Marvel, start by marrying the Scarlet Witch

The thirteen robots spun helplessly in the cylindrical whirlpool of water, flailing like laundry caught in a washing machine. Their arms jerked, their optics flickered—completely unable to launch another attack.

Carl formed a rapid sequence of hand seals, his voice low but firm.

"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"

The shimmering bolts of chakra-infused lightning surged through the water. Lightning combined with water jutsu amplified its devastating effects, coursing through the metallic bodies like a live wire plunged into a circuit board. Sparks erupted. Joints sizzled. Within moments, the robots' glowing red sensors dimmed one by one until only lifeless husks remained.

These machines, thrown together in haste by Hammer Industries, were nothing compared to the intricately designed Iron Man suits Tony had crafted. They weren't built to withstand this kind of elemental onslaught. Like overloaded hardware, they shut down—fried beyond repair.

It was reminiscent of the way Thor later incinerated Ultron's drones with raw lightning: brutal and absolute.

As Carl's chakra dispersed, the water swirled into mist and then vanished. The thirteen robots collapsed to the ground, twisted and inert.

Back at Hammer Industries, Ivan Vanko glared at the screen displaying thirteen red "offline" alerts. His fist crashed down on the keyboard, shattering it. Without hesitation, he turned and kicked aside the unconscious bodyguard sent to keep tabs on him—strangled and discarded like trash. Seething with rage, Ivan began equipping his custom-built Whiplash armor.

This was supposed to be a one-sided slaughter, a grand public humiliation of Tony Stark. But two mysterious figures—one wielding dark magic, the other commanding chaos—had ruined everything. Now, Ivan was done hiding behind machines. He would take matters into his own hands.

With a remote neural link to his Whiplash suit, he continued directing the remaining drones toward Tony Stark. Then, activating his own propulsion system, he launched toward the Queens Exhibition Hall.

---

Meanwhile, Tony Stark was still airborne, weaving through the metal storm. Thanks to the superior flight capabilities of his armor, he managed to dive out of the worst of it. With quick reflexes and a repulsor blast, he sent one robot crashing into a massive iron-ball sculpture, reducing it to rubble. Another he vaporized with a well-aimed energy shot.

"Sir," Jarvis interrupted. "The suit is operating at 20% capacity."

Tony groaned. "Perfect. I knew I should've worn the Mark III today."

The lightweight, portable model he'd chosen had no auxiliary energy supply. It relied entirely on the Arc Reactor in his chest, making its endurance... well, less than ideal for this kind of chaos.

"Why did the attack pause?" he asked, catching his breath.

Jarvis responded a moment later. "Scans and surveillance footage confirm assistance is being provided by two figures—currently trending online as the 'Dark Wizard' and the 'Scarlet Witch.' Body-matching algorithms suggest with 95% probability that the Dark Wizard is your associate, Mr. Carl."

Tony blinked, then cracked a smile.

"Carl? Well, I'll be damned. Just in time, too."

Changing course, Tony veered toward the square outside the hall. The time for pride was over—he needed backup. And if anyone could handle chaos, it was Carl.

---

On the ground, Carl stood calmly as the last of the water dripped from his fingertips. Beside him, Wanda approached, chaos magic shimmering in her eyes. Tony landed hard a few meters away, dust kicking up as the Iron Man suit hissed and groaned with stress.

"Carl!" Tony shouted, striding forward, faceplate retracting. "Long time no see!"

The remaining robots, still operational, immediately took a defensive posture—pulling back and forming a perimeter around the trio. Ivan's remote system clearly recognized Carl's power and was hesitant to engage directly.

"Tony," Carl said, giving him a once-over. "You look like hell."

"No argument here," Tony replied with a wry smile. "This suit isn't meant for full-on war. It's nearly out of juice. I may need a little help."

He glanced at Wanda, who had now taken her place at Carl's side. Her gaze was cool, assessing.

"Is she your wife?" Tony asked in a low voice.

Carl nodded. "Wanda Hudson. My wife."

Tony straightened and gave her a respectful nod. "Ma'am. Good evening. I'm... I'm sorry about what happened in Sokovia. I hope someday you'll forgive me. If there's anything I can do..."

Wanda's expression didn't soften. "Don't lead my husband astray, Mr. Stark. Or I'll personally see to it you die a miserable death."

Tony gulped. "Noted. Though... I've changed, really. I've got someone in my life now—Pepper. The playboy days are over."

Wanda raised an eyebrow but didn't reply. Carl chuckled quietly and turned his attention to the approaching hum in the distance.

A figure was descending rapidly—sparks trailing behind him. Ivan Vanko had arrived.

He landed hard, the shockwave from his arrival cracking the pavement. Clad in his Whiplash armor, he radiated menace. Twin electrified whips cracked through the air, scorching deep trenches into the concrete.

"You three," Ivan growled, electricity arcing around his armor, "are going to die today."

The ground beneath them trembled as the energy from the whips pulsed outward.

Carl narrowed his eyes. That amount of electricity… even with his enhanced body, one clean hit could be devastating.

"Tony," Carl muttered, "You handle Ivan. I and Scarlet Witch will keep the rest of the robots off you."

Tony nodded and Wanda raised her hands, red energy gathering between her fingers.

The real battle was about to begin.

______________________________________

CHAPTER 128

"Leave first if there's any danger!"

Carl cast a sharp glance toward the encircling robotic soldiers and the looming Ivan , his voice calm but resolute.

Unlike the ground-bound army robots they had faced earlier, these remaining fourteen were airborne and spread out—each capable of flying at high speed. Coordinated attacks wouldn't be effective this time. Area-of-effect spells and wide-range magic wouldn't easily take them all out.

Carl's arsenal of magic and ninjutsu was potent, but modern weapons—missiles, machine guns—could be just as deadly. The only real advantage was that the robots still operated on rigid combat programming. Their lack of human-level adaptability made them vulnerable, especially without Ivan Vanko's direct control.

"Don't worry, Carl—I'll be careful!" Tony Stark raised the energy cannon on his arm, his voice steady.

Even though Carl had once forced him to wear a sponsor's logo and promote the Hudson Group through his suits , Tony had come to see him as a friend. That friendship made him genuinely concerned in this moment of danger.

Carl, however, gave Tony a strange look.

"I meant Scarlet Witch ."

Tony blinked. "Right. Of course. Your wife. I knew that."

He awkwardly covered his faceplate to hide the flush of embarrassment beneath. Wanda burst into laughter.

"You should be leading the charge, Tony. They're here for you anyway," Carl muttered.

Seeing Ivan lunge forward, electric whips crackling, and the robots tightening their encirclement, Carl and Wanda reacted instantly. With a flick of their wands, they vanished from their spot—Apparating behind two airborne robots.

Tony launched upward, evading a barrage of missiles and energy blasts.

"I'll handle Ivan. You two take care of the robot soldiers!"

From the air, Tony accelerated, colliding with Ivan mid-air in a flurry of metal and sparks.

He knew that if he could keep Ivan distracted, the robots would lose their coordinated attack advantage. Without direct guidance, they'd rely on their basic programming—making them easier targets.

"Thunder Burst!"

Behind one of the robot soldiers, Carl unleashed a powerful explosion spell. The metallic body was engulfed in light and torn apart mid-air. Wanda, to his left, used a series of advanced transfiguration charms to twist

another robot into a pile of kitchen ware

But the remaining twelve had received Ivan's final orders before the fight. They immediately soared high into the air, positioning themselves above Carl and Wanda and unleashing a hailstorm of bullets.

Ivan had studied them closely in earlier battles. He had realized that, despite their impressive spellwork, neither Carl nor Wanda could fly unaided. And most magic—if anticipated—could be dodged.

"This could be trouble," Carl muttered.

The twelve robots, abandoning missiles for more efficient firepower, now used high-speed machine guns. They zipped through the air like metallic hornets, strafing Wanda and Carl with relentless fire.

Shielding spells were their only defense.

"Iron Armor Spell!"

Carl's voice rang out as a shimmering magical shield formed around them. Wanda followed suit, reinforcing hers with red energy.

Now wasn't the time for the Fierce Fire Curse. Carl knew he wasn't experienced enough with it—it was too dangerous and unstable in a tight battle.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Technique!"

Flames burst from Carl's mouth in the form of dozens of fireballs, lighting up the sky. As the robots scattered to avoid the magical barrage, Carl quickly retrieved four explosive tags—a gift from his last trip to the Naruto world—and tapped them with his wand.

Each tag morphed into a paper airplane and shot upward, undetected.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Technique!"

More fireballs followed, a second wave. As Wanda launched red magic bolts alongside him, the robots were forced into evasive patterns, unaware of the seemingly harmless paper gliders closing in.

Click.

The tags latched onto their targets.

"Detonate!"

Carl's hands formed a quick seal. Four simultaneous explosions lit up the sky. Shrapnel rained down like fiery snow as four robots were instantly obliterated.

"I need to learn how to craft those explosive tags next time I'm in the Naruto world," Carl muttered, half to himself.

He formed another seal.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

A swirling water dragon shot from his mouth, crashing toward a fleeing robot. Sensing the attack, the robot banked left—but the dragon twisted midair, caught it mid-turn, and slammed it into the pavement with a deafening crack.

"Seven left."

Between the tags and the water attack, five had been taken out. The aerial advantage of the remaining robots was already crumbling.

With reduced pressure, Carl and Wanda could now shift to offense more comfortably. Wanda raised her hands and summoned a field of chaotic red energy, sending hex bolts shooting into the air, forcing another robot to spiral out of control.

But in the heat of battle, Carl's danger sense flared.

Crack!

Ivan, seeing his robotic forces dwindling, hurled a badly damaged Tony aside and launched at Carl. With a roar, he snapped one of his electric whips at Carl's torso.

Too fast.

There wasn't enough time to Apparate. Even if he tried, there would be a fraction-of-a-second delay—more than enough for the whip to slice through him. The Iron Armor Spell would take longer to cast.

Instinct took over.

Carl dove into his mission space and pulled out a reinforced combat shield just in time to intercept the incoming strike.

CRACK!

The electric whip slammed into the shield, nearly cleaving it in two. The force of the impact sent Carl flying backward, crashing into the base of a marble monument with a painful grunt.

"Carl!"

Wanda's scream echoed across the square.

Red light pulsed around her like an inferno. Her eyes glowed. Anger poured out of her like a wave, shaking the ground beneath her feet.

"You'll regret that," she growled.

The remaining seven robots suddenly turned their sensors toward her—only to be lifted into the air by invisible force.

The massacre has began.