts with her telepathic ability, she unexpectedly discovered that the man they had previously suspected of conspiring with Tony Stark was, in fact, a good person. Russell had no intentions of hiding anything from Wanda and allowed her to see his true thoughts.
In just a matter of seconds, which might seem brief in the real world but were ample in the realm of consciousness, Wanda had completed her examination of Russell's true thoughts.
In the real world, three to four seconds might seem like a short time, not even enough to utter a lengthy sentence. However, in the realm of consciousness, these seconds could be long enough to watch an entire movie.
The crimson energy surrounding Wanda's right hand dissipated, and she slowly withdrew her hand, a surprised expression on her delicate face.
After her examination, she had "confirmed" that Russell harbored no ill intentions toward her and Pietro. Moreover, she had taken the time to investigate the truth of the Battle of New York and the genuine relationship between Russell and Tony.
Having confirmed all this, Wanda realized that they might have misjudged Russell. She smiled charmingly and nodded at him.
Then, she turned and rejoined Pietro's side, whispering the results of her examination to him. Pietro's expression also revealed surprise upon hearing her account.
Like Wanda, Pietro hadn't expected Russell to genuinely invite them to join the Justice League. After a brief silence, Pietro spoke up, "I believe what you said earlier, but if you want us to join the Justice League, you'll have to let us know what benefits there are."
"Baron Strucker may not be a good person, but he did give us the power we desired."
Upon hearing Pietro's words, Russell first removed the magical protections he had placed on his brain and mind.
Then, he smiled and said, "What Baron Strucker could provide you, I can provide as well, and even more."
"Furthermore, let me correct you. Your superpowers aren't something Baron Strucker gave you; you were born with them."
"All he did was awaken these superpowers within you that were already present."
Born with superpowers?
Although Wanda and Pietro had learned quite a bit about superpowers with Baron Strucker's assistance, their understanding of the subject was still somewhat superficial. Most notably, they had no idea where their superpowers had come from.
Baron Strucker's experiments could indeed create artificially enhanced individuals with superpowers, but these superpowers were not comparable to those of genuine superhumans.
"How do you know all this? You don't even know us," Pietro said, still not fully convinced.
"I understand you both better than you think. Otherwise, I wouldn't have invited you to join the Justice League," Russell replied nonchalantly.
"Even if what you say is true, I still don't believe you can give us what we want."
"Furthermore, since you claim to know us so well, you should also know how we feel about Tony Stark. Aren't you worried that we might cause trouble for you if we join the Justice League?"
Pietro continued to voice his doubts.
"I know why you harbor resentment towards Tony, but have you ever considered that Stark Industries is just a weapons manufacturer?"
"You shouldn't hold the inventor and manufacturer of a weapon responsible just because your parents died from it."
"By your logic, people whose family members died in traffic accidents should seek revenge from car manufacturers."
Russell understood that Stark Industries' missiles had left deep psychological scars on Pietro and Wanda. However, he couldn't condone their desire for revenge. If their parents were still alive, he doubted they would approve of such thoughts.
"You're speaking up for Tony Stark because you're friends with him," Pietro scoffed.
"It has nothing to do with whether or not I'm friends with Tony. It's about your perspective being flawed."
"Look at it from a different angle. If your parents were still alive, do you think they would approve of your current mindset?"
Russell didn't want to be Pietro's therapist, but he felt compelled to address this issue. If he didn't, Pietro and Wanda might seek vengeance against Tony Stark even after joining the Justice League.
"You don't need to say more. In the end, you just want to convince us to give up our quest for revenge," Pietro said, his face once again displaying hostility.
Russell sighed, realizing that verbal persuasion wasn't working with Pietro. He decided to take a simpler approach.
He completely disregarded Pietro's hostile expression and said calmly, "You and I are both men. Since you don't agree with my words, let's resolve our differences in the most primitive way possible."
"Don't worry; I won't use any other abilities against you. I'll only use your own super speed to determine the outcome."
"If I win, you and Wanda come back to New York with me and join the Justice League."
"If you win, you're free to leave with Wanda at any time, whether it's for seeking revenge against Tony or assassinating the Presidents around the world. I won't stop you."
Hearing Russell's words, Pietro fell silent. While Pietro believed his super speed was unmatched, he also wasn't arrogant enough to think he could defeat Russell.
Although there's no official ranking of superhero strength, many news outlets have already started referring to Russell as the strongest hero.
After thinking for a few seconds, Pietro slowly said, "I accept your challenge!"
Challenge?
Even at this stage, they couldn't resist taking verbal jabs at each other?
Russell shook his head helplessly.
Although he didn't particularly like Pietro referring to their upcoming battle as a challenge, he didn't dwell on this minor issue.
"Let's get started, then!"
With that, Russell didn't immediately activate his super speed. Instead, he made a polite gesture towards Pietro.
Although Russell didn't know what Pietro's maximum speed was, judging from Pietro's recent sprint with Wanda, Pietro's current top speed wouldn't exceed ten Mach.
Without any courtesy, Pietro instantly entered his maximum speed state, disappearing almost instantly as if teleporting.
"Wait here for us. We'll determine the outcome soon!"
Russell didn't immediately chase after Pietro, but he said to Wanda, who had a puzzled expression on her face.
In Wanda's expression of "Did I miss something?" flashed through Russell's mind.
She couldn't understand why Russell and Pietro, who had just been talking calmly, suddenly decided to settle their differences with superpowers. Was this what men referred to as a desire for victory?
Russell couldn't help but think this.
Although Pietro had a head start, Russell wasn't worried about Pietro pulling away. He had already experienced Pietro's maximum speed earlier.
If Pietro hadn't deliberately held back earlier, this competition wouldn't take more than a minute to decide.
First, Russell used his superhuman vision for penetration and farsight to lock onto Pietro's location. Then, he began an unreasonable acceleration.
One Mach, three Mach, five Mach, seven Mach...
In just a short two to three seconds, Russell accelerated from a standstill to a top speed of seven Mach.
If it weren't for the inexplicable biotic force field surrounding his body, when he ran through the forest at this speed, everything in his path would have turned into a mess, beyond what the naked eye could capture.
In the blink of an eye, Russell caught up with Pietro, who was running at full speed.
To facilitate communication between them, Russell raised his right hand and cast a voice transmission spell onto Pietro.
Both of them were now at their maximum speed, and regular speech couldn't keep up with their pace.
Without the voice transmission spell, there would be no way for them to communicate at this point.
"Is this your top speed?" Russell asked as he ran alongside Pietro.
"Top speed? Don't underestimate me!" Pietro replied indignantly.
"Is that so?" Russell said as he approached Pietro.
Then, unexpectedly, he tripped Pietro with a sudden movement of his right foot.
Pietro never expected that Russell would resort to such a street-fighting tactic at this moment.
Although he had sensed Russell's intentions, Pietro had no chance to dodge now.
As a result, the high-speed Pietro collided with Russell's right foot without any suspense.
Following that, his body lost balance and tumbled forward due to inertia.
Bang!
Tripped by Russell, Pietro rolled for dozens of meters and crashed heavily into a tree with a circumference of two people, coming to an undignified stop.
Seeing Pietro's sorry state after being tripped, Russell's mood remained unchanged. A scene of the Flash, Barry Allen, being tripped by someone from time to time flashed through his mind.
A speedster who had never been tripped wasn't a qualified speedster!
Although Russell was quite calm, he didn't waste the opportunity Pietro had given him by getting tripped.
While Pietro endured the pain from rolling and colliding, Russell instantly appeared in front of him, grabbed Pietro's collar, and lifted him up.
"You lost!" Russell said calmly.
"No, I didn't, it's just that you..." Pietro began to explain.
However, Russell didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence and interrupted him.
"What? You're in your twenties, and you can't even admit the truth? If you're really like this, then I take back my proposal for you to join the Justice League, because you're not worthy!"
Although they hadn't spent much time together, Russell had already roughly figured out Pietro's personality.
In simpler terms, Pietro was the kind of person who wouldn't yield when treated with kindness. The tougher you were with him, the better the effect.
After hearing Russell's words, Pietro closed his mouth in unwillingness, looking at Russell with a face full of defiance.
