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[RNZO] Ch 325: The Arrival of Ancient One
🕑 Added 2025-07-12 00:16:34 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
"NOPE. You can't be human. Are you half Frost Giant and half... something else?" Thor said, eyes narrowing. "Yup—ice powers? That's a dead giveaway." He wanted to believe it, honestly. It would make things so much simpler.
"Who says only Frost Giants can have ice powers? Bro, I'm a 100% certified Earthling! And Human!" Renzo said, completely deadpan.
"That doesn't make any sense!" Thor couldn't help but complain.
"But it does make great fantasy!" Renzo shot back without missing a beat.
Thor: "..."
Down below, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Director Fury, and even Tony Stark all saw Renzo in action. A shared thought echoed in their minds: Who the fuck is this guy?
"Looks like he was holding back before... Damn, that's one scary power." Cap couldn't help but mutter in awe.
Freezing that many enemies in an instant, then that lightning—he looked more like a god than Thor himself.
Then again, Thor is technically just an alien...
"What's even crazier is the way he made those frozen enemies vanish with just a wave of his hand. Was that spatial magic? Or something else?" Natasha tried to guess.
"Who knows?" Cap shrugged and hurled his shield, smashing into a Chitauri soldier with precision. "Either way, the guy's on our side, right? And he did just save our asses."
"Alright, this isn't the time for questions. Let's keep fighting. I'll keep helping with the civilian evacuation!" With that, Captain America dashed off into the chaos.
"Fair enough! Let the Director worry about the complicated stuff." Natasha flashed a sly smile and sprinted off in another direction.
---
Aboard the Helicarrier...
Nick Fury and Maria Hill were watching everything unfold on the screen, Renzo's abilities catching their full attention.
Fury scowled. "Where the hell did this guy come from? We had no intel on someone like this. Another alien?"
"Hill, get me everything we have on him. Now."
"Yes, sir!" Hill jumped into action, immediately ordering a full search.
Unfortunately, the guy was wearing a mask. They had no clue what he really looked like. To make matters worse, "Renzo" wasn't exactly a unique name. There were dozens of people with that name in the US.
Still, Hill and her team quickly narrowed it down to a few profiles.
"Pretty sure it's this one. The facial structure's a match."She pulled up a file."Renzo, American, orphan, PhD in biology. Is just an ordinary civilian."
Fury raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. He pointed at the screen, where Renzo was freezing waves of Chitauri like it was child's play.
"That guy—this guy—you're telling me he's 'just a civilian'?"
"Maybe he was hiding his powers before. The important thing is he's helping now, isn't he?" Hill shrugged.
'And he's kinda hot,' she added silently while staring at his file photo.
Of course, Renzo never expected to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. in the dark for long. This was the perfect chance to showcase his power and techniques—something he'd need to do eventually anyway. Sooner or later, he'd have to step into the light.
The mask he wore was just a minor precaution—he didn't want to become a household name and deal with the constant attention. Think of it like celebrity syndrome—great for fame, terrible for privacy.
"Maybe..." Fury frowned, deep in thought. "Once this is over, we'll run a full background check. I don't believe someone with that much power could live an entirely normal life until now."
"Should we make contact afterward?" Hill asked.
"I'll handle it personally." Fury nodded.
There had to be more to this guy—hidden identities, unknown affiliations. But if his background checked out and he was genuinely a good person, Fury had no problem recruiting him.
---
Meanwhile...
Loki had also witnessed Renzo's abilities, and his face was twisted in disbelief and fury.
"Who the hell is this guy?! Is he really from Earth?!"
If this kept up, the remaining Chitauri forces wouldn't even reach the battlefield. How the hell was he supposed to conquer Earth like this?
FWIP!
Just then, a sharp sound sliced through the air.
Loki's senses kicked in—he snatched an incoming arrow out of the sky with ease. Smirking smugly, he glanced in the direction it came from, ready to show off a bit—
BOOM!
The arrow exploded in his hand.
All Loki had time to think was: 'What the—?!'
The next second, he was blasted off the flying platform and slammed hard into one of Stark Tower's curved balconies.
"Peh!" Loki coughed, rolled on the ground, and staggered to his feet, face covered in soot and rage.
He glared across the battlefield at Hawkeye, ready to fly at him and rip him apart.
What kind of cheap trick was that?! Since when do Earthlings put bombs on arrows?!
Seriously—no honor, no warning—just a full-on sneak attack!
And then—
BOOOOMMM!
A deafening clap of thunder echoed as lightning tore across the sky.
A familiar figure landed in front of Loki with a crash of energy—
Thor had arrived.
With a deeply emotional look, he stepped forward, clearly about to plead, "Loki, listen—"
Before he could even finish, Loki didn't hesitate. He raised the scepter in his hand, channeling a glowing blue orb of energy to blast Thor.
But Thor had learned his lesson from their last fight on the Helicarrier. Without missing a beat, he swung Mjölnir straight into Loki's belly.
WHAM!
The blow sent Loki flying like a ragdoll.
He crashed into a second circular walkway some distance away, and the scepter tumbled from his grip, clattering to the floor in yet another corridor.
...
Meanwhile, in a hidden dimension...
Renzo's eyes lit up as he watched everything unfold from within a pocket space.
"Oh ho ho! That's my chance!"
The one fighting out in the open wasn't even his real body—just a clone. His true self had been lurking here all along, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
And now, the Infinity Stone was practically falling into his hands.
Just as Renzo prepared to move—
Fssshhh...
A shimmer of golden sparks rippled through his dimensional space. A circular portal opened, and a robed figure stepped out calmly.
Renzo's expression shifted with mild surprise.
"The Ancient One?"
"Nice to meet you, Renzo," she said with a faint smile. "As I suspected, you do know who I am."
"Of course I do," Renzo replied smoothly. "The legendary Sorcerer Supreme—I'd have to be living under a rock not to know your name."
He gave her a curious glance. "So, what brings you here? You planning to stop me from taking the Mind Stone? Or maybe the Space Stone, too?"
Even as he spoke, he casually waved his hand and summoned the Mind Scepter into his grasp.
From the outside, the scepter still looked like it was lying where Loki had dropped it—but that was just an illusion. The real one was now in Renzo's hand.
"Actually… no," the Ancient One replied, to Renzo's surprise. She shook her head slowly.
"A few minutes ago, I saw millions of futures branching out from this very moment. All of them diverging wildly..."
"But ever since you appeared, that all changed. There's only one future now."
"One future?" Renzo raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Sounds like I'm pretty special then. So, can you see my future?"
The Ancient One gave him a slightly weary smile. "No. That's just it. I can't see yours at all."
"And that's exactly why I'm even more curious about you. You're the most unpredictable variable I've ever encountered."
"But even if I can't read your future," she added, "I can still observe how your presence affects others. Since you showed up, the futures of countless people—good people—have all improved. So, I've come to believe..."
"...your existence is a good thing for this universe."
"So no, I won't stop you. In fact..." She lifted her hand and made a sweeping gesture. The Eye of Agamotto on her chest opened, revealing the glowing green Time Stone inside. "...I'm willing to give you the Time Stone."
"...Huh." Renzo blinked, caught off guard. Then he frowned.
"Wait a second—you're not trying to bribe me into guarding Earth in your place, are you?"
Because if that was the plan, then it all made sense.
The Ancient One nodded. "That's exactly right. If you're willing, I'd even step down and give you the title of Sorcerer Supreme."
"Of course," she added with a sly smile, "if you accept the Time Stone, the responsibility of protecting the Earth from dimensional threats naturally falls to you."
"I've been guarding this realm for hundreds of years. Frankly, I'm exhausted. I'd like a break—to live differently for a change. I just need to know..."
"...would you help me make that happen?"
Renzo stared at her smiling face in stunned silence.
"...Yeah, no thanks. That sounds like way too much trouble." He waved her off. "But the Time Stone—I would like to borrow it. Just for research. The laws of time are... fascinating."
"As for being Sorcerer Supreme or defending Earth's dimensional space? Haven't you already picked a successor? What about Doctor Strange?"
He paused, then added with amusement, "Though right now, I guess he's still just a world-class neurosurgeon, huh?"
The Ancient One chuckled lightly. "If it were you, I wouldn't mind changing the plan. The future is never fixed. But... it seems like your answer is no."
With a sigh, she closed the Eye of Agamotto, sealing the Time Stone away again.
She could sense just how powerful Renzo was—and how limitless his potential might be. If anyone was suited for the mantle, it was him.
"I'm not the responsibility type," Renzo said simply. "Helping out here and there? Sure. Saving the world occasionally? Fine."
" But being in charge of that kind of burden? Nah."
"...But I'll make you a deal. Lend me the Time Stone for five months to study it. In exchange, I'll help you out five times—no matter what the situation is. Sound fair?"
He held up five fingers.
The Ancient One smiled and nodded. "Deal. But we'll split it into two parts."
"You can only have the Time Stone for three months at a time, and 2 for the other. Any longer, and I won't have the strength to keep Dormammu out."
Renzo nodded. "Works for me."
And just like that, one of the most powerful magical pacts in the multiverse was sealed—not with a contract, but with mutual understanding.
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