Ch.142 I’ve Seen Through All Your Schemes

By this point, Ronan had gradually pieced together the truth.

At the very least, he had figured out most of it.

According to his analysis, Vini's ultimate goal was definitely to save the Earth from her universe.

But as Ronan had said before, there were two ways to achieve that.

One was to negotiate with Dormammu normally, trading something to reclaim her Earth from him.

However, who could guarantee that Dormammu wouldn't play tricks during the negotiation?

Even if Dormammu honored the deal, the contract didn't specify that he couldn't invade Earth again, right?

So, Vini wasn't foolish—she understood the risks perfectly.

In the end, she chose the second option.

To transfer the people from her Earth—or at least the ones she cared about—into this universe's Earth.

If that were truly the case, Ronan wouldn't have stopped her. In fact, neither Strange nor this universe's Kamar-Taj would have opposed it.

The reason was simple—Earth's fate was never dictated by one person or one organization.

But Vini hadn't chosen to do it that way.

If she had wanted to, she could have quietly executed the plan in secret. Instead, she came for Ronan openly and aggressively.

That alone indicated that Ronan was closely tied to her plan—

At least, his involvement was of critical importance.

After thinking it over, Ronan could only come to one conclusion.

"If I'm not mistaken, you can travel to other parallel universes, but you're the only one who can."

"This teleportation array, or portal, only allows for one person to pass through—not mass transport."

"So, you need to find a way to expand the portal's scale."

"In other words, I must have something that can amplify that portal's capacity to transport more people."

"Energy?"

"Physique?"

"Or maybe something else about me that I don't even know?"

Ronan gazed at Vini from a short distance away. His final question struck with the precision of a dagger.

He was right.

From the very beginning, Vini's goal was never about negotiating with Dormammu. It had always been about her alternative plan.

She knew that bargaining with Dormammu was no different from bargaining with a tiger.

The most likely outcome was that even if she killed Ronan, Dormammu would find another excuse to refuse her.

Even if Dormammu honored the deal, the glaring problem was—wouldn't he just invade again later?

After all, their contract only stipulated that Vini would return with Ronan's corpse, and Dormammu would give Earth back to her.

There was no mention of future invasions.

So, Vini devised another plan.

Migration.

She would rescue the people trapped in the Dark Dimension and bring them to another Earth—

The one she was currently standing on.

But achieving large-scale interdimensional migration wasn't possible with her current method of teleportation.

That was why Vini set her sights on Ronan.

"That's right. You've guessed everything. My target has always been you."

"To be precise, it's the dark energy inside you."

Vini sighed softly as she looked at Ronan.

The fact that he figured it out so easily proved just how smart he was.

To someone of lower intellect, her actions might seem laughable.

Who was Dormammu?

The ruler of the Dark Dimension.

Could anyone really trust someone like that?

That was ordinary thinking. Vini had tried to use that ordinary perspective to mask her true intentions.

But she hadn't expected Ronan to unravel the deeper layer.

"Dark energy?"

"You mean the way you teleport between universes relies on energy from the Dark Dimension?"

Ronan raised an eyebrow.

Vini nodded. She waved her right hand lightly, and the dark energy wrapped around her arm began to swirl rapidly.

Soon, the swirling energy formed a black portal.

"To open this portal requires dark energy."

"Dormammu only gave me enough dark energy to travel between two parallel universes—not more, not less."

"He doesn't trust me. He's constantly guarding against me."

Vini flicked her wrist again, causing the portal to disappear.

Clearly, there was zero trust between her and Dormammu.

But that was normal—they had never been on the same side.

"Dark energy…?"

"Wait. Wasn't that from your clone last time?"

"No… that's not right. Your clone died last time, and I checked—you couldn't have relayed any information."

"More importantly, every time I show up, either you or your clone appears immediately."

"So, there must be a method you left behind in this universe."

"Or maybe… there's a traitor on Earth."

Ronan recalled the previous incident.

The only people who knew about the dark energy within him—aside from Vini's clone—were Strange and Tony Stark.

This time, Tony hadn't been involved at all. Ronan had even visited him and left precautions behind.

No alarm spells were triggered, meaning Vini hadn't gone near Tony or his family.

As for Strange…

Even though he had been beaten up, according to his account, Vini hadn't asked him about the energy.

There were no signs of memory tampering either.

So, Strange was likely innocent.

Then who could it be?

"No need to guess. I can tell you directly now."

"Zola. HYDRA's artificial intelligence."

"When my clone arrived in this universe, I used our planet's previous methods to contact Zola."

"Everything I know came from him."

At this point, Vini had no reason to hide anything.

This was her trump card.

Zola?

Ronan frowned at the name.

He remembered warning Strange about this before he left.

Had they made zero progress on it since then?

"What surprised me most was that in my universe, HYDRA helped us resist Dormammu and protect Earth from invasion."

"But in this world, HYDRA is a villainous organization."

"Still, as they say, there are connections between parallel universes."

"Zola recognized me immediately."

Vini smirked. This was the most critical and important step in her plan.

Without Zola's cooperation, things would have been much harder for her—

Including recruiting Peter Parker.

His personal data, family history, and personality profile—all of it came from Zola.

In exchange, once the people from her universe arrived, they would cooperate with HYDRA to regain control of the world.

"And I have to say, your strength is indeed impressive."

"That clone of mine—I specifically selected a mutant's corpse and modified it."

"Even after Zola's analysis, it was considered a near-perfect body."

"But you defeated it so easily."

At this moment, Vini didn't hold back her praise for Ronan.

In her eyes, everything was about to end.

"If it was Zola, that makes sense."

"You managed to contact him through some means after I arrived in this world."

"But I still have one question—if I never returned to this universe after my last visit, what would you have done then?"

"It feels like I'm a crucial part of your plan."

Ronan narrowed his eyes, sensing that Vini must have had a backup plan.

Otherwise, relying solely on the dark energy within Ronan was far too unpredictable.

That kind of randomness didn't align with Vini's interests.

"Of course, you guessed correctly. I do have a backup plan."

"It's just that the success rate of my backup plan is much lower than my A-plan, which involves you."

"If you hadn't come to this universe after a certain amount of time, I probably would have activated the backup."

"But, unfortunately… you did."

Vini finally revealed a delighted smile.

Everything was unfolding as she had planned. This was the final step.

Her scheme was about to be completed!

"Alright, I'll admit, you've orchestrated a remarkable plan."

"But now comes the most important part."

"How exactly… do you plan to kill me?"

Ronan shrugged slightly, the outcome of their previous fight still clear in his mind.

With Vini's current abilities, killing Ronan wasn't realistic.

Unless she had hidden some truly terrifying technique.

"Do you think I'd tell you everything just because I'm about to lose?"

"I'm not foolish enough to be like those villains who reveal their entire plan before they die."

"You wanted answers, and I needed to buy time."

"So, if I tell you…"

"…what difference does it make!!!"

As Vini screamed the last sentence, a sudden earthquake swept through all of New York.

Yes, all of New York!

The violent tremors fractured the ground.

Cracks spread across the earth, and countless buildings began to sway dangerously.

From the four corners of New York—north, south, east, and west—brilliant beams of light shot into the sky at the same time.

Eventually, the beams converged at a point above the city—right where Vini stood.

At some point, Vini had risen into the air, and her previously tied hair now flowed freely.

Her hair floated behind her, and with her twisted expression, she resembled a dark-haired witch.

Seeing her like this, Ronan couldn't help but tug at the corner of his mouth.

Was she about to unleash her ultimate move?

"Ronan, this is the gift I've prepared for you!"

"You should feel honored—grateful even. You've contributed to this universe."

"If you hadn't come, my backup plan would have been to sacrifice all of New York to open that portal."

"But now, thanks to you, the people of this city can live."

Vini hovered in mid-air, her expression twisted and feral.

She seemed convinced that Ronan no longer had any means to resist.

Before Ronan could respond, Vini spoke again.

"You're probably thinking about using your clones to avoid this attack."

"I'm not sure how you did it, but your clones have already been trapped."

"That's why I kept them occupied from the beginning."

"You're doomed!"

Vini shouted as she raised her hands high, palms facing upward.

The dark energy coiled around her right arm detached, soaring into the sky.

Watching her, Ronan thought—if her hair had turned golden and spiked, she could have been mistaken for one of those 'Saiyan' lunatics.

The motion was practically iconic.

The dark energy spread across the sky, merging with the four beams of light.

A black portal faintly materialized overhead.

At this point, New York was in chaos.

The quake had triggered accidents, stampedes—

Even some opportunists were still out looting.

Peter Parker stood frozen, watching in disbelief.

MJ and Ned tugged at him, but he refused to leave.

He could clearly see that the locations of the beams were the same spots where he had buried those boxes.

In other words…

All of this was his fault!

"Damn it!"

Peter Parker roared, vaulting over the railing and leaping into the battlefield.

His wrist flicked, shooting a web that latched onto Vini's foot.

With both hands, he yanked hard!

Vini, who had been floating mid-air, stumbled.

As her hands dropped, the swirling dark energy slowed and began to dissipate.

"That's her weakness!"

"If she can't raise her hands, she can't activate her spell!"

Peter Parker shouted at Ronan.

Initially, it was just a guess.

A technique that powerful had to have a cost.

Peter decided to test it.

It was dangerous—he could become Vini's primary target.

But Peter had to correct his mistake.

"Peter…"

"I thought we were working well together."

"But it seems I was wrong."

Vini casually sliced through Peter's webbing with her left hand.

She wasn't angry—if anything, she smiled as she glanced toward Aunt May.

May Parker, who had been anxiously watching, suddenly gasped and coughed up blood.

Her body collapsed backward.

"Aunt May!"

MJ caught her just in time.

Hearing MJ's shout, Peter spun around frantically.

"As Ronan said, I may be making deals with the devil."

"But isn't your deal with me the same?"

Vini smiled brightly as she watched Peter rush to May's side.

In that moment, Peter reminded her of herself.

With that thought, Vini raised her hands once more.

There was still time to change fate!

Ronan stood still, watching the events unfold overhead.

He sighed.

They say people learn from their mistakes, yet some never change—

Like this one.

"So, you really think you can kill me."

Ronan chuckled, hands casually in his pockets.

"Keep talking, but it won't matter."

"I won't give you a chance to turn the tables. As you said—villains lose because they talk too much."

"I won't make the same mistake!"

Vini clasped her hands together. Dark energy surged from her body.

The portal in the sky trembled, on the verge of opening—

But something seemed… missing.

"Ronan, after your death, I'll erect a statue in your honor."

"You'll be a hero of our universe."

"So, thank you for your sacrifice!"

Thunder cracked.

A black-blue beam of energy burst toward Ronan.

The street trembled as the chaotic winds intensified.

Streetlights shattered, cars crumpled like paper.

Even Lady Liberty's shield broke apart.

It felt like the end of the world.

In the face of such destruction, Ronan raised his left hand.

A familiar glove appeared—one that made Strange nervous.

Snap!

A glove that made Strange's heart pound with fear appeared in Ronan's hand.

Snap!

The energy pouring down from the sky froze above Ronan's head.

Everything… seemed to stop in place!

In that moment, the wind halted, the trembling ceased, and the Statue of Liberty—previously swaying—returned to its upright position.

It was as if everything that had just happened was a dream!

"Time Stone?"

Vini instinctively shouted.

But she quickly denied her own guess.

The reason was simple—no matter how generous the Ancient One might be, even if she allowed the Time Stone to be brought over, what had just occurred couldn't possibly be its effect.

Vini could still move, the wind still blew, and even the ground's subtle tremors persisted.

Only the energy in mid-air… had stopped.

"Let's add some snow."

Ronan muttered softly.

In the next second…

The energy transformed into countless snowflakes, drifting gently from the sky.

Conveniently, the weather was just right for snow.

"I know this must sting, but I have to say—the snow you sent my way is quite beautiful."

Ronan tilted his head up, waving to Vini floating in mid-air, his face wearing an easy smile.

"No! Impossible!"

"Ronan, you have to die today!!!!"

Watching the snow fall from the sky, Vini seemed to lose her mind.

Her plan was nearly complete, but at the final step—something like this happened?

And worse… it was something she hadn't accounted for at all.

"Die for me!!!"

Vini roared once more, summoning the same energy and unleashing it from the sky.

Her target—still Ronan, now standing amidst the falling snow.

But this time, Ronan simply shook his head.

"The snowflakes are too large. They ruin the aesthetic… Let's change it to… chalkboard erasers."

Ronan raised his hand and gently waved it.

But this time, he wasn't waving at Vini—he was "erasing the board."

With each flick of his left hand, Vini could see the descending energy fade bit by bit.

A terrifying attack… slowly wiped away, as if it were nothing more than irrelevant scribbles.

Seeing this, Vini suddenly realized something.

"Reality Stone???"

"You actually brought your universe's Reality Stone?"

Vini looked genuinely incredulous.

Ronan smiled faintly at her. His left hand clenched into a fist, and his gaze locked onto Vini's left arm.

Whoosh!

A space vortex swirled into existence, slicing cleanly through Vini's left arm.

She didn't even have time to react before her arm was gone.

Blood gushed instantly.

"Space Stone."

Vini stood frozen, utterly stunned.

Moments later, another clone of Ronan appeared beside him.

This clone wasn't wearing the Infinity Gauntlet.

At that moment, Vini's face turned deathly pale.

She finally understood Ronan's game.

"Do you see it now?"

"I have countless ways to dodge your attacks… and kill you."

"Even without the Reality and Space Stones, I still have a clone waiting for your 'finishing move'."

"Of course, if that's not enough, I have one more surprise for you."

With that, Ronan picked up his phone and dialed a number.

After three rings, Ronan ended the call.

At that moment, the four beams of light that had been piercing the sky vanished simultaneously!

This meant the four boxes Peter Parker had buried—at Vini's instruction—had already been found!

And the speed at which they were unearthed? It could only mean they had been under surveillance all along.

"You know…"

"I've seen through all your schemes from the very beginning."